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  1. All I've gotta say is if they trade him they better WIN the GD trade! No WTF did he do now, or well, that's an even trade, he needs to hands down win it. Rossi's gonna be good and depending where he goes he easily could be top 6 on a SC champion team. There are plenty of small top 6 guys with their names written on the Cup. and Rossi def has the talent to be one of them. I'd say a 20 point increase in production from your first to second season is a nice sign that things are clicking for you. Especially when you have to play throughout the lineup.
    14 points
  2. I know many think we will trade him. Others say he isn’t built for the playoffs because of his size. In reality, we have no idea if he can play in the playoffs. He has played one game and 12 minutes. I don’t think playing on the 4th line tonight will help. I am not saying Rossi is as good as the following players, but he is 23 and has room to grow. So those who say he can’t be a playoff performer because of his size think the following players are not either? Brad Marchand: 5’9 180 pounds Patrick Kane: 5’10 175 pounds Brayden Point: 5’10 183 Johnny Gaudreau: (RIP) 5’9 165 Jonathan Marchessault: 5’9 180
    13 points
  3. Don't fall for this again. Get as many free spots as possible for Yurov, free agents, and other callups.
    12 points
  4. Foli-Rossi-Boldy might be a good #2 line for the playoffs.
    11 points
  5. All this and he really hasn't had the opportunity to show off what he's best at: Shootouts. He makes $100k more than Johansson, but I would argue he's been solidly more useful. Johansson's had a good close to the season, but Gaudreau has been way more consistent.
    10 points
  6. 10 points
  7. TRADE HIM!!! But seriously, dude still has game. It's amazing to me to see how he can out leverage guys with 3-6" in height and 30-50lbs on him. Still kills me Addison wasn't glued to his hip in practice and seemingly didn't want to be. Could realistically see him on 2nd pair again next year unless his body breaks down.
    10 points
  8. I was super down on Freddy after last season and was scratching my head at the term he got for his extension but if we can get this years Freddy for the remainder of his contract that's one hell of a bargain.
    10 points
  9. He may not produce as much in the playoffs, but a lot of players don't, especially young ones. I don't understand why the majority wants him gone when he is a young, 60 point, player that will continue to get better. Trading him for yet another downslope vet seems like a bad, but typical, move by Guerin. I think Zucc got in his head when he told him he needs to pass more.
    9 points
  10. Agreed! Assuming full health here's my lineup: Kap-Ek-Zucc Foli-Rossi-Boldy Jojo-Freddy-Nyquist Trenin-Hartman-Hinny
    9 points
  11. I think this is a misconception of this whole team. Coming into the year, the national consensus was a lottery pick team. My expectations were to be fighting for a WC spot. That's the very definition of competitive. Anyone who had visions of grandeur for this team this year was fooling themselves, and I warned a couple of months back not to be fooled by this team, it wasn't that good. With a draft that is expected to be below average this season, Shooter traded out the 1st for a future player. Let's just say the 1st was our draft pick and he moved up several spots to take a player about ready for the NHL. So, playoffs or not, we weren't getting draft compensation for missing the playoffs. This team is not deep. That's its main flaw. Injuries will derail this team far quicker than other teams in the league. And, that's exactly what has happened. Enjoy the playoffs, there's no pressure at all on the Wild, they are making it there. They will get the 2 demanded playoff games, and maybe a couple more. Now, if I'm Shooter, I'm looking closely at this team in the playoffs and seeing who is a plus and who is a minus with the eye test. The minuses need to be subtracted off the roster in the offseason. Even if they don't make it out of round 1 this year, notating the push back, the ability to score or lack of, the compete level, and ability to handle traffic will be scrutinized from the top. In the last 2 months, the Wild have put up several stinkers. They're just plain exhausted and gave it their all, being undermanned and to a forward having to elevate in the lineup above their role. This should be applauded. Going through the cap recapture and making the playoffs in 4/5 years is a tremendous feat. But, make no mistake, this playoff run is about season's to come, not this season. Players should rest up when they can and be ready to go come playoff time. My expectation is that they will lose in the 1st round and have no other gear to climb too, except for a few players. More will be needed, but the showing off of their usefulness going forward is what that 1st series is about. For Boldy, Rossi and Faber, tilting the ice in their favor is going to be really important. For guys like Trenin, Moose and Breezers, this is about showing they can be important clogs on a playoff team. This means getting secondary scoring and a bunch of hits.
