Article: If Vinnie Hinostroza Can Replace Ryan Hartman, Why Do the Wild Have Ryan Hartman?

[Pewterschmidt]

21 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Lauko has a nagging injury that is decimating what is a solid enough showing as a 4th line guy

Lauko’s injury woes might be just enough to get him to resign at a team friendly price and term.  No 5x5 with nmc Guerin.  Sign him to a one year price it deal for next year.  Need to offset the 3.5 we’re posting the Russian rag ass.  But P-drizzle he scored last night.  Blind squirrel finds nut.  

[Pewterschmidt]

6 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Lauko’s injury woes might be just enough to get him to resign at a team friendly price and term.  No 5x5 with nmc Guerin.  Sign him to a one year price it deal for next year.  Need to offset the 3.5 we’re posting the Russian rag ass.  But P-drizzle he scored last night.  Blind squirrel finds nut.  

Price it = prove it

[Protec]

So I've liked Big Yak since he played for NSH. He was always pestering the Wild puck-hounding or engaging in physical battles. He had some flashes too where he'd score on a breakaway. My interest was in his size and strength MN didn't have. At the time he was around 1.7M, I think? 

GMBG doubling his AAV to secure him through free agency has been sold as an overpay. He's currently sitting at 0.24ppg. This is -0.02ppg below his career average. Guerin knows more about the cap and where that was headed than us. Trenin's number wouldn't have made the Wild's 24/25 season way easier to navigate, had it been 2.75M. It might have reduced the reflux about his production but the decision to sign him was never an expectation that he'd become Treninsenko and wear #91. 

I agree watching him for fifty games, his highlight reel is gonna be short and sweet. What he said in his interview with MN after signing was something I liked. MN was easy to play against. Look at NSH and the Wild today. Just sayin, Trenin isn't the reason MN loses games or why they have cap issues. Some might think he's a bum or is overpaid but I believe he's a player that hardens your team. 

I've liked him on a line with Knudi and I see him as a Foligno insurance policy AND multiplier. When they're both going/healthy you can assemble two lines with a big man OR put them together on the wings. 

I love making fun of things, so I'm not defending Trenin form that.(Little fact, his middle name is Vyacoslavovich. Gonna need a nickname for sure.😆) I am gonna defend his value and Guerin's contracts. The Wild aren't bad and never signed guys to big, nasty contracts that have soured or become problems right away. You actually have to propagandize that message on a hockey chat website for two years and people still don't buy it.(Hehe, HW.com🙃)

Super-long post because I've stayed out of most debate recently. I think the Wild are slowly but surely growing into a team with a great opportunity. Looking at neverending rebuilds and wheels falling off organizations around the NHL, I'm just fine with the undersized Rossis or overpayed Trenins of this team... 

[Protec]

P.S. Hartzy and Hinistroza could be a nice energy 4th line late in the year and IA has room for either guy since Sammy moved to Utah. 😊

[Pewterschmidt]

14 minutes ago, Protec said:

I'm just fine with the undersized Rossis or overpayed Trenins of this team.

I hope we can keep Rossi and have him in our middle six under contract for next 3 years.  Kid is a gamer and he can create offense with whoever he’s with.  And he can finish!   Can’t teach that. 
re: trenin, I don’t think anyone expected offense from him.  We did expect physically intimidating play given his large frame.  What we’ve learned is his skating is sub par and his hands make Foligno look like fred.  Again that’s ok if he’s scaring opponents with physical intimidation.  I’m not seeing any of that from him.  I don’t think he’s got that in his dna.  If he’s fighting for a contract he can play that way, but we’ve seen that once he’s locked in a contract his real personality emerges (see healthy scratch)

i got so tired of watching NoJo pretend to be an nhl’r I can’t even complain about him anymore.   I’m not there yet with trenin but I can see it down the road.  And then every 10th game where trenin plays with a pulse and everyone says see P-stains he’s not that bad I’ll just play along. 

Edited February 9 by Pewterschmidt

[Pewterschmidt]

15 minutes ago, Protec said:

Hinistroza

Fire brewed makes <1M

 that’s how you fill out a fourth line.  Not $3.5M for a healthy scratch.  
i can’t stop

[Protec]

2 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I hope we can keep Rossi and have him in our middle six under contract for next 3 years.  Kid is a gamer and he can create offense with whoever he’s with.  And he can finish!   Can’t teach that. 
re: trenin, I don’t think anyone expected offense from him.  We did expect physically intimidating play given his large frame.  What we’ve learned is his skating is sub par and his hands make Foligno look like fred.  Again that’s ok if he’s scaring opponents with physical intimidation.  I’m not seeing any of that from him.  I don’t think he’s got that in his dna.  If he’s fighting for a contract he can play that way, but we’ve seen that once he’s locked in a contract his real personality emerges (see healthy scratch)

Hynes said he thought Trenin reaction to that was good. He's had two goals since and seems engaged to me. That's a small window so not hugely going against your point but I am saying there's those underlying numbers and unseen effects with him. Look at Nashville this year and Minnesota. It's like it switched and the team who has Trenin wins more hockey games. Can't really quantificate on that and maybe it's just co-inky-dink but for me, I think Hynes and Guerin like Trenin in a weird way that I prefer greatly over their affinity for NoJo. Plus the Wild are winning so I'm not gonna get too hung up on anything other than Swede-bums with neck-beards. 

