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  • Can the Wild Get Better By Standing Pat?


    Image courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
    Tony Abbott

    The NHL's salary cap is on the rise, but the league's economy might be about to grind to a halt.

    There's a flow to player movement. There are usually a group of teams looking to reset their competitive window, and a team of buyers looking to fuel them with futures for the price of taking the sellers' good players off their hands.

    But unless a team is interested in the Pittsburgh Penguins and their slightly used Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust, that might not happen this offseason. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic recently quoted a GM as saying, "Almost everyone is looking to add or get better." 

    That's bad news for the Minnesota Wild, for whom the buyout shackles are finally off their wrist and are ready to make a splash. In a world where the Buffalo Sabres were looking to trade Tage Thompson, the Detroit Red Wings were shopping Dylan Larkin, or Brady Tkachuk was trying to find a way to leave the Ottawa Senators, the Wild might have been able to do that. 

    But in a world where even last-place teams like the Chicago Blackhawks or San Jose Sharks are done trying to bottom out? The road for the Wild to improve gets a lot rockier. 

    Or does it?

    "I don't want to sit on my hands at all, and I'm kind of tired of doing that," Bill Guerin said in May,

    In March, he said, "[July is] going to be a time where organizationally, we make a step."

    However, Minnesota might be in as good a position as anyone to improve without a huge shake-up.

    The Wild only punched their ticket to the playoffs in the last 20 seconds of the season, when Joel Eriksson Ek scored a game-tying goal against a dreadful Anaheim Ducks team to clinch their spot.

    While that suggests the Wild are a bubble playoff team, the truth is that with a reasonably healthy year from Kirill Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek, Minnesota would have been an easy playoff team. Yes, even with "one hand tied behind their back," as Guerin occasionally says of their cap situation.

    The Wild are (currently) set to return most of that team from last season, and are already making three major additions, without spending a dime in free agency. Top prospects Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, and David Jiříček are all expected to be on the roster next year. You can probably add in a fourth by penciling in Liam Öhgren in the lineup.

    That's the 12th overall pick from last year's draft, plus three top-25 picks from the 2022 Draft. Playoff teams usually aren't in a position to add four highly-touted first-rounders in a single offseason. That's reserved for young, up-and-coming teams after years of painful rebuilding.

    However, the Wild are in exactly that spot.

    Of course, it's important to temper expectations a bit. We don't know which players are ready to step into huge roles and which require more time. But even two of those four being ready for prime time next season would make a significant impact. 

    Even beyond the injuries and the prospects, the Wild still have room to improve next year. Their young core currently includes Matt Boldy (24), Marco Rossi (23), and Brock Faber (22). All three players have room to improve next season.

    The State of Hockey is still waiting for that elusive Boldy breakout season, even though he is coming off a career-high 73-point campaign. Still, the organization and its fans believe there's more meat on that bone. His final 20 games (including playoffs) suggest that, as he scored 11 goals and 24 points over that time. If his 2025-26 season can resemble the first and last 20 games of last year, and not the middle 48, we could see something truly special.

    Rossi put together a second-straight 20-goal season while managing to take his playmaking up a notch as the Wild's top-line center. The trade rumors surrounding him have been on full blast this offseason, but a combination of a thin center market and Minnesota's not-so-stellar job of selling him could keep him in Minnesota. If Rossi is back in St. Paul, he'll be motivated to either prove to the Wild he's part of their future or put on a show to audition for another spot. His work ethic to get better next season can't be questioned.

    Then there's Faber, whose disastrous second half plummeted him to the fourth-worst season in the NHL, per Evolving-Hockey's Standings Points Above Replacement. Faber cost the Wild 3.3 points in the standings last season. Still, no one believes that it represents his true talent level. With a smarter plan to keep his workload in check, Faber should look much better as a top-pairing defenseman.

    Sure, it might be preferable to see the Wild add a bona-fide No. 1 center, if you're not sold on Rossi. But with reasonable health, a wave of prospects arriving, and their young stars continuing their upward trajectory, they might not need a huge shake-up. Suppose Minnesota can limit itself to adding a top-six winger around the edges. Then, it would complement a promising core without ripping out any of the foundation of what the organization is building. As loath as Guerin is to sit on his hands, it might be the best way to set up the Wild to win in the near term.