    9 points
  12. Agree on this 100%. Which means this is exactly what bill will do. Sign them both so they can play 3 games and burn an ELC year #dontbedumbbill
    9 points
  13. Reading over on the GK reddit they made a good point of the style of defense the wild are playing. Going with the man style while not chasing lets vegas circle around all night long but gives them very little in the way of cute passing plays and setting up grade A chances. The GK fans seem mad and cant understand how they are getting out physically played and have been completely shut out of getting in close rebound chances. Rumor is Eichel is battling through some injury/illness, has had a rough go for the whole month of April. The other interesting point they were bringing up is the speed in which the wild have been playing, while Vegas is bigger they have not been able to keep up with how quick, especially in transition, the Wild have been. Then when you have Kap putting his body on the line to block shots and losing a skate blade (you will see it), that brings major buy in energy to the team, if he is willing to then why not everyone else.
    8 points
  14. Buium and Jiricek both looked like they belonged in the NHL in their debuts. The main issue is NHL speed and skill is way higher than I think we take for granted sometimes. 3rd and 4th line guys do things that even high end AHL prospects can't or are not able to handle. The jump in class is real. The main thing is Buium has to play patiently. Vegas and Minnesota both play cautious styles right now. Vegas WILL jump on a mistake if he makes it.
    8 points
  15. Outside of the slew foot on Ek and punches to the face of Kap I don't mind letting them play, but those two are egregious and should be called. Besides deep dives of effectiveness, analytics, and who should be playing I think most here have embraced the " Lay down your agendas, pick up a sword, and join the ranks of hockey fans ready to sweat and bleed through every seven-game series from now until June ". Because well, what else do we have to debate about which is half the fun of sports. In the end, we are all fans who want more hockey.
    8 points
  16. The best retaliation is to score, like Kap did at the end.
    8 points
  17. Russo update via BlueSky: Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek did take contact at the end of practice. As of this moment, they're not sure if one, both, or neither return tomorrow. We should know more tomorrow morning. Hopefully they wake up feeling great.🤞
    8 points
  18. Marcus Foligno has been in a Minnesota Wild sweater for almost eight years and over 500 games. How many of those have been on the top line? Without an exact count, a rough estimate would be "not many." Foligno has long been the Wild's "identity" player, the example which GM Bill Guerin wants his team to follow. He can chip in a goal occasionally, but he frontloads his game with a tough forechecking style and can get into scraps when needed. But -- surprise! -- Foligno is on the top line for the injured Wild, skating alongside star forwards Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. That duo hit a skid with Mats Zuccarello during their latest slump, and Gustav Nyquist and Vinnie Hinostroza didn't stop the bleeding. With few other options, John Hynes turned to the guy who, if there's gonna be bleeding, usually is the one who starts it. And it's worked out beautifully. This trio's only spent 57 minutes together at 5-on-5, but holy Moose, what an incredible almost-hour of hockey it's been. They've out-scored opponents 5-3 while probably getting a bit unlucky. Their expected goals against during that time are under 1.00, which speaks to a level of defensive excellence that's typical of Foligno's lines. Ultimately, they're controlling a staggering 81.8% of the expected goal share. That will likely fall as the sample size gets bigger, but even so, these early returns show there's something there. And as surprising as it is to see Foligno pulling top-line duty... maybe we shouldn't be shocked. Foligno has a reputation for being a throwback to an era of NHL tough guys (though opposing fans might use different words), but that never fully gave him credit for what he brings. He lays the body, but it's always in service of lockdown defense. His hands must