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  • Was Zeev Buium the Slam-Dunk Pick Everyone Thought?

    Image courtesy of David Gonzales-USA TODAY Sports
    Adam Overby

    By Adam Overby -

     

    In the ruthless scramble for Lord Stanley's Cup, NHL franchises don't just build contenders, they cultivate them. The lifeblood of this pursuit isn't limited to free agency bidding wars or blockbuster trades. The true foundation often lies years in the past, meticulously constructed through the NHL Draft. Teams secure the raw potential of future stars in the draft, young players brimming with talent and the hunger to prove themselves. 

    Unfortunately, Bill Guerin hasn't yielded much fruit from the draft during his tenure. Over his last five drafts (2020-2024), only one player of the 32 the Minnesota Wild drafted has eclipsed 25 NHL games: Marco Rossi, an undersized center the fanbase clings to with clenched fists of hope. 

    Expanding the scope to include the 2017-2019 Drafts adds only three other players, and the Wild have already moved on from Mason Shaw and Connor Dewar, who had fourth-line roles last year. That leaves Matt Boldy, a perimeter winger with good hands. There was also Jack McBain, who bolted for the Arizona Coyotes after he didn’t see a pathway to making Minnesota’s roster. 

    So, with the 2024 NHL Draft shimmering with an abundance of elite talent, there was an energizing buzz coursing through the league. Scouts, GMs, and sportswriters alike approached draft day with heightened anticipation. 

    Any given draft class could rewrite the fortunes of struggling franchises by promising core roster players, even a few outside of the top 10 picks. If an organization gets a little lucky, accompanied by great scouting, it might even scoop up a future superstar. Just ask Kirill Kaprizov, who was picked 80 spots after Yakov Trenin in the 2015 draft.  

    For the Wild, holding the 13th pick, this draft wasn't just another selection meeting; it was a potential turning point. Because past drafts hadn't delivered the impact they craved, this year's bounty of prospects offered a chance to rewrite their future. Would Judd Bracket and Guerin pick for need, as they did in 2023 with Charlie Stramel, or did they learn their lesson by choosing the best player available? Would they roll the dice and pass on a pure sniper, or would they just lock up their blue line for a decade?  

    Enter Zeev Buium, the shifty defenseman from the University of Denver, waiting just outside the top 10. A tantalizing prospect with the potential to power the entire Xcel Energy Center. With puckhandling wizardry and offensive instincts perfectly matched to the Wild's need for a dynamic force on the blue line. Buium isn't just another draft pick; it's a calculated gamble on a player poised to ignite the Wild's offense for years as they transition from the old guard of Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon.

    It's a pick that was universally hailed in the hockey world, but did Minnesota botch a chance to rewrite the "boring" narrative that's dogged the franchise and paint an offensive masterpiece by claiming Cole Eiserman with the 13th pick?

    An electrifying winger poised to tear it up at Boston University, Eiserman’s lethal shot and relentless puck pursuit echo the Wild's yearning for a difference-maker. Choosing Eiserman wouldn't have been a pick by the book, but a bold swing for a player with the goal-scoring chops to become a cornerstone. Eiserman could have been the missing piece, ready to unleash a scoring barrage and ignite a new era of Wild hockey.

    Only time will tell if Guerin unearthed a hidden gem or missed out on a future superstar. The 2024 Draft's depth and volatility at the top guarantees years of analysis and debate. A lot of those debates will center around the potential top-five prospects that slipped to 12th and 20th in the draft, respectively.

    With the 2024 Draft's dust settling and the Wild's selection locked in, the team's prospect core of Buium, Jesper Wallstedt, Danila Yurov, Liam Ohgren, Riley Heidt, and Marat Khusnutdinov. They'll soon join what the Wild are hoping will be cornerstones in Boldy, Rossi, and Brock Faber. With Kaprizov in the mix, and hopefully in this organization for the long haul, does this equal a dynasty?

