Article: Can Jack Capuano's Decades Of Experience Fix Minnesota's Penalty Kill?

[OldDutchChip]

25 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

My point here stands. You're trying to draw what a player will become from your old "eye test". I'm not saying Rossi is another Drai or Wendel Clark, what I am putting in perspective is how good a rookie 40 pt season is and maybe it is a bit premature to say anything regarding Judd's drafting when we haven't seen a huge sample size yet. I get that is part of your complaint but i also understand there are very few guys that step into the league and have instant success at 18-20.

There’s really no right or wrong answer on what one expects from a scout or views him a success or a failure….that’s up to the owner

for me, I want to see a star or someone that exceeded expectations delivered in 4+ years on the job, otherwise it really is just ok 🍺

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

8 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

There’s really no right or wrong answer on what one expects from a scout or views him a success or a failure….that’s up to the owner

for me, I want to see a star or someone that exceeded expectations delivered in 4+ years on the job, otherwise it really is just ok 🍺

See a star? When the highest we have drafted is 9th?

I think there is still time to have someone exceed expectations. Bankier, Heidt, Haight, Lambos, O'Rourke, Spacek are all in year 1 or 2 of their professional career with lots of time to develop into something better. 

I think expecting a star or a flash out of nowhere is unreasonable considering where we have been in the draft order and we have yet to see what many of his picks can contribute. I find it premature to make any evaluation at all.

[OldDutchChip]

17 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

See a star? When the highest we have drafted is 9th?

I think there is still time to have someone exceed expectations. Bankier, Heidt, Haight, Lambos, O'Rourke, Spacek are all in year 1 or 2 of their professional career with lots of time to develop into something better. 

I think expecting a star or a flash out of nowhere is unreasonable considering where we have been in the draft order and we have yet to see what many of his picks can contribute. I find it premature to make any evaluation at all.

Yeah why not a star? Why not someone that exceeded expectations? I think it’s good to demand great vs just good enough when you have Kap looking at the clock and waiting…..Boldy was not a top 10  pick and he came in and said I’m going to dominate and he is doing that …. and he wasn’t Judds pick if I recall correctly

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

On 10/15/2024 at 9:38 AM, mnfaninnc said:

It's their job to both fill the wholes

Preparation H is good on the whole - A Powers

I can't believe I spelled holes wrong. Terrible proof reading, my assistant is fired!

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

There’s really no right or wrong answer on what one expects from a scout or views him a success or a failure….that’s up to the owner

for me, I want to see a star or someone that exceeded expectations delivered in 4+ years on the job, otherwise it really is just ok 🍺

I would suggest you'll be disappointed almost every time with that expectation. That timeline suggests that they are with the big club by 3 years after their draft and a star after 1.5 years in the league. 

Boldy represents that timeline. Rossi does not probably more due to his health problems. Even Kaprizov does not as it took him at least 5 years to get here.  Now, maybe we have a different perspective on what a star is. For instance, I do not consider Connor Bedard a star....yet. He probably won't be one this year either as much as the unreliable media tries to make him one. 

[mnfaninnc]

On 10/15/2024 at 10:35 AM, OldDutchChip said:

But, I am optimistic on the talent coming.  Let's stop giving our scouts a free pass, he has been here for 4 years and we should have had a gem pop up and wow us. So far his claim to fame is who exactly? Rossi? no other player impressed! NO OTHER PLAYER. unless i am mistaken....but we have Yurov, Ohgren, Wally, Lambos, Stramel....none of these players have shown anything that you can rely on and say - he's a star. NOT ONE. that's horrible. And we are ok with that? 

I dunno my friend - seems like we are sinking into irrelevancy. We'll say bye to Kap, welcome MN son (one of Brocks or both, hooray....) and look forward to another 5 year plan. cheers! 🍻

I see a lot of talent coming and haven't given up on them. Typically, the 5 year window is applied. Moving it to 4.5 is ok, if that is when you expect some usefulness out of them. But to crown them a star at that time probably isn't best.

This would mean that at 22, they are a star. That doesn't happen that often. Boldy is a good example of it, but, traditionally it would be forwards starting to get noticed at 23, defensemen at 24 and goalies at 25. 

I say that traditionally, because we are dealing with non-traditional times. The Covid interruption of development isn't an excuse, it is a reason. It set back every prospect, to what degree, nobody knows. So the timelines on kids from the '20-22 drafts are a little screwy. 

