Article: The Wild's Recent Run Confirms That They Are Not Buyers

[Luke Sims]

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[Citizen Strife]

I'll take a playoff berth over last year, given the almost ridiculously similar situation the team ended up with.

[mnfaninnc]

I'm still holding out hope the Wild will figure out a way to get Tuch here. He isn't the final piece of the puzzle, but he will help a lot moving forward. It will likely require the subtraction of a piece, so it would probably be sending another forward somewhere else (likely a Johansson). 

From Guerin's eyes, do you think he can see the liability Johansson is on the 2nd line? One would think it would be fairly obvious.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

12 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'm still holding out hope the Wild will figure out a way to get Tuch here. He isn't the final piece of the puzzle, but he will help a lot moving forward. It will likely require the subtraction of a piece, so it would probably be sending another forward somewhere else (likely a Johansson). 

From Guerin's eyes, do you think he can see the liability Johansson is on the 2nd line? One would think it would be fairly obvious.

For reasons I've mentioned previously, I don't think there's any real hope of that. Tuch seems like someone they want to retain and build around, so the Wild would have to part with a lot to change their minds.

I've lowered the sights to the type of guys who are older and on final year's of their deal, so the cost could be minimal. I believe Nashville and Buffalo both could retain enough salary to allow for them to trade Chisholm for either Nyquist or Zucker.

Either would be a massive upgrade over NoJo, but the cost to the Wild might be a late pick with Chisholm, which I would deem as affordable.

[RedLake]

They Mild should have kept Suter. Now we have Merril.

[Burnt Toast]

As Huck stated I’m interested in Nyquist. There’s plenty of room for him on this team if they resign him. I’m not familiar enough with the Predators plans moving forward but trading Chisholm at this point makes the most sense. I’m excited about what’s possible when the books reset after the season ends. 

[MrCheatachu]

52 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I believe Nashville and Buffalo both could retain enough salary to allow for them to trade Chisholm for either Nyquist or Zucker.

Either would be a massive upgrade over NoJo, but the cost to the Wild might be a late pick with Chisholm, which I would deem as affordable.

Gustav Nyquist?  The guy who puts up very similar stats to MoJo, but doing it on a line with Ryan O'Reilley & Filip Forsburg?

GusGus:

GP	G	A	PTS	PPP	TOI	PPTOI	SOG	HIT	BKS
51	9	11	20	1	17:36	1:36	65	26	20

MoJo:

GP	G	A	PTS	PPP	TOI	PPTOI	SOG	HIT	BKS
45	5	11	16	2	16:00	1:07	68	24	16

MASSIVE upgrade going from MoJo's 0.36 ppg to Nyquist's 0.39 ppg.  Nobody look to see how many empty-net goals Nyquist has this season (4) otherwise you'd see it's just under half of his total goals.

[Dean]

Listening to a bruins hockey show they were saying the wild were interested in Trent Frederick.  Trade Freddy for him a you have a legit 3rd line. Moose , Trenin and Frederick would be a nice checking line.  Marat , lako , Hartman a speedy  4 th line grind line.  You preferably want a right shot center but Frederick would solidify bottom six and probably not cost a ton . They have to get size in there centers. Or they will never go anywhere.
    As far as this off season I don’t see them doing anything big. They don’t have the money like other teams. There’s lots of teams ready to go big game hunting with the new salary cap. I think the wild will get priced out of anything substantial. So Billy needs to make a big trade to shake up the top six . Probably a draft day deal using an Rfa and hopefully a few misfit  veterans . Im guessing Rossi is gone this summer either offer sheeted or traded .

    This season is pointless. They aren’t a cup team or close to it. They don’t have draft picks, money or flexibility in there assets to do anything meaningful.  The one thing Billy does do well is waste kappys prime years. . How many more injuries and damage is kappy going to take before Billy puts a team around him. These injuries are going to start catching up to him and that explosive kappy will be a thing of the past.  Wasted  in the Freddy g era. Of overpaying bottom six guys you cant trade . 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

4 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

Gustav Nyquist?  The guy who puts up very similar stats to MoJo, but doing it on a line with Ryan O'Reilley & Filip Forsburg?

I've seen the 2 guys play before. I know he's having a down year, as is the entire Nashville team, but he's far more creative with the puck then Johansson. Also, Johansson is on a like with JEE and Boldy, so it's not like he's completely lacking opportunities for points with the Wild. Those guys are 60+ point scorers.

I seem to recall one of Nyquist or Johansson exceeding 20 goals and 70 points as recently as last season. Which one of them was that again?

 

 

[MrCheatachu]

5 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I seem to recall one of Nyquist or Johansson exceeding 20 goals and 70 points as recently as last season. Which one of them was that again?