    Maybe, maybe not, but in either case, the 2024 Draft will likely be seen as a turning point for the franchise. If they're able to attain a championship with Buium leading the blueline, they'll be sure that they made the right call. If they end up one goal-scorer short, we'll perhaps look at passing on a potential game-changer in Eiserman with as much regret as we did with Gabriel Perreault in 2023. Which outcome will play out? We'll have to wait and see.

    By Adam Overby  

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    Pewterschmidt
    9 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    but why the hate for Lambos? He's still a very good prospect. He had a tough year 1 in the A, but had very little defensive coaching too. But, so did all the other defenders who made the jump.

    The year he made the Canada WJC team he was benched for the second half schedule of games.  The next year he didn't make the WJC Canada team.  And now we're hearing about his bad year in the AHL.  His trajectory doesn't look promising no matter how many excuses are made. He's the poster child for prospect hype right now because he's still in everyone's memory.  I'm not being mean.  I'm just calling it like I see's it.  And flushing a first round #26 pick deserves some harsh words.  But Pewter he's young and has lot's of upside...I'm tired Marge.

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    mnfaninnc
    9 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    His trajectory doesn't look promising no matter how many excuses are made. He's the poster child for prospect hype right now because he's still in everyone's memory.  I'm not being mean.  I'm just calling it like I see's it.

    I still don't think he'll be a bust....unless he simply refuses like the other prospects to bulk up. I do think last season he needed some coaching and their was nobody respectful around to help him. This also goes for Spacek and Masters. I think there's something wrong defensively on the A level and we need to fix it pronto. 

    If it were just Lambos, I'd see it like you do. But, since it was all of the young guys, something organizationally appears to be wrong. We didn't whiff on everyone!

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    Pewterschmidt

    Pewterschmidt 1,642

    Posted (edited)

    16 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    I do think last season he needed some coaching and their was nobody respectful around to help him. This also goes for Spacek and Masters. I think there's something wrong defensively on the A level

    Excuses

    1) I do think last season he needed some coaching and their was nobody respectful around to help him.  I do not believe this is true.

    2) something systemically wrong with our AHL farm team & system.  I do not believe this is true.

    If it were just Lambos, I'd see it like you do. But, since it was all of the young guys, something organizationally appears to be wrong.  Maybe Judd Brackett sucks a little bit at his job.  And the year Guerin over-rides Brackett we pick Charlie "no one even questions whether or not this kid sucks" Stram Diesel.  This explanation makes more sense to me than your X-Files explanation.

    #myodetoODCandDean

    Edited by Pewterschmidt
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    mnfaninnc
    2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Maybe Judd Brackett sucks a little bit at his job.  And the year Guerin over-rides Brackett we pick Charlie "no one even questions whether or not this kid sucks" Stram Diesel.  This explanation makes more sense to me than your X-Files explanation.

    Maybe this is true. Lambos has the largest frame of all these guys, but he drafted what appears to be 4 puck moving defenders who are around 6' tall but were pretty light when drafted. Lambos was around 200. Could it be that Judd is just looking for another Hughes clone who can take over? I don't honestly know. But Buium and Kiviharju have the same body type. Maybe this is a failed formula for finding the right kind of defenseman? 

    Here's a look at the Iowa Wild coaching staff:

    Brett McLean

    Ben Simon

    Nathan McIver

    Richard Bachman-goaltending coach

    Bryan Rohrbach-strength and conditioning coach

    Pewter, which guy here are you going to listen too? Rohrbach seems like a good name for a strength and conditioning coach...but will he puuuuump you uuup?

    If you were a kid, McLean has 385 NHL games, Simon has 81 NHL games and McIver has 36 NHL games, which one are you really going to respect? Which one are you going to look at and say "this guy knows what he's talking about?" The only guy on this list who looks the part is GM Matt Hendricks. 

    Now, with this lineup, we've got nobody in the organization who is a defensive guru. We desperately need one, a guy who can come in and help these kids grow and go over video with them. A guy whose name commands respect right away. That guy could be Goligoski. There are also a number of old defenders from MN who could be that guy, and I'd try and keep that local. 

