Article: The Wild Must Pay Now, Worry Later With Marco Rossi

[OldDutchChip]

3 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

What if he's good at GETTING the team to the playoffs? Because, ya know, ya can't play well (or poorly) in the playoffs if ya don't get there.

So are you saying our current lineup needs no change to top 6 and it'll be fine against Dallas/Colorado/Winnipeg? (that's likely who will play) There is no room to improve? we match up well?

or are you saying that getting our ass kicked in the first round is great for morale and would no doubt make Kap sign off on contract extension in July this year, right after being eliminated in round 1 because Rossi is good? 

Understand that the most important thing for the Wild has NOTHING to do with Rossi. Play well Marco and you'll be given the money. That's it. The number 1 priority is getting Kap out of 1st round and having him comfortable with his line and his team direction right now and in the VERY near future (which equates to his prime). Not 5 years away - NOW.

After one of the most successful seasons in their existence.... after having a Vezina candidate goalie in Gus..... a good to great defense.... not to mention THE best player in the world - we limp out in round 1 AGAIN or do we put a banner up for making playoffs? you saying that we should reward players just for being good and getting us into the playoffs? is that the criteria for MN fans and their teams? 

You don't think Kaprizov, who won EVERYWHERE, wants a bit more? I bet he does. 

 

[FredJohnson]

10 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

So are you saying our current lineup needs no change to top 6 and it'll be fine against Dallas/Colorado/Winnipeg? (that's likely who will play) There is no room to improve? we match up well?

I don't know for sure and neither do you.

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, FredJohnson said:

I don't know for sure and neither do you.

we don't know for sure .... ok but you do have the stats from previous meetings right? us being 0-7 against Jets is nothing to be alarmed at? you saying we can't project how we stack up and the outcome? you going to say it's always a flip of the coin and we may be victorious this time because the gods of the north smiled upon us? 

[Enforceror]

I think the obvious answer is a Mojo replacement. He has looked better this year but still not what we need to get the fireworks going. I'm thinking a 1/2 to 1 ppg player who has some size and 2-way/PK ability would be wonderful for a Boldy, EK, ??? line.

That leaves intact the Rossi, Zucc, KK, line which I think has chemistry and skill. I know size is the argument here but KK can handle himself just fine. Keep Midzy playing D for backup if needed. I've been liking Foligno/Gadreau/Trenin

Lauko/Khus/Mojo could be an interesting line with the amount of speed they bring.

[OldDutchChip]

2 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

I think the obvious answer is a Mojo replacement. He has looked better this year but still not what we need to get the fireworks going. I'm thinking a 1/2 to 1 ppg player who has some size and 2-way/PK ability would be wonderful for a Boldy, EK, ??? line.

That leaves intact the Rossi, Zucc, KK, line which I think has chemistry and skill. I know size is the argument here but KK can handle himself just fine. Keep Midzy playing D for backup if needed. I've been liking Foligno/Gadreau/Trenin

Lauko/Khus/Mojo could be an interesting line with the amount of speed they bring.

I think i'd move Rossi to L2C and have him be with Boldy. Ek needs to come in and protect Kap. Kap cannot and should not be the protector on that line. Logan Stanley or his equivalent is what awaits. At this rate, Logan can sit on all three of them (Zuccy/Kap/Rossi) and eliminate our entire top line in one dump. 

[Enforceror]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

 

• Dallas - lost 7 straight games until winning last game 3-2
• Winnipeg - 8 games loosing streak!
• Colorado - lost 7 of 8 games

lets go with other Western conference biggies

• Vegas - 2W 8L
• Kings - 3W 7L

These are some sobering stats for sure. To add to the data, here are the final scores for the games against these teams this season. Using this season because despite the small amount of roster changes, we're a different team this year IMO.

Dallas: 2-1L, 3-2W

Jets: 2-1L, 4-1L, 5-0L

Avs: ---

Golden Knights: 3-2L

Kings: 5-1L, 4-1L

We seem to be holding our own except vs. Jets and Kings. What makes them our kryptonite? 

[FredJohnson]

14 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

we don't know for sure .... ok but you do have the stats from previous meetings right? us being 0-7 against Jets is nothing to be alarmed at? you saying we can't project how we stack up and the outcome? you going to say it's always a flip of the coin and we may be victorious this time because the gods of the north smiled upon us? 

And that was all on Rossi? (That's how you make it seem by your comments around here.)

[Enforceror]

4 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

I think i'd move Rossi to L2C and have him be with Boldy. Ek needs to come in and protect Kap. Kap cannot and should not be the protector on that line. Logan Stanley or his equivalent is what awaits. At this rate, Logan can sit on all three of them (Zuccy/Kap/Rossi) and eliminate our entire top line in one dump. 

