Article: Sammy Walker Will Get His Chance

[Mikki Tuohy]

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[joebou15]

He's got vision, hands, and enough speed to be good. That's for sure. 

[Up North Guy]

I think Sammy will be in the same boat as Beckman and Lettieri. Good players that will see NHL time only when injuries occur. Thy will really need to make an impression when they get their opportunity.

[vonlonster67]

Sammy was one of my favorites when he played for the Gophers. That following has continued after he chose to become a free agent and sign with the Wild instead of the Lightning. It made it a little easier to stomach the loss of Ben Meyers to the Av's. In the end I feel we got a better player that will fit our organization better. We don't need another smallish center that I think will struggle to stay on the puck in the NHL and probably no more than a fourth line player.

Walker has always looked comfortable under pressure and I was surprised his transition to the NHL game where he took a head first dive into the plays and surprised a few with his speed and stick work. I see him growing this year and elevating his game to another level which it will take for him to stay at this level. I watched him play at IA several games and some in person. He brings that self confidence to his line mates and is a glue guy in IA. He and Rossi have a chemistry, and Walker also looks great with Beck. 

Unfortunately, he's not gonna move the peg here unless their are injuries or if Rossi ends up back in IA. He may have some competition for a spot against a bigger frame Beck on that forward spot. At this point, he's a tweener and although I love his play and game, it may not factor in enough to impact our team long term with all of the prospects coming up.

That being said, I will always be a Sammy Walker fan and cherish the Gopher and IA/WIld memories, and cheer him on wherever he may land.

[Protec]

The Beckman, Rossi, Walker trio with their arrival to pro hockey, ascension, and costs make a nice group slotted for call-ups. All three guys look like they're ready to go. Just gotta keep doing what they're doing.

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, vonlonster67 said:

Walker has always looked comfortable under pressure and I was surprised his transition to the NHL game where he took a head first dive into the plays and surprised a few with his speed and stick work. I see him growing this year and elevating his game to another level which it will take for him to stay at this level. I watched him play at IA several games and some in person. He brings that self confidence to his line mates and is a glue guy in IA. He and Rossi have a chemistry, and Walker also looks great with Beck. 

Unfortunately, he's not gonna move the peg here unless their are injuries or if Rossi ends up back in IA. He may have some competition for a spot against a bigger frame Beck on that forward spot. At this point, he's a tweener and although I love his play and game, it may not factor in enough to impact our team long term with all of the prospects coming up.

I'd like to point out something here between this player and Calen Addison from a couple of articles ago. Granted, Walker is a little older and more mature.

When looking at both Walker and Addison, both rookies, play last season, they are also both small. Yet, Walker looked competitive on the boards for pucks, initiated contact (not big hits), and played spirited shifts. He hustled. This was not the case for Addison (who probably knew he wasn't going to be sent back down). 

Both are skilled for their positions, but Walker looked a lot more like he belonged than Addison did except for the PP. You could say that Addison was a little gun shy that he was going to be hit. While they play different positions, it is the mindset of both that we can compare.

That was all in the past. Perhaps Addison has learned with another year of maturity? We don't know what the future holds for both of them. My hope is that Addison comes out swinging this year and has a completely different mindset. If not, we simply move on.

[MNCountryLife]

I thought both Walker and Beckman played well when up in MN last year.  Wouldn't mind seeing both of them getting extended time with the big club.  Walker seems to have the speed and skill to be in the NHL.... Now it is just fine tuning the little things.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

Dear Guerin,

There are no spots available because you continue to sign pensioners to contracts that have term. Ie see Goligoski, Fluery, Freddy, Mar-Jo, Maroon.

Please stop relying on injuries to give our prospects any time at all in the NHL especially while you say players will get their opportunity when they are ready then say they're ready they just had no opportunity due to no injuries. Please also beat Dean into having reasonable expectations for our  prospects coming up. That is all. Thanks

[vonlonster67]

2 hours ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

Dear Guerin,

There are no spots available because you continue to sign pensioners to contracts that have term. Ie see Goligoski, Fluery, Freddy, Mar-Jo, Maroon.

Goose I agree with not blocking our prospects, but of the players you mentioned I would say that Goose is the only one that left me scratching my head.

