Article: How Concerning Is It That the Wild Gave Up 7 Goals To San Jose?

[M_Nels]

41 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

There is a 2nd dynamic here, have Merrill and Chisholm and to some extent Bogosian, earned the right to play in the playoffs? 

Surprisingly, I am going to say Merrill & Bogo as a yes, Chisholm being the no. They all have their issues but Bogo & Merrill have actually been a decent 3rd pairing. The only way I see Zeev being a starter in the playoffs is if Mids is still injured (or Merill/Brods goes down). Think he immediately usurps Chisholm in that regard but I honestly don't see them pulling Merrill as of now, even though a lot of us think they should. 

[RedLake]

8 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Surprisingly, I am going to say Merrill & Bogo as a yes, Chisholm being the no. They all have their issues but Bogo & Merrill have actually been a decent 3rd pairing. The only way I see Zeev being a starter in the playoffs is if Mids is still injured (or Merill/Brods goes down). Think he immediately usurps Chisholm in that regard but I honestly don't see them pulling Merrill as of now, even though a lot of us think they should. 

Buuim will play with Brodin or Faber. He will jump into the top 4 mark my words. Kid is Makar Jr.

[RedLake]

Merril has played better lately but let's be honest, would J Merril be a difference maker in the NCAA frozen 4. Buuim is miles ahead of Merril. Buuims don't grow on trees. Merril can kick back and mix drinks in the press box and watch the Zeev/Kaprizov show.

[SkolWild73]

45 minutes ago, RedLake said:

Buuim will play with Brodin or Faber. He will jump into the top 4 mark my words. Kid is Makar Jr.

I just read that Buium played over 51 minutes last night.  I know it went double overtime, but that is insane.

[M_Nels]

2 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

I just read that Buium played over 51 minutes last night.  I know it went double overtime, but that is insane.

Russo just skeeted that Zeev will be at the Hobey Baker ceremony tonight and that he "suspects he signs later this weekend, practices Monday and maybe debuts Tuesday"

The way I see it, if Mids doesn't play then he slots in for Chisholm regardless. If they don't pull Merrill they may rest Brodin if the Wild lock it up tonight.

[SkolWild73]

16 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Russo just skeeted that Zeev will be at the Hobey Baker ceremony tonight and that he "suspects he signs later this weekend, practices Monday and maybe debuts Tuesday"

The way I see it, if Mids doesn't play then he slots in for Chisholm regardless. If they don't pull Merrill they may rest Brodin if the Wild lock it up tonight.

Would be nice to get him a game before the playoffs to see how he does.

[Scalptrash]

LOL, it's the Wild! Of course they're going to have a track meet with the worst team in the league. Watch, they will lose to Calgary tonight just to make it interesting. I love the optimism here, but I think deep down inside everyone knows this team is going nowhere this year.

Like every recent year, they could have benefitted much more from a higher draft pick than eeking out a brief playoff appearance. Opportunities missed. 

[mnfaninnc]

27 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

I love the optimism here, but I think deep down inside everyone knows this team is going nowhere this year.

Like every recent year, they could have benefitted much more from a higher draft pick than eeking out a brief playoff appearance. Opportunities missed.

Well, our 1st round pick this year is Jiricek who is miles ahead of anyone on the board. There is something to be said for holding onto a playoff spot, and there are lessons for young players to learn in that. There are also lessons in playoff experience. I'd love a longer run, but am a realist and it looks like another one and done.

This is not failure in my book. It was mandated from OCL that Guerin get the team into the playoffs. Regardless of how we feel about it, that's Guerin's boss and it's important to please the boss. We had just as many injuries as we had last season, so instead of wilting, this season we got off to a hot start and have played better than we did last season. Of course, it's much easier to stave off charging teams than it is to chase them. Just about everyone who didn't get hurt had to play elevated roles, and for the young guys, that was a challenge. Results were mixed. Experiencing the challenge may be invaluable. 

