Article: The Wild Don't Need To Break Up Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Boldy To Fix Their Second Line

[OldDutchChip]

34 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I like your thinking of picking up Tkachuk, but look at the Ottawa roster. While Spurgeon would probably help their porous defense, look at their defensive contracts. Adding Spurgeon would throw that way out of balance for them. You can't have 3 guys making $7+m on defense and a couple of others in the $4+m range.

That’s on me for not checking 😎

But there’s some other venues to explore. I mentioned  Buch, perhaps try poaching Tuch away. 

[mnfaninnc]

3 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

But there’s some other venues to explore. I mentioned  Buch, perhaps try poaching Tuch away. 

I like the Tuch idea, mainly because of size + RHS. We've got some cap space to fit Tkachuk in, but on a deal like that, I highly suspect that Spurgeon is out and we'll need cap retention from Ottawa. Personally, I think it will cost both Rossi and Boldy, but we keep Yurov and Heidt out of the deal. Rossi + Boldy also = the Tkachuk salary. You could then add, say a Guentzel or Buchnevich or Tuch afterwards. 

Originally, I also had 3 prospects involved, I believe they were Beckman, Hunt, and another for flipping 1sts and Lassi Thomson. 

[OldDutchChip]

11 hours ago, Tony Abbott said:

ODC wants to ship out, like 5-6 points in the standings and the highest-scoring 20-year-old in KHL history, that's pretty bold.

Let’s pause for a second and wait to announce the next coming of Russian great until they actually get here sand show that they are just that. Maybe for now let’s adjust expectations a bit lower than prime Mogilniy? 

As for 5-6 pt swing, I do stand by my call, having proven players like Buch snd Guentzrl would yield better result than sticking w Rossi snd unknown rookies.

[OldDutchChip]

6 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I like the Tuch idea, mainly because of size + RHS. We've got some cap space to fit Tkachuk in, but on a deal like that, I highly suspect that Spurgeon is out and we'll need cap retention from Ottawa. Personally, I think it will cost both Rossi and Boldy, but we keep Yurov and Heidt out of the deal. Rossi + Boldy also = the Tkachuk salary. You could then add, say a Guentzel or Buchnevich or Tuch afterwards. 

Originally, I also had 3 prospects involved, I believe they were Beckman, Hunt, and another for flipping 1sts and Lassi Thomson. 

Tuch would be perfect w Kap! 

but I’ll stop dreaming and await decision that Perron or Brodziak returns. 

[Will D. Ness]

17 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Khusnutdinov seems like a shoo-in for bottom-6/PK.  That's totally fine.  Dewar and Shaw (probably) are gone, so someone has to do it.

Yeah I can see this but I hope we can keep Shaw.  

[Patrick]

Everyone bags on NoJo and justifiably so but why in the world is Zuccarello being "handed" a spot on the 2nd line? His production away from Kaprizov is absolutely brutal.  At best he is a 3rd line guy who gets a lot of power play time.

[raithis]

I'd rather we avoid Perron.  He's getting up there in age and is probably going to want a 2-3yr deal with a clause so he can finish out him career.

I just don't see a Tkachuk deal happening, and don't really want to see it happen to be honest.  There aren't a lot of players with his size and skill, but I don't see him dragging Ottawa into the playoffs even with some of the other players they have on their roster.  That and he just seems like an undisciplined child.

I do like the Tuch idea.  What would it take to pry Tuch away from Buffalo?  I'd like to do that without getting rid of anyone in the NHL right now.  Would it be far fetched to see if they'd trade him for Heidt, Hunt, Beckman, and a 2nd?  I really think they will be hesistant in giving him up though so it may take more/higher picks.

I'd put the lines as follows then:

Forwards:

Kaprizov / Ek / Boldy

Tuch / Rossi / Ohgren

Zuccarello / Hartman / Foligno

?FA / Khusnutdinov / Gaudreau (assuming Gaudreau is back to 2022-23 form)

2 of either Shaw, Lettieri, Luchini, Johansson on the bench and the rest in the AHL.  If no FA for the 4th, then one of them, though I'd like to see if we can get someone on a short, no-strings-attached 1yr contract for better.

Defense:

Brodin / Faber

Middleton / Spurgeon

Chisholm / Bogosian

Sit Merrill or move him to the AHL

Goalies:

Gustavsson / Fleury

Call up Wallstedt for a game or two each month to keep getting NHL-ready for next season.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Personally, I think it will cost both Rossi and Boldy, but we keep Yurov and Heidt out of the deal

Get rid of two proven high(er) end NHL'rs and get to keep two unproven prospects...

You must have loved the Fletcher years

[Pewterschmidt]

Just now, Pewterschmidt said:

Get rid of two proven high(er) end NHL'rs and get to keep two unproven prospects...

You must have loved the Fletcher years

And this is not an invitation for 1,000 words on Brady F$%^ing Ketchup.  Please just stop.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

Let’s pause for a second and wait to announce the next coming of Russian great until they actually get here sand show that they are just that. Maybe for now let’s adjust expectations a bit lower than prime Mogilniy?