feel like rocks to the faces they make contact with, but he's averaged 17 goals per 82 games during the 2020s, so it's not like they're made of stone. While his famous line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway weren't anyone's platonic ideal of a top line, they got results that rivaled the best lines in the league. Foligno's scoring touch hasn't fully rebounded since the Wild broke up that line two years ago. Still, there's nothing that boosts scoring like having linemates that can score. Even with a recent hot streak, Foligno's point totals aren't going to scream "impact player." His 13 goals and 26 points are sixth and tied for eighth, respectively, on a team that can't score. Expand that lens to the rest of the NHL, Foligno isn't in the top 200 of either stat. Still, Foligno isn't just having a career year by some measures. He's been a top-50 player in the NHL and is even making a run for team MVP. Believe it. Foligno has always been a favorite in Evolving-Hockey's Standings Points Above Replacement metric. His combination of elite defense and the ability to drive offense plays very well. But this year, he's taken his defense up a notch from "elite" to "best of the best," and that jump has Foligno sitting with incredible company. Foligno entered Tuesday as being worth 4.3 points in the standings. Only Marco Rossi (4.5 SPAR) is ahead of him on the Wild, and Foligno himself is tied for 39th in SPAR, alongside Jesper Bratt and Sidney Crosby. However, Bratt and Crosby have triple the points Foligno has, and they each have hundreds more minutes of ice time to generate value. That's gonna raise eyebrows. How good can defense be?, you may be asking. Pretty damn good. Foligno allows 1.79 expected goals against per hour at 5-on-5, the third-best rate in hockey among 366 forwards with 500-plus minutes. He's also one of 76 forwards to allow fewer than two actual goals per hour. And on the penalty kill, he's been the Wild's only rock. His 8.94 goals against per hour doesn't look good, but look at the context, and it's a minor miracle. The rest of the team gives up 10.62 goals per hour while shorthanded, which would be the second-worst rate in the NHL. Foligno's even-strength defense is tied with Sam Reinhart for No. 1 in the NHL, and his shorthanded defense is in the top 10. In terms of overall defensive value, Foligno is tops in the NHL with 9.7 Goals Above Replacement (translating to about 3.0 points in the standings). It's not just the best defensive performance this year but one of the best in the Analytics Era. Most Defensive GAR in a season, Forwards, 2007-08 to Present: 1. Pavel Datsyuk, 2009-10: 9.9 2. Marcus Foligno, 2018-19: 9.8 3. MARCUS FOLIGNO, 2024-25: 9.7 4. Logan O'Connor, 2024-25: 9.6 T-5. Pavel Datsyuk, 2007-08: 9.2 T-5. Patrice Bergeron, 2021-22: 9.2 7. Ilya Mikheyev, 2024-25: 9.1 8. Mikko Koivu, 2017-18: 8.7 T-9. Daymond Langkow, 2009-10: 8.1 T-9. Patrice Bergeron, 2016-17: 8.1 That's a crazy list, with Foligno's season only being bested by a three-time Selke Trophy winner and Hall of Famer... and himself. It's also interesting that Foligno now has two better defensive seasons than a six-time Selke winner in Bergeron. Who knows how long the Foligno Top Line Experiment will last? Whenever Kaprizov returns, his line will be the top line, and Zuccarello will almost certainly be his other winger. But the Wild could keep their experiment going by having another center (Eriksson Ek upon return?) play with Kaprizov and keep Foligno with Boldy and Rossi. It'd be worthwhile to try heading into the playoffs. Coaches love not to mess up the things that work, and that line is working right now. Meanwhile, Boldy's looking for his first postseason breakout, and perhaps Foligno's forechecking can create space for the skilled winger to operate. But the biggest reason to have Foligno in a top-six role is simple: If he's one of Minnesota's best players, it makes sense to get him on the ice as often as possible. And this season, Foligno fits that bill.
    8 points
  19. Rossi has 29 points in 41 games without Kap this year, 13G, 16 A, .71pgp. Full season projection of 58 points, 26G, 32A. Rossi has 29 points in 37 games with Kap this year, 11G, 18 A, .78pgp. Full season projection 64 points, 24G, 40A. Very slight difference in the number with or without.
