Article: The Kevin Fiala Trade Was Start of Dean Evason's Downfall

[Tony Abbott]

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[MrCheatachu]

Fifi played under Evason for the Milwaukee Admirals for 3 seasons('15-'17), and was brought to Minnesota Feb. 2019 and then Feb 2020 fired Boudreau who they replaced by Evason.

Elliotte had an item on the 32 thoughts podcasts that the Nashville coaches viewed Fiala as 'cocky and uncoachable'  You've got to think that there was some friction between a young AHL Fiala and his AHL coach Evason that soured the relationship in MN.

Fiala was constantly in Evason (and Guerin's) doghouse, with Guerin even shitting all over him on KFAN prior to trading him.  What other GM in the league goes on a radio show to shit on a player the rest of the league knows you're trying to trade?

I don't think the Fiala trade was the start to the Evason downfall, those two seemed to be Oil and Water.

Evason's downfall came from Guerin placating the  ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶c̶l̶u̶b̶  retirement community.  He could have absolutely fit Fifi's $7.8M if he didnt sign Goose ($2M), MAF ($3.5), MoJo ($2M) and/or Freddy ($2.1M)

[MacGyver]

This is where I stopped from becoming a big BG fan. He made the Fiala trade more personal than business as pointed out. Dean and Fiala could have managed to get along together. They had been for years.  But then BG  started flinging the mud Fiala's way. "So he had a couple good months" comment was one I remember in particular. Players have a string of good games or weeks but when you do it over months there is no way to downplay it but BG found a way.

So why would BG fling mud at a star player knowing full well he had to trade him? Aren't you driving down his value and not to mention that's just plain unprofessional?  The answer I arrived at was BG's ego was getting bruised by the fans who wanted desperately to find a way to keep Fiala at the expense of moving Dumba. 

It came to me that BG just didn't like being bothered by the fans who don't know what they are talking about. He doesn't like answering questions about a decision he made over a year prior. Sure he was asked about it a million times over and anyone would get tired of it but that's your job as a GM in the NHL you learn to handle those things. It's why you get paid the big bucks.  I think there was a period of time early on if BG had wanted to keep Fiala and his 83 points he may have found a way and Fiala may have been willing to negotiate. But the situation became untenable and Fiala just had to get out from underneath a toxic cloud. 

It's becoming apparent to me BG is a bull in a china shop and his people skills are lacking. Talbot was another toxic situation created by BG. I've said before BG thinks all NHL players should be created in his image. Until he figures out that's not the case there will be more toxic environments some players here will endure.

[Pewterschmidt]

5 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

What other GM in the league goes on a radio show to shit on a player the rest of the league knows you're trying to trade?

This in my opinion was a major un-forced error by BG and may have exposed an achilles heal for an otherwise competent NHL GM.  T-Bot was next.  Felt a little reactionary to me.  Addison could be next if were picking nits.

[Willy the poor boy]

35 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

This in my opinion was a major un-forced error by BG and may have exposed an achilles heal for an otherwise competent NHL GM.  T-Bot was next.  Felt a little reactionary to me.  Addison could be next if were picking nits.

Last I looked Talbot was 14'th in GSAA while MAF came in mid fourties and out of 60+ rankings Gus didn't even show up.

You can't run a team with off the cuff moves because you're feelings are hurt.

[Tony Abbott]

We can't look at Cam Talbot as The One Who Got Away. Guy looked washed last year, the year before. 13 good starts don't change my mind on him.

[Protec]

The whole GM thing is a difficult task, that's a pretty fair statement. Lots of good points made. Guerin's comments and transactions have had consequences. There's been some obvious connections to his roots, background, and attitudes which have had mixed results. Overall, his tenure has been successful with winning teams in the regular season. The level of drama has not been out of control. He's not guilty of making many poor deals and only recently has he faced a greater level of scrutiny.

The buyout decisions were presented and approved so I would guess Guerin has security through the penalty years to develop a contending team. This year has been a big setback so far, but does it truly define an organization? With injuries, and penalties, and whatever other inner-circle stuff that derailed the start, a regroup/reset was needed but where the Wild go from there is not 100% jeopardized.

While being optimistic early, I said "better to flounder early than in March." Still kinda true, but I think at this point the expectations and record both crapped out. I know the organization identifies as a playoff team and wants it. We'll see how much I guess cause it sure looks like another sad case of 15-21 range in the draft and a mountain too tall to climb facing Vegas or Dallas the way Gus has looked and with the forwards lost in space.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Protec

[Willy the poor boy]

31 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

We can't look at Cam Talbot as The One Who Got Away. Guy looked washed last year, the year before. 13 good starts don't change my mind on him.

I'm not saying it was a mistake, but I am saying the way that went down was unprofessional as hell and not a good look for a GM.

[Luke Sims]

God I miss KF.

[Luke Sims]

Still remember this like it was yesterday...

