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Wild 2014/2015 Regular Season


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No mention of the Captain netting the winner in OT?

And im not trolling here but Leddy is probably the most over rated Dman in the league. He would be lucky to be our 5 or 6 and no chance to make our top 4.

Hes just not that good and was put in the perfect situation.

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No mention of the Captain netting the winner in OT?

And im not trolling here but Leddy is probably the most over rated Dman in the league. He would be lucky to be our 5 or 6 and no chance to make our top 4.

Hes just not that good and was put in the perfect situation.

Not trolling hah! I'd put him #3....behind Suter and Spurgeon...NYI are making some good moves that will keep them heading in the right direction IMO.

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No mention of the Captain netting the winner in OT?

And im not trolling here but Leddy is probably the most over rated Dman in the league. He would be lucky to be our 5 or 6 and no chance to make our top 4.

Hes just not that good and was put in the perfect situation.

Not trolling hah! I'd put him #3....behind Suter and Spurgeon...NYI are making some good moves that will keep them heading in the right direction IMO.

Im sure you would. There is a reason he was benched in back to back playoffs. He was terrible to say the least.

Zero chance he would be our 3rd dman imo.

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NYI are making some good moves that will keep them heading in the right direction

I almost missed that one....LOL.

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Well I'm not ready to crown leddy the best D Man by any stretch but to use the argument of being benched as a barometer as to the skill level of a player well ask Garth snow how that turned out with Nino.

There's more to a benching than ability.

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Well I'm not ready to crown leddy the best D Man by any stretch but to use the argument of being benched as a barometer as to the skill level of a player well ask Garth snow how that turned out with Nino.

There's more to a benching than ability.

I agree, he's above average and other than Suter and Spurgeon that's all we have at this point on D IMO..... some slightly above avg players. His teammates seemed to think he was good with updside as well

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hoc...1007-story.html

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Well I'm not ready to crown leddy the best D Man by any stretch but to use the argument of being benched as a barometer as to the skill level of a player well ask Garth snow how that turned out with Nino.

There's more to a benching than ability.

You realize by making that argument you're equating Garth Snow and Joel Quenville, right? smile I know who's judgment I'd trust more...

Most people don't realize this, but there are actually two Nick Leddys...

There's the mythical Nick Leddy...the second coming of Bobby Orr he's one of us hometown boy played for the Gophers (never mind or never forgive that he left early, depending) if only that moron Fletcher hadn't traded him he'd have ridden into town on a unicorn with the Stanley Cup under one arm and a basket full of puppies and Norris trophies under the other Nick Leddy that the provincials can't seem to stop pining over and bring up ad nauseam...

Then there's the actual Nick Leddy, who is a durable, serviceable NHL defenseman with slightly better than average offensive upside and some defensive liabilities to balance it out. He's a top pair guy on an mediocre team, a middle pair guy on almost any team, a bottom pair guy on a very good team, and couldn't consistently crack the postseason lineup on an arguably great team and became trade bait because of that, plus purely business considerations like contract value and term. At the end of the day he was a cap casualty.

The Ryan Carter signing is interesting. Liked his game when he was in New Jersey. I don't think it's any secret that Brodziak has been available for a while, but seriously, who wants a $3M/year 4th line center any more than the Wild do? Guess it goes to show when you have a chance to add a depth/character guy on the cheap (and on a two-way besides) you do it.

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I'm pretty sure that Ryan Carter is the only Wild member that has won the Stanley Cup, so that experience will be helpful down the stretch.

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Then there's the actual Nick Leddy, who is a durable, serviceable NHL defenseman with slightly better than average offensive upside and some defensive liabilities to balance it out. He's a top pair guy on an mediocre team

Thanks RK, that was the confirmation I was waiting for on Leddy smile

Gonna be awesome Thursday night...I am sure Roy has a "revenge" attitude and after his "pep talk" they will come out flying trying to get that first goal.

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Thanks RK, that was the confirmation I was waiting for on Leddy smile

Gonna be awesome Thursday night...I am sure Roy has a "revenge" attitude and after his "pep talk" they will come out flying trying to get that first goal.

smile

Yeah, wonder how long it takes someone to try to run Cooke? Bordeleau's out so it won't be him. Cliche or McGinn maybe?

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Spurgeon and Leddy are pretty much wash, only so much room for undersized offensive D men. We lost one for dump and got one for free, personally I like Spurgeon more.

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Well I'm not ready to crown leddy the best D Man by any stretch but to use the argument of being benched as a barometer as to the skill level of a player well ask Garth snow how that turned out with Nino.

There's more to a benching than ability.

Hardly my or the Hawks barometer.

Lets not kid ourselves. It's not rocket science, it took Chicago all summer to unload him and for what?

Two sacks of potatoes "2 AHL-ers" is all they got for him.

