Hot take Saturday. Trade Spurgeon.

[Protec]

To Edmonton. They need defense and MN has identified their new #1 RD. 

The Wild have played without Spurgeon rather successfully this year for a long stretch. Spurgeon was born in Edmonton and would compliment their current group. 

Draft day trade. GMBG should present the idea now, give EDM time to work out the cap. MN gets a 2024 1st and some cap room. 

I really like Spurgeon as a player but better too early than too late. That time is coming anyway and the Wild have young defenseman. Serious question how will the #46 contract years play out? 

[Protec]

Haha, if this happened just think the rips on Guerin that could be made?

The guys who say, "Guerin has all these old, geriatric, country-clubbers" will complain he traded the oldest defenseman for a youth-rebuild piece. 

The only threads here that can get any steam have to dump on Guerin and promote everything that the Wild isn't doing.

[Protec]

Maybe the mods can sticky a GMBG rip thread. 😃

I would start with the NoJo deal being sure to get a shot in or else how could i call myself a part of this community? 😎

[Wanderinginmn]

Were you going with sarcasm without the /s tag?

Name me a team that traded a captain on IR on draft day.  I am sure there is an example, but I cannot think of it.

[Protec]

Not saying it would be popular or easy.

Not sure there's a precedent or comparable deal. I'll have to think about that.

Just an interesting idea. MN has been okay this season with Spurgeon out. Faber has shown us he's ready to be a top pairing guy. 

Not really being sarcastic cause so many people complain about the Wild being old and when will they give the young guys a chance? 

#46 could be valuable to a team like the Oilers and the Wild could get a good return with some term left on his deal.

I've been saying Guerin's small gains strategy without giving up draft capital is alright but plenty of other guys wanna see a big move. Well here's an idea. Guerin has opened the door for youth but I don't see any cheers. The high price of an aging, smaller defenseman is worth considering while the Wild remain the smallest team in the Central. I've said before, probably better one year too early than one year too late. 

It's a discussion I'm interested in because so many people wanna see big things happen. So is trading Spurgeon off limits? 

[Will D. Ness]

Would you trade for a 34 year old guy coming off of hip and back surgery with 4 years left on his contract @ 7.5M?

Funny thing is though, the Oilers are just crazy enough to do something like that.

[Tony Abbott]

On 3/9/2024 at 3:42 PM, Protec said:

To Edmonton. They need defense and MN has identified their new #1 RD. 

The Wild have played without Spurgeon rather successfully this year for a long stretch. Spurgeon was born in Edmonton and would compliment their current group. 

Draft day trade. GMBG should present the idea now, give EDM time to work out the cap. MN gets a 2024 1st and some cap room. 

I really like Spurgeon as a player but better too early than too late. That time is coming anyway and the Wild have young defenseman. Serious question how will the #46 contract years play out? 

To me, that's insane. Spurgeon is probably the biggest reason the Wild are out of a playoff spot, not a reason to trade him.

Edmonton doesn't have anything I'd want for Spurgeon, either. They gave up their first-round pick in 2024 to get Adam Henrique. None of their prospects project to be real impact guys. $7.5 million in cap space probably goes to a forward that further clogs up the Wild's forward prospects, or a defenseman that's not nearly as good as Spurgeon.

[Tony Abbott]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:44 PM, Protec said:

Haha, if this happened just think the rips on Guerin that could be made?

The guys who say, "Guerin has all these old, geriatric, country-clubbers" will complain he traded the oldest defenseman for a youth-rebuild piece. 

The only threads here that can get any steam have to dump on Guerin and promote everything that the Wild isn't doing.

The difference between Spurgeon and Marcus Johansson/Freddy G/Zach Bogosian/Ryan Hartman is that Spurgeon is an elite player.

[MacGyver]

At the end of Spuergeon's contract he will be 38 I believe.  Just ripe enough for BG to give him a 3 year extension so he can finish out his remaining hockey life in Minnesota because he wants to stay here. 

[Tony Abbott]

2 hours ago, MacGyver said:

At the end of Spuergeon's contract he will be 38 I believe.  Just ripe enough for BG to give him a 3 year extension so he can finish out his remaining hockey life in Minnesota because he wants to stay here. 

Thing I'll say is that if anyone deserves it, it's him.

[Protec]

I too like Spurgeon. I was psyched when Guerin extended him for the AAV & term. Spurgeon was and has been the top pairing guy. Capable of playing any role. We asked before, whether his contract would age well? We asked if he was effective after last year's playoff loss to a big Dallas team? Now I'm asking if his injuries and size have started to catch up with him?

100% business right? This is about winning a Cup right? We've spent all year griping about older players, and in the past we've complained about MN GMs signing old guys. Yet when it comes to Spurgeon, because he's been elite or special in the hearts of MN fans, it's all good. That's a good argument for keeping him and being happy with the AAV now. I can totally get with that. In fact, I have been with that line of thinking since he re-signed.

Now I'm just asking the unpopular questions. Is Spurgeon still elite? Sure, can't really say no. What is the value keeping him here, having seen the Wild's new top D-man arrive compared to potentially trading #46 while his value and perception is still "elite"? (With term remaining.)

Spurgeon has to submit a 10-team no-trade list July 1st. So perhaps my fairy-tale idea of him heading back to Edmonton where he'd be another top pairing guy on a playoff team with a need doesn't work? Tony's right, the Oilers don't have a lot to offer and draft day probably wouldn't work.

My thought is simply what's best for the Wild? Having Spurgeon back for the duration of the contract or a changing of the guard? What's best for the ultimate goal VS. what's best for feelings of loyalty and stoicism?

When would you be able to get the maximum return for Spurgeon? When should the Wild trade him if that was the decision? Will #46 have a great return season next year and will that change everything or just confirm what we think about his "elite" quality?

I like the idea of Edmonton's 2025 1st since that's the only real capital they have. It's true there's not much to like that Edmonton has, other than Warren Foegle who's nickname is "McLovin", he's 6'2" 200lbs with really great CORSI numbers, especially in the playoffs but he's also a UFA. Dylan Holloway was a target when the Wild drafted Rossi but he's been an AHL call-up. At this point do the Wild even need a center anymore? 

I digress. Let's consider as a thought experiment what Spurgeon will be returning for next season? An "elite undersized defenseman" or an aging player who could become a declining value on the ice? There's certainly other teams with assets, but do the Wild use this season's look at life without Spurgeon as a terrible bummer or a glimpse into the next chapter? Is it an opportunity to turn the page and get a big future piece. If the Wild need a big-time move, where is it gonna from and when. Should status quo complaints continue, or do the Wild need to shake it up bigly?