4Check

If your sentiment is based on his political tweet last week, I was equally disappointed.

Well, the Wild might not be better, but at least a slow team got a little faster. I assume this trade is simply a small puzzle piece,, a stop gap until whether by draft and/or another trade, they find two young (25 and under) top 6 centers for the intermediate to long term future.

1) Really enjoy your movement chart! 2)Be nice to see Wallinder fall to the Wild in the 2nd rd. 3)Based on an overview of yours and other draft sites, the "safe" pick (Lundell) seems to be again the Wild's destiny. IMO, I hope they can trade up at least several slots to get a more dynamic offensive performer. That said, if Askarov and Sanderson are picked in the top 8, plus perhaps an additional off the board choice, the Wild could have an excellent skilled forward fall into their lap. (IMO there are 6, some would argue 7)

Very good synopsis of some highly likely options. Sure wish Pitt would have chosen to give the Wild the 15 pick. I think one of Mercer, Jarvis or Holloway would be there. Love the idea of getting Rossi. As much as the Wild are desperate for a C, IMO it would be hard to pass on RW Holtz if Rossi is gone. IMO, the Wild, if afforded a reasonable offer, should move up as many slots as possible to increase their chances of getting Rossi (or even a bigger hope of Stutzle or Byfield ) The only small quibble I have with your analysis, is, IMO Hendrix Lapierre is a very good skater. Now, his head (or latest suggestion that his issue is spinal) is a legitimate question mark.

I totally agree on using the buyouts, if possible, on bigger contracts than Rask. He can be the 13th forward with the ability to fill in at wing or center. Plus, buying out Rask would lose one of the two buyout slots over the next four years. If the Wild can't move Parise or Zucc now, a buyout(s) would be much more manageable two to three years from now.

IMO it is absolutely imperative to trade or buyout Zucc and Parise (even if it requires retaining half of salary in a trade). The immediate issue with my premise..... which of the 30 other GMs would even bite on either one of them. Only solutions are to add a sweetener to the deal and/or taking back a bad contract and then buying it out. Could be very painful!

I agree with your gamer conclusions on Stalock (not totally his fault), and that Donato and Zuccarello were ineffective. I would add Galchenyuk to that mix (among others). Would love to see Sturm. Convinced he has the off puck skills to excel in playoff hockey.

Interesting thought on Addison emulating Hughes prepping Wild for Van.

i also hope he can improve both his first two stride quickness and overall speed.

The movement color tracker is a helpful tool. Thanks!

I thought Walz's first ever night as a color analyst was his best. Excellent insight despite, as would be expected, a very rough presentation. But steep downhill from there. Now, his filibuster style of delivery is so incessantly long, that his points get lost in all the verbiage. Like when Greenlay does color, I'm turning off the sound. Greenlay appears to be a nice guy, but he rarely offers any insight. IMO, VERY lazy preparation. Like you indicated, Nanne was excellent. I'm hopeful on Carter. Still raw, but informative and MUCH, MUCH more succinct than Walz. And as Theresa opined, oh what a joy it would be to listen to a Forslund or Kelly on a nightly basis. Throw in Reaugh, Hedican, Fox, Panger or Olzcyk to do color and I would be in regional hockey broadcast heaven.

What might add to the hopes for Beckman, is that his body maturity and strength isn't anywhere near its potential. While he may never be lightning fast, IMO adding eventual power to his existing skill set makes him an outstanding prospect.

That was a nice walk down memory lane. The Rolli/Manny playoff run remains one of my favorite all time NHL memories.

For me, the question is.....is Galchenyuk good enough to be the Wild's future 2nd line center? IMO, he's not going to be a #1C. And with JEE and Sturm IMO the likely #3 and #4 future C's, 2C would be the only slot for him. Personally, though he has been good at times, I'm not yet convinced. Certainly not for a long term commitment. But perhaps short term until Khovanov or any other future draft picks (fingers crossed) are ready. Still hoping Guerin pulls off a deal(s) that upgrades one or miraculously both top 2 center slots.