1. Goose at 5M/1yr, then  2m/2yrs. *NOT NEEDED* for 3 yrs, but probably a cap maneuver/BG wink wink deal so we could get a veteran presence because we had no D from IA/prospects that could step up 2yrs ago (he's gone and wont be resigned)
2. Fleury was a *NEEDED* for two years, we definitely had no one to fill one of our goalie spots and unfortunately the market dictated the 3.5M/2yrs, No one in IA and no need to rush "Da Wall" (he's gone and wont be resigned)
3. Freddy, was a deal 2.1M/5yrs (Cheap) and a good do it all, low key, informal leader who does the little things and good mentor and linemate for the young guys to learn from. *NEEDED*
4. JoJo, again, cheap deal 2M/2yrs *NEEDED* who makes are second line sing and Boldy and EK better, is not a given to block our prospects as he does have some injury history and would be the perfect fit for Beck/Walker to slide in for some games (he's gone in 2 and wont be resigned)
5. Maroon, *NEEDED*, leadership, veteran presence for the young guys, gamer, guts, physical, great 4th liner with Dewey & Dewey 2, Cup winner for $800, 000. He's blocking no one in IA who could bring what he has or on our roster. (he's gone and wont be resigned) He may impact our team more that any and may make our 4th line the best in the Central
6. DE is another story and discussion for another day, but AGREE with you!

 

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

3 minutes ago, vonlonster67 said:

Goose I agree with not blocking our prospects, but of the players you mentioned I would say that Goose is the only one that left me scratching my head.

1. Goose at 5M/1yr, then  2m/2yrs. *NOT NEEDED* for 3 yrs, but probably a cap maneuver/BG wink wink deal so we could get a veteran presence because we had no D from IA/prospects that could step up 2yrs ago (he's gone and wont be resigned)
2. Fleury was a *NEEDED* for two years, we definitely had no one to fill one of our goalie spots and unfortunately the market dictated the 3.5M/2yrs, No one in IA and no need to rush "Da Wall" (he's gone and wont be resigned)
3. Freddy, was a deal 2.1M/5yrs (Cheap) and a good do it all, low key, informal leader who does the little things and good mentor and linemate for the young guys to learn from. *NEEDED*
4. JoJo, again, cheap deal 2M/2yrs *NEEDED* who makes are second line sing and Boldy and EK better, is not a given to block our prospects as he does have some injury history and would be the perfect fit for Beck/Walker to slide in for some games (he's gone in 2 and wont be resigned)
5. Maroon, *NEEDED*, leadership, veteran presence for the young guys, gamer, guts, physical, great 4th liner with Dewey & Dewey 2, Cup winner for $800, 000. He's blocking no one in IA who could bring what he has or on our roster. (he's gone and wont be resigned) He may impact our team more that any and may make our 4th line the best in the Central
6. DE is another story and discussion for another day, but AGREE with you!

 

Your description of needed and mine are different.

We didn't need Goose.

Fleury was declining when we signed him and it showed in his stats, we overpaid for pedigree and could easily pickup a backup for way less. I'm really glad Gus worked out the way he did but let's not pretend that was a sure thing.

Jojo was not needed, had chemistry with the team but I would not call him needed, especially considering his injury history. He has contributed but was not a need when we have wingers "ready" in IA to step in.

Maroon was utterly unneeded, so was Reavo last year. Look at all the good our enforcer did last year in reality. Watched Duhaime get concussed, check. Watched Kap get crosschecked in the ribs several dozen times and folded by Stanley, check. Did sweet nothing about either, check.  I don't buy into locker room presence being a reason to bring a person here. I also don't see having a brawler as a necessity, that is an old times hockey mantra that isn't relevant in today's league.  If Maroon (whom I really don't mind in general as he has value outside his fists and hits) was so invaluable in Tampa, why did they retain salary and dump a prospect to send his 150PIM and 14 pts elsewhere?

Freddy is arguable, I will say that. I really think the contract will age badly but the jury is out. Price was right but we are locked in with him until he is 35 when he was a tweener throughout his prime, Played no more than 500 mins in a year with any club until he came to Min. Not an ideal candidate to lock down until 35, specifically with a M-NTC.

[Pewterschmidt]

23 minutes ago, vonlonster67 said:

JoJo, again, cheap deal 2M/2yrs *NEEDED* who makes are second line sing and Boldy and EK better

Agree that Mojo’s deal is reasonable, but I’m taking a wait and see approach before I say he’s necessary for Boldy and Ek to be successful.  Mojo is a career castoff and he was playing for a contract for the games we had him last year.  If he goes back to gliding around on his heels, bending at the waist over his stick, avoiding contact, being injured and dropping his stick once per shift I’m going to put him at the top of the Wild most hated list, bumping Foligno down one spot.

