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BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO ARGUE ABOUT IN THE COMMENTS NOW?!

Username COhockeyfan03 incoming... Seriously though, why jump ship at something like this and especially to another Central Division foe? Screams fair weather fan.

This is the part of this post I'll agree with. I'm sure Leo & bill wish they'd begun their offer at $13M and worked their way up to $14-$15M. Still making him highest paid player in league. Starting at $16M looks dumb now.

Say it louder for mnhockeyfan03

Simple- what a waste of money that is.

Thank goodness! I'm fine with the $3-4M overpay for him to stay in MN, the salary cap is rising the next two years anyway.

Think (SHAWZY * 97)^ Marchand I saw my guy give a couple vicious cross checks to opponents back sending a clear signal: “I’m a little honey badger”

If that is true, and i have no idea one way or the other, i think the Wild are foolish. i would gladly take a 4-5 year contract vs an 8 year. You get KK through his peak years and are not locked into paying huge dollars for the last few years when his body is probably failing him. He has struggled staying healthy as a youngish player. That will not get better as he ages.

I'd certainly be fine with a 5 year, $75M deal. If they don't want to have an 8 year deal, I don't see that as completely concerning. I know there were Wild fans who also didn't want it to be an 8 year deal.

Ek's first full NHL season was 75 games with six goals, ten assists. Yurov instead of NoJo cannot be understated in terms of the overall way-betterness. Let's hope he and Trenin can play together and have great chemistry for a couple years til Yurov is established as an NHL guy.

I thought he looked pretty good the other night against the Jets, other than the blooper turn over the led to a goal. Now if that's happening every game, then I'm concerned and he should be sent down to Iowa, but we have to give these kids a longer leash to play through mistakes and learn. Offensively he made some nice pinches and plays to keep the offense alive, if he's paired with a defensive defenseman like Brodin, just like Spurg and Buium will likely be paired together, that's a great complimentary partner. Would also help Brodin stay healthy playing less minutes, and balance all three pairs time on ice.

I propose the following: 1. Kirill is always injured and doesn't play full seasons so he is overpaid. 2. How are we going to put together a team with him taking up so much cap space? 3. He will be 37 by the time the contract expires and his injury history and style of play means the backend of the contract is going to look really bad for the last 4 years.

The THRILL is here for 8 more years!

Ohgren sounds like he's doing a heck of a lot better than Yurov in camp, the injury to Zuccy is a blessing in disguise, I hope Ohgy stays in the middle six.

Every guy that's not 6 foot and 200 lbs + is a guaranteed bust.

195 pounds at 6'1'' is much better. I really do hope this is the year for some of the young guys to prove they belong. Good luck to Yurov, Ohgren, Buium, Jiricek, Lambos and the rest of the young guys. Make a difference.

There are some distinct differences from the post-Gaboeik years to what a post-Kaprizov situation would look like. Post-Gaborik - Koivu and Backstrom were pretty good, but the forward and defensive lines were riddled with meh. 40-60 pt player peaks, with 20s-40s mixed in. Young guys were very...VERY underwhelming. Took a few years for Granny, Brodin, and Dumba to show up. Post-Kaprizov - Boldy is a better winger than anything post Gaborik had. Probably same level as a Parise even. - Brodin, Spurgeon, Faber - Buium might be a better prospect than anything the Wild had for those few years. - Gus is almost as good as Backstrom was. - $15-18m NOT to spend on one guy. Maybe someone in FA will take a chance, or even 2-3 with that money.

Scalptrash wants a cookie. Have a Snickers instead. 3-5 years is STILL 3-5 years. Might actually do the team a favor in this case. If he leaves, then you can say the told you so's and have your egos stroked. Until he actually suits up elsewhere, we know nothing.

The Cap is going up every season. Which means the summer that we just saw will continue for the next few years. Which also means there is no high price free agent coming to Minnesota without a reason to come to Minnesota. Top free agents are going to resign with their current clubs for the next few years. And the ones that leave are going to a team which might have a shot at winning a cup. Minnesota won't be that destination without Kirill. As far as surrounding Kirill with talent. Four rookies this year will decide the future of the franchise and one much maligned defenseman will also be in that group. Wallstedt plays to his potential Buium plays at a Calder Trophy level Ohgren shows that he can be a power forward in the league. Yurov is a Center that could be a top six center going forward. Jiricek shows that his offensive game over shadows his defensive game. This team will be a tantalizing free agent destination if a few of the above happen. If they all happen the 16 million will be forgotten and the Cup will be in Minnesota.

