CreaseAndAssist

(shrugs)  You add some more young players to the lineup and your top players showcase a bit more skill.  IMO this is the path the team needs to follow...but Guerin has to have his 30+ bro's in the locker room...and because he's already paid them the kids will likely sit while the trot out the old bones next season.  

Last night felt like a game where the Wild kind of teased us...see this is what we could be, but we won't you know?  

(shrugs)  Honestly, when the Wild were officially eliminated from playoff contention it was a sigh of exasperation.  It was 100% relief.  This team had been in denial way too long and because of its 'pride' it's going to again draft in that middle muck area where you get players with some question marks and what if's instead of bonafide talent that is going to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. 

IllaZilla is 100% correct.  Craig needs to back the hell off.  Be bad, maximize the talent acquisition through the draft...be less reliant on free agents and you can be good for a long time if you do it right.  The NMC's are insanity incarnate.  It's an anchor to this franchise.  I really wonder if it was Guerin's overuse of NMC's is what finally drove Chris O'Hearn (his cap guy) to finally jump ship since it made it untenable for him to do his job without addressing the massive NMC elephant in the room.     

Just now, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

He should have some better support next season if this is the route they go.  Although broadcasts are hinting more and more that they feel Fleury will hang them up.  If that happens I can't imagine Wallstedt stays in Iowa.  

 

So far Khusnutdinov, Ohgren look fairly capable...and the cheap contracts should be helpful for this team too.  

Not sure why I quoted myself.  Anyways...

Iowa are officially eliminated from AHL playoff contention with a loss to Manitoba this last weekend.  

Mikey Milne continues to be the hot hand as does Luke Toporowski who has been a pretty decent pick up for Iowa.  With how little Minnesota used Adam Beckman it seems like a bit of a waste keep him in the NHL press box instead of letting him provide offense for Iowa so they may have had a chance to make the post-season.  But what do I know?  

17 hours ago, Alexandron said:

Here is some talk about our goalies future:

https://hockeywilderness.com/news-rumors/minnesota-wild/jesper-wallstedt-needs-better-support-in-iowa-if-the-wild-extend-fleury-r30002/

He should have some better support next season if this is the route they go.  Although broadcasts are hinting more and more that they feel Fleury will hang them up.  If that happens I can't imagine Wallstedt stays in Iowa.  

So far Khusnutdinov, Ohgren look fairly capable...and the cheap contracts should be helpful for this team too.  

23 hours ago, Alexandron said:

Personally, for me, comparing to previous seasons, the team overall didn't show enough character, enough winning motivation to win every game and to produce enough goals for wins. Especially some of the players who supposed to be real helpers. Our injuries were not an excuse for that at all because every team is going through injuries.

Is this what you think Wild GM Bill Guerin will say in the post-season autopsy?  

Feel free to share your slogans for 2024-25 Wild season here; whether its serious or sarcastic...we'll put them in for our next episode!  

1 minute ago, IllaZilla said:

Deja Vu all over again…

A Yogi Berra classic...

Episode #40: Questions For Our Leader (Bill Guerin)

In this @MNSOTA and Kalisha share questions generated from listeners for Wild GM Bill Guerin including what they think will be his likely responses.  They also ask how fans are feeling about this team as the 2023-24 season inches closer to a conclusion.  

Again there is a reminder of an NHL Draft Get together on June 28th at Reid's at 5:30PM-to-10PM, we'd love to meet-n-greet!  

Lastly, do you have slogan for the Minnesota Wild for the 2024-25 season, if so what is it, it doesn't matter how sarcastic or sincere it may be.  Post it here and we'll include it in next week's show!  

7 hours ago, ClusterChuck said:

If we had a healthy Foligno and some others with balls, There'd be some 'activities' for running up the score.

Maybe, maybe not.  I think he's let teams take a lot of liberties (and in different ways) and he can't really do anything when he's not healthy enough to be in the lineup.  IMO, his presence on this team is rather overrated at this point and we have him for another 4 seasons.  (sigh)

4 hours ago, wildstars95 said:

Tonight's match up       vs    

I think the #mnwild's car should be running on at least one donut.  Got to love that lame Marcus Johansson penalty eh?  Also, Matt Boldy drops his stick a lot.  

9 hours ago, Tomdog said:

40,000. Until Spurgeon comes off LTIR, then someone needs to go. 

This is for @IllaZilla, earlier in the year I tabulated all of the NMC's and NTC's for each team.  