[Pewterschmidt]

11 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

I don't buy into locker room presence being a reason to bring a person here. I also don't see having a brawler as a necessity, that is an old times hockey mantra that isn't relevant in today's league. 

I don’t totally disagree with your point, but I do think having an Alpha in the room does something to the beta’s in the room (Fred, mojo, parise, Suter types).  Alphas push them into the background so their beta nature can’t take over a team culture

[vonlonster67]

16 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Agree that Mojo’s deal is reasonable, but I’m taking a wait and see approach before I say he’s necessary for Boldy and Ek to be successful.  Mojo is a career castoff and he was playing for a contract for the games we had him last year.  If he goes back to gliding around on his heels, bending at the waist over his stick, avoiding contact, being injured and dropping his stick once per shift I’m going to put him at the top of the Wild most hated list, bumping Foligno down one spot.

Totally agree, but wouldn't hesitate to put Beckman in his place!

[vonlonster67]

47 minutes ago, vonlonster67 said:

Goose I agree with not blocking our prospects, but of the players you mentioned I would say that Goose is the only one that left me scratching my head.

1. Goose at 5M/1yr, then  2m/2yrs. *NOT NEEDED* for 3 yrs, but probably a cap maneuver/BG wink wink deal so we could get a veteran presence because we had no D from IA/prospects that could step up 2yrs ago (he's gone and wont be resigned)
2. Fleury was a *NEEDED* for two years, we definitely had no one to fill one of our goalie spots and unfortunately the market dictated the 3.5M/2yrs, No one in IA and no need to rush "Da Wall" (he's gone and wont be resigned)
3. Freddy, was a deal 2.1M/5yrs (Cheap) and a good do it all, low key, informal leader who does the little things and good mentor and linemate for the young guys to learn from. *NEEDED*
4. JoJo, again, cheap deal 2M/2yrs *NEEDED* who makes are second line sing and Boldy and EK better, is not a given to block our prospects as he does have some injury history and would be the perfect fit for Beck/Walker to slide in for some games (he's gone in 2 and wont be resigned)
5. Maroon, *NEEDED*, leadership, veteran presence for the young guys, gamer, guts, physical, great 4th liner with Dewey & Dewey 2, Cup winner for $800, 000. He's blocking no one in IA who could bring what he has or on our roster. (he's gone and wont be resigned) He may impact our team more that any and may make our 4th line the best in the Central
6. DE is another story and discussion for another day, but AGREE with you!

 

So who do you go to if you don't resign Flower? No Gus then either, just Talbot and whoever you could have picked up which is risky business with goalies?

Our second line will be our best line this year with JoJo and there isn't a winger that would fit that puzzle for the experience your sacrificing. You just cant plug in a winger on your second line with Boldy and EEK. Who would you suggest in IA if you didn't sign JoJo

I don't care what the reason was for Tampa, I'm guessing they were clearing cap space and Maroon is the perfect fit for our club. Again, there is no IA candidate to fill what he brings. Fighting is not his priority.

Freddy? Look what your paying Zucci at several years older? Obviously were comparing apples and oranges, but also 2M vs 6M. I take that all day, he will always be worth 2M even to trade him to another team in need for playoffs.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

9 minutes ago, vonlonster67 said:

So who do you go to if you don't resign Flower? No Gus then either, just Talbot and whoever you could have picked up which is risky business with goalies?

Our second line will be our best line this year with JoJo and there isn't a winger that would fit that puzzle for the experience your sacrificing. You just cant plug in a winger on your second line with Boldy and EEK. Who would you suggest in IA if you didn't sign JoJo

I don't care what the reason was for Tampa, I'm guessing they were clearing cap space and Maroon is the perfect fit for our club. Again, there is no IA candidate to fill what he brings. Fighting is not his priority.

Freddy? Look what your paying Zucci at several years older? Obviously were comparing apples and oranges, but also 2M vs 6M. I take that all day, he will always be worth 2M even to trade him to another team in need for playoffs.

