Article: The Wild Should Swing A Trade With New Jersey To Bolster Their D-Corps

[Kalisha Turnipseed]

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[Imyourhuckleberry]

Not sure that trading the Wild's #1 goalie, as well as a top 3 defenseman and team captain for a mediocre defender is going to help the Wild's future. Fleury's future is almost certainly below average goalie results, if he doesn't retire. If Wallstedt missed extended time, do they lean on Fleury for 80% of games?

Unlikely the Wild can find a comparable goalie for significantly less money. Gus had a better season than Fleury and certainly should continue to do so over the next 2 seasons of his contract.

It does open cap space and adds a couple more darts to throw at the draft board, but the player coming back doesn't appear to be above average on offense or defense.

[MNCountryLife]

Thought of losing Spurgeon... I cringed.  The guy is a big part of our D core and we just witnessed what the Wild are without him.  Middleton needs a guy like Spurgeon.  But he is getting older and everything should be considered to make this D-core better.  Gus for Siegenthaler would be a good trade.  Both make in the $3M range.

[mnfaninnc]

I like Kalisha's thinking, and I think there may be a match here. 

For me, though, she picked the wrong player, Kevin Bahl would be my target. He's 3 years younger, produces about the same amount of offense, and is a better defender. His NHL bio has him at 230 now. 

Then comes the compensation thing. I simply think it is the wrong direction to go to give Fleury another year and jettison Goose. The Wall + Goose can be a great tandem. I think we should start out the year there. Let Fleury come back if it doesn't work out. Relying on a rookie 'tender is very risky. Goose played the tougher matchups this year and had the better statistical year (barely). 

Lastly, if we're trading out Spurgeon in the deal or as a separate deal, we do need to replace him with a RHS player. Neither of these 2 are RHS players. Jiricek, to me, would be the better fit for our needs, though I really do like Bahl as a defender. 

Bonus thought: At the end of last season, the Devils jettisoned a pretty young Mackenzie Blackwood. You could argue that Blackwood needed a change of scenery, but the Devils gave up on a young, solid 'tender. Right now, this looks like it was a mistake. The Devils could have used a Blackwood this season. Why wouldn't we want to learn from their mistake?

[Imyourhuckleberry]

50 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Gus for Siegenthaler would be a good trade.

I'm not confident in it. Devils' fans indicating the following in a thorough post about his play this season.

Quote

Even before it was clear the Devils were heading toward a disappointing season, Siegenthaler wasn't the same as he was over the last two seasons. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a bad start that he could shake off. It's persisted for most of 2023-24. 

What's gone wrong for Siegenthaler? The best way to dig into his struggles is by looking at his microstats. The first thing that sticks out most is that he's gone from an elite rush defender to one of the weaker ones in the NHL.

Siegenthaler's entry denial rate still ranks in the 62nd percentile, which is solid. But he ranks in the 30th percentile in possession entry prevention and 15th in entry chance prevention. Those were among his strong suits in his previous two seasons.

Siegenthaler has had a down year, and not just because of his injuries. By all metrics, he has not been as impactful as he was a season ago, and certainly not two seasons ago when he was[statistically] one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL.

He doesn't have offense, and hasn't been great on defense this year. He could rebound, but the Wild aren't dealing from a position of strength at the goalie position. Trading their best may not be ideal.

[Protec]

Not a fan. Swiss defenseman who's clock was just cleaned thoroughly by Rempe a month ago isn't my idea of an upgrade. Sideways move at best and for 3.4M I'd say the regret factor is way too high for Gus in a trade. Especially since Guerin just picked up Bogo for 1M. 

Swissenthaler hasn't ever played an 82 game season but when he hit 80, once he did get 27pts. Bogo for comparison has 14pts and a plus rating in roughly sixty games at 30-40% of the cost. 

If Gus was gonna get traded, it should really be for an early to mid 2nd or a player that's a more clear upgrade.

Part of the big picture is the ongoing NoJo saga and how healthy Spurgeon can be? I'd much rather keep Spurgeon or Gus than Siegnhiemer. 

Maybe trade Gus to New Jersey IF the Wild can both open space for Wallstedt and Fleury is confirmed back AND trade 1sts if MN wanted to select a specific guy a couple spots earlier. 

Generally I don't see NJ as a great trade partner, but they have had goalie issues. 

 

[Citizen Strife]

Defense and/or size might be something they can grab in the draft.  I'm running the mock draft thing right now, and there are here are some defenseman and wingers still available at or around the 12-15 spots.

Carter Yakemchuk - 6'3", 194 lbs

Liam Greentree - 6'2", 198 lbs

Michael Brandsegg-Nygardd - 6'1", 198 lbs

Igor Chernyshov - 6'2", 192 lbs

 

There's also a guy in the 40-45 range named Jesse Pulkkinen who is like 6'6" or something crazy.  Sure, size isn't everything, and if people like Iginla or Buium fall to the Wild, I'd say take anyone who falls.  I don't know if I want anyone with injury concerns when trading for them.

 

Edited April 16 by Citizen Strife

[Patrick]

Sieganthaler for Gus seemed iffy. Add in Spurgeon and it's insanity. 🤡 

[IllicitFive]

So we have gone from "Trade our young center that put up 20+ goals that we have been waiting and begging for" to "trade one of our young goalies that we need due to lack of depth and finances and as well as the team captain who has been one of the teams top defenders year in and year out". And all of this for a 3rd d pairing guy who has been meh?  I must be missing something here, yes he has some size but what good is size if you can't use it?

