Article: Wild Showing Interest In Trading For Patrik Laine

[Thomas Williams]

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[Pewterschmidt]

Assuming Guerin is pursuing Laine, it's a head scratcher why Guerin couldn't get himself ok with Fiala's style of play and 80+ points, with no other substance or mental health issues, but now Guerin want's to add Laine to the roster.

#smellslikedesperation

[Willy the poor boy]

I can't see this trade working. No way CBJ retains 50% of a 30 goal scorers contract without getting yuge returns back. Rossi would almost have to be a part of it and no way in hell does Spurgeon, Freddie and Mojo along with some picks get it done.

If Rossi is part of the deal. I'll find a new team until Guerin is gone.

[Pewterschmidt]

10 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I can't see this trade working. No way CBJ retains 50% of a 30 goal scorers contract without getting yuge returns back. Rossi would almost have to be a part of it and no way in hell does Spurgeon, Freddie and Mojo along with some picks get it done.

If Rossi is part of the deal. I'll find a new team until Guerin is gone.

It seems like CBJ may be sick and tired of Laine's bullshit.  They are on record as saying they eat some of his salary, but said won't eat 50% of it "yet" (or something to that effect) leaving the door open.  Add to that the intagram pic of Laine in a Twin's hat this weekend and it smells like smoke.

Edited August 6 by Pewterschmidt

[mnfaninnc]

18 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I can't see this trade working. No way CBJ retains 50% of a 30 goal scorers contract without getting yuge returns back. Rossi would almost have to be a part of it and no way in hell does Spurgeon, Freddie and Mojo along with some picks get it done.

If Rossi is part of the deal. I'll find a new team until Guerin is gone.

Laine has already asked for a trade, Waddell is a new GM to the organization, Laine's trade value is beyond low. I saw on a national site that a 2nd + 2nd tier prospect may be all that Waddell could get. Well, our 2nd tier prospects are pretty good! 

Sure, Waddell wants NHL talent, and both Gaudreau and Johansson have played in the N for the last few years. Evason knows both, and probably likes both. That would be enough salary to offset the $4.35m. 

Listen, I really think we can fix Laine and I really like him as an RHS cannon on the PP. I think we're desperately missing that guy on our special teams. However, I'm not willing to overpay and Rossi is a big overpay. I'd see Rossi as his center with Zuccarello as his feeder. He's only 26 and with the season CBJ had, I can certainly see mental health being in question. 

I'm hedging a lot, but I think fellow countrymen and likely childhood hero, Mikko Koivu, holds the keys to being able to turn him around. Mikko knows CBJ, he couldn't get past 9 games there before calling it a career. It could very well be that he was in a bad situation in both Winnipeg and Columbus. 

I suggest bidding low, but bidding enough to win the prize. My thought was Johansson + Gaudreau + 2nd 2025 + Haight or Bankier. If needed put them both in the package. Bankier is closer to the N than Haight, and might even make CBJ's roster this year.

[Willy the poor boy]

19 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

It seems like CBJ may be sick and tired of Laine's bullshit.  They are on record as saying they eat some of his salary, but said won't eat 50% of it "yet" (or something to that effect) leaving the door open.  Add to that the intagram pic of Laine in a Twin's hat this weekend and it smells like smoke.

Waddell has said they have all the control. He said Laine wants to be traded and they'll try to accommodate him but if they don't get what they want he's on the team. They have no obligation to sell low.

[Willy the poor boy]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Laine has already asked for a trade, Waddell is a new GM to the organization, Laine's trade value is beyond low. I saw on a national site that a 2nd + 2nd tier prospect may be all that Waddell could get. Well, our 2nd tier prospects are pretty good! 

Sure, Waddell wants NHL talent, and both Gaudreau and Johansson have played in the N for the last few years. Evason knows both, and probably likes both. That would be enough salary to offset the $4.35m. 

Listen, I really think we can fix Laine and I really like him as an RHS cannon on the PP. I think we're desperately missing that guy on our special teams. However, I'm not willing to overpay and Rossi is a big overpay. I'd see Rossi as his center with Zuccarello as his feeder. He's only 26 and with the season CBJ had, I can certainly see mental health being in question. 

I'm hedging a lot, but I think fellow countrymen and likely childhood hero, Mikko Koivu, holds the keys to being able to turn him around. Mikko knows CBJ, he couldn't get past 9 games there before calling it a career. It could very well be that he was in a bad situation in both Winnipeg and Columbus. 