 

[Protec]

More directly in response to Fiala, it ALL kinda led to now. Fletcher and the Wild's failure to get off the ground against the Jets in 2018-19 would be a good starting point. Fenton got Fiala. From that change to the holdout and initial deal with Bill Guerin it was all kind of a mess. No organic growth in MN. Picks all gone, veteran hot-dog spokesman, etc. Fiala from the start appeared to be uncertain and barely committed to MN as an organization. No surprise he played himself into a new opportunity.

The changes and circumstances requiring response are often more difficult to predict than it seems. Let's just say the Wild didn't resign Mojo after his playoffs, dissed Fred the SO champ, said goodbye to Foligno, and olny held onto Zucc maybe even deciding not to pay Hartman 4M, who woulda been filling those roles for the Wild? Walker, Beckman, Letteirrii? What would the response have been to letting those players walk? Did Guerin look wrong for the buyouts while this same group was hot for two years?

It sucks to see the Wild in this spot, but I wonder why they had the worst PK in the league under Evason? Some is what Dean wasn't doing all along in my opinion. He failed to take care of serious problems. Fiala had less to do with it and putting Merrill out there to get victimized so often is worse. Gus being a slow start after inking a new deal was a bad break. No aging Spurgeon hurt too, but Evason really didn't get hit with whirlwind of bad breaks as much as he didn't take the next step as an NHL coach. Hynes might never do it either. That's what Guerin gets though, another kick at the can. Hynes isn't likely to be worse than Evason in the immediate future.

[MacGyver]

What Willy says. If BG continues to show this type of interaction with players which is, your my buddy so here's your three year deal with clauses or your not my buddy so I'll sling the mud and move you out, what impact will that have on other players wanting to come here? You better know where you stand with this guy. If he doesn't like you an 83 point season is not going to persuade him to start liking you. Also I think Kaprizov played into BG's attitude as well. Now we are beginning to find out Kaprizov is a mere mortal. 

[Pewterschmidt]

50 minutes ago, Protec said:

veteran hot-dog spokesman,

??

What am i missing here Protec?

[Dean]

Great article.  IMO fiala s season of dueling with kappy to put up points (friendly competition) and Gus  having an all world goal tending performance is why the wild overachieved past two years . Not great gm ing or coaching . Fiala or kappy was going to get the best d core against them so the other guy could go make hay. Teams had a dilemma who to put there best on . With Gus you could take chances because of his stellar performance. Not chase games like this year. I think fiala was most important because he gave us a one two punch . Bolds is good but he doesn’t carry and possess the puck like fiala.  Kappy an fiala when on seemed to be in offensive zone more than a team of kappy and bolds . Fiala is doing just fine in la. Doesn’t seem to have an attitude problem. Heck greenway has turned into a top pk guy for buffalo.  
      Bill on radio said this team isn’t rebuilding. That they’ve drafted enough the past few years to make a contender.  IMO the probability’s are against him but who knows maybe Judd gets lucky an hits on a bunch. IMO if half the prospects make nhl he did good. Whether they will be any good is a long way off to say. Hard to call yourself a contender with most guys not even in ahl yet  and a roster 2 points from last . 

[kapislife]

3 hours ago, MrCheatachu said:

Fifi played under Evason for the Milwaukee Admirals for 3 seasons('15-'17), and was brought to Minnesota Feb. 2019 and then Feb 2020 fired Boudreau who they replaced by Evason.

Elliotte had an item on the 32 thoughts podcasts that the Nashville coaches viewed Fiala as 'cocky and uncoachable'  You've got to think that there was some friction between a young AHL Fiala and his AHL coach Evason that soured the relationship in MN.

Fiala was constantly in Evason (and Guerin's) doghouse, with Guerin even shitting all over him on KFAN prior to trading him.  What other GM in the league goes on a radio show to shit on a player the rest of the league knows you're trying to trade?

I don't think the Fiala trade was the start to the Evason downfall, those two seemed to be Oil and Water.

Evason's downfall came from Guerin placating the  ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶c̶l̶u̶b̶  retirement community.  He could have absolutely fit Fifi's $7.8M if he didnt sign Goose ($2M), MAF ($3.5), MoJo ($2M) and/or Freddy ($2.1M)

That's gross. I would gladly take Fiala back and dump those used up geezer contracts. We should be able to find scrubs to fill in those roles 

[Jamesgang]

Evason’s core issue was he wanted to turn all players into defenseman before allowing them to utilize their offensive skills. Scorers were not given the freedom to utilize their god given talents as they were always worried about getting back on defense. He hated Fiala because he was pure offense. Teams have players for each position but it seems like the Wild only focus on two way hockey. Anyone think of McKinnon, Matthews, McDavid as great two-way players or do you consider them pure offensive threats. 

[Protec]

4 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

??

What am i missing here Protec?

Suter with the Kwik-Trip commercials and belief he was the GM behind the GM.