[Citizen Strife]

Wins and losses are caused by a myriad of things large and small all game.  Pretty much the same team last year that was fighting and failing to reach playoff contention is staying solidly above water despite the same or worse injury luck, severely cripplingly ineffective special teams units, and the usual lack of secondary scoring.

Hynes has them winning, which is more than I could say for them last year.  Part of that is overall better play by the right people (Goalies, Gaudreau, Middleton, Rossi) and people returning (Spurgeon, Foligno), but everyone has an impact somehow.

Edited February 9 by Citizen Strife

[Pewterschmidt]

23 minutes ago, Protec said:

quantificate

🏆

[Burnt Toast]

40 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

🏆

I think this is on the Wild’s radar. I think the current GM is sincere about wanting to win it all. He’s also expressed it’s hard to pull off. Wild’s team winning percentage the last 15 years. 548% Good for 9th. Team playoffs? Just around 235% or about 1 win in every 4 attempts. Bottom 3 team. I see the Wild’s next 3 seasons as something new and different with a really strong team by 2027. 

[Enforceror]

6 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Also, since this article is based on Hinostroza, why is he playing on our #1PP unit? I paid attention to him a lot last night and have to say he looks very comfortable in a Wild uniform. The premise of this article is very real. 

I thought Hinostroza looked better than Shore, Jones, Gaunce and Boyd. I also think he skates better than Hartman, and, to me, looks like maybe a better player. My hope is that Hartman heals up his body in the time off. But, I've liked what I've seen from Hinostroza. 

So, with this guy's salary, why not keep him around? Hartman could be expendable, or maybe, if he and Hinostroza are good friends, Vinnie can talk Hartzy off the ledge as games go on? 

Just for clarification: Did we bring Vinnie in with Lauko on IR, or did we jettison Dermott too so that his cap number would fit in? With our D now healthy again, and Jiricek being a pretty good callup, I'd recommend letting Dermott go.

I am pleasantly surprised by Vinnie. I saw crisp passing, heads up awareness, good fight on the boards. In an interview, Foligno mentioned he's played against him several times and wondered why he wasn't a full time nhl'r. For the price tag, I can think of a few players he seems like an upgrade for. Small sample size though, time will tell.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

23 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Just for clarification: Did we bring Vinnie in with Lauko on IR, or did we jettison Dermott too so that his cap number would fit in? With our D now healthy again, and Jiricek being a pretty good callup, I'd recommend letting Dermott go.

Looks like Dermott is still on the Wild. If they have thoughts of trading away Chisholm for a F, that might be a reason to keep Dermott around as 7th D until Buium's NCAA playoffs end.

With the March 7th trade deadline looming, I wonder if we will see some trades happen over the 4 Nations break. NHL starts up again February 22nd.

[MNCountryLife]

On 2/9/2025 at 9:03 AM, mnfaninnc said:

I thought Hinostroza looked better than Shore, Jones, Gaunce and Boyd. I also think he skates better than Hartman, and, to me, looks like maybe a better player. My hope is that Hartman heals up his body in the time off. But, I've liked what I've seen from Hinostroza. 

I really disliked this pick.  But I have to agree with you.  Vinnie has looked good and better than much of our team.  Really makes you wonder how much of our roster is expendable. 

[M_Nels]

22 hours ago, Protec said:

So I've liked Big Yak since he played for NSH. He was always pestering the Wild puck-hounding or engaging in physical battles. He had some flashes too where he'd score on a breakaway. My interest was in his size and strength MN didn't have. At the time he was around 1.7M, I think? 

I'm glad I'm not the only one remembering him being a huge thorn in the side for the Wild. He's like an old lumberwagon in the winter, took him awhile to get going but he's really hummin' now.

[M_Nels]

18 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

I really disliked this pick.  But I have to agree with you.  Vinnie has looked good and better than much of our team.  Really makes you wonder how much of our roster is expendable. 

Oh now don't ask that to a few posters on here..we wouldn't have a team other than Kaprizov and Brodin

[Sam]

37 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Really makes you wonder how much of our roster is expendable. 

That would really depend on who you ask. 

[mnfaninnc]

42 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Really makes you wonder how much of our roster is expendable. 

Wouldn't this be the very definition of placeholders?

[Pewterschmidt]

56 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Vinnie has looked good and better than much of our team.  Really makes you wonder how much of our roster is expendable. 

Beware the first impression of new guy on new team.  Let's check back after 15-20 games before we start replacing our top six with this career AHL'r.  

