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NW division -- Now one of the toughest


Peejay

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Should make for some entertaining hockey, i could still see Calgary and Colorado

struggling again next season. Edmonton with all the young talent they have probley

wont finish dead last again...

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They got tougher but I wouldn't say one of the toughest in the league. If you look at Minny they just went from terrible to good with thse additions, but not incredibly awesome. Their defense is just Suter and Gilbert. Edmonton is still pretty young and consistently last. Yeah, its tougher, but its not too bad imo.

Also....what's with all the facepalm posts on every thread? I noticed that there are a LOT more of those than there used to. And whats so facepalm worthy about this thread in the first place? If someone posts a facepalm at least back it up with your opinion. Sheesh

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I wonder where this leaves Heatley? The Wild have a great bottom 6 and a good 1st line but their 2nd line leaves something to be desired (70 points total last year). I don't think the addition of Parise or Heatley on the LW will change that. No matter what way you put it the Wild are still missing 2/3rds of a successful 2nd line. Unless Parise can play center I don't see this the Wild's top-6's performance changing dramatically.

Granted, these signings might pan out in the Wild's favour who are a tough team to play against, they are defensively oriented and now have 3 big name top-6 forwards in Heatley, Setoguchi, and Parise but I still have a feeling they might have over-committed in signing both Suter AND Parise. Healey and Setoguchi have two years left on their contracts before they enter the free agent market as UFAs. Setoguchi has a cap hit of $3-million per year and is due for a sizable raise and Heatley already makes $7.5 per year. If they let either walk they might free up some cap space but in the end they are still huge parts of the Wild's top-6 who by all counts is really only a top-3.

Granted the Wild have a few prospects that could fill the void on the 2nd line, but they are still quite a ways away from having effective scoring depth. They have just under $30-million dedicated to 4 players, two of which are locked up for the next 13 years neither of which is Crosby or Malkin. Comparatively, our entire forward core salary is expected to be around $35-million next season if we re-sign Raymond, Bitz, and Weise. No offense intended but we are consistently one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL, while the Wild landed dead last in scoring this passed season. I think they might have miscalculated Suter and Parise's worth just wee little bit...

I have a feeling the Wild might have been too focused on whether or not they COULD get both Suter and Parise more than whether or not they SHOULD sign both to big long-term contracts. Like I said, they added two good pieces to fill out their roster but I have a feeling they're going to be eating those contracts in a few years when they are struggling to round out their roster due to cap constraints.

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with lots of dollars come lots of ego's. the wild have lots of high valve players its only a matter of time before heads but

coaching also has alot to do with winning and creating a winning attitude., oil are better with every year but as i've said before ELC expire and owners will need to pony up some HUGE dollars to keep there kids together especially with these recent signings.

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Let's not panic. Yes Minny just added Suter and Parise but we added Garrison and we already have other great Dmen on the team. And offensively we have the Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, Booth, and hopefully a few more players who will have good offensive seasons coming up.

But we are definitely no longer kings of the NW. And it's good - the players admitted themselves that playing against an easy group of teams in the division didn't prepare them sufficiently for the first round of the playoffs. They need to learn to be competitive all year long. This'll give us a run for our money and it'll put pressure on all our players to play well consistently.

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NW deffinetly not the toughest. Yet it blowes me away that everyone here forgets that the wild were the best team in the whole NHL the first 2 months before they got ravenged with injuries, and there depth showed its self. Suter and Parise will help them, and with there other signings they are adding to their depth. They will challenge for the NW. Lets take the homer glasses off, we will not be the top of the mountian every year.

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I disagree with them being a powerhouse, but they're much improved, it'll be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the free agency and any trades that arise. But, well done to Wild for managing these deals.

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The Wild are a team that slows the game down to their speed and capitalizes on mistakes by suffocating the neutral zone. The have a bit more offensive bite now but as long as we play them with patience and try not to force too many plays we will do fine against them. The Wild are a team we have to play carefully. Run and gun doesn't work against them because when they're on their game their system is designed to neutralize a system like ours. They're a team that doesn't allow easy entry into their zone but generally have lacked a defensive pillar to play successfully in their own zone once we get in. With Parise and Suter I can see them playing a lot more effectively in their own zone by keeping us more to the outside than they have in the past. Suter is a great positional d-man with a decent shot and good puck movement. Parise is good defensively, positionally, and can be really aggressive in forcing a play on the forecheck. I can see them making the playoffs but I still feel we are the stronger, deeper team. That being said I do feel that if they can sort out their 2nd line they will be an incredibly dangerous team.

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There was no chance that the teams in our division did anything other than close the gap on us. I don't think that the signings of Suter and Parise makes the Wild that much more dangerous. Instead, it made Nashville and NJ weaker. Suter benefited from playing with a perennial Norris level Dman in Weber. Parise was the captain and leader of NJ, now he takes the wheel behind their current captain and probably Heatley...

Calgary has done nothing, Colorado really nothing and Edmonton has a good young team coming but will not be able to pay all those first overall picks when it is said and done and they still cannot get a goaltender.

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