Wild crazy idea here, stick with what we have for another year or 2, see what we have with "one of the best farm systems", then unload those who don't fit or are no longer needed and build that way?  I think I heard last night that in Gus Bus' past 5 starts he has a .950 save percentage. Maybe he has turned a corner? Had hiccups that young goalies can have? Also save % has been down league wide this year. The Wild d core has had a ton of injuries to deal with.

While trades are always fun mind games to play does anyone think this will help the wild in the near future to be more competitive?  If so how do we maybe get out from NoJo, Moose, and maybe Hartman? What could we get there?

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

Sieganthaler for Gus seemed iffy. Add in Spurgeon and it's insanity. 🤡 

But we've (Mn) done worse.

[Backwoodsbob]

Nope! I don't agree with this article at all. A lot to give up for one player + some draft hope? Sorry! Not liking it!

Look to the draft with our own picks for a big defenseman, plus we have plenty of time to figure out a solution.

 

[mnhockeyfan03]

The Wild need to be looking at trades like this to get bigger and faster.  Gus, Spurgeon, Rossi, Freddie, Nojo, I would even put Middleton in there for the right piece should all be moved.  Guys like Shaw, letteri, beckman, walker, etc should also be a piece package to get us a better player.  This team needs a big makeover.  Faber also should only be 6-7mm on a 3-5 year deal.  He is not Makar and not worth that money yet.  Rossi I just don’t see it against the good big teams which are like the playoffs.  Gets pushed around to much.  Need to get Yurov here next year for sure and need a right hand shot in ovechkins office for the PP.  no more Zuccarello on the PP

[Protec]

7 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

But we've (Mn) done worse.

Here, just take Haula and Tuch. Please...

[FredJohnson]

10 minutes ago, Protec said:

Here, just take Haula and Tuch. Please...

JFC...you have to remind me about that? 😬

[Citizen Strife]

Speaking of what I mentioned earlier, Silayev somehow fell to 13 in those mock drafts I've been running...giant defenseman for free.  Maybe, just maybe.

[B1GKappa97]

20 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Defense and/or size might be something they can grab in the draft.  I'm running the mock draft thing right now, and there are here are some defenseman and wingers still available at or around the 12-15 spots.

Carter Yakemchuk - 6'3", 194 lbs

Liam Greentree - 6'2", 198 lbs

Michael Brandsegg-Nygardd - 6'1", 198 lbs

Igor Chernyshov - 6'2", 192 lbs

 

There's also a guy in the 40-45 range named Jesse Pulkkinen who is like 6'6" or something crazy.  Sure, size isn't everything, and if people like Iginla or Buium fall to the Wild, I'd say take anyone who falls.  I don't know if I want anyone with injury concerns when trading for them.

 

I've been hoping for Yakemchuk as a shoe-in Dumba replacement but one of the Athletic's NHL draftniks just gave him a top-3 grade so I would imagine that teams are starting to ping him on the radar more than at the start of the season 😞

I think Miss Turnipseed is smart to try and get a defenseman outside of the draft though because, given where we are likely to be picking, its far more likely that a top-6 forward will be the best option(s) available. 

If we're picking at #14 or later, its going to be tough to pass on a safe pick like Konsta Helenius, who might fall just because of his size, rather than forcing a defensive pick like Adam Jiricek who's probably just an average defensive blue-liner with size. 

Edited April 17 by B1GKappa97

[B1GKappa97]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Speaking of what I mentioned earlier, Silayev somehow fell to 13 in those mock drafts I've been running...giant defenseman for free.  Maybe, just maybe.

Pass. Idk how many times we should keep going to the Russian well. It takes them forever to make it over here! 

[mnfaninnc]

29 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Pass. Idk how many times we should keep going to the Russian well. It takes them forever to make it over here! 

If our scouts are paying attention to how Yurov is doing, their eyes should also be on teammate Silayev. I'm pretty sure we should have some of the best inside information on the prospect.

[Tony Abbott]

Zero chance Silayev falls to 13. Dimitriy Simashev, Simon Edvinsson, Mo Seider, Philip Broberg... the small guys will drop out of the top 10, but the giants? Never. 

[Willy the poor boy]

3 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Speaking of what I mentioned earlier, Silayev somehow fell to 13 in those mock drafts I've been running...giant defenseman for free.  Maybe, just maybe.

Are you drafting against a computer or other fans? Forwards are always the sexier picks for fans, so D's will likely drop. (shrug)

[Willy the poor boy]

1 hour ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Pass. Idk how many times we should keep going to the Russian well. It takes them forever to make it over here! 

Thank you!, I will now be expecting Yurov to arrive two weeks before training camp... 😉

[Citizen Strife]

22 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Are you drafting against a computer or other fans? Forwards are always the sexier picks for fans, so D's will likely drop. (shrug)

It was the tankathon site, so definitely a computer sim.  I was getting Iginla, Yakemchuk, and Buium around the same list a few days ago.

Who knows who other GMs and Brackett will really take.

 

Edited April 17 by Citizen Strife

[Mateo3xm]

It doesn’t make sense to trade their number one goalie for a defender that’s never scored more than 21pts in a season. The wall is a ways away and fleury is toast. If your aim is to start a rebuild, I’m all for that but if this is an attempt to get better now, it doesn’t make sense in my opinion.

[kapislife]

Let's package Hartman, Johansson an gudreau for a franchise of whattaburger. Make it happen leupold