Article: David Jiricek Offers the Wild More Than Raw Talent

[Tony Abbott]

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[1Brotherbill]

So, if we look at the trade as being our 2025 first round pick this is a really good trade.  The other picks would just be trade material or roster fillers in Iowa.  Though it is possible that they could turn out to be stars, it is however unlikely. 

Next year the Wild will have to choose from the following for defenseman.  Faber, Brodin, Spurgeon, Middleton, Bogosian, Buium, and Jiricek.  As much as I like Chisholm he really hasn't seized the opportunity and run with it.  So, I doubt the Wild resign him now.  

Things like this always look good on paper.  We will have to wait and see if it turns out to be what we want.  

[Mateo3xm]

Was a pretty decent amount to give up but I like it. We need size and skill on defense and that’s what this guy has. As a rookie 19yr old in the Ahl he put up some big numbers. Only thing is he needs to work on his defense a bit and his skating.

Luckily for us we have a fantastic skating coach to help him. I think it’s really important for people to give him time to develop. I dont think the Jackets wanted to give him much slack to develop and let him learn from mistakes. He’s 21 now and the start of NHLers prime is early to mid 20s.Defenseman typically take a little longer. 
 

 

[mnfaninnc]

Nice article, nice move. I'd been itching for news since about 3pm this afternoon. The return? It had to be done! This was a win that Guerin needed. The time was absolutely right. I'd like to see him get a few practices in, assess him, and send him down to Iowa to work on some stuff. 

He'll have a friendly face down there in Spacek. My hope now is that Andy Ness dusts off his magic wand and applies it to Jiricek. Jiricek must familiarize himself with our system, with our checks, with our pinches, and with his new teammates. I suspect he will be just fine! 

On the other side, Waddell got what he could. My suspicion is that he didn't like the prospects being offered and went for draft picks instead. It's not his fault any of this happened, previous management really screwed this kid up. 

For Jiricek, pinned on his jersey as he heads to Iowa should be the instructions: Play this man 22+ minutes a night, all situations. Personally, I'd like to have him teamed with Lambos on the #1 pairing. He's got some things to work on that only heavy minutes will produce. Call him up whenever Spurgy needs some maintenance time.

As for our fanbase, we've got to be patient with him. Just put it in your expectation bucket that there will be mistakes, particularly on the defensive side. Cheer for him anyway. If he fills in for Spurgy, he'll have Brodin as a partner, a very calming influence. Please remember he's just turning 21. 

I like the future right side of Faber-Jiricek-Spacek. This was a very nice move. Where else are you going to find a player for a 1st rounder in the 20s? That guy is going to take 5 more years to develop and the same with the subsequent picks. 

More importantly to us, this signals that Shooter has changed course. The flags are blowing and they read "We are now in NOW mode." This is who we're running with. Now we've just got to get them developed. 

[greg]

Well we will see if this works.  It's pretty hard to say Guerin won this trade or made a great deal.  It's assuming Jiricek turns out to be a stud. If not then all the draft picks given away could come back to haunt.  Go Wild!!

[Lovehockey]

I really like the trade BUT two questions:

- like was said before next year we will have Faber, Brodin, Spurgeon, Middleton, Bogosian, Buium, and Jiricek. All of them except Bogosian are top 4 defenders. Who will be 3rd pairing?

- if we are in the “win now” mode as we should be, will having 3 very young defenders be a problem? 

[Burnt Toast]

40 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

More importantly to us, this signals that Shooter has changed course

This is exactly the kind of move I was hoping for. A player that is absolutely not a quick fix rental but a potential long term piece. Getting a big RSD with skill is huge. We need a couple of more upgrades in key positions but suddenly the Wild are in the conversation for contenders. The timing seems right. 

[Citizen Strife]

It fits the timetable perfectly.  It fills a need and future proofs the right side in a way they really needed.  Big defensemen with scoring punch are big gets.  If he gets anywhere close to the hype, it was a big win.

[Enforceror]

Now we need a 2nd line upgrade and we're big fellas. We probably have a defenseman for trade. What's next, I'm in