    8 points
  20. He is a prospect, but not one without NHL minutes. They want him to develop better habits that become his standard habits before playing him too much and not incorporating the better habits, but he was already playable as is. Prior to his lacerated spleen that shut him down for the year, the Wild were holding him out to make him better suited to top 4 D pairing minutes, which requires work on his skating. In the tiny sample of 6 games the Wild did put Jiricek on the ice, he played 72.5 even strength minutes and the Wild outscored their opponents 3-1 with Jiricek tallying 1 goal and 1 assist. He's already shown himself as a capable NHLer that isn't going to hurt you in limited minutes, the Wild simply want to ingrain good habits that will allow him to fulfill his potential as a top 10 pick.
    8 points
  21. Great article Tony. All this for a guy making $2.1m a year. I think Freddy is a guy that is vital to a team. In a year or two if some of our young players blossom, he might be down to the 4th line again, but I would take him over any of the other players we have had on that line the last few years.
    8 points
  22. This team is exhausted due to the players having to play elevated roles. But, I think the schedule moves back into our favor against the Devils. Now, we've got to put up points again. ODC is spot on, Faber, Boldy, Rossi must lead tonight. Quit deferring and take it to the net. The spotlight is on you to bring us out of this slump. Is it a tall ask for 23 year old players? Yes, but needed. This is how you build champions, when an opportunity arises where you can lead the team. You guys have dreamed about this your whole lives, now go out and do it. This cannot be a 1 or 2 player team (Kaprizov & Ek), their absence means new heroes must emerge. This is your time to shine, go out and get it done! Dominate like you've dreamt about, and bring these fans to their feet....repeatedly. The main lesson of Kaprizov & Ek being out is that this team is not dependent upon their contribution, that the others can gain confidence that they can perform too. We need them to know this. I am hoping for Nyquist to get on the board too, I think he needs it for his confidence.
    8 points
  23. If Kaprizov & Ek is back and close to 100% - we have a shot. I don’t really care if it’s Vegas or Jets - bring it! Enough of laying out excuses for why we’ll fail (again the obligatory cap mention) The loosing has to end this playoffs! Boldy, Faber and Rossi - step up and lead the team - starting with tonight game. It’s not Hartman or Zuccy - it’s you three that need to lead!
    8 points
  24. Getting Zeev these playoff games (must win, high pressure games) will pay dividends next season when he hits the ground running. No acclimation necessary for Zzy next season
    7 points
  25. Nice article Tony. I agree that I hope the refs let them play. I just wish they would have called the obvious trip on Freddy on the face off which would have negated the PP for Vegas and kept the game 1-1. During the broadcast, the "rules official" did mention that the crosscheck to Hartman could have been called but so could have Hartman for holding the stick so not too upset over that one. Otherwise, I thought it was called about how you would expect a playoff game to be called and hope it continues. Also, shout out to Hartman. He was getting beat up last night but kept his cool, even drawing Vegas's only penalty. Also, even though it won't show on the score sheet, Boldy doesn't score that second goal without Hartman holding his position.
    7 points
  26. The reason for the power play goal was Freddy was tripped at the faceoff and then out of position to cover his man, causing Foligno to choose. Had that penalty been called who knows what would have happened. I guess I can’t say that Vegas’ power play was dominate based off of that one play.
    7 points
  27. I’ll never understand our meathead fucking idiot GM and his hatred for Rossi and not giving him his kudos. This team has literally been center starved since it’s inception and we finally draft a top 6 center and then shit on him for continually meeting the mark
    7 points
  28. Love the article. No matter what Rossi does in this series, I will not change my positive opinion of him. One series isn’t enough for me to change what I have seen in two seasons with his growth and dedication.
    7 points
  29. Love this style of writing. Analytical, backed up by numbers, examples, etc. I have tempered expectations but this is hockey. Anything can happen. When we play focused and energetic, we can beat any team in the league.
