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mll

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Everything posted by mll

  1. They were 2nd last before their Covid outbreak with a 0.473 pt% - only ahead of Ottawa.
  2. 2x top 4 Ds. OEL and Hughes but both on the left and a bunch of 3rd pairing guys who will be hard to move. Such a different D-corps than the Wild who were elite as a group.
  3. NYR use tracking technology. Was set up under Gorton who is looking to expand the department in Montreal. There's very little chance that you could get them to bite on Myers. NYR moved Miller for reasons that went beyond the ice so not sure they'd want him back.
  4. Not for nothing that his nickname is Gabby. Boudreau hosted a radio show at the Minnesota State Fair with Russo. Has been numerous guests on podcasts - even had Russo do his 1st Straight from the Source from his own man cave.
  5. That wasn't Boudreau in Minnesota. They were a defence 1st team under Boudreau. Might be because of the make-up of the team. Their D was their strength. Top guys like Parise, Koivu weren't comfortable carrying the puck either.
  6. Not in Minnesota. Players actually talked about how Evason opened things up when he replaced Boudreau. The Wild were one of the very best defensive teams and a heavy forechecking team under Boudreau. In fairness most of their top veterans there at the time weren't puck carriers. Fiala was added late in his tenure and was always trying to carry the puck and Boudreau forced him to be more mindful of the situation rather than try it each time - dumping the puck is sometimes the better approach than an ill-timed turnover.
  7. Geoff Ward has the coaching lead on their PP with Brown also involved but in a supporting role.
  8. Staal has built a house in Minnesota and his wife and kids stayed there when he was traded to Buffalo. He has spoken about retiring there.
  9. Button puts the bulk of the blame on JB. He talks of a poorly constructed blueline. He says Green is trying to shelter them by playing more conservatively but it's hurting their offensive players. He think they should go back to their previous approach and let their offensive players loose to play to their strength. No use trying to win 1 goal games when the D-corps is just not good enough. Might as well just open things up - Demko already has to save the day. He believes there's just not much they can do after Benning has cornered the market on bottom pairing Ds.
  10. NYI are looking to improve their blueline with Chara and Greene having slowed down a lot. Don't see them moving Dobson or anyone worthwhile on D after losing Toews and Leddy who they have yet to replace. Lamoriello gifted Colorado with a top pairing D in Toews for only 2x 2nd round picks because he believed Dobson was ready for a larger role and they had cap space issues. He then also moved Leddy this off-season for similar reasons. Don't think his line of thinking has changed. Also don't feel him or Schneider are the right target and especially not at the cost of Miller. Remove Miller and the team might crumble even further - especially bringing in a D that's not yet established. I don't think it sends the right message and wouldn't be surprised if players like Horvat feel like they are heading for yet another rebuild and ask out. I get that Miller is close to UFA and everyone sees him bolting. I am not so sure. He has a prominent role on and off the ice in Vancouver. There are too many flaws to the roster and just one player isn't going to change their fortunes around. Miller could still play an important role going forward. Vancouver has several important players who are ready to compete now and dismantling the team could lead to an even bigger mess. There are too many inefficient players that need replacing but removing the better ones might not get them any further because they are not the issue. Button here talks of how Green is trying to shelter a poorly constructed blueline but that it's affecting their offence. Instead of trying to win the 1 goal games, he's suggesting to let the offensive players loose and count on Demko to save the day defensively, rather than force them to play conservatively to protect the blueline. For him the D-corps is simply not up to par. He calls Hughes magnificent and has OEL as a number 3/4 at this stage of his career with everyone else bottom pair level. That's how they had success previous years. Their process was flawed but games were entertaining and they got some nice wins. It probably won't lead to a Cup but at least it shows the top guys that things are going in the right direction and could buy a bit of time to start fixing the rest of the roster.
  11. Had 53. Other than the visible 3, there's a number in full white and it looks like a 5 rather than a 4.
  12. And yet Vancouver leads the league with 86 powerplay opportunities - 4 more than any other team. NYI is way down with only 52 powerplays. Median is 68. Every team feels that the refs are in to get them. So many missed and brutal calls against other teams too.
  13. He is now fully vaccinated per Green. Doesn't look like they've asked him to report to Abbotsford beyond that 1 game. There's no escrow in the AHL - might be a favour to allow him to earn more when he can't play than keeping him on their active roster. Cap wise there's no real impact to demote him or keep him up - they are in LTIR so anything below the maximum possible cap can't be banked and is lost. Creates a roster spot but they are at 22 players and kept that spot open for him to join them on their road trip, but per his agent he fell ill. It stops the waiver clock but now that he is fully vaccinated not sure why it would matter. Even in case of a trade, at 3M with another year, would expect a team trading for him to have him on their active roster.