Now, there is a legitimate point if you are pointing the finger at Des Moines and wanting to know why players developed there aren't improving enough. I'm right with you there. It seems like the ones we've subbed out to other development places are doing way better than our kids in Des Moines. 

[OldDutchChip]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I would suggest you'll be disappointed almost every time with that expectation. That timeline suggests that they are with the big club by 3 years after their draft and a star after 1.5 years in the league. 

Boldy represents that timeline. Rossi does not probably more due to his health problems. Even Kaprizov does not as it took him at least 5 years to get here.  Now, maybe we have a different perspective on what a star is. For instance, I do not consider Connor Bedard a star....yet. He probably won't be one this year either as much as the unreliable media tries to make him one. 

I may have my timeline mixed up but i believe Boldy was drafted by previous GM and was a stud by year 2; him being drafted outside of top 10 is now a steal but even then after year 2 we knew he exceeded expectation (i am not looking for reaching his final potential, just give me a glimmer of higher return on investment. has judd deliver that yet? (no i am not counting Rossi as that)

i am not giving judd / billy a pass just because it's the norm or historically it takes that many years and we are drafted here and this is what the learning curve is for picks 10-15....on and on. regardless of all that -  we are not in the norm stage here - we need to hit to entice kap right? so that is the requirement. good enough is just not enough for us....draft and develop for 5 year plan is OK if you are OK to loose Kap. he won't be here for another 5 year rebuild 

[OldDutchChip]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I see a lot of talent coming and haven't given up on them. Typically, the 5 year window is applied. Moving it to 4.5 is ok, if that is when you expect some usefulness out of them. But to crown them a star at that time probably isn't best.

This would mean that at 22, they are a star. That doesn't happen that often. Boldy is a good example of it, but, traditionally it would be forwards starting to get noticed at 23, defensemen at 24 and goalies at 25. 

I say that traditionally, because we are dealing with non-traditional times. The Covid interruption of development isn't an excuse, it is a reason. It set back every prospect, to what degree, nobody knows. So the timelines on kids from the '20-22 drafts are a little screwy. 

Now, there is a legitimate point if you are pointing the finger at Des Moines and wanting to know why players developed there aren't improving enough. I'm right with you there. It seems like the ones we've subbed out to other development places are doing way better than our kids in Des Moines. 

guess we'll see. i am not really excited about the prospects that much and would rather use them for trade bait before they loose that appeal and show up and underwhelm.....

[mnfaninnc]

22 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

I may have my timeline mixed up but i believe Boldy was drafted by previous GM and was a stud by year 2; him being drafted outside of top 10 is now a steal but even then after year 2 we knew he exceeded expectation (i am not looking for reaching his final potential, just give me a glimmer of higher return on investment. has judd deliver that yet? (no i am not counting Rossi as that)

i am not giving judd / billy a pass just because it's the norm or historically it takes that many years and we are drafted here and this is what the learning curve is for picks 10-15....on and on. regardless of all that -  we are not in the norm stage here - we need to hit to entice kap right? so that is the requirement. good enough is just not enough for us....draft and develop for 5 year plan is OK if you are OK to loose Kap. he won't be here for another 5 year rebuild 

For starters, Boldy was just finishing up his time at BC at the 2 year mark, hardly an NHL star at that point. His 3rd year next to Fiala showed promise, but hardly a star yet then either. His 4th year ended well when he put the team on his back and carried them during Kaprizov's injury. In this, your version of a glimpse of a star is accurate. In his 5th year, he played golf and didn't do what was needed in the offseason as far as strength accumulation. This is his D+6 and it looks like he is a star in the making.

But we may have definitions of what constitutes a star. For Ek he's a stud but not just with points but also with the cancellation policy on opposing top scorers. Can Selke guys be a star putting up 60 pts.? I think they can be. Kopitar and Bergeron may not have had the most points but were tremendously useful centers. Ek seems to be in that mold. To me, last season, Boldy had too many button hooks and soft passes intercepted to have gone into star mode. He looks good this year, though. 

Boldy's an exceptional talent, yet here we are at D+6 and we've just seem glimpses of a star, just like having a comet finally enter into the solar system. Rossi put up a decent year last year, far from a star, but a bit of a glimmer in his D+4 year (and should get a break due to illness). This season he gets the 1st shot at playing with Kaprizov, and he didn't look out of place. 