Chicago - 2 NMC's (4 NTC's)

Anaheim - no NMC's (5 NTC's)

Nashville - 2 NMC's (1 NTC) 1 Modified NTC

Buffalo - 1 NMC (1 NTC)

Arizona (Utah) - no NMC's (2 NTC's)

Detroit - 1 NMC (10 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

Columbus - 2 NMC's (6 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

Winnipeg - 3 NMC's (5 NTC's)

San Jose - 1 NMC (3 NTC's)

Carolina - 1 NMC (8 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

New Jersey - 2 NMC's (1 NTC) 1 Modified NTC

Seattle - 1 NMC (13 NTC's) 2 Modified NTC's

New York Islanders - No NMC's (3 NTC's)

Dallas - 4 NMC's (3 NTC's)

St. Louis - No NMC's (10 NTC's)

Edmonton - 6 NMC's (1 NTC)

Philadelphia - 1 NMC (4 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

Florida - 4 NMC's 

Pittsburgh - 6 NMC's (7 NTC's)

New York Rangers - 5 NMC's (4 NTC)

Los Angeles - 4 NMC's (3 NTC)

Boston - 4 NMC's (5 NTC's)

Calgary - 4 NMC's (5 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

Vancouver - 1 NMC (4 NTC) 1 Modified NTC

Washington - 2 NMC's (7 NTC's)

Ottawa - 2 NMC's (4 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

Montreal - 2 NMC's (4 NTC's)

Vegas - 3 MNC's (8 NTC's)

Colorado - 3 NMC's (2 NTC's) 2 Modified NTC's

Tampa Bay - 4 NMC's (4 NTC's) 2 Modified NTC's

Toronto - 5 NMC's (9 NTC's)

MINNESOTA - 7 NMC's (4 NTC's) 1 Modified NTC

I would agree.  He's like Dewar-lite.  

None of the 3 Arizona fans took notice of Jason Zucker's departure too.  They didn't even bother to spell his name correctly.  

None of the 3 Arizona Coyotes fans noticed, apparently...

5 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

Or have the league change the rules to stack the team, like they did with Vegas...

I don't think they need more than 32 teams.  But league owners can't help themselves...they love the expansion $$$.  

It's funny, I have a guy I follow on Twitter who is a Swede that's moved to Minnesota.  He's all about Ohgren getting the chance...falling over himself.  Now we see Alexandron angry as hell that the Swede beat the Russian to the opportunity.  

He's right, its all about the fact Ohgren doesn't count against the cap whereas Firstov does.  Either way...its all just arranging chairs on the Wild Titanic of the 2023-24 season.  It doesn't really matter all that much at all.  

Shifty player with great hands.  I'm curious to see if he can be productive at the pro level as he was in High School in college.  

54 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

If Ohgren follows Eriksson-Ek's trajectory, he'll be good in about 10 years, and Khusnutdinov has been described as a 3C, so we just replaced Dewar with Khusnutdinov. So I'm not holding my breath on either of these guys...

Yea some folks are hook, line & sinker on these guys like they will all just be studs.  I am with you, I'll believe it when I see it.  

11 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

JFC, can the league bend over anymore for this one stupid franchise? My god. 
 

Quit trying to shove hockey down the throats of the citizens of Arizona. People don’t want it there. 

I agree.  Its failed.  They tried for 20+ years to get people to show up for NHL hockey there and they didn't.  Even when the were good the fans only kind of showed up.  But they can't even fill up a 4,000-seat arena unless road fans fill it up for them.    

It is a colossal waste of time, energy and money trying to keep NHL hockey there.  As for Merulo, why would you continue to do business with that shady guy who never pays his bills?  If anything the league needs to revoke their franchise and then sell it to a more reputable and responsible owner / ownership group.  Afterall isn't that the ultimate leverage the league has with any franchise...the right to pull away their power if its not being run properly?  

Ohgren has looked ok down there.  I think the smaller ice and the way the natural way that speeds up the game was still moving a bit fast for him at the AHL level, but they probably just are appealing to the buzz of having another 1st rounder get a look at the big league.  

He has a decent shot...he hasn't found the back of the net in Iowa, but it will be interesting to see if he can get a goal in Minnesota.  Khusnutdinov certainly hasn't piled up a bunch of scoring chances since he arrived.  But I think Khusnutdinov is more of a middle to bottom-6 player even if he's small.  

Halle-$ucking-luliah....about damn time.  All of that pathetic posturing about getting some land in Phoenix was smoke & mirrors for the team about to leave town.  Arizona's ownership is shady as hell.  Story  

This took way too long to happen.  It more or less keeps the Central Division intact without any major disruption and hopefully with a fanbase / community that can support it.  The only drawback, is that Utah has its share of water issues almost as much as Arizona does.  Personally, I wish they would go to Houston where you could have the Texas two-step road trip...but at least they're out of the pit that is Arizona.  

Hopefully this really happens...and this horrific embarrassment comes to an end.  

1 hour ago, IllaZilla said:

The Wild's cap problems won't allow that. They still have to remain below the cap until the Playoffs. So if they call up all those players, what do they do with the players on the current roster?

 

And there will be little to no changes next year. Most of the problem players have NTC/NMC (Johansson, Gadreau, Hartman). The only players that aren't signed for next season are Beckman, Lucchini, Shaw, Goligoski, Chisholm, Mermis, and Fleury. With the exception of Fleury, they all make under$1M. And Faber is going to get a BIG raise next season. Plus Rossi is due a raise. They just don't have the cap space or flexibility to overhaul the roster.