Honestly, I don't think it matters if we make the playoffs and are out in the 1st round. I think we improved this season and were better. As for results, this is about where I figured we be. And this is better than the projections by the national "experts" thought we'd be. I'm calling it successful. I think we had a lot of internal improvement.

[RedLake]

1 hour ago, Scalptrash said:

LOL, it's the Wild! Of course they're going to have a track meet with the worst team in the league. Watch, they will lose to Calgary tonight just to make it interesting. I love the optimism here, but I think deep down inside everyone knows this team is going nowhere this year.

Like every recent year, they could have benefitted much more from a higher draft pick than eeking out a brief playoff appearance. Opportunities missed. 

Nope J Merril and NoJo will blow the doors off a chippy flames team. No need to send out our top guys tonight when NoJo is gonna play tough guy tonight.

[SkolWild73]

3 hours ago, Scalptrash said:

LOL, it's the Wild! Of course they're going to have a track meet with the worst team in the league. Watch, they will lose to Calgary tonight just to make it interesting. I love the optimism here, but I think deep down inside everyone knows this team is going nowhere this year.

Like every recent year, they could have benefitted much more from a higher draft pick than eeking out a brief playoff appearance. Opportunities missed. 

So a draft pick from this year (even though we traded our first this year) would have helped us when?  2027? 2028?  This isn’t football or basketball where draft picks come in a help right away.

[Scalptrash]

On 4/11/2025 at 3:57 PM, SkolWild73 said:

So a draft pick from this year (even though we traded our first this year) would have helped us when?  2027? 2028?  This isn’t football or basketball where draft picks come in a help right away.

If they would have taken the opportunity to rebuild over the last three seasons, instead of overpaying aging veterans to be a bubble team, they would be a much better team overall next year. Idk why I have to explain this, but if they were rebuilding and "tanking", they could have acquired a top prospect or two at some point over the last few years. That could have helped IMMEDIATELY and set them up better for when the cap restraints are lifted.

Another fan that is content with mediocrity and never going anywhere. It's the MN way, isn't it?

[M_Nels]

14 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

If they would have taken the opportunity to rebuild over the last three seasons, instead of overpaying aging veterans to be a bubble team, they would be a much better team overall next year. Idk why I have to explain this, but if they were rebuilding and "tanking", they could have acquired a top prospect or two at some point over the last few years. That could have helped IMMEDIATELY and set them up better for when the cap restraints are lifted.

Another fan that is content with mediocrity and never going anywhere. It's the MN way, isn't it?

So devil's advocate a little bit for Billy here.

Did people forget in 2022 the Wild finished with 113pts good enough for 2nd in the Central, in 2023 they finished with 103pts good enough for 3rd in the Central.

I know, I know regular season success is no indicator of postseason success but the fact they didn't back into the playoffs and were solid teams both years I don't consider those to be "bubble teams".

Dean made some questionable decisions in both series especially the Dallas series where Deboer was playing checkers while Dean was playing chess. IF the Wild had a different coach it could be argued the outcomes would've been different. 

Believe me, I am disappointed they haven't advanced but to call them a bubble team the last few years isn't accurate.

[SkolWild73]

44 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

If they would have taken the opportunity to rebuild over the last three seasons, instead of overpaying aging veterans to be a bubble team, they would be a much better team overall next year. Idk why I have to explain this, but if they were rebuilding and "tanking", they could have acquired a top prospect or two at some point over the last few years. That could have helped IMMEDIATELY and set them up better for when the cap restraints are lifted.

Another fan that is content with mediocrity and never going anywhere. It's the MN way, isn't it?

You really think Kap resigns if we go through a rebuild?  He may not anyway, but they had to try and win to keep him.  Also, look at the teams that were at the bottom three years ago.  How many are contenders now?

Edited Tuesday at 04:53 PM by SkolWild73

[M_Nels]

51 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Deboer was playing checkers while Dean was playing chess.

