Wild off season

[10,000 Casts]

Falk to the Rangers for the rights to Benn Ferriero and a meaningless 2014 6th rd pick.

I don't have a clue what they are thinking here! Maybe clutterbucks replacement? Maybe part of a trade for later today? Someone help me out with some possibilities!

[Port.Winterhawk]

It wont happen but id like to see two 2nd rounders traded for a 1st to try to get DOMI. But I think Ty Domi's kid will be gone by the 14th pick. We need a trade for another 2nd to trade up. I dont want to see Clutter go.

[schmitty3]

I dont want to see Clutter go.

He Gone!

[Guest]

Looks like the AHL Iowa Wild will be pretty darn good this year with these recent additions, yipee....must be counting the pennies to make sure they have enough to re-sign Cullen....I hope.

Overall not impressed so far...come on Fletch...turn it up a notch or two!

[Port.Winterhawk]

We need to resign Cullen.

[10,000 Casts]

Well, IMO today we gave up a solid 3rd line winger and a D with good NHL experience and potential to be a one way player and we got to minor leaguers. Oh ya and we gave up a 3rd rd pick. I'm starting to get a bit nervous for next year.

Even if we sign Cullen, he's a wild card, he's at the end of his career and who knows if he can ever have another season like he did te last 3/4 of last season..

[Port.Winterhawk]

Cullen is too skilled to not resign. He has more to give. And he will. And he wants to stay here.

[Bear55]

Interesting day, I'm thinking the Wild must have given up on Falk and decided to move him for whatever was out there.

The Clutterbuck trade is very interesting, Neno was a 5th overall in 2010 and is still very young, he was rushed to the NHL way too early but put up good numbers in the AHL last year. He's a goal scorer, good size and speed and likes to hit. Certainly a chace he could bust out but this trade could pay off big time.

Not sure about the rest of the picks today, nothing to flashy and heavey on D-men. Hopefully a couple of them pan out.

[Port.Winterhawk]

Hey Bear55: That Clutter trade may be HUGE. Did not want to see Cal go but they do free up some $$$........ Fletcher B+......... Risbrough C-. I like our REGIME.

[Bear55]

Actually it sounds like Nino has a higher cap hit (bonuses) that Cal so this wasn't a cap move. Mostly just a gamble that didn't cost a lot and it might just pay off big time down the road.

[Port.Winterhawk]

Bear55;Thanks for the correction on cap hit..... I will hear it tomorrow from the entourage...!!!

[RK]

Interesting day.

I think the Falk move was just recognizing the kid didn't have much of a future here and giving him a chance to catch on somewhere else.

Trading Clutterbuck... Have to love the guy, and he's certainly the definition of a 'fan favorite' but if I'm the Wild GM, I still make this trade in a second. Clutterbuck crashes and bangs and is a great PK guy, but to me he always felt like an 18-20 goal scorer who could only manage to score 12 or 14 a year for some reason. He was going to command a pretty good price to sign him, and the Wild needs goal scorers worse than it needs a checking line winger.

Nino is a power forward who can score. He's shown a lot of offense at every level he's played, but got rushed into the NHL by the gong show that passes for management with the Islanders, and barely played in a 4th line role. He was more or less on the team so his cap hit would bring them up to the salary floor. With Nino, the Wild have 3 first-rounders from 2010 (Nino, Granlund and Coyle). For the Wild at this point I'd take a young top 5 pick goal scorer in need of a fresh start over paying top dollar to resign a checking line winger... And I like Clutterbuck a lot.

The rest of the draft... Good solid picks, but once you're past the middle of the first round you can't reasonably expect an immediate impact player. You're drafting depth and future potential which is never a sure thing. A little surprised they waited so long to grab a goalie though.

Going to be an interesting next few days though. Have to expect a buyout of Gilbert I think. Also wonder if they'll swing a trade of some kind for another D-man, try to find one in free agency, or if they're expecting Scandella and Prosser to step up and take spots...or maybe see Dumba makes a run at a roster spot in camp?

[Bear55]

Our 3rd round picks was kind of a head scratcher but oh well, I'm no draft guru and I have pretty good faith in our management at this point. I like our 2nd rounder, seems like a good chance to be an NHL player and we got some potential in the later rounds. Also picked up the Peterson kid from Grand Rapids, he's a long ways from the nhl but good size and skills.

[10,000 Casts]

Look at the guys they are trying to get rid of now.

Heatley - we gave up Havlat who I never liked but was cheaper and scored the same amount of goals

Seto- gave up Burns and imo hasn't performed up to expectations and Burns was an All Star

Gilbert- a liability and no where near what Schultz was.

Kenopka- Blah, they should have never given him a 2 yr deal..

