Article: NHL Insider Calls For Kaprizov To Win Hart

[Thomas Williams]

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[Protec]

Bout time MN get's some respect. 

At the same time, it's a long season. Let's not start counting chickens before they hatch. 

[Pewterschmidt]

97 is doing Kucherovian things out there last night

How fun was it watching these two hockey Gandolf's steal the puck from each other last night?

(that Star Trek reference is for you MNFAN)

[Protec]

And another thing. Kaprizov rumors be damned. Whatever agent put that out there about Chicago hooked OCL big-time cause his statement a day later telegraphs their worst fear. I don't like that play, but nice win for the sneaky agents and their writer buddies. 

Getting back to my point. Where could Kaprizov really wanna go? NYR has a top-end Russian teammate in Panarin but could the Rangers make it work? Who are the other teams that could win or have a better window than the Wild? MN just spanked the Panthers and found a way in Tampa. So who in the NHL would Kaprizov rather go play for? I think it's BS. If you look at what teams are best positioned to sign a player like #97 AND has a window to win, it's MN. Yurov and Buium on deck and the Norwegian Hobbit with the glowing dagger-like twig that stabs out to receive Kaprizov passes. PP1 with weapons and an increasingly larger D-core who look great so far. Just seems to me that Kaprizov would be nuts to go somewhere else. 

It looks quite possible that MN has a season that makes Guerin look good yet again with his management under the constraints of cap penalties??? The Wild need to win big and demand the attention for Kaprizov to get real recognition. 

The stupid rumor story from last Summer said Kaprizov wants to join Bedard. Gimme a break. Players around the NHL actually wish they were more lizard-like and had been involved in a Fentonism just prior to Chynuhvirus...

[AKwildkraken]

Chicago should worry about Bedard wanting to move to Minnesota.

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

And another thing. Kaprizov rumors be damned. Whatever agent put that out there about Chicago hooked OCL big-time cause his statement a day later telegraphs their worst fear. I don't like that play, but nice win for the sneaky agents and their writer buddies. 

Getting back to my point. Where could Kaprizov really wanna go? NYR has a top-end Russian teammate in Panarin but could the Rangers make it work? Who are the other teams that could win or have a better window than the Wild? MN just spanked the Panthers and found a way in Tampa. So who in the NHL would Kaprizov rather go play for? I think it's BS. If you look at what teams are best positioned to sign a player like #97 AND has a window to win, it's MN. Yurov and Buium on deck and the Norwegian Hobbit with the glowing dagger-like twig that stabs out to receive Kaprizov passes. PP1 with weapons and an increasingly larger D-core who look great so far. Just seems to me that Kaprizov would be nuts to go somewhere else. 

It looks quite possible that MN has a season that makes Guerin look good yet again with his management under the constraints of cap penalties??? The Wild need to win big and demand the attention for Kaprizov to get real recognition. 

The stupid rumor story from last Summer said Kaprizov wants to join Bedard. Gimme a break. Players around the NHL actually wish they were more lizard-like and had been involved in a Fentonism just prior to Chynuhvirus...

Kap will likely pick one of these team (in no particular order)

NYR, NYI, NJD, TOR, WAS, CAR, TBL, CHI, PHI

 

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Pewterschmidt said:

97 is doing Kucherovian things out there last night

How fun was it watching these two hockey Gandolf's steal the puck from each other last night?

(that Star Trek reference is for you MNFAN)

yeap if G and D holds, Kap may drag us all the way to SC. i think even my top 5 projection is underselling how good he is. he might be top 3. 

 

[Protec]

3 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

Kap will likely pick one of these team (in no particular order)

NYR, NYI, NJD, TOR, WAS, CAR, TBL, CHI, PHI

 

I gotta reject this suggestion 100%. The familiarity and chemistry with Zuccarello is strong. They're both still really good together and not playing so cute as last year. 

Why would Kaprizov want a new unknown and essentially sideways move? Maybe the bigger market or spotlight but that's not his personality. 

It struck me initially as a click-bait deal and after that reached "sky is falling" levels. Let's just see if Kaprizov and the Norwegian Hobbit get 100pts and where the Wild end up. 

I don't think he goes to any of those teams you mentioned. FL or VGK have draw-power for elite hockey scoring mercenaries. Those destinations seem way more likely than Jersey or DC. At this point every team in the league is a downgrade. We need to come back to earth on the subject. 

[mnfaninnc]

My thoughts from last night:

Fleury played real well, and was lucky as many shots just hit him. Really, in goaltending, this is typical. Announcers yell great save, or big save, or Forsland saying "Fleury says no," when indeed, they were simply in position for the puck to hit them. I thought Fleury did very well on the longer shots, was square on his angles for the shorter shots, and had a couple of plays where the shooter just happened to shoot it into his glove. Does this take away from Fleury's play? No, he did what he needed to do which was get into position for a puck to hit him correctly.

