Wild concerns leading into training camp

[hf101]

The Wild will have a few key issues to sort out leading into training camp.  Mike Yeo took some time in this State Fair video to answer fans questions.

 

1.  They have 3 goalies for two spots - Backstrom, Harding, and Kuemper.  Yeo plans to give all 3 goalies equal time over the first 3 preseason games and then go from there.  But First they must get Kuemper signed.  Backstrom and Harding are healthy and ready to go.  Kuemper can be sent to the minors without waivers even if he receives a one-way deal.

 

2. Nino Niederreiter is also unsigned and missing camp probably isn't in his best interest as the Wild have a solid core of forwards to devise their top 6 forwards.  Parise - Granlund - Pominville, Vanek - Koivu - Coyle.  Niederreiter deal needs to be done right because  it’ll affect the contract extensions next season for Granlund, Coyle and Erik Haula, Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella with limited cap space.

 

3. Who will be the 6 and 7 d-men?  Christian Folin, Jon Blum, Matt Dumba, Justin Falk are all in the mix for the two spots.  

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Agree that Minnesota has some concerns, despite, what I feel, being set up to have a very, very good season.

 

1--- Goalie situation.

Hmmm....having 3 goalies for two spots is MUCH better than having 0 reliable goalies and a starting and backup position to fill.

Still though, yea, this is a bit of a dilemma.

But not so much from a standpoint of "we have too many goalies", but more from a standpoint of "are all three of these guys going to be healthy for the duration of the season, and will their performances reflect that?"

 

See, even with the clean bill of health being given to both Harding and Backstrom, history and some inevitables (MS just plain SUCKS!), tell us that one of Harding / Backstrom...possibly both...will NOT go through the season and into the expected playoffs, fully healthy.

 

So that means that even if the Wild wanted to start the season with both of those guys as starter/backup, if you are Darcy Kuemper, you shouldn't despair, because neither one of those guys will be able to dress for 82 games, and sadly, I suspect, at some point, Harding may even announce he will no longer be able to continue his career.

Kuemper WILL get his chance, he just may need to bide his time, continue to prepare as if he were the starter (he will most likely get the bulk of AHL play should he start the season there anyways), and just be ready when, not if, the Wild come calling his name.

And oh yea, he IS still an RFA....need to get him signed up first before any further decisions can be made.

 

I only hope his 2 concussions from a year ago don't have any bearing on him while he continues to develop into the top level netminder the team thinks he can be.

 

2-- Nino situation.

 

You know, I was very surprised that Minnesota had not done anything with this yet, but I had not considered, @hf101 , what you mentioned about his contract affecting those that would come later.

A very, very good point, which, if the Wild want to keep the bulk of their core, remain competitive with that core, and be a perennial contender for the foreseeable future with that core, they DO need to get right.

 

I would LOVE to have Niederreiter back in a Wild uni, but if it comes at the cost of NOT being able to properly sign the other young players mentioned (whom all will need to be seen to sooner than later), then it just may be the wiser thing to do to let him go.

I hope though, both he and the team can come to some sort of mutual agreement where both sides can acknowledge the other's needs, and find some way that he can stay on and still leave a good window to be able to sign the next batch of young players long term.

 

3--- 6th and 7th D-men.

 

Honestly, if Matt Dumba has a good camp, and the team feels he has done all there is to do in juniors, then perhaps it is time to give him a regular spot on the Wild roster. Now whether he will benefit from playing lesser minutes with the big boys or more meaningful minutes with the AHL club Iowa can be debated, but on paper, Dumba should be head n shoulders above Folin, Blum and Falk.

I would like to see Dumba given his chance on the big stage. He won't be perfect, he won't be the next Paul Coffey right away...he doesn't need to be. Just solid, with a mind to continue to get better, and with the humility to really want to learn from real pros at the NHL level.

 

Brodin was given his chance while still very young, he made his mistakes, but learned and is much better for it, I think Dumba can do the same, albeit, with a different skill and mind set than Brodin.

 

The other guy I would like to see, because honestly, I think he has untapped potential to be a Chris Pronger-like shut down, mean defenseman, is Justin Falk.

Yea, I know, he was tepid at best when he was here last, and he didn't impress the NY Rangers enough for them to give him regular playing time, but still, I have seen him, when paired with an equally aggressive defense-mate, play to his size, be mean around his own goaltender's crease, and just generally be hard to play against due to his hard style.

 

He won't always do it (play to his size and strength), for whatever reason, but if he really wants to stick in the NHL, he needs to realize that, and hopefullly, someone on the Wild realizes they may need to work him a bit more to try to get that out of him.

If Falk can consistently be a smart outlet pass, shut down, hard hitting defensman, with an eye for keeping his goaltender free n clear of parked pests, he will most certainly find regular time on the Wild roster and on the ice.

 

Blum and Folin at this point, seem rather average to me, though to be fair, I cannot say I've seen alot of them to really form an opinion on how I think they may turn out in the long run as NHL defensemen.

[jammer2]

  I don't see Blum being part of the equation, he was given parts of 5 years with the Preds to make an impression. I'm going to stick the bust tag on him and see him as AHL depth at this point. If the Wild get 2-3 injuries, maybe he comes up, but other than that, I don't see it.

 

  Dumba looked like a rookie last year, I think the skill set is there, but I do think he needs AHL seasoning, needs to play against men and then let's see what he has. He appears like the type that might get screwed up if rushed to quick....but take it with a grain of salt, cause I'm not super close to the situation.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

  I don't see Blum being part of the equation, he was given parts of 5 years with the Preds to make an impression. I'm going to stick the bust tag on him and see him as AHL depth at this point. If the Wild get 2-3 injuries, maybe he comes up, but other than that, I don't see it.

