Mojzis official
Posted on July 7th, 2008 – 2:49 PMBy Michael Russo
Worst kept secret in Wild country is finally official. Stop the presses, but …
MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS DEFENSEMAN TOMAS MOJZIS
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed defenseman Tomas Mojzis (pronounced MOI-shihsh) to a multi-year contract.
Mojzis, 26 (5/2/82), posted four points (2-2=4) and 38 penalty minutes (PIM) in 28 games with Sibir Novosibirsk of the Russian Continental League in 2007-08. Mojzis has played 13 NHL games with Vancouver and St. Louis, totaling two points (1-1=2) and 12 PIM. He made his NHL debut Feb. 4, 2006, at Edmonton and scored his first NHL goal March 24, 2007, at Detroit. Mojzis was a first-team Canadian Hockey League (CHL) All-Star for the 2002-03 season.
The 6-foot, 195-pound native of Kolin, Czech Republic, was Toronto’s eighth-round pick (246th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
END PRESS RELEASE, BACK TO RUSSO 
Two-way contract. He’ll make $500,000 prorated in the NHL, $100,000 in the minors.
Mojzis likely lands on the depth chart right after Erik Reitz and injured Kurtis Foster and right before Shawn Belle and Clayton Stoner. So, first minor-league callup blue-line material.
Although, lots of things change in training camp, like for instance, the 15 stories I wrote about Dominic Moore last fall.
In other news, Todd Bertuzzi is reunited with Mike Keenan in Calgary. My prediction is he’ll score at least one more goal than the one he scored for Keenan in Florida.
Remember, Keenan also brought Big Bert to Vancouver. Reported one-year, $1.95 million, which I bet is precisely what Calgary was offering Owen Nolan.
340 Responses to "Mojzis official"
A stunner
Can never have too much depth at the blue line. This is great!
Hey Russo, Any updates on Morrison? I am still holding my breath for him!
Anyone know what the money or yrs are worth for Mojzis
what does Keenan bring to a club to keep getting jobs. I hate him. he destroys clubs. but keeps getting a job. I wish I could get fired from jobs and keep getting paid 6 figures from other suckers.
umm… so did JL ask “who” again?
obviously the Don don’t care for Pabst since he felt the need to kill that vibe with this news.
Oh, goodie. Keenan gets to ‘re-invent’ Big Bert. Ugh.
Mojzis better get ready for Texas BBQ…
Poverty line days…I drank Icehouse. More bang for the buck, if you will. Of course, I went to college when the ice beer craze was going on…
Looks like we have to move this conversation over to the new posting
Funny how one’s stage in life affects what one considers to be “good” beer. In college, we liked to “splurge” and occassionally get the good stuff - Miller Lite.
“I drank Icehouse.”
Ugh… quite possibly the worst beer on the planet (if you can call it beer).
CW - Found a few Molson Ice on other people’s dime, but mostly a lot of Old Swill and the occasional (cough- cough) Black Label.
Matt Cooke Sucks!
Matt Cooke Sucks!
Matt Cooke Sucks!
Matt Cooke Sucks!
Yup, works over here too!
PBR? I passed on that even in the poverty-line days of college…
Wow. Man, we even went as far as Blatz in college. Now THAT’s poverty-line beer. 
—-
BTW, has anyone given KiPA grief yet for Matt Cooke?
Nah, that’s one cage I don’t wanna rattle anymore. When he went to the Mario Lemieux 1-on-5 goal vs. Casey in the Finals, that was the coup de grace for me.
…And that all came from a math joke, sheesh. lol.
EXP: I don’t see Morrison coming now. Wild is WAY too close to the cap…They sign Morrison, and they’ll have to go temporarily over the cap once they sign Bouchard/Veilleux. I think this was a first come, first serve signing. If Morrison came back to them yesterday, that probably would have been the signing and Nolan would be out (just speculation).
And Johnson: Working on getting salary figures now. Sometimes it takes some digging for these minor-league guys. When I get, I’ll post on the current blog posting. Shouldn’t take too long. The email’s been sent.
obviously the Don don’t care for Pabst since he felt the need to kill that vibe with this news.
lol
When he went to the Mario Lemieux 1-on-5 goal vs. Casey in the Finals, that was the coup de grace for me.
Sissy.
bfw* - At least you didn’t sink to Red White and Blue
Nah, that’s one cage I don’t wanna rattle anymore. When he went to the Mario Lemieux 1-on-5 goal vs. Casey in the Finals, that was the coup de grace for me.
I wondered if anyone would notice.
bfw* - At least you didn’t sink to Red White and Blue
Ughhh.
—-
When he went to the Mario Lemieux 1-on-5 goal vs. Casey in the Finals, that was the coup de grace for me.
Sissy.
Stick down, Head up, toivo.
Thanks Russo… Kind of a bummer though. Any thought of a trade for O’sully?
Thanks for the MOrrison tidbit Don. That is unfortunate news however. We really need a center. A trade has to happen… Just not involving PMB.
I think I drowned my 1991 underage cup sorrows in Schlitz Ice but the memory has gone foggy.
In college we drank a beer called Canadian Ace. It was the cheapest keg beer. Not sure I can ever remember seeing it in stores and doubt it is still available. Then also Blatz and Old Style.
Russian Continental League in 2007-08
OK, I’m probably already on thin ice for the thing about Eero Elo not being a hotel, but what the heck?
No such thing as the Continental League in 07-08. Back in the day, it was the Russian Super League.
I should probably lay low for a while now.
Although I like the addition of Nolan, I think the Wild missed the boat on Bertuzzi. I know he’s hated around here, but the guy is better and cheaper than Nolan. Sure..he’s had a couple of bad years, but he’s younger and it was only a couple of years ago he scored over 70 points.
Stick down, Head up, toivo.
More now than ever!
Y’all can remember drinking in college well enough that you can remember what kind of beer it was?
I don’t believe any of you actually went then.
Mojzis makes 500K up here in the big show, 100K in the minors…prorated of course
I should probably lay low for a while now.
Stick down, heads up.
—-
I think I drowned my 1991 underage cup sorrows in Schlitz Ice but the memory has gone foggy.
Well, the memory of that goal is laser-embedded into my memory banks forever.
Thank gawwd I like Mario… Let’s you admire the pure beauty of that goal.
Kinda like getting killed in a hit-and-run by a Lamborghini. 
Marek Malik is still available. Wild could go for an all-Czech blue line.
I should probably lay low for a while now.
Yet for some reason, I am strangely drawn to the flickering image…
Pretty entertaining thread on http://www.letsgokings.com about Gaborik to LA rumor.
chicago: I, too, supplemented my college experience with “ice” beer during that fad. Molson Ice was my label. Some interesting nights, but nothing on the permanent record so I guess maybe I was a wuss.
Other than that, it was Busch. A lot of Busch.
A lot of Busch.
Do I even need to say it…???
POTD!
Y’all can remember drinking in college well enough that you can remember what kind of beer it was?
Yeah, the returnable cases doubled as furniture…
Hey G*,
Anyone nail that beer question of yours? Things kinda got jangly with the big Mojzis Announcement, did I miss the answer….?
Y’all can remember drinking in college well enough that you can remember what kind of beer it was?
You never can really have too much Busch can you?
Yeah, the returnable cases doubled as furniture…
Swear.
To.
Gahd, we did that EXACT thing.
Other than that, it was Busch. A lot of Busch.
You never can really have too much Busch can you?
That makes much more sense now. That what I get for being a smartass…
bfw* - You had to go 2 by 2 for the t v to make sure it didn’t fall, right?
Let’s you admire the pure beauty of that goal.
What about…
Nah, I won’t do that. Carry on.
the letsgokings.com server is too busy - if anyone gets through, let us know the basics what is being said about Gabby - thanks!
bnag,
We had the best coffee tables and end tables…plus no need to get up and recycle! lol.
toivo: Wild need to ‘bounce’ one Czech (Skoula) off the roster now. What makes you think we want any MORE of them?
Besides, as the Don said, we can’t afford it…
Well here’s one gem from that Kings thread: I talked to the guy who sells Sidney Crosby his underwear and he said that a deal will be annouced today for the kid to LA.
The pens are getting close to the cap and they need to unload some salary.
KiPA, as a journalist, doesn’t that quote just scream credible source to you…
I hate to break up the beer talk, but not having Rolston and PMB at the points would cut down on shorthanded goals, no?
Well, what I posted was making fun of the guy who started the thread by saying something like “I talked to a guy at Easton who talked to Gaborik’s agent and said they’re announcing a deal today.”
(That’s paraphrasing, I forget exactly how he said it.)
Your point remains valid however, and yes, loads of credibility.
Actually I think the guy even said “we’re announcing” instead of “they’re.”
Another from the Kings thread (I’m paraphrasing): re: what would have to be traded to get Gabby: “would be even worse - they’re up against the cap and we’d probably have to take Parrish, too!” Does Marky P. have a bad rap around the league already??
