Article: A Reality Check Is the Wild's Biggest Trade Deadline Need

[Tony Abbott]

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[viper3119]

well put, bring on the draft lottery!

[mnfaninnc]

This is precisely the right take. If we're going to acquire some players, they should be young and help us with the future. 

But, Tony, I think you underestimated the problem we're in. It's not just the 2 recent must haves where we had 3rd period leads, it was also the Winnipeg and Dallas home and homes. There is a lot of evidence out there that this simply isn't our year.

I am fully against trading for a player who will be a rental UFA to try and make the playoffs. I'd be open to an idea of a player who would be a UFA and would resign here, though, who could help us going forward. That guy would likely be entering his prime. 

I'd prefer to sell rather than buy, but there may be a little of both.

[kapislife]

I like the idea of trading for a once highly touted young guy. Especially if they are only asking a mid round pick. I agree that it's not worth trying to push for the playoffs this year, take your lumps and your lottery pick and come back next year with a couple cheap free agents.

[Will D. Ness]

It's pretty hard to watch this last game vs the Ducks and not admit that they mailed it in.  I think this team's morale, attitude, or whatever you want to call it is crushed.

I think it is mostly just the inconsistency of play and few duds in the lineup that flop when needed most.  More than a few duds actually.  

Also, we cannot sit back and rely upon young guys to carry the team either.  A lot of these losses look like young team losses.  Things are a little fragile in the State of Hockey.   

The biggest problem of all though is defense hands down.  It's a broken record at this point though so I won't bore y'all.  

 

[Burnt Toast]

I’m all for trying something different like you suggested. Go after some younger players that might be a fit for the future. It’s a nice consolation prize that we’re near the top for picking up players hitting waivers. BG can still be aggressive, just a short term change of what that might look like. 

Edited January 30 by Burnt Toast
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[FredJohnson]

 

Get into the lottery.

[Quebec1648]

Given that the front office gave out all those silly no movement clauses, what can we realistically do at the trade deadline? Who can we move out, that would get us a decent player or draft pick in return? Most of the older players, are the ones who have the no movement clauses. 

[B1GKappa97]

10 hours ago, Quebec1648 said:

Given that the front office gave out all those silly no movement clauses, what can we realistically do at the trade deadline? Who can we move out, that would get us a decent player or draft pick in return? Most of the older players, are the ones who have the no movement clauses. 

Well I assume the guys who just got re-signed this past summer aren't moving anywhere. 

That said, a NMC isn't all that hard to get around if a guy wants to leave an organization that's going nowhere to join a potential contender. MAF had a NMC when we acquired him from Chicago, for instance. It DOES give them leverage on where they get traded to, however, so that lessens the potential return by eliminating potential suitors.

So guys like Goose or MAF or Maroon are definitely still on the table to get moved despite their clauses. I just wouldn't expect a great return on them given their age and talent level at this stage. 

[B1GKappa97]

Let's just fast-forward to July already! 

[Jamesgang]

The Wild need to be sellers at the trade deadline. Unload the veterans teams are looking for in a playoff run. Foligno, Gudreau, Fluery, Johanssen, Maroon, Hartman, Merrill

[Up North Guy]

10 hours ago, Jamesgang said:

The Wild need to be sellers at the trade deadline. Unload the veterans teams are looking for in a playoff run. Foligno, Gudreau, Fluery, Johanssen, Maroon, Hartman, Merrill

The only ones that can be moved in that group without their permission are Maroon and Merrill. There may be a small market for Maroon but the move i can see for Merrill is Iowa.

[MacGyver]

Given Guerin's propensity for painting himself in a corner he may have promised CL that if he agrees to buy out Parise and Suter that the Wild will at the very least continue to make the playoffs every year until cap hell is over giving CL those few extra games of gate receipts to help ease the pain. Now we are not only paying huge salaries to players we no longer have but are on the cusp of not making the playoffs putting CL further in the red. Seriously doubt he likes that business model. 

 

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

Given Guerin's propensity for painting himself in a corner he may have promised CL that if he agrees to buy out Parise and Suter that the Wild will at the very least continue to make the playoffs every year until cap hell is over giving CL those few extra games of gate receipts to help ease the pain. Now we are not only paying huge salaries to players we no longer have but are on the cusp of not making the playoffs putting CL further in the red. Seriously doubt he likes that business model. 

 

I believe CL is only paying Parise and Suter something like $1M a year at this point. The contracts were designed for the team to not feel any pain at the end. But of course the league had to step in an ruin the whole thing.

[Protec]

Lindholm is gone already in Calgary. Off the board and finished as an option for the Wild. Didn't see if he signed long term in Vancouver. 

MN needs center depth and scoring. It's gonna have to come from somewhere. When and where from is the question. The Wild should be careful the rest of this year. The safest thing is to be sellers and prep for the Summer.