Yeah, I actually agree with that. Boldy/Rossi seem like they could have something and yes, Ek is definitely a better junk yard dog. 

[OldDutchChip]

Just now, Enforceror said:

These are some sobering stats for sure. To add to the data, here are the final scores for the games against these teams this season. Using this season because despite the small amount of roster changes, we're a different team this year IMO.

Dallas: 2-1L, 3-2W

Jets: 2-1L, 4-1L, 5-0L

Avs: ---

Golden Knights: 3-2L

Kings: 5-1L, 4-1L

We seem to be holding our own except vs. Jets and Kings. What makes them our kryptonite? 

i think Avs are there too - imagine them getting Nichushkin and Landesf#k back....

or Stars getting all their players back and also getting Jason R going?

Really i only see the Canadian teams as our "good" matchup if we stand pat

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, FredJohnson said:

And that was all on Rossi? (That's how you make it seem by your comments around here.)

what was all Rossi?

[OldDutchChip]

2 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

Yeah, I actually agree with that. Boldy/Rossi seem like they could have something and yes, Ek is definitely a better junk yard dog. 

that also makes MJ the sacrificial lamb..... win win - let's say its Tuch - he slides into MJ's spot! and makes a very solid second line!

With all the player movement between sabres and wild over the last few years - why not one more? get em MJ and bring Tuch back. They are not going anywhere, some picks and "rebuild" and MJ is what they need to sell to their fans. 

[Enforceror]

4 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

i think Avs are there too - imagine them getting Nichushkin and Landesf#k back....

or Stars getting all their players back and also getting Jason R going?

Really i only see the Canadian teams as our "good" matchup if we stand pat

It'll be interesting to see how they matchup with the Avs on Thursday. They've been pretty hot lately...

[Enforceror]

3 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

that also makes MJ the sacrificial lamb..... win win - let's say its Tuch - he slides into MJ's spot! and makes a very solid second line!

With all the player movement between sabres and wild over the last few years - why not one more? get em MJ and bring Tuch back. They are not going anywhere, some picks and "rebuild" and MJ is what they need to sell to their fans. 

I like this, just unsure how we can make it happen this year with the cap conundrum and without shooting ourselves in the foot for next year and the following few by trading away assets.  In my opinion, we target next year. We are one of the best teams in the NHL currently, and with cap restrictions. KK knows this. Our prospects are going to be icing on the cake if Yurov, Ohgren, Buium, etc. hit the ground running. So without counting on them to make an impact, there is only upside to bringing in a known impact player and slow-rolling the prospects in as they force their way into the lineup.

[OldDutchChip]

5 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

I like this, just unsure how we can make it happen this year with the cap conundrum and without shooting ourselves in the foot for next year and the following few by trading away assets.  In my opinion, we target next year. We are one of the best teams in the NHL currently, and with cap restrictions. KK knows this. Our prospects are going to be icing on the cake if Yurov, Ohgren, Buium, etc. hit the ground running. So without counting on them to make an impact, there is only upside to bringing in a known impact player and slow-rolling the prospects in as they force their way into the lineup.

i think Tuch is doable. he has a very team friendly contract. lets say Sabres retain half this year and we send MJ and unload some picks (anyone but Yurov/Zeev). There is a way to do it. Just takes a good cap guy. Good thing we have one!  ....

 

[Enforceror]

3 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

i think Tuch is doable. he has a very team friendly contract. lets say Sabres retain half this year and we send MJ and unload some picks (anyone but Yurov/Zeev). There is a way to do it. Just takes a good cap guy. Good thing we have one!  ....

Cap space is supposed to go up around $4mil which would give us buying power to pick him up. Nojo is 2m off the books if they dont resign. Merrill comes off at 1.2m. We will need to extend (or not) Rossi, Khus, Chisolm, Lauko.

In 26 we need to extend (or not) KK, Zucc, Gus, Jiricek, Lambos.

I was going to math this out but just realized I don't have the motivation right now....

[MacGyver]

I don't know if even Billy would be stupid enough to shake this team up now. Much less sending Rossi down the road regardless of the return. This team is rolling and beating some of the best teams in the league without our stud Rooskie and two of our best D men. 

Slicing and dicing on this team now would be very ill advised. Chemistry is a very fragile thing and this team has it right now in spades. You can replace players with others who tip the scales at twenty or thirty pounds of more muscle and much better stats but if you lose that chemistry ya got nothing. #Nashville

[Imyourhuckleberry]

3 hours ago, Lern2spell said:

It doesn't need to start with an 8, but needs to start with a 7. Offer should be 8x7.25M. Make a 22 YO turn down $58M.