    We've got some guys in the front office who could do this for the forwards in Modano and Koivu. We've got nobody for the defense. Kurvers could have done it while he was there. 

    Do you not acknowledge that this is a problem?

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    AOWild
    14 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

    AO, I think you missed the point. 2020 was the 1st draft that Guerin/Brackett participated in. In 2020 they drafted Rossi, Dino, O'Rourke, Hunt, Novak (who had cancer after the draft and is probably going to need even more time to develop). Even with Myocarditis, Rossi beats the 5 year timeline, which he probably should have being a top 10 pick.

    2024 should be when the others in this draft class arrive. Dino and Hunt have already debuted, O'Rourke, to me, looks like he will not make it, and I kind of take that personally because I thought he was a great pick, just the type of player we needed, but he, like many of the other draft picks refused to bulk up. And, out of all the other draft picks, with the type of game he played, he most needed to do this.

    In 2025 we would expect to see The Wall, Lambos, Peart, and Bankier. In 2026 we should see Ohgren, Yurov, Haight, Lorenz, Milne, Spacek (though he was an overage pick and might qualify for 2025). In 2027 we should see Stramel, Kumpulainen, Heidt. 2028 would be Buium, Ritchie, Kiviharju, Soini, Leskovar. The goalie Wutzke would be later because goalies take longer to develop.

    That is the timeline we are looking at. It appears that Ohgren will be early, Milne has a possibility of being early, Heidt is probably early and even with Yurov spending another year in the K, he will be early. This will be when you start to see those challenges to already established NHL players. 

    I could be persuaded that Buium will come in early since he had a rating of between 5-7 and dropped. I could also be persuaded of something similar for The Wall and Yurov. Heidt would be a pure bonus.

    Give these guys the proper developmental time. There's a reason that established NHLers are still NHLers. So far, the best these guys have is their dream. When they get their chance, cup of coffee or not, they've got to come in and make a difference. This is exactly how Mason Shaw made the roster and Guerin flipped his waiver pick up back on waivers. He's willing to do it, but the players have to do their part to convince him it's the right move at the right time.

    Thankfully, I believe that Heinzy will have a very spirited open training camp where anyone can claim a position and the vets better be ready for all contenders for their spot.

    Miss the point? The point is no matter early, late or on time there wasn't anybody in the pipeline to challenge MOJO or FREDDY?  That's embarrassing! Borderline pathetic.  Freddy's an AHLer callup.  MOJO has speed.  Nobody can bring anything to the table that's better than speed?

     

    This year we got two prospects that should challenge, and I hope BG treats both of them with the Alex goligoski press box suite.  With an even bigger hope they request a trade rather than sit.

     

    Miss the point?  The point is we have two open roster spots being held by placeholders, and we have nobody in our system that could move them???!!!???

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    raithis
    6 hours ago, AOWild said:

    Miss the point? The point is no matter early, late or on time there wasn't anybody in the pipeline to challenge MOJO or FREDDY?  That's embarrassing! Borderline pathetic.  Freddy's an AHLer callup.  MOJO has speed.  Nobody can bring anything to the table that's better than speed?

     

    This year we got two prospects that should challenge, and I hope BG treats both of them with the Alex goligoski press box suite.  With an even bigger hope they request a trade rather than sit.

     

    Miss the point?  The point is we have two open roster spots being held by placeholders, and we have nobody in our system that could move them???!!!???

    Had we not had so many injuries last year, Johansson and Gaudreau sitting out some games probably would have been the case.  Instead we were stretched thin and the fringe players that could play a bit were backfilling for injuries rather than displacing.  Had Foligno been healthy, Ohgren probably displaced Gaudreau, etc.

    There were two placeholders on defense too.  Merrill and Goligoski often sat out and Hunt was brought in a couple times. Chisholm was a prospect we got off waivers.  Yet that and the injury situation is seemingly being ignored.  There just weren't enough forwards ready to deal with all the players out.  Some games we had as many as 7-8 NHL players out of the lineup.  No team has 7-8 NHL caliber players sitting on the bench, especially when the previous GM gutted the prospect pool and we had to pretty much start over.  Prospects most teams would have at that developmental level weren't available for us.