Or, let's consider Ohgren who is far from a star but is only D+2. He looked awful in his league debut this season, 2 steps behind everything. Against the Blues he was only 1 step behind yet by the 2nd period he had mostly caught up. I saw 1 shift where it looked like he finally got it, and he had decent linemates in that shift. Does this type of growth help move the needle for Kaprizov? I think it does.

I don't think that Kaprizov will look at "what have we done here" to determine his next contract. I think he will look at "what can we do going forward here" with the team. If he sees promise in Ohgren and Rossi, if he sees growth in a couple of guys like Bankier and Heidt, perhaps he looks at it and says, we're a couple of free agents away from something special? The Wall is a big part of that too. 

So, here's a decent question. If he does see the promise, would he commit 8 years here? Or would the next contract here look like 3 years? Could he say, I see enough here to ride a bit longer and then make my decision, or does he have to go all in at 8? 

I believe Buium and Yurov, both who were not in camp, are going to be difference makers. My hope is that Yurov gets stronger in Russia and comes over similar to the way Kaprizov did, when he broke in as a star in his D+6 year. Buium might make more of an impact like Brodin when he broke in as a #1 pairing along side Suter. Brodin never made star, but was always on the underrated list, likely because he never really puts up points. 

Really, outside of Buffalo who is having a terrible start, I don't see the up and coming talent just about ready to explode like I see it here. You can say "but, Chicago" yet Chicago is still a long way off. They've had 2 really good picks in a row, but they have a lot of prospects that are still on the 5 year plan in about year 1 or 2. 

[mnfaninnc]

22 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

guess we'll see. i am not really excited about the prospects that much and would rather use them for trade bait before they loose that appeal and show up and underwhelm.....

I can see that, and at what point do you switch your focus? A young team really means they'll be a young team for awhile. Here's a little for the argument:

1. Heidt 5-9-14 in 8 games played
2. Kampulainen 3-5-8 in 10 games played
3. Yurov 2-4-6 in 11 games played
4. Buium 4 apples in 2 games played
5. Stramel 2-1-3 in 4 games played (keep it up Charlie)

Iowa has more of the same going for it. Lambos and Spacek seem to be holding their own, others are not. Hunt was a 1 assist -2 guy there when called up. Bankier already a -5 with no points. Do I see a little fire under McLean's seat?

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

For starters, Boldy was just finishing up his time at BC at the 2 year mark, hardly an NHL star at that point. His 3rd year next to Fiala showed promise, but hardly a star yet then either. His 4th year ended well when he put the team on his back and carried them during Kaprizov's injury. In this, your version of a glimpse of a star is accurate. In his 5th year, he played golf and didn't do what was needed in the offseason as far as strength accumulation. This is his D+6 and it looks like he is a star in the making.

But we may have definitions of what constitutes a star. For Ek he's a stud but not just with points but also with the cancellation policy on opposing top scorers. Can Selke guys be a star putting up 60 pts.? I think they can be. Kopitar and Bergeron may not have had the most points but were tremendously useful centers. Ek seems to be in that mold. To me, last season, Boldy had too many button hooks and soft passes intercepted to have gone into star mode. He looks good this year, though. 

Boldy's an exceptional talent, yet here we are at D+6 and we've just seem glimpses of a star, just like having a comet finally enter into the solar system. Rossi put up a decent year last year, far from a star, but a bit of a glimmer in his D+4 year (and should get a break due to illness). This season he gets the 1st shot at playing with Kaprizov, and he didn't look out of place. 

Or, let's consider Ohgren who is far from a star but is only D+2. He looked awful in his league debut this season, 2 steps behind everything. Against the Blues he was only 1 step behind yet by the 2nd period he had mostly caught up. I saw 1 shift where it looked like he finally got it, and he had decent linemates in that shift. Does this type of growth help move the needle for Kaprizov? I think it does.

I don't think that Kaprizov will look at "what have we done here" to determine his next contract. I think he will look at "what can we do going forward here" with the team. If he sees promise in Ohgren and Rossi, if he sees growth in a couple of guys like Bankier and Heidt, perhaps he looks at it and says, we're a couple of free agents away from something special? The Wall is a big part of that too. 

