Article: Wild Are Weighing Themselves Down With Middle Class Bloat

[mnfaninnc]

I just don't think these middle class guys are going to be tough to move. Anyone south of an NMC can be moved. An NMC can veto anything, but if life on the team isn't what he expected, he too can waive the NMC for the right situation. 

Pewter is on Mikey Milne watch. I'm rooting for that guy too, but he's got to take a spot. Evason had a hierarchy where young guys didn't get a fair shake. I think this training camp will be wide open, and there is a very good chance that we see both Johansson and Gaudreau on waivers. I picture Johansson being loaned to Sweden and Gaudreau working hard in Iowa if they aren't picked up. 

I also believe that Guerin will work with any of these guys to get them into a really good situation. They are placeholders and the young guys have got to beat them out. If you're a young guy in Iowa, take a look at what Guerin is doing. He's bringing in guys who'll hit, guys who are solid and strong. Look at yourselves, does that same thing speak of you? The easiest thing these guys can do to help themselves is to be bulked up. They control that aspect. 

Look at what Ek did to help himself after his rookie year. Look at what Rossi did to help himself last summer. It works and has results. Add in consistently working with Andy Ness and you've got a better chance of making your dream. This isn't complicated, it's pretty simple. The execution is harder but the decision is easy.

[mnfaninnc]

Guerin brought in some large bodied depth signings after Trenin. I like the moves and hopefully it will motivate the kids to get stronger too. The theme was 6'3" 21X. Looks like Iowa's not getting pushed around next season! Many of these guys are in the mid 20s too, so not so far removed from the kids. 

[1Brotherbill]

The Wild have 56% of their cap wrapped up in 7 players for this year.  

Two of those are the buyouts.  One is a huge question mark on injured reserve.  

7.575 for Spurgeon is a huge problem after this year if doesn't play.  

So, the dead cap hit this year is 14 million but could realistically be 21 million if Spurgeon doesn't come back. 

 

[MrCheatachu]

12 hours ago, Lovehockey said:

3. the young players cannot take anyone spot not because they are bad but because GM will not be paying 2 + mil to players to be in AHL

I disagree with this point...FreddyG's $2.1M or Mojo's $2M is a marginal, especially considering that $1.15 of it could be buried in the AHL to free up cap space.  Hell, if you had a stud in the wings, sit either of those guys in the pressbox if you don't want to risk waivers.  We had plenty of LTIR space last season, and nobody was able to grab that spot.

The reality of the situation is that nobody from Iowa was going to put up 11 goals, and 19 apples like MoJo did last season.  The sad truth is that MoJo was here because he gave this team the best opportunity to win last season, not because his contract handcuffed the team.

But for the sake of argument, which AHL player did you see last season capable of skating in a top 6 role based on their performance?  Letteri had 46 games last season, Luccini had 40, Shaw had 20, Beckman had 11, Petan had 6, Walker had 5, Raska had 4.  Please tell me which guy you thought was better than MoJo?

[Mateo3xm]

21 hours ago, Dean said:

Another b s  offseason. 2 years of bs contracts handed out. He did nothing to get us past the better teams.  God for bid he buy some cap space with a legit trade , buy out some players like Jo Jo and Fred to get some cap space to sign a legit free agent.  F-ing do something to prove you know what you’re doing. He does none of it.  The only difference between Billy and fletcher is Fletcher overpaid and handcuffed himself to the top free agents everyone wanted. Billy overpays and handcuffs himself to guys no one cares about or wants.  Just like Dean isn’t the great coach Billy thinks. The rest of the league doesn’t think so. Just like the rest of the league doesn’t handcuff themselves to things they can get for nothing . Billy’s got a bunch of guys to trade for future considerations. Not value . 
   He and Judd have proven they don’t have a clue. Judd keeps drafting the same players . Guys to small and weak to make nhl. And Billy signs guys other teams don’t want. Ridiculous 

Because nobody wants to come to Mn for various reasons. Tax, not desirable to come, not the brightest future etc.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

16 hours ago, MacGyver said:

I think Guerin is as polarizing across the league as he is on this board

I think Guerin has also treated some players like crap, others like gold and players don't like the prospect of their treatment not being performance based. If you aren't a Guerin guy, you will have to put in twice the effort to get the recognition and put up with being put down in the media. 

