Shawn Belle traded for Matt Foy’s former linemate; Wild signs Krys Kolanos
Posted on July 11th, 2008 – 3:49 PMBy Michael Russo
The Wild has acquired former Ontario Hockey League star Corey Locke, who used to munch the competition with former Wild right wing Matt Foy when the two played together for the Ottawa 67s, from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Shawn Belle.
This is a minor-league move. Locke is an RFA and will be on a two-way contract, and between he and Jesse Schultz, it’s safe to say the low-scoring Houston Aeros will score some more next season.
The Wild has also signed former Phoenix Coyotes first-round pick Krys Kolanos. He hasn’t played in the league since 2005-06.
Here are your fifth and sixth centers, folks.
Belle completely fell off the radar last season and did not develop into the player the Wild had hoped it was getting when he was thrown in with Martin Skoula in the Willie Mitchell trade.
Foy, by the way, has signed with St. Louis.
Locke, 24 (5/8/84), has spent the last four seasons with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Hamilton Bulldogs, totaling 229 points (85-144=229) in 313 games. He also made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 8, 2008. The 5-foot-9, 171-pound native of Newmarket, Ont., was Montreal’s fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He led the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 151 points (63-88=151) in 2002-03, and he was named league Most Valuable Player for the first of two times. Locke also won an AHL Calder Cup with Hamilton in 2006-07, racking up 22 points (10-12=22) in 22 playoff games.
Belle, 23 (1/3/85), posted three points (1-2=3) in 63 games for the AHL’s Houston Aeros last season. He was acquired from Dallas along with defenseman Martin Skoula for Willie Mitchell and the Wild’s second round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on March 9, 2006.
COREY LOCKE’S CAREER STATISTICS
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Club League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
2001-02 Ottawa OHL 55 18 25 43 18 13 6 7 13 10
2002-03 Ottawa OHL 66 63 88 151 83 23 19 19 38 30
2003-04 Ottawa OHL 65 51 67 118 82 7 7 3 10 10
2004-05 Hamilton AHL 78 16 27 43 20 4 0 0 0 2
2005-06 Hamilton AHL 77 19 40 59 67 — – — – –
2006-07 Hamilton AHL 80 20 35 55 54 22 10 12 22 10
2007-08 Hamilton AHL 78 30 42 72 50 — – — – –
Montreal NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — – — – –
AHL TOTALS 313 85 144 229 191 26 10 12 22 12
MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS FORWARD KRYS KOLANOS
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed forward Krys Kolanos (pronounced KRIHS koh-LA-nohs) to a 2008-09 contract.
Kolanos, 26 (7/27/81), recorded 63 points (30-33=63) including 11 power play goals and three game-winning goals in 63 games with the Quad City Flames in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2007-08. He ranked tied for first in goals and second in scoring for Quad City and his 272 shots on goal ranked tied for second in the AHL. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Calgary, Alberta has notched 35 points (17-18=35) in 115 career NHL matches with Phoenix and Edmonton. Kolanos scored the game-winning goal for Boston College in a 3-2 overtime win against North Dakota in the 2001 NCAA hockey championship game and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
He was originally selected by the Coyotes in the first round (19th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
KRYS KOLANOS’ CAREER STATISTICS
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Club League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
1999-00 Boston College HE 42 16 16 32 48 — – — – –
2000-01 Boston College HE 41 25 25 50 54 — – — – –
2001-02 Phoenix NHL 57 11 11 22 48 2 0 0 0 6
2002-03 Phoenix NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — – — – –
2003-04 Phoenix NHL 41 4 6 10 24 — – — – –
Springfield AHL 32 10 11 21 38 — – — – –
2004-05 Blues Espoo Finland 15 7 9 16 40 — – — – –
Krefeld Pinguine Germany 7 3 2 5 16 — – — – –
2005-06 Phoenix NHL 9 2 1 3 2 — – — – –
San Antonio AHL 3 0 1 1 0 — – — – –
Edmonton NHL 6 0 0 0 2 — – — – –
Lowell AHL 19 10 11 21 40 — – — – –
Wilkes-Barre AHL 18 10 8 18 19 11 2 0 2 16
2006-07 Grand Rapids AHL 17 6 6 12 8 — – — – –
Langnau Swiss 14 2 9 11 48 — – — – –
EV Zug Swiss — – — – — 8 6 0 6 8
2007-08 Quad City AHL 65 30 33 63 84 — – — – –
NHL TOTALS 115 17 18 35 76 2 0 0 0 6
339 Responses to "Shawn Belle traded for Matt Foy’s former linemate; Wild signs Krys Kolanos"
Doesn’t matter. We NEED a center!!!
