CreaseAndAssist

On 4/6/2024 at 7:35 PM, Tomdog said:

If they're playing guys because the owner wants, we can give up hope on ever seeing them win a Cup.

I would agree.  But its the same formula as it was back when we still had Pominville and he was stone cold.  We just kept putting him out there because he makes $5.9 million a season or kept using Ryan Suter just because...the cap hit.  

18 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

That’s all they are. A good team. Not a great team. Great teams win a Cup. Good teams get bounced in the first round. 
 

And no. Get into the Playoffs and anything can happen. False. You either have to have a lot of talent or a good head of steam going into the Playoffs. The Wild have never had either. They’ve never had talent, and they always stumble into the Playoffs. 
 

Until this team commits to a rebuild and gets some real talent on the roster, they will continue to spin their wheels. 

Exactly.  The same one and done crap and then trying to delude themselves and the fanbase that they're inching closer to being a contender.  

The Wild usually are fading as they go into the post-season and for the most part their 'stars' have been MIA in the post-season and our season ends a week and a half after the conclusion of the regular season.  

Pride can be a weakness when it makes you do stupid things like the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result.  

5 hours ago, Tomdog said:

Especially when some of those vets are playing like sandbags. 

Insane that on the days where the 4th line is pulling more than their weight,  they still don't get playing time.

Does Gaudreau and Johansson have something in their contracts about getting a minimum amount of ice time?

Not sure, my only guess is they're paying them a lot more money...and the owner likes to see his investment playing on the ice.  Same as it was during the 11/20 days.  

Episode #39: Questions and Suspensions

In this episode, @MNSOTA, Kalisha and I discuss the suspension of Ryan Hartman.  We also discuss what question we'd ask Wild GM Bill Guerin as well as answer listener questions and give our two cents on the NCAA transfer portal and its effect on college hockey.  

I know this was asked in another thread, but if you could ask Wild GM Bill Guerin one question what would it be?  Answer here and we'll included it in next week's episode.  

Hartman won't reach that mark today.  He's on the last game of his 3-game suspension.  

Minnesota Wild (36-30-9)  81pts  6th in the Central

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

3.16 Goals Against Per Game (19th in the NHL)

21.2% Power Play (16th in the NHL)

74.1% Penalty Kill (29th in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #97 Kirill Kapriov ~ 37G 47A = 84pts

2. #14 Joel Eriksson Ek ~ 30G 31A = 61pts

3. #12 Matt Boldy ~ 26G 34A = 60pts

4. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 11G 46A = 57pts

5. #7 Brock Faber ~ 7G 34A = 41pts

Top 3 PIM's:

1. #5 Jake Middleton ~ 77 PIM's

2. #14 Joel Eriksson Ek ~ 54 PIM's

3. #12 Matt Boldy ~ 46 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:

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

2. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury (17-12-5)  2.83GAA  .901%  2SO

Vs.

Winnipeg Jets (46-24-6)  98pts  3rd in the Central

3.07 Goals For Per Game (17th in the NHL)

2.47 Goals Against Per Game (1st in the NHL)

18.5% Power Play (22nd in the NHL)

76.4% Penalty Kill (26th in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #55 Mark Scheifele ~ 23G 43A = 66pts

2. #44 Josh Morrissey ~ 9G 54A = 63pts

3. #27 Nikolaj Ehlers ~ 23G 33A = 56pts

4. #81 Kyle Connor ~ 30G 24A = 54pts

5. #91 Cole Perfetti ~ 17G 19A = 36pts

Top 3 PIM's:

1. #5 Brenden Dillon ~ 90 PIM's

2. #4 Neal Pionk ~ 57 PIM's

3. #55 Mark Scheifele ~ 55 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:

1. #37 Conor Hellebuyck (33-19-4)  2.42GAA  .920%  4SO

2. #39 Laurent Brossoit (13-5-2)  2.10GAA  .925%  2SO

Lines:

Winnipeg Jets

Ehlers-Scheifele~Villardi

Connor~Monahan~Perfetti

Toffoli~Lowry~Appleton

Barron~Namestnikov~Iafallo

Morrissey~Pionk

Dillon~DeMelo

Samberg~C. Miller

Hellebuyck

Brossoit

Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov~Eriksson Ek~Boldy

M. Johansson~Rossi~Zuccarello

Beckman~Khusnutdinov~F. Gaudreau

Shaw~Lucchini~Lettieri

Brodin~Faber

Middleton~Chisholm

Merrill~Goligoski

Gustavsson

Fleury

On 4/5/2024 at 8:24 AM, IllaZilla said:

 

I kind of wonder if Stramel's early success was from the fact that he was so big, and he could physically dominate at lower levels. Now that players in his age bucket have caught up to him physically, he is not such the dominant force.

