Article: Are the Wild Really Going To Carry Three Goalies?

[Luke Sims]

View full article

[Citizen Strife]

Fleury and Gustavsson brought this on themselves with their play last season.  I think the team is hedging their bets thinking the defense and PK will improve enough that they should be all right.  I think Guerin and Hynes are smart to say, "Let's see how Wallstedt handles maybe 5-10 games if he gets those.  The Dallas game was the Dallas game.  But you can't give up 7 or get shutouts every single time.  I think the Wild want to give Wallstedt just enough exposure that he knows what different teams offer a challenges.

I don't think there's anything wrong with holding all three.  Outside of Liam Ohgren or Hunt or Lambos, is there any forward or defenseman that is going to make an appreciable difference that Wallstedt couldn't?  Those players will get their chances when Johansson and Merrill are dumped.

[Pewterschmidt]

39 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

The Dallas game was the Dallas game.  But you can't give up 7 or get shutouts every single time.  I think the Wild want to give Wallstedt just enough exposure that he knows what different teams offer

This is kind of captain obvious on my part but I think the skill gap between ahl and nhl is a canyon not a crevice (pronounced cre-voss to be a deuche)

Wally has proven he can dominate in ahl just like Rossi did but it’s apples and oranges compared to nhl.  Wall needs to get his reps in big league and take his lumps learning and growing every night.  I expect to see some 7 rip nights from him this season as part of the growth process

[Citizen Strife]

https://heavy.com/sports/nhl/new-york-rangers/trade-pitch-rangers-wild-brodin/

Funny click bait trade alert time again.

Offer is Brodin/Zucc/2nd to NYR for Kakko/Lindgren/Brodzinski, plus 1st/5th

Again, this is yet another dumb trade idea, but it benefits the Wild...in a certain scenario.

If the Wild want to try out some...less than impressive players and save money this and next year, plus get a 25-30 pick instead of a 40-50 pick, ok.

But Brodin is still a lynchpin of the defense.  You'd have to be convinced Buium and Lambos or others are immediate help.  Middleton as the top left pair guy for even a little bit scares me.

So, I like it in theory.  Brodin isn't getting any younger.

 

 

[Protec]

I don't see the problem with it. Vaj was brought in to play big AHL minutes and have a chance to play a lot of games there. Wallstedt is good enough there to have earned NHL reps. Gus and Fleury have left us with questions.

Will Wallstedt benefit from playing with the other two and competing? Yeah, I think he'll learn and be glad to have some insulation from being "THE guy". Will it force Gus to be better, I think so, and it will not force the Wild to rely on Fleury for the number one position like they did at times last year.

Not that Fleury isn't still capable, but will he be durable and sharp? If the defense is better, none of the goalies can use that excuse. So will accountability increase? It should for NoJo but all bets are off cause it never happened other than a couple Darby-talks.

It seems like there's some fat to be trimmed at the bottom of the roster for the sake of the cap but all the goalies have a clean slate to compete and none a re really suited to return to the AHL. If Gus and Wally emerge, great. If either falters, bummer but there's redundancy at the position so I don't think that's a bad thing. If Wallstedt is the goalie of the future and the hype is true, he should take over the net and prove that. At the same time, GMBG would like to ease the progression to minimize the raise he'll require. Let's say he gets 15-20 games. That's a nice bump from before without de-facto making him the 1A and needing a huge raise. Gus is locked in, Fleury retires, and Wally gets an extension that fits for the team. That way you're not holding him down in the AHL and you're not setting up a salary-cap dilemma.

Edited September 21 by Protec

[Burnt Toast]

I just can’t see Wild Management benching MAF no matter how he plays. I believe they have his starts set aside for him already. The only competition is if Gus tanks and JW breaks out and looks amazing in his first few starts in the NHL. I still believe JW will start the season in Iowa. If Gus plays near or slightly above league average I put the over under on JW’s starts at 10. Next year should be a lot of fun with Gus and JW competing for #1 status. 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

5 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

The Dallas game was the Dallas game.  But you can't give up 7 or get shutouts every single time.  I think the Wild want to give Wallstedt just enough exposure that he knows what different teams offer a challenges.

