Lets get talking

[pidg88]

Well we are in the middle of a huuuge slide. Who saw this coming?

But we have some things we can chat about, we were pretty lively in here for a while but thats died. With the emergence of Hackett its pretty easy to say we are in an envious spot in the NHL right now as far as goal tending goes, and I see two prime teams to jump on.

TB- I have been preaching this the last year and a half Harding or Backstrom and a prospect for Connely +pick and Garon. They have been working the phones for a goalie and your crazy if you think they havent called us especially with us struggling lately I could see a shakeup coming. Vinnie and St Louis arent getting any younger for them either.

Phx- Well their starter Smith was just put on IR on a team with already weak goaltending. Question is who do we ask for from them in return? Ekman-Larson would be a tough sell unless we did a Harding+Spurgeon maybe even that is tough to justify though, but man Ekman is a good puck moving D and young. Or do we look for someone like Boedker a young speedy winger? Harding is young still and could provide Phx with some goaltending now and the future.

Any ideas what else anyone got for us to chew?

[BranWingss]

I mentioned Harding to Tampa Bay actually. .. Check the Bolts' forum. However, don't expect Connolly. Yzerman drafted him at like 6, and is very high on him. Backstrom's contract is simply too much, with Vinny and Stamkos having big time contracts.

You're not going to get OEL, nor will you get Boedker. Tikinov could be available though, and has high upside.

[pidg88]

Well let me pitch my trade scenario for both.

TB- We give Harding, Zucker +3rd rounder we receiver from SJ for Sheppard. We Receive Connely 5th rounder and Garon. Yes they give up a high potential wing, but Connely is having a tough time in the NHL right now (no points last ten games if im correct?) and the whole Howden incident at Canadian Juniors camp, along with a rep of not always trying to hardest. Something I think both teams could turn around, but Y has already had to do a fair amount of damage control for this kid, and he is only 19. They get Zucker, a jack of all trades future NHL player with a decent offensive upside, a starter quality in Harding with potential to be a solid goalie for years.

Phx- Well they just received Rundblad from OTT, and are stacked at puck moving D men (OEL, Rundblad, Yandle and Gormley coming up). While I do think its a long shot Harding+Spurgeon (another puck mover, not nearly as high ceiling as OEL)+1st or second we get OEL + 4th+ and maybe throw in a filler. Yes we come out with better puck mover, but they get a top round pick, starting netminder and still get a top 4 potential puck mover. We get a top pairing potential puck mover and a late round pick.

And Backstrom's contract is getting easier to move, it only has 2 years left I believe, a team like TB who will still have Vinny and St Louis locked up 2 years from now why does it matter? If they shed Garon and Roli it almost = Backstrom's cap space anyways and then they can bring Tokarski up for a backup (Is that his name? I believe he plays for Niagra Icedogs and is something like 9-3 with a .910 save %). Otherwise there is no one I want from TB for Harding.

I dont care for Tiko from Phx. He will bust.

The wild do need a shake up and a goalie will be/in a way needs to be traded this season to get some value from out gluttony. You have any ideas?

[pidg88]

Wait one minute, and yes im about to pitch this...

Harding+Our 1st+Zucker or Larsen for CBJ 1st. Nail here we come! Hahahaha

[foofighter97]

The Wild aren't going to trade Harding or Backstrom for the simple reason that neither can stay healthy. if we are truly going to make a playoff run we need them both. They compliment each other really nicely. A great 1A and 1B goalie tandem that covers whatever slack the other one leaves.

We would be stupid to trade Hackett. The kid came up and stood on his head in a huge spot in the NHL. He has been lights out in the AHL too. We shouldn't trade him simply because we don't know what we have. Also don't forget about Darcy Kruemper who has been fantastic as well in his first pro year.

The only deals I can see the Wild making are Zanon for a 3rd or 4th/middle to low prospect, Zidlicky for a 2nd +3rd or 4th/ middle prospects, or possibly at the deadline a defensemen+1st for a legit top2/4 defensemen.

Not that I like it, but the reality is this isn't the Wild's year to go for it. We have so much potential in our system plus tons of capspace for a big UFA year that could include Shea Weber, Zach Parise, and Ryan Suter. We have possibly Granlund, Brodin, Larsson, Phillips, Bulmer, and Coyle all vying for spots next year. Our strength right now as a team is our potential and character and to start trading guys like Zucker or Larsson would be really short sighted.

[pidg88]

So you would rather lose Harding in the off season than cash in on him now? And I'm sorry short sighted to give up Larsson or Zucker in a trade for OEL? We have no puck moving d prospects besides Brodin if you consider him one, and OEL is one of the best young puck movers out there and is what 20 years old? How in the world is that short sighted when he has top pairing potential and Zucker is a middle 2nd/third liner with the same for Larssen? And your right Hackett proved he can step up and be a backup, so why not trade a decently high values backup in Harding? Hackett proved he can step up in injury and Darcy is on his way too, more reason Harding is expendable....short sighted really? That trade was anything but short sighted.

