Article: The Wild's Sweden Trip Was Neither Business Nor Pleasure

[MNCountryLife]

11 hours ago, raithis said:

It's just hard to be patient in the meantime.

Got that right.  My thought process was that he signed these guys because we could stay competitive.  We are not.  If we are not I would have preferred to see more of the young guys learning in the N rather then the A.  

[Tony Abbott]

I think the joke of the first 10 minutes of Happy Gilmore was that he sucked at hockey, and also, the grandma who dressed up like Gene Simmons from Kiss.

[mnfaninnc]

21 hours ago, raithis said:

If in the year following the buyouts (at least the large 14-15M chunk), we are still a middling team that can't win a playoff series, then Guerin should be gone.

I think you've got to give a little more runway for Guerin. Here's my logic: It takes a couple of years for the kids to acclimate to the NHL and be successful. Yes, you can see the potential immediately, but the inconsistency is there. We saw what happened to Boldy, and Rossi last year. Both went through slumps and Boldy's in one now. 

Since Guerin is supposed to put up a playoff team each year, by instructions from the owner, we likely aren't allowing for the growing pains of the kids. They'll be busy in the A getting better....or the K. I would expect there to be momentum to becoming a contender, but, the results generally lag which means we look more like a middling team for a little longer. But, the depth we would have could shine in a playoff series or 2. 

What I think is inevitable is that we switch coaches, and it may be switching to an interim if Guerin's guy just isn't available. It's a gut feeling with no evidence, but I'm thinking Sully is his guy.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'm thinking Sully is his guy

So we're going with a retired American Airlines pilot.  That's aggressively outside the box.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

Freddy playing was a joke. Freddy playing in OT was a ludicrous joke. In Russo's  words he was "very rusty".

I have no idea why he wasn't sent to Iowa on a rehab stint before coming back to the team. I believe it was concussion symptoms that kept him out, wouldn't you want to see in game circumstances if he was really ok? He should have been left at home. The rustiness was completely on coaching staff/front office for this one. 

[Up North Guy]

13 hours ago, AKwildkraken said:

My biggest concern is Johansson.  He hasn't looked good to me.  I agree that he looks lackluster most of the time.  Maybe he will end up in the press box soon.

As they get back to the regular schedule and players get healthy it will be harder to sit guys in the ProssBox. They will strip down to bare minimum numbers to recoup cap money. Perhaps they will take extra forwards on road trips in case of injury but they have shown a willingness to play a 11/7 game(s) in the past.

[mnfaninnc]

18 hours ago, Dean said:

The hole build on fly with 20 th overalls that take 5 years to get to nhl doesn’t seem like a winning recipe but who knows. 

This is a total experiment to see if it can happen. The good thing or optimistic thing was the pandemic. If we had really good scouting during that period and chose well, this could work out. If we chose poorly....we're in deep trouble. 

Early thoughts are we chose well. But, still, with the pandemic, 5 years is probably what it will take for these guys to develop properly, if not 6. It sounds like a long time, but it's reality. We just have to hang in there since this was mandated by the owner, the only guy who matters. Guerin has bought himself time with the last 3 seasons. Evason hasn't really because of the playoffs flame out and the finger pointing at him being outcoached. 

[Pewterschmidt]

7 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

As they get back to the regular schedule and players get healthy it will be harder to sit guys in the ProssBox. They will strip down to bare minimum numbers to recoup cap money. Perhaps they will take extra forwards on road trips in case of injury but they have shown a willingness to play a 11/7 game(s) in the past.

Mojo is reverting back to the player he is when not playing for his nhl life/contract

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, Dean said:

Fletcher couldn’t find good coaches . IMO  either can bill.

To me, this is where we differ. Fletcher found Boudreau eventually and he was a good proven coach. Guerin elevated Evason and has had good regular season luck with him, but, who really is on Guerin's short list? He hasn't needed to make that coaching change yet, and that may be why he hasn't pulled the trigger on letting Evason go. Who besides Sully could be on that list? Gallant has been out there yet he hasn't been plucked which makes me conclude that Gallant is not on that list. 

I do think that Guerin will go younger with his next coach. But I am completely miffed as to who he's really looking at. I'd certainly have Goose2/The Wall's Swedish coach on speed dial for goalie coach. Could Goligoski or Fleury be on that list? Could Koivu be on that list?

[Up North Guy]

8 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Mojo is reverting back to the player he is when not playing for his nhl life/contract

True but that doesn't mean the team won't do what they need to do for fiscal reasons.

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, raithis said:

Like it or not, this is basically a rebuild.  We may have fooled ourselves that the past two seasons mean we are capable of a few adjustments  being able to get us further in the playoffs, but everything has shown us the opposite.  The silver lining is that we have what is regarded as one of the best prospect pools in the league now.  Once they are ready and a couple make the NHL, things will start looking a lot different.  It's just hard to be patient in the meantime.

Bingo!

I've seen Guerin trade more middling picks but keeps the early ones right now. If he trades the early picks, my bet is he gets a solid piece for multiple years and doesn't do a Hanzal type thing. 

Essentially, my position is that the rebuild drafting is over. Now it's about developing those guys. We are likely to get a couple of good pieces in the next couple of drafts, but, those will be bonuses. 

[Up North Guy]

8 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Could Goligoski or Fleury be on that list? Could Koivu be on that list?

Goligoski maybe but I really doubt Flower. I don't think he has any interest in coaching or at least not for a while.

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, AKwildkraken said:

I'm more upset at not being able to see the games in Sweden as they weren't available on ESPN+.  So thanks for keeping me informed with how they played from a fan's point of view.  Although, it sounds like some aren't fans as to what's going on lately, which I understand.  

I don't think the contract situation is as terrible as some think.  If Foligno, Ek, and Maroon play on a line and dominate as the greef line did at times, I could easily live with Foligno's contract.  Might be a big if though.  

Gudreau's is a bit long and double of what 4th line contract should be, but at 2.1 million it's salvageable. Problem is we don't have any extra room, but we all know this.  

My biggest concern is Johansson.  He hasn't looked good to me.  I agree that he looks lackluster most of the time.  Maybe he will end up in the press box soon.  

Sounds like the d-men played better, so I'm not going to call it a dumpster fire yet.  

They are available now on ESPN+. I have watched both. I thought Johansson had a nice game against Ottawa, he was surprisingly physical.? He still offers some good attributes like his speed and being able to enter the zone carrying the puck. Where he got undressed by Nylander in OT was unfortunate, but he is a forward defending. 

Gaudreau's contract will be alright with the coming cap increases, it will be about what he's worth in years 3-5. I can tell you this, the last 2 shootouts we've had, we really missed him. We might win both had he been available. Part of that salary is being the #3 shooter in the shootout. Sure, it's a specialty position, but each one of those goals he got last year were points ticking up for the club. So he's more than just a 4th line player.

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, Protec said:

The players and coaches knew this stuff too. What have they done to be better? 

Give days off and not practice. My biggest complaint.

Rossi should be having draw practice on a regular basis with Koivu after practice, followed by a tutorial from Koivu.

[mnfaninnc]

47 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

So we're going with a retired American Airlines pilot.  That's aggressively outside the box.

A leader of men!

[mnfaninnc]

18 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

Goligoski maybe but I really doubt Flower. I don't think he has any interest in coaching or at least not for a while.

I'm not sure what Fleury's home life is like, but I think he genuinely likes to help young goalies. He'd have an interesting perspective as a coach. He might value winning faceoffs, especially in his own end?