Article: Wilderness Walk: Dewar Recognized In Hometown

[Thomas Williams]

View full article

[Protec]

Dewar is a determined player. He’s been paying dues.

The Wild need size and skill but they need determined players. Boldy hasn’t shown much in the playoffs and other forwards have been fired up in the wrong way fighting the refs. 
 

The Wild might have thought they had an identity this past season. They said they had one. Sorta appeared from my perspective they had more identity the previous year with the high point total. It was my observation that without Ek, it’s a differential team. The group overall could not compensate for that loss. The loss of Shaw and Ek derailed the momentum MN had leading up to April.

I like Dewar but the Wild need depth. They need to improve special teams. They need size and determination. A 6’ player can “play big.” That doesn’t have to always be reserved for little guys. The Wild needs prospects to take the necessary steps to support the couple star players and NHL journeyman guys this season.

[vonlonster67]

I believe we can all agree on all of your points which are all valid.

It's time, and I hope BG hears the fans distain in the constant direction we are going rehashing old habits, building an identity that falls to pieces with one player injury or cold spell.

I bite my lip as I watch the playoffs and look back at the past ten years and throw up my hands and ask how did we get hear. We mortgaged our future for two players that were not our identity in MN and forced the issues year after year, GM after GM, coach after coach.

The pain is only half over and there could be more to come if we lose KK as he also is throwing up his hands in two years saying how did we get here? I can only hope we get a break (which are few in Minny) and this four year hell goes away and we move on.

I'm not complaining, but I am, maybe venting. We have watched playoff hockey, but as Russo pointed out to Billy G, the HUMP is killing the drive of the fans, the players and the GM whether they want to admit it or not.

I appreciate the players we have as they are respectful, community driven, fan friendly all the things you want in a team. None are getting caught in a hotel with a prostitute. Getting arrested for DWI's, no drama or any embarrassing or noteworthy incidents similar to say the MN Vikings.

Our past locker room of Suterism's have healed and we have a locker room to be proud of. So WHY cant we be Vegas...Dallas...Carolina or Florida?

The "millions dollar" question. Do we finally have the pieces we need for the future and do WE have the patients to wait for the opportunity. 

 

[mnfaninnc]

10 hours ago, vonlonster67 said:

The pain is only half over and there could be more to come if we lose KK as he also is throwing up his hands in two years saying how did we get here? I can only hope we get a break (which are few in Minny) and this four year hell goes away and we move on.

If what we have experienced is "pain," then we have a very low pain tolerance. Let me explain "pain." From the '06-07 to the '17-18 season, the Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs once. Jim Rutherford constantly tried to get a couple of free agents which he whiffed on, and had to bribe some other team to take the contract with a prospect. 

The cupboards were bare, the team was not entertaining, and the cap restrictions they had were similar to ours, except they were self inflicted by an owner who couldn't put up the cash. 

This team was, essentially, unwatchable. They had no fight, no bite, and no scoring. But, they were nice. When the team was sold by Karmanos, they had finally accumulated a huge prospect pool and could begin competing. They lucked into the #2 overall to get Shvechnikov. Francis found some gem defenders in the middle rounds. But, most importantly, they had cap space.

Since I live in the area, that was painful. It was in the era where there wasn't streaming, and the NHL Center Ice package was too expensive for most. The Rutherford-Maurice combo was the most brutal part. The situation weighed heavily on the captain, E. Staal, and it broke him. 

Carolina is not the only one with the pain. Atlanta lost its franchise because it is not a good sports city and couldn't endure the pain. Buffalo hasn't been to the playoffs in ages. Arizona has had a terrible time. Ottawa is an after thought. 

If our "pain" is merely making the playoffs and getting bounced in the 1st round, we have not endured pain as a franchise. We've got 2 years left of the cap restrictions, 2 years where we can be implementing some great young talent. As Protec likes to point out, none of Shooter's picks have made it to the N yet. It usually takes 5 years for that to happen and they are up to speed. Rossi is only in his D+3 season. With the health challenges, it put a delay on his delivery time. We will likely start to see the Shooter draft picks start to be delivered this season, and many more in '24. 