    It's the simple fact that most of the prospects still aren't ready to make the jump, and it's not reasonable to expect that they would have been.  It's likely the exact reason why players like Lettieri and Luchini and Khaira were signed - as insurance for injuries.  We didn't expect we would have the amount of injuries we had to key players nor were these players part of long-term plans, because the expectation is that some of these prospects should be getting closer.  If we have injuries again or if Johansson and Gaudreau have a repeat of last year, we could potentially see a few this year, but even that would be early as was already mentioned.

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    mnfaninnc
    7 hours ago, AOWild said:

    Miss the point? The point is no matter early, late or on time there wasn't anybody in the pipeline to challenge MOJO or FREDDY?  That's embarrassing! Borderline pathetic.  Freddy's an AHLer callup.  MOJO has speed.  Nobody can bring anything to the table that's better than speed?

     

    This year we got two prospects that should challenge, and I hope BG treats both of them with the Alex goligoski press box suite.  With an even bigger hope they request a trade rather than sit.

     

    Miss the point?  The point is we have two open roster spots being held by placeholders, and we have nobody in our system that could move them???!!!???

    Yes, that wasn't my point. My point had to do specifically with Guerin/Brackett draftpicks. Your point is that there's nobody to take the spot of Freddy and Johansson.

    So, I will address your point, since you missed mine. Your point is one of frustration that we shouldn't have Freddy and Johansson unchallenged from our prospects. Using what I was trying to show you in my point, that the timing is not ready yet, we would be taking people from the 2016-2019 drafts. 

    On our roster from those drafts at this time is Matt Boldy. These are not Guerin/Brackett picks or responsibility, but just having Matt Boldy on this roster has left an eerie black hole of incompetence drafting. However, we also had Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar and Mason Shaw who made it, none beyond the 4th line role (except for injury). So, everyone else we have had to get to fill out a roster had 2 requirements:

    1. They had to be a good value and cheap
    2. We had to obtain them with a $15m dead cap hit, so, likely, some promises were made that were not on paper.

    Guerin/Brackett did this by not giving away their 1st and 2nd round picks, so that they could build the team. They traded away some players/prospects for 1st and 2nd rounders within their tenure. 

    AO, you're looking at the roster right now with no patience as to what the roster will look like when the prospects make it. Sure, ODC has a point, none of them have done anything yet. The hope is we have a better than average hit rate between the drafts, but to judge Guerin/Brackett on not having picks here yet is a bit unfair. 

    Yes, they could have brought them here to learn, but you would have had a team making a lot of mistakes. Look at the current state of San Jose, Chicago, CBJ, Montreal, AZ/Utah. Yes, that bad. But instead of rushing those guys to St. Paul, Guerin has hidden them away to develop accordingly and provided us with competitive hockey throughout. And, yes, last season was competitive hockey until the TDL. 

    Why aren't these guys here yet? Why haven't they beaten out the placeholders? One reason could be that in training camp, Evason had already decided on his team and there wasn't much of a tryout. Vets, especially, were sitting and not playing preseason. There really wasn't much of a way to challenge for a spot. Another reason could be that the kids were not physically ready yet. Too light, too weak, couldn't manage the corners effectively. For some others, they were developing overseas and had some team commitments, especially in Russia. 

    I would also bet that if we had the full cap to spend, those 2 guys would probably not be on the roster. They are cheap, and after Freddy's contract year, it was a fair deal, though pretty long. The length did what was needed, it kept the AAV down. Freddy performed that contract year and the prior year at better than $2.1m. 

    I believe your frustration should be taken out on both Fletcher and Fenton.

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    Patrick
    On 7/22/2024 at 9:28 PM, AOWild said:

    What else do you call a player that goes MIA in the playoffs, or forces you to check the lineup to make sure he's on the bench during the regular season?

     

    How effective do you predict Rossi will be in a third round playoff series?

    How effective is Brad Marchand? Or Jordan Greenway? Some of you guys are idiots.

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