 

Even looking at his stats from the USNTDP, they aren't all that impressive. Of course, Eriksson-Eks stats were never that impressive either. But once Koivu retired and stopped blocking him, he started putting up decent numbers. But it took him five seasons to hit the 30 point mark and then another two to hit the 60 point mark.

 

It is just frustrating watching this team do the same thing over and over and over and yet they expect a different outcome. 

Eriksson Ek's Swedish Jr. League stats weren't bad.  Still, I agree with what you say.  He was fine as a man among boys at lower levels and now his size and strength and even his mobility isn't to a level where he can dominate.  

It's interesting how you mention Mikko blocking him, you are 100% right.  As long as Kaptain Klydesdale was there he was going to be relegated to a lesser role.  Same was true with a lot of those kids when Suter and Parise were around.  And...as Russo writes an article saying the Wild need to give Parise a tribute it's just sad to see people not recognize how the team blocked the kids from playing with veterans holding on to the last gasps of their career.  

And even worse, they seem to be doing some of that again...maybe not with the same level of entitlement / ego but we have to play the vets while the kids sit and watch.  It's maddening.  Even if this team struggles, I'd rather see the kids get a chance than seeing the same folks that have led this club to nowhere continue to hold those spots.  

13 hours ago, Tomdog said:

Yea if they had Spurgeon,  they wouldn't have Chisolm or Bogosian, and they would probably make the playoffs and lose in the 1st round. 

If the team had been honest with themselves they would have worked on their future instead of fighting a lost cause.

They could have revamped their pathetic PP.

They could have given their young guys more ice time and development. 

And the reward would have been a top 10 or better draft position and, a better PP, and a better 4th line.

But that opportunity is long gone.

Not saying its all that fun anymore, but listen to Russo / LaPanta's latest show.  Russo didn't go back at Tony in this latest one...but geez.  

Oh go into the locker room and see how it goes if you ask this team to tank!?!?  You don't know how much pride those guys have in the room!  Blah blah blah...

If those guys had any pride they wouldn'tve sleep walked through most of the middle of the season putting them in the position they did.  Even the firing of a coach wasn't enough of a kick to the ass to get them to playing hard each night.  

This team needs to tank, but its in denial about it.  They think it will just magically be different even though they're doing the same damn thing.  

6 minutes ago, Tomdog said:

Foligno, Zuccarello and Hartman have ntc as well. The only tradeable players are the ones no one would want to trade.

Unless BG can work some magic or the players make a revival they will be another year older, another year slower.

Just good enough to make the playoffs, if healthy, and lose in the first round.

Our talent isn't as good as we think.

I disagree.  I think our talent is as good as WE think it is.  We don't think it's that good and the difference between them and Colorado or the other better teams in the West is painfully obvious.  

I don't see many (if any) people here that think this team is the equal of any of the West's best.  I don't see many (if any) buying the crap Anthony LaPanta, Wes Walz and Ryan Carter try to sell each every game that the club is just a great team that was hobbled by bad luck & injuries.  

Most of us seem to be rather skeptical of this team and its chances both in the short term and long term.  

There is a small chance the Wild will have a 40-goal scorer (Kaprizov), two 30-goal scorers (Eriksson Ek, Boldy) and maybe two 20 goal scorers (Rossi & Hartman).  In past years we would've killed for that...but with such an atrocious penalty kill and average to below average goaltending...it doesn't really matter.    

18 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

Looks like Stramel did enter the portal.
 

Early money is on him going to Michigan State to reunite with Adam Nightingale. 

 

Who knows. Boldy looked terrible in his first season at BC. He got much when he moved to wing from center. 
 