[foofighter97]

Zucker is more than just a 2nd/3rd liner. The kid is the captain of team USA at the WJC and is a goal scoring machine. Also Larsson is the captain of team Sweden and he is about on a PPG pace in the SEL at 18 years old. I'm not giving up either of those two. Also we do have puck moving defensmen Scandella, Brodin, Prosser, and Spurgeon are all young guys who move the puck very well. Obviously we would need to upgrade that in experience and talent if we really wanna go far, but they are a solid group.

Also losing Harding in the off-season? Who said that? We need to resign Harding and keep Hackett in the AHL or trade one of Harding/Backstrom in the off-season. To throw Hackett into the NHL now and have him play 5-10 games the rest of the year would be horrible for his development. He needs to play a ton down in Houston.

And I don't have anything against OEL he is a good young player, but he has two huge hits. He is young and inexperience and his cost would be too much. I would gladly trade for him at a decent price, but what you are talking about at Harding, Spurgeon and a 1st(We don't have a 2nd)..no thanks. That package could bring a more experience veteran with some leadership and consistency which is exactly what this team needs.

[pidg88]

Zucker is a goal scoring machine in the NCAA, look at any scouting report he projects to be a jack of all trades two way forward with offensive upside. So basically a big second line winger with possibility of 20+ goals. He also has yet to play in a real men's league AHL or NHL so we have no idea how that scoring will translate. Same goes for Larsson many many players (Fabian Brunnstrom?) can put up boats loads of points in the SEL, totally different style of hockey then AHL or NHL. Larsson by scouts projects to be a second like center, a poor mans koivu good all around.

Scandella to me is not considered a puck mover, while he can be a decent two way defender at times he is a better shut down defender. Same goes for Prosser and he isn't exactly on the young side. Spurgeon was promising last year but this year he has shown no improvement in his game. OEL contributed as a 19 y/o playing top 4 minutes last season and produced a decent amount of points. His ceiling and scouting reports rank him as a potential top 2 pairing. Not only does he have the offensive IQ and quick outlet passing he is 6-2 6-3 and has a big shot. Future pairing of him and scandella is scary.

Yes lose Harding in the offseason. Have you seen how much attention across the league he has gotten? There is no way we are able to keep him to a cap friendly backup type number when teams like TB will pay more because they window is closing and they need to win now. If Harding hits FA he will not be in a wild sweater. Also trading Harding in the off season will yield us something like the d moves of erhoff and wiz last season, maybe a 7th rounder. Yuck.

Right now IMO a veteran is not going to get us any further then a player like OEL. OEL would strive and grow with this young team. Also Brodin is not going to put up a lot of points, at least not in the beginning. He is a great prospect with extreme hockey IQ but just is not much of a point producer.

[pidg88]

And you are right about two things: A) we don't have a 2nd I forgot that. B) Hackett would not thrive with being in the NHL now, which is why they could throw is Lababera or Curtis MC so we have a backup for the rest of the season

[Wild1414]

This year is a big suprise to a lot of people including me, didnt expect them to be this competitive, althought were loosing right now we have a few key guys returing just now or still injuried.

I am excited for guys like Granlund, Larson, Coyle, Zucker, Brodin to come and compete for a spot next year, we are going to have a very very youthful team, Look out NHL the Wild are on the rise!!!

[foofighter97]

Zucker is a goal scoring machine in the NCAA, look at any scouting report he projects to be a jack of all trades two way forward with offensive upside. So basically a big second line winger with possibility of 20+ goals. He also has yet to play in a real men's league AHL or NHL so we have no idea how that scoring will translate. Same goes for Larsson many many players (Fabian Brunnstrom?) can put up boats loads of points in the SEL, totally different style of hockey then AHL or NHL. Larsson by scouts projects to be a second like center, a poor mans koivu good all around.Scandella to me is not considered a puck mover, while he can be a decent two way defender at times he is a better shut down defender. Same goes for Prosser and he isn't exactly on the young side. Spurgeon was promising last year but this year he has shown no improvement in his game. OEL contributed as a 19 y/o playing top 4 minutes last season and produced a decent amount of points. His ceiling and scouting reports rank him as a potential top 2 pairing. Not only does he have the offensive IQ and quick outlet passing he is 6-2 6-3 and has a big shot. Future pairing of him and scandella is scary.

Yes lose Harding in the offseason. Have you seen how much attention across the league he has gotten? There is no way we are able to keep him to a cap friendly backup type number when teams like TB will pay more because they window is closing and they need to win now. If Harding hits FA he will not be in a wild sweater. Also trading Harding in the off season will yield us something like the d moves of erhoff and wiz last season, maybe a 7th rounder. Yuck.

