Article: The Wild's Retool Was Never What We Thought It Was

[mnfaninnc]

1 minute ago, Up North Guy said:

On top of that the political climate in Russia right now is extremely perilous for anyone wanting to leave,

This is why we should get them out as soon as possible!

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, IllicitFive said:

Devils advocate, could one make the argument they did exactly that, came in, stole a spot and didn't let go? Isn't that what we should want? The best players playing instead of just handing the keys over and hoping it works out?  I just assume I am not a GM for a reason but the tank idea drives me nuts, if it worked Arizona would be top dog by now. I am as frustrated as most are but I guess just have to sit back, watch hockey, and hope this year is our year. If a kid or 3 can show up and clearly take over for aging vets or others, and they still get 0 chance then I will also join in the call for turnover in coaches, maybe gm.

You could definitely say that. We are not privy to most practices, and, perhaps the kids get their chance to show what they can do in practice. Perhaps they didn't do as well as we thought they would have, having the coaches conclude that they are not ready yet.

I know this is a lot different, but when I coached in the youth ranks, some parents only showed up for games. Their expectation was that every kid got equal playing time. Yet, when I coached for a school, parents, again showed up to games and expected something similar. We practiced a lot harder with little to know audience for the school, and that's the way I wanted it. 

But, in that environment, I was very protective of my players and only gave them what I thought they could handle. Each one was different, each one was unique. Confidence plays such a big part in sports, and if I just through them into the deep end, some would sink. Some were scared to death to even go into games and you could see them shaking. 

I don't think you'll have that problem with the guys here, but to an extent, Guerin is seeing things, and probably Evason too, that I saw. You don't want to ruin a kid's confidence. You want him to get better at a level he can get better at, and at pressure he can get better at. I guess I was simply expecting the arrival to be sooner. 

If we look back at history, many, many players don't make it until they're 23. Yet our expectation has somehow changed to 21. Perhaps some of this is about being physically mature too, and that sometimes doesn't happen until 23-24. I feel I've been patient, but it's running out!

[Up North Guy]

29 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I feel I've been patient, but it's running out!

Patience Grasshopper. I know, I am old so I will see myself out.

[IllicitFive]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

You could definitely say that. We are not privy to most practices, and, perhaps the kids get their chance to show what they can do in practice. Perhaps they didn't do as well as we thought they would have, having the coaches conclude that they are not ready yet.

I know this is a lot different, but when I coached in the youth ranks, some parents only showed up for games. Their expectation was that every kid got equal playing time. Yet, when I coached for a school, parents, again showed up to games and expected something similar. We practiced a lot harder with little to know audience for the school, and that's the way I wanted it. 

But, in that environment, I was very protective of my players and only gave them what I thought they could handle. Each one was different, each one was unique. Confidence plays such a big part in sports, and if I just through them into the deep end, some would sink. Some were scared to death to even go into games and you could see them shaking. 

I don't think you'll have that problem with the guys here, but to an extent, Guerin is seeing things, and probably Evason too, that I saw. You don't want to ruin a kid's confidence. You want him to get better at a level he can get better at, and at pressure he can get better at. I guess I was simply expecting the arrival to be sooner. 

If we look back at history, many, many players don't make it until they're 23. Yet our expectation has somehow changed to 21. Perhaps some of this is about being physically mature too, and that sometimes doesn't happen until 23-24. I feel I've been patient, but it's running out!

I agree with you on this fully, I think its because we kept hearing about how amazing our prospect pool was, how deep and great these kids are or projected to be. But as you said the magic age seems to be around 23. I remember people being over Ek, I doubt many now would want him gone. Not everyone is a McDavid or Bedard who can just step in. My patience is running out as well, no doubt, but lets look at ages and truly when we should have a full view. 19, 20, and 21 year old's are still growing, building, bulking. A lot can change in a relatively short amount of time. This said it can feel like forever or extra since it feels everyone should be like a Faber or Boldy, step in early and get us all really excited for where there GROWTH will end up. Others just haven't hit that growth curve in my opinion. 

[vonlonster67]

2 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

I agree that the K and A are similar. The problem is that Dino and Yurov are not getting the ice time they need. At least that was what I had read previously. BG may be taking that into mind as well along with the memory that KK97 was getting the same treatment and chose to resign one more time with Moscow. On top of that the political climate in Russia right now is extremely perilous for anyone wanting to leave,

It hasn't affected Yurov one bit, he has sat on the bench for stretches the last two years and has jumped right in and impacted his line. His talents reaches more than anyone has given him credit for thus why he should have been a top ten pick if not for the NHL perceived Russian interference/hold.

Yurov and KK are in communication and all signals are he is here next year along with Dino.