Anyone nail that beer question of yours?
pabst was nailed.
i just bought a case of blatz back in may. it’s more expensive than you think. I still have 2 cans if anyone wants to go back to their glory years.
i have 2 bottles of schlitz left out of a 6-pack i recently bought. On a hot, humid day, it ain’t bad. can’t see that working on a spring or fall day though. has to be hot, hot, hot.
i just bought a case of blatz back in may. it’s more expensive than you think. I still have 2 cans if anyone wants to go back to their glory years.
LOL.
Thanks. So, that means PBR brew over 2 million gallons/yr? Wow.
Can’t really keep up with all those beer merger/acquisitions. Great stuff, tho.
the returnable cases doubled as furniture
Heh, now THAT I remember! Get enough of those things laying around and soon enough you’ve got yourself a free case of beer!
What makes you think we want any MORE of them?
More blame to go around?
A free case only if you return all your “furniture!”
I haven’t been keeping up on the threads, so if this has already been posted, I apologize. But if you haven’t read this TSN.ca article about Lowe & Burke yet, it’s pretty entertaining.
Thanks for the big scoop, Russo. So Mo is the new Reitz, eh. Good deal. Welcome to Texas, honey… That’s decent money for the A. Good for him.
A free case only if you return all your “furniture!”
But you are already one case closer to replacing the whole set.
Morrison is out of the picture, we’re too close to cap space and our fearless GM wants to keep a roster spot or two open for newbs.
I pwn newbs
Heh, now THAT I remember! Get enough of those things laying around and soon enough you’ve got yourself a free case of beer!
Dude, we sooo tried to score a few free cases of beer using that tact. They wouldn’t play ball. Couldn’t get the “discount” applied to more than one case. But if we could……..
I am DEFINITELY lookin’ forward to that Mon pm brew.
In fact…where’d G* go…?
Is there even such a thing as returnabe cases anymore? I haven’t seen them lately, though I haven’t been looking, so….
*returnable
1 word-Stroh’s (it’s fire brewed and they had 30 packs)!
Okay, in the spirit of “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts”:
How infinitely better is the “moral” in the “room” gonna be this year?
No more Demo.
Add Nolan.
Add Bruno.
Lookin’ good.
that would be: morale. oops.
Oh and another thing is congrats to Russo for scooping every media outlet that covers hockey in North America (TSN, NY Times, Hockey News, Chicago Tribune, Hockeybuzz, I could go on) on the Winter Classic III.
There will be a lot less Slovakian Techno, that’s for sure…
They wouldn’t play ball.
Really? That was never a problem. You went to a bad beer store, IMO. Bad!
stroh’s is worse than blatz.
that’s 2 million barrels a year. not sure how many gallons. i was surprised as it ain’t all tha popular in the bars.
the blatz was 13.99 for the case. it ain’t worth 13.99. i think old style is worse but i am in minority on that. point beer = worse.
i used to play baseball with a guy who thought old mil was the best beer ever invented.
BDS: If memory serves, I believe Madonna was the music of choice for the Slovaks.
I guess it’s like Speedos. Some things just don’t make sense. Unless you’re Sean Avery maybe.
Oh and another thing is congrats to Russo for scooping every media outlet that covers hockey in North America (TSN, NY Times, Hockey News, Chicago Tribune, Hockeybuzz, I could go on) on the Winter Classic III.
Ditto (2:24pm, prev post.)
i thought the idea with returnables is you paid a deposit on each case and then got the deposit back upon return. so when you collected 50 cases over a month, you collected cash upon return that was paid in fresh cases.
am i wrong?
stroh’s is worse than blatz.
that’s 2 million barrels a year. not sure how many gallons. i was surprised as it ain’t all tha popular in the bars
WOW. 2m BARRELS? Holy crap. I can’t even remember seein’ on tap anywhere…
And Stroh’s worse than Blatz?
FTW.
A barrel equals 32 gallons. (Remember those 16 gal. kegs are also referred to as a half-barrel, 8 gallon kegs a quarter barrel.)
i thought the idea with returnables is you paid a deposit on each case and then got the deposit back upon return. so when you collected 50 cases over a month, you collected cash upon return that was paid in fresh cases.
am i wrong?
Essentially, but they made us buy 50 MORE CASES to realize that savings (per case, more or less).
Oh. No. Twist my arm. 50 more cases. lol!
What?
No one remembers Little Wallys?
How about Fox De Luxe?
North Star?
Honestly. There were some unbelievably bad beers in the mid 70s.
To put 2M barrels in perspective, consider that A-B’s total annual production is around 100M barrels, I think.
From the land of sky blue waters…
Sure - Fox de Luxe and North Star, I remember those from beer can/bottle collections that my bro and I had when we were kids.
wa-ah-ters….
Olympia, remember the artesians!
Washington goat pi$$ is what I referred to it as!
Sure - Fox de Luxe and North Star, I remember those from beer can/bottle collections that my bro and I had when we were kids.
I have decided that EVERYONE on this blog needs to be nicer to me (your elder).
Your momma would want it that way.
kj, We’ll just refer to you as Owen Nolan now because you are here for your grit and veteran leadership
How many of you are drunk already??
Be honest…
BNAG: better than I could have said it myself. In the mid 70’s I thought beer was pretty disgusting. I guess I was right based on what kj is saying here, but I thought it had more to do with my not having yet acquired the taste for it. Maybe not.
Oh, here’s one: Cold Spring!
Just wishing, unless Friday hasn’t worn off yet…
Just don’t refer to kj as ‘Skoula’… 
“Y’all can remember drinking in college well enough that you can remember what kind of beer it was?”
I can remember never drinking at all.
I can remember never drinking at all.
Why you gotta make me feel inferior because I’m workin’ the grill, B? Damn!
I can remember never drinking at all.
Not to be confused with “I can never remember drinking.”
ugh - just seeing Cold Spring in print gave me the chills (toivo 4:43). we once bought a case of that back in the day…cuz it was all we could get for $4-5. it came in a cardboard “base” and the entire thing was shrink wrapped in plastic. tasted like water filtered through freshly mown grass.
I’m still waiting for a center to be signed…
Russo,
if somehow magically Morrison signs with the Wild,would that almost guarantee either Bouchard or Parrish to be dealt for money issues?
tasted like water filtered through freshly mown grass
I can almost hear the wistful nostalgia in your voice as I read this.
I know it’s definately a CO thing, but my vote for worst beer has to go to Keystone. Followed closely by Natural/”Natty” in any form, Old Milwaukee’s Best/”Beast” in any form, then Bud Light/Bud. The insane thing here is that a 1/2 barrel of Coor’s Light is $5 more than a 1/2 barrel of Keystone and yet Keystone is the fav. at parties.
I personally have always tried to go for quality over quantity, and there are more micro-brews out here than anywhere else I’ve ever been. I made a vow to not drink the same beer twice for 3 months, and have since had to extend that to 6, and 9 months. (with the exception of Coors and a few seasonal brews I’ve grown fond of)
Hate to admit this, but I kinda liked the old Stroh’s — the Detroit-brewed stuff, before they got bought out by Olympia as the consolidations began in the early ’80’s. The old Stroh’s was good beer. The later stuff? Ugh.
It looks like the Kings might be adding their 7th Center…
keystone has the funky lined cans. no bitter beer face.
natty ice - i’ve been there and don’t want to go back.
stroh’s was brewed for years about 10 blocks from my house on the east side. you could smell it if the wind was blowing the right direction which was nice because if coming from other direction we got smell from pig’s eye.
anyone else have a special export phase? i mean you could travel the world over and never find a better beer.
special export phase?
I think so, but remember I can’t really remember. I found a couple of bottles under my house recently. I’ve only lived there six years, so I can say with absolute certainty they were not mine. I’ve not been drinking in the crawl space of a house in at least that long!
Ugh, just remembered two more. Steel Reserve 9.0 and some other one that came in a red box with a picture of a deer on in? Little help for the name of that one?
in = it
Since this is apparently a beer blog now… if you get the chance to try a Real Ale Fireman’s #4, it’s a pretty good beer from TX.
I’d say it’s become more of a “what’s some of the worst beer you’ll admit to blog.”
Googling Steel Reserve will turn up some pretty funny stuff, btw. Can’t help you with the red box, though.
just came to me toivo, it was Schmidt’s
Just caught up with all the beer talk. I have a Blatz hockey jersey for my bar league, so I’m still a fan. Best cheap beer was Lucky Lager from Olympia. IMO the worst beer is anything from Cold Spring. Whats with that weird malt taste?
I am curious what the Wild’s plans are. I have assumed that they want Gilles on the team next year but with 23 players under contract they would have to send someone down when Foster comes back from injury. My understanding is that Reitz has a 1-way deal so he can’t be sent to Houston. And my understanding of the Gilles situation is that the Wild have to put him on the team or send him to Canadian Juniors for the entire season (though if I am wrong about this someone can correct me)so Clutterbuck might be the guy. The rest of the team has 1-way deals.
I don’t see how there is room for Gilles on the current roster, am I wrong? Does DR plan to be down 1 forward before the season?
NOrth STar Beer KJ? You are as old as me.