I liked his first couple of games in his return last week. IMO, he struggled a bit vs the Sharks. I thought he had the possibility to become a Brendan Gallagher type. So far, (only 12 game sample) IMO not seeing enough anticipation or abillity to drive play at the NHL level to warrant that comparison.

My uneducated guess, is that going forward, the Wild are desperate for centers. Galchenyuk, a former number 3 overall pick, who once scored 30 goals for Montreal , is forced on Guerin (to make the trade work cap wise). So Guerin is giving him (guessing again on the # of games) 10 games at center to see if he can resurrect himself to the potential he once had. So far, skating better than I thought he was capable, but the production isn't there. Of course, putting him with a struggling Zucc and a 3rd line forward (Foligno) is not a perfect scenario. That said, he's probably getting more of a chance then the last 3 years would indicate he deserves.

Good assessment in your post on the realities of buyouts. Couple of thoughts. 1) The scenario I suggested is over the next 16 months. So, if the Wild can't find a #1 and #2 center this summer (IMO highly unlikely) they have Staal for at least one more year. Considering Guerin readily admits that Center is a major Wild weakness, I'd be shocked if he didn't acquire at least one. So, IMO, Staal, legit #2 newcomer, JEE and Sturm would be a solid start to improving their obvious weakness. 2) IMO, 7.5M in dead money over the next three years is a necessary evil to transition out of being the second oldest team in the NHL. IMO, the Wild are AT LEAST three years from being a cup contender. So with the transition to younger players, who typically (but not always) make less money, should facilitate that challenge.

IMO, Guerin has to trade, buyout or not renew at least 6 of the 8 bad and/or older player contracts by July 1, 2021. IMO, it is very doable. Koivu retire Parise renew trade efforts Zucarello agree to pay up to 1/2 his contract in a trade or buy him out. Staal trade or don't renew 7/1/21 Rask buyout Dubnyk don't renew 7/1/21 (possible buyout candidate if Zucc can't be traded I assume Suter and Spurg will not/ or can't be moved. (BTW IMO Spurg a bad contract only because of the term)

i noticed the 4 points you made..... Agree that there have been some real nice primary assist plays this past week. I thought about Zach's lack of emotion as well. I ended up guessing that it was showing respect to Columbus in a lopsided game. Still agree that at least a smile was in order. I noticed Brodin make a similar power crossover move vs Columbus. Amazing! And I totally agree that Brodin (and Stalock) bailed out Dumba in last night's game. I took a double take when Russo tweeted that both Brodin and Dumba were superb. Well....he was half right!!

My source of optimism...... 1)Guerin's attempt to trade Parise, IMO a clear sign that BG recognizes the second most important issue is getting younger (the first obvious issue, generically speaking is to acquire younger and better talent) 2)I'm cautiously optimistic through trade, buyout and/or expiration he'll move 6 of the 8 bad (IMO) Wild contracts within 16 months. 3)That Guerin didn't trade simply for the sake of making trades. Obviously he could have found a trading partner to move Brodin and/or Dumba. But if it didn't offer a return of a 1st or 2nd line center or goalie (either current NHLer or elite prospect), IMO it would have been foolish. 4) I'm optimistic that at least 2 of the 4 top Wild forward prospects will be eventual first or second line caliber. 5) I'm cautiously optimistic that Addison will be a top 4 D. 6) I'm very optimistic that from their top 4 goalie prospects 2 will be, at very least NHL backup quality. 7) I'm extremely optimistic that Fiala is the real deal. 8)That JEE is fast becoming an elite shutdown center (plus 7 against the opposition's best players on a team that is collectively in the minus column.) with the capability of averaging 40 plus points per season 9) I'm cautiously optimistic that Donato and Greenway are slowly turning the corner towards viability, whether with the Wild or as trade pieces. 10) I'm hopeful the Wild will take advantage of a deep draft with their two first round picks. (with the possibility of a summer trade adding a third)

A GM will rarely dis an outgoing coach. THAT in NHL circles is classless!

Little Billy eh?

I'm with you in the "I won't go that far" department!

Interesting speculation.

So, you're suggesting that Guerin is taking orders from Parise and Suter?