Article: The Wild Must Exercise Patience With Liam Ohgren

[OldDutchChip]

4 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

How the F do you know? It’s crap comments like this that mucks up comments amongst rational fans.

you think you are a rational fan? 

[FredJohnson]

8 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

you think you are a rational fan? 

Tell me how I’m irrational.

[OldDutchChip]

3 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

Tell me how I’m irrational.

i think that question would be best answered by your therapist or mama

adios amigo

[FredJohnson]

Just now, OldDutchChip said:

i think that question would be best answered by your therapist or mama

adios amigo

You so burned me with your rational comment.

[Citizen Strife]

Can't believe I'm the one saying this, but I think that's veering into personal attacks a bit too much, and you guys should probably stop.

[Will D. Ness]

While I had high hopes for Ohgren beginning the season, but it did look like he was taking the similar path of Rossi his first year...  no confidence and looking like a deer in the headlights.  

Conner McDonald might have given us a blessing in disguise with that elbow though because Ohgren looks like he might be ready to seriously challenge the low bar of beating out NoJo.  

If not, I'm still liking his size and speed and if he is on the same path as Rossi, then we should be optimistic.  

[Burnt Toast]

5 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

How patient will Guerin be?

How about OCL? I have a sinking feeling he’s going to go for some big trade/push the chips in move. I guess a bunch of people think the Wild are a player away from a Cup. That would be nice. Personally I’d rather keep developing the younger guys. We’re so close to the P&S era finally being done with. Just ask Kap, probably whatever he wants OCL better comply with. 

[FredJohnson]

24 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

How about OCL? I have a sinking feeling he’s going to go for some big trade/push the chips in move. I guess a bunch of people think the Wild are a player away from a Cup. That would be nice. Personally I’d rather keep developing the younger guys. We’re so close to the P&S era finally being done with. Just ask Kap, probably whatever he wants OCL better comply with. 

I wondered how much OCL pushed GMCF to trade prospects and picks for NHL roster players back in the day. (Or was it GM Ryan Suter?)

[Burnt Toast]

10 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

I wondered how much OCL pushed GMCF to trade prospects and picks for NHL roster players back in the day

I bet Russo knows. But he ain’t talking. The thing is the buyouts have restricted “Buy now at all costs”, to a degree. So many amazing moves have gone almost flawlessly (lucky even?) the last few years. Drafting, trades, even a waiver wire add, crazy. Those restrictions are almost over. When is it time for a VGK JE move? I’m not sure. There are almost 200 top 6 forwards playing in this league. I don’t want just any mid tier addition. I want the Wild to get a really really good player at just the right time. 

[FredJohnson]

9 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

I bet Russo knows. But he ain’t talking.

Russo may very well know. I know he knows the story behind Josh Harding injuring his foot…another one he hasn’t talked about.

[MacGyver]

Russo also knows who shot JFK. I'm on board with a trade that doesn't burn the team down. Great if we can get Tuch here but moving Rossi to get him is a no go. But first Buffalo has to agree to move him and I have some doubts they would. One of their best players who still has some years left and he loves it there. It may not be the Tuch we get here that Buffalo has now. Players are not always plug and play. Taking a player from playing on a team and a place he loves and putting him on a team that has booted him once before he may lose some motivation.  I'm glad the Brady Tkachuk talk has calmed down that was always a pipe dream and was never going to happen. 

Boeser does not move the needle in my opinion but I have a feeling this is what we are going to get. As far as Kaprizov goes he may have already made up his mind on what he will do. If it is leaving this team it most likely has nothing to do with money or how we are currently playing or seeing a good future with Yurov and prospect XY and Z  maybe his girlfriend needs the bright lights somewhere else. Russo probably knows for sure. 

Ek is missing more and more games as he progresses through the years. Injuries turn into nagging injuries. He is not going to change his style of play and he won't like a diminished role. His effectiveness is starting to wain and I don't think this is going to improve. Frankly I'm concerned about Kaprizov's injury as well. When he first went out it was day to day. Seems like a long time ago since he's played. Because it is. They are certainly not rushing him back but I doubt he likes being kept out if he feels he should be playing. Has their been a word from him since he's been out? He will get targeted in the playoffs regardless of who we have as a deterrent. A superstar who has missed this much of the season with injuries is blood in the water to the opposition.  I must be channeling mnfan with a post this long!🍻

Edited January 22 by MacGyver

[FredJohnson]

3 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Russo also knows who shot JFK

It was Big Foot.

[Mateo3xm]

9 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

buffalo is out of the race, they are likely needing another tear down. they will be keeping their D and their goalie is solid. maybe they are looking to get some solid prospects? let them pick from ANYONE not named Zeev/Yurov. Leave Rossi out. Who knows. It won't hurt to inquire. 

Buffalo is one of the youngest teams in the nhl. They don’t need to tear down. They have elite talent but all of it hasn’t hit their prime years yet.

