Article: How Did the Wild Let 'One Of Us' Fall Into Enemy Hands?

[Tom Schreier]

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[MNCountryLife]

Only time will tell.  The Wild are one of the smaller teams in the league in both height and weight... we need size.  Stramel wins the size contest.  I'm quite happy with the draft.  I do hope we find a way to start working these young players into the lineup.   It's great having a stacked prospect pool... but would be even better to start winning some playoff games.

[mnfaninnc]

I'm not ready to give up on Moore. Chicago still has to sign him. He said all the right things after being drafted by the Blackhawks, but how big of a fan was he of the Wild? Could there be hope? Well, if he plays out his college career and then doesn't sign, he could sign here. I'd love to stick it to the 'hawks.

What would it have cost to get up to 17? Obviously the price was too high. I'd think dangling Addison with 21 would have started the conversation. I would think that Rossi + Addison could have gotten it done. But what if the price would have been Rossi + Addison + 21=17 or 17 + 41? 

That would have been a steep price to move up 4 slots. Also, in the after draft pictures, Stramel and Moore were seen hugging each other in celebration. They seem like pretty good friends.

Could the Wild obtain the rights to Moore still in a trade? I think it still could be done. But, I also think Chicago loved Moore. There was talk on draft night about Chicago badly wanting to move up, I suspect, to get Moore. They couldn't move up either. 

Detroit took a guy that looks a lot like Addison. I think Addison being part of that deal would have been a good fit. Detroit would have had him ready for the season, not have to wait 4 years. To me, it seemed like all of the GMs in the teens were pretty greedy so they must have really liked the guys on the board. 

I can tell you, I'd gladly move Heidt to get Moore. Both seem like similar players, and I think there might be a rivalry there once they both make the NHL. '24 should be an interesting year. Lambos, The Wall, Ohgren, Yurov, Khus$%^& all have delivery dates set for that year. I also think O'Rourke and Hunt should be ready for the bottom pairing. 

It would be nice to have Moore in that mix. Stramel has a chance to be in that same mix. Beckman and Walker are also in that mix. I listened to Stramel's interviews. He sounds like an extremely motivated guy this offseason. Personally, I think he was embarrassed with himself last season and he will be running roughshod over several players in the B1G this year. 

Capable centers is what we all wanted. We've got excellent wings which is where the offense will come from. Did we really need highly spectacular centers with that, or did we simply need competence at the position and fill it with Eks? I believe the latter to be true. Big guys who can bang home rebounds and hammer defenders in the corners!

[mnfaninnc]

Maybe I'd like to amend the Heidt statement, here's his elite prospects scouting report:

Quote

Nasty physically, despite his 5-foot-11 frame, Heidt has the handling, shooting, and vision to inflict major damage on opponents. He takes the extra stride to play the body, never passes up an opportunity to sneak in a shot behind the play, and is an enthusiastic combatant in scrums. On retrievals, Heidt establishes inside positioning early, drives through opponents’ hands, and separates them from the puck. And the use of contact to create space in the small area game allows him to spin off of defensive pressure and attack the inside. -EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide
 

Maybe we got a pretty physical guy who will put in the gym work for the next levels?

[Millante]

'One of us.'

I guess that's really up to interpretation. At this point I'm HOPING that Dumba was sincere about his 'Heart being in Minny' and is planning to take a very friendly two year deal to get past the buyouts with the understanding he'll be slightly overpaid following. I (personally) would be very happy with that deal. I also think he might be holding off this current FA to see if Billy G makes any maneuvers to make him such an offer.

I know that Dumba is a lightening rod of controversy, both on and off the ice, but I'd take him over all of our other D-men, minus Brodin and Spurgeon.

If not, the Stars #vomit are currently one of the teams looking at signing Dumba supposedly. I don't know if I could stomach that after everything Dallas and Norm Green has already stolen from us.

[mnfaninnc]

6 hours ago, Millante said:

At this point I'm HOPING that Dumba was sincere about his 'Heart being in Minny' and is planning to take a very friendly two year deal to get past the buyouts with the understanding he'll be slightly overpaid following.

There could be a gentleman's agreement for Dumba to get his offer and circle back one more time with Shooter to see if he can come close. There's not a lot of money from the contending teams to throw out there.