I'm not sure who's up and who's back in Iowa, but there are times when Jon Merrill should not be played. Last night he looked extremely slow against a faster team. He's steady and rarely gets caught out of position, but he had a hard time catching up and staying with his man. 

Defending: This may be a main difference between the Evason defense and the Hynes defense, it seems that Evason played more of a man to man defense, and the defender followed his guy wherever that may take him. Hynes defense seems to be much more zone oriented, where if a guy skates out of your zone with the puck, you pass him off and look for the other guy filling your zone. I'm seeing a lot more structure away from the puck rather than players chasing the puck. I thought this was a major flaw in Evason's system. I'm also betting this switch will change our defending for the better and help cut down on penalties. 

Hynes continues to like to use Kaprizov on defensive assignments late in games. This means he sees Kaprizov as more of a complete player than just an offensive guy. He is tapping into Kaprizov's desire to win, and I really think it is working out. For all you nay sayers, this may be 1 particular detail that helps convince Kaprizov to stay. Not only is his game being treated with respect, it's also pushing him forward as the leader of the team. For ODC, this, I think, means more to Kaprizov than a C. He wants to win and sees himself as the best chance to win and wants the ice.

[OldDutchChip]

2 minutes ago, Protec said:

I gotta reject this suggestion 100%. The familiarity and chemistry with Zuccarello is strong. They're both still really good together and not playing so cute as last year. 

Why would Kaprizov want a new unknown and essentially sideways move? Maybe the bigger market or spotlight but that's not his personality. 

It struck me initially as a click-bait deal and after that reached "sky is falling" levels. Let's just see if Kaprizov and the Norwegian Hobbit get 100pts and where the Wild end up. 

I don't think he goes to any of those teams you mentioned. FL or VGK have draw-power for elite hockey scoring mercenaries. Those destinations seem way more likely than Jersey or DC. At this point every team in the league is a downgrade. We need to come back to earth on the subject. 

Zuccy is old. He is 37 now. And his contract will expire the same year as Kap's.

I already mentioned many times why he will move. Recap - He gave it all to MN, he tried. He did not force his way out. But it will be his time to move on. He will be in his prime and he will pick a place that is best suited for him and his family. Money is not a number one priority so us giving him one million more is irrelevant. Family and Winning and location is important. I think he will look for that elsewhere. 

As for destinations, i think coasts are much more appealing than Vegan to him. There are a lot more russian ties in NY and Philly area than in Vegas. I think that is the likely location for him.

[Will D. Ness]

30 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

Kap will likely pick one of these team (in no particular order)

NYR, NYI, NJD, TOR, WAS, CAR, TBL, CHI, PHI

 

I was peering into a bowl of intestines the other day and I saw that he was going to the Kings.

[OldDutchChip]

3 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

I was peering into a bowl of intestines the other day and I saw that he was going to the Kings.

weather good

LA being LA

sure add it to the destination list

any smart GM should be paying attention and planning

[Citizen Strife]

You know, for being such a "WHY AREN"T THEY KEEPING KAP!?" god fearing guy, ODC sure as shit is convinced he's gone a year before it even matters.

Broken record: wait until July 1st next year.  Nothing of substance can happen until then.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Strong game from Bogo. +3 with the assist to JEE.

The Athletic ranked the Wild ahead of Winnipeg in their top 5 for some reason, which might be associated with Kaprizov. Winnipeg is leading the league in points and has won 4 of 7 games in regulation with the other 3 wins in OT prior to the shootout. Until they lose a game, I would have thought they'd place Winnipeg #1, but they had them #4 behind the Rangers, Stars, and Wild.

Kaprizov will not be thinking about his future until the Wild are done in the playoffs. The Wild should have a strong case for an extension with reinforcements on the way, particularly if they can get beyond the 1st round.

 

[M_Nels]

1 minute ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Strong game from Bogo. +3 with the assist to JEE.

BOGO was a highly underrated FA pickup especially for a 7th rounder going back. Dude is just a solid defender, doesn't make many mistakes and you can count on him to block a shot or box someone out net front. Flashed some good skill on that assist too.

Would hate to see how bad our d-corps would look without him honestly. Hunt, Merill, Chisholm or any of the guys in Iowa are no where near his level as far as defense is concerned.

[Citizen Strife]

It's the "Dead Cat Bounce!"

The puck bounced off the cat on the ice and went onto Ek's stick!

Edited October 25 by Citizen Strife

[Pewterschmidt]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

Why would Kaprizov want a new unknown and essentially sideways move? Maybe the bigger market or spotlight but that's not his personality. 