I’m not saying Stramel is going to be a Hall of Famer. The Wild are never going to get a Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid drafting in the late teens-early twenties. But maybe he turns into another Joel Ericksson-Ek. 

Maybe.  Michigan State would make a lot of sense as a destination given the past history / relationship.  Boldy had a bit of a struggling freshman season, but this is really Stramel's 3rd season of struggle in a row.  

His bigger frame probably has made people want to wait and see but as a junior he'll have to start showing some potential or if he is slow out of the gate you really have to wonder what's there.  

I agree, which is why this team's unwillingness to just bottom out places it in the eternal purgatory of selections in the mid-to-late teens.  

Not a great game.  It was another one where I felt the Wild were making this game way more difficult than it needed to be.  The top lines were trying to be way too fancy with the puck; trying to set up the perfect chance.  4th line ends up bailing out the club with two goals but the inability of the penalty kill to understand why they can't allow the cross-ice pass (especially from down low) is beyond frustrating.  

Chisholm had some Dumba-esque turnovers.  He owes Fleury a dinner or two after bailing him out for some gaffes with the puck.  

Not sure how team friendly I'd say they were.  We overpaid and gave too much term to Marcus Foligno.  But I agree in principle that it makes you wonder if he had some kind of earlier agreement.  However, including the 'handshake' deal to Goligoski these deals have only kept around old bones way too long.  

Nah, Firstov can stay and play in the AHL.  Seems like Liam Ohgren will be joining the Iowa Wild too.  

If the Wild want to see what they have in Adam Beckman; now would be the time to give him an audition in a Top 6 role or they should just admit they have given up on him.  Also would be nice to see Marat Khusnutdinov play with some better linemates too.  

As far as Marcus Foligno being shut down...oh well.  As for Hartman's suspension...not surprised.  I just hope it provides some late-season opportunities.  

11 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

Sounds like there is a possibility Charlie Stramel might enter the Portal after this season. 
 

And it also sounds like there are quite a few NHL teams that are unhappy with the way Mike Hastings is “developing” their prospects at Wisconsin. 

(shrugs)  Hard for me to point to Hastings as the problem as Stramel was underwhelming with Tony Granato too.  

Don Lucia got the same rap over time; especially when he doesn't just give the drafted kids unlimited ice time & opportunity.  

It will be interesting to see where Stramel goes but anyone really expecting him to just become a college stud after two pretty mundane college seasons under his belt?  

Yes, and after we pulled that off a few weeks ago against Nashville most people became aware of that rule.  But it also begs the question why the Wild didn't pull the goaltender during regulation rather than OT with an effort to block Vegas from earning even a point in the standings which might be just as important as earning 2 points.  

Seems a bit silly to do Vegas a favor by conceding (at the very least) a loser point to the Golden Knights when you were risking 2 or no points in OT.  Oh well, it dropped our odds of making it down to 2%.  

That's kind of what was hinted at in the last Becoming Wild episode: The Final Push.  That will be interesting to see how the team evaluates itself.  My guess if they feel he has game they can probably make him a fairly small offer and he'll stick around as long as he's going to play.  

13 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

What the f*** were you thinking signing Freddy Gadreau to a FIVE year deal? With a NTC?

Great question...

Why in the f%ck didn't you wait until closer to the trade deadline, before you decided extend #36, #17 and #38?  

Do you think Kirill Kaprizov is going to stick around long enough before this team gets out its own way? 

On 3/26/2024 at 12:23 PM, Icechipper said:

Jack Peart, 20, of St. Cloud State signs three year entry deal commencing next season. Grand Rapids defenseman forgoes senior year.

I have to admit this decision really seems odd.  He had a not-so-great junior year.  I know the Wild act like he's grown so much, but everyone else I heard thought he regressed a bit.  If your Peart why do it?  Wait a year, have a solid senior season...be a free agent and get a better opportunity.  

No doubt.  And Russo has hinted at this more and more.  This team has to show him its a winner otherwise he has ZERO reason to stay and this summer is the point of no return.  The team has to really think about whether he's likely to stay or if he's going to move on.  Because his no-trade protection kicks in starting next year.  