…he said, (mercifully) changing the subject.
I’m off for a bar (any bar) in preparation for Steely Dan outside under the stars tonight.
Have a great night!
Who on earth would want Shawn Belle???
I wonder if he taught Foy the art of popcorn making or if Foy learned it from Nummi???
Hey Don,
What’s the buzz on the Radulov Defection?
Coming on the heels of the recent NHL/CHL announcement, this would seem to be unsettling.
NiNY:
Steer clear of the graveyard, my friend.
A bit small but as someone said earlier we should take a warm body, any warm body, for Belle who as done nothing for us.
Warm. Cold.
Tomatoes. ToMAHtoes.
I assume that given today’s topic, Belle’s career might have risen from the dead?
bfw* - that’s only if you’re a twin and lives in Sconie
Russo:
Is Olvecky done with the Wild. It didn’t sound like he received a qualifying offer and his last year on the entry level contract ended this past season?
kj- nah it’s still cold, very cold….
…or risen for the dead. 
A bit small… he could compete with PMB on who is the slightest and shortest.
Sunshine - LOL, PMB is not our only smurf anymore…. 
I think Belle always intrigues because he is big and fast. But when he was up he just looked awful. And, he sure didn’t do much for Houston last year.
Woodcock - You are correct. He looked big, strong, fast and with eyes as wide as saucers. Just not ready for the spped of the game at the NHL level I think.
sunshine and BDS: AS Mr. Cogswell said about Mr. Spacely on, ‘The Jetsons’…
“Look at the shrimp! Look at the shrimp!”
Seriously, I wonder if this isn’t part of a bigger deal between Montreal and the Wild…maybe they couldn’t get together on what else each other wanted yet, so they did this to start.
How else do you explain getting rid of half the Willie deal? Hmmm?
Now, if we could only get rid of the other half (i.e., Skoula)….
WRT - LMAO…
Have a great weekend all!
Good… Shawn Belle sucks… sorry to be straightforward… for anyone who is a fan of Shawn Belle. Again, any news on O’Sullivan? We gonna dump PMB for him? After we never should’ve given him away…
Hmmm, wasn’t Belle supposed to be the key to the Mitchell trade, meaning the “meat” of the deal? Now we get a minor league depth guy because it has become apparant he wasn’t that guy. Mark that deal down as another trade where Dougie got fleeced. You can’t tell me he couldn’t have gotten a pick better than Skoula or Belle for Willie or hell, here’s a thought, find a way to retain your own UFA’s.
Enough with the OSullivan talk. To trade for him would be stupid. It ain’t happening
“5-foot-9, 171-pound ”
Woah… he’s smaller than PMB!!
We still have Foy?
Can Favre Play Center?
Who on earth would want Shawn Belle???
WRT, I was just going to say that maybe there is hope that skoula could be dealt.
here’s a thought, find a way to retain your own UFA’s.
Willie didn’t want to be here and when a player doesn’t want to player doesn’t want to be here you cut the cord and get whatever you can for him.
I don’t think even the Wild management was naive enough to believe Belle was the key to the Willie Mitchell deal (which really was the Wild dumping him for whatever they could get after determining they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him).
The writing was pretty much on the wall for Belle before that deal took place. He has been long advertised as a player with all the tools and no tool box. It hadn’t changed since he was drafted by St. Louis.
No one ever really knows the future for sure but I think informed opinions haven’t been betting on Belle to pull through.
Here are your fifth and sixth centers, folks.
Yay.
Why acquire NHL caliber centers when you can pluck ‘em off the National Hockey Land cart of death.
Don’t you think that after the White and Demitra and maybe Belanger experiment, any center who is to play for the Wild, specifically for Jaques Lemare, has to either be developed by the club or let the club strip you of most of your knowledge and build you up again a la Walz?