[Fezig]

I do enjoy all the "we need to trade for" comments when we have no idea what the other GM's are demanding in return. I think the Twins lack of movement has got the Wild fans scared. 

[OldDutchChip]

9 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

Buffalo is one of the youngest teams in the nhl. They don’t need to tear down. They have elite talent but all of it hasn’t hit their prime years yet.

so they have what some may call "Minnesota" syndrome - believing that they are gifted never ending elite prospect line that is almost there and decade plus of playoff success futility! 🙂 

but in actuality - a GM, whose job is on the line (as it very much is with Sabres GM), may entertain a trade that buys him time....sell the new vision and keep your job - you do that by being a bit more aggressive with you approach. Tage stays, Tuch leaves. 

Who knows. We shall see. 

[M_Nels]

10 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

but in actuality - a GM, whose job is on the line

I don't think Billy's seat is even lukewarm yet.

[M_Nels]

16 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

but in actuality - a GM, whose job is on the line (as it very much is with Sabres GM),

Sorry ODC I think I misunderstood your sentence here in my other reply.

I thought you were saying Billy's job was on the line just like Sabres GM's is.

[OldDutchChip]

25 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

I don't think Billy's seat is even lukewarm yet.

it wasn't Billy i was thinking off with my statement

[OldDutchChip]

21 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Sorry ODC I think I misunderstood your sentence here in my other reply.

I thought you were saying Billy's job was on the line just like Sabres GM's is.

i know that the likelihood is not good, but there might be a chance. i am just hoping Billy is letting it known that is he interested and is not focused only on one thing - getting Brock Nelson. which i think he may be. 

Edited January 22 by OldDutchChip

[mnfaninnc]

On 1/21/2025 at 12:49 PM, Willy the poor boy said:

Yurov (who likely has been getting his minutes cut to develop youngsters who will replace him) should be a top 6 forward sooner rather than later.

I don't think this is the case for Yurov. He consistently leads the team in SOGs but isn't on at least their primary PP. He probably should be. His TOI wasn't bad last I checked. I think the thing we aren't seeing is he's got a really low shooting% and his linemates aren't potting rebounds when he misses. 

Metallurg is in a little different situation. They are defending champions currently somewhere in the middle of their division and conference. I think they can catch Traktor for the top spot, but they only have about a month left in their season to do so. I would think, for them, another banner would outweigh the politics in this particular situation. Their owners are also competitive!

[mnfaninnc]

On 1/21/2025 at 1:08 PM, IllicitFive said:

Hopefully a few more games like he had against the Avs will solidify the idea he belongs and can play at this level.

This is golden. Confidence is a real intangible. Ohgren's body language while he's been up this year has said "I don't know if I belong." Perhaps having some success against a division rival will help him realize this.

I also don't think he realizes how strong and fast he really is. This probably also plays from confidence, but the guy is ripped. He should be banging into bodies and sending them flying. But he's not suggesting confidence is an issue. He's only 20. It would probably go a long way for a guy like Ek to mentor him. Ek's got a perfect perspective of development to share in his native tongue. 

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

They've been building towards 2025 for years now and I don't see a good path to adding a major talent at the trade deadline when the Wild have less than $1M in cap space to work with.

What really needed to happen was for Spurgeon's injury to put him on LTIR until April. That would allow us to be accumulating some space and replacing $7.5m with a player such as Miller. If we were going to add at the deadline, it was always going to require a top paid player on LTIR for a significant time to finish the season. 

Of course, this could have been accomplished by not announcing that Spurgeon's injury was only a 2-3 week deal. You could have immediately put him on there and told him to limp consistently on one leg whenever in public. But, this was not to be. 

Without some magical beans, throwing antibiotics at the problem, and getting other teams to eat cap, I just don't see how this is the year to do it. I certainly wouldn't want to put Kap on the shelf until April to get him another player. That might backfire into missing the invitation. 

[MNCountryLife]

On 1/21/2025 at 12:10 PM, Pewterschmidt said:

if 97 walks

We can't be scared of this.  If 97 really wants to walk because he wants to live somewhere else he will do it no matter what we do.  You can't think like that.  You build the best team the best way possible and let the chips fall where they may.  Yes, I really do hope 97 sticks around... and why wouldn't he.  He is an idol here and will have a few Russians to relate to and a good locker room and fans that appreciates him.

Edited January 22 by MNCountryLife

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

ok so why is it impossible to get Tuch? seriously tell me? If Buffalo says OK

we retain half and another team picks up a 2nd round pick for a mil. 

I think for retention of $1m, you're looking more at a 6th rounder than a 2nd. For $3m, that might get you a little closer, but I still think it's in the 3rd-4th round category. 

I think Tuch is the far most possible piece to get short of Spurgy having a setback until April and having to hit LTIR.

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I'm not saying it's impossible to get Tuch, but if the Wild trade out Rossi(who has more goals and more assists) and a 2nd round pick to do that, how much better does that actually make the Wild?

who's suggesting trading out Rossi for this? I know I'm saying strictly futures and maybe a contract.