 

They better pray no one gets hurt next season. Because it'll be deja vu all over again.

This, 100%.  That's really what this organization is pinning its hopes to.  No one getting hurt and somehow despite being OLDER...we'll somehow stay healthier and be more productive.  

And then they have to find a way to pay Brock Faber $9M or more per season.  Hahahaha...after all of that stupid money thrown at #17, #38 and #36...and they think they'll fit that in somehow.  Honestly, I'd toss #46's deal into this too...just stupid to pay a tiny defenseman until he's 38 years old big money.  

13 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

I’d like to know how Nashville can get players to play there without tossing around NMC’s while the Wild have given out the most in the NHL. 

100% exactly why I don't buy the "you have to offer NMC's" ******** argument.  No you don't, if that was true every team would have about the same amount and they clearly do not.  I did an episode about it where I went over the amount of NMC's and NTC's each team had.  No other team in the league has more NMC's than the Minnesota Wild.  Total, between NMC's and NTC's I think there was one team that had more than we did (Toronto if memory serves me correctly).  But some clubs had very few; like Nashville as you mentioned.  

Why Firstov?  He's just finding his groove with the Iowa Wild.  IMO if any young forward that is deserving of a call up right now, its Mikey Milne.  He's fast, he's got energy and I think he could do as much as Lucchini or Shaw can and probably moves better than both of them.  But I only watch just about every Iowa game so what would I know?  

Minnesota Wild (37-31-9)  83pts  6th in the Central

3.01 Goals For Per Game (20th in the NHL)

3.13 Goals Against Per Game (18th in the NHL)

21.5% Power Play (15th in the NHL)

74.3% Penalty Kill (30th in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #97 Kirill Kaprizov ~ 41G 48A = 89pts

2. #14 Joel Eriksson Ek ~ 30G 32A = 62pts

3. #12 Matt Boldy ~ 26G 35A = 61pts

4. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 11G 49A = 60pts

5. #7 Brock Faber ~ 7G 36A = 43pts

Top 3 PIM's:

1. #5 Jake Middleton ~ 77 PIM's

2. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 72 PIM's

3. #24 Zach Bogosian ~ 59 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:

1. #32 Filip Gustavsson (19-17-4)  3.07GAA  .900%  3SO

2. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury (17-13-5)  2.87GAA  .899%  2SO

3. #30 Jesper Wallstedt (1-1-0)  3.52GAA  .879%  1SO

Vs.

Colorado Avalanche (48-24-6)  102pts  2nd in the Central

3.71 Goals For Per Game (1st in the NHL)

3.05 Goals Against Per Game (15th in the NHL)

24.6% Power Play (6th in the NHL)

81.7% Penalty Kill (8th in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #29 Nathan MacKinnon ~ 48G 85A = 133pts

2. #8 Cale Makar ~ 19G 65A = 84pts

3. #27 Jonathan Drouin ~ 19G 34A = 53pts

4. #13 Valeri Nichushkin ~ 26G 24A = 50pts

5. #7 Devon Toews ~ 12G 35A = 47pts

Top 3 PIM's:

1. #42 Josh Manson ~ 81 PIM's

2. #20 Ross Colton ~ 59 PIM's
3. #29 Nathan MacKinnon ~ 38 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:

1. #40 Alexandar Georgiev (37-17-4)  2.96GAA  .899%  2SO

2. #60 Justus Annunen (7-4-1)  2.24GAA  .931%  2SO

Lines:

Colorado Avalanche

Drouin~MacKinnon~Lehkonen

Parise~Mittelstadt~Nichushkin

Duhaime~Colton~Trenin

Cogliano~Wagner~Kiviranta

D. Toews~Makar

Girard~Manson

J. Johnson~Walker

Georgiev

Annunen

Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov~Rossi~Zuccarello

M. Johansson~Eriksson Ek~Boldy

F. Gaudreau~Khusnutdinov~Hartman

Shaw~Lucchini~Merrill

Middleton~Faber

Brodin~Bogosian

Chisholm~Mermis

Gustavsson

Fleury

Wallstedt

22 hours ago, Tomdog said:

All the players 30 years old and above need to be on a more aggressive workout routine. 

That would be Hartman,  Foligno, Gaudreau,  Johansson, Spurgeon and Bogosian. 

After 30 it really gets tough. BG should really start demanding a stronger fitness program for these older guys.

This year Johansson really fell apart when his shift time got extended,  you could almost predict the goal coming when he got trapped on the ice for a while. 

No doubt, but this will still become more problematic as they get older.  Spurgeon has struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons.  Marcus Foligno has had his struggles too.  The mileage just builds up and even if you're in great shape you find yourself being injured and once injured you spend a lot more time in recovery.  

Either way, it begs another question of why did Bill Guerin decide to invest in so many years in these older players when you know you have so many young players coming up?  

As far as Fleury getting back Duhaime...yea, you mess with the bull, you get the horns!