I suggest bidding low, but bidding enough to win the prize. My thought was Johansson + Gaudreau + 2nd 2025 + Haight or Bankier. If needed put them both in the package. Bankier is closer to the N than Haight, and might even make CBJ's roster this year.

Russo says Rossi's coming back to the states within a couple weeks even stronger than he came in last season. He's skipping the Austrian Olympic qualifier to get back here and concentrate on the MN Wild.

That's dedication. Skipping you sisters wedding and the Olympic qualifiers. Taking to heart the need to add size. Just the kind of player any organization would want to get rid of obviously. (sarcasm). Not every one really, just the Wild.

Edited August 6 by Willy the poor boy

[mnfaninnc]

6 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Waddell has said they have all the control. He said Laine wants to be traded and they'll try to accommodate him but if they don't get what they want he's on the team. They have no obligation to sell low.

When Torts was coach in CBJ, remember the shift PLD used to get out of Columbus? Just sayin'.

[Willy the poor boy]

20 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

When Torts was coach in CBJ, remember the shift PLD used to get out of Columbus? Just sayin'.

Ya, they have their tactics, but no one is getting him too cheaply.

[mnfaninnc]

1 minute ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Ya, they have their tactics, but no one is getting him too cheaply.

I think Waddell may be overplaying his hand. He's got a very damaged player on his hands who may or may not show interest in playing for Columbus. It makes sense for him to look at our team mainly because we have a very solid prospect system and if all he can get are picks and prospects, this is a good organization to look at. I don't know what the offers have been like, but let's just say that Laine is still in Columbus so nobody has knocked Waddell's socks off yet.

I think you'd be surprised how low the compensation will be. My bet is it will have to be some sort of contingency, like if Laine produces they get more. 

[MrCheatachu]

16 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think Waddell may be overplaying his hand. He's got a very damaged player on his hands who may or may not show interest in playing for Columbus. It makes sense for him to look at our team mainly because we have a very solid prospect system and if all he can get are picks and prospects, this is a good organization to look at. I don't know what the offers have been like, but let's just say that Laine is still in Columbus so nobody has knocked Waddell's socks off yet.

I think you'd be surprised how low the compensation will be. My bet is it will have to be some sort of contingency, like if Laine produces they get more. 

Laine hits UFA in 2 seasons when he's 28...plenty of tread left on those tires at that point, and that's when he'd like to sign the long term deal.  However, the way he's currently performed on his contract (PPG player while healthy, however not played more than 2/3 of a season over the past 5 years) suggests he needs to figure his shit out in Colombus and play some damn good hockey these next two seasons if he wants to get a payday.

Guerin's been vocal about everyone needs to play a 200 foot game.  Stated that we're a lunch pail club, we put in the work.  The guy's boasted there's no room for specialists on this roster.  Absolutely blasted Fiala on KFAN for 'having a few good months' while singing the praises of Dumba due to personality.

Laine doesnt show any interest in playing defense, if BillyG pursues him it'll be a head scratcher not to mention what message does it send the guys in the room?  'Hey Rossi, guess what...know how you've busted your ass to get stronger and win puck battles?  You've lost your spot to this guy who just floats on the blue line and has no interest in putting in the work.'

[Pewterschmidt]

18 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

Laine doesnt show any interest in playing defense, if BillyG pursues him it'll be a head scratcher not to mention what message does it send the guys in the room?  'Hey Rossi, guess what...know how you've busted your ass to get stronger and win puck battles?  You've lost your spot to this guy who just floats on the blue line and has no interest in putting in the work.'

Halle-bleepin-luyah.  Which is it Guerin?

We haven't traded for Laine yet, and maybe all this is reporters trying to create a story during the dog days of summer.  But if Guerin makes this trade it's another unforced error in my opinion.  Your move Guerin.

[mnfaninnc]

20 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

Laine doesnt show any interest in playing defense, if BillyG pursues him it'll be a head scratcher not to mention what message does it send the guys in the room?  'Hey Rossi, guess what...know how you've busted your ass to get stronger and win puck battles?  You've lost your spot to this guy who just floats on the blue line and has no interest in putting in the work.'

This is where I think Koivu can help, speaking directly to him in his native language. Is this Laine's character, to just float on the blueline doing essentially nothing and probably losing his defender if he pinches? I can't say that it is, but I do believe he has been doing that. Perhaps it's because in his final years in Winnipeg, he was kind of shut out of "the group?" Perhaps that was due to lousy turtlenecks as Protec points out?