The 35 year old who's -19 this season, even though ROR and Forsberg are on pace with last season?  I'm sure his dip in production is something else though, and we'll get the 20 goal scorer, right....RIGHT?

MoJo ⥊ GusGus is swapping the same damn player.

[Burnt Toast]

26 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

Gustav Nyquist

I’m basing wanting him for his playoff history. The Preds are a train wreck this year. I do think he can bring more to the table than Mojo. 

[SkolWild73]

12 minutes ago, Dean said:

Listening to a bruins hockey show they were saying the wild were interested in Trent Frederick.  Trade Freddy for him a you have a legit 3rd line. Moose , Trenin and Frederick would be a nice checking line.  Marat , lako , Hartman a speedy  4 th line grind line.  You preferably want a right shot center but Frederick would solidify bottom six and probably not cost a ton . They have to get size in there centers. Or they will never go anywhere.
    As far as this off season I don’t see them doing anything big. They don’t have the money like other teams. There’s lots of teams ready to go big game hunting with the new salary cap. I think the wild will get priced out of anything substantial. So Billy needs to make a big trade to shake up the top six . Probably a draft day deal using an Rfa and hopefully a few misfit  veterans . Im guessing Rossi is gone this summer either offer sheeted or traded .

    This season is pointless. They aren’t a cup team or close to it. They don’t have draft picks, money or flexibility in there assets to do anything meaningful.  The one thing Billy does do well is waste kappys prime years. . How many more injuries and damage is kappy going to take before Billy puts a team around him. These injuries are going to start catching up to him and that explosive kappy will be a thing of the past.  Wasted  in the Freddy g era. Of overpaying bottom six guys you cant trade . 

Frederick is younger (26) than Freddy G (31), but not sure he is better, only bigger.  109 points in 334 games (0.32/g) and Freddy has 138 in 382 (0.36/g).  Also, Frederick's contract is up at the end of the year.  he currently makes 2.3/ mil, and I doubt he takes a pay decrease so will probably get at least 3 mil a year.  Would rather stick with Freddy G at 2.1.

[SkolWild73]

2 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

I’m basing wanting him for his playoff history. The Preds are a train wreck this year. I do think he can bring more to the table than Mojo. 

He is having a down year. but he was tied with Hartman and Zucc with 5 points as our leading scorer in the playoffs 2 years ago. Sad thing is as cheap as he is with a contract of only 3.185, we still couldn't afford it by just sending them Nojo.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

8 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

MoJo ⥊ GusGus is swapping the same damn player.

Johansson has never come close to 40 assists, let alone exceeded 50.

And O'Reilly is -17, so right there with him, as are virtually all of their forwards. The Predators suck this year(they are -35 even strength), which is why the price would be next to nothing.

The Wild likely could keep Chisholm and make the move. I only include him so the price becomes virtually nothing for a guy the Wild are unlikely to retain and Buium is likely replacing in a of couple months anyway.

Nashville has lost 5 in a row and Nyquist might be highly invigorated to move to a playoff team. Maybe he has lost some game, but I'm confident he's still better than NoJo.

[MrCheatachu]

9 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Johansson has never come close to 40 assists, let alone exceeded 50.

In 2008 Zach Parise had 49 assists.  If we're basing it off who a player was, I think Parise's still available.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

18 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

In 2008 Zach Parise had 49 assists.  If we're basing it off who a player was, I think Parise's still available.

Did he have 52 assists in the NHL last season? That seems slightly more relevant to me than 17 years ago.

[MNCountryLife]

Like the article states.  We are not buyers.  We are sellers.  We must accept that.  More to the point => BG needs to accept that.

On D... Sell Merrill and Bogo for draft picks. Play Chisholm and Jiricek and Zeev when he gets up.  (run 7D 11F) if he comes up with Chisholm playing F.

On F...I prefer to Sell Nojo and Freddy for draft picks. Trenin, Shore and Hartman should also be available on the block.  You need at least 2 gone.Play Ogren and Bankier or BG's next favorite prospect.  Yurov steps in when he gets here next season.  

I really dislike what BG did by bringing in Vinnie.. a warm body that adds zilch.  Have some guts to dress 10/11 forwards and 5 dmen.  Give them all loads of ice time.  It's amazing how guys respond when they know there isn't anyone else to step up but them.

[1Brotherbill]

So expiring contracts are Merrill and Johansson.  Not sure who would want those.  Being Merrill doesn't make a ton of money, the only reason he is on this team right now.  You might get something with Johansson but would it be an upgrade, I doubt it.  

There isn't much the team can do to improve at the trade deadline.  They could dip into the elite prospect pool they have but they still wouldn't improve the team much.  