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    Let's hope Hynes allows the youngsters (Yurov, Ohgren, Jiricek and Buium) to play through their first year learning curve, and doesn't sit them in favor of older vets.  If those four can play and learn and put up a reasonable 20-30 point seasons, that's all I'm expecting.  If they exceed those expectations, then terrific. 

    But at the end of next season, we'll have a lot of players that are one year older and slower: zuccy, bogo, spurgeon, brodin.  Our roster as it sits doesn't haven the depth to be true contenders against the leagues best like FLA, EDM, etc...

    I'm hoping Rossi signs $6Mx2yr contract, but I think that's wishful thinking at this point.

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    Wild have 7 D and 12 F signed (not including Rossi).  Sitting idle may be BGs plan.   See what is available at the TDL.  Would be a bit of a bummer since we have waited all this time to suddenly have cap space and do next to nothing with it.. yet spending to spend is not a solution.  

    Would sure like to see the Wild trade away Vinnie and Freddy.  Then look to sign at least 1 premium player and Rossi.  Nojo can sit in the press box.

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    Toni is this one sponsored by Bill and Leo? 

    Everything is OK - we are fine! we are going to go in with same team and count on rookies (four or five of them if you count Wally) to produce. There is a long proven record of that working out - look at last year! and we are still in only our second year of our second five year plan! "ahead of schedule!"

    How is that appetizing for Kap? I guess it would shock me that Kap signs with status quo. 

    As for opportunities to upgrade the team - you have to come ready to deal. You going to dangle Rossi - you'll get the same type of return back. That's why no one is biting.

    Larkin, Tage, Tkachuk, Elias.....they are not untouchable. this is not dealing with FL or EDM who is locked into their core and will go at it again next year. This is DET, BUF and OTT - teams who've been dysfunctional for some time (OTT is a bit better off, but having Mr America as their Captain is not really a sure thing for a stable path forward) and if the deal is right - they may bite

    Kap wants to compete. When a team competes, they do not rely so heavily on rooks or youth. We are overloaded with both - Faber, Rossi, Wally, Yurov, Zeev, Jiri, H&H boys, Ohgren are all still young. You want them all on the team?? You have to pick a route that makes sense for Kap. If he wants a slow go and maybe experience winning when he is 35-38 - OK, but i doubt that. He wants to win and win now when he leads the team. In his prime. So - We have to trade our surplus of youth and go for it. Not scraps but something juicy. 😱

    I think Bill gave the indication to Kap that he will be bold and he will sacrifice youth and make a splash. I think Rossi is going to be packaged with either Zeev or Yurov and we will have someone big here. No not Duchene. And not Bjugstad. and not Zucker. 🍻

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    1 hour ago, 0 Stanley Cups said:

    Let's hope Hynes allows the youngsters (Yurov, Ohgren, Jiricek and Buium) to play through their first year learning curve, and doesn't sit them in favor of older vets.  If those four can play and learn and put up a reasonable 20-30 point seasons, that's all I'm expecting.  If they exceed those expectations, then terrific. 

    But at the end of next season, we'll have a lot of players that are one year older and slower: zuccy, bogo, spurgeon, brodin.  Our roster as it sits doesn't haven the depth to be true contenders against the leagues best like FLA, EDM, etc...

    I'm hoping Rossi signs $6Mx2yr contract, but I think that's wishful thinking at this point.

    Add Wallstedt to that list of youngsters. I’ve been curious to see him play and develop. I’m sure Gus will need a break every now and then. 

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    1 hour ago, OldDutchChip said:

    Larkin, Tage, Tkachuk, Elias.....they are not untouchable. this is not dealing with FL or EDM who is locked into their core and will go at it again next year. This is DET, BUF and OTT - teams who've been dysfunctional for some time (OTT is a bit better off, but having Mr America as their Captain is not really a sure thing for a stable path forward) and if the deal is right - they may bite

    Well, when they make that trade you'll get to have a big, big laugh, won't you?

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    Absolutely not.

    They were healthy. They got all anyone could ask for from Kaprisov, Boldy, and Gus in the playoffs.  Hartman even played well. Rossi chipped in (from the 4th line, inexplicably). They still couldn’t even come close to escaping the first round, let alone something like the conference finals.