So Mojzis is going to be in the lineup until Foster comes back?
Lemmiwinks, you’re talking about Buckhorn beer.
I don’t know why anyone wants to drink Blatz. It shares its name with the the sound one makes after drinking.
Morrison to the Ducks
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242774&lid=sublink02&lpos=topRelated_main
TSN is reporting that Morrison is signing with the Quack.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242774&lid=sublink02&lpos=topRelated_nhl
Sorry sunshine you beat me
DP, I’m not really sure what the plan is with Gillies either. I suppose he could be on the roster with the idea that they’ll just keep stashing someone on the IR if need be. They did just that for most of last season, you know? Either that or they figure they can risk a couple of guys on the waiver wire or Gillies will be spending one more year in Saskatoon to let him fill out his frame a bit more.
DP: The last spot belongs to Pouliot. Gillies is unlikely to be on the team because he is not 20 years-old and can’t play in the AHL. If he plays 10+ games, then it counts as 1 year of NHL service, which is not good for the Wild. So in order for Gillies to stay, the Wild have to commit to playing him the whole season like Sheppard.
However, since Foster will be on IR, the Wild can call up either a forward or defensemen.
Or what toivo said about stashing someone on IR. They can keep Gillies if they are very sure that Foster won’t come back until after the trade deadline where it doesn’t matter how many players you have on the roster.
Mojziz would make 8 d guys, so I’m guessing he starts the year in Houston.
The other guy I wonder about a bit is Parrish. You have to wonder what they are planning for him as well. He provides depth but JL basically benched him at the end of the year and $2.8M is a lot to pay a guy to eat popcorn. If DR signs both Gabby and PMB to multi-year deals you have he could be the odd man out.
KiPA…ICL???
Iron City Light is by far one of the worst beers…EVER.
They never used clear glass ‘cuz of the reddish color (rust) of the beer.
Went to a Pens/NStars game in the 80’s. Dr. McGillicutty’s and ICL makes you hallucinate. Or maybe it’s just the Doctor…
Parrish is the odd man out now. He’s not likely to be on the top two lines: Bruno/Nolan-Gaborik or Bruno-Nolan-PMB.
I must be younger than most of ya. I seen to remember, right after high school (so 96, 97) drinking Red Dog and Red Wolf. Just misses the Ice craze I guess.
I believe IC Light is now served in aluminum bottles… I think that’s the ones.
I hope Grumpy finds his place again this year. I actually kinda like him.
I liked Parrish too, but he doesn’t seem to have a role now.
Maybe pair up Grumpy with PMB on the second line. PMB likes to set others up, and Parrish likes to finish those “dirty” goals. I wonder if Shep could center them yet? Maybe next year….
Can the Wild just roll one first line and 3 third lines?
Do you think JL would consider moving PMB to the center position? I know that it will be hard for him to play the defensive aspect of that position but it might be worth a try if AM and Nolan are on his line.
Of course its been so long since he has played center that his FO skills are going to extremely rusty. Last season, he only took 10 draws and won 40% of them.
Falstaff (kudos to Dizzie and Pee Wee)
Jax
Lone Star
Pearl
Carling Black Label
Coors(pre-Lite)
Schlitz Malt Liquor(tall boys)
Nolan will spend so much time in the box that the penalty kill better be real strong this year.
Saw someone said ‘bring Modano home’ on the other blog…getting pretty desperate in the state of hockey?
Sunshine - I thought last year that they should’ve tried Nummy in center, since JL wants the C’s to be a 3rd D anyways. Might have fit in better than on the wing.
How about Mad Dog 20/20? Talk about awful. I know it’s not beer, but that stuff is nasty.
How tradeable is PMB if he doesn’t sign a multi-year deal?
John Sullivan, remember the Old Pro from the Falstaff ads? Also, Jax, Lone Star and Pearl. Remember those from Texas in the 70’s. Don Meredith ads “what’s the quote on Pearl”.
All I ever had was Super Chill Cream Soda.
Anyone actually seen Mojzis play?
The Old Pro and Elwood.
Morrison will do for the Ducks this year what Bertuzzi did last year. Nothin. Washed up. Maybe Burkie can bring back Dan Cloutier and ruin his powerhouse once and for all b/4 he heads off to the Mecca.
ps No love for Pfeiffer’s or Buckhorn??
Iron City Light is by far one of the worst beers…EVER.
(Nodding.)
Pennsylvania and beer = Straub for me.
I still think PMB would be fairly tradeable if he only get the 1 year deal. The team would then have his rights going into free agency. I like the 1 year deal on him. We can see if he steps his game up in the first half and try to re-sign him Jan 1st or we can deal him away before the deadline. Either way works for me. Multi-year is less favorable in my book (more $$)
Brendan Morrison will end his 586-game association with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday by confirming a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks, The Province has learned.
Nine teams were in the running for the Pitt Meadows native, who said no thanks to offers from Columbus and Minnesota on July 2. Anaheim was always a strong possibility because of the club’s offensive shortcomings and Morrison’s relationship with its management team.
….
The Ducks finished 28th in NHL scoring last season with just 205 goals and need a playmaker, especially if winger Teemu Selanne returns.
….
Morrison rejected a one-year, $1.9 million offer from the Canucks and what he gets in actual compensation from the Ducks will depend upon his health and the team’s outlook.
One rumour had the Blue Jackets offering $8 million over three years
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=9d0f97a9-e05a-407e-a059-62bb55fc43ac
I have not seen a $ figure for this contract yet. The C watch continues ….
tag closed
Thats ok… I would like to see a trade for Patty O now though.
“Pennsylvania and beer = Straub for me.”
Pennsylvania and beer = Yuengling for me.
Okay bad beer-ville,
anyone ever tried, nay, heard of mountain creek?
worst night ever.
Oh, Straub, I forgot about that one! I believe it was pretty tasty.
Pennsylvania and beer = Yuengling for me.
You’re becoming more likeable almost every day.
Is there someone who doesn’t like Yuengling? I actually miss it! Plus it’s so fun to say.
There is no point in trading PMB for Sully. You need to trade PMB + for a #1 center NOW. Sully is not a #1 center.
That is a lateral move that might be good but its not really an upgrade.
Trade Parrish for a prospect and or picks. Tampa Bay seems to be signing forwards left and right, maybe they might want him. I’d rather give his spot to Gillies, who would fit in the 4th line and much cheaper.
Plus it’s so fun to say.
Except I tend to have a little trouble with it after a few of them.
Tampa Bay seems to be signing forwards left and right, maybe they might want him.
They were supposedly pursuing Demitra (and inquired about Selanne)…
there was a beer i had in chicago once. DAB i think it was called.
not good
How about Parrish and their 4th rounder for Jeff Halpern?
I mean Burns along with someone did cause Halpern’s injury but bygones can be bygones.
How about Parrish and their 4th rounder for Jeff Halpern?
Parrish is a $2.7 million cap for 08/09, 09/10 and 10/11 and Halpern is $2.0 million in 08/09 and 09/10. I like it, DR would have to like the cap hit and the 2 year thing (OJ also had two years left), but would TB like it?
would TB like it?
They love wingers.
Nurse Julie, I have a Natural Brew Vanilla Creme Soda in my hand right now. The label says: “Special small batch microbrew recipe” and “Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Beans”. Maybe bottled by Smucker in Chico, California.
It is superb.
So I jump on the StarTribune website and go to the Wild section to find that once again Patrick Reusse has spewed more crap about our Minnesota Wild. Please Patrick I am asking you nicely to stick to the gawd awful Minnesota Twins. Something you know about. You want to talk about a sorry franchise that has never and will never care about winning? Minnesota Twins folks. Just voted one of the top 10 worst franchises in sports history by ESPN. No joke…
Patrick Reusse is a worthles pile of sheit. All I did was read the headline, and in that one sentance he insulted the fans, and the entire organ-eye-zation. What a huge pile of ass. He will be getting an email from me tomorrow.
It would be one thing if Reusse ever came across as knowing anything about hockey. I get that he’s a columnist and he’s there to write interesting columns that are almost more opinion than fact, but it’s still annoying. And slightly insulting to people who actually like the sport.
KiPA & ATX: Yuengling is AWESOME! I miss it from my days living in FL. Tell you what KiPA, I’ll swap you cases of Yuengling for cases of Fat Tire.
Reusse is a terrible sports writer. All this alluding to baseball confusses the !@#$ out of me.
Reusse, if you read this, learn to write like the Don, informative, helpful and unbiased.
Has Reusse ever said anything positive about the Wild?
I will have to research this. And why does he always compare the Wild to the Twins?
I have always wanted to know how often members of the of the Twin Cities sports punditocracy go to Wild games.
Will someone please beat Reusse with a wild dog if they spot him at the x? make that 18,000 wild dogs
Falling dominos - Peca re-ups with CBJ, probably a 2 year deal - http://blog.dispatch.com/cbj/2008/07/peca_agreed_to_terms.shtml
The truth hurts suckers…
Patrick Reusse: Wild boss selling a sorry story to fans
Doug Risebrough’s next task is to convince the gullible Cult of 18,000 that his new collection of scraps makes up a real team.
