Article: The Wild Should Go Big Game Hunting This Summer

[Citizen Strife]

As if we could afford Rantanen or Marner like they'd even WANT to come here.  Excuse me while playing Minnesota Tax (extra $2-3m over market price) to pull that one off.

[SkolWild73]

22 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

As if we could afford Rantanen or Marner like they'd even WANT to come here.  Excuse me while playing Minnesota Tax (extra $2-3m over market price) to pull that one off.

Marner has been in Canada. Aren’t the taxes a little higher there than here?

[mnhockeyfan03]

MN sorry is not a high destination free agent market.  Have to get stuff done via trades.

[mnhockeyfan03]

Also absolutely no to Boeser at any cost and only brock Nelson for 4mm per for 3 years.  And don’t trade more than a 4th this year for him.  Everyone in the nhl knows he lives in MN and wants to play here.  Don’t overpay him.  

[Lern2spell]

The significant rise in the salary cap is actually going to hurt the Wild's ability to get better. Before the big rise was announced, the Wild were sitting pretty good with $14M+ dead cap coming off the books and various teams pushed tight up against the existing cap. Now, everyone will get a little bit of breathing room to re-sign players, limiting the pool of available players the Wild may have been able to entice, not to mention more teams bidding on said players. Looking outside the box may be the best way to improve. Use the deep prospect pool to try and get a talented RFA, or maybe even try an offer-sheet on one.

[1Brotherbill]

7 hours ago, Patrick said:

I don't understand this obsession with Boeser. 

Agreed, a lot of it comes from the home town sickness this fan base has.  Boeser can score, if he is open, and all by himself, with nobody around him.  As far as creating a shot he can't do it.  Often considered out of shape and slow.  Do we really want that?

[1Brotherbill]

Never fails with this franchise.  The are stuck in cap hell for years.  A lot of ideal players were in the mix to join Minnesota but they couldn't pull the trigger because of the cap issues.  Eichel would have been nice in Minnesota but we didn't have the money, etc.  

So, we come to an offseason with money to spend and a few tantalizing free agents that will be available.  Problem is every team in the league magically has enough money to sign the top free agents.  So, Minnesota goes from a team with all the leverage to a team with no leverage and no roster spots.  

That is why we end up with Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser in the mix for potential free agents.  Basically nobody else will want them and Minnesota will have money to sign them. 

I would put an offer sheet out for Gabe Vilardi and put that offer at 8 million or maybe less and give up the first round pick.  Sign Rossi for about the same and then figure out Marat and Jiricek. Kirill is for next year.  If there is anything left maybe get old and slow Boeser or Nelson.

The thing with the Hartman and other contracts you can buy them out to free up roster spots. 

[SkolWild73]

5 minutes ago, 1Brotherbill said:

Never fails with this franchise.  The are stuck in cap hell for years.  A lot of ideal players were in the mix to join Minnesota but they couldn't pull the trigger because of the cap issues.  Eichel would have been nice in Minnesota but we didn't have the money, etc.  

So, we come to an offseason with money to spend and a few tantalizing free agents that will be available.  Problem is every team in the league magically has enough money to sign the top free agents.  So, Minnesota goes from a team with all the leverage to a team with no leverage and no roster spots.  

That is why we end up with Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser in the mix for potential free agents.  Basically nobody else will want them and Minnesota will have money to sign them. 

I would put an offer sheet out for Gabe Vilardi and put that offer at 8 million or maybe less and give up the first round pick.  Sign Rossi for about the same and then figure out Marat and Jiricek. Kirill is for next year.  If there is anything left maybe get old and slow Boeser or Nelson.

The thing with the Hartman and other contracts you can buy them out to free up roster spots. 

If you offer sheet for 8 and it isn’t matched, you lose a first, second and third.  Anything over 6.87 is the same.

[Dango]

Well there are alot of MN players in the NHL so i wouldn't just dismiss them because we hype them up, i mean they do put up stats fairly consistently so if you dont use that as a  metric what are you supposed too use ?    I figure were looking for maybe a middle 6er as well as a top 6er .  If a guy can win faceoffs over 50% and put up 40-50 points id have no problem slightly over paying  for that but if youre going big 10-13 mill they better be 2nd on the team . 

[SkolWild73]

3 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

MN sorry is not a high destination free agent market.  Have to get stuff done via trades.

Not really sure about that for hockey.  Not sure any place is a high destination free agent market for hockey, at least for the best players.  Of the top 50-point scorers in the NHL this year, only two signed as free agents.  Matt Duchene signed with Dallas in 2023 for one year and three million after being bought out by Nashville and Dylan Strome signed with Washington in 2022 for one year and 3.5 million after Chicago didn't give him a qualifying offer, making him an UFA.

Most of the top 50 scorers are on the same team that drafted them, with the others coming via a trade.

Players that signed as free agents with the Wild:  Zucc, Spurg, Hartman, Merrill, Trenin, and Freddy G.

Your point if probably true though.  If you want a top player, better odds to trade for them than hope to get them as a FA.