    7 points
  30. 7 points
  31. In a game like hockey, where momentum, pressure, and emotions dictate the outcomes of games, a team's captain can often be the spark that pushes the team to new heights. Some teams have captains like Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby, whose offense can carry a team. However, the players you hear about the least often make the most impact. That’s the case for Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon. Spurgeon’s teammates give him accolades, but people outside the organization often overlook his impact. Spurgeon’s consistent defense and flashes of playmaking have never been more critical than now. I don’t need to reiterate that the Wild have struggled to score. So, with the postseason right around the corner, it is refreshing to see that the Wild’s 35-year-old captain has been scoring at an elevated rate. Spurgeon has mostly stayed healthy this season, scoring seven goals and 32 points in 65 games. It’s encouraging to see the captain return to form this year after playing only 16 games in the 2023-24 season before undergoing season-ending back and hip surgery. It also became clear what the Wild look like without Spurgeon. He’s always been crucial to the Wild’s backchecking. Stable defense Since the beginning of 2023, Spurgeon has missed 82 games. In that time, the Wild have allowed 262 goals. However, in the last 82 games with Spurgeon, Minnesota has allowed 236 goals. Because the Wild have lost 380 of their 493 one-goal games since their founding, the 26-goal difference with Spurgeon on the ice could be the difference between making the playoffs or not. The puck goes in the net less with him around. While Spurgeon may only be +7 this season, he has a respectable career plus/minus. He has been +30 three times and +124 three times. That ties Spurgeon for the 196th-best career plus/minus of all time, tied with 35-year-old defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Experts argue over whether plus/minus is a reliable stat, with the consensus being that the quality of one's team heavily affects the player’s number. However, in Spurgeon’s case this year, he played most of the season without Kirill Kaprizov to pad his stats. Spurgeon did this on a team with a -12 goal differential, the seventh-worst goal differential in franchise history. His blocked shots also highlight his defensive prowess. Spurgeon’s 115 blocked shots are the second-most on the Wild. I’d say his willingness to put his body on the line after undergoing major surgeries might be what the rest of the team sees in him. Late in the season, he injured his throat by blocking a shot. Consistent offense Spurgeon's defensive capabilities have been the foundation of his success, but he’s consistently produced offense from the blue line. Spurgeon may not be Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, but he’s tied for the sixth-most points on the Wild this season. That might not have been the case if Minnesota’s offensive core had stayed healthy this season. Still, Spurgeon stepped up when the Wild needed him most, the trait of a team captain. Even though Wild fans see Spurgeon as a superstar, you likely won't hear about Spurgeon’s game on ESPN or the NHL Network. Still, the Wild aren’t the Wild without him. His consistency offensively and defensively stabilizes them on both sides of the ice. Though Spurgeon has had every excuse for his offensive production to slip, he didn’t take that as an option. Since 2015, Spurgeon has achieved two 40-point seasons and has only failed to score fewer than 29 points twice: once in 2020 due to a shortened season and once in 2023 because of his surgeries. During the COVID-shortened season, Spurgeon played 54 games and scored 25 points, maintaining his usual production of roughly half a point per game. In terms of points per 60 minutes this season, Spurgeon has maintained an average of 1.45, the third-best of his career. The last time he scored at a better rate was in the 2021-22 and 2017-18 seasons, when he scored 1.75 and 1.48, respectively. Throughout these three seasons, one constant has remained: Spurgeon stayed above 1.0 assists per 60 minutes, proving he is still a fantastic playmaker today. Staying consistent offensively is difficult enough in the NHL. Still, for obvious reasons, it is even more difficult for a defenseman to make a difference on both ends of the ice. Add aging into the mix, and you start to realize why you see players retire in their mid-30s. While I hope not to see Spurgeon retire anytime soon, the good thing is that he still has a lot left in his game. He may not spend his entire career in Minnesota because the Wild have more reasons to let him go than to stay. But in a season of ups and downs, Spurgeon has been a constant for the Wild, who still gives us glimpses of the player he was in his prime.
    7 points
  32. His agent will advise him to do this or threaten to stay at DU. It's the only leverage the player has, and the agent will use it the best he can. What player in their right mind says, "Yeah, you're right, I should play and ELC another year."
    7 points
  33. I was a fan of Chisholm for most of the season. But he seems to have lost my support over the last couple of months. It's almost like he panics with the puck below the goal line when he gets pressured. Results in a puck turn over or worse, a goal against. I would like to see Buium get slotted in over Chisholm for a game or two to see how he responds the the big league players.
    7 points
  34. What a fun game to watch. Ek and Kirill were incredible. Clearly they add a lot to a roster. They both do so many things really really well. Boldy looked invigorated and played outstanding.