Right on Reusse!!!
Risebrough was in the bargain basement’s hockey section, up to his elbows in the squalor of stinking pads and broken sticks, trying to find bodies that he could pass off to his team’s gullible consumers as real players.
In several instances, Risebrough was required to place a mirror under the individual’s nostrils to make sure he still was breathing. This did not prevent the boss from suggesting the Wild was a better team with these scraps than with Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra.
Double-Talking Doug operates with a motto that has served him extremely well in St. Paul: “You can fool some of the people some of the time, and you can fool all of the Wild fans all of the time.”
Mike:
I don’t know how you can applaud the article. It was poorly written, very one-sided and uses no facts or hard evidence besides ones you would find a normal poster would. The article is full of assumptions and often uses baseball as a comparison, which is terrible because they are 2 differen sports.
He completely elimates any chance of convincing his readers by pouring his personal emotions without any rational thought.
If he said, “DR seems to have stirred up many fans by recent signings. On paper, they seem to be lack of talent that was present last year in forms of Rolston and Demitra” etc etc etc. In that one sentence, it has facts and minimal personal views.
Mike:
I don’t know how you can applaud the article.
You have not read enough “dump the dumper” posts yet
- Mike: “Double-Talking Doug” is childs play compared to your long ago patented Risedump
Hey what happened to Russo’s foot anyways? Also with the Wild signing all these wingers…maybe a PMB trade for some center help? Maybe even to replentish some draft pics? Shrug?
[i]You have not read enough “dump the dumper” posts yet[/i]
Oh, i have …. TONS of them lol. The Wild message boards are full with em. But just reading it from a professional sports writer rather than some message board fan seems makes me wonder how much the Reusse gets paid…
Moreover, he’s actually WORSE than just about anyone on the message board, which is *REALLY* saying something. I dunno. If I were writing about something I clearly don’t have much of a grasp on, I’d take my piece to the expert and say, “Hey, Russo! How’s the foot? Uh huh, that’s great. So, buddy, I wrote this thing about your boy Risebrough. Would you mind reading it and letting me know if I’m coming across TOO douchy and ignorant?”
No, no, Ruessie, that looks great. Pissing off my sources, alienating our readership, sounding like you wouldn’t know a hockey puck from your mama’s biscuits… all good stuff! Print it!
Did Reusse lose in the fly fishing contest this past weekend to Doug? Wow he’s bitter.
I think the Wild improved their teams in several ways so far this season. Leadership seems to have improved a lot with heart & soul guys like Nolan & Bruno joining up, all the goal scorers in the world won’t win you the cup (see the Rangers before the salary cap), if you don’t have heart. I don’t think Rolston was a heart and soul guy.
I actually think the Wild will score more this season then last. I think Pouliot outside of the no offense system of Constantine will chip in 20 goals up here, and by the end of the season… all the haters on the board will be praising him. Constantine kills offensive players, his style is to break them to try and rebuild them back up, he’s always done that, case in point Kalus last season.
Nolan & Wellar will easily top the offense Fridge & Voros. Parrish will rebound now that he is used to fatherhood and chip in 20+ goals.
I’ll even make 2 predictions… Nolan will become the regular captain and the Wild drop the rotating system. Also… the Wild will try Bouchard at center (since he is a natural center) and he’ll be good at it.
Thank you Patrick Reusse. Well done. It needed to be said. The truth hurts, you lemmings. Risedump keeps pouring the tainted Kool-aid and you mindless suckers keep gulping it down. The lemmings and the Dumpper deserve each other.
FIRE RISEDUMP NOW !!
DUMP THE DUMPPER !!
I am a huge DR supporter but I won’t argue with Reusse about that because the topic is not the point. A writer can have his own opinion, fine.
Just his lack of any sense of professionalism, makes Startribune look like The Onion.
I HATE his references to baseball for this is hockey and i don’t get it.
Also, his bashing assumes all the fans are hateful of DR, which is very biased and one-sided.
AND, there really isn’t any objective of the article besides bashing DR. A real objective is like: discussing the Gaborik contract, or discussing the recent FA acquisitions, or in this articles case, something reasonable is discussing the problems that may have caused Rolston to leave. NOT I HATE DR!
Those are some seriously bold predictions!
Interesting observation on Constantine. What’s also interesting to me about him is how he turned guys who weren’t particularly strong offensively (based on prior years numbers) into the most productive guys on the team.
Several guys had career years under him, so it’s interesting to me that naturally gifted offensive players sink like rocks for him, yet guys who were being lumped into the “career AHLer along with Irmen” bucket suddenly look like (relative) studs. Was it just the system or what?
Though he never ever benched Pouliot the way he did Kalus. I suppose Minny would have had a fit, but he seems like the sort of guy who’d do it anyway if he thought it was the right move.
The Wild will never take the rotating captaincy down I hope not…
I’ll make predictions then:
IF we keep Parrish, we will pot in 20 goals+ (what he said)
Sheppard will get 10+ goals
Pouliot will get 15+ goals
I think it is his system. I was a huge Sharks fan after the stars left, due to the number of ex Stars on it. His system seems to be a wait in the neutral zone/ slow the game down/ wait for a defensive mistake style. It’s not based on an attacking at all. Which is why offensive players like Kalus & Pouliot fail in it, and a defensive defensemen like Reitz can almost lead the team in scoring.
I’m bet if he took over the main job coaching for the Wild someday (I pray he doesn’t), that Gaborik would play in 82 games (he can’t pull a groin if he doesn’t have to skate farther then the blue line) and that Gabby wouldn’t score more then 20 goals either.
From ESPN’s Scott Burnside:
“GM Doug Risebrough did a nice job in bringing in underappreciated scorer (and former Wild winger) Andrew Brunette on a very Wild-like three-year, $7 million deal. The Wild also added forward Antti Miettinen from Dallas and aging veteran Nolan, who can chip in some power-play time but is unlikely to break the 20-goal mark. All three will be looking to fill the void created by the departure of heavy-shooting Brian Rolston, who signed in New Jersey, and Demitra, who is unsigned but isn’t likely to return. Zidlicky was acquired through trade with Nashville and has some offensive pop. Still, at best, the roster shuffling is a saw-off for the Wild; at worst, it’s a minor step back for a team that has shown no ability to take the leap from competitor to contender.”
The Real Mike:
I think that’s really all we can hope for with only a few key UFAs in the market and the rest 3rd liners.
I like the rotating captaincy, I just see the Wild trying something different this year. I think now that they have a true verbal leader in Nolan, he’s going to steal the job. Nolan I think might be a good choice to get to 20+ goals too.
While Bruno will probably get the majority of the ice time with Gaborik. I think Nolan will be taking shifts though whenever we play a team with an instigator on it. I think Nolan is more then capable of turning Ian into a Lap Dog the next time we play Colorado. Since we know he won’t fight Boogaard.
“…a minor step back for a team that has shown no ability to take the leap from competitor to contender.”
That’s about it in a nutshell. It’s the best Risedump will ever be able to do. He’s not a finisher. Time to bring in a GM who is a finisher.
FIRE RISEDUMP NOW !!
DUMP THE DUMPPER !!
The Real Mike:
In your opinion, with Rolston pretty much having his mind set on FA, what would you do during the FA? Who would you sign?
Thisone, I’m still learning about systems and stuff so maybe this is an ignorant question, but isn’t that what JL is about, too? Capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes? Or is there enough of an attacking element to balance it out? I do recall Pouliot saying that he felt there was a little more freedom under JL than under KC, but not a lot.
Though based on the post-season wrap up with KC, it sounded like our offensive retardation was not really part of the plan. Sounded like there’s a concerted effort to balance that out next season. Lord I hope so. I do love a nailbiter, but gosh, it’s nice to run away with a game every now and then.
Like the great Dandy Dan used to say on Monday Night Football… “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.” Say goodnight Wild fans to another lost year that you will never get back.
Just out of curiosity, anyone know what happened to Foy? I’d assume (hope) we didn’t re-sign him.
(Goody) I think I saw him working the nets at Wimbledon racing across to pick up the servers that went into the net.
Best line I ever heard about Foy, “Million dollar legs, ten cent stick”
serves (not servers…damn work on the brain)
Haven’t heard boo about Foy, but no they didn’t make him a qualifying offer, so he’s no longer with the Wild. My guess is he’ll head to Europe. I don’t see him wanting to be back in the AHL again.
That’s funny Schmidty… funny ’cause it’s true.
Has Reusse ever said anything positive about the Wild?
when has reusse ever said anything positive about anything?
The thing is, he could have written a good article about DR not signing the star power names that he would recognize and that would be fine. But he had to say that Malone and Rolston were impact players. ah, malone is an impact player? Rolston had a big impact on the wild, eh? and then the need to rip Wild fans, what purpose does that serve? Did he feel the need to one up that slover Souhan? My guess is they are envious because their beloved sports teams, twins and T-wolves, can’t get a 5th of the support the wild get so the only thing they can do is cut us down.