This should've been the other way around..couldn't edit

[Scalptrash]

42 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

You really think Kap resigns if we go through a rebuild?  He may not anyway, but they had to try and win to keep him.  Also, look at the teams that were at the bottom three years ago.  How many are contenders now?

Why is it so important to resign Kaprizov? He is injured 33-50% of the season every year. Is that the guy that's going to bring home the cup? I doubt he wants to stay here because this team is so dysfunctional (and also in flyover country). The Wild will inevitably end up over paying him to stay, yet again taking valuable cap money that could be used elsewhere to improve the team overall.

[SkolWild73]

14 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

Why is it so important to resign Kaprizov? He is injured 33-50% of the season every year. Is that the guy that's going to bring home the cup? I doubt he wants to stay here because this team is so dysfunctional (and also in flyover country). The Wild will inevitably end up over paying him to stay, yet again taking valuable cap money that could be used elsewhere to improve the team overall.

So you are suggesting we should have traded Kap after what year to start this rebuild? 2022 when we finished with 113 points?  Or 2021?

Edited Tuesday at 05:52 PM by SkolWild73

[Scalptrash]

1 hour ago, M_Nels said:

So devil's advocate a little bit for Billy here.

Did people forget in 2022 the Wild finished with 113pts good enough for 2nd in the Central, in 2023 they finished with 103pts good enough for 3rd in the Central.

I know, I know regular season success is no indicator of postseason success but the fact they didn't back into the playoffs and were solid teams both years I don't consider those to be "bubble teams".

Dean made some questionable decisions in both series especially the Dallas series where Deboer was playing checkers while Dean was playing chess. IF the Wild had a different coach it could be argued the outcomes would've been different. 

Believe me, I am disappointed they haven't advanced but to call them a bubble team the last few years isn't accurate.

They've been a bubble team the last two years for sure. Three years ago the team remained fairly healthy, thus over exceeding expectations. But they showed their lack of depth and skill in the playoffs. I don't see consistent first round exits being much better than a bubble team. They were completely outclassed in that series and it wasn't just the coach. You can watch any NHL playoff game and easily recognize how much better those teams are than the Wild. They are on another level.

Ultimately, I don't think Guerin is the answer for this franchise. He is old school, set in his ways and makes a lot of very questionable roster decisions. I'll give him one more year to prove me wrong and get past the first round. Since the Wild NEVER went into rebuilding mode, this team should be near the top for the entire season next year and advance far into the playoffs. Now that the cap hits are gone, no more excuses, not even injuries.

Unfortunately for the Wild (and the immediate future), he handcuffed a bunch of aging vets to this team and already spent a decent amount of the additional cap space by resigning them.

[Scalptrash]

3 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

So you are suggesting we should have traded Kap after what year to start this rebuild? 2022 when we finished with 113 points?  Or 2021?

I never suggested that, he was under contract. I am talking about resigning several of the underperforming vets and not developing from within. I've heard for years that the Wild have the best young talent in the league. Where is it? Why isn't it being developed? I seriously don't want to hear any names thrown back at me until they've proven it at the NHL level. Rossi is the only one recently and apparently everyone wants him gone.

They should trade Kaprizov this summer and use that money, with the additional cap space, to sign three or four new top six forwards. Sorry, but he is not the answer to winning a cup. He's just another Gaborik, except he gets hurt a lot more often.

Minnesotans' are fans of players, not teams. The ownership knows this and keeps faces familiar to sell tickets. I'd rather see a championship in my lifetime, otherwise what's the point?

[SkolWild73]

28 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

I never suggested that, he was under contract. I am talking about resigning several of the underperforming vets and not developing from within. I've heard for years that the Wild have the best young talent in the league. Where is it? Why isn't it being developed? I seriously don't want to hear any names thrown back at me until they've proven it at the NHL level. Rossi is the only one recently and apparently everyone wants him gone.