I don't think anyone is champing at the bit to play for him honestly. Yes, the winters and income tax might have something to do with it but if Edmonton can score free agents, so should Minnesota. 

[Mateo3xm]

13 hours ago, joebou15 said:

Can anybody say they believe this team can beat any of the top 4 teams in a 7 game series?

You can't. And for just this year, no one would fault you for thinking that. This team doesn't have the money to spend, nor do they have flexibility to bring in a major star for this season. But as Guerin tries to manage fan expectations, he's taking that carrot of future spending power and cap flexibility and pissing it away. Each one of these moves pushes that carrot out further.

Some teams bring in an aging Steven Stamkos, or a Jonathon Marchessault. Others bring in Jack Eichel, or Brady Tkachuk.

This is so ass backwards from any sort of typical rebuild, it's staggering. Any team with this kind of light at the end of the tunnel from self-inflicted salary wounds wouldn't be so eager to pour salt on it with lesser skilled players signed to multi-year deals with a premium price.

Anyone worth playing in the bottom half of the lineup shouldn't have a contract longer than 2 years. 

But what's worse is that on many of these deals Guerin is only outbidding himself. In my opinion, Middleton shouldn't have gotten 4 years. Zuccarello, Foligno, Hartman (to a degree) were all signed to contracts poorly executed by the GM.

So next year, the year we've all been waiting for to have a fun, exciting team that has grown up their prospects with newfound money and flexibility to build a Stanley Cup winner is instead a team that's grown old again with almost none of that money or flexibility to enhance the roster.

Is it about fucking winning yet?

Completely agree 

 

This team will never win a cup or even come close to it. They refuse to rebuild to get those elite players you need from the early first round, they have way too high taxes, they constantly draft small players (from picking in the mushy middle), they are a small market team with an arrogant GM that’s seems to be hard to work with. Other players are well informed about this team and their handicaps so the only players I see willing to go here are journeyman who are reaching the end of their career and want to cash in one more time. You can’t have that many handicaps and win a Stanley cup. It’s so ridiculously competitive. You have to have every aspect taken care of and as few holes as possible.

I love Mn hockey but I just wish people would realize what I stated. So many ppl don’t want to admit this but is absolutely true.

[Willy the poor boy]

13 hours ago, Protec said:

Just don't see it that way. Last season WPG and NSH leap-frogged MN and Arizona had some good stretches. Vegas fell first round and Edmonton went nearly all the way. Nobody predicted that. 

I wouldn't mind Marchesseault or Stamkos but with their age and AAV, the Wild can do without that trade-off. Seeing Buffalo or Dallas do buyouts on big money deals or cagey old vets, I am perfectly happy with the Wild keeping the cart behind the horse. 

If Kaprizov wants to play in FL nothing is gonna stop him. MN wants him to stay obviously but a plan that works with or without him is in place. 

People who rip Guerin a lot forget where the Wild were just 3-4 years ago and the mostly successful seasons since. Winningest GM in Wild history over any 5-year span and everyone thinks they know better. 

They also had they winningest coach in Wild history. Where is he now? IMO, probably BG's biggest mistake. 

[Willy the poor boy]

13 hours ago, Protec said:

Just don't see it that way. Last season WPG and NSH leap-frogged MN and Arizona had some good stretches. Vegas fell first round and Edmonton went nearly all the way. Nobody predicted that. 

I wouldn't mind Marchesseault or Stamkos but with their age and AAV, the Wild can do without that trade-off. Seeing Buffalo or Dallas do buyouts on big money deals or cagey old vets, I am perfectly happy with the Wild keeping the cart behind the horse. 

If Kaprizov wants to play in FL nothing is gonna stop him. MN wants him to stay obviously but a plan that works with or without him is in place. 

People who rip Guerin a lot forget where the Wild were just 3-4 years ago and the mostly successful seasons since. Winningest GM in Wild history over any 5-year span and everyone thinks they know better. 

Russo has BG on Barriero's show today at 3. He said he's going to ask him what the plan actually is with this money being tied up in aging vets. That oughta be interesting.

[Willy the poor boy]

12 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

But, here's the grind, for a young player getting his 1st big contract, these cities have way more excitement than the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities are set up as a good place to play hockey and raise a family. 