Lemmi: did anyone take you up on that offer? I’ll gladly send you x-number of cases of Yuengling for y-number of cases of Fat Tire.
*eagerly anticipating reports from development camp*
Just saying.
Captaincy? I cannot see Owen Nolan being that important to the Wild. I think he is a decent addition for who he replaces.
But to me, Koivu will be JL’s Captain a few times. He has the right mettle for it.
Ruesse has a tough job, creating the negative angle every day in the name of a sophisticated reader.
The lemmings and the Dumpper deserve each other.
The question is, Mike, what did we do to deserve you?
not sure if this was posted yet, but Burke v. Lowe was just getting good when Bettman hauled them both into the principal’s office.
Lowe lashes out:
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242532
Bettman brings the heat:
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242742&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_main
Burke v. Lowe was just getting good:
but then Bettman hauled them both into the principal’s office:
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242742&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_main
**For amusement purposes only**
I assembled the new Wild team on NHL 08 for the Xbox 360 and played a few games. It is just a video game - but I’m a little worried. The two big problems: neither Brunette or Nolan are fast enough to compliment Gaborik and the defense is not that great at playing defense.
Although I can’t really comment on Brunette because he broke his wrist in the second game and is out until December.
NiNY - leave it to Bettman to screw things up - the feud was really starting to get good!
Poor beat-up Nolan is tied together with baling wire. Brunette spent the best three seasons left in his career in Colorado. And Miettinen received the glowing recommendation from Tom Lynn, DTD assistant and apologist, that he was remindful of Branko Radivojevic.
Instead of taking shots like that - here is a Wild (pun intended) guess: Pat never watched a Flames or a Stars game last year - Reusse could have ripped DR for not signing Rolston last year to not hurt Pav’s feelings. Of course DR has admitted to the mistake but it is still an accurate rip and better than trying to pretend you can evaluate NHL players.
Burke and Lowe sounded like two kids arguing on a playgroud and certainly not like professional leaders of multi-million dollar organizations. But it was funny.
Aaron, you should put Butch on Gabby’s line. Problem solved. You’re welcome.
one thing is for sure: K-Lowe never has to worry about becoming GM in Anaheim after his comments.
I’d be willing to live with that if I were Lowe.
AiH -
Hilarious. I would have done the same thing if they would make a stupid hockey game for Wii. That was my only reservation for getting one.
jimlove you need to splurge on a Xvox 360 with NHL 08′. That game is pretty damn fun.
I am not sure what an Xvox is… but you should get an “Xbox”. Sheesh.
I’m planning, when I get done with grad school this year, to splurge on a ps2 and go backwards to catch up on all the games I’ve missed for the last 6-8 years, the final fantasys, most recent copy of NHL that they will make for ps2 and the GTA games.
I picked up the Wii in hopes that EA would develop the next NHL game for it. Still have my fingers crossed, but not expecting much.
well, that’s a bummer. Just check the EA webpage - no NHL 09 for wii, and brett farve is on the cover of the madden game.
It appears as though NHL 09′ will be coming out on PS2 as well, so you could be in luck with that one. Make sure you try the God Of War games on PS2 as well, they are pretty insane.
Yeah, I may just have to do that. Maybe I won’t wait until the end of the year to pick up the ps2. Could have just picked it up for pc - if I didn’t have a mac. I have cursed myself.
I thought I heard rumors of an NHL game for Wii… maybe NHL 2K9?
Hockey for Wii: http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/nhl2k9/index.html
2K hasn’t been as good as EA for awhile now, but it should get the job done hopefully.
that would be equally exciting. I would guess I’d be partial to the EA versions, but whatever. Beggers can’t be choosers.
Awfully quiet around here this morning. A real change from beer discussion to video game hockey. How else to get through the summer.
excellent - thanks atx. Well! There goes studying in the fall!
rumor out there that the 360 is dropping in price soon.
No problem jimlove. I love me some good old video hockey… you could always go around to local pawn shops in search of a Sega Genesis and a copy of NHLPA 93′ 
Mike = The Real Mike = Mike (that Mike) = Reusse? Lucky for us: a person that negative will end up dragging a leg and drooling from a paralyzed side of the face at a young age - or maybe dead from a heart-attack. (I really don’t wish that on anyone - just an observation.)
So true ATX - I could just go pick up my old faithful NHL 95 for my super nintendo.
Hm. Putting Owen Nolan on a line with a made up Gabby in that game would be a little different I think!
No need to do that. It probably would be easier to download an emulator and search for a ROM of the old game.
Emulators are great.
jimlove, there are roms on the internets that you can get that will allow you to play NHLPA 93′ with full upgraded rosters and whatnot… I think you will find that stuff here: http://nhlpa93.nhl94.com/multimedia/downloads/downloads.php for anyone who is interested.
G*, I think those rumors are true. I saw more news on Kotaku this morning about it.
you guys are going to change my life.
Before everyone lynches Reusse let me remind everyone of one Slover-like fact:
His job is not to placate the Team of 18,000. His job is to sell newspapers. And increase on-line readers.
Has anyone noticed that his only positive articles have to do with Fulda and town ball?
However, if you strip away his bluster…the message I get from the article is the same as what some of us here believe as well…
We should be getting better.
The upcoming season is a big one for DR and the Wild.
Too quiet for you jimlove? How about I spice things up with a Brendan Morrison update - 1 year deal with the Ducks for $2.75 million.
Hmm . . $2.75 million, where have I seen that number before? Maybe Owen Nolan can refresh my memory.
To close the book on Morrison to the Wild: it was a one-year deal worth $2.75 million. Should be interesting to see what DR can do at C via trade or with the UFA scraps still on the market. I am sure Reusse calling him out on this will be an extra motivator
Mike (not that mike): My thoughts exactly
I thought I read on TSN that Morrison turned down the Wild - which set the wheels in motion to sign Nolan.
Seriously…too many players turned down the Wild. Why? DR spins that he offered big dough. Did he? Is it the system? Winter?
Without having the 3rd option (UFA signings) available to help augment the roster with top talent, it REALLY puts the pressure on drafting and trading.
The Wild have not been especially adept at either of those two methods recently either.
NiNY: I never heard from KiPA, so the offer still stands. I miss the Yuengling.
I thought DR said if a player turned them down he wasn’t going to just throw that money at someone else.
But that appears to be exactly what he did with Morrison. Morrison was a good player to target, he fits a need for the Wild and has been a very good player. There were concerns with his injuries and rehab, but it made sense to target him.
Well he says, “no” and DR turns around and gives the same money to Nolan? He really can’t stick to his plan can he?
I thought I read on TSN that Morrison turned down the Wild - which set the wheels in motion to sign Nolan.
That is the way I understand it. If you look at two of the latest UFA misses, it would appear that DR (and far be it for me to make excusues for Smugborough)hit some bad luck: its highly believable Nasland didn’t want to play for another NW team as a legendary Nuk and its also believable that Morrison heart Delta Burke from time in VAN. However, the fact still remains that it is the GM’s job to get something done and despite the fact that DR has been chasing Cs, he still tells the media the team is fine as is!
Well he says, “no” and DR turns around and gives the same money to Nolan? He really can’t stick to his plan can he?
My nomination for Observation of the Day. However, I will say that based on how JL was using Fedorik and the other big guys, they clearly wanted to add a big guy to man the front of the net on the PP.
Russo’s take on it was that it was a first come first serve offer. Nolan took the offer before Morrison. From all accounts, Morrison wasn’t gong to make his decision before Monday.
Well he says, “no” and DR turns around and gives the same money to Nolan? He really can’t stick to his plan can he?
Even the most ardent Kool Aid consumer would have to agree with that assessment.
Actually, CBJ withdrew their offer after Huselius was signed so TSN was incorrect.
But Nolan said DR was coming hard after him right from the start (but he was hoping to get re-signed by Calgary). Maybe it was just a matter of process of elimination. It doesn’t sound like it was “Oh, Morrison’s out. Hmm…. lets give this money the least crappy player of the ones left!” Sounds like he was part of the contingency plan.
Ah, there I go being all Pollyanna. 50 lashes with a wet Reusse for me.
Russo’s take on it was that it was a first come first serve offer. Nolan took the offer before Morrison. From all accounts, Morrison wasn’t gong to make his decision before Monday.
Actually, CBJ withdrew their offer after Huselius was signed so TSN was incorrect.
I stand corrected. Kool Aid is too powerful.
Owen Nolan is a fine player but he just doesn’t fit a need at all. Now we all know for certain that Morrison’s offer went straight to Nolan. Something DR said he wasn’t going to do.
Sure he is a club house guy, maybe even that veteran presence the Wild missed when Walz retired. But without a so-called clubhouse leader the team won the NW Division.
I guess Nolan was strong in the playoffs last year, but who is going to get him to the playoffs?
I’ve been a strong DR supporter but after seeing him say one thing in the blog and do another I’m not sure what is going on.
Also, didn’t DR make reference to the over 35 CBA problem with Rolston and then ignore it with Nolan?