Let's wait a month or two, or even a year or two, before making these kinds of assessments. He has yet to play a regular season game...

Last time the Wild advanced far in the playoffs, they had Roloson and Fernandez, who both posted at least 3 wins and 7 starts in the playoffs, after both exceeded a .920 save percentage in the regular season. Definitely best to have more than 1 goalie you can count on to win big games.

This is the part that I find very interesting. Capflation is difficult to get used to, but Tony put it in pretty good terms. So, in the year after, when the cap goes up again, I suspect that $6.8m is the new $5m in '27. It's a bit of an overpay in year 1, but after that, it appears that Goose will give us some real value in the position. Thanks, Tony, I've changed my stance on the contract.

I call your Dean and raise you a scalptrash or a mnhockeyfan03

It's not so much if Pewter is on board. If Dean goes positive, then he'll froze over.

I’ve also liked what I’ve seen from jiri. He’s making his fair share of Declan Chisolm blunders but his size +dawg+offensive instincts make the growing pains easier to endure. He could become a big nasty offensive dman someday

Are the Wild a better team now than the previous regime? I would say yes, because they have a higher ceiling with Kap and Boldy than Parise and Suter. The "young core" back then had bright spots like Granlund and Brodin/Dumba, but I can't say any of them elevated the team by themselves. I think Guerin has work to do. He gave up a few high draft picks for Jiricek and Nyquist, but he hasn't thrown them ALL away. He still gave the team several first rounders now and later to either backfill the depth or send away IF things are available. Top line guys and even pure 2nd line scorers don't grow on trees. Fletcher was convinced the Parise/Suter team was ready. All he ever did was send away high draft picks for 4th liners. Guerin is hedging his bets that they are, while keeping options open. With Kap, they have a much better chance to at least draw other players to play here. Kap leaving or even getting a 2nd liner in return would have been a death knell to any options.

Just doing 1st rounders here back to Judd's 1st year. Going back to 2020 Rossi #9 only 5 players after him have more points than he does but with more games played (some by a lot). After Rossi really the only superstar is Jarvis w/213pts in 304gp. 2021 Wally #20 & Lambos #26..Great argument can be made here. Johnston was available 3 picks after Wally. Kids a stud so you could definitely say Johnston should've been picked and Wally snagged if he was still available at pick 26. Knies was available before Peart in the 2nd round, probably a miss there. After him there is a pretty big dropoff on GP. Lambos trending up however. 2022 Ohgren #19 & Yurov #24..Ohgren bust? After Yurov the phenom Hutson was available 2nd round. Other than him the 1st rounders outside of Yurov have 93gp 34pts across 8 players. 2023 Stramel #21 huge TBD on him, could very well be a miss. The guys after him in the 1st have a combined 15gp 2pts. 2024 Zeev #12. The guys after him have a total of 4gp 1pt. Point being, you can't say that Bill/Judd have struck out looking on these picks and it's not like other teams are finding hidden superstars in later rounds that are NHL ready from the jump or being developed quickly in the AHL. Mid-late 1st round picks aren't a lock for stardom and rounds 2-3 are rarely filled with star talent (outside Hutson which every teams scouting dept. should be chided).

Wild are just over 1 week away from game #1, just 1 preseason game left. Zuccarello is going to miss several weeks. Yurov is very likely to be on the Minnesota roster, playing wing and center. Ohgren will likely play a key role at wing on line 2 or 3. Buium on PP1 with Tarasenko, Kaprizov, Boldy, and JEE. Should be a fun season ahead. Hopefully Jiricek can limit his mistakes and deliver a better season than Merrill has lately. Jiricek likely to be on PP2 as well. Hopefully Wild can get healthy and stay relatively healthy this season, then make some noise in the playoffs.

What I’ve always liked most about KK is that he elevates players around him. He’s the kind of superstar player that a team can be built around. I hope the Wild can build on last year’s start and add a nice piece at the Trade Deadline. This is an exciting time.

Why does everyone who is anti-Guerin/anti-Kap contract, anti/Leipold, think I am some raving lunatic brainwashed optimist or something? First Scalp thinks I am personally attacking him cause I called him out on being angsty all off season (which I feel he was being to the point he was yelling at me for half an hour while I was heading into work), and now this? Thinking the owner, GM, and players aren't the scum of the earth each day makes me a koolaid drinker. Sure. That's healthy thinking. I can't just be an optimist happy we finally signed an elite player to an extension or something. Signing Kap and Rossi to extensions was my hopeful outcome, and it happened. I can just relax on the season now. Sorry I don't prescribe to constant pessimism like it's a life choice or something. Finding the worst outcome or bad vibes of EVERYTHING the franchise does is certainly normal *Note: almost everything. I would rather not get into another shouting match.

