Article: The Wild Must Develop A Joel Eriksson Ek Contingency Plan

[mnfaninnc]

12 hours ago, MacGyver said:

This franchise has never operated in that way where they sell off players who have been faces of the franchise for years. They held onto Koivu like grim death.

Yet, the 2 locals Billy came in and bought out. This may not have been the way things have happened in the past, but, I think Guerin is more interested in contending shortly. He planned for this by wording his contracts in a certain way. NMCs up front with M-NTCs in the back. 

I think you're right about Ek, he's 28 and gave a huge hometown discount. His play is aggressive and he leaves everything he's got out on the ice. However, Spurgy is up there and his injury sheet is growing. Since the kids are about ready, he may get traded off or offered the chance to retire. I think he'd make a great defensive coordinator inside the organization, but I think his playing days here may be numbered. I wouldn't mind in the least if he did call it a career, but I really think he wants the 1,000 game legacy. If he did retire and move into management, I think Guerin could find a spot for him and make up the rest of the contract. In my book, Spurgeon has earned every penny of that contract. 

 

[MacGyver]

I think in a sense Billy bought out Parise and Suter because those two operated like it was their team. Billy didn't want the internal power struggle. I personally had no problem with that decision I think it was the right thing to do. The return of value you would get for Spurgeon right now would not be much given his age and recent injury history. I don't think even Billy would be willing to embarrass him as a throw in on some trade package given what he has meant to this team over the years and he still is the captain lest we forget. Ek you could still get value for because he still holds a lot of value for us. 

I feel if Billy over steps here and sends either of those two out (which I don't see happening anyhow) I think he messes this team up from a chemistry standpoint at a crucial time of the year. Regardless of who it brings in return. The rest of the team is going to be throwing those wtf glances at each other in the locker room if that happens.  I can see tweaking on this team but no major shakeup.

We have survived the injury plague with Kaprizov and Spurgeon returning tonight. I'm content to place my confidence in this team as is given the way this season has gone. There's something different about this year with no one in the division really separating themselves with the exception of the Jets perhaps but we are holding our own against all the division contenders. Our schedule going forward is quite favorable as well. 

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

I think in a sense Billy bought out Parise and Suter because those two operated like it was their team. Billy didn't want the internal power struggle. I personally had no problem with that decision I think it was the right thing to do. The return of value you would get for Spurgeon right now would not be much given his age and recent injury history. I don't think even Billy would be willing to embarrass him as a throw in on some trade package given what he has meant to this team over the years and he still is the captain lest we forget. Ek you could still get value for because he still holds a lot of value for us. 

I feel if Billy over steps here and sends either of those two out (which I don't see happening anyhow) I think he messes this team up from a chemistry standpoint at a crucial time of the year. Regardless of who it brings in return. The rest of the team is going to be throwing those wtf glances at each other in the locker room if that happens.  I can see tweaking on this team but no major shakeup.

We have survived the injury plague with Kaprizov and Spurgeon returning tonight. I'm content to place my confidence in this team as is given the way this season has gone. There's something different about this year with no one in the division really separating themselves with the exception of the Jets perhaps but we are holding our own against all the division contenders. Our schedule going forward is quite favorable as well. 

Something else to think about is next month the 4 Nations Tourney will give 10 days of recuperation to most of the team. Ek, Gus, Boldy and Brodin are the Wild's participants I think. Brodin is still hurt and may not play. Gus will be the third goalie for Sweden I think also, so he will play sparingly. I would not mind seeing Ek have reduced playing time either.

[MacGyver]

I don't care for these disruptions during the regular season. It's a long hard grind as it is without some players playing in a tournament while others are not. It is an unnecessary imbalance to the schedule and isn't fair to all teams equally. I have said before that without the Russians this tournament it is lackluster. So you have the best players in the league staying home and resting for two weeks while others are playing hard in a tournament and exposing themselves to injury. If the NHL wants to get noticed and gain new fans start with putting your games on tv where people can view them without chasing them all over the broadcast universe. 

[raithis]

Trading Ek would be a bad move.  We are a much weaker team without him in the lineup.

He's also by far our best player when it comes to screening goalies.  He takes the punishment and stays until the last second to give our players a better chance at scoring.  He may not get credit for an assist, but there's a lot of times he's more the reason that the goal was scored than any of the players who got an assist on the goal.

The problem isn't so much that we need to find a replacement.  The problem is that we need a second player on the roster who consistently is willing to go in front of the net and do the same things Ek does.  The next player who does is Rossi, and as much as I like him as a player, he is nowhere near the net-front pest that Ek is.

Long term I'm hoping Stramel or Kumpulainen can help out in that area, but we need someone to help take the load off of Ek in the interim.  Hartman, Foligno, and Trenin do this to a degree, but because they play wing, they tend not to be in that position as often or for very long since they have to cover the boards.  The harder we make it for the opponent's goalie, the easier it will be for our shooters to get picks past him.

While I would like someone with more offensive upside, I find myself considering Nelson more and more because he could help us with more of those assists that don't show up on the scoresheet.