Didn’t the Don say that his thoughts were offers were out on both players and nolan answered back first? a first come first served type of thing? not saying it’s right or wrong but it might remove the black helicopters about players not wanting to play here. think about it, even if morrison didn’t want to play here, nolan did. nolan had other offers, at least offer (clagary) yet took ours.
nolan is negative proof for the theory.
i’ll now wait for the inevitable “i meant no center wants to sign here” or “no player under 35″ or “no star power” or…
Does anyone know who TB has in goal? Kolzig?
Green*: I guess you must be drinking Kool-Aid with me if you and I are making the same assessment.
i disagree that nolan doesn’t fill a need. he just doesn’t fill the biggest hole is all.
the biggest gripe last year was we had no one strong in the corners or in front of the net. we tried fedoruk, voros, foy…no luck. nolan looks to address that need. because he isn’t a center shouldn’t mean other needs shouldn’t be addressed.
another gripe was lack of leadership. after walz went AWOL and the team was teetering on the brink of lottery pick, there were scores of posts here begging walz to come back and get the room back in order. I don’t know if that is how nolan operates but, he is known as a top notch room guy. fills another need.
Tampa Bay has Kolzig, Smith, and Ramos signed on as goalies.
“Owen Nolan is a fine player but he just doesn’t fit a need at all.”
I think the team needed some veteran team leadership last season… I would say Nolan fills that need just fine.
Does anyone know who TB has in goal? Kolzig?
Does anyone care?????
drinking Kool-Aid with me
i’m an energy drink guy at this time of day.
Damn WILD have made me a bitter man
how bout Russo start a poll that calls for DR head??/
Here is what Russo said:
As of this past weekend, it’s believed the Wild had an offer in on free-agent Brendan Morrison. Doesn’t seem like that’s still on the table as the Wild is suddenly extremely close to the cap without the raises to Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Stephane Veilleux.
You can read into it what you will.
Green*…perhaps Nolan was not offered 2 years anywhere else? Perhaps the ‘over 35′ rule does not apply for contracts unless DR wants to spin it that way.
how bout jaque becomes GM???
I agree with G*, I think the Wild have been in desperate need of physical forwards who can score for the past two years. Other than the gaping hole at center, Nolan is (was) the exact type of player the wild have been lacking.
The problem is we needed 31 y.o Nolan, it remains to be seen what 36 y.o. Nolan will do.
Perhaps the ‘over 35′ rule does not apply for contracts unless DR wants to spin it that way.
i thought rolston was offered a 3 year deal by DR. I’m not sure what you are getting at. to be honest, it appears you are really digging to find something to slam DR for today. I could be wrong
To be clear…my issue is not with the Nolan signing, my issue is all of the U-turns in philosophy (and what he communicates) that DR shovels out.
Not digging at all…just stating the facts…
FYI: some reports indicated that CBJ re-entered the Morrison market and it was only last night that they signed Peca at the C spot so it seems likely they were still trying to land Morrison - http://blog.dispatch.com/cbj/
facts…
i must have missed something. what is this over 35 rule and what is the issue with it re: nolan?
that seems to be the source of frustration, no?
DR does bring out the 35 year-old rule but also offered Rolston a 3 year deal. So he doesn’t go for the 4th. Rolston (3 year deal) and Nolan (2 year deal) = 38 years-old.
DR must be saying that after 38, most players’ production go down and not willing to give a contract beyond that. One year contract to Hill at 38. Carney given two year contract to end before 38.
Again with the locker room leader nonsense. According to Russoville there wasn’t a strong leadership role in the locker room yet the team won the division.
I don’t see how Owen Nolan on the team would have got the Wild past Colorado.
Bottom line is the team has not improved, but that is just on paper so I’m holding out hope.
Also, I want to go on record and say I think Pouliot will score more points in his first full year than Sheppard. I also think this board will still label him a bust.
also:
-Nolan 2 yrs @ 2.75 mil = 5.5mil total
-Rolston 4 years @ 5 mil = 20 mil total
Like was brought up previously, which of the above would you rather pay if the player suffers a career ending injury?
I thought DR said if a player turned them down he wasn’t going to just throw that money at someone else.
Can’t say for sure, but that looks like what’s happened here.
even if morrison didn’t want to play here, nolan did. nolan had other offers, at least offer (calgary) yet took ours.
Didn’t Bert sign in Calgary shortly after Nolan signed here, for less money (than NOlan)? My guess is that Nolan signed here for more than what Calgary offered. The amount offered to Nolan by CGY (turned down) was then offered to Bert (accepted).
I am I off on that?
“I don’t see how Owen Nolan on the team would have got the Wild past Colorado.”
I wasn’t trying to imply that he would have. I am just saying that he did fill a need according to what we know. Nolan is a veteran leader, we were missing that last year, we got Nolan now, therefore we now have veteran leadership. I am not saying this is the saving grace of the team nor am I saying it will help us win a ton more games… I am just saying that he has filled a need, and that is a fact.
Again with the locker room leader nonsense. According to Russoville there wasn’t a strong leadership role in the locker room yet the team won the division.
i do believe most here thought the team was destined for a lottery pick and it was lucky to make playoffs.
whether you agree or disagree with the leadership aspects, it is hard to discredit nolan’s ability to work in the corners and drive the net and the lack of that type of player on the roster.
AiH…
I actually ‘noticed’ B-B-B-Benny when he played in the playoffs.
It gave me hope for the upcoming year.
But…he will NOT match Sheppard if they are both at the C position.
I think the BPoul is better suited to be a wingman.
The over 35 rule is relevant when you are talking about long-term contracts. Would you rather be stuck with $5M and a player not playing or $2.3-$2.7M? DR should have signed Rolston last Jan but when he didn’t I certainly agree that 4 yrs/$20M made no sense.
The big issues are still Gabby and Butch. What is going to happen? Frankly, I am relatively content with the current moves but then that depends on whether there is a trade for a center up DR’s sleeve, which I hope, and what happens with the above two.
Nolan wanted a two-year deal and Calgary wouldn’t give it to him. I think he would have stayed in Calgary for less money but with a two-year deal.
“-Nolan 2 yrs @ 2.75 mil = 5.5mil total
-Rolston 4 years @ 5 mil = 20 mil total”
Hmmm.. I am not math scholar, but I think I would take the 5.5 mil.
“I think the BPoul is better suited to be a wingman.”
I agree with this for sure. I think Benny will have issues at the center position. Hoefully I am wrong and he nets 25 goals.
whether you agree or disagree with the leadership aspects, it is hard to discredit nolan’s ability to work in the corners and drive the net and the lack of that type of player on the roster
but…can he get to the corner in time?
That will be the key. Will the forecheck of Nolan and Brunette be timely enough to matter?
AiH, I think JL trusts Shepp enough to put him on the checking line with SRV and the 2nd coming of Antti (not Laaksonen). Benny will get every chance to play with the bigger scorers on the 1st and 2nd lines. Belanger will get to spend a lot of time getting to know Boogey and Weller.
Reusse=angry because he can no longer drink, so he has to take it out on everything else.
Funny how The Real Mike started posting after the George Michael concert was over? Coincidence? Probably admiring the new poster he purchased at the show to put up in his closet!
That will be the key. Will the forecheck of Nolan and Brunette be timely enough to matter?
that will be the key. but since we are playing the game on paper right now, i say there is no doubt.
El G…you funny man today!
Next time give me a heads up…I have to clean the coffee I spit out off the screen again…
George Michael…classic.
but since we are playing the game on paper right now, i say there is no doubt.
*glug, glug, glug*
Reusse=angry because he can no longer drink, so he has to take it out on everything else
good catch, gato. forgot about that angle.
started posting after the George Michael concert
as if ass-less chaps rosie wasn’t enough, enter george michael.
Reusse=angry because
he got kicked out of the Media Buffet line at the ‘X’?
Reusse=angry because
press box ran outta free chicken fingers??
bfw, all correct answers.
I don’t think he’ll be getting any free Wild Dogs this season!
Or angry because Russo is making him pay for the foot surgery after he stepped on it waddling to the leftover donuts in the Strib lunchroom!
lol.
Sorry for his luck. ‘Specially since they’re rollin’ out the new MegaWild dogs this season: 2lbs of delectable dog-ness…for only $9!
waddling to the leftover donuts in the Strib lunchroom!
obviously you made this up as the strip hasn’t enough money to stock donuts in the lunchroom.
waddling to the leftover donuts in the Strib lunchroom!
obviously you made this up as the strip hasn’t enough money to stock donuts in the lunchroom.
obviously you made this up as the strip hasn’t enough money to have a lunchroom.
That will be the key. Will the forecheck of Nolan and Brunette be timely enough to matter?
yes. It will matter for helping Gaby up off the ice as the play heads back towards our end, after he got crushed into the end boards because he was the only guy down low on the forecheck while Bruno/Nolan were still rumbling through second gear somewhere around the blueline.
Reusse=angry because
Nah, he’s just pissed because he hasn’t been able to see his penis in nigh half a century.
