Article: Which (Non-All-Time-Great) Former Wild Player Would Help Minnesota Most?

[Tony Abbott]

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[Luke Sims]

2010 Marty Havlat would be sick

[Protec]

Richard Park, Pascal Dupuis, Wes Walz. All fast, could chip in some offense and totally adequate grit.

 

[Protec]

 

Quote

With the clear-cut two best "pure" centers off the table, we're here to settle for... oof... Matt Cullen?

Cullen would be fine with me. One of the best from MN. HS, college, pro. I'm kinda insulted that you insinuate he'd be a low-class option. Great skater, smart player, special-teams guy, clutch scorer.

Playoffs too.

 

[Sviginak]

Dumba signs a one year $4M with the Coyotes 

[bisopher]

1 hour ago, Sviginak said:

Dumba signs a one year $4M with the Coyotes 

Good for him.

 

Now, let's get Addison signed, start camp, and see who's the first passenger(s) on the I-35 Express.

[WIWild]

I'm no lawyer, but I don't think the rules exclude us from returning Ryan O'Reilly to the Wild roster!  

[Pewterschmidt]

3 hours ago, Sviginak said:

Dumba signs a one year $4M with the Coyotes 

I’m a little surprised that at 29 yrs old he gets a one year prove-it deal.  The league doesn’t love Dumba’s d-game

[vonlonster67]

10 hours ago, Protec said:

Richard Park, Pascal Dupuis, Wes Walz. All fast, could chip in some offense and totally adequate grit.

 

I love Wes in the booth and miss his heart n sole play on the ice. You can tell how much he cares about the game and players playing the game the right way.

Looking back, and listening to his insight in the booth, he must have been one hell of a teammate and informal leader on that team.

[vonlonster67]

47 minutes ago, WIWild said:

I'm no lawyer, but I don't think the rules exclude us from returning Ryan O'Reilly to the Wild roster!  

Now that's thinking outside the box and would be my first choice! Good pick Sconny Wild!

Edited August 7, 2023 by vonlonster67

[vonlonster67]

42 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I’m a little surprised that at 29 yrs old he gets a one year prove-it deal.  The league doesn’t love Dumba’s d-game

You and me both, BUT, there are a lot of Dumba apologists out there who will overlook his play on the ice because he's a good guy. 

We have a lot of good guys on this team and we need to make Cup decisions with hockey smarts and not our hearts for those who cant let this go!

[Dango]

Maybe Zidlicky .

[Imyourhuckleberry]

12 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I’m a little surprised that at 29 yrs old he gets a one year prove-it deal.  The league doesn’t love Dumba’s d-game

$4M is solid money for a D man, and it's possible the 1-year term was Dumba's preference. Arizona isn't exactly the top team to play for these days, so committing long-term may not have been what Dumba was wanting, but it does look like they were the top bidder this year. Also could make him more likely to be traded to a contender at the trade deadline.

With Goligoski, Zuccarello, and Fleury coming off the Wild's cap next season, it's possible that the Wild could bring him back on a deal near that number.

[vonlonster67]

51 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

$4M is solid money for a D man, and it's possible the 1-year term was Dumba's preference. Arizona isn't exactly the top team to play for these days, so committing long-term may not have been what Dumba was wanting, but it does look like they were the top bidder this year. Also could make him more likely to be traded to a contender at the trade deadline.

With Goligoski, Zuccarello, and Fleury coming off the Wild's cap next season, it's possible that the Wild could bring him back on a deal near that number.

Huck, I think they are trying to drum up business for their new rink, going on a spending spree, and when they tank , like always, and like you suggested they will sell off and trade for draft capitol at the deadline.

Unfortunately, with the depth we have in IA of "D" studs, there's no chance he's coming back here.

If anything Zuccy signs for a team friendly contract before him.

Edited August 7, 2023 by vonlonster67

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, vonlonster67 said:

Unfortunately, with the depth we have in IA of "D" studs, there's no chance he's coming back here.

I'm not saying the Wild would be signing him to a 5 year deal, or that it's even highly likely they'd sign him at all. I just know that the Wild have not been eager to put 20-21 year old players back on the blue line with regularity under the current leadership.

Merrill's contract will end the following year, and they may want to bolster their blue line with another veteran to make the competition fierce at the NHL. I also know that Guerin seemed to really like Dumba. More likely he goes elsewhere, but could happen if both parties really want him back in MN.

[vonlonster67]

1 minute ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I'm not saying the Wild would be signing him to a 5 year deal, or that it's even highly likely they'd sign him at all. I just know that the Wild have not been eager to put 20-21 year old players back on the blue line with regularity under the current leadership.

Merrill's contract will end the following year, and they may want to bolster their blue line with another veteran to make the competition fierce at the NHL. I also know that Guerin seemed to really like Dumba. More likely he goes elsewhere, but could happen if both parties really want him back in MN.

True, on the 20 something, but who knows where Lambos or an older Spacek lands a year from now.

I know money will be tight again and Dumba be now 30 money and age factor in with how inconsistent he was and the decision making.  He's not a Goose at this point in his career.

 

 

[Will D. Ness]

Faber is 20 years old.  He went straight into the playoffs.  Don't let Addison's circumstances create this narrative that we will not play young D.  It will be a player by player analysis and determination if they are ready to play.  

And if Dumba comes back here for a Merrill type of contract... awesome.