If we would have gotten Olli, would he follow the way of White and Demitra?
kj: If your NHL salary cap is a full plate, and you can sign guys on 2-way contracts, you ‘load up’ and hope upon hope that at least one of them is serviceable. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If they still are career minor-leaguers, there are just two more guys to help shoot the ‘Musselman’s Applesauce’ night promotions when the Aeros play the Iowa Chops! :>
Having said that, we still need an NHL CALIBER center!
sunshine: Jokinen would have been glad, IMO, to play Jacques’ system, if that meant he wouldn’t have to carry so much of the load (like he did in Florida, and will have to do in Phoenix).
I remember not too long ago when people were worried that DR wasn’t making any moves and now he is making moves everyday it seems. Too bad they still don’t appear to be the moves that the Wild need this year. Hopefully, one of these kids works out.
How in the WORLDDDDDDDDD was Belle a first rounder?
Trade PMB to Dallas for Mike Modano.
Missy: How was Belle a first rounder? The same way A. J. Thelen was. the same way Alexandre Daigle was a No. 1 overall.
In short: they were all draft-day busts. Someone made a bad decision, and that team paid for it. (You notice, Missy, that all 3 were members of the Wild at one time or another.) That’s how.
True, WRT, but Daigle was free wasn’t he, and Belle was a throw-in. Nobody likes Skoula but I would say only that it is because for lack of better options he is playing at a higher pairing than he ought to be.
If he was in the third pairing, and with his salary, he is not drawing nearly as much wrath.
Sunshine, I think OJ had just exactly the right tools to be a key player in the Wild system. I think he would have fit in well.
Unlike Daigle and Thelen, Belle was a late first rounder, the 30th pick, so almost a second runder. Of the 2003 first rounders, Belle, Jessiman (NYR) and Brian Boyle (LA) are the only ones who have played less than 10 games in the NHL.
That was a deep draft.
Ok so Duluth in a thunder storm is very cool. The way the clouds come up over the hills and into the valley is very cool.
So, no more Belle? That’s ok by me. I hope this new guys help out in some way. And I am glad to see that St. Louis will have better popcorn next season.
And for those of you wondering how I’m doing this, techno geek brother-in-law with a lap top and a wireless connection in the hotel. So the rain is over, I wonder what we’ll do tomorrow? I also talked the Mr out of wearing his Gopher shirt and hat, he brought North Stars instead (but not the matching hat.
Bandgeek: Foy will be serving up the hot dogs at ‘all-you-can-eat day’ at Scottrade Center some Saturday afternoon next January. This season’s will be the Blues’ 3rd annual pig-out…
No, Iceman, Daigle wasn’t free. He cost us 3 years of Bruno. Considering what little Daigle actually contributed to the Wild, IMO he cost the Wild a lot.
Belle was indeed a throw-in, but considering what Skoula has become — in effect, the most over-rated defenseman in the NHL — the Wild would have been better off trading Willie for draft picks. Skoula is still too highly rated at the third pairing, unless it’s third pairing at the serving line at the press box popcorn machine…
Just my opinion, folks. Time for bed.
WRT….. Give Skoula a break, he’s not the most over-rated defensemen in the NHL. In order to be the most over-rated defensemen on the NHL, you need to appear on the radar of all the NHL teams and I promise he does not appear on the radar of any team but the Wild’s.
Both good moves. Kolanos is quite the scorer. I tried to hate him with Quad Cities but he’s a very clean player and just gets the puck in the net. I’m a little worried about the blue line down here though…
21 in 40 minutes!! wooo eeee!!
ms.conduct,
its not like Belle was a staple on the blueline, was he?
No, but Reitz is gone, Belle is gone, Stoner’s hurt half the time and we don’t necessarily know he’s got a new deal after receiving a QO (especially with rumors that he left Houston unhappy).
We have Mojzis who is an unknown in my eyes, and then Albers and Noreau, both of whom are decent players but still developing.
I really don’t see Scott coming back since he didn’t get a QO or Emmerson making the team.
Then what? I mean, there are some guys on AHL contracts I would like to see back, like Rogers (they’re crazy if they don’t get him back) and Awe, but no word on them. Though Andrew (Aeros reporter) seems to be hinting at a big defenseman deal in the works. (http://aeroscribe.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-feel-worthless-but-hey-aeros-should.html)
Consider my fingers crossed.
[…] Shawn Belle traded for Matt Foy’s former linemate […]
[…] -The Wild signed former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Krys Kolanos. […]
thisone: Touche`, sir. You got me there. Skoula doesn’t exist for 29 other NHL franchises. I only wish he didn’t exist for the 30th…
WRT…one would hope that Skoula is sliding down the depth chart with the MAB and Zid acquisitions.