Not a very good short term track record for Fletch. I'd be really surprised if anyone wants any of these guys. What a mess they have right now..

We can always pray that Nino, Granlund and Scandella are ready to go and maybe Dumba makes some huge strides.. I suppose Zucker should have a roster spot too..

What a crazy off season!!!!

[RK]

OK - I'll argue this one a little bit...

Heatley - we gave up Havlat who I never liked but was cheaper and scored the same amount of goals

Havlat is Randy Moss "I'll play when I want to play" on ice, and made of glass besides. In the playoffs this year while guys were playing with broken legs, separated shoulders and cracked ribs, Havlat *took himself out of the lineup* because of a sore groin. The Sharks moved his locker to their practice facility afterwards, while their other injured players and callups had permanent lockers in the main locker room. By all accounts he was locker room cancer here and in SJ.He'll be gone from SJ this offseason. Heatly isn't what he was, and I hate his cap hit, but as a player I'd take him over Havlat any day of the week.

Seto- gave up Burns and imo hasn't performed up to expectations and Burns was an All Star

Seto was a minor part of this trade frankly. They also got Coyle, who was the top prospect in the Sharks organization and looks to be a stud for the Wild. Plus they got the Shark's 1st round pick, which they used to take Zack Phillips, who looks to be a solid NHL center after some development time in the AHL. This is a kid who was +29 in the QMJHL playoffs with the Sea Dogs...on a line with Coyle. I'd like to see more consistency from Seto too, but they weren't going to resign Burns for what he was asking, and they got a king's ransom for him in terms of picks and prospects vs. letting him walk for nothing like they did with Gaborik.

Gilbert- a liability and no where near what Schultz was.

I'll agree on this one to a point. Schultz was steady in his own zone but with their system they need better puck movers, and that was never Schultz's strength. But Gilbert has been a disappointment. Buy him out, please...

Kenopka- Blah, they should have never given him a 2 yr deal..

Kenopka is a great D-zone face-off guy, penalty killer, and a pest who will drop them when needed. When they were able to have Rupp, Mitchell and Kenopka on the 4th line as a unit they played their role very very well I thought. He is what he is...and that ain't Gretzky...but he's a pretty solid 4th liner.

Not a very good short term track record for Fletch.

I have to disagree here. Look where this organization was pre-Fletcher, when we were signing guys like Chris Simon and letting Gaborik walk for no return. We have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, a Norris finalist blueliner, young, quality roster players like Zucker and Coyle, a possible superstar in the making in Jonas Brodin, very likely two Olympic captains (Koivu and Parise) and legitimate NHL players on the roster from top to bottom.

I'd take that over 2008 when Antti Miettinen was a top line winger and James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot were 'the future.'

[Guest]

Can't argue your points RK but unless Fletch makes some "eye-opening" FA pickups or trades (might have to give up some of the future) this team is no better off now than last year....not time to drop the puck so he has time but he'd better get busy. Looks like Cullen is not affordable so we'll see who he gets to fill that important spot. IMO last year at trade deadline he could have made better deals than he did and now good players are not available.

[Bran32]

Amen RK, I couldn't agree more!! The only thing that I can add is that when Gilbert and Scandella played together at the end of the 2012 season he actually looked pretty good! If you look at it both Gilbert and Spurgeon were both pretty bad this year and I believe most of that is due to the AWFUL partners they were paired with in STONER and FAULK and CLARK and PROSSER!!! But if they were to buy Gilbert out I wouldn't really mind especially if that means they can get Cullen back because there is no way Granlund is ready to be a 2nd line center IMO

[10,000 Casts]

RK, great points and I agree but all I think when I see those 4 guys on the trade block is $15m in cap space, no one seems to want them and we're maxed out and running with a wild card goalie IMO. Is there a chance we buy out both Heatley and Gilbert and go get Vanek? Problem is, Buffalo wants prospects in return. I'd say offer Grandlund and a pick or something along those lines. Miller is available too for the right price.

Any Chance Zach Phillips gets some ice time this year?

[Bran32]

Heatley cannot be bought out because he is injured and I don't think we give up any assets to get Vanek when we would have a chance to get him for free next summer! Plus Heater and Seto will be off the books after this season and that frees up 10.5 million in cap room!!

[OnAFly]

I was wondering if he was still injured. They kinda got screwed on that deal. I'm guessing that he would have been bought out if he were healthy.

They only have one more day to buy out Gilbert. That 4mil would go a long way.

[Guest]

They did not even offer Benn Ferriero a contract so all they got for Faulk was a 6th rounder. As for Vanek, that is an entire season away and as you can see everything drastically changes year to year. Fletch has to be on the hotseat after last year's sub-par performance and I am really surprised with moves so far....and I bet Parise and Suter are scratching their heads as well...Yeo won't say a word...he's still giddy that he was not fired!

