Article: The Wild Should Have Enough Of A Under-24 Core To Retain Kaprizov

[mnfaninnc]

Maybe Greg is right, maybe we do come out mediocre. Here's the definition:

Quote

of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary

It adds up to ordinary. In the NHL do you know what ordinary means? Competitive. Ordinary makes the playoffs in a WC capacity, or just misses the playoffs.

I don't see anything on this team outside of Kaprizov that says we're not ordinary. A healthy Kaprizov ticks us up a bit from there. 

Even without the vets that were signed in the last 2 years, if we play the kids, we're nothing but ordinary in '24. But, in '25, if Rossi keeps improving at an expected rate, and if Faber does the same as well as Goose, suddenly we're better than ordinary.

Dino and Ohgren are coming into the mix. This will be their rookie year. I'd expect ordinary out of them this year, a little better next year. I believe Yurov will come in and be a bit above ordinary in '25. I expect Lambos to claim a spot and be ordinary. Same with The Wall. 

Here's the thing, though. If we've got young kids coming in, they will look well above ordinary in potential. There will be a learning curve. But, this group is going to be pretty good. I'd expect them to be better than the young core that Fletcher had. I'd also expect there to be more of that young core that Fletcher quit building. 

I believe Protec has the best way of looking at it-small steps in the right direction. Maybe we follow Dr. Leo Marvin's book and call them Baby Steps! 

Is Guerin right about his approach? Let's review it. He believes in developing kids through the A or similar leagues (NCAA, SHL, KHL). He believes in not putting them in a fulltime NHL uniform until they are ready to fully contribute. He has placeholders that when healthy are good enough...mediocre...to get the Wild a playoff invitation. This is required by his boss, OCL. But, he keeps these young guys hidden to keep working on their craft. I've already taken a negative stance to the bodies being NHL ready, but, perhaps this is part of the weeding out process. 

Guerin also isn't big on bringing in a huge crop of rookies all at once. Rookies tend to be rollercoasters, and he is looking for consistency night in and night out. It takes vets showing these guys the way for this to happen. 

Is this the right way? I have no idea, but it is opposite of the way Fletcher and Risebrough did their development. We're kind of far into this thing, more than 1/2 way, so let's just ride it out and see if it's successful. 

[WheelSnipeCelly]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Dr. Leo Marvin's book and call them Baby Steps

Appreciate the "What about Bob?" reference!

[Protec]

"I'm doin the work, I'm not a slacker!"