You mentioned KK throwing up his hands. I don't think that is the case, even a little bit. Sure, it's frustrating to lose, but when you can feel momentum swing in your direction, it starts to feel exciting. Results will always lag, but the momentum of the kids coming in will be good. I'm very excited about Ohgren, Yurov, Khus$%^&* coming over after this next season. And then we've got a very young A team where players are getting better. 

I actually think the opposite, this has been a pretty pain free transition. For 3 years we've been cap restricted, and for 3 years our placeholders have overperformed and gotten us to the dance. For the last 3 drafts (and I should include this one too) we have picked from a Covid altered draft, and I believe we have chosen kids who should have gone higher. It may take them an extra year to develop, but they are quality players.....but maybe some are a little small. 

Now we need 1 more really good draft. One where we get where our holes are, one chocked full of centers, and RHS forwards. The momentum is shifting towards the good side, and I think the players can feel it.

[Protec]

I think the loss of a Shaw and Ek caused a pretty well positioned Wild team to lose earlier than we all hoped. It made the Wild look bad with the PR videos and subsequent reaction to adversity imposed by the referees. 
 

The loss again illuminated the Wild’s deficiencies and left a sour taste. In reality the small gains made by Guerin are still coming along. Sure, there’s been some slow rolling of prospects, the money is tight, and the solutions aren’t obvious. This appears to show a plateau in the trajectory. 
 

This is only one side of the coin. There’s a good chance we’ll see roster moves coming up soon. Then the training camp results related to prospects will be proof of something.

Last Summer there was belief the Wild would be a borderline playoff team and initially it looked that way. At the end of the month of March the Wild were the best team in the league with Boston.

There’s no reason to believe the Wild will be drastically different this next season. They could be better and that is more likely than worse in my opinion. The biggest question for me is the prospects. If Dumba stays or other UFAs will that be the reason the Wild are better or will it depend on who can take another step? Steel, Boldy, Rossi, Beckman, Walker, or Faber could be big for the Wild’s 23-24 season if they can find another gear to establish themselves as NHL players who will carry water for MN.

[Will D. Ness]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

You mentioned KK throwing up his hands. I don't think that is the case, even a little bit.

Agreed.  This narrative is based in nothing but pessimism.

[mnfaninnc]

In perusing some of the draft rankings, players are all over the place, except for the top 5. While I believe this draft will be different for us, does anyone know who's list most closely aligns with Brackett's?

For years, Spielman drafted very similar to Mayock's rankings, almost like Mayock and Spielman collaborated on stuff. Has anyone noticed this same tendency with Brackett? 

[Up North Guy]

11 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

In perusing some of the draft rankings, players are all over the place, except for the top 5. While I believe this draft will be different for us, does anyone know who's list most closely aligns with Brackett's?

For years, Spielman drafted very similar to Mayock's rankings, almost like Mayock and Spielman collaborated on stuff. Has anyone noticed this same tendency with Brackett? 

With so many different guesses from so many folks it is really hard to see a pattern after the top five. They seem to change with every iteration. I think Brackett is an opportunist also (like all good drafters). That makes draft guessing really hard. I believe it also creates a boom or bust possibility even stronger. It still beats what the team had in past years though.

[mnfaninnc]

Briere making moves. 

Provorov to Columbus

Sean Walker and Cal Peterson to Philly

LA frees up cap and retains some of Provorov's contract to sign Gavrikov and maybe Korpisalo. 

I think Philly also gets a 1st and 2nd.

Rumors are Carter Hart is next out of Philly.

This is the 1st domino to fall. My expectation is that this is a good time to start trading, especially if you want to get that extra 1st. I'm sure Briere and Guerin have a relationship, especially being from Philly and Pittsburgh. Not sure what kind of relationship that is, however.

Edited June 6, 2023 by mnfaninnc