Article: Is Next Summer the Time For the Wild To Strike?

[Willy the poor boy]

11 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

But, isn't that the thing? When you get to that age, getting hurt regresses you. I'm sure Zuccarello will start out well, but that age/injury thing will likely keep happening. One thing not in Zuccarello's favor is the size factor. He doesn't have the size to be able to absorb the punishment he will endure for a full season. It's not just getting crumpled by a big defender, it's also the cutting and stopping, even the avoiding contact. When players get to this age, "load management" is a term you start hearing.

Sure, of course. But, it isn't automatic. Years and years ago Many thought Tom Brady was cooked after the ACL He went on to win how many more SB's? Odds are against him but everyone is different. I'm not writing him off until I see another down season.

[FredJohnson]

Next summer and the following summer will have to be the transition points to get this franchise right. At that point we’ll know how good the talent eval has been and we can pivot to a new plan. But please don’t blow the cap $ on a couple guys with long-term deals again.

[MNCountryLife]

4 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

What we don't have is that developED #1C that can slide in and be dynamic with Kaprizov. 

That is the rub isn't it.  If:

1) You draft poorly

2) or you do not have a high enough draft pick to get the player of need

3) or your player development is not capable.

Result:  then you must over pay for that need.    We see these trades happen often and they can and do work.... others fail.  The trick is to do it without leveraging the future... which we have seen our GMs prior to BG do.  It is quite the song and dance GMs must pull off to make those stars align and make a legit cup run.  It requires the perfect balance of Drafting well, Releasing aging players at the right time, developing players quickly and snagging that one key cog at the trade deadline to bring it all together.

[vonlonster67]

5 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

And, this is the argument, do you take the sure thing to pair with Kaprizov, or do you develop the talent, likely more inexpensive, and incrementally improve? 

Pettersson is a Brackett guy. I would assume that Brackett would be pounding the table for him. In fact, I just read a little about the contract negotiations for him. They are quiet. Vancouver is eyeing the Aho contract as a comparable. It is believed that Pettersson wants >$10m. $11m was suggested. 

Vancouver gets Pettersson for another year. What would it take for us to bring him in.....now? A key question to ask: Is Vancouver on a lot of player's NTC lists? We would need to shed money and I'd have to think that Zuccarello would be at the top of that list. I could also see Foligno being on that list. Rossi would also have to be on that list as Vancouver is like us, too many wings, not enough centers. 

Timing is everything here. Perhaps Shooter even talks about some parameters for next season if Vancouver shows up on too many lists? My thought on this is simple, if Pettersson becomes available, you have to go get him and deal with the consequences. Finding Zuccarello a home is a must. Don't worry about Kaprizov, bank on the fact that he wants to win, and playing with a world class center in Pettersson is a way to win.

Would Pettersson want to come here? I would have to say yes, absolutely! He knows he'd get to play next to world class wing in Kaprizov and has fellow countrymen all over the roster to also play with. In fact, if the deal is that Pettersson wants to win, I'd say this franchise looks brighter than almost all others. Why? Because we've got cap space coming and an infusion of talent almost ready and we're already winning.

What about Draisaitl? I absolutely believe that Edmonton will find a way to keep him. He's not as disgruntled, as Edmonton has been winning and has advanced in the playoffs. My bet is that Edmonton will trade or let go of RNH before Draisaitl, so I believe he's going to stay, plus, he has a tremendous chemistry with McDavid. I'd love to have him here, but am less optimistic that this could happen.

Nothing is going to happen now and I do not want to sacrifice the unknown of all these prospects or draft capitol in a trade, plus the fact financially it would cut too deep into our game plan for the next year, two years. 

In another year, it would be nice to look at, but I'm not willing to mortgage the future now. In 2024-25, I would love to have Pettersson, or Nylander in that order, but not Draisaitl who I think benefits a lot from McDavid and may not be what he seems without him. No one else interests me with the chance to show Yurov some ice time with KK.

[vonlonster67]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

That is the rub isn't it.  If:

1) You draft poorly

2) or you do not have a high enough draft pick to get the player of need

3) or your player development is not capable.