That is a big pot of hypotheticals to get into without picking up Gus or resigning Flower. I don't have a list of the free agents at that point in time nor a crystal ball to see what would have happened with Talbot. 

 

The judge and jury are out on our second line this year. Boldy and EEK will do their thing as they are both solid players. If we didn't sign JoJo we could plug in Walker or Beckman or Duhaime. Walker and Beck both had great chemistry with Boldy in his short stint in IA. I don't see experience as the missing link on this team 9/20 players are over 30 with 3 players over 35. 

What does he bring with 14pts last season? Penalty mins? We already have Foligno who isn't bringing much past physicality this past season. Duhaime isn't afraid of a tilly and neither is Hartman. Not much of a salary dump when they had to retain 1/5 of it and it amounted to under 1m that they cleared.

Zucc is playing top line @ 36 and is only signed until 37. His stats include 6 seasons over 50 pts. He has more pts in the past 3 years than Freddy does in his career of 6 years. In his prime he was good for an easy 40pts + in a season. Freddy barely made the NHL. Apples to hockey pucks is a closer comparison. 

We can absolutely agree to disagree here and we can rib each other later when we see how the season goes🤣

[vonlonster67]

On 9/4/2023 at 11:55 AM, vonlonster67 said:

Sammy was one of my favorites when he played for the Gophers. That following has continued after he chose to become a free agent and sign with the Wild instead of the Lightning. It made it a little easier to stomach the loss of Ben Meyers to the Av's. In the end I feel we got a better player that will fit our organization better. We don't need another smallish center that I think will struggle to stay on the puck in the NHL and probably no more than a fourth line player.

Walker has always looked comfortable under pressure and I was surprised his transition to the NHL game where he took a head first dive into the plays and surprised a few with his speed and stick work. I see him growing this year and elevating his game to another level which it will take for him to stay at this level. I watched him play at IA several games and some in person. He brings that self confidence to his line mates and is a glue guy in IA. He and Rossi have a chemistry, and Walker also looks great with Beck. 

Unfortunately, he's not gonna move the peg here unless their are injuries or if Rossi ends up back in IA. He may have some competition for a spot against a bigger frame Beck on that forward spot. At this point, he's a tweener and although I love his play and game, it may not factor in enough to impact our team long term with all of the prospects coming up.

That being said, I will always be a Sammy Walker fan and cherish the Gopher and IA/WIld memories, and cheer him on wherever he may land.

 

52 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

That is a big pot of hypotheticals to get into without picking up Gus or resigning Flower. I don't have a list of the free agents at that point in time nor a crystal ball to see what would have happened with Talbot. 

 

The judge and jury are out on our second line this year. Boldy and EEK will do their thing as they are both solid players. If we didn't sign JoJo we could plug in Walker or Beckman or Duhaime. Walker and Beck both had great chemistry with Boldy in his short stint in IA. I don't see experience as the missing link on this team 9/20 players are over 30 with 3 players over 35. 

What does he bring with 14pts last season? Penalty mins? We already have Foligno who isn't bringing much past physicality this past season. Duhaime isn't afraid of a tilly and neither is Hartman. Not much of a salary dump when they had to retain 1/5 of it and it amounted to under 1m that they cleared.

Zucc is playing top line @ 36 and is only signed until 37. His stats include 6 seasons over 50 pts. He has more pts in the past 3 years than Freddy does in his career of 6 years. In his prime he was good for an easy 40pts + in a season. Freddy barely made the NHL. Apples to hockey pucks is a closer comparison. 

We can absolutely agree to disagree here and we can rib each other later when we see how the season goes🤣

You now know I'm a Walker and Beckman fan and hope they succeed. I also hope JoJo sets Boldy's 🤯hair on fire!!!

[Will D. Ness]

I would love to see Sammy play next year consistently, but let's face it...  He won't bring the Mojo to that line similarly.

I hated that Mojo trade for a 3rd, but Mojo made me realize I'm just in the peanut gallery for good reason.  

 

[vonlonster67]

10 hours ago, Will D. Ness said:

I would love to see Sammy play next year consistently, but let's face it...  He won't bring the Mojo to that line similarly.

I hated that Mojo trade for a 3rd, but Mojo made me realize I'm just in the peanut gallery for good reason.  

 

Don't feel bad Will, I was right there with you and totally passed when BG brought him back....wow were we wrong along with every talking head in the business.

JoJo makes the line work and I'm on the side of don't mess with what we saw to finish the season.