After the Dallas(3rd in goals for) game, they gave Wallstedt starts against the 2 worse offenses in the NHL, so it is difficult to get a good read on how he might play against most of the NHL. Improved defense would help any of them.

I suspect Wallstedt will spend more days off of the NHL roster than on it this season, but they'll try to get him 10-20 games, and Fleury likely will not have many, if any, situations where he's playing consecutive games unless injuries remove one of the other 2 from the active roster.

Gustavsson and Wallstedt came into camp in tip top shape and they are ready for more work.

[Will D. Ness]

1 hour ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Gustavsson and Wallstedt came into camp in tip top shape and they are ready for more work.

Good sign.

[Willy the poor boy]

And the route is on...

[bisopher]

I expect that Wallstedt will be shuttled between IA and MN throughout the year, with focus on MN's homestands.  This would allow for easily sending down a forward or D as needed to gain cap space, as well as giving the Wall the best possible scenarios for his starts.

I personally don't think MAF deserves much more than 30-35 starts this year based on his stats from last year, but if GMBG is serious about a "farewell tour", he'll get 31 away games right off the bat.  Add a minimal number of home games, and he's our de facto #1--which he shouldn't be at this stage of either his career or the Wild's long term plan.

[Protec]

Wallstedt just stopped 38 of 40. Can't turn your nose up at the whether it's pre-season or not. 😁

I'd like to see Vaj get a game here before the real thing get's rolling. Wallstedt could start out in IA I suppose but sure doesn't seem like he needs more marination there. 

[mnhockeyfan03]

Wallstedt looked really solid tonight.  The best players on the ice for the Wild were Lauko, Lambos, Chisolm, Jones, Wallstedt.  Lambos is ready and much better than Merrill and hunt.  Freddie was ok but still looks to slow like the past 2 years. Lauko had an extra gear.  

[Fezig]

21 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

https://heavy.com/sports/nhl/new-york-rangers/trade-pitch-rangers-wild-brodin/

Funny click bait trade alert time again.

Offer is Brodin/Zucc/2nd to NYR for Kakko/Lindgren/Brodzinski, plus 1st/5th

Again, this is yet another dumb trade idea, but it benefits the Wild...in a certain scenario.

If the Wild want to try out some...less than impressive players and save money this and next year, plus get a 25-30 pick instead of a 40-50 pick, ok.

But Brodin is still a lynchpin of the defense.  You'd have to be convinced Buium and Lambos or others are immediate help.  Middleton as the top left pair guy for even a little bit scares me.

So, I like it in theory.  Brodin isn't getting any younger.

 

 

I can't say I'm necessarily against the move. Any chance the Wild could include Merrill in the trade if we give them a bucket of pucks?

[FredJohnson]

Someone remind me: players with a No Trade Clause can be sent to the NHL, correct? 
We'd get about a million in cap savings sending Frauddie to the A. 😋

https://beyondtheglasshockey.com/2024/01/one-way-vs-two-way-nhl-contracts-and-waivers-breakdown.html

If the player is sent down to the AHL and his salary is the league minimum plus $375,000 or more, the salary over that amount counts against the cap. For example, in 2023-24 the league minimum salary is $775,000. So, if a contract is $2 million on a one-way contract and the player is sent to the AHL, the cap hit would be $850,000. If the salary is under the $375,000 plus league minimum number, it does not.

[FredJohnson]

11 hours ago, Protec said:

like to see Vaj

Ever get scared your autocorrect swaps a G for the J? 😳

[FredJohnson]

11 hours ago, bisopher said:

I personally don't think MAF deserves much more than 30-35 starts this year based on his stats from last year

Agreed, but it's really up to Gus to be better and keep Flower's starts to a minimum.

[Up North Guy]

10 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Wallstedt looked really solid tonight.  The best players on the ice for the Wild were Lauko, Lambos, Chisolm, Jones, Wallstedt.  Lambos is ready and much better than Merrill and hunt.  Freddie was ok but still looks to slow like the past 2 years. Lauko had an extra gear.  