    What could possibly improve?  Gaudreau or Mojo somehow become a 30 goal scorer?

    Yurov isn’t going to come in and light the world on fire.

    If they can’t get a deal done, I don’t want to hear the “aw shucks, we tried.”  Guerin has been planning/building for this moment since he wrote off Parise and Suter.  If he comes out of this off-season without a significantly better team, that’s a result of his poor decision making, and he absolutely needs to be fired.  

     

    Edited by Beast
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    I doubt Bennett, Duchene, and Tavares want to come to the Wild.  Other than Peterka and Byram, no one has been publicly hassled as "they want out.". So just stop with the Touch, Thompson, Larkin, and Tkachuk things until their team insiders stir shit like Russo does on a weekly basis.

    Funny how the one time Guerin might let the floodgates open and have 5-6 rookies make the team, it's suddenly a bad idea.

    Well, a bad idea to Brady's biggest fan anyway.  But playing fantasy GM must be fun.

    Rossi just wants to play.  The Wild aren't guaranteed any outside help.  Get it from the inside first.

     

     

     

     

    Edited by Citizen Strife
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    19 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

    Well, when they make that trade you'll get to have a big, big laugh, won't you?

    that's how it usually goes - you have to pay up to get something good. this is the time wild go for it. cash in some prospects and bring in elite help. 

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    4 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

    I doubt Bennett, Duchene, and Tavares want to come to the Wild.  Other than Peterka and Byram, no one has been publicly hassled as "they want out.". So just stop with the Touch, Thompson, Larkin, and Tkachuk things until their team insiders stir shit like Russo does on a weekly basis.

    Funny how the one time Guerin might let the floodgates open and have 5-6 rookies make the team, it's suddenly a bad idea.

    Well, a bad idea to Brady's biggest fan anyway.  But playing fantasy GM must be fun.

    Rossi just wants to play.  The Wild aren't guaranteed any outside help.  Get it from the inside first.

     

     

     

     

    I doubt Bennett, Duchene, and Tavares want to come to the Wild. that's ok, Wild don't want them (Bennett maybe - but not at the price he'll command)

    Other than Peterka and Byram, no one has been publicly hassled as "they want out.". sometimes it doesn't come out until it actually is done. see ranty and the shock 😱 (no to peterka and byram) 

    So just stop with the Touch, Thompson, Larkin, and Tkachuk things until their team insiders stir shit like Russo does on a weekly basis. why stop? you want to be happy just to be mentioned? happy that Nelly thought about us before retirement? you have to actually be bold and take chances. there are probably 5 players in the entire league that are untouchable (Kap is one of them). the rest are fair game. 

    you think Yzerman won't consider dealing Larkin for Faber and Rossi and prospect/pick? that team is going nowhere and it may buy him more time to play GM.

    same for Sabres GM - you think a "reset' of sorts will give him some job security? Yes, sir. And for a GM on that trash team - that may be worth dealing. Either that or he is out. 

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    Great article Tony.  Like you say, there are not many options out there that would make us considerably better.  Better to hold out and see what transpires.  There is the 2026 free agent class that if they do not resign, they may be available for trade during the year, or at the trade deadline, much like Ranty was last year.  Sometimes it is better to be patient and get what you want than to do something just for the sake of doing it.  

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    With the free agency market looking incredibly lacking in talent, I would tend to agree that the best route is to hold our cards and retain Rossi. 2026 free agency looks far better or even the TDL this year. Why overpay now? As highlighted by Tony above, we have 4 rookies looking to be in the mix and should see what we have before wholesaling young talent to get a 1c. 

    It will be a good growing year. Let's not fool ourselves into believing that this team, as it was last year, is one piece away. Let's develop some prospects and see where we sit at TDL. Move when it makes sense, not just because we have money to spend.

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    Going to be interesting to watch what KK does this off-season. If I'm him, no way I'm signing an extension.  Why would he. BG should be fired if he can't make a big addition this year. That's all they've been telling the fans "July 1st is going to be like Christmas morning" I guess JOJO was the big present.🤦‍♂️

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    I'm a big fan of this approach. No Merrell, No Bogo and no 4th line made up of AHL guys has got to be worth a few more points on top of what Tony mentioned.  Wait for the deadline. There will be a few teams ready to blow it up. 

