Article: Wild Fans Shouldn’t Become Too Enamored by Connor Bedard This Weekend

[Justin Wiggins]

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[Cole_Train]

I’d say it’s not so much that the Wild need top five picks(although it would help). We need a true star anchoring centerman. We’ve never had a real center to build around in the history of the franchise. We’ve had some decent centers come and go but never a team anchoring center to build around. JEEk is certainly blossoming into a wonderful center himself though which is great. Every Stanley Cup winning team seems to always have a combination of hot goaltending and strong center depth. 

[Protec]

I hope Bedard gets sidelined with weekend long diarrhea.

[Protec]

Ryan Suter too...

[NorthStarWildFan]

Got to disagree with you on this one. Of the last 20 cup winning teams, most of them featured guys that were taken in the top three like Crosby, Kane, Toews, Ovechkin, etc. while the wild have given us an entertaining brand of hockey all of these years, it’s never really ever been dangerous. if a couple of bad years lead to teams that had a real chance at bringing home some hardware, I think most wild fans would consider that a good trade off. You just know that Bedard is going to be a wild killer in the same way that Kane was for the next  10+ years. Don’t get me wrong I do like what Billy G and Brackett are doing with the prospect pool but I feel like these cap hell years could’ve been better spent accumulating high draft picks in High in talent rather than sitting in the mushy middle like usual. 

[vonlonster67]

One guy does not make a team and guarantee success. As Justin points out, McDavid is a generational player also and even with Draisaitl, nothing is guaranteed as we have seen the last few years and when Brodin shuts down "McD" in Minny.

I also like our chances with the depth of prospects we have, we'll get there, be patient. If you haven't, watch our prospects on the showcase. They played against a stacked Blues team last night and there was a lot to be impressed with.

Edited September 16, 2023 by vonlonster67

[Up North Guy]

I doubt Chicago is stupid enough to play Bedard in both games. Of course that franchise has proven to be way more stupid than that in the last 10 years. Also, I don't think Wallstedt will play both games.

[vonlonster67]

1 hour ago, Up North Guy said:

I doubt Chicago is stupid enough to play Bedard in both games. Of course that franchise has proven to be way more stupid than that in the last 10 years. Also, I don't think Wallstedt will play both games.

I hope he's not that fragile and I'd bet Wallstedt plays as this is the showcase game and he doesn't want to leave the ice with the group showing they has last night.

[vonlonster67]

7 hours ago, NorthStarWildFan said:

Got to disagree with you on this one. Of the last 20 cup winning teams, most of them featured guys that were taken in the top three like Crosby, Kane, Toews, Ovechkin, etc. while the wild have given us an entertaining brand of hockey all of these years, it’s never really ever been dangerous. if a couple of bad years lead to teams that had a real chance at bringing home some hardware, I think most wild fans would consider that a good trade off. You just know that Bedard is going to be a wild killer in the same way that Kane was for the next  10+ years. Don’t get me wrong I do like what Billy G and Brackett are doing with the prospect pool but I feel like these cap hell years could’ve been better spent accumulating high draft picks in High in talent rather than sitting in the mushy middle like usual. 

I would point out that most of those teams drafts correlate with a good organization and not just getting #1 pick or even a top three.

[Dango]

I believe the NHL player thats dominated the MN Wild the most never won a cup and also the Sedin bros  pretty much owned us  never got a cup either .  So who knows  just hope were awesome and can compete .

[Mateo3xm]

13 hours ago, Cole_Train said:

I’d say it’s not so much that the Wild need top five picks(although it would help). We need a true star anchoring centerman. We’ve never had a real center to build around in the history of the franchise. We’ve had some decent centers come and go but never a team anchoring center to build around. JEEk is certainly blossoming into a wonderful center himself though which is great. Every Stanley Cup winning team seems to always have a combination of hot goaltending and strong center depth. 

You get those star anchoring center man in the top of the 1st round though, unless you get extremely lucky and get a Claude Giroux in the 20s.

Mn isn’t that lucky though. Their drafting seems to be above average but it almost seems like we can have nice things in MN.

maybe we’re due though because you’re right, it’s really never happened in the Wilds history.

[Mateo3xm]

12 hours ago, NorthStarWildFan said:

Got to disagree with you on this one. Of the last 20 cup winning teams, most of them featured guys that were taken in the top three like Crosby, Kane, Toews, Ovechkin, etc. while the wild have given us an entertaining brand of hockey all of these years, it’s never really ever been dangerous. if a couple of bad years lead to teams that had a real chance at bringing home some hardware, I think most wild fans would consider that a good trade off. You just know that Bedard is going to be a wild killer in the same way that Kane was for the next  10+ years. Don’t get me wrong I do like what Billy G and Brackett are doing with the prospect pool but I feel like these cap hell years could’ve been better spent accumulating high draft picks in High in talent rather than sitting in the mushy middle like usual. 

I could not agree more.

Imagine what 3-4 top picks and a gradual ascent out of the gutter could do for this team.

It could give them that #1 C,  #1 D and everything you need in between to win some deep playoff hockey.

the odds are heavily stacked against us when you pick where we have.

[Mateo3xm]

12 hours ago, vonlonster67 said:

One guy does not make a team and guarantee success.

Of course it doesn’t but every Cup winning team I’ve seen has those players you get in the top of the first round along with luck and a few other things.

 

“I would point out that most of those teams drafts correlate with a good organization”

⬆️ not exactly sure what you’re trying to say there.

I’d argue that having those types of players is one of the most important parts of winning a cup.