I tried listening last night and the boys sounded like they played well. I couldn't get a read on who the Jets had on the ice though. Did they ice an NHL squad or a squad of prospects?

[mnhockeyfan03]

28 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

I tried listening last night and the boys sounded like they played well. I couldn't get a read on who the Jets had on the ice though. Did they ice an NHL squad or a squad of prospects?

Squad of prospects similar to what we had.  The game was on ESPN plus.  Hopefully when they said open tryout they mean it as some of these younger kids are outplaying the veterans. 

[Pewterschmidt]

40 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Squad of prospects similar to what we had.  The game was on ESPN plus.  Hopefully when they said open tryout they mean it as some of these younger kids are outplaying the veterans. 

Do we know why Sammy Walker didn’t suit up?  Injured?

[Up North Guy]

37 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Squad of prospects similar to what we had.  The game was on ESPN plus.  Hopefully when they said open tryout they mean it as some of these younger kids are outplaying the veterans. 

I don't know how much weight it carries but Hynes has said several times that whoever shows better in training camp will be playing this season. Guys i think should be bubble guys, like Freddie and  NoJo should be put on waivers and sent to Iowa if not claimed.

[Pewterschmidt]

6 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Do we know why Sammy Walker didn’t suit up?  Injured?

Peart?

[mnhockeyfan03]

35 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

I don't know how much weight it carries but Hynes has said several times that whoever shows better in training camp will be playing this season. Guys i think should be bubble guys, like Freddie and  NoJo should be put on waivers and sent to Iowa if not claimed.

I hope they stay true to their word as they haven’t done that in the past.  That goes for wallstadt as well.  He played great last night.  He is ready.  Merrill is like a traffic cone and should be put on wavers already. Lambos and hunt are much better.  The only thing with lambos is his skating and puck moving skills are great but at times in the corner he gets caught out of position and beat to the net.  Also he could put on 20lbs.  Lauko is the real deal.  Looked much better than a 4th liner last night.  He has speed and size.  Very noticeable.  Freddie didn’t do much in my eyes.  I hope they can find a spot for Merrill, Freddie, Nojo and Gus on other teams either through trading or waivers. 

[mnfaninnc]

On 9/21/2024 at 11:13 AM, Citizen Strife said:

But Brodin is still a lynchpin of the defense.  You'd have to be convinced Buium and Lambos or others are immediate help.  Middleton as the top left pair guy for even a little bit scares me.

So, I like it in theory.  Brodin isn't getting any younger.

Doesn't Brodin still have an NMC?

[mnfaninnc]

On 9/21/2024 at 11:58 AM, Burnt Toast said:

I just can’t see Wild Management benching MAF no matter how he plays. I believe they have his starts set aside for him already. The only competition is if Gus tanks and JW breaks out and looks amazing in his first few starts in the NHL. I still believe JW will start the season in Iowa. If Gus plays near or slightly above league average I put the over under on JW’s starts at 10. Next year should be a lot of fun with Gus and JW competing for #1 status. 

There's a great reason to believe this. Typically, the Wild break camp with 22 and use the extra voided spot to create some cap space. Since the cap space is calculated daily, the start of the season sees some easing into a schedule and that would be the best thing to do for the cap. 

It also gives Vaj a little time to settle in, and it gives Iowa a chance to have 2 good goalies start out the season. This is important for them down there. I could see The Wall traveling on the I-35 expressway throughout the season, but I'd also like to see him get in 20 NHL games. Breakdown would be Goose 40 and Fleury 20. Of course this doesn't add up to 82, since they are mere estimates. To me 21 is the same as 20 and 42 is the same as 40.

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, bisopher said:

he'll get 31 away games right off the bat.  Add a minimal number of home games, and he's our de facto #1--which he shouldn't be at this stage of either his career or the Wild's long term plan.

I think the majority of those 31 will be as a backup. Of course, I could also see another scenario where he starts until the 1st whistle and Goose takes over for him, just for the fans. But, are we in the business of entertaining fans on the road or winning games?