 

  Dumba looked like a rookie last year, I think the skill set is there, but I do think he needs AHL seasoning, needs to play against men and then let's see what he has. He appears like the type that might get screwed up if rushed to quick....but take it with a grain of salt, cause I'm not super close to the situation.

 

The bolded sounds about right.

 

I was always a fan of players making their way through the big time step by step, rather than just thrown in with an NHL club, then wondering what all the hype was about if they fail.

There is a reason that a juniors-minor league system is in place, and it is just what you mentioned, @jammer2 .

 

Still though, I know some players are simply able and ready to go much sooner than others. I trust the Wild brass and coaching staff will be smart about how they handle Dumba.

I know Matt himself was disappointed he didn't make the Wild right away last season, but hopefully, he took that disappointment and used it as fuel to show Minnesota he really does belong by working hard and come out showing some good stuff in training camp THIS season.

 

Oh, and I totally forgot that Blum did spend time with the Preds organization. Hmm..that might be pretty telling, if a defensive minded franchise like Nashville doesn't keep a guy around.....gotta wonder if that guy really is cut out to be a regular NHL defenseman.

Depth move it is from the sounds of it.

Blum DID get some playtime last season with Minnesota....he didn't really do anything "terrible", but then, didn't really do anything outstanding either, and his minutes weren't of the top tier variety either.

 

Christian Folin seems to be of the same mold as Blum....meaning seemingly unspectacular and destined to be a depth guy, however, he is a bit younger and has a bit more size, so perhaps he can still develop into something more. Probably is best served showcasing his wares for Iowa though.

[OccamsRazor]

Matt Dumba

 

I think it would be best if he starts in the AHL like Laughton and other making the transition from juniors the pros i believe they should be eased into the roll and AHL time has never hurt anyone. You guys should be fine without him and would really be no need to rush him lets not forget he just turn 20.

 

It should really come down to Folin and Blum for the 7th spot and Blum maybe the best option there and even letting Folin start in the A as well.

[hf101]

Keumper is apparently looking at KHL options as talks with the Wild have stalled.

 

Nooooooo. Geez what is the problem here, pay him the money!

[jammer2]

@hf101   What a huge blow to the Wild if Darcy left!   He will undoubtedly be the best goalie long term, if they let him walk, it could be years before they recover.

[yave1964]

Keumper is apparently looking at KHL options as talks with the Wild have stalled.

 

Nooooooo. Geez what is the problem here, pay him the money!

Apparently they are hoping Harding and Backstrom have something in the tank. They need to offer Keumper a contract that pays him well when he is in the minors.

From what I read, his two way deal would only pay him around 190k in Iowa, which is damn good money for you and I, his agent seems to be reasonable, understanding that his client mayspend some time in the AHL but wants him paid well to sit and wait while that occurs. It is not the NHL money it is the AHL term that is the sticking point. I agree, pay the man, as much love and respect as I have for Harding and his situation, he and Backstrom are not exactly Brodeur playing 70 games a year. Just give Keumper what he wants, knowing that one or both of the other guys will likely be gone at the end of the year. This is a well built team with little cap space, goalie is the primary, possibly gaping concern. You gotta keep Keumper happy.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

If the Wild and Kuemper are indeed jerking each other's chains on MINOR league numbers, then that indeed, IS a concern going into training camp.

 

If Backstrom and Harding were viable full blown healthy options, then I could see Minnesota balking on paying Darcy 'too much' for being in the AHL...again, assuming that's what the hold up is.

 

Backstrom and Harding are NOT full healthy options...I don't care what clean bills of health they are both given now, I think history has shown us (and MS has shown itself to be quite unforgiving to the human race), that they will NOT complete an entire season without health issues.

 

Given that, even if Kuemper were to start in the AHL with the two vets in Minnesota, its not like the Wild will be paying Kuemper a ton of money to play in the minors...he WILL be needed in St. Paul, he WILL be starting games for them, and the Wild WILL need him moving beyond this season as well.

I say, Minnesota should just put a deal together that makes the young goalie happy for now and move on....they will be glad they did later on.

 

This season is pivotal for Minnesota I believe.....they don't have to win a Stanley Cup this year (thought that would be BEYOND awesome if they did!), but they DO have to continue to show the fans they are serious about fielding a contender year in, year out....they can't afford a letdown after two consecutive, progressive seasons prior.

They have lots of young talent on the team, are starting to attract quality veterans.....they can't let some cock-a-mamy thing like minor league contract numbers on a possible future goaltender be the fly in their playoff ointment.

 

I don't care how well the team performs up front, or even on defense...without a go-to goaltender, they are going NO WHERE!

 

Take care of this situation, Minnesota!

[OccamsRazor]

The Wild will have a few key issues to sort out leading into training camp

 

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Wild would like to re-sign the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native to a two-way contract, but coming off a strong playoff performance, Kuemper would prefer a one-way deal.

 

The 24-year-old Kuemper is looking at his options in the KHL, but would want a deal with an out clause in case he is able to find an NHL deal to his liking.

 

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=461268

 

So sounds like someone is trying to gain leverage here. Not sure how much he'll have till someone gets hurt.

[jammer2]

@OccamsRazor  A KHL deal with an out clause may be a win-win for both parties. Darcy plays against men, perhaps in a slightly better league than the AHL. He makes some very nice money, but is available when the inevitable injuries start with Backstrom and Harding. Best of both worlds. From a Wild perspective, not only do they not have to pay a 3rd goalie for a while, they can get a look at the next best goalie at the AHL level, who otherwise would have been riding the pine backing up Darcy.

[hf101]

 Nino Niederreiter signed to a three-year contact. The deal’s worth $8 million ($2.66 million cap hit per year)

 

Fair deal imo - glad that one is done.  Now sign Keumper!