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    5 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

    I think Rossi is going to be packaged with either Zeev or Yurov

    I thinks it’s Rossi + Ogz to BUF for Peterka + 3rd rd. prospect BUF drafted in 2022

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    2 hours ago, walt said:

    I guess JOJO was the big present.

    NoJo was signed because Ogz is gone this offseason and NoJo is the break glass in case of emergency injury fill-in guy

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    8 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

      Would be a bit of a bummer since we have waited all this time to suddenly have cap space and do next to nothing with it.. yet spending to spend is not a solution. 

    He can overpay KK97! 😂

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    Signing and keeping kap only counts if they build a better team. He should have been playing the youngsters last year to see what they had. Now he won't allow it. The team has to be in playoff contention, otherwise liepold is pissed(fans in the stands)... while it sucks maybe they take a flyer next year. No big names out there you won't overpay for longevity, and by the time the contracts up, we have parise/suter situations.

    Should have let the rooks play and figured it out,last year. Now you are desperate and prone to DUMB Moves. 

    Let's not pay Rossi the average, let's go get duchene(old) or bennet(never a huge prs guy) for more and longer when they are old.... makes total sense.

     

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    I fully agree with the writer. Let's not forget that MN was among the top teams after the first quarter of the season. The only thing that really hurt us were the injuries and the bad special teams.

    Regarding this off-season, we are basically replacing players that had less of an impact with fresh young talent:

    Brazeau < Öhgren

    Nyqvist < Yurov

    Bogo < Jiricek

    Chisholm < Buium

    If we add another quality player, the team will have a great core. There  is more upside in the team than risk:

    Regression candidates: Zucc, Spurgeon, Bogo, Foligno

    Improvement candidates: Rossi, Boldy, Brock, Hartmann, Trenin

    Workload management can help to keep the older players away from injuries and fresh for the second half. Additionally, a full season of Spurge, Ek and Kap will make this team significantly better.

    We should not overreact and burn assets for short term promises. Get a star producing (+60 points) winger via UFA, extend Rossi and we are set.

    Only if the market is heating up and GMs get desperate we should try to capitalize. Would hate to see Öhgren or Lambos go. Both of the will he NHL ready at some point next season.

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    10 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    NoJo was signed because Ogz is gone this offseason and NoJo is the break glass in case of emergency injury fill-in guy

    NoJo was signed because the Nyquist deadline pickup backfired so spectacularly

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    Gus also needs a new contract after this season, UFA, hopefully BG lets the season play out a little bit before resigning him.  He'll be highly motivated and could have a terrific season.  We're still going to need him the next 4-5 years because it 's going to take Wally a few more years with the big club.

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    Billy can't and won't sit on his hands. He will be on the wrong side of another lopsided trade or will grossly over pay someone that doesn't want to come here.

    Having said that, he is doing exactly what was asked of him, keeping butts in seats. There is no plan to win a Stanley Cup, never was, just keep the revenue streaming in. It's ok if the team doesn't improve, just remain a bubble team and they will come.

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    It would be the most Minnesota Sports thing ever to just spend on overrated players just because they have money burning a hole in their pocket after years of cap hits. Spend more; same results.

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    14 hours ago, walt said:

    Going to be interesting to watch what KK does this off-season. If I'm him, no way I'm signing an extension.  Why would he. BG should be fired if he can't make a big addition this year. That's all they've been telling the fans "July 1st is going to be like Christmas morning" I guess JOJO was the big present.🤦‍♂️

    If he wants his name on the cup, he'll leave. The only reason he'll stay is for more cash and more security. Which is more important to him? Time will tell.

    Everyone is predicting 15x8 (too much IMO, injury prone). If he rejects that offer, the Wild should trade him immediately.

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    19 hours ago, 0 Stanley Cups said:

    I'm hoping Rossi signs $6Mx2yr contract, but I think that's wishful thinking at this point.

    4 years at $25M might get it done, structured to pay out $10M in year 1 of the deal. That would leave Rossi as an unrestricted free agent at 27 years old, the earliest he could be unrestricted(I believe), so there might be a reason for him to take that deal.

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    Go and get Marchment from Dallas as the shiny new object ,  Extend Olegovich , bridge Rossi 2x6 , 

     

    Oh yeah fire Bettman 

    Edited by Dango
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