What he said!

[Pewterschmidt]

1 hour ago, Will D. Ness said:

Yeah I can see this but I hope we can keep Shaw.

Russo's latest podcast he says the Wild are not going to tender Shawzy an offer.  Too much $ tied up in the F-bombs (Foligno + Fred)

[PiranhasOnIce]

7 hours ago, WIWild said:

Not a NoJo fan, but it will be interesting to see what he does this year. Last season, when he first joined us (for his 2nd tour) it was a contract year, and he had a positive impact, enough to get noticed and renewed. This season was all about the cardio, except when he played teams he had previously played for - then he was lighting the lamp. Now that he's entered another contract year, which NoJo will we see? It seems that NoJo is his default, but a motivated NoJo becomes MoJo?

Also wondering/hoping Freddy never recovered this season from that Reavo hit, and he'll rebound quite a bit this year. Also not a huge Freddy fan, but sure cheered for him when he was the GOAT of penalty shots.

Maybe there is a market for him this summer,  based on his productive run during the WCs?   (fingers crossed)

[mnfaninnc]

On 6/7/2024 at 1:49 PM, Pewterschmidt said:

Get rid of two proven high(er) end NHL'rs and get to keep two unproven prospects...

You must have loved the Fletcher years

I thought Fletcher got rid of the prospects to get NHLers? 

I'm simply saying what I think it would take to pry him loose. Of course, if you're Shooter, you start a little lower than that and hope for a bite. In that case, they'd have to retain salary. 

In the original proposal, moving up to 7 from 13 probably helps us more too. My hope would be Lindstrom is still there, but you'd also have a shot at some big defenders that way too. 

 

[Pewterschmidt]

22 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I thought Fletcher got rid of the prospects to get NHLers? 

I'm simply saying what I think it would take to pry him loose. Of course, if you're Shooter, you start a little lower than that and hope for a bite. In that case, they'd have to retain salary. 

In the original proposal, moving up to 7 from 13 probably helps us more too. My hope would be Lindstrom is still there, but you'd also have a shot at some big defenders that way too. 

 

Boldy and Rossi are two players on a short list of players on this team who can execute a hockey play.  Not an energy guy (entire bottom six), not a geriatric (Zuc, NoJo) not a meathead (Foligno).  If we send Boldy and Rossi away we’re left with 97 (for another year until he forces a trade) and Ek who is filling the role of koivu.  A solid 2C forced to play 1C

guerin has to find ways to make something out of nothing (Chisholm, Gus, midzy), rather than send away our two home grown hockey players 

[mnfaninnc]

7 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Boldy and Rossi are two players on a short list of players on this team who can execute a hockey play.  Not an energy guy (entire bottom six), not a geriatric (Zuc, NoJo) not a meathead (Foligno).  If we send Boldy and Rossi away we’re left with 97 (for another year until he forces a trade) and Ek who is filling the role of koivu.  A solid 2C forced to play 1C

guerin has to find ways to make something out of nothing (Chisholm, Gus, midzy), rather than send away our two home grown hockey players 

That's a fair assessment, but not exactly what Fletcher would do. For instance, he had trouble with team chemistry. When he made trades, and sacrificed 2nd round picks, most of those guys didn't really fit the locker room, the worst being Hanzal. 

I can't imagine Tkachuk not fitting in this locker room. And we'd be gaining a player of his calibre. I think the main question to be asked, then, is do we have the potential players who can fill the shoes of what we gave away? To that I would say we do.

[Pewterschmidt]

5 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think the main question to be asked, then, is do we have the potential players who can fill the shoes of what we gave away? To that I would say we do.

So you can’t be referring to Beckman and Walker anymore.  Everyone knows they’re not nhl’rs.  So you must be being on Hooz nuts and ohgzy to step into top six roles next year.  You must also be assuming heidt and yurov are 25 g 25 a players in their ELC years.  Who am I missing?

[mnfaninnc]

6 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

So you can’t be referring to Beckman and Walker anymore.  Everyone knows they’re not nhl’rs.  So you must be being on Hooz nuts and ohgzy to step into top six roles next year.  You must also be assuming heidt and yurov are 25 g 25 a players in their ELC years.  Who am I missing?

I was never really high on Walker outside of his RHS. Beckman must put on 20 lbs. to be effective, if he doesn't he's got to be trade bait. He simply needs a Rossi offseason.

I see Dino as a 3C, much like Haula was, though Haula was bigger. I do see Heidt and Yurov as big additions, but 25/25 might be a little much in their rookie years. I'm also pretty high on Haight and Bankier, and Milne as a Shawzy replacement. 

On defense, I think Lambos and Spacek both have much better seasons, and Lambos should be a premium call up candidate. There's also a missing UFA in this mix who makes somewhere in the $4-5m range. 

I do wonder what would happen if we went after a guy like Elias Lindholm? For instance, would he maybe sign a 1 year deal and if the fit is good sign a bigger deal the next year? That would certainly solve our 2nd C issue should we trade away Rossi.