So, here's a decent question. If he does see the promise, would he commit 8 years here? Or would the next contract here look like 3 years? Could he say, I see enough here to ride a bit longer and then make my decision, or does he have to go all in at 8? 

I believe Buium and Yurov, both who were not in camp, are going to be difference makers. My hope is that Yurov gets stronger in Russia and comes over similar to the way Kaprizov did, when he broke in as a star in his D+6 year. Buium might make more of an impact like Brodin when he broke in as a #1 pairing along side Suter. Brodin never made star, but was always on the underrated list, likely because he never really puts up points. 

Really, outside of Buffalo who is having a terrible start, I don't see the up and coming talent just about ready to explode like I see it here. You can say "but, Chicago" yet Chicago is still a long way off. They've had 2 really good picks in a row, but they have a lot of prospects that are still on the 5 year plan in about year 1 or 2. 

all good points, and would be in line with normal progression, but i think with Kap we really had to accelerate the development. i just don't seem him sticking around for the unknown road ahead - that will be his prime years.

i' thought he needed to be sold on the vision this year....no later, no way he waits; no way he signs a 3 year deal to see how it turns out. i just don't see him committing. maybe kap will surprise me. but i doubt it. 

we had to hit on someone to deliver results now, or we should have packaged the youth and gotten the person that could deliver. that in my opinion was the only way to keep Kap (and yes - giving him "C" too). I know it's a risk, but i'd dangle Buium, Yurov,  Ohgren and/or Rossi, even Wally, to get someone now. I really would. And by someone i think we could get a good one - these prospects are being touted as very good - so i think a smart GM can get value for the now.

I don't think Kap's talent is replaceable. It would be very "wild" for him to win MVP this year and be gone the next. And this year seems to be shaping up an interesting one....Avs have started out bad, maybe there is a chance for Wild to surprise - trade youth for a proven player and go for it. Also, wouldn't it be something if Malkin keeps scoring like he has been and beats McD to a scoring title? Love it!

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

I can see that, and at what point do you switch your focus? A young team really means they'll be a young team for awhile. Here's a little for the argument:

1. Heidt 5-9-14 in 8 games played
2. Kampulainen 3-5-8 in 10 games played
3. Yurov 2-4-6 in 11 games played
4. Buium 4 apples in 2 games played
5. Stramel 2-1-3 in 4 games played (keep it up Charlie)

Iowa has more of the same going for it. Lambos and Spacek seem to be holding their own, others are not. Hunt was a 1 assist -2 guy there when called up. Bankier already a -5 with no points. Do I see a little fire under McLean's seat?

at what point do you switch your focus? only after doing everything i could to get Kap to stay. he is worth going for it all. we have never had a player like him. we cannot just proceed like norm. hence i am advocating some tactics that normally is not in practice, but time is ticking.......

i'd leave McLean in there. But i don't have much thought on Iowa.... 🙂

would you trade Buium Rossi Foligno for Tuch or Svechnikov (if the trade was on the table?) 

[Protec]

5 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

at what point do you switch your focus? only after doing everything i could to get Kap to stay. he is worth going for it all. we have never had a player like him. we cannot just proceed like norm. hence i am advocating some tactics that normally is not in practice, but time is ticking.......

i'd leave McLean in there. But i don't have much thought on Iowa.... 🙂

would you trade Buium Rossi Foligno for Tuch or Svechnikov (if the trade was on the table?) 

No. You can overpay but not too much. Getting an upgrade at forward is on the radar for Guerin but thankfully there's no desperation. Yes, we wanna keep Kaprizov but a trade would need to be fair. Tuch is a player we'd like. Bowser has also been one we've heard rumors of before, but the timing or cost/ask too great besides the cap questions.

I agree with your bigger point. Okay to take some risk or overpay. Not to the point you trade both Buium AND Rossi. 

I'm confident that after 20 games the Wild willknow better where they're at and what teams might start looking like they'll be trading guys, i.e. out of the playoffs.

[Protec]

Boeser*

Autocorrect got me. By 10-20 games we'll see whether the penalty kill is truly improved too. Minnesota wants to keep Kaprizov but let's not get carried away. 

[OldDutchChip]

5 minutes ago, Protec said:

No. You can overpay but not too much. Getting an upgrade at forward is on the radar for Guerin but thankfully there's no desperation. Yes, we wanna keep Kaprizov but a trade would need to be fair. Tuch is a player we'd like. Bowser has also been one we've heard rumors of before, but the timing or cost/ask too great besides the cap questions.

