Article: Could the Wild Pull Off A Surprise Trade To Round Out the Roster?

[Luke Sims]

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[Citizen Strife]

There's a thing called the trade deadline for such a situation.  Mojo for 50-60 games in a year of dead cap is hardly the end of the world.

Just don't trade for Laine.  Last thing a team with lots of injury baggage is a player who has more than everyone on the roster combined.

 

Edited July 12 by Citizen Strife

[Citizen Strife]

team with injury baggage needs*

Stupid phone

 

[Pewterschmidt]

Unloading ole barrel breezers?  Christmas in July?

[Will D. Ness]

I see no issue for Ohgren winning a roster spot over Lauko.  

The question of Heidt winning a spot in the top 6 (over NoJo) is a tougher path but it would be nice to see the organization buck it's conservative image and take a gamble on him if he is even relatively close.

[UncleWalt]

7 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

I see no issue for Ohgren winning a roster spot over Lauko.  

The question of Heidt winning a spot in the top 6 (over NoJo) is a tougher path but it would be nice to see the organization buck it's conservative image and take a gamble on him if he is even relatively close.

At least for a select nine games, right? What does he have left to prove in the WHL?

[IllicitFive]

I see trade + nojo picture I get excited. Just moving him would be an addition by subtraction. I mean, can't be more frustrating than watching nojo, and if it is, then we know we found a piece or 2 that won't be working out. If he sadly stays, for the love of all holy, please duck tape that stick to his hands for gameday. If the goal is for a window to start opening in the next year or two, time to really find out if any of the young prospects are hits or duds and adjust from there.

[MNCountryLife]

Nojo playing on the 2nd line and eating those kind of minutes should be considered a crime.

[NC Beach Bum]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

Nojo playing on the 2nd line and eating those kind of minutes should be considered a crime.

mite as well put up the white flag

[Amaddeo]

3 hours ago, IllicitFive said:

I see trade + nojo picture I get excited. Just moving him would be an addition by subtraction. I mean, can't be more frustrating than watching nojo, and if it is, then we know we found a piece or 2 that won't be working out. If he sadly stays, for the love of all holy, please duck tape that stick to his hands for gameday. If the goal is for a window to start opening in the next year or two, time to really find out if any of the young prospects are hits or duds and adjust from there.

Even if he was moved to open a spot of revolving 9 game tryouts for Marat/Ohgren/Heidt/anyone else, it would be great. It would push internal competition. 
 

I don’t see a trade happening though. Would love if one or a few did!

[Protec]

4 hours ago, UncleWalt said:

At least for a select nine games, right? What does he have left to prove in the WHL?

If his ELC year-1 is burned after 9 games, he can't play AHL cause he's too young. So he'd have to go back to Jr. if it bogged down at the NHL level. I agree he'd not have a lot left to prove but would it be necessary to have him on the NHL roster? I'd say yes they need scoring but does Heidt have to be "the" guy? Would it hurt his development, one more year in Jr., probably not. Could it mess up his confidence if NHL hockey didn't transition easily for him? Possibly, but Johnston and Jarvis jumped from Jr. to the NHL so I'd live to see Heidt make it. 

I think we've seen MN prefer veterans until recently. If Heidt is close enough, I'd like to see him play over NoJo 100%. I could see a scenario where the Wild scratch a couple different forwards regularly and guys like NoJo or Fred could become the Goligoski's of this year. If you're not gonna get much return for NoJo hypothetically, then just scratch him and play a rookie.

It's a good problem to have. Ogie going to IA doesn't make a lot of sense compared to SHL. Heidt back to Jr. or not is a good problem to have. I hope he goes full mnfaninnc and gains 20-45lbs of pure muscle by September. If he came in 5'11.5" 225 with flowing hair, he'd be unstoppable and NoJo's neckbeard & laziness-levels would quickly be forgotten. 

Edited July 12 by Protec

[FredJohnson]

5 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

team with injury baggage needs*

Stupid phone

 

Sure, blame the tools. (Sarcasm 😁)

[FredJohnson]

Johansson will not be effective in a bottom-six role; that’s not his play style. However, he’s out of his depth in the top six and a drag on his linemates. It’s a tough spot for the coaching staff, but maybe a bottom-six role will force Johasson to engage and make an impact.
 

Dude is just riding out his contract. I think he'd be better off in the press box until a couple guys get hurt. Or he can be sent to Des Moines, no?

[Imyourhuckleberry]

32 minutes ago, Protec said:

I hope he goes full mnfaninnc and gains 20-45lbs of pure muscle by September. If he came in 5'11.5" 225 with flowing hair, he'd be unstoppable and NoJo's neckbeard & laziness-levels would quickly be forgotten. 

Funny, but clearly not an easy way for a 19-year old to put on more than 10 pounds of functional muscle in 2 months. He's going to need his quickness, but getting up around 190 pounds might be possible. At 190, he'd probably be more sturdy than Johansson, and he could maybe add another 5 pounds each year for a few years.

Not many guys under 6' are skating around NHL ice at more than 210 pounds. In fact, there are only 9 guys at 6'0" or shorter that were 210 pounds or more last year, and just 4 of them were below 6'(Zetterlund, Suzuki, Orlov, Clutterbuck).

[FredJohnson]

Trading the Cardio Boys (NoJo and Frauddie) would be a dream come true! (If it is just a dream, don't wake me.) Dump Nojo for a bag of pucks. Trade Frauddie to Detroit (once his daddy Deano gets that job) for a couple octopuses.

Edited July 12 by FredJohnson

[OldDutchChip]

maybe he can be sent back yet again to Caps since they are not rebuilding and may seem to hold a warm spot for him. sweeten it up with OUR own pick (3rd round from next year) and be done with him. its tiresome talking about him. bottom line he cannot be in the lineup. he has no place in top 6 or bottom 6. perhaps try him as a goalie if you have to play him. maybe he'll do better than the two losers we have lined up. 