[SkolWild73]

4 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

For just Brady trade Rossi, Faber, Ohgren and a 1st and whatever else they want.

I think just about everyone on this site would love to have B. Tkachuk wearing a Wild sweater, but I would guess that the majority would say your proposal is a little over the top.  

[punch_cut]

34 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

I think just about everyone on this site would love to have B. Tkachuk wearing a Wild sweater, but I would guess that the majority would say your proposal is a little over the top.  

I agree. That loses all credibility when you put Faber in a trade like that.

[Willy the poor boy]

13 hours ago, Lern2spell said:

 Use the deep prospect pool to try and get a talented RFA, or maybe even try an offer-sheet on one.

Never mind I deleted the original, brain fart...

Edited Tuesday at 03:28 PM by Willy the poor boy
Brain fart

[RedLake]

I'd like to see Spurgeons contract gone at trade deadline. 

[Willy the poor boy]

13 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

 

The thing with the Hartman and other contracts you can buy them out to free up roster spots. 

I'm pretty sure you can only have 3 buyouts on the books at a time. That would leave 1 buyout until ZP and RS are off the books in what? 3 years?

[SkolWild73]

15 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

For Buffalo ask for Tuch, Thompson, Samuelson or Jokiharju and trade Rossi, Boldy, Faber and 1st or 2nd pick.  

I am starting to think you post some of these trade ideas to troll.  If we would offer Rossi, Boldy and Faber for Tuch, Thompson and either one of these defensemen, Buffalo would be needing to send a couple of firsts our way and not us sending a 1st or 2nd to them.  

[mnhockeyfan03]

8 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

I am starting to think you post some of these trade ideas to troll.  If we would offer Rossi, Boldy and Faber for Tuch, Thompson and either one of these defensemen, Buffalo would be needing to send a couple of firsts our way and not us sending a 1st or 2nd to them.  

That’s your opinion.  I think you are overvaluing our players.  They aren’t finished products and that has risk for other teams. 

[SkolWild73]

6 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

That’s your opinion.  I think you are overvaluing our players.  They aren’t finished products and that has risk for other teams. 

Maybe, but I look at what other teams give up for in trades and make comparisons.  To get Rantanen, all Carolina gave up was Necas, a 25-year-old player that has 48 points in 161 career games and a 2nd and a 4th.  

[OldDutchChip]

you got to be realistic here - these type of massive trades do not happen. fletch isn't here anymore, and Billy is not that type of trader - for better or worse. buy your nelly jersey now and be ready for "excitement".  

 

[mnhockeyfan03]

6 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

you got to be realistic here - these type of massive trades do not happen. fletch isn't here anymore, and Billy is not that type of trader - for better or worse. buy your nelly jersey now and be ready for "excitement".  

 

Understand it probably won’t happen but hope billy at least is making calls and asking around.  I can’t get excited for adding just Nelly and Boeser.  You and I both know that gets this team nowhere.  

[SkolWild73]

6 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

I can’t get excited for adding just Nelly

Maybe he won't be available.  If we can believe rumor reports, and not sure how much stock I put in them, but apparently Nelson has been offered a 3-year extension by the Islanders.  Trying to give you some hope that we will not sign him.  Here is the article where it states that and a bunch of other stuff about Nelson.

Latest Report: Leafs Expected to Strongly Pursue NHL Captain, per Insider - NHL Trade Rumors - NHLTradeRumors.Me

[OldDutchChip]

4 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Understand it probably won’t happen but hope billy at least is making calls and asking around.  I can’t get excited for adding just Nelly and Boeser.  You and I both know that gets this team nowhere.  

if nelly really misses TC then offer him a 3X3 deal

boeser i'd pass - i am not sure the appeal other than his roots

i'm with Justin - you go after Ranty (show the commitment to winning and this is a must for Kap - to have your off season signing be Brock Nelson is a bit underwhelming)

[SkolWild73]

2 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

i'm with Justin - you go after Ranty

Would not mind it either if we could make it work, and he is available.  My question is, what would we do if neither him nor Marner are available.  Save the money and try and make a trade?  Sign someone like Giroux for one year?  

[M_Nels]

SKOLWILD73 brought up an interesting point yesterday and I think it's gotten lost a little bit with the talk of trading the whole team minus Kaprizov and hasn't been brought up much.

What does everyone think about Ehlers? He's a UFA after this with a current cap hit of $6m? I think he's a realistic add that would bring a speed element to the top 6 that can score. I don't follow the Jets religiously but the rumblings I have seen is that he is not looking for an extension there.

[SkolWild73]

9 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

What does everyone think about Ehlers?

I think he is solid, but as always for me it depends on the money and the term of the contract.  He is 29, so not old, but would not want to give him 7 years.  Guess I probably like him more than Nelson or Boeser.  The age factor puts him over Nelson for me and I feel he is better than Boeser. 

I am also kind of torn on do we go after these good but not great players that are available in free agency just because we now have the money to do so?  Or do we look at trade options or what might be available in 2026 and save the money for that? .  

Good news is, I don't get to decide.  Whatever Billy G decides I will live with it.