I think Rossi's people would turn that down due to the 8 year term, but they may be interested in 4-5 years in that salary range, making him free agent eligible at age 27 or 28. Kaprizov signed for 5 years and is nearing a major salary increase, so that could influence that type of decision.

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

I don't know if even Billy would be stupid enough to shake this team up now. Much less sending Rossi down the road regardless of the return. This team is rolling and beating some of the best teams in the league without our stud Rooskie and two of our best D men. 

Slicing and dicing on this team now would be very ill advised. Chemistry is a very fragile thing and this team has it right now in spades. You can replace players with others who tip the scales at twenty or thirty pounds of more muscle and much better stats but if you lose that chemistry ya got nothing. #Nashville

Understood …. Proceeding as is

novice concept for a MN fan…..

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Enforceror said:

Cap space is supposed to go up around $4mil which would give us buying power to pick him up. Nojo is 2m off the books if they dont resign. Merrill comes off at 1.2m. We will need to extend (or not) Rossi, Khus, Chisolm, Lauko.

In 26 we need to extend (or not) KK, Zucc, Gus, Jiricek, Lambos.

I was going to math this out but just realized I don't have the motivation right now....

We’ll need to work him in this year. that’s the big prob. So there’ll need to be some more  players involved, but he is one contract that was doable before all the injuries piled up (speaking to the tight cap standpoint and other teams’ ability to retain salary). hope billy is talking to buffalo

[hydguy75]

8 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

Nah - you don't pay him now - you have to see how he plays in the playoffs, can he handle the intensity and physicality. If its a Yes, and if that brings his value up, then that's fine - he'll get 8.5 either way. But first, see how he performs on the big stage. 

I am still 100% against having him as your L1C right now. He can play the Wing or be L2C but he won't be able to protect Kap and Zuccy. Yes, this has been a fine regular season. Regular season. Playoffs is different.

You wait until season ends. See how the team performs and how each individual performed BEFORE you buy in for the next 5-7 years. You need to plan this out carefully to ensure Kap signs this July. Don't tell me "Kap wants to win and Rossi is a winner and therefore they are a match made in heaven" No. Not yet. It hasn't been proven until it's done in the playoffs. 

Given the Wild's poor track record of throwing money at some players and expecting a deep PO run...this right here is some very smart advice.  The NHL banned super long contracts and we are STILL in the club sin bin as a Cap hit for it.  Let's see the playoff mettle and cohesiveness before tossing dollars around like NBA players making it rain at the local 'Vu.  A streaky few games boost does not make a top line forward.  

[Lern2spell]

30 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I think Rossi's people would turn that down due to the 8 year term, but they may be interested in 4-5 years in that salary range, making him free agent eligible at age 27 or 28. Kaprizov signed for 5 years and is nearing a major salary increase, so that could influence that type of decision.

Rossi is RFA with no arbitration rights. Kaprizov was RFA with arbitration rights, and had just put up one of the best seasons any Wild player has ever had. Big difference.

He might not sign for 8, and a shorter term comes in cheaper, but also means he could become trade bait down the line. Wild need to avoid another Fiala situation, and get this done..

[1Brotherbill]

Pump the brakes a bit on this magical contract that the Wild has to sign.  He has had a bump in the scoring since Kaprizov has been out.  He is still a sub point per game player.  He has the same problem Boldy does that is consistency.  If we find out that at the end of the year he has 60 points we will be saying we should have traded him last off season.

If he scores in the mid to high 80's and is a focal point of the offense for the rest of they year.  They still aren't going to pay him more than the top players in his draft class.  Simply because he hasn't done it for multiple years like they have.  So, somewhere between 8 and 8.5 which is totally possible with what they have to spend.  

That just leaves Marat and Chisholm to figure out what the Wild want to sign.  

[Citizen Strife]

60 point season after a 40 point season last year is not some chump change increase...

[Burnt Toast]

6 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

Not 5 years away - NOW

Remember we’re still $15M in dead cap $. Pretty sure at least one of the big contenders will get some LTIR $ shenanigans going which adds even more disparity. We’re playing well and always have a chance but we’re still a longshot at a deep run this year. No one wants to wait 5 years but I see this team definitely getting better over the next 3 years for sure. I’m all for adding one player at the trade deadline if it’s even possible with how little cap space we’ve accumulated. I’m not ready to hit the panic button yet. We’ve got Gus signed through next year, KK and hopefully some more ELC players on the way. The future has never been brighter . I’m willing to wait for it. I don’t want to experience what the Nashville fans are going through  in the rush to Win Now. 

[FredJohnson]

12 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

what was all Rossi?

That other teams beat us in the playoffs. Was it all Rossi's "fault"?