If it breaks down, let Beck n Walker plug in and the chips fall where they may until Yurov and Ohgren gets here.

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

We didn't need Goose.

Fleury was declining when we signed him and it showed in his stats, we overpaid for pedigree and could easily pickup a backup for way less. I'm really glad Gus worked out the way he did but let's not pretend that was a sure thing.

Jojo was not needed, had chemistry with the team but I would not call him needed, especially considering his injury history. He has contributed but was not a need when we have wingers "ready" in IA to step in.

Maroon was utterly unneeded, so was Reavo last year.

I liked the Fleury resigning, the Johansson resigning, and the Goose resigning. What I didn't like with each of them was 2 years, especially the ones over 35. Over 35s is where you have handshake deals that if your game doesn't fall off the cliff, or get close to the cliff, we'll do another year. But, on top of that, you give them tags? 

I think Von was right when he said resigning Goose was necessary due to the defensive cavalry not being ready yet. However, due to Goose's play last season, I would have preferred he'd retired. Goose is an example of the cliff.

I believe Johansson/Nyquist were given the same contract offer, 1st one to sign gets the spot, and there was only 1 spot. Nyquist knew his market value was more and didn't sign. Johansson just wanted to be wanted. His speed helps, if the wheels fall off, his game goes over the cliff. Johansson has the NTC tag, so any trade he'll be consulted on. But, he can be sent to Iowa if need be. Goose cannot.

Fleury/Talbot/goaltenders are weird. When Fleury was resigned, I believe the 1 yr. deal/handshake for more if your game was ok was the best way to go. Fleury and Guerin have a good relationship and they can trust each other. I think hidden away in this contract is the mentor effect where he had a huge hand in rebuilding Goose2's game, and confidence. I believe Guerin knew of this trait and having mentor Fleury around was good for the kid. I do not believe Talbot had that trait, and had more of a chip on his shoulder. I do not believe he was good for big Kahk, and made Kahk feel like he was the backup and nothing more to his show. 

I like the Maroon trade. Maroon is a tough customer who still has enough wheels to get around the rink. I think it's a one and done with him, though. And to get him at $800k is a bonus. If need be, Maroon-Duhaime-Foligno can put forth that heavy shift needed to change momentum. It's not just the fists that make him valuable, it's the power in taking the body + he has a little better scoring touch than Reaves does. My issue with Reaves was he never could track down guys. His "fights" came off faceoffs mostly. I don't think this will be Maroon's thing, and I don't think Maroon will ask people if they want to go, I think he'll back them into the corner and just go making sure the opponent has to defend himself. He's mean and we need more mean.

I don't think Freddy's deal will age too badly. He was resigned to term instead of getting his money in the next 2 years. If you consider last season, alone, whatever he's making over minimum was worth it for his shootout success. You don't find shootout guys who can whip it under pressure in the 3 hole making $2m very often. When the cap goes up those last 3 years for us, it will be an even better bargain. He can center or wing on the 4th line  and will be just fine. He may not be fast, but with his positioning and stick, he'll still be effective. 

As for the younger guys, it is my belief that they have to beat out some of these guys. They can't be simply given a roster spot. At the same time, they need opportunity, to know if they play outstanding they will be rewarded. To me, this is where I think the pendulums swing really wide: Do you give a prospect the slot with enough rope slack to figure it out, or do you make him beat out the vet, where a tie goes to the vet. I don't believe that Evason gives the kids enough opportunity, but I don't think the solution is giving them a spot either. This is where the tags come in. The tags make it harder to find the vet a new home. The 35+ made it hard for us to say to a guy like Goligoski: "Hey, it's time." If he doesn't retire, you're kind of stuck. And Evason isn't going to give (via his track record) Hunt a real shot at beating out Goligoski or Merrill because he just doesn't play the vets that much in preseason. 

There's a very narrow window for this to be optimal. It's having enough veteran presence, a little cap space, and the ability to move a placeholder once his place has been claimed. I don't think we're there yet. Von's got good points, but so does Gooses. My goal would be getting the kids a little more experience and having them fight it out for open spots. Guerin's goal may also have to be pleasing OCL and his insistence on playoff invitations. Guerin has bought himself time with the last 3 years. I'm hoping the transition happens late this season. I'd love to be in the hunt and still deal off some placeholders for kids at the TDL.