[MrCheatachu]

24 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Beware the first impression of new guy on new team.  Let's check back after 15-20 games before we start replacing our top six with this career AHL'r.  

Rem Pitlick had a natural hat trick for the Wild in his 5th game after being picked up off waivers.  He played 20 total games for the wild before he ended up on waivers again (and claimed by the Habs) for Dewey/Dewey.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Let's check back after 15-20 games before we start replacing our top six with this career AHL'r.  

Uh, Vinnie has nearly 5 seasons worth of NHL games played in the last 8 years. It's not like he is now just getting his first steps on NHL ice. I get that he was cut by a team not performing well this season, but it's hard to fully understand this type of disrespect for the Vinnie addition. Given the Wild's cap space and injury situations, Vinnie seems like a nice pickup.

Since his age 22 season, Hinostroza has just 117 AHL games and 382 NHL games. He seems like a better and younger player than Johansson(who has only topped 30 points in a season once since he turned 27), even if Vinnie didn't start his career seeing ice with Ovechkin to boost his early career stats.

Vinnie has been more productive on a per 60 basis than Johansson in the NHL over the last 8 seasons, including the most recent 4.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, MrCheatachu said:

Rem Pitlick had a natural hat trick for the Wild in his 5th game after being picked up off waivers.

With each of those Pitlick goals setup by Hartman, two being steals by Hartman to setup breakaways. Hartman has a bunch of quality setups this season that haven't been converted into goals or his stats would look a little better.

I know that has little to do with your post, but Hartman generally seems undervalued by fans. I thought he played quite well last season and while he might not be having his best year, I think he still has value for the Wild. Hopefully he plays inspired hockey upon his return from suspension.

[FredJohnson]

On 2/9/2025 at 10:48 AM, Pewterschmidt said:

i got so tired of watching NoJo pretend to be an nhl’r I can’t even complain about him anymore.

Bet you can!!

[FredJohnson]

Hartmann likely to be shopped this offseason.

[MrCheatachu]

19 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Uh, Vinnie has nearly 5 seasons worth of NHL games played in the last 8 years. It's not like he is now just getting his first steps on NHL ice. I get that he was cut by a team not performing well this season, but it's hard to fully understand this type of disrespect for the Vinnie addition. Given the Wild's cap space and injury situations, Vinnie seems like a nice pickup.

Since his age 22 season, Hinostroza has just 117 AHL games and 382 NHL games. He seems like a better and younger player than Johansson(who has only topped 30 points in a season once since he turned 27), even if Vinnie didn't start his career seeing ice with Ovechkin to boost his early career stats.

Vinnie has been more productive on a per 60 basis than Johansson in the NHL over the last 8 seasons, including the most recent 4.

In his first 20 games with the Wild after being acquired at the TDL, MoJo had the following stat line: 6 goals, 12 assists, +6.

This board is driving me nuts making me defend MoJo all the time...

Vinnie's been on 8 NHL rosters and is yet to find one that has sticked, he's had 25% of the league's front offices and coaching staff take a look at him and say 'we can do better.'   I'm pleased at how the guy's looked over TWO games, but before we sign him to a $5Mx5 full movement protection contract, let's pump the brakes and get a slightly larger sample size.

Also, I'm not sure that performance justifies your statement that Vinnie has been more productive on the x/60 stats for the past 4 seasons:

[Imyourhuckleberry]

27 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

Also, I'm not sure that performance justifies your statement that Vinnie has been more productive on the x/60 stats for the past 4 seasons:

I was only looking at points/60, and Vinnie is ahead of Johansson over the last 4 years combined. Johansson also gets placed in a lot of the most beneficial places on the Wild, particularly for a guy who doesn't routinely see ice time with Kaprizov. Playing with Boldy and Eriksson Ek should make it easy to score 40+ points, but he goes long stretches without even tallying assists while playing with 2 of the Wild's top goal scorers.

I didn't say anything about giving Strohs a long-term extension, I'm saying that he's a solid pickup because he outscores someone on the roster who plays top 6 minutes despite Vinnie often playing more depth roles. Someone called him a career AHLer when he's played far more games in the NHL in the last 8 seasons. He looks like he fits in well at the NHL level and he's on a minimum deal.

Just think we shouldn't 2nd guess the waiver add so much. I believe the announcers said he was leading the AHL in points/game(I just confirmed 33 points in 26 games is tops in the AHL this season on a per game basis by a fairly wide margin, and he was leading the AHL forwards on his team with a +7 in plus/minus) when he was called up to Nashville. I'm guessing they didn't want to lose him when they sent him down, but the Wild had a need, so they added him.

Do you think Johansson would tally more than a point per game in the AHL? I sure don't, even if they played him 18 minutes per night. He gets most of his points on simple passes that all these guys could make when they were in juniors. He rarely does anything that stands out as impressive, but sometimes he does finish an excellent setup or makes a drop pass that his elite linemates bury.