20 hours ago, Alexandron said:

You mentioned before, no reason for Firstov to play in Iowa for a weak team. He played already for a much better team in KHL and played very well in playoffs there too for 2 seasons in a row. I think he is even better than Khusnutdinov. In my opinion, to attract Kaprizov to stay here, we need to give him an option to build his chemistry with two players Khusnutdinov and Firstov. We should give him this option now, because later will be late. About Yurov, we never know when he will come here 2025-2026-2027? Personally for me, he is not as good as Kaprizov.

(shrugs)  Khusnutdinov isn't going to be on a line with Kaprizov if he doesn't have a lot of offensive ability.  Firstov...another long shot to be one of his linemates.  The linemates that should matter to Kaprizov is Boldy...maybe Rossi and Yurov or some other player that isn't with the organization yet.  Otherwise, I don't see the arrival of the Russian players really changing Kaprizov's mind about leaving or staying.  He might like having them around for right now, but I don't think they do enough that would make him less likely to go somewhere else at the end of this contract.  

This was a long time ago.  But I only met Jeff one time; a friend of mine was part of his hockey show he was doing for a podcast network run by Tom Bernard's son called the Alive & Social Network.  Dubay, being an experienced KFAN guy was the host and they had a Wild-focused one called Wild Wednesdays.  

So one time when I was in town over the holidays, @MNSOTA and I went to Burger Moe's right near the X where they were recording and he was going to have me come on.  I had never been on a podcast before.  He seemed to have kind of a nervous / anxious when the show wasn't live (like during an ad) but then get laser focused as soon as you were live.  

He gave me a brief introduction and I was super nervous, and then he's asking me what the team needed to do.  I gave my two cents, he didn't scoff or make me feel like a complete dope.  I shared my thoughts and then we kept talking about the Wild and then Gopher hockey for about 30 minutes.  This had to have been shortly after he was let go by KSTP 1500 around 2015 would be my guess.  

As he'd get into trouble again, he didn't want to kill the momentum of Wild Wednesdays so he passed it on to some others.  Other shows on this network included the first edition of Russo's Male Pattern Podcast.  Gorg had a short-lived show on here too as well as others about fishing, police, movies and restaurant reviews and other things.  I was part of a few episodes of Wild Wednesdays with this new crew, where they broadcast the shows from Bennett's Chophouse farther down 7th Ave.  It was a nice location, but they put us right in the middle of the restaurant and you kind of felt like you were everyone's way. 

Anyways, back to Jeff...he was very kind but you could tell he was being chased by demons of some kind.  He had a girlfriend arrive at Burger Moe's, she was cute and her arrival didn't exactly calm his nerves.  I said this on Twitter, but I really hope he finds and receives the help he needs to get and stay clean. 

I didn't know he had moved to Grand Forks, the last I had heard he was working as a bartender / podcaster at a place in Oakdale, Minnesota.    

3 hours ago, Jimtown guy said:

Where is it at?

Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub...not very far from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.  

https://tomreids.com/

258 7th Street West, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102, United States

@MNSOTA and I will be there.  I will throw it out to the podcast listeners too.  It should be a fun time regardless what the #mnwild do.  

Oh and one last thing.  Minnesota signed Riley Heidt to a 3-year entry level contract yesterday.  And last night he had a hat-trick in his last regular season WHL game; finishing the 2023-24 reg season with 37 goals and 117 points in 66 games.  

Firstov hasn't done THAT much in Iowa.  Two not real great penalties so far.  He's trying to get involved, but no points yet.  

As far as this game went, Matt Boldy not forcing Binnington to freeze the puck in OT opened the door for the rush the other way and the game winner by the Blues.  For a team that is allegedly fighting for its playoff lives, that is a game YOU HAVE TO WIN!  But they didn't...sure another loser point and now they have to wait in Thursday while they fall farther and farther behind.  

it will be nice when this lame hope will come to an end.  And we all know how it will end for this Wild club.  

Good on Rossi for scoring 20 goals this season after not having any goals through his first 19 NHL games.  Beyond that...another disappointing Wild game IMO.  A classic teaser...

On 3/22/2024 at 8:01 PM, IllaZilla said:

Kind of wonder why the Wild are so insistent on “grit” and “toughness” when they never respond to hits like Killorn’s…

Brodin gets hit, and you kind of look over at Marcus Foligno and he looks back at you and goes...What?  Do you want me to do something?  And we're like...