[Beast]

Just put some of these “veterans” in the press box.  Who cares if they don’t like it, and who cares what the contact is.  Do what’s best for the future of the hockey team (which would’ve been not signing this damned contracts in the first place).

A trade isn’t going to motivate these guys.  Why would it?  Making Mojo watch in the press so he can feel the end of his NHL would motivate him more.

And who says there’s anything there to motivate for any of these guys?  Maybe they just aren’t any good at hockey (relative to the NHL).

Ultimate message:  Drop the puck in game 1 with the lot of the guys in question in street clothes.  Trade value is already zero.  Geurin likes to present himself as a no nonsense tough guy.  Act like it.

[Need4speed99]

I would be thrilled if the wil could get rid of Jojo and freddy.

Even if they can't trade them put them in the box and let the kids battle it out.

[mnfaninnc]

On 7/12/2024 at 5:12 PM, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Not many guys under 6' are skating around NHL ice at more than 210 pounds. In fact, there are only 9 guys at 6'0" or shorter that were 210 pounds or more last year, and just 4 of them were below 6'(Zetterlund, Suzuki, Orlov, Clutterbuck).

To be clear, I am not advocating for 5'11" guys to be 210. 5'11" guys should be somewhere around 195-200. Quickness will be their drawing card, but they need enough weight for the corners and front of the net. Kaprizov is a very thick 5'10" at 203. 

[mnfaninnc]

On 7/12/2024 at 7:04 PM, OldDutchChip said:

maybe he can be sent back yet again to Caps since they are not rebuilding and may seem to hold a warm spot for him. sweeten it up with OUR own pick (3rd round from next year) and be done with him.

This is a dumb way to use resources when you can send Johansson through waivers and on to Iowa. Johansson would be a good callup option to have if injuries happen. If the Caps want him back, they can flip a 5th our way, or simply wait on waivers. No need to give them anything. 

However, let's wait and see what training camp looks like before we jettison an NHLer. Let him compete and be overtaken, but we may need some injury insurance just in case 1 or 2 forwards get hurt. I expect a very spirited training camp, and usually spirited means some guys get nicked up. 

Freddy and Johansson both have "trade" protection, but do not have "waiver" protection. Both wouldn't be bad options to pack into Iowa and call up in case of injury. They would both be superior options to Lucchini and Lettieri of last year. Of course this requires kids to take the next step, not vets. Kids could make the roster on the buried cap so it's essentially a wash. 

[mnfaninnc]

On 7/13/2024 at 10:22 AM, Need4speed99 said:

I would be thrilled if the wil could get rid of Jojo and freddy.

Even if they can't trade them put them in the box and let the kids battle it out.

Both are waivable and can head to Iowa.

[OldDutchChip]

22 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is a dumb way to use resources when you can send Johansson through waivers and on to Iowa. Johansson would be a good callup option to have if injuries happen. If the Caps want him back, they can flip a 5th our way, or simply wait on waivers. No need to give them anything. 

However, let's wait and see what training camp looks like before we jettison an NHLer. Let him compete and be overtaken, but we may need some injury insurance just in case 1 or 2 forwards get hurt. I expect a very spirited training camp, and usually spirited means some guys get nicked up. 

Freddy and Johansson both have "trade" protection, but do not have "waiver" protection. Both wouldn't be bad options to pack into Iowa and call up in case of injury. They would both be superior options to Lucchini and Lettieri of last year. Of course this requires kids to take the next step, not vets. Kids could make the roster on the buried cap so it's essentially a wash. 

dumb use of resources was initial signing. if they do not want to send either MJ or Freddy or both thru waivers then get rid of them. and no they are not good call ups. they are the same  useless player that will block another person from reaching the team. i have seen enough from both MJ and Freddy to be done with them now. 

[Will D. Ness]

4 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

dumb use of resources was initial signing. if they do not want to send either MJ or Freddy or both thru waivers then get rid of them. and no they are not good call ups. they are the same  useless player that will block another person from reaching the team. i have seen enough from both MJ and Freddy to be done with them now. 

I'm kind of mixed on this.  I think I would rather see a prospect who is close to ready get minutes over Freddy, but if they are a ways off then Freddy is probably better than a late 20's AHL grinder.

NoJo's attitude pretty much is counter productive regardless of his ice dancing prowess.  He has no business being a part of the organization at any level.

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, Will D. Ness said:

I'm kind of mixed on this.  I think I would rather see a prospect who is close to ready get minutes over Freddy, but if they are a ways off then Freddy is probably better than a late 20's AHL grinder.

NoJo's attitude pretty much is counter productive regardless of his ice dancing prowess.  He has no business being a part of the organization at any level.

its hard to know if they are close to making it if they have no way in or are allowed a game here and there. should MJ and Freddy vacate their spots - i think that'll do wonders to psyche and passion and drive for our youngsters. i'd rather see that hunger vs same old slush from MJ and Freddy

[mnfaninnc]

19 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

dumb use of resources was initial signing. if they do not want to send either MJ or Freddy or both thru waivers then get rid of them. and no they are not good call ups. they are the same  useless player that will block another person from reaching the team. i have seen enough from both MJ and Freddy to be done with them now. 

Have to agree with the the initial signing, though, Freddy got a bit of a bonus due to his 3rd slot in the shootout expertise from the year before. He just never got a chance to really do that this year. You still have to plan for the shootout, but then Freddy sits in the pressbox come playoff time due to talent.

I've got nothing on Johansson except he was cheap. I do think we could have had him at $1.5m had we tried for that.