:-O
anyone reported on Morrison signing to anaheim? Wtf how can you fail at signing morrison. what a roflz offseason
I also agree with GreenStar on Nolan, KJ and others … “He does fill an important need, not just their biggest need!”
No need to try to revisit every word said by DR and others and try to spin it KJ. What they say is all situational!
Probably the signing is not either/or Morrison or Nolan. And, if Morrison had decided to come aboard even after the Nolan signing perhaps it would have signaled some other player deal.
Hell, remember this is supposedly a weak year. So, we made a hand full of offers that were not accepted for various and different reasons. No need to suspect deep dark ulterior motives in all of this.
Money, time, past associations, a better Cup chance … all valid reasons not to play here.
Since the inception of the team, many veterans leaving the Wild have expressed nothing but admiration playing for JL going all the way back to Curtis Lescyz???n (however you spell it).
Only Demitra does not seem to like his position.
NINY - I’d beg to differ. Bruno is one of, if not the best player/setup man in the NHL behind the net in the offensive zone. Rarely will anybody get the puck from him, I think he will be a better setup guy for Gabby then Demo. Give it a chance guys. Nolan will provide some good leadership for this team. I’m no fair weather fan and I’m not saying you guys are either but man, lets see what the season brings!
Catching up on the blog again so just a few of my observations.
Why is anyone suprised in what Reusse is writing? All he is trying to do is to sell papers. I’m just a bit disapointed that he didn’t put more effort in this weeks wild piece. He has great access to hockey knowledge i.e Nanne, Sonomore etc.
Short of signing or trading for Crosby, AO, Malkin, Vinny or Hossa nothing DR does will ever satisfy Wild fans. I think this is not limited to the Wild but must be in the job desription of all NHL GM’s. If we ever would sign another top level player to big $’s the next thing we will complain about is our lack of depth.
Losers accept… gee that’s all we could do. Winners go out and find a way.
just another: I’m not saying he’s not. I’m saying he’s SLOW. He can’t set up back there to feed Gaby slam dunks if he’s behind the play.
It was really supposed to be a joke more than anything, though.
But really, who isn’t behind Gabby when he suckholes at center ice??
nothing DR does will ever satisfy Wild fans.
Trade for Sully?
good point, Russ.
True, I’ll give you that he isn’t known for his speed, thats for sure. Good thing we do a dump-n-chase every time we bring the puck in the offensive zone (insert sarcasm here).
Mike - Nice cliche, that and bitching is about what I expect from you. True signs of a winner!
Well, if PMB is traded for Sully, that is all that we will be doing, the dump-n-chase. We have very few good puck carrying forwards. Demitra was good at that also.
bfw* - LOL but only if we don’t give up to much.
BDS - I’ve only written on here like 3 times, pretty sure I haven’t bitched once….. why don’t you go play in traffic!
Russo - any updates from the development camp?
Thisone, I’m still learning about systems and stuff so maybe this is an ignorant question, but isn’t that what JL is about, too? Capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes? Or is there enough of an attacking element to balance it out? I do recall Pouliot saying that he felt there was a little more freedom under JL than under KC, but not a lot.
From a ways up the thread, I didn’t see anyone respond to this, so I will.
Here’s a few basics about *systems* used by various NHL coaches. First, no NHL coach plays only one way. Different situations call for different defensive schemes, and different attacks. Also, and perhaps most importantly, different players call for different approaches as well. Lastly, systems probably get more credit/blame than they deserve. I think it’s a secondary aspect to being an effective coach. Important yet, but not as much as finding the right matchups and player combinations, pushing the right buttons with the players to get them to play their best, etc.
So with that said, overall what you are saying is correct about JL and KC. Both coaches emphasize defense first, but then just about every coach does. Lemaire is probably most famous for it because he won a Cup as coach using a style that emphasized defense, but I think he used that style based as much on his personnel as his own personal philosophy. KC has used it for the same reasons. The Sharks, when he coached them were not exactly brimming with scorers, nor are the current Aeros. So with Pouliot saying things are a bit freer with JL, I think it mostly has to do with the fact that the Wild has a bit more offensive firepower than Houson in relative terms.
Indeed, BDS. Indeed.
—
Question: At what point did Nolan enter Wild radar? In other words: Was this plan G? (think: a)OJ, b)Rolston, c)Hossa, d)Malone, e)Huselius, f)Morrison.) Or did DR scramble to sign Nolan as the offers continued to be turned down.
Obviously, I don’t know. Just tryin’ to get a vibe on what others think…
Sorry, jaMike - to many Mike’s around and my comment was not directed at you but rather towards Mike’s (1:18PM)post.
I’ll try to stay clear of traffic today.
In some bizzaro universe, where the Wild win every single game without a single loss, people are calling for DR’s head because the Wild are not blowing the other teams out of the water and the league is weak.
At this point, I think someone is going to complain regardless of the circumstances.
Toivo
Thanks for that systems comment. Helpful for everyone.
DR has been interested in OJ at least since the trade deadline. He tried again at the draft. Malone, I am sure they inquired but I don’t think they went after him as hard as they weren’t willing to pony up the money like Tampa Bay or CBJ. Early news reports were saying that he was asking for $4-$5 million a year.
From the Strib, Pio, and DR’s interviews, I gather their first tier of players were Rolston and Hossa. Their second tier of players were: Huselius, Morrison, and Nolan. I guess we could throw Malone in the second tier if he made it to free agency. Their third tier of players were: AM and Weller. These were the ones we know about. We know they were not going after any of the defensemen so it was all forwards.
I forgot to add that Brunette was in the first tier of players.
So it seems, Sunshine, that they were simply looking for best player available, not addressing needs (as Morrison was the only center in the list you came up with).
Interesting approach, but I guess that must be what guided DR’s spending philosophy.
bfw - unless i missed it, i don’t think malone was ever seriously on the radar.
How could he have been? TB had his rights and they locked him up pre-FA
G*:
i do believe most here thought the team was destined for a lottery pick and it was lucky to make playoffs.
AiH:
According to Russoville there wasn’t a strong leadership role in the locker room yet the team won the division.
First, I think that NW division thing really shouldn’t be puffed up too much. I think it had as much to do with the division being weak than the Wild being strong. I’ve said it before, I think the 06-07 team was better. Much better really. They just ran into the wrong team in the first round.
Vancouver took a step back. Edmonton was rebuilding. Calgary was down a bit as well, inconsistent all year and a low seed. Colorado was really the only team to improve, but really it wasn’t a huge improvement by them either because of a lot of injuries. It really wasn’t until the last 10 games of the season that the Wild separated themselves from the playoff bubble. As recently as March 19, only two points separated them from the Canucks. Had that Shultz appendix flared up a couple of weeks earlier…
So I’m rambling a bit here, but I’ll come back to the comparisons between the 06-07 team and the 07-08 team. I thought last season, the team took a step back, though *on paper* I thought the team should have been better. Burns and Koivu both made big strides with their games. Gabby stayed healthy for the most part, etc. Yeah, guys like Demo and Parrish had down years, and Carney looked like age was overtaking him, but still. And Russo himself was saying that the team lacked an identity, that Walz left behind a leadership vacuum, and that there was bad juju that flared up from time to time.
So, maybe with a guy like Nolan can help in that way.
G*- Yah, agreed. I guess it’s just a matter of how “seriously” he was on the radar. I know the Wild and his name were linked for a period on a number of sites, though.
bfw* - my sense is that there isn’t one specific plan, per say, one can head into free agency signing period with but rather a list of needs you will in someway have to fill. You would, of course, have favourite players penciled in at different spots that you will go after. In which order these players will chose teams will sort of dictate in which direction you are going. If one specific player gets a better contract from another team you just need to move on to your next target. This doesn’t mean that just because you where willing to spend $8 mil on Hossa and you didn’t get him you now can spend $8 Mil, or even $5 Mil, on the next player.
I don’t think there is any doubt that they made a serious run at OJ, Rolston took a longer deal in NJ, Hossa wanted a chance at the cup at less money, Malone picked more money in Tampa, Huselius took the most money in Ohio etc. Nolan was probably on their radar but it just had to wait until other scenarious played out. However, I doubt you will hear DR admit that he settled for any of his signings over other specific players.
Malone couldn’t have been on the radar. He never made it to Tuesday, 12:00.
I still like the upside of the Miettinen deal.
I think the Nolan signing could work very well, or be horrible. That is the gamble with an OLD warrior. No questioning his heart tho.
The best part of this offseason?
Skoula will NOT be playing 26-30 minutes a game.
How could he have been? TB had his rights and they locked him up pre-FA
You imposed your own limits to my comments, jimlove.
I was not restricting their interest to the UFA signing period, and, yes, TB did trade for his rights. MN was also rumored to have been interested in trading for his rights…
—-
So, maybe with a guy like Nolan can help in that way.
Ditto.
http://downloads.wild.nhl.com/podcasts/PONDCAST_876_CAMP1.MP3
Listen to KC, Tremblay, Pouliot, and Sheppard at the development camp.
Malone couldn’t have been on the radar. He never made it to Tuesday, 12:00.
I know what ya mean (see my 2:12).