I'll certainly give the non state tax states an advantage on that, plus they typically have better weather. But the far coasts have a lot going for them too. It's not my cup of tea, but it is some people's.

Have you been paying attention to the news lately? Metro area is making national news on a regular basis and not in a good way.

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Have you been paying attention to the news lately? Metro area is making national news on a regular basis and not in a good way.

Willy, I'm out of market. I get like 0 news from MN or on the Metro area. I do get some national news, but any MN news has not been in my feeds. 

So, what is going on that is not good?

[Pewterschmidt]

3 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

He said he's going to ask him what the plan actually is with this money being tied up in aging vets.

Prediction: Guerin’s response will begin with a veiled insult of Russo followed by something like “we have a plan and it’s working very well”…followed by more forced laughter

Edited July 3 by Pewterschmidt

[Willy the poor boy]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Willy, I'm out of market. I get like 0 news from MN or on the Metro area. I do get some national news, but any MN news has not been in my feeds. 

So, what is going on that is not good?

Just in the last, roughly, few months; 4 cops/1'st Responders murdered by felons after responding to calls that were setups. 1 cop has been persecuted and had murder charges brought against him for killing another felon resisting arrest and endangering lives. Those charges were rightfully and finally dropped because of public pressure to make the corrupt AG do 'the right' thing. Hundreds of millions of fraud in government programs with no one overseeing those programs held accountable. I could go on and on. It really is a shithole. 

Sure players making the kind of money they do, can isolate themselves from that, but it sure isn't the kind of place I'd want to raise a family given the options they have.

Bring it on peeps...

[Willy the poor boy]

1 hour ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Prediction: Guerin’s response will begin with a veiled insult of Russo followed by something like “we have a plan and it’s working very well”…followed by more forced laughter

Ya, seems 'the plan' is flying by the seat of their pants.

[Protec]

35 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Just in the last, roughly, few months; 4 cops/1'st Responders murdered by felons after responding to calls that were setups. 1 cop has been persecuted and had murder charges brought against him for killing another felon resisting arrest and endangering lives. Those charges were rightfully and finally dropped because of public pressure to make the corrupt AG do 'the right' thing. Hundreds of millions of fraud in government programs with no one overseeing those programs held accountable. I could go on and on. It really is a shithole. 

Sure players making the kind of money they do, can isolate themselves from that, but it sure isn't the kind of place I'd want to raise a family given the options they have.

Bring it on peeps...

Gotta get dialed in at the Edina Country Club/Braemar scene. 🤪

I didn't particularly like the new State flag being blended with the Somalian one, but hey that's just a given if you grew up safely in South Minneapolis or surrounding suburbs. 

Sad for a lot of people what's happened.

[Willy the poor boy]

11 minutes ago, Protec said:

Gotta get dialed in at the Edina Country Club/Braemar scene. 🤪

I didn't particularly like the new State flag being blended with the Somalian one, but hey that's just a given if you grew up safely in South Minneapolis or surrounding suburbs. 

Sad for a lot of people what's happened.

Exactly, I thought about mentioning, but decided against it, Ilhan's rally with the President of Somalia. Holy corruption Batman!!

[Pewterschmidt]

I missed the Russo Guerin Barrero convo.  Does anyone know where to find that online?

[Dango]

29 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I missed the Russo Guerin Barrero convo.  Does anyone know where to find that online?

if it was on Barreros show, it would be on kfan  bumper to bumper podcast but most likely not posted right away  .

[Pewterschmidt]

Just now, Dango said:

if it was on Barreros show, it would be on kfan  bumper to bumper podcast but most likely not posted right away  .

Thanks!!

[Dango]

Just now, Pewterschmidt said:

Thanks!!

He sometimes has Lou Nanne on his show  , fun to hear what louie has to say on things .

[FredJohnson]

On 7/2/2024 at 1:12 PM, FredJohnson said:

Yeah I wonder what happened.

Becoming more apparent by the day that Chychrun was unwilling to sign an extension with the Senators, the team can get out from under his contract while keeping their defensive structure in place. Chychrun will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season as the 26-year-old defenseman is approaching the end of a six-year, $27.6MM contract originally signed with the Arizona Coyotes.