Result:  then you must over pay for that need.    We see these trades happen often and they can and do work.... others fail.  The trick is to do it without leveraging the future... which we have seen our GMs prior to BG do.  It is quite the song and dance GMs must pull off to make those stars align and make a legit cup run.  It requires the perfect balance of Drafting well, Releasing aging players at the right time, developing players quickly and snagging that one key cog at the trade deadline to bring it all together.

"IBGIT" 

[vonlonster67]

5 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Sure, of course. But, it isn't automatic. Years and years ago Many thought Tom Brady was cooked after the ACL He went on to win how many more SB's? Odds are against him but everyone is different. I'm not writing him off until I see another down season.

I too don't count out Zucci, he could surprise us all. Zucci is due to have a healthy season at some point. He is more than a sidekick to KK, he is an informal leader who many respect in the locker room. He is quiet in the media, but a loud voice in the locker room.

I know he is injury prone based on the past few years. The Wild have gotten a lot of run out of him for the $6 million investment, plus the fact he is KK's BFF on and off the ice.

I have to believe this could be the last season for him and he will ride off into the sunset to spend time with his daughter. Zucci will be assuring KK the Russian connection will protect him in Yurov, and Khusnutdinov who will ready to step in with the Wild, while Yurov marinates in IA.

[joebou15]

I'm of the opinion (and have been since Parise and Suter were bought out) that the move to jettison these older veteran guys for the prospects is eventually going to be the right move. You can see who sticks, who cannot and when the money really becomes available, fill in the roster holes with a couple FA veterans. But other than that, these kids should get a shot. 

"They all can't play here," says major market media guy, but what if you had a roster almost entirely homegrown, drafted and developed, kept the draft churning, and won? That's how you build a dynasty. 

[FredJohnson]

12 hours ago, joebou15 said:

"They all can't play here," says major market media guy, but what if you had a roster almost entirely homegrown, drafted and developed, kept the draft churning, and won? That's how you build a dynasty. 

Yes! The odds are that most of the prospects don’t really make much of an impact anyway. So having a lot of talent in the pipeline is the way to go. I like the pool of prospects we have but we gotta get the center position figured out (still).

[Protec]

18 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

Next summer and the following summer will have to be the transition points to get this franchise right. At that point we’ll know how good the talent eval has been and we can pivot to a new plan. But please don’t blow the cap $ on a couple guys with long-term deals again.

Guerin won't do that unless for a special situation maybe involving a trade & sign. Guerin deals with term have been very safe with the exception of Spurgeon. Many would not view that poorly because of his total contribution to the Wild.

I think your description is what Guerin likely had in mind a few years ago. He's evaluated and locked in some important guys cultivating a core & culture. From this point, there is lots of options despite very little money. The Wild are good. The options will improve even more before too long. It's going pretty good, I think. We knew this time was coming but it's not bad.

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, joebou15 said:

That's how you build a dynasty. 

I suspect that is what Guerin is trying to build, more than just a Cup run, but a longterm run at the hardest trophy to obtain!

[Dango]

This could be an under the radar depth piece that might be interesting  to go after .   Hartsy could go wing and i dont think we need both Foligno and Maroon  .  Just as long as Rossi gets his fair shot .

 

[FredJohnson]

On 8/15/2023 at 8:44 PM, Dango said:

This could be an under the radar depth piece that might be interesting  to go after .   Hartsy could go wing and i dont think we need both Foligno and Maroon  .  Just as long as Rossi gets his fair shot .

 

Do it.

[FredJohnson]

On 8/15/2023 at 10:14 AM, Protec said:

Guerin won't do that unless for a special situation maybe involving a trade & sign. Guerin deals with term have been very safe with the exception of Spurgeon. Many would not view that poorly because of his total contribution to the Wild.

I think your description is what Guerin likely had in mind a few years ago. He's evaluated and locked in some important guys cultivating a core & culture. From this point, there is lots of options despite very little money. The Wild are good. The options will improve even more before too long. It's going pretty good, I think. We knew this time was coming but it's not bad.

Just to be clear, I'm talking about 2+ years from now. BG would mo def-nily be premature putting any significant cash on free agents now even if he could. Frankly, I think we'll need most of our cap to sign Kiril and the next crop of guys coming next. But if that next crop has a low yield, then BG goes FA shopping.