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I’m a little surprised that at 29 yrs old he gets a one year prove-it deal.  The league doesn’t love Dumba’s d-game

I don't believe this is a "prove it" deal. I believe this is a "traded at the deadline deal" and a chance for him to reboot and take advantage of increasing cap next season type of deal. 

Also, someone had mentioned, maybe no another thread, that AZ plays in a college arena with only 5k fans. My understanding is that the fans are closer to the ice and pretty loud. But, I'd also suggest that most teams traveling there get a home crowd advantage as their fans will be buying at least 1/2 the tickets.

[mnfaninnc]

7 hours ago, vonlonster67 said:

If anything Zuccy signs for a team friendly contract before him.

I can't see that happening with Yurov, Ohgren, and Khus^&* coming over next season. That spot will end up being a $5m cap savings.

[mnfaninnc]

6 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I just know that the Wild have not been eager to put 20-21 year old players back on the blue line with regularity under the current leadership.

I'm not sure this is fair. 1 guy fits that description and he was brutal defensively. I don't think it was because he was 20-21, I think it was because he didn't play defense while slotted in the position where you are supposed to play defense!

[vonlonster67]

7 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I can't see that happening with Yurov, Ohgren, and Khus^&* coming over next season. That spot will end up being a $5m cap savings.

KK makes that call....I would love to think you're right, but those two are thick as thieves and it wouldn't be $6 million, possibly $2.75/2 years. Those three will have to play out of their mind to break the lineups...maybe only Khusnutdinov. 

[mnfaninnc]

I was trying to do this in 3 phases. Looking at our goaltending, having another goalie to pair with Goose2, might be a good idea. As far as impact in games, this guy might play around 1/2 the games and play an important part in the outcome of the games. My suggestion would be a young Backy, or a pre-MS Josh Harding. Harding put up some great numbers and his illness really set this team back. It ruined Kuemper as far as we're concerned, and Backy had to try and play with a blown out groin. Harding would be my choice here as I love a righty-lefty goalie combo.

Next would be defense. I love the Brent Burns suggestion, and this would be my pick, but I'd also like to highlight a young Marco Scandella and possibly a Nick Leddy. Burns though is too good to pass up, and according to the rules, we don't have to take our stats with him, we can take his Norris season.

At forward, I feel like center and right hand shot are the 2 things we need the most. Demitra was a good choice, and so was Niederreiter. I'd also like to toss in Charlie Coyle. As a center, Matt Cullen would be a perfect addition. A guy who could win faceoffs, important ones, not make mistakes and do so many of the little things that never show up on the score sheet. However, according to the rules, Thomas Vanek is my choice, using a 40 goals season while he was with Buffalo. He was also much more flexible back then and a better skater. But, where he really shines is 1-timers from Ovechkin's office and tipping pucks. 

So, out of Harding, Vanek and Burns, my choice has to be Burns. We need another guy his size, especially on the right side, and going with a Spurgeon, Faber, Burns right side is pretty stout. Burns immediately slides in with Middleton, Brodin and Spurgeon on 2nd pair. Upgrading Addison with Burns is way too good to pass up, and, I believe Burns had a little mean streak too. And, Burns on PP1, count it a win, we QB from the side wall with Zuccarello, or maybe Boldy in Boldy's office? 

[mnfaninnc]

5 minutes ago, vonlonster67 said:

KK makes that call....I would love to think you're right, but those two are thick as thieves and it wouldn't be $6 million, possibly $2.75/2 years. Those three will have to play out of their mind to break the lineups...maybe only Khusnutdinov. 

The $5m in cap savings is $6m-ELC of Yurov or Khus^&*. I would have to disagree with KK making the call. Last I checked, Shooter is still the GM and he makes those decisions. What I saw from Zuccarello from February on suggested to me that Father Time has his eyes on him, and that Zuccarello's hitting the age wall. 

Wasn't a player making a call like that exactly why we didn't like Suter? KK wants to win more than anything. I think he'll trust Shooter to make the right moves, and he does have a relationship with Yurov.

[joebou15]

I'd bring Niederreiter back today. 

Could we throw a Dwayne Roloson, or extended peak Harding into the mix. 

 

I bet GM BG would re-sign Clayton Stoner to a 3 year $3.3 million deal if they could.

[joebou15]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

The $5m in cap savings is $6m-ELC of Yurov or Khus^&*. I would have to disagree with KK making the call. Last I checked, Shooter is still the GM and he makes those decisions. What I saw from Zuccarello from February on suggested to me that Father Time has his eyes on him, and that Zuccarello's hitting the age wall. 

Wasn't a player making a call like that exactly why we didn't like Suter? KK wants to win more than anything. I think he'll trust Shooter to make the right moves, and he does have a relationship with Yurov.

Agreed. Kaprizov isn't the GM. And Bill will surely let him know that. The Wild already were gambling big on the Zuccarello contract when Fenton signed it. Last year was a huge drop in production that literally anyone could've seen coming as he progressed in age. 

As great as those two have been, the Wild have to get younger and faster. I wrote about how Khusnutdinov's KHL kontrakt lines up perfectly with Zuccarello's contract expiration. It makes almost too much sense. 

https://zonecoverage.com/2022/wild/marat-khusnutdinovs-extra-time-in-the-khl-aligns-with-the-wilds-zuccarello-decision/