Article: Will David Jiricek Make His Wild Debut Soon?

[Thomas Williams]

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[RedLake]

Hopefully he's here to stay.

[Pablo]

Get him some minutes tonight. We need his heavy shot to light it up!! Any definitive word on Fabers injury yet?

[mnfaninnc]

Good news for the Wild tonight, this is 'Rado's 3rd game in a 3/4 scenario. They lost to Chicago last night. 

Any Brock Faber injury updates?

I will be excited to see Jiricek play tonight, hoping for a few nice bodychecks on D. 

Up top, it's not Midsy on LTIR, it's Grapes. 

And on that topic, I was aware that the cap space was tight, but not this tight. My suspicion is that all call ups will be sent down for the 4 nations holiday and hopefully we accumulate some cap space. To have to put Lauko on LTIR just to fit in Jiricek is a bit concerning. I thought we could swallow about $500k in a trade, but even this is out of the question. 

So, there's a lot of trade banter that happens here, but to get taken seriously, cap needs to be considered. We are in a strict cap in cap out situation right now, and can't even afford callups on ELCs. This likely means that any trading that happens has a 3rd party taking on cap. We did this a couple of years ago even in a playoff chase. Waddell certainly seems like a guy who Shooter has a relationship with. They may be able to loan us some cap space. 

All that is to say that we can't afford much. I realize that Johansson's $2m is part of the problem, and he could be waived or sent to Washington on his full NTC. Guerin may not like to treat players that way, either, but I think Washington is about the only place he would waive for. Tuch looks like the only possible affordable piece and we may even need a 3rd party to help us out with that one....at least for this season. 

The "go for it" mentality sounds great, until reality hits and we realize that there is simply no cap to play with. Our capologist has just shown his hand which is empty. This is why timing is so important. We must temper our expectations to reality whether we like it or not. And, let's face it, a lot of those extensions for cap certainties have NMCs for this season attached to them. Faber has been suggested in trade talks, but his extension kicks in next season and is on an ELC this season. That would only give us $1m out. (rounded)

 

[MNCountryLife]

Jake Middleton on LTIR?  Is that a mis-print in the article?

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

Jake Middleton on LTIR?  Is that a mis-print in the article?

Must be.

Any news about Jo Bro? I guess he was in a lot of pain from blocking a shot last game.

[MNCountryLife]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

Jake Middleton on LTIR?  Is that a mis-print in the article?

MNFanninnc answered.  Thanks.

[mnfaninnc]

One thing I forgot to mention, last telecast, the Wild cameras went into the crowd showcasing some small group. The majority of the group were wearing the '78s, with someone coming down the stairs wearing the white reverse retros.

With what's coming, this is a new Wild roster. It's a new bunch of Wild players. Branding is important, especially when you want national attention and another Winter Classic. 

The time has come to make the reverse retros the actual jerseys of the club, and retire the hunter and red colors. 

1. It makes the team look flashier
2. It's a visual representation of new and improved
3. Companies rebrand their merchandise all the time
4. It will put loads of money into the owner's wallet
5. It draws attention to the eyes, especially from road broadcasts
6. It would immediately be 1 of the top 5 jerseys in the league
7. It just looks right when matched against St. Louis and Chicago
8. It makes Kaprizov look flashy and this is needed for the Hart
9. It draws attention to the team
10. This is a good time to do it, when the X is going to be remodeled

The fans like this scheme better. Give the fans what they want. I think there could be some tweaking of the overall uniform, for instance replacing the stars on the side of the breezers (too close to the Dallas Stars), but this is a winner! I believe the team plays better in the green and yellows. They certainly look faster on the ice.

One thing about the hunter and reds is that they blend into an arena really well. But, on the road, the green and yellows stand out. You can see how well your team travels. Kaprizov is a national star, giving him an extra bit of flash in the stands helps his standing for post season awards. There is so much marketing that can be done with this simple change. Nobody is wearing these colors. Get it done Wild!

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

So, there's a lot of trade banter that happens here, but to get taken seriously, cap needs to be considered.

[Up North Guy]

Faber out due to an elbow to the head on his first shift (concussion?); Brodin out (reason unknown). All per Russo.

[FredJohnson]

2 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think there could be some tweaking of the overall uniform

Get rid of the Man-Bear-Pig logo! A north-woods nature outline would be better than the schlocky 90's era logo we got now.

[Up North Guy]

Just now, Up North Guy said:

Faber out due to an elbow to the head on his first shift (concussion?); Brodin out (reason unknown). All per Russo.

Also MAF out with illness. Baby Wild are in San Diego so unknown who will backup Gus. I think Wally is nursing a minor injury in Iowa so perhaps he can be backup. Don't know how we afford that though.

[FredJohnson]

3 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

Faber out due to an elbow to the head on his first shift (concussion?); Brodin out (reason unknown). All per Russo.

https://www.the-journal.com/articles/wild-list-of-key-injured-players-piles-up-with-defensemen-brodin-and-faber-out-vs-avalanche/
Fook.

I read that Jo Bro blocked a shot towards the end of the last game and was in serious pain. Maybe rubbing a little dirt on it didn't work.

[FredJohnson]

Can Jiricek cover for Faber and Brodin? 😳

[Willy the poor boy]

14 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

https://www.the-journal.com/articles/wild-list-of-key-injured-players-piles-up-with-defensemen-brodin-and-faber-out-vs-avalanche/
Fook.

I read that Jo Bro blocked a shot towards the end of the last game and was in serious pain. Maybe rubbing a little dirt on it didn't work.

Took a slapper right off the ankle!

[FredJohnson]

3 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Took a slapper right off the ankle!

Fook.

[Will D. Ness]

Unreal.  Midds is probably not quite 100% cardio either.

 

[Citizen Strife]

If this game isn't 10-2, or something ridiculous, it will be Gus saying Tuesday was dumb and didn't happen.

Cause the alternative is grabbing some homeless guy out from in front of the X, suiting him up, and taping him to the net.

 

[raithis]

Should be an interesting game.

I hope the Wild wins, but at least if we lose it will give Dean and everyone else that loves to come out of the woodwork and pile on/panic after a loss something to talk about.

Nevermind that the team has one of the best records they've ever had and has had most of its best players hurt, it will be time to burn down everything and start over.  Middleton and Ek aren't likely even at 100% yet and the entire top half of our defense is out, but it will be evidence that the Wild just can't play with the better teams.

Totally can't wait.

I enjoy the different perspectives people have.  I may not agree with everyone, but it causes me to reflect and assess my own opinions and sometimes change them.  But I just dont understand how some people only have something to say when it's a complaint.

[RedLake]

      Good opportunity for Jiricek to shine and take the number 6 spot.  Come on kid kick some ass tonight!!!

[WIWild]

1 hour ago, raithis said:

I just dont understand how some people only have something to say when it's a complaint.

This! It's gotten to the point where I tried the Ignore Users feature of the site and don't regret doing it.

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

Maybe rubbing a little dirt on it didn't work.

Peyton would play!

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Cause the alternative is grabbing some homeless guy out from in front of the X, suiting him up, and taping him to the net.

I'll do it, just call me Goldberg!

[mnfaninnc]

I thought we sent Lambos down. Perhaps we didn't? Yes, Brodin did take one off the ankle and probably gutted through it with adrenaline in the midst of his 163 second shift at the end of the game. Today his ankle looks like a pumpkin once he got the boot off. 

On a separate note, if the Wild are expected to block all these incoming shots, one would think they'd have a little better boot to protect themselves. I haven't bought skates since the '80s, but you'd think there would be some protection improvement since then!