TallyTigerShark

We lost game 1 and home ice advantage 4-0 and we have exactly ZERO shots on goal nearly 10 minutes in. It’s not looking good early.

Greenway can sit his ass in the dressing room if his dumbass can’t stay out of the penalty box.

So what is the word on Rossi’s injury? Anyone know what we might be dealing with? Assuming it is thought to be minor since Russo says he going to be a Black Ace and practice????

Dewar had a great game. His shift on the first PK was a thing of beauty and epitomizes what the Wild have been about all year. HARD WORK!! On the Rossi discussion, he physically wasn’t ready when he came up earlier in the season. Has that changed? (I’ll admit I view Jost similarly in this regard as it always seems he’s picking himself up off the ice) This series with the Blues isn’t going to be for the faint of heart. His time will come but unless he’s gotten more physical with his play he isn’t ready. Who would you sit to get him in the lineup? Certainly not anyone on the top 3 lines. Who would you sit off the 4th line? I’m not sitting Dewar or Duhaime. I think they have important roles to play against the Blues when it comes to grinding things out along the boards. If I just had to get him in there, I’d sit Jost. Similar players physically but at least Rossi brings more offensive upside. Jost of course brings more experience. But if playing Rossi in the playoffs is even a consideration, he needs to be here for the final 3 games to see how he performs. That just my opinion.

Oh do I miss the old days against Secord and the Blackhawks…..

In hindsight, probably should have offered him 10 @ $100M!!

I don’t know. I like KK but I think this move had to be made. We still have Talbot for another year. This off-season we will sign a low cost backup and there are always plenty available. We will also most likely bring Wallstet over to Iowa next year and perhaps he’s ready the following year.

Don’t remember much about Middleton specifically, but his numbers look good and I like the fact that he’s a little heavier than what we currently have along the blue line. We need some more bulk there.

It’s done!!! Fleury to the Wild for a second round pick that could be elevated. Yes!!! Edit. The second round pick becomes a first rounder if the Wild make the conference finals AND Fleury wins 4 plus games in the first two rounds. Also, some speculation just now that Kappo could be on the move.

Not bad for a player who was never going to suit up here. The extra second gives us a little more ammunition in case we want to make another move.

Yeah, I like this move. Our lineup needs some more grit.

Wild have acquired Nicholas Deslauriers from Anaheim for a 2023 third round pick. Not sure where he plays. Could be more moves coming. Add some size though which I think we need. He was earning $1M this season and is a UFA after this year.

He would. I also wouldn’t mind trying to pry Varlamov away from the Islanders. He’d probably be more costly though since he has a year remaining after this one. And while he’s a cheaper cap hit than MAF, the $5M next year might cause problems.

Perfect textbook video definition of a stupid penalty. Damn Boldy!

Real stupid decision by Ek.

Three Wild players around him but no one playing the body. Sheesh..

WTF

From a size and physicality standpoint, we actually matchup pretty good with them on the forward lines. Scan the roster and we are similar in that area. But Zadorov, Godbranson, Anderson and Hanifin are difference makers on the Flames defense with their size AND ability to skate and play the game.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Spurgeon and Brodin And I think Addison’s gonna be a good one, but we have too many of that type of defenseman. We are not big enough or mean enough on the blue line.

Couple of observations… First, I will admit that while I was aware of where Calgary was in the standings, I had not watched them play a single minute of hockey this year. I know the sample size is small, not even four periods of play yet, but color me impressed with this Flames team. Hard pressed to find a weakness. This is about to be a bold statement I know, but I think this is the best team in the league I’ve seen. Better than Florida. Better than Carolina. Better than Tampa. Better than Colorado. But that’s just me. Second, what I’m most impressed with about the Flames, is their physical presence on the ice without sacrificing skill. This is what the Wild need more of, especially on the blue line. I mean, did you see 6’6 235lb Zadorov out race Kaprizov to a lose puck that against most anyone else is a breakaway? Damn! I want Zadorov on my team. Gudbranson 6’5 222 and it goes on from there. I’ll be watching this team more when the Wild are not playing.

We are thinking alike where the defense is concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I love our current d corp, but let’s face it, we could use some more bulk there. I’d love to have JT Miller. I’d do back flips to get him, but I just don’t see that happening. With another year left on his deal at $5.25M he’s gonna be more expensive to acquire and probably too difficult to fit into our cap structure next year. Hertl, Tierney and perhaps Pavelski if Dallas we to fall back, are the kinds of players I think we are more likely to target. I don’t know about their locker room presence but I think from a skill standpoint they would all be upgrades to place between Boldy and Fiala come playoff time. Two other center men not mentioned much who are on expiring contracts who could be available are Pavel Zacha and Max Domi. Zacha is an RFA though rather than a UFA.

I think we need to add a defenseman with some grit and nasty to him. Not someone who’s undisciplined and takes penalties, but rather someone with some physical size who plays with an edge and can prevent players from parking in front of the net. I don’t like Charra because he’s too slow. It needs to be someone who will be able to skate with the speed we will see with Colorado and Vegas. Who fits that bill? Chariot?? I’m sure tons of those guys are available! LOL I know we didn’t look great against Florida, but I still think this team has a legit shot. Others here may disagree, but I think we have a shot. When you consider that we have no guarantees of keeping Kaprizov past the five years, and the cap penalties are going to limit our trade abilities in years 2-4 of Kaprizov’s contract, we should go for it this year. Now I’m not saying trade Rossi or Addison, but we have a deep enough system to make a move. It would have to be a rental to keep the cost down but we should be aggressive. Three weeks ago I would have loved Hertl between Fiala and Boldy. Now I almost hate to mess with that line. Having said that though, I think come playoff time, with the way defenses lock things down, we might need more pure skill between Fiala and Boldy than FG can provide. Does Tierney fit well on that line? I trust BG to make the right moves. He will also make sure it’s a great locker room addition. He’s shown us he knows how much that means. I’ve heard people say Kessel would fit in great here in that regard, though I don’t view him as a true center. Either way, it’s gonna be a fun 2-3 weeks with all the rumors we will hear.

Wasn’t a Merrill fan to start the year. He’s improved his play overall, but he looks way overmatched tonight by the Panther’s personnel.

Great win tonight, especially without Moose. I think Gudreau has heard all of the trade whispers about acquiring a center and stepped it up. One of the best wins of the year for sure. Keep it up gang!!

While we need Kaprizov on the ice and not in the box, I love it when he stands up for himself and takes a shot at someone.