In Columbus, there has been so much upheaval since he has been there and their record shows a terrible team, I can see some people break. His request to go into the player assistance program for mental health probably confirms that things in Columbus are not good. 

I think if you can get him around winning, convince him to play defense which I believe he can do (probably not your best 200' game, but probably as good as Zuccarello's), a lot of his issues will change. Having his childhood hero (likely) speaking into his ears will help the process. The guy has incredible talent, but his effort and mental toughness has been extremely challenged. I don't believe he is a leader you stick a letter on. I do think he could be a great support goal scorer and help the team. 

When Trotz 1st got to Washington, he figured out how to help Ovechkin away from the puck. He protected Ovechkin when defense was needed to close out games. You can work around the deficiencies in Laine's game. But, when you're down 1 and need a goal, he is one of the few NHLers that you'd want on the ice. 

Watching Laine in the WJCs, which seems like a hundred years ago, I didn't see a loafing player. Of course with his line on the ice, it was usually dominant, and perhaps that's what he's used to. But, let's face it, a large bodied RHS cannon is not an asset this organization currently has.

[mnfaninnc]

10 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Halle-bleepin-luyah.  Which is it Guerin?

We haven't traded for Laine yet, and maybe all this is reporters trying to create a story during the dog days of summer.  But if Guerin makes this trade it's another unforced error in my opinion.  Your move Guerin.

So, let's assume that Guerin trades for Laine and he puts up 30+ goals with a +/- of about +10. Would you be satisfied with that (assuming that Rossi was not part of the deal)?

[Pewterschmidt]

12 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

So, let's assume that Guerin trades for Laine and he puts up 30+ goals with a +/- of about +10. Would you be satisfied with that (assuming that Rossi was not part of the deal)?

if he did it consistently for let's say 3 years, yes.  If he did it his first year and then reverted back to the player he's been throughout his career (missing ~25 games due to personal problems or injury, playing an offense only game), no.  Guerin has made these all-or-nothing moves to "fix" this team chemistry (parise, suter, stall, foligno, etc) and then to do a 180 and bring in Laine is not only inconsistent, but reaks of desperation in his attempt to retain 97 (I assume that's why he'd accept all the risk that comes along with P Lai)

[mnfaninnc]

1 minute ago, Pewterschmidt said:

if he did it consistently for let's say 3 years, yes.  If he did it his first year and then reverted back to the player he's been throughout his career (missing ~25 games due to personal problems or injury, playing an offense only game), no.  Guerin has made these all-or-nothing moves to "fix" this team chemistry (parise, suter, stall, foligno, etc) and then to do a 180 and bring in Laine is not only inconsistent, but reaks of desperation in his attempt to retain 97 (I assume that's why he'd accept all the risk that comes along with P Lai)

I'm not sure we could get this or 3 years, being that his contract is for 2. However, I do think we can fix him for 2 years. We may want to resign him, but do you give him a long term deal at $9m? I don't think you can. Now, I'm going off of a trade of Johansson + Gaudreau + 2nd round 2025 pick + Haight/Bankier in the deal. I could also see Goose being one of the trade candidates + Gaudreau. This would make Haight/Bankier one of the 2, not both. 

Should we do this, I'd highly suggest trading for Askarov with other prospects. Having a low cost battery of Askarov and The Wall for a few years would be really, really good potentially. We also have to hear the words of wisdom from ODC saying both players haven't done anything yet....or at least have done minimally (I think they've both debuted). 

If it were me doing this, I would keep moving The Wall and Askarov up and down from Iowa to get to work with Fleury and have him mentor them this year. Then, next year, go with both the young 'tenders.

[Pewterschmidt]

6 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

However, I do think we can fix him for 2 years.

What evidence gives you this confidence?

 

6 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Now, I'm going off of a trade of Johansson + Gaudreau + 2nd round 2025 pick + Haight/Bankier in the deal.

If we can unload our garbage + CBJ eats 40-50% salary to take a flyer on Laine then sure.  But this is video game mode MNFAN.

[MrCheatachu]

38 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

What evidence gives you this confidence?

To be fair, there's a chance that if you gave me $8.75M and had Mikko Koivu whispering sweet-nothings into my ear I might become a 30 goal scorer.  Sure, I haven't played a competitive hockey game since I played bantams when Bill Clinton was in office, but there's still a chance...