They should trade Kaprizov this summer and use that money, with the additional cap space, to sign three or four new top six forwards. Sorry, but he is not the answer to winning a cup. He's just another Gaborik, except he gets hurt a lot more often.

Minnesotans' are fans of players, not teams. The ownership knows this and keeps faces familiar to sell tickets. I'd rather see a championship in my lifetime, otherwise what's the point?

If you look at our prospect rankings since 2020, the players on there are for the most part on our team or will be soon.

2020 ranked 14th with Kap and Boldy.

2021 ranked 8th with Addison, Boldy and Rossi

2022 ranked 3rd with Boldy, Rossi and the Wall.

2023 ranked first with The Wall, Rossi, Ohgren, Yurov and Faber

2024 ranked 11th with the Wall, Zeev, Yurov and Ohgren

2025 ranked 2nd with Zeev, Yurov, Jiricek, the Wall and Ohgren.

Besides Addison, all of these players are either on the team or should be next year.  Most of the players on the list have developed or were not available to play yet (Zeev and Yurov).  The only players from this list that may have come in and helped were Ohgren and the Wall.  

[FredJohnson]

46 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

If you look at our prospect rankings since 2020, the players on there are for the most part on our team or will be soon.

2020 ranked 14th with Kap and Boldy.

2021 ranked 8th with Addison, Boldy and Rossi

2022 ranked 3rd with Boldy, Rossi and the Wall.

2023 ranked first with The Wall, Rossi, Ohgren, Yurov and Faber

2024 ranked 11th with the Wall, Zeev, Yurov and Ohgren

2025 ranked 2nd with Zeev, Yurov, Jiricek, the Wall and Ohgren.

Besides Addison, all of these players are either on the team or should be next year.  Most of the players on the list have developed or were not available to play yet (Zeev and Yurov).  The only players from this list that may have come in and helped were Ohgren and the Wall.  

Addy, Boldy and Rossi are the only ones that have spent time in Dezzy Moinz and have stayed in the NHL (so far). Dezzy Moinz has gotta be/do better.

[SkolWild73]

45 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

Addy, Boldy and Rossi are the only ones that have spent time in Dezzy Moinz and have stayed in the NHL (so far). Dezzy Moinz has gotta be/do better.

True, but most of our top prospects haven’t needed it.  Zeev and Yurov will most likely not go there.  We will see how Ohgren, the Wall and Jiricek turn out.

[Scalptrash]

20 hours ago, SkolWild73 said:

True, but most of our top prospects haven’t needed it.  Zeev and Yurov will most likely not go there.  We will see how Ohgren, the Wall and Jiricek turn out.

Ohgren, the Wall and Jiricek could all be flops, or at least not nearly as good as expected. Yurov is a question mark, nobody knows how he'll do in the NHL. Everyone expects another Kaprizov, but that's doubtful. Same for Zeev, he might just be another Klingberg, possibly worse because he's smaller.

Marat had potential, if he actually spent a year in Iowa instead of getting thrown to the wolves. He's already doing better in Boston, in a higher role.

Nobody knows until they play some games. It sure is hard for young guys to crack the lineup anyway, so we may never truly know.

[M_Nels]

47 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

he might just be another Klingberg

I try and forget about that short stint. Good puck mover and facilitator but man was he soft in the corners and net front. 

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, Scalptrash said:

He's already doing better in Boston, in a higher role.

Eh…

In 18 games with Baustun:

3 goals, 2 assists, and a -5 +/- while getting 3 more minutes per game with some time on the power play. I think he’s peaked and is a good 4th liner.

[Scalptrash]

18 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

Eh…

In 18 games with Baustun:

3 goals, 2 assists, and a -5 +/- while getting 3 more minutes per game with some time on the power play. I think he’s peaked and is a good 4th liner.

You missed the point about him. He NEEDS a year in the AHL and never should have been pushed into an overwhelming role. We'll see how it plays out over the next few years.