I agree with your bigger point. Okay to take some risk or overpay. Not to the point you trade both Buium AND Rossi. 

I'm confident that after 20 games the Wild willknow better where they're at and what teams might start looking like they'll be trading guys, i.e. out of the playoffs.

i dunno, is Buium potential 3+ years from now more impactful than a chance to pair Tuch/Svechnikov with Kap now (and possibly be what drives Kap to resign....guess we won't know but i'd say Yes)? yes you loose Rossi but that would get us a top 6 of 

• Harty Kap Zuccy
• Ek Boldy Tuch/Svechnikov

Yikes that is a scary second line. Svechnikov and Tuch are much better players than Rossi. I'd punt on Buium for them. Or maybe switch up Wally for Buium if they bite? 

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, Protec said:

Boeser*

Autocorrect got me. By 10-20 games we'll see whether the penalty kill is truly improved too. Minnesota wants to keep Kaprizov but let's not get carried away. 

no no no on bowser and boeser! 😜

 

[Pewterschmidt]

31 minutes ago, Protec said:

No. You can overpay but not too much. Getting an upgrade at forward is on the radar for Guerin but thankfully there's no desperation. Yes, we wanna keep Kaprizov but a trade would need to be fair. Tuch is a player we'd like. Bowser has also been one we've heard rumors of before, but the timing or cost/ask too great besides the cap questions.

I agree with your bigger point. Okay to take some risk or overpay. Not to the point you trade both Buium AND Rossi. 

I'm confident that after 20 games the Wild willknow better where they're at and what teams might start looking like they'll be trading guys, i.e. out of the playoffs.

[M_Nels]

1 hour ago, OldDutchChip said:

i dunno, is Buium potential 3+ years from now more impactful than a chance to pair Tuch/Svechnikov with Kap now (and possibly be what drives Kap to resign....guess we won't know but i'd say Yes)? yes you loose Rossi but that would get us a top 6 of 

• Harty Kap Zuccy
• Ek Boldy Tuch/Svechnikov

Yikes that is a scary second line. Svechnikov and Tuch are much better players than Rossi. I'd punt on Buium for them. Or maybe switch up Wally for Buium if they bite? 

You've brought up Svechnikov a few times now but unless the Canes are in the basement and in total rebuild mode in the next year or 2 I don't see them letting him go. It would be like the Wild trading Ek or Boldy, they obviously consider him a cornerstone player otherwise they wouldn't have signed him to a 8yr extension. 

Tuch who I don't know why the Wild gave up on so quick is a more realistic target to get without selling the farm. 

Realistically could the Wild afford Svech & KK while having enough to replace their #1 goalie and defenseman prospects in either free agency or other trades?

Edited October 17 by M_Nels
Format

[OldDutchChip]

42 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

You've brought up Svechnikov a few times now but unless the Canes are in the basement and in total rebuild mode in the next year or 2 I don't see them letting him go. It would be like the Wild trading Ek or Boldy, they obviously consider him a cornerstone player otherwise they wouldn't have signed him to a 8yr extension. 

Tuch who I don't know why the Wild gave up on so quick is a more realistic target to get without selling the farm. 

Realistically could the Wild afford Svech & KK while having enough to replace their #1 goalie and defenseman prospects in either free agency or other trades?

I like svechnikov a tad better than tuch and really it could be few others too from that 2nd tier placement (if it’s lesser player, then I’ll pass). The swing needs to be for a great player to add to team this year w Kap.

No one is untouchable, so maybe there’s a chance w canes or other teams….we won’t know unless we ask, and all likely moot as chance of that with Billy is slim but I’d ask on svechnikov, tuch, nylander, tkachuk

Just play along with this fantasy for a sec 🤔 who would you part with for the four? 
 

my least favorite target of the four is nylander, the other 3 id throw 2 of buium Yurov or Wally or Rossi 

[Protec]

45 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Tuch who I don't know why the Wild gave up on so quick is a more realistic target to get without selling the farm.

This was a top-level Fletcher screwup.

@M_Nels & @OldDutchChip

The danger I see in going hard early is, if Kaprizov still leaves or the player you reach for doesn't pan out, you've really shot yourself in the foot. My attitude towards getting Tuch is good if we could get him for a reasonable trade. Prospects and an NHL player, sure but not the top guys.