    7 points
  35. Edmonton with a late goal to win in regulation. St. Louis is now 8th in the Western Conference and just 2 games remaining. If Wild win 2 of their last 3 games, they lock up the 1st wildcard regardless of what the other teams do.
    7 points
  36. I believe they can sign 1 guy, but that they prefer Buium because he gives them something the team doesn't have, he's healthy, and playing at a really high level. If Yurov had never gotten injured and accelerated his scoring down the stretch, maybe they would feel differently. Yurov came back to compete in the playoffs earlier than he would have in the regular season. His ankle likely needs more work to get back to 100%, so it wouldn't be the best decision to rush him into NHL playoff hockey. I fully expect Yurov to be signed in the summer and he would likely be with the MN Wild to start next season. He has a lot of talent and hockey IQ, but he didn't have a very healthy season, so hopefully he gets healthy, strong, and sharpens up his skills prior to heading into training camp with the Wild in the fall.
    7 points
  37. Like Nancy Reagan said about drugs: Just Say NO
    7 points
  38. I think what we have found out is that Rossi is a complimentary piece who can drive some play but needs help too, whether it's being a little lower in the lineup or having a better wing. He's not, at this moment, a #1C who dictates play. Currently, he's gutting out playing on 1 leg. He's available and giving everything he's got, but let's be real, he's probably around 70%. Before the shot to the knee, he was still slumping and so was Boldy. These can be listed as growing pains, but at this point in time, he and Boldy are not team point leaders (comparing with other franchises). They are young and might get there, but they just aren't that right now, and, this teams needs that from them. I still wouldn't trade Rossi out to trade him out. If we're acquiring a better piece, that's not trading him out, but if we're just saying he needs to go, I'm in disagreement with that. Rossi will get even better, but he needs another monster offseason. His low center of gravity should help him get under most centers in the dot. I do not know why he isn't better there and this should be an offseason focus. He's made a good improvement over last season in point totals, I think we can chalk this up as an improving year as he has been better.
    7 points
  39. Good article Tony and I agree with you. Hopefully BG does too. Lots of folks on here think that Rossi is subpar and should be traded. I don't believe that is a good look. Decent centers are really hard to find. If the team trades him or lets another team snag him they will regret it for a long time.
    7 points
  40. I did some maths, and I "think" I have the number crunching figured out. Current Wild points: 89 (6 games remaining) Current Flames points: 84 (7 games remaining) Current Canucks points: 81 (7 games remaining) Current UHC points: 80 points (6 games remaining) Mostly going with Wild and Flames here, but here's some maths. This doesn't include loser points for ease. Wild go 0-6, 89 points, Flames need 3-4 to get to 90 points, Canucks need 5-2 to get to 91 points, UHC need 5-1 to get to 90 points Wild go 1-5, 91 points, Flames need 4-3 to get to 92 points, Canucks need 6-1 to get to 93 points, UHC needs 6-0 to get to 92 points Wild go 2-4, 93 points, Flames need 5-2 to get to 94 points, Canucks need 7-0 to get to 95 points, Utah Eliminated Regardless Wild go 3-3, 95 points, Flames need 6-1 to get to 96 points, Canucks and UHC Eliminated Regardless Wild go 4-2, 97 points, Flames need 7-0 to get to 98 points Wild go 5-1, 98 points, Clinch Regardless of other teams
    7 points
  41. I get that there is always room for improvement but if you take out the 3 empty net goals the Wild are giving up 2.5 goals a game over this stretch. That would tie them for #1 in the NHL! Even with the empty netters they would be ranked 9th! Scoring goals is the problem. Not preventing them.