Right now IMO a veteran is not going to get us any further then a player like OEL. OEL would strive and grow with this young team. Also Brodin is not going to put up a lot of points, at least not in the beginning. He is a great prospect with extreme hockey IQ but just is not much of a point producer.

Yes and that reminds me of some other players like Ryan Kesler, Dustin Brown, Alex Burrows, Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron these guys aren't just 20 goal players they mean a ton to there team. Also Larsson is no Fabian Brunnstorm. He was drafted in the 2nd round and has huge potential. When Hockeysfuture updates there prospect profile he will be in our top 4 prospects. He is the real deal.

Your comments on the D are hit and miss. No Scandella isn't an offensive machine, but he is a puck moving defensmen. More like a more offensive version of Nick Schultz. He alone is projected as a top pairing guy. Prosser your right isn't really a prospect anymore I guess, but he does move the puck and is one of the most sound positional D we have. He has 5 assists in 16 games which I think puts him 4th for points on our D corp. And Spurgeon was recently called by Mike Yeo our Nick Lindstrom meaning he is our #1 option in every situation. I'm not the biggest fan of his but the numbers don't lie. He leads us in scoring from the backend with 15 points and plays over 22 mins a game as a + player. Also Brodin you're right isn't an offensive defense men, but he does put up some points. Brodin has 2 points in 2 games at the WJC, and plays on an offensively challanged team in the SEL.

Your right about Harding though we probably would lose him in FA, but I stand pat that Harding+Spurgeon+1st won't even get us a sniff of OEL. I think OEL is a great young player and I would love to have him, but PHX would for sure ask for Granlund in return. The kids potential is through the roof. It would take realistically Harding+Coyle/Phillips+1st+Spurgeon and they would probably still say no. And I really do think a veteran top 4 D would help us. I mean just as an example think of where our team would be with a guy like Bryan Allen or Tim Gleason and that's on the really low end. I think if we offered our 1st and mid prospect around the league we could get a guy like Wiz, Paul Martin, Ian White, Robadias. Obviously I repsect your opinion and it's nice to talk to a real Wild fan on here, but our opinions differ.

[pidg88]

Well Zucker might make the mark of some of the players you mentioned he is no Kesler or Bergeron, sorry I just cant see that happening...Burrows may be a fair comparison though a good 2nd line winger with 20+ potential like I said. I agree Larsson is no Brunnstrom, im just saying that until he plays in the AHL/NHL we have no idea if those skills will translate from a European game to the US game. And Hockeyfutures or not almost any scouting report you read on him is a 2nd line center. We have three "real deal" prospects right now, Coyle Granlund and Brodin with Phillips almost in that category. He was a steal for us, he slipped that late because the Sea Dogs are stacked and this year with his bigger role he is showing how much of a steal he is.

Yes I agree with your assessment of Scandella, a little better offensive game then Schultz, but not an offensive D man, I dont really ever see him eclipsing the 35-40pt mark. And in all honesty he doesnt need to! We have other people who can play that role. I didnt mean to sound like I dont like Prosser, I do dont get me wrong. But he is a strong bottom pairing D, a #5. Im no fan of Spurgeon, and lets be really honest 15 points in how many games? Our D is one of the lowest scoring in the NHL combined total points from the backend. So being our #1 or #2 scoring D isnt much.

I think that trade would get us close to OEL for a couple reasons. 1) The cannot afford another Yandle, and they just got Rundblad who projects high as well. 2) Ownership issue means that they will take more pieces that might be cheaper then paying out for OEL in a year. I wouldnt give up any of our top four for OEL, but anyone outside of who I mentioned I would be willing to shape something with.

As far as the Veteran D man I guess you have me convinced a little. While I would want a Paul Martin or Wiz (nasty contracts) and we would never be able to get Ian White from Detroit or Robi from Dallas your on the right track. I would love this team to get someone like a Joni Pitkanen, and hey with the sale Carolina is going to have at the deadline thats not impossible to think of.

While our opinions differ, thats why I made this thread to get us talking...And yes Harding must be moved by the deadline for us to get value or else this gluttony at that position is for nothing

[pidg88]

I also still stand by my earlier comment somewhere on these wild forums, Bryan McCabe is sitting out there unsigned, does anyone know why? Lets throw him a huge prorated contract to come play for the rest of the season...Now that would be a great Vet D man for this team.

[foofighter97]

Yea McCabe would be sweet but I'm sure his list of teams is pretty short

[Wild1414]

I dont think we need Mccabe, With how many injuries we have had we just need to get some consistency back in our line up and we will be just fine.

When we are a lock for the playoffs Im curious what Fletcher would do if anything towards bringing someone in for the playoffs, too early ? lol. Thoughts?