His salary versus overall skill set really hurt his trade value thus the hawks basicly giving him away.

Tough yet smart call for the hawks as they probably could have done better trading him to a western team.

I still think being young as he is he could be pretty good down the road.

The hawks will easily fill the 6th defensive position that leddy barely hung onto.

I just think hes an average at best right now and Quenneville "his coach" saw his major defensive deficiencies thus the give away.

Yeah id imagine the hawks players liked him. Thats how players role for the most part..

Just my opinion! grin

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You realize by making that argument you're equating Garth Snow and Joel Quenville, right? smile I know who's judgment I'd trust more...

I know, I know. I wasnt saying, i was just sayin'! There's a difference. :-)

All I was trying to say is "benching" doesnt necessarily mean they are not good enough to play, its personality clashes, etc. This is what led to the demise of Nino in Islanders (aside from the fact that Snow is a complete MORON).

I think Leddy is average to above average, but mentioned him due to the local angle. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Spurgeon and Leddy are pretty much wash, only so much room for undersized offensive D men. We lost one for dump and got one for free, personally I like Spurgeon more.
I agree. If given the choice of the two I would pick Spurgeon every day of the week and twice on Sunday. He has some cutthroat killer mentality to him for a person of his size. I like that, but worry about injury. He has a definite plus with the scoring ability too.
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Sorry for side tracking the thread.

Anyway lets play hockey!!!

Youngsters Earn Spots With Wild

The media poured into the Minnesota Wild locker room after practice and flooded around defenseman Matt Dumba. On the day that the team’s final training camp roster cuts were announced, reporters were intent on getting a few words with the rookie, who was one of the players fighting for a roster spot. As the moat of cameras and microphones surrounded Dumba, they spilled in front of the stall of his defensive partner from today, fellow first-year blueliner, Christian Folin. While Dumba was asked about making the team, Folin sat as calm as still water across the room in Nino Neiderreiter’s stall until a lane was cleared so he could hang his equipment and field questions himself.

Folin, who has been floating between the visitor’s dressing room and various spots in the Wild’s room throughout camp, might’ve forgotten where his stall was. More likely (and good for the Lighthouse), he hasn’t learned to use his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame to elbow reporters out of the way. While he hasn’t learned to paddle media members aside, he found out something much more important today before practice.

“They didn’t tell me anything,” Folin said. “I just came here and worked out this morning and I got my jersey in my stall and saw my number was on the board.

“I put everything out there that I had and I thought I did well. I was happy with my performance. After the Saturday night game, I thought to myself, ‘There’s nothing else I can do.’ I was hoping for the best.”

Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo said the pair, along with Jason Zucker and Stu Bickel, who also are penciled in the team’s roster, earned their spots. However, things can change as quickly as it takes to pull a sweater over a player’s head.

“There’s usually nothing final about final cuts, that’s the one thing,” Yeo said. “We feel that the guys that are here deserve to be here, whether it’s younger players or older players. We had a good camp, guys did a good job and we’ve seen some people be rewarded for that.”

In Yeo’s eyes, Dumba’s goal and assist performance in the team’s final preseason game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday solidified the decision to keep the 20-year-old in Minnesota.

“He had a good camp before (Saturday) but he had a real strong game again there,” Yeo said. “Maybe before that game we maybe had some decisions to make, where as after the game there was no decision to be made.”

Folin and Dumba saw time together on Saturday and we’re partners in practice today. Their individual styles turn out to be cohesive, as Dumba can create offense from the blue line, while Folin plays a steady positional game in the D-zone. With the Wild’s top four of Ryan Suter–Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella–Jared Spurgeon established, there’s a chance the pair will be together when the Wild opens the regular season on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It’s a very good possibility,” Yeo said. “Those guys ended up playing quite a bit at the end of the last game together, and I thought they did a really good job.”

Dumba knows well that things can change overnight. He skated in 13 games with the Wild last season before being reassigned to Canada’s World Junior Team. The defenseman was much more confident in camp this year and his play showed. But he’s not satisfied to merely be here on opening day.

“It feels good, but nothing is set in stone, I know that. I got to come to the rink every day keep growing and keep improving my game,” Dumba said. “I’m so hard on myself, and I just push myself as much as I can. You kind of reach one goal and kind of move on to the next. It’s playing in the next game and making the next play and all those little things that go into it.”

Up front, Bickel and Zucker skated on the fourth line on the wings with Kyle Brodziak. Last season, Zucker was one of the last players cut out of camp. He spent time with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, and in Minnesota. He appeared in 21 games last season before having season-ending surgery.

“I’ve learned a lot over the past two years of being up and down being in the A and here, and different off seasons,” Zucker said. “I just want to come out and play hard and show that I belong here and have earned my spot. 


“I know that just being here today doesn’t make me satisfied in any way.”