This was the only thing they could do. Even if you hope the newer guys can be, should be, will be, or do become as good as Kap is, the fact that literally no one else in this franchise has done it says, "Yeah, fuck it.". From day one, Kap was just plain better than Gaborik, Parise, Suter, and Boldy and Rossi now The Wild play better (much) better with him in the lineup. Is it enough to stop the whining? Will it stop the Lols if "$17m and they still couldn't win a round?". Sure. What is also true is other teams best the Wild for decades because they had the talent ceilings the Wild just don't. Kaprizov is an x-factor. I'm just happy the Wild finally kept one for once.

Marco Rossi Looks Ready To Take Another Step Not possible...he's not +6 foot and + 200 lbs...he's a bust.

Rossi got in a scuffle in that game as well. Good to see him have a little Moxi in his bones.

He was noticeable on the ice. Impactful. I thought Rossi and Boldy were the two best Wild players on Thursday. Good to see a young player rise to the challenge set before him.

I expect those numbers to improve, but this is why the "one or the other" option never made sense. Rossi getting traded with this current Yurov as the replacement is a bad idea. Hartman at 2C while 10 years older than Rossi is a bad tradeoff while trying to see where Yurov fits.

Just nice to have Rossi signed. A little breathing room after the years long circus. Hope he improves even more

Boldy can cement himself as the Wild's best hope for the future this season as the youngest, top-end talent who is signed for the next chunk of years. I really like the top-end talent upgrade for the Wild's top six. Tarasenko has been an All-Star, Cup winner twice. Dangerous scoring threat, and not small, weak, or aloof. Boldy and Kaprizov have been kinda on an island at times, carrying the water for MN. That's great, but if the team can spread the talent around better and find some easier ways to outmatch opponent's lines, that will help win games. It should also help with improving the PP. Boldy, and Kaprizov have been sorta left to watch the PP2 units struggle the past few years. That's something MN should start to see improve as talented players get spread around. Jiricek's one-timer last night, or Tarasenko's wrist shot & release should be a big upgrade over last season's bootstrapping with NoJo, Fred G., or Foligno being plunked into PP roles as if that wasn't by necessity. I'd like to think MN can be a harder team to beat now with some talented young energy and some higher-end talent mixed in with the heavy-hitters like Boldy and Kirill. Boldy can still be a little more selfish or assertive. Shoot more, take it to the net more. Hit the net more, and tune up your own one-timer and scoring 40 goals is totally realistic.

It's a great fit for a 2nd/3rd line wing upgrade over NoJo. If you go top heavy with Ek between Kaprizov and Boldy, the 2nd line could have Tarasenko. If Rossi plays with Boldy and Kaprizov, the 2nd line would be pretty sweet with Ek, Ogie and Tarasenko. Then, Hartzy and Sturm center the 3rd/4th lines and you got Zuccy, Foligno, Vinnie, Trenin, Yurov, and a few other good players available to keep NoJo out of the lineup. I like the improved depth and potential to shuffle those players. Your middle six guys can go up and down and hopefully that helps the Wild get better matchups and depth scoring. Looking at those names, considering Pitlick and Leason are extras with NoJo, it's no wonder the Wild moved on from Knudi and let Brazeau bail. They've upgraded with Sturm and Tarasenko. If Yurov or Yakov have the kind of year we'd like to see, the Wild's balance will be really nice. I wanna see the special teams and faceoffs improve to add some goals and keep some off the board. I could see Spurge, Middstrom, Faber, and Buium adding some offense from the back end too. If Jiricek and Bogo are a 3rd pair, even they could chip in a few here and there. I think the off season seemed slow and unimpressive to some, but it looks okay with good promise now.

Notes from The Athletic today: Notes on Trenin changing his diet to lose weight and improving his skating: Notes from Hynes on Ohgren: Notes on Jiricek from Russo and Joe Smith:

Pewter’s Prospect Prognostications: If you were hoping for yurov to make a contribution this season, you’re going to be disappointed. Think Rossi in his first 19 games (1 pt). Nothing dynamic. No dawg. No vision. Punted the puck more than once. And this is against 18&19 year old invitees. He’ll get TOI with big club but it won’t be pretty. Haight showed a pulse tonight but he’s not ready either. Heidt is less ready than Haight. Benak again stood out. Assisted on game winner. Stole puck on offensive end board and silver plattered it for a tap in. Kid is our Stankoven. Coaches put him on 1st line with yurov and Haight today. Amidovski looks like he could become a middle six forward. Good size and scored again today on a breakaway he created. Masters is a big body but I’m not sure he’s got ‘it’ to make pro.