[CaptainMusky]

Sub-par season last year? Are you serious? Homer MN fans do it to themselves with comments like that. Way too high unrealistic expectations.

The Wild finished where they should have IMO. They tumbled at the end when they could have jumped up a couple spots and avoided the Hawks, but overall I think the season was successful from a management perspective.

Far too many people think that signing Parise and Suter = Stanley Cup. That is preposterous.

They havent made the playoffs in several years, finished several spots higher and made the playoffs this year.

I expected playoffs this year. Sub-par? Ummm, I dont think so by any stretch.

[10,000 Casts]

call it what you want, they ended up average and snuck into the playoffs. That means they ended up in the 16th spot and almost got swept in the playoffs. I'm happy with the improvement but that is still average. It was nice to have playoff hockey back even if it was short lived..

I can't believe they let Falk go for almost nothing.. He was worth more a 6th rd pick unless they find a way to package that pick with a player to get a trade done.. I almost threw up when Russo reported that he figured we were doing the Rangers a "favor"...

This El Nino trade is interesting. He is in a contract year and in a new system, he'll need to produce.

[Guest]

Sub-par season last year? Are you serious? Homer MN fans do it to themselves with comments like that. Way too high unrealistic expectations.

The Wild finished where they should have IMO. They tumbled at the end when they could have jumped up a couple spots and avoided the Hawks, but overall I think the season was successful from a management perspective.

Far too many people think that signing Parise and Suter = Stanley Cup. That is preposterous.

They havent made the playoffs in several years, finished several spots higher and made the playoffs this year.

I expected playoffs this year. Sub-par? Ummm, I dont think so by any stretch.

Glad you are happy they got the last spot in the playoffs and as far as Parise and Suter....I could care less who they have on the roster...it could be Crosby and Vanek or whomever as far as I am concerned but to consistently be average AT BEST is Sub-par and not a stretch in any way IMO. Ownership may be happy....they fill the stands every game but I bet if you asked the good players on the team if we, as fans, need to lower our expectations and just "be happy" as a middle of the pack franchise....they'd laugh you off your chair.

[Bear55]

If you really aren't happy with the direction of the wild look at our roster 4 years ago. The only names worth anything that we could use right now are Burns and Gabby and we all know why they aren't here any more. Our prospect pool at that time was non-existent. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0023312009.html

You don't just step into the NHL playoffs and start winning, it just doesn't work that way. We had a nice year and got some experience. We have a strong core of vets (Koivue, Parise, Suter, Pominville) and a very good looking core of young talent (Coyle, Brodin, Dumba, Nino, Zucker, and Granlund). And of course those tweener players that might come or go over the next few seasons.

Until the kids are ready to step up and play a larger roll over the next 1-5 years then don't expect any magical cup runs. Their progress will determine our success. Parise and Suter certainly raised expectations but they can't carry a team. We need young talent and depth to get us over the hump.

I wouldn't expect any magical cup runs next year either, unless some of the kids explode. If you can't handle waiting for some young talent to mature then jump on the Hawks, Kings, Penns, or B's bandwagons.

[CaptainMusky]

Bear, you nailed it. They have been BELOW average for several seasons and last year they took a step in the right direction so calling that result is ridiculous IMO. The cupboard was bare in the minor system and under Fletch it has been vastly improved to one of, if not the best pool in the league.

Am I happy with "average"? Absolutely not. Of course I want them to go deep in the playoffs and contend for the cup, BUT, that isnt going to happen overnight and certainly wasnt an automatic by just signing Parise and Suter, which some people think it should have been.

[Guest]

I wouldn't expect any magical cup runs next year either, unless some of the kids explode. If you can't handle waiting for some young talent to mature then jump on the Hawks, Kings, Penns, or B's bandwagons.

Not expecting a Cup run this year either that is for sure....but sure would be nice to be at the Hawks, Kings, Penns or B's level. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the playoffs this year, great hockey after that first round. My point is we have missed the playoffs in 6 of the last 9 years and lost in 1st round of the other 3 yrs. Wild fans who pack them in every night deserve better. But you pin your hopes on "the kids" and keep on waiting for that next year, or that next, or that next.

[Bear55]

But you pin your hopes on "the kids" and keep on waiting for that next year, or that next, or that next.

It's just the reality of our situation and most everyone else in the NHL, if they don't pan out we are screwed. You can't buy a team of free agents and win anymore. You can't trade you depth for a few stars either, look at the rangers this season. They traded their depth for Nash and then traded Gabby to get some depth back.

[Bear55]

Just saw Tom Gilbert was bought out for more cap space.

[Guest]

Just saw Tom Gilbert was bought out for more cap space.

Good move! Any chance you think Cullen will stay for less?