Guerin needs to get what he can in a fair trade that results in a net gain. Rossi out for a guy who's expiring is unwise IMO. Unless you're sure you can sign the guy. The Wild also can't throw away gains made in the past few years unless it's safe to expect a good return.

In a perfect world for the Wild, Buffalo or Detroit sucks at Thanksgiving. The Wild are looking good and NoJo has Marian Hossa equipment-rash. Guerin gets Tuch or Kane to replace NoJo and the Wild only need to give up a couple assets like Chisholm, and a 2nd. I'm always a little surprised each year at the teams who pick up a Tarasenko level guy during the season or at the deadline for an affordable cost. That's what MN can realistically do. It also doesn't need to happen during the season. Kirill is under contract. Agents notoriously put out BS to raise the stakes for their guy. Who better than to suggest than Chicago for that purpose. I'm not buying that crud for a second, Chicago is possibly the only worse place with the same climate in terms of taxes, crime, policy. That makes no sense for Kaprizov to want to go there.

This off-season is the time to pull the trigger whether it's a trade or with free agency. The #97 negotiations will commence and Guerin will have money to take care of business. That's the timing if you asked me. Something could come along, but I would expect to see this season play out with mostly what we see now. I hope Guerin doesn't sacrifice much unless it's for the right deal. Kirill has guys to play with who he likes and does well with. Boldy and Ek is the ultimate line for #97. I think Guerin will add some upgrades this year carefully, like a BoGo or Chisholm move that don't cost much. Maybe a bigger splash at the deadline depending on what happens with Spurge. Just sit back and relax. Hopefully the Wild see the pattern of playing without NoJo and it stays that way. 😎

[OldDutchChip]

2 hours ago, Protec said:

This was a top-level Fletcher screwup.

@M_Nels & @OldDutchChip

The danger I see in going hard early is, if Kaprizov still leaves or the player you reach for doesn't pan out, you've really shot yourself in the foot. My attitude towards getting Tuch is good if we could get him for a reasonable trade. Prospects and an NHL player, sure but not the top guys.

Guerin needs to get what he can in a fair trade that results in a net gain. Rossi out for a guy who's expiring is unwise IMO. Unless you're sure you can sign the guy. The Wild also can't throw away gains made in the past few years unless it's safe to expect a good return.

In a perfect world for the Wild, Buffalo or Detroit sucks at Thanksgiving. The Wild are looking good and NoJo has Marian Hossa equipment-rash. Guerin gets Tuch or Kane to replace NoJo and the Wild only need to give up a couple assets like Chisholm, and a 2nd. I'm always a little surprised each year at the teams who pick up a Tarasenko level guy during the season or at the deadline for an affordable cost. That's what MN can realistically do. It also doesn't need to happen during the season. Kirill is under contract. Agents notoriously put out BS to raise the stakes for their guy. Who better than to suggest than Chicago for that purpose. I'm not buying that crud for a second, Chicago is possibly the only worse place with the same climate in terms of taxes, crime, policy. That makes no sense for Kaprizov to want to go there.

This off-season is the time to pull the trigger whether it's a trade or with free agency. The #97 negotiations will commence and Guerin will have money to take care of business. That's the timing if you asked me. Something could come along, but I would expect to see this season play out with mostly what we see now. I hope Guerin doesn't sacrifice much unless it's for the right deal. Kirill has guys to play with who he likes and does well with. Boldy and Ek is the ultimate line for #97. I think Guerin will add some upgrades this year carefully, like a BoGo or Chisholm move that don't cost much. Maybe a bigger splash at the deadline depending on what happens with Spurge. Just sit back and relax. Hopefully the Wild see the pattern of playing without NoJo and it stays that way. 😎

The danger I see in going hard early is, if Kaprizov still leaves or the player you reach for doesn't pan out, you've really shot yourself in the foot. Yes, definitely risk involved. But i feel better to push a bit on the risky side, then to let it be as is, and stand pat. Maybe feel out Kaprizov reaction to few routes to bring in a player to improve the team, see how he feels, or maybe that's a taboo not to be crossed between a gm and a player or gm and a non-captain (hence i'm advocating to make Kap a captain) or a billy and about anyone other than billy himself.  