But, Malone WAS on TB radar, yes? (and they signed him). As Rolston was on OUR radar, see where I’m comin’ from?
Touche bfw, touche.
Also, I want to go on record and say I think Pouliot will score more points in his first full year than Sheppard. I also think this board will still label him a bust.
I won’t, and I think he could. To be honest, I think the guy has enough talent to score as many or more goals than Gaborik someday. He doesn’t have the same acceleration or quite such a quick release, but he can go fast and shoot quick (and hard) and do a lot more than just go really really fast and shoot really really quick. That said, even you have to admit that he’s never yet put it together as a pro. I kind of go back and forth on guessing what’s going to happen with him, but I would love nothing more than for him to get it together and fulfill his potential. Both for him and the Wild (or wherever he might end up eventually).
We should trade Martin Skoula for a keg of Fat Cat
Oh! By the way, jimlove. If you haven’t picked up GOW 1 or 2 yet, that should be your next/first pickup.
I can concur with ATW, those games are wicked!
We should trade Martin Skoula for a keg of Fat Cat
We should trade Martin Skoula for A Fat Cat
The best part of this offseason?
Skoula will NOT be playing 26-30 minutes a game.
I raise a warm can of blatz to this.
We should trade Martin Skoula for a keg of Fat Cat
LOL!
—-
And WS: What’s an emulator? (from earlier).
—-
Touche bfw*, touche.
Cracked me up…Just watched Dodgeball (again!) last night. I love that scene: “Touche!”
BNAG - LMAO - classic, Skoula for a Fat Cat - Priceless!
@G*–ROTFLMAO
The best part of this offseason?
Skoula will NOT be playing 26-30 minutes a game.
I raise a warm can of blatz to this.
Don’t diss Minute Munching Marty. That’s my job.
I won’t, and I think he could. To be honest, I think the guy has enough talent to score as many or more goals than Gaborik someday. He doesn’t have the same acceleration or quite such a quick release, but he can go fast and shoot quick (and hard) and do a lot more than just go really really fast and shoot really really quick.
Plus, to use TT’s phrase, he’s “wide.” Tall, with great reach and puck control. I swear he played well enough in his first camp to make the team, and, regrettably, regressed.
Keep you fingers crossed!
ROM emulator. lets you play old sega genesis or nintendo game on your pc. MAME is the emulator for coin-op games. you can buy mame boxes on ebay i think. people gut an old coin op game, put a cheap pc in it loaded with MAME roms and build an elobrate instrument panel to include 8 way joysticks, multiple buttons, track balls, dials. my buddy has one.
i had some a long time ago. was playing the original PGA golf for genesis and dragon warror and zelda for orig nintendo. good times.
AiH:
I’ve been a strong DR supporter but after seeing him say one thing in the blog and do another I’m not sure what is going on.
This is really, I think, why he gets in trouble with those who pay attention. After the season he was adamant about how making significant free agent signings don’t work, blah blah blah, then he goes out and tries to land Hossa. I’m not saying that I disagree with trying to get Hossa (on the contrary), and I applaud that he tries to communicate with the fans as to what his approach is. But then he often gets caught doing exactly the opposite of what he says. After a while, his credibility starts to look a bit tattered. That combined with a perception — fair or not — that he’s maybe a bit out of touch with the fanbase on a few things, I think are what’s really at the heart of the growing DR unrest. Well, that and the fact that the honeymoon is probably over now, and that expectations have risen. The team of 18k want to be rewarded for their loyalty!
Thanks Toivo…
I still find it really interesting to see the scoring improvements by middling players and the scoring drops by “upper tier” players in KC’s system. Of course, one point doesn’t make a trend. We’ll see what happens next year.
Thanks toivo…but I would have just called him a putz…
That combined with a perception — fair or not — that he’s maybe a bit out of touch with the fanbase on a few things, I think are what’s really at the heart of the growing DR unrest.
first, I think toivo’s made some terrific points today.
second, and this might be splitting hairs, but do you think it’s his job (or part of his job) to be in touch with the fanbase, toivo?
My first reaction to this sentence was that it isn’t his job, necessarily. “Just win, baby” and all that.
But then I started thinking about it and I realized I couldn’t draw the line between “just win baby” and reading the pulse of the fans.
This just in from TSN…
DEMITRA: CANUCKS ARE MY NUMBER ONE CHOICE
doh…ya think?
But then I started thinking about it and I realized I couldn’t draw the line between “just win baby” and reading the pulse of the fans.
But you can differentiate between fans and the March/April/May bandwagon jumpers with little understanding that every FA may not want to come to MN just because you think they should.
Off topic…
Who gets the $$$ from sales of North Stars merchandise? The South Stars? The Wild? Lou Nanne?
But you can differentiate between fans and the March/April/May bandwagon jumpers with little understanding that every FA may not want to come to MN just because you think they should.
Good point BNAG, I think we can…and I would hope DR could too. Again, I’m just not sure if I think he should incorporate it into his mindframe.
Off topic…
Who gets the $$$ from sales of North Stars merchandise? The South Stars? The Wild? Lou Nanne?
Mike Lynn got that with the Dome’s suite revenue.
kj: I would *guess* the NHL does.
BFW at 12:44, speculation but it would seem to me that a War Room has several contingincy plans.
To start, they must know where their weaknesses are and who they target to fix them.
Initially, (from listening to Sid and Dave about a month ago), my impression was that DR had offered Rolston a “generous” contract. It did not seem he was taking it for granted but maybe there was an assumption that the Wild was a good fit for Rolston. So, my guess is that it was at least mildly surprise that he was not signing.
At whatever point that was, then I think there might have been some more frantic strategy’s decided upon and maybe without much fanfare.
Of course, you can’t decide to sign Nolan until you see if you have money left in event a brighter star is signed.
So, I think he was on the radar, but probably not in the forefront.
Those decisions must be: “if this, then” or “if that, then something else”.
But, what do I know about what happens behind the scenes.
if DR is to run business based off having the fan’s pulse, then i’d expect polls on wild.com saying HOSSA wants 10mil per year for 10 years, do i make him an offer? yes, no.
I do believe a GM must pay attention to fan sentiment but also can’t let that sentiment affect the way the club is run.
If you do what the fans want and it fails, you are still out of a job. You can’t fire the fans.
Good point BNAG, I think we can…and I would hope DR could too. Again, I’m just not sure if I think he should incorporate it into his mindframe.
Right. Assemble a winning organ-eye-zation and the rest will take care of itself. Winning breeds hapiness (unless your Reusse, then it just makes you hungry)
You can’t fire the fans.
Unless you’re Norm Green, you mean, right?
You can see it as a negative for him to flip flop but in this case, I would rather see him go after significant, elite players in FA if he thinks he has the money to pay for that player and his core players.
In business, you need managers who are willing to adapt to change rather than be stubborn about it. And DR has been too stubborn in some instances. Prior to 2006 FA spending spree, many fans were hoping he would change his philosophy on FA. I, for one, am glad that he is willing to go after these players.
Fans can laugh that he said he tried and was turned away. Hey, its better than sitting there and not even make an effort to go after the Hossas. Its like how we want PMB to shoot more. If he doesn’t shoot, he can’t get a goal.
Sunshine- Thanks for the link to the pondcast from development camp some good interesting stuff.
Trambley - not knowing Walz was a lightning coach until yesterday.
Sheppard - will negotiate with Bruno about #15, Darby will mediate the event.
The Afternoon Snack has arrived
As in maybe his only choice.
New Blog Trolls
But then he often gets caught doing exactly the opposite of what he says. After a while, his credibility starts to look a bit tattered. That combined with a perception — fair or not — that he’s maybe a bit out of touch with the fanbase on a few things, I think are what’s really at the heart of the growing DR unrest.
For me, the Tom Lynn blog post about being wary of “bold moves” said a lot. Although the “bold moves” story was related to DR signing RFA Selanne to an offer sheet in CGY, DR’s public comments always seems to have two purposes:
1. Downplay expectations
2. Reiterate how great the MN Wild already are
I think DR needs to be more honest with fans and talk about challenging for the Cup with the core group of players - Burns, Mikko and Gabby (?) - at least once in a blue moon.
Many good points today, Toivo. But, all of us need to remember that DR has plans and is pretty up-front in communicating those plans.
It is when the situation changes, that he changes his plan.
I am not sure that is out of the ordinary though maybe it looks like he was not forthright in the first place.
But then I started thinking about it and I realized I couldn’t draw the line between “just win baby” and reading the pulse of the fans.
Yeah, ultimately it’s a case where winning takes care of it. Short of that though, it becomes a gray area. I don’t want to make too big a deal of it, because it’s very subjective. My perception of it is that he kind of keeps peddling some version of The Plan, which is not exactly clear at this point, but it’s more and more sounding like a someday that’s always just out of reach. And my other perception here is that I don’t think he realizes that’s the way he’s coming off.
Again, very subjective, but when the vision of which direction the Wild are heading is uncertain, and adding the contradictions in what he says and does, and taken all together, I think it starts to get a bit stale, you know?