  14. Reason more so for them not to move Carlo so they can maximise their window. Would expect them more willing to part with draft picks and roster players on the fringe of their lineup (DeBrusk, Haula) than Carlo. Don’t see a team out East taking Hamonic when it’s so well documented that he has family reasons to stay out West. It’s also 3M for a 3rd pairing D.
  15. NJD are struggling in the standings. It’s a waste of assets for them to add Miller with where their team is at. He’s soon a UFA and is unlikely to be long term with them. If they spend assets it would probably be for a long term player that fits their age group - Hughes, Hischier are the guys they are building around. Could see them trading Severson only if they can’t get him signed but don’t see Boeser as being much of interest with his contractual status. The 7.5M qualifying offer looks like quite a negative especially as he’s not playing close to that value. They would need a D so could see them targeting futures at the TDL that they can then flip further.
  16. He's 20 years old and still developing. Put goal scorers on his wings and his production will start to match the amount of chances he creates.
  17. Hischier a cream puff? You didn't see him jump Brouwer when he bumped Blackwood. He was also the 1st going after Erik Johnson after he kneed Palmieri.
  18. Russo says there's an understanding to bring Goligoski back on a reduced cap hit - in the 2M or so. Cap wise instead of doing 2 years at circa 3.5M they are doing 5M + circa 2M when their buyouts rise to 13M. Fiala will be 1 year to UFA and seeking a long term deal, like he did this summer, and they might not want to give him that deal. Guerin explained that they want him to prove himself - says he can do things that few can but there are aspects of his game that he needs to clean up. His future with the Wild is pretty much in question and with their cap crunch he might be the one they move.
  19. Don’t think the Wild are looking to move Zuccarello. He is still producing and plays an important mentorship role for their young players and in particular Kaprizov who they have every intention to keep happy. The two have unbelievable chemistry and have pretty much been tied to the hip.
  20. His low production is misleading. Hughes is a play driver and creates just so much offence. He has mostly been playing with wingers who are still trying to figure how to score in the league. Hard for a playmaker to put up points if his wingers aren't goal scorers. Tracking technology showed that he has some of the best numbers in several key offensive metrics last season.
  21. The highest shooting percentage since 2019/20 up to now (min 50 games) is Draisaitl at 20.6%. There are only 19 players that are at 17% or more over that span. The median is 9.1%. So far this season Pitlick is at 44%, Foligno at 25% and Hartman at 17% - not rates that are sustainable.
  22. The mandate is to be among the league's elite for years to come. Not just a one and done and not a team whose foundation isn't solid that it crumbles down the road. Hartman is shooting at 17%. Foligno at 25%. Pitlick at 44%. Even EriksonEk is at 15%. League average is around 9%. Those rates are not likely to be sustainable and would be building a team on quicksand. Part of building that elite contender is having a winning culture - character, never quit, playing the right way and sacrificing for each other is all part of it. Those veterans are there to foster that culture and some are also expected to be there when they reach that elite contender status. Talbot was specifically targeted because he can help them win games. He is a decent goalie but their long term bet is on Wallstedt who they just took in the 1st round. Armstrong (St Louis) and MacLellan (Washington) were asked the 5 key reasons that allowed their team to finally win a Cup. They each cited playoff experience explaining that their team had to go through the heartbreak of losing to understand how hard it is to get to the very end and deal with the pressure. Laviolette when Nashville was contending explained that the hardest part is the emotional roller coaster. Players need to experience the playoffs to learn how to stay even keeled in such a pressured environment. Scheifele talked about that too - how you have to live it to understand the emotions of the playoffs. The Wild want to gain that playoff experience. Over the next few years their roster should continue to strengthen and grow towards an elite contender as they add prospects developed properly by them to an already winning culture. Armstrong/MacLellan also both cited strength down the middle as an imperative. That's currently a major weakness on the Wild. Hartman is currently playing C1 to Kaprizov. He was a 4th line winger till last season where they converted him to C. Look at the C1s of the top contenders. Gaudreau who was at 28 signed with only 103 regular NHL games and 18pts has mostly been C to Fiala. Fiala and Kaprizov are offensive players and don't have quality Cs to play with them. EriksonEk is a remarkable matchup C and will be a Selke contender but where he excels is on a matchup line with grinders Foligno and Greenway. -- Guerin needed a D to replace Suter. A top-4 D on a short term deal isn't an easy piece to find in free agency. He knew Goligoski from his time in Pittsburgh and saw him as a good fit so he signed him. He just happened to also be from Minnesota. Fiala is possibly available because as good as he is offensively he is a high risk player. His turnovers and carelessness with the puck have been driving them crazy. Evason has never been shy to criticise his game to media. Even prior GM Fenton who traded for him says he is a game breaker and they hope it will be more in their favour than not. Fiala was also looking for a long term deal in the 7M or so and they weren't willing to give it to him just yet. Guerin openly talked about how he can do things that few players can but there are aspects of his game that he needs to clean up if he wants to be among the league's best.
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