If they make an out of the box trade they might improve the team for next year going forward but it still wouldn't improve the team this year.  

I wouldn't say the Wild are sellers right now but they are not buyers either.  They are just playing hockey, sometimes good sometimes bad. 

[mnfaninnc]

18 hours ago, Dean said:

Im guessing Rossi is gone this summer either offer sheeted or traded .

Just out of curiosity, why do you think Rossi would be offersheeted to a point where the Wild would not match? Just because a guy gets offersheeted, doesn't mean he's gone. It was a great negotiating tool for Carolina when Montreal offersheeted Aho. Waddell promptly matched and went on summer vacation.

If you're looking at how St. Louis got 2 players out of Edmonton, then you'd also have to realize that Edmonton could not afford the offersheet. We've got room for a Rossi bridge deal or a longterm deal if Rossi wants to add value. This wouldn't be the right organization to offersheet, you want to offersheet an organization who has to trade out players just to fit in the contract since they only have a week to do so. 

Which gets me to my next thought: Will the agents be at the 4 Nations' Tourney? I'm guessing that Rossi's agent will be and he and Guerin will have plenty to talk about. We are now in the window where an extension could/should be announced. I think Boldy's deal went fairly quickly. What does Rossi want? I could see him asking for a Boldy type of deal, especially since they are so close in points this season. If you get a longterm deal somewhere in the Eriksson Ek neighborhood, that would be a win-win, I think. For me, that would be worth a designation.

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

I really dislike what BG did by bringing in Vinnie.. a warm body that adds zilch.  Have some guts to dress 10/11 forwards and 5 dmen.  Give them all loads of ice time.  It's amazing how guys respond when they know there isn't anyone else to step up but them.

I think Vinnie is more of an indictment on the depth guys Guerin signed in the offseason. Your Boyds, Joneses, Gaunces, Crottys, etc... Hinistroza was also in the A, and they just plucked him off waivers because he's better than those guys.

Should Guerin have just gone with the kids? We probably agree on this, yes. I especially would like to see Bankier and Haight up before the TDL just to see how they're doing. I might just have them as the extra guy and look at them in practice, but I'd really like to get their debut over with and see how they respond to the bright lights and 18k fans. 

[mnfaninnc]

12 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

I wouldn't say the Wild are sellers right now but they are not buyers either.  They are just playing hockey, sometimes good sometimes bad. 

This is exactly where we're at. If we sell, it's not for pick gain, it's more for the roster spot because someone internally is coming in to take it. Has OgZ done enough to stay? Has he done enough to overtake Johansson? OgZ is improving, but I don't think he's nudged himself past Johansson on the ladder just yet. 

[MNCountryLife]

6 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is exactly where we're at. If we sell, it's not for pick gain, it's more for the roster spot because someone internally is coming in to take it. Has OgZ done enough to stay? Has he done enough to overtake Johansson? OgZ is improving, but I don't think he's nudged himself past Johansson on the ladder just yet. 

Agreed.  We are definitely not buyers.... and we don't want to sell high end talent.  We are sellers to clear roster spots exactly as you stated.  Get some low draft picks in return.  

I disagree with Johansson.  Ogz has passed him by and I don't think it is close.  I'm probably one of the few that likes Bogo and Merrill.  Two big guys that fight it out well and know there limits.  But with Zeev and Jiricek coming up soon the two older guys are out.  I would really like to see Bankier and Haight come up as well.  Which means we need to sell 2 more forwards.  Nojo and Freddy are easy outs.

[MNCountryLife]

16 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think Vinnie is more of an indictment on the depth guys Guerin signed in the offseason. Your Boyds, Joneses, Gaunces, Crottys, etc... Hinistroza was also in the A, and they just plucked him off waivers because he's better than those guys.

Correct me if I am wrong here.  But since we snagged Vinnie off waivers we can't send him down to the A.  Which means he takes a spot for the rest of the year in the N.  That is bad.

[mnfaninnc]

5 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Correct me if I am wrong here.  But since we snagged Vinnie off waivers we can't send him down to the A.  Which means he takes a spot for the rest of the year in the N.  That is bad.

Not necessarily. Instead of sending him back to the A, we have to stick him on waivers and I think he returns to Milwaukee, not Iowa. Of course Nashville could say "just keep him." 

[Scalptrash]

All the ownership cares about is playoff dollars. Everyone under the sun knows this current team is going nowhere in the playoffs. The smart move would be to sit Kaprizov until the playoffs, stop re-signing old, downslope vets, and save some of this extremely valuable cap space for "real" players. The depth of this team is old and older players get hurt more often.

Rush Kaprizov back...for what? Another early exit? How did rushing him back work out every other time he was injured?