[Pewterschmidt]

3 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

To be fair, there's a chance that if you gave me $8.75M and had Mikko Koivu whispering sweet-nothings into my ear I might become a 30 goal scorer.  Sure, I haven't played a competitive hockey game since I played bantams when Bill Clinton was in office, but there's still a chance...

So you're saying there's a chance - L. Christmas

[Protec]

Just when I think Guerin can't get any dumber he goes and get's Laine, AND TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF! 😃

[MNCountryLife]

A trade like this would surprise me.  We seem dedicated to the premise of building a team through the draft.  We also seem dedicated to the premise of playing a 200 foot game.  Which means you need to have high quality defenders.  Which we finally have a prospect pool that appears capable of providing that.  I expect Rossi, Boldy and Marat to make big leaps this year along with a return to form for Spurgeon.  The only way I deviate from that even a little is if it involves moving Freddy and Nojo and we do not sacrifice our evolution.  That magic trick is highly unlikely.

[Dango]

I personally dont mind certain issues a player might have but i dont want any known dirty players that intentionally try to injure someone  ,  now delivering some pain and discomfort here and there is fine .  

[mnfaninnc]

9 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

If we can unload our garbage + CBJ eats 40-50% salary to take a flyer on Laine then sure.  But this is video game mode MNFAN.

I wasn't thinking video game mode. While CBJ and Waddell are saying the right things, truth be known, they're trying to offload their problems too. What is Gaudreau or Johansson? Simple, it makes the money right, it's a cap dump. One player has 1 year left and Evason finds him useful. Another player is Evason's kind of guy and he'll play him. Both know Evason's system and can help with the implementation. What CBJ really gets is our 2025 2nd + 2 decent prospects or a goalie, prospect and 2nd. 

That's not video game mode, that's similar to what we had to do with Zucker.

[Willy the poor boy]

58 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I wasn't thinking video game mode. While CBJ and Waddell are saying the right things, truth be known, they're trying to offload their problems too. What is Gaudreau or Johansson? Simple, it makes the money right, it's a cap dump. One player has 1 year left and Evason finds him useful. Another player is Evason's kind of guy and he'll play him. Both know Evason's system and can help with the implementation. What CBJ really gets is our 2025 2nd + 2 decent prospects or a goalie, prospect and 2nd. 

That's not video game mode, that's similar to what we had to do with Zucker.

It doesn't sound like a lot, plus CBJ would have to pay a good portion of his salary. Other teams could offer more and maybe make them pay less of his salary or none of it at all. Nope, it's not gonna get done. That offer, I'm sure, can easily be outbid by a number of teams.

[mnfaninnc]

12 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

That offer, I'm sure, can easily be outbid by a number of teams.

This is very true, Willy, but Guerin also has some other B level prospects he can throw in. I'm going by a national opinion that said Waddell may only be able to get a 2nd round pick + 2nd tier level prospect because Laine's damaged goods for CBJ. 

It would not come as a surprise for Waddell to look this way since we have a lot of good prospects and our 2nd tier is probably better than most. Off of that opinion that I read, this is why I'm thinking we are buying low, and don't overpay on the bid. So, of course we look at 2nd + Haight/Bankier or both, and Johansson + Gaudreau are just tossed in to make the money right, and can help Evason with his system. They probably both have more usefulness to Evason than they do here. Johansson can be flipped at the deadline to a contender needing depth. They wouldn't get much, maybe a 3rd-5th, but it is something. 

I am absolutely sure that Guerin would be competing against other GMs, but I also don't believe other GMs are willing to give up much. And, Laine does have the reputation of taking some defending off. If we are a team that values a 200' game from the team, when everyone's helping out, even Kaprizov the superstar, that tends to motivate newcomers to also up their 200' game. Throw in the whisperer in Mikko and I think that's the only way that this player gets fixed and gets another deal. If he thrives here, perhaps we resign him (I wouldn't go too long on the deal), or, with what we've got coming up, perhaps that's the time to just say thank you?

I do know that many around here have beat the drum that you beat another team's aggressive dirty play with an elite PP. We cannot have an elite PP without a threat from the backside. Laine is the perfect threat from that area of the ice. He's also a threat with 6-5 play, and would add tremendous value as a triggerman opposite Kaprizov on a 5-3 PP. He'll score his fair share of goals 5v5 but probably not be anything special unless Rossi does the hard work and sets him up often. You want more assists for Rossi? Give him a shooter. You want more points from Zuccarello not on the Kaprizov line? Give him an elite finisher.