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/07/senators-trade-jakob-chychrun-to-capitals.html#google_vignette

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Just in the last, roughly, few months; 4 cops/1'st Responders murdered by felons after responding to calls that were setups. 1 cop has been persecuted and had murder charges brought against him for killing another felon resisting arrest and endangering lives. Those charges were rightfully and finally dropped because of public pressure to make the corrupt AG do 'the right' thing. Hundreds of millions of fraud in government programs with no one overseeing those programs held accountable. I could go on and on. It really is a shithole. 

Sure players making the kind of money they do, can isolate themselves from that, but it sure isn't the kind of place I'd want to raise a family given the options they have.

Bring it on peeps...

None of that had crossed my national feeds. For the last couple of months, though, I've been in and out of media. This sounds like Minneapolis stuff, or Hennepin County. I would think that the players would live outside of the 494-694 loop. It may even be time for them to consider not going to Edina or Minnetonka and moving to the St. Paul side.

I moved out 40 years ago this summer. I've returned to visit a few times. I can tell you that Minneapolis is unrecognizable. And, their values/attitudes do not reflect the time I was there. I still can't understand how an anti-American representative can get elected and re-elected from a district in MN? 

The last thing I heard from MN was the Blue Earth County Dam in trouble, and to my knowledge, Mankato is still not part of the Metro area. Unfortunately, on a crime basis, it is Chicago, New York, Washington, and West Coast that has captured national attention in my news feeds, nothing in MN. I wonder if national feeds are more regional since we get stuff from Atlanta and Florida a lot? 

As I remember it, though, if you live outside of the loop, you are insulated from much of the Minneapolis crime and insanity. That was one reason why I was so excited about the possibility of the Arden Hills stadium proposition that Hennepin County hijacked. Sure, there would have needed to be widening of 96 and 10, and probably Rice St., but I think it would have been a better location for an abandoned big piece of property. 35W and 694 were close and good enough to handle heavy game day traffic, maybe some exit widening was needed? 

 

[Dango]

Its all about trying to make the lite rail relevant.  put the stadiums near it and people might use it then they can justify having it  .  

[Lovehockey]

On 7/3/2024 at 8:37 AM, MrCheatachu said:

I disagree with this point...FreddyG's $2.1M or Mojo's $2M is a marginal, especially considering that $1.15 of it could be buried in the AHL to free up cap space.  Hell, if you had a stud in the wings, sit either of those guys in the pressbox if you don't want to risk waivers.  We had plenty of LTIR space last season, and nobody was able to grab that spot.

The reality of the situation is that nobody from Iowa was going to put up 11 goals, and 19 apples like MoJo did last season.  The sad truth is that MoJo was here because he gave this team the best opportunity to win last season, not because his contract handcuffed the team.

But for the sake of argument, which AHL player did you see last season capable of skating in a top 6 role based on their performance?  Letteri had 46 games last season, Luccini had 40, Shaw had 20, Beckman had 11, Petan had 6, Walker had 5, Raska had 4.  Please tell me which guy you thought was better than MoJo?

1. The Danila Yurov who signed one year contract in Russia instead of coming to Wild. I think he did not want to pay  in AHL.

2. will see what will happen with Ohren and Marat and 

[Peter Lemonjello]

On 7/2/2024 at 12:48 PM, Dean said:

Another b s  offseason. 2 years of bs contracts handed out. He did nothing to get us past the better teams.  God for bid he buy some cap space with a legit trade , buy out some players like Jo Jo and Fred to get some cap space to sign a legit free agent.  F-ing do something to prove you know what you’re doing. He does none of it.  The only difference between Billy and fletcher is Fletcher overpaid and handcuffed himself to the top free agents everyone wanted. Billy overpays and handcuffs himself to guys no one cares about or wants.  Just like Dean isn’t the great coach Billy thinks. The rest of the league doesn’t think so. Just like the rest of the league doesn’t handcuff themselves to things they can get for nothing . Billy’s got a bunch of guys to trade for future considerations. Not value . 
   He and Judd have proven they don’t have a clue. Judd keeps drafting the same players . Guys to small and weak to make nhl. And Billy signs guys other teams don’t want. Ridiculous 

"He and Judd have proven they don’t have a clue. "

And you clearly do....