[vonlonster67]

8 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

Of course it doesn’t but every Cup winning team I’ve seen has those players you get in the top of the first round along with luck and a few other things.

 

“I would point out that most of those teams drafts correlate with a good organization”

⬆️ not exactly sure what you’re trying to say there.

I’d argue that having those types of players is one of the most important parts of winning a cup.

The Yotes and Sabres organizations that have been perilous for years.

Edited September 17, 2023 by vonlonster67

[Wayne]

22 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

You get those star anchoring center man in the top of the 1st round though, unless you get extremely lucky and get a Claude Giroux in the 20s.

Mn isn’t that lucky though. Their drafting seems to be above average but it almost seems like we can have nice things in MN.

maybe we’re due though because you’re right, it’s really never happened in the Wilds history.

Kaprizov was a 5th rounder ... that's better than above average drafting 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Probably more than 1 person who will be excited about this Q & A from the Athletic, response coming from Dean Evason:

Quote

With Marco Rossi, how does he look? Does he look bigger, faster and all that stuff? Because somebody told me he’s put on 15 pounds of muscle.

Yeah, I just saw him last week and I said exactly that to him. He looks like he’s got some maturity to him. Like it’s not just that he looks bigger. He looks mature, and that comes with, obviously, time. He’s played pro hockey. He’s had some learning situations, and he looks more mature, more confident, and hopefully that translates on the ice.

Also, He’ll start, which you’ll see at the start of camp, with (Marcus) Foligno and (Freddy) Gaudreau on the right side.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Imyourhuckleberry

[vonlonster67]

58 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Probably more than 1 person who will be excited about this Q & A from the Athletic, response coming from Dean Evason:

Also, He’ll start, which you’ll see at the start of camp, with (Marcus) Foligno and (Freddy) Gaudreau on the right side.

We've been here before with Rossi, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. At least mnfaninnc will be elated as Rossi with 15 pounds will be pushing 200#.

 

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, vonlonster67 said:

We've been here before with Rossi, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. At least mnfaninnc will be elated as Rossi with 15 pounds will be pushing 200#.

I am a bit more excited reading that. DE was never that complimentary about Rossi last year. 

[Willy the poor boy]

2 hours ago, vonlonster67 said:

We've been here before with Rossi, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. At least mnfaninnc will be elated as Rossi with 15 pounds will be pushing 200#.

 

At least Rossi is taking the instruction to heart. I've said it before, one of the most intriguing things for me when they drafted Rossi, was his attitude and desire. If he doesn't succeed at this level it won't be because of a lack of desire.

Now Addison on the other hand... If I were to pick one to succeed my money would be on Rossi. I liked how Rossi looked on his last callup last season also. Now, if he only uses that extra weight to his advantage we may have something.

[vonlonster67]

24 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

At least Rossi is taking the instruction to heart. I've said it before, one of the most intriguing things for me when they drafted Rossi, was his attitude and desire. If he doesn't succeed at this level it won't be because of a lack of desire.

Now Addison on the other hand... If I were to pick one to succeed my money would be on Rossi. I liked how Rossi looked on his last callup last season also. Now, if he only uses that extra weight to his advantage we may have something.

There's no doubt Willy that Rossi has heart, guts, determination and the will to succeed. He's done everything asked of him.

The one question is he seemed to freeze up last year and didn't let the game come to him. He's obviously in a pressure cooker, I cant imagine the stress he is feeling. 

I don't completely fault him as I believe the line he will be on will determine if he can do it or not. Fourth line and jumping all over in the past/last year is not gonna do it. 

In the end if he doesn't make it here, and if he is ever traded, the line and talent to aid his success will be the deal breaker for his NHL success!

[mnfaninnc]

On 9/16/2023 at 11:09 PM, Mateo3xm said:

I could not agree more.

Imagine what 3-4 top picks and a gradual ascent out of the gutter could do for this team.

It could give them that #1 C,  #1 D and everything you need in between to win some deep playoff hockey.

the odds are heavily stacked against us when you pick where we have.

Please explain Vegas

[mnfaninnc]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:24 AM, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Probably more than 1 person who will be excited about this Q & A from the Athletic, response coming from Dean Evason:

Huck, did you have anyone in mind with this comment?

[mnfaninnc]

On 9/18/2023 at 11:26 AM, vonlonster67 said:

We've been here before with Rossi, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. At least mnfaninnc will be elated as Rossi with 15 pounds will be pushing 200#.

One might think he'll be pushing 200 lbs., but I'm not so sure. To me, Rossi looked under his drafted weight last season. I'm thinking he'll check in around 190, which for a 5'9" guy is pretty stocky. 

That weight is not going to get him throwing his weight around, it's going to allow him to take hits and not simply get run over. I anticipate much of it will be lower body, and we will see his lateral movement improved dramatically.

The myocarditis scare, I think, took a huge toll on him physically, and while he shut everything down for about 6 months, my guess is he also lost a lot of muscle weight. He may have been a bit scared to put it back on due to the heart. I've always said it's the mind that heals last, and he needed the confidence to put the weight back on, and even add a little. 

So, bigger, quicker, faster is what I'm looking for. I want to see the aggressive player we drafted. If he doesn't make it, so be it, but I want him to at least get back to where he was when we drafted him. He played a very exciting style. 

Also, I still would have drafted Lundell ahead of him. It was obvious to me that Lundell's game translated to our style of play the best. Perhaps Brackett was trying to change that style? But, Lundell/Ek would have been a pretty good pair of Cs.