    7 points
  42. This was absolutely the right thing to do. Jiricek's don't grow on trees and when they become available, you'd like to be able to pounce! It seems expensive with all the draft capital given up, but this year wasn't our year to go for it. That starts next year. Our prospect cupboards are full, I'd like to have our 1st in '26 but after that, we will be trading our currency for help on runs. ODC preaches living in the present. That present, I think, starts next season. I'll admit to living for the future, but a quick switching of gears happens this offseason. Jiricek should be on the opening night roster in October. I would play him with Brodin who can cover for mistakes. He'll help eat minutes from Faber. We have no idea what will happen with Spurgy. Still having a right side of Faber, Spureon, Jiricek looks pretty nice on paper. The other side of Middleton, Brodin and Buium looks equally good. Ottawa looks like a playoff team right now, which should help Tkachuk stay content, but if a Faber/Tkachuk deal even exists, I think you have to do it. He's probably the only player out there I would do this for. Otherwise, this defense looks to be top 5 in the league to me. We've also got 2 guys in Iowa getting better: Lambos and Spacek. I think they can debut next season and be ok as injury fill ins. This is a very good, deep defensive team. Shooter was building the team from the goalie out. With Goose and The Wall in goal and this defense, he really only needs to worry about the forwards now.
    7 points
  43. If Buium and Jiricek replace two of Chisholm, Merrill, and Bogo, that is an upgrade on all fronts. Those three account for 35 points and a -9. Hell, if Zeev hits half of what Hutson did this year for Montreal, then that covers the offensive replacement on his own. That's without any input from Jiricek. Infusing them into the lineup could also help Faber out, who sure went through a sophomore slump. There's every chance Buium, Jiricek, or both fall flat...but you gotta take that chance. Bottom 3 defensemen averaging 10 pts isn't gonna cut it.
    7 points
  44. My hottest take about this team is that buying out Hartman would be insane, and trading him now would be selling low. He's on a relatively cheap contract for his production. The only way it makes sense is trading him as a piece of an upgrade, which would still not recoup his full value in my eyes.
    7 points
  45. If the Wild were going to trade Spurgeon (a bad idea). The time to do it would have been two years ago. Now it makes zero sense. Cap space is ideally used for productive players. Spurgeon is still that. People are overreacting to the Wilds injury situation. If you add Kaprizov and Ek to ANY of the 7th,8th, or 9th seeded teams they would immediately become contenders. When healthy the Wild are contenders. Buium and Yurov will make them better next year AND they have money to sign a legitimate top line forward. Stay the course!
    7 points
  46. I will admit that 2 or 3 years ago, I suggested the Wild might need to trade Spurgeon in order to have cap space through these last 2 seasons. Now that they have gotten through the worst of their cap situation, it's hard to imagine them trading out his leadership/play for a return that would be as solid. When I initially suggested the following pairings early this year, I was mildly concerned that it might be putting too much on some young guys, but with more time to think it through, I think these lines could give the Wild one of the top defensive units in the league next season. Faber/Buium Jiricek/Brodin Spurgeon/Middleton Faber and Buium seems like the future top pairing, so might as well get to it right away. Jiricek(with a summer of skating training) and Brodin seems like a really complementary combination, and the Wild have seen success with Spurgeon and Middleton already, as the top pairing not long ago. The Wild should be able to play these lines fairly evenly and get strong play for 60 minutes without exhausting anyone. Faber, Brodin, and Middleton would be more of the stay at home guys while Buium, Jiricek, and Spurgeon bring some offense to each pairing. Bogo and Lambos would be the 7th D and AHL callup options. Faber and Buium both seem confident and smart with the puck, with strong skating. Their pairing could lead to strong offensive results, particularly with anticipated upgrades in the top 6 forwards.
    7 points
  47. Huge win! Blues pulled out the come from behind win over Nashville, but still trail the Wild by 2 points and have 1 fewer game remaining. If the Blues go 5-3 in their last 8 games, the Wild only need to win 4 to retain the 1st Wildcard. Blues have the 10th most difficult remaining schedule while the Wild have a bottom 10 schedule difficulty, so hopefully the Wild win at least 5 of their 9. Vancouver has a top 5 schedule difficulty ahead. It would be shocking if they played a more difficult schedule than St. Louis and passed them by. Calgary's schedule isn't as daunting, but they would need to win at least 77% of their remaining games just to catch the Blues and I don't know that they're good enough to win over 80%. The Flames must face Vegas twice and have games against Colorado, LAK, and Edmonton, as well as a late season game against the Wild, likely with Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek back in the lineup.
    7 points
  48. I love the optimism. I will admit I did have to double check the poster😃.
    7 points
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