Winning playoff games matters. When the Wild figure out how on a consistent basis, I'd love to see i. That being said, Fiala chased money too and didn't find playoff success with the Kings either. Winnipeg can house the greatest goalie in recent memory and still nearly get bounced by a Wild-Card team. Playoff hockey is weird

Nope sorry, the world is burning and we are doomed as a franchise forever.

Why does it only have to be either money or term? There might be some other contract details that he's looking for. I have no idea what they are, but, that's part of a negotiation. I tend to think more like ST on this one. A shorter term might be what he wants. Guerin will try to get him as long as he can, and hopefully with an M-NTC on that final year. And, maybe that point is the sticking point? I do think he wants to stay. I do think the rookies are going to be good, good enough to build into a contender. Maybe not this year, but invest in this group and they will produce is my belief. As of now, we know little about the details, and have no idea what he's looking for.

LOL. Been saying this for months here and all I got was confusion. Billy is out of his depth as GM. Not for not being able to re-sign Kaprizov, but for every stupid mistake he's made since becoming the GM. IF Kaprizov signs, it will be 2-3 years. Probably 2 because he has a year left on his current contract. Why? Because he will know for certain by then if the Wild have any chance of ever winning a championship AND the salary cap will be much higher by then for a much larger pay day. Everyone has reported it for years, that all he wants to do is win. This team has been mismanaged almost since it's inception. Kaprizov isn't stupid, neither is his agent. "Christmas morning" came and went with NOTHING. "But, but, but, no one was available, they all signed with their own teams." Stupid excuses. A good GM makes moves to make the team better, whatever is necessary. A few reasons why he isn't signing long term: Trenin, Johansson, Tarasenko, Sturm (you can also add Rossi for the way he was mistreated). Wasted money, time, and don't improve the team. Kaprizov wants a Draisaitl, not a Tarasenko. You can also add the latest moves by signing more old, washed up players to PTO's. What kind of signal does that send to your current players? This was finally the offseason where the handcuffs were off and what did Billy do? NOTHING. I think it's down to 30/70 now. Not signing a record breaking contract says everything about what he is thinking.

Wow I thought he loved us, and loved it here. You know the hunting and the fishing etc. From his perspective a five year contract makes a ton of sense Get paid top $ for 5 years, and then if we’re still the Columbus blue jackets, he can end his career with whatever organization is peaking at that time, under a raised cap cba we will now all hope that he’s still willing to re-sign here shit just got real

Oh dear. The article invoked Mojo's name. Someone get the crosses, salt, and rosaries. Anyway If it takes time, it takes time. With nearly all the higher end guys staying with their teams, it is becoming less and less likely to just find a trade or free agency partner. You got a work with the players you grabbed. I'm just happy Yurov wasn't a man on an island. Rossi re-signed, so Yurov can work on bottom lines. For all we know, that's his ceiling. No sense forcing him to be what he clearly isn't right now.

Haight in over Yurov for the Blues game. Based on what I saw in preseason, I think this is the right move. Was really hoping Yurov would have been stronger out of the gate but at least it sounds like he's making strides.

No, just no. Over ten years in the league, 22 goals as a high water mark. I am sure he is a grit guy, but why not have cap space for the deadline? If Guerin signs him he should be fired immediately but I think he will sign him to a 3 year, no-move deal.

Reports a year ago, McDavid was visibly upset when management allowed Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to walk after signing offer sheets with the Blues. It wasn’t just that the Oilers lost a couple of depth pieces. It was more about their age and their future. Perhaps that's why McDavid is taking his time contemplating his future in EDM. He's already given the Oilers everything he has for 10 seasons, why should he continue to trust that management team. It's similar, but the Wild are in a very different position than the Oilers. But Ohgren's development, including mistakes and slumps, should be prioritized over a roster spot for JoJo. In my opinion, seeing some of these mock lineups, I believe Ohgren should be getting third line minutes alongside Yurov before Moose. Moose, Sturm and Trenin on the fourth would be intriguing. Ohgren probably isn't going to get 82 games this year, but my expectation would be 40 games to see what he can do and continue his development.

Yes, 100% agree with this article. I liked the Marcus signing being that it was a team friendly deal, but Marcus is the 13th guy to play when injuries occur. Anything beyond that is not helping the team long term. Ohgren appears to be dedicated to his craft and the Wild need some young forwards to inject some vigor into this lineup.