Poor reference with too little context but the point is the same. MN's 2012-2013 decisions are still tied to the team's current situation and it wasn't exactly sustainable or secure when GMBG arrived. The whole thing has been on the rocks one way or the other til the past few seasons of consistency and without the roller coaster ride.

Seeing it on the rocks again is triggering some MNPTSD considering we thought we had escaped that.

[joebou15]

6 hours ago, Protec said:

He's not guilty of making many poor deals and only recently has he faced a greater level of scrutiny.

On the contrary, we (formerly 10k Rinks and now HW) wrote a bunch of articles questioning the odd timings of re-signings, the lack of pressure to do so, the unwillingness to prioritize Fiala in a way that took him to arbitration and then out the door, and very few people wanted to hear it.

Now Joe Smith writes about those very same things in a critical piece of Guerin and suddenly everyone is on board with those critiques.

Guerin had no problem playing tough guy negotiator with Kaprizov and Fiala, but is a total softie with fringe role players. 

For all those "In Billy We Trust" guys out there, we were here flying the red flags the whole time.

[Protec]

Yeah sure, but in that same time frame Guerin signed core guys to solid deals, gave out few unmovable contracts til now, made safe trades that helped the Wild, and had teams match franchise records.

That's probably why many people understood Fiala was gonna be traded and 11/20 were quickly forgotten. No bad contracts really remained after Rask was traded. 

I can get the individual complaints on isolated issues but internet-gripes don't mean much when overall Guerin has been successful and had the buyouts approved. Therefore, the situation now with some calling Guerin a dipshit are just confirming their bias. The Wild are way better off now despite aging vets under contract than they were when Fenton got fired. They have three playoff qualifiers, record seasons, and a nice prospect pool. They have two bad months out of three pretty good years and somehow the conclusion is the GM has screwed the pooch. I dunno, red-flags maybe but in the bigger picture, I'd think the owner and less reactive fans will see this as a sideways detour around an obstacle more than a failed GM and sour grapes over one good player who they elected not to make the centerpiece.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Protec

[Pewterschmidt]

36 minutes ago, Protec said:

Suter with the Kwik-Trip commercials and belief he was the GM behind the GM.

Poor reference with too little context but the point is the same. MN's 2012-2013 decisions are still tied to the team's current situation and it wasn't exactly sustainable or secure when GMBG arrived. The whole thing has been on the rocks one way or the other til the past few seasons of consistency and without the roller coaster ride.

Seeing it on the rocks again is triggering some MNPTSD considering we thought we had escaped that.

Camera pans to Suter.  Ryan holds up a week old hot dog from the roller and reads the cue card: “my family enjoy meals from kwik trip yada yada”

Riiiiiight Ryan.  

[MrCheatachu]

10 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Camera pans to Suter.  Ryan holds up a week old hot dog from the roller and reads the cue card: “my family enjoy meals from kwik trip yada yada”

Riiiiiight Ryan.  

I liked the ones where he was eating the microwave KwikTrip spaghetti in his kitchen...in Edina...20 minutes away from the nearest KwikTrip.  Yeah, you drove 40 miles round trip for some gas station pasta

[FredJohnson]

The financial pressure Minnesota was entering with the Parise/Suter buyouts was probably the No. 1 reason the Fiala trade happened.

This was THE reason. Fifi would still be here if we had the cap space at that time. We would have had to dump a large contract (like JoBro's for example) plus a role player or two to fit Fifi under the cap. Yes, we didn't get enough for Fifi, but the league had us by the nuts.

Note: Parise isn't on an NHL squad at present time. His buyout, at least, was definitely merited and I think GMRS's buyout was as well.

[Pewterschmidt]

5 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

I liked the ones where he was eating the microwave KwikTrip spaghetti in his kitchen...in Edina...20 minutes away from the nearest KwikTrip.  Yeah, you drove 40 miles round trip for some gas station pasta

Thank you for dusting off this memory.  This is the one that I laughed at my tv when I saw it for the first time. 
Kwik Trip commercial planning workshop dialogue:

Marketing intern: “yah but shouldn’t we make it sort of believable?”

Marketing wind bag VP: “no this is good.  Client wants to create aspirational vibes for its product.  I think pro athlete espousing microwave gas station spaghetti does exactly that”

(marketing wind bag now works in Menards plumbing aisle)

[MickX]

I’m sure Fiala was happy to leave. He’s flourishing in LA. Sure, he sometimes takes bad penalties or gives the puck away trying to make a fancy play, but elite players are elite because they take chances. Evason could never bring himself to compliment Fiala without some backhanded crap, like “Yeah, Kevin had a good game but he has to keep it up”. For me, a Minnesota native who lived in LA for 35 years, as a fan of both teams I was glad that at least he got traded to LA.

[Protec]

The Wild need playoff performers. Kevin was inconsistent there. Boldy and others have been too but Fiala and MN just weren't possible long term. He and Soucy are guys that would have been great to hold on to. It just couldn't be done. The Wild really need Boldy ti be that kind of contributor.