Wild extend MAF!

[Protec]

1 year, 2.5M looks like.

What do you say boys? 😁

[Protec]

Gus, put himself in a bad spot with his follow-up season after the new contract. 

Fleury will be a good guy to team with Wallstedt IMO. Splitting games between them seems reasonable. 

Can we start guessing where Gus might go or what his AAV could become if he went to NJ for a pick? Would that give the Wild enough to sign a nice UFA?

[Protec]

How do you not like Fleury? He and Gus would probably like to take a mulligan for this season. I'd be okay with that but they gotta perform. If not, kinda becomes a no good deed goes unpunished type thing. 

 

[RedLake]

Hopefully Wally doesn't flop next year, or the organization will have no goalie in 2025. So many ifs and buts with this organization every year.

[Pewterschmidt]

I think Guerin’s plan was always to have Fleury here to mentor Wallstedt.  Gus’s underwhelming season made that even easier for Guerin to achieve.  Guerin has a love/hate relationship with goalies not named Fleury.  Good luck to Gus on his next club.  Good luck to Wall-E on becoming an nhl #1

[Protec]

That's kinda the vibes I'm picking up. 

I don't know what Gus was like this year during the season inside the team but there's an obvious issue with three goalies all at somewhat similar levels albeit different places in their career.

The shorter-term, fresh off arbitration contract guy who had the regression seems like the one GMBG is least happy about. Can't say it's wrong really. 

It seems like you have to do something about it. Pairing Wallstedt and Fleury without a 3rd wheel has gotta be the the idea. 

[mnfaninnc]

I hate the deal. The price was too high but I don't mind the NMC. 

Goose was the guy to keep developing, and, to me, he looks like an every other year goalie. 

I am not opposed to going with a 3 man rotation at times, but The Wall absolutely needs to get NHL speed and shots on him. You could see that his instincts and moves were really good with angles...for the A (especially evident in the Dallas game). But for the N, the shooters are better and you can't just slide with the momentum. 

As for Fleury, I remain convinced that his reflexes have gotten slower and for a 'tender with his style, if those go, he's toast. He just doesn't fill enough of the net. Flexibility is still there, but he was beat down the stretch when shooters hit open corners and he couldn't move to protect them. 

Lastly, the player is always the last to know when it's over. Sometimes when declining, he thinks it's just bad luck or things could have broke differently with a couple of breaks. That's the wrong take. I'd love to see Fleury go out with a huge season (maybe not that many games), and I think he wants to go out that way. So, MAF, prove me wrong, I'll still be cheering for you.

[Protec]

55 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I hate the deal. The price was too high but I don't mind the NMC. 

Goose was the guy to keep developing, and, to me, he looks like an every other year goalie. 

I am not opposed to going with a 3 man rotation at times, but The Wall absolutely needs to get NHL speed and shots on him. You could see that his instincts and moves were really good with angles...for the A (especially evident in the Dallas game). But for the N, the shooters are better and you can't just slide with the momentum. 

As for Fleury, I remain convinced that his reflexes have gotten slower and for a 'tender with his style, if those go, he's toast. He just doesn't fill enough of the net. Flexibility is still there, but he was beat down the stretch when shooters hit open corners and he couldn't move to protect them. 

Lastly, the player is always the last to know when it's over. Sometimes when declining, he thinks it's just bad luck or things could have broke differently with a couple of breaks. That's the wrong take. I'd love to see Fleury go out with a huge season (maybe not that many games), and I think he wants to go out that way. So, MAF, prove me wrong, I'll still be cheering for you.

You're getting a HOF goalie who should get you at least 15-20 wins. Since Wallstedt was drafted for the purpose of playing NHL goalie, you gotta like him playing with a legend. Wallstedt has had great AHL numbers. There's probably not much more he can learn there. It makes too much sense.

Sadly, I think Gus went the way of Addison to some degree in that he didn't show consistently and improvements the team asked for. He earned his contract but he pulled a NoJo and following-up the new deal with a performance that shifted him out of the slot to take the torch from Fleury. He was the insurance 1A. Now that Wallstedt looks capable and Fleury is signed we gotta wonder where that leaves Gus?

Certainly Wallstedt can simmer in the AHL longer but you begin to wonder what the Gus AAV could allow you to do picking up a player. Gotta also ask if the Wild see Gus as a legit 1A full-time. It doesn't look like it although he's had some great stretches. If a guy isn't ultra-super motivated to win and compete in the NHL, that's not good. At times that has been the criticism. 

Sum it up by saying the Wild need better goaltending overall. It wasn't the sole reason they missed the playoffs, but it didn't boost them in either. Fleury and Wall would be the cheapest option but with no third guy other than the new Czech kid if Gus was traded out. Seems risky if old Flower begins to wilt or is injured. 

[mnfaninnc]

6 hours ago, Protec said:

You're getting a HOF goalie who should get you at least 15-20 wins. Since Wallstedt was drafted for the purpose of playing NHL goalie, you gotta like him playing with a legend. Wallstedt has had great AHL numbers. There's probably not much more he can learn there. It makes too much sense.

I thought the best way was to play Goose and The Wall up next season and see if they could handle it. Keep Fleury close and if it doesn't work out, sign Fleury for half a season. Now, it doesn't seem like Fleury's wife liked that idea. 

At this point, though, it seems like the most that Fleury has to offer is experience. His skills are diminishing and his play has gotten weaker. Yes, those 15-20 wins might be there, but don't play him against top 10 offenses, he's not there anymore. 

So, specifics are that it was too expensive for what we are getting now (not what he has done), that his play has diminished, and that his reflexes are slowing.