My attitude towards getting Tuch is good if we could get him for a reasonable trade. sabres are still struggling in tough east, but have loads of good D, so maybe we can keep Buium and dangle Yurov, Rossi and some other back and forth? i'd do that. Tuch is a machine. I'd say goodbye to Yurov and Rossi if it brought him home finally. 

Guerin needs to get what he can in a fair trade that results in a net gain. Rossi out for a guy who's expiring is unwise IMO. totally agree. i think all four of these - Svech, Tkachuk, Tuch and Nylander - are locked in so it won't be a rental. 

The Wild are looking good and NoJo has Marian Hossa equipment-rash. F#ck Hossa and his rash, he dissed Wild and went to Blackf#cks and then retired and all is peachy with them. Spare NoJo and hand rash to Bedardash

I'm always a little surprised each year at the teams who pick up a Tarasenko level guy during the season or at the deadline for an affordable cost. sad to think it, but i think vlady is done. please Wild do NOT go for him. i'd go for rejuvenated Malkin instead. Imagine Malkin Ek and Kap on same line! 

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, Protec said:

This was a top-level Fletcher screwup.

Don't even get me started on this again. I'll blow a gasket. IMO this was a fireable offense immediately on so many levels. I'll probably just go upstairs and take some nitroglycerin to calm down. 

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

I like svechnikov a tad better than tuch and really it could be few others too from that 2nd tier placement (if it’s lesser player, then I’ll pass). The swing needs to be for a great player to add to team this year w Kap.

Here's the thing with Svech, he's under a Spurgeon type contract with an NMC (I believe, whatever a lock means) next season. He's still tradable this season, but it would require a Vegas type move where Spurgy heads to LTIR until mid April and suddenly gets better. I doubt that Carolina is selling on Svech, I think Necas is the chip they are looking at using. Necas might fit our needs a little better since he is right handed with a lot of speed. But, Carolina also has some deep futures so that may not be what they're looking for. The Wall would probably be of use to them, however, maybe even Goose. 

The Spurgeon situation has got me befuddled. What can you do with a guy who needs so much rest and maintenance? This isn't working for me. It's just time to pass the torch and maybe spend a year in LTIR so that we can get a replacement player. I still think Provorov might be a good way to go. We keep looking for that top 6 forward, but, honestly, a defender who can really threaten from the point might open up things better for Kaprizov. 

[OldDutchChip]

7 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Here's the thing with Svech, he's under a Spurgeon type contract with an NMC (I believe, whatever a lock means) next season. He's still tradable this season, but it would require a Vegas type move where Spurgy heads to LTIR until mid April and suddenly gets better. I doubt that Carolina is selling on Svech, I think Necas is the chip they are looking at using. Necas might fit our needs a little better since he is right handed with a lot of speed. But, Carolina also has some deep futures so that may not be what they're looking for. The Wall would probably be of use to them, however, maybe even Goose. 

The Spurgeon situation has got me befuddled. What can you do with a guy who needs so much rest and maintenance? This isn't working for me. It's just time to pass the torch and maybe spend a year in LTIR so that we can get a replacement player. I still think Provorov might be a good way to go. We keep looking for that top 6 forward, but, honestly, a defender who can really threaten from the point might open up things better for Kaprizov. 

Yeah Svechnikov is a reach. But his contract is not that enormous. It comes in at 7.7MM and if we shed Rossi (who will likely command around 5.5MM at least) we are only talking about extra 2MM and that can be the filler that we send to them. 

Yeah Spurge is an interesting case - it be nice if we were as savvy as vegas, place him on IR till EOY and pushed in now. not sure if i go for Provorov in that event, cause i can see Spurge coming back for playoffs and that D core is going to be extremely busy (imagine Buium kicking butt and joining after his season? Faber, Brodin, Spurge, Provorov, Midds, Chissy, Buium, Hunt, Bogo) But then i'd really push my chips all in. This year seems like West is a bit of a mess, at least to start with. Maybe this be the year Wild goes for it. Yeah i know it worked splendid before (Pommy, Hanzy.....)

[Protec]

Tarasenko also has a NMC but players like that move and are important additions late season for teams. 

I personally think Kaprizov isn't determined to go elsewhere. MN should be able to extend him and improving the team this off-season will be fine if MN can get back toothed playoffs and not draw Dallas or WPG or like STL from two years ago when they and MN were the two hottest teams. MN is not under any major pressure or deadline. Just play it out another month before we jump to any conclusions.