I'm coming around to this idea because the current group looks to have some emerging stars Faber, Boldy, Rossi who look to have taken a step this year and you can bet 97 has scouts letting him know what's coming in Yurov and Zeev.  Ogz and Khuz are bottom 6'rs for foreseeable future (which is basically 97's timeline during his prime) the Wild could have a solid core of young talent.  1-2 top six free agent acq this off-season and 97 may be convinced to stay.   

[Pewterschmidt]

26 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

Broken record: wait until July 1st next year.  Nothing of substance can happen until then.

This is an overly simplistic take and we can only hope Guerin is not approaching it this way.

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

You know, for being such a "WHY AREN"T THEY KEEPING KAP!?" god fearing guy, ODC sure as shit is convinced he's gone a year before it even matters.

Broken record: wait until July 1st next year.  Nothing of substance can happen until then.

i am a realist what can i say. 

[mnfaninnc]

I am convinced that when Kaprizov evaluates his next deal, he won't be looking at "what have they done" but "what can they do?" He will be looking forward wanting to win a championship, whether here or somewhere else. Some of the teams on the ODC list are past their window or nearing its end. I believe before he gets there, Ovechkin will retire and Washington goes into full blown rebuild mode. 

Philly is still a dumpster fire. Jersey makes a lot of sense. I could see him wanting to play in Toronto, but only slightly. I simply do not see the Chicago thing. TBL's run is coming to an end. NYI is simply no, NYR I can see a possibility but I just don't think that's him. Carolina is more his style. 

Now, who's going to have cap for him? Not to many of those unless not only do we have to watch him go with tears, we also have to swallow bad contracts? I just don't see Guerin able to do that and it may cost him his job. This may require OCL in meetings with Kaprizov. 

I still think that right here is going to be his best chance to win. This team is on the move upward. The parts are starting to come together, but there's still a lot of parts laying on the garage floor. But, they are getting closer to being put on the car. I think Kaprizov sees the youth and realizes there is a lot of talent coming in. 

Would he want to live in Detroit? Would he want to live in Ottawa, Buffalo? How about Utah? Those are the franchises that may be about ready to go. Maybe even Vancouver. I just don't buy into the list of large east coast cities as his preferred destination. 

One good thought might be finding out what his girlfriend wants.

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

I am convinced that when Kaprizov evaluates his next deal, he won't be looking at "what have they done" but "what can they do?" He will be looking forward wanting to win a championship, whether here or somewhere else. Some of the teams on the ODC list are past their window or nearing its end. I believe before he gets there, Ovechkin will retire and Washington goes into full blown rebuild mode. 

Philly is still a dumpster fire. Jersey makes a lot of sense. I could see him wanting to play in Toronto, but only slightly. I simply do not see the Chicago thing. TBL's run is coming to an end. NYI is simply no, NYR I can see a possibility but I just don't think that's him. Carolina is more his style. 

Now, who's going to have cap for him? Not to many of those unless not only do we have to watch him go with tears, we also have to swallow bad contracts? I just don't see Guerin able to do that and it may cost him his job. This may require OCL in meetings with Kaprizov. 

I still think that right here is going to be his best chance to win. This team is on the move upward. The parts are starting to come together, but there's still a lot of parts laying on the garage floor. But, they are getting closer to being put on the car. I think Kaprizov sees the youth and realizes there is a lot of talent coming in. 

Would he want to live in Detroit? Would he want to live in Ottawa, Buffalo? How about Utah? Those are the franchises that may be about ready to go. Maybe even Vancouver. I just don't buy into the list of large east coast cities as his preferred destination. 

One good thought might be finding out what his girlfriend wants.

Alright my friend i'll bite - just got my advent calendar of peaty drams open so i'm ready to roll-

WAS - is likely my least favorite destination, so i'll concede

PHI - dumster fire is correct but let's look deeper, shall we? we have a good size russian community, a great russian phenom playing in mitchkov, a possibly great pick this year and what do you say, did they just hire a very popular russian coach Oleg Znarok for their scouting dept, the very coach is loved by all russians and Kap too? i guess i'd add that bit of news to the "dumster fire" line - might be worth a worry?

NJ - yeap playing with Hughes, battling other NY team and Panarin and just east coast vibe that no doubt appeals to all russian players

TOR - oh imagine Matthews and Kap teaming up to bring the cup to Toronto, very interesting

Who is going to have cap? well all of them! why can't they? every one of those teams can clear salary or most of them won't even need to do that, their cap sheet is better than ours! yes, surprise!

Would he want to live in Detroit? Would he want to live in Ottawa, Buffalo? How about Utah? Those are the franchises that may be about ready to go. Maybe even Vancouver. I just don't buy into the list of large east coast cities as his preferred destination. i wouldn't want to live in ottawa, buffalo, detroit either, and he won't sign there so that's ok to remove

One good thought might be finding out what his girlfriend wants. likely the list i've shared but let me include a few more - NY, PHI, CHI, FL, TBL, CAR, NJ, BOS