With the Wild’s top six forwards clearly established, Zucker had to show another side of his game. In the preseason he killed penalties, played strong in tough areas like along the walls and in the corners, was smart with the puck and impressed the team’s brass beyond showing a scorer’s touch. Yeo noted it was a much better all-around camp from the speedy wing.

“He scored, which is nice, but if he scored and he didn’t do other things, then he wouldn’t have made the team,” Yeo said. “He did the things, where he’s going to factor in where he’s going to find a place in our lineup on day one.

“Maybe this is an opportunity for Zuck to prove that he can be in the lineup consistently, and play in different roles and play different positions. For young guys that’s quite often how they end up working their way in full time.”

Bickel started the camp as a defenseman, but found himself on the wing, something he previously had done during his time with the New York Rangers. At 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, the Chanhassen native brings a physical element to the team’s lineup.

“If we decide that we’re looking for a certain degree of toughness in a particular game then he’s a guy that could factor in and he’s shown that he can play the game, too,” Yeo said. “We don’t want somebody who is going to go out there and play two shifts necessarily; we want someone to bring some momentum and try to be physical on the forecheck.

“He certainly understands that part of the game, plus he’s there to stick up for his teammates when needed.”

Between the Lines

Here’s what the lines and D-pairs looked like today in practice: 



Pominville–Granlund–Parise

Cooke–Koivu–Vanek

Niederreiter–Haula–Coyle

Bickel–Brodziak–Zucker

Fontaine

Suter–Brodin

Scandella–Spurgeon

Folin–Dumba

Prosser–Ballard

(No) Net Gains

Yeo wouldn’t say if he favored either Niklas Backstrom or Darcy Kuemper as the team’s game one starter. When asked about the goaltending situation, he cryptically responded, “Not right now. After game one, yeah. Both guys, I’m not going to say ones is ahead of the other. Obviously I think, the writing may be on the wall with that if you want to look at it that way, for game one, but that’ll be something we’ll evaluating every day.”

When asked what the writing on the wall may say he smiled: “We’ll get to that. You’ll have to wait until game one.”

Fontaine Skates

The team placed forward Justin Fontaine on Injured Reserve, retroactive Sept. 27. Today, he skated with the team, but won’t be rushed back into the lineup. However, Yeo said there’s a chance he’ll be ready for opening night, but wants to proceed cautiously.

“I would say there is a chance, I’ll be cautious with that one,” Yeo said. “We have to make sure that we’re making the right decision, that we’re a hundred percent confident that he’s ready to go.”

I-35 Transactions

The Wild has placed forwards Cody Almond and Stephane Veilleux on waivers. The team also assigned forwards Joel Rechlicz and Kurtis Gabriel to the Iowa Wild, Minnesota's American Hockey League affiliate.

The club also released goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from his pro tryout.

The Wild agreed to terms with forward Ryan Carter on a one-year, two-way contract. The White Bear Lake native has skated in 360 NHL games with Anaheim, Carolina, Florida and New Jersey, totaling 68 points (31-37=68) and 341 penalty minutes.

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I think I'll wear my Koivu Jersey to work tomorrow grin

Go ahead, you'll appear to your co-workers to be working quite hard....but at the end of the day you will not have accomplished squat, and be careful you might get hurt and be told you are being way over-paid. wink

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Back to back Avs to start the year, what are the odds of that happening? wink We should see some fire out there to start the year.

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I agree Bear. When we get to their house you can guarantee a gong show. You thought the st Louis game had penalties I bet this one is worse.

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My Dark Horse pick for the season is....

Arizona!

I think they find away to sneak into the playoffs in the West!

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My Dark Horse pick for the season is....

Arizona!

I think they find away to sneak into the playoffs in the West!

That would be awesome, my daughter works for the Coyotes.

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Kuemper in net tomorrow night according to Mike Russo. Don't think you'll see too much of a gong show tomorrow or Saturday really. Bordeleau is hurt, and McLeod is a pest but not exactly a fighter.

Seems like Dallas is everyone's darling this year to break through in the West. I know they have a lot up front, but that D corps is pretty smelly. I guess I'm not feeling it.

Seen some predictions that Vancouver will be back in the playoffs this year. I have to classify that as magical thinking.

Have even seem a couple predictions that the Oilers will make the playoffs in the West. Can't imagine how. Based on last year, they'd have to improve just to stink.

Either way, looking forward to sitting down and watching some hockey tonight, even if I do have to wait until tomorrow to watch the Wild...

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Either way, looking forward to sitting down and watching some hockey tonight, even if I do have to wait until tomorrow to watch the Wild...
Amen brother!

Am I the only one surprised by Kuemper getting the nod? I guess I thought Backs being the guy putting in the time and really doing all he could do in net in the games he played that he would be the guy.

Not that I am disappointed at all because Kuemper surely is capable, but I figured Backs would get the nod due to being "all in" from the start.

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