However, we know that DR and JL aren’t always on the same page so who knows? Maybe Skoula will continue to be Minute Munching Marty…
kj: One would hope Skoula would slide OFF the depth chart with the MAB and Zidlicky acquisitions. Skoula is a prime example of how NOT to play defense. The Wild would be well advised to get rid of this pylon at their first opportunity (or, any opportunity).
WRT…sadly, I think DRs trip to F-L-A and his discussion of the future with JL included his promise to Lemiere that he’d keep Marty on the roster…
Thw Wild’s first round exits, the mortgage meltdown, gas prices, unemployment, and global warming - it’s all Skoula’s fault!
I just can’t believe we actually got something for Shawn Belle! Good one DR.
Zidlicky definitely pushed Skoula down. Not so sure about MAB. At least MAB can score, but as best I can tell, he might actually be worse than Skoula with the brain freezes. We’ll see…
Hey, I was on HFboards.com and someone was offering Jussi Jokinen for a Top 4 defensement. I know we all don’t believe that Skoula is Top 4 defensemen material but he does play top 4 minutes. So how about Jussi Jokinen for Skoula. I was looking at their cap hit and salary for this year and they are almost the same.
What do you think? Jussi Jokinen for Skoula.
sunshine…
The South Stars unloaded Marty…why would they want him back?
Bullmoose: You really need to go to a political blog. Skoula doesn’t have sense enough to cause global warming, a mortgage meltdown, or high gas prices. he somehow, however, manages to remain employed. How, no one really knows…
toivo: You’re telling me we now have TWO brain fart candidates? On the same team? Who could be paired together at the same TIME?? I think I’m gonna be sick…
Lucky: the Habs see something in Belle that we don’t. Or, maybe they’re just trying to re-stock Hamilton like we are Houston.
sunshine: I’d do Jussi for Skoula in a micron. I don’t think the Stars would, unless they are really sick of Jussi. Besides, they’ve already had almost two seasons of brain farts from Skoula, why would they want more?
Correction on the Skoula rant in previous entry: Bad Marty played in 61 games for the Stars before they unloaded him to the Wild as part of the Willie Mitchell deal in 2006.
WRT: My bad. The level of Skoula invectives made me think he must be responsible for more than just being a lousy defenseman
FYI
Jussi Jokinen is on the Lightning now I believe due to the Richards trade. The Lightning do need some defensemen, so this would not surprise me if it went down.
Do the Lightning need defensemen that bad? We can only hope.
NHLPA ‘93 is correct. Jussi is a ‘Bolt right now, sent east as part of the Brad Richards trade. So, the question now is: Do we DARE see if the new brain trust in Tampa would welcome another bad Czech on defense? (Remember, they already have Kuba, so ‘Skouba’ may not be as welcome there).
On the other hand…
Yes, they do. However, current speculation is that with the massive forward logjam, the most defensive minded forwards will simply be moved to fill up the open defensemen positions.
WRT, yeah that’s MAB’s reputation anyway. We’ll see soon enough I suppose.
Its a similar cap hit. Jussi is not a center but could help with faceoffs like Nolan and chip in at least another 10-15 goals, which would help some of the goals lost in losing Rolston and Demitra.
TB has a self-imposed cap of $48 million and they are either near it or over it so they probably don’t want to spend lots of money or lose a few more of their forwards.
DR might not consider this deal because he might feel the defense is weaken. AFter Schultz, Burns, Johnsson, and Zidlicky, Skoula was a bridge for the Reitz and MAB. However, I am willing to chance it if TB is interested.
He will not trade Skoula unless it was for a solid center. Even then I think he would be reluctant to trade until either Foster comes back or Reitz steps up and he is convinced Mojzis can play in the NHL. Despite everyone loving to smack Skoula here, he is a very serviceable D, particularly if he is a 5 or 6 D. I think DR is fairly happy with the way the D sets up at the moment with Skoula, MAB and Reitz as the 5,6 and 7 D.
“Skoula” and “serviceable” are an oxymoron. While I’m not into bashing the guy like he’s the anti-christ, he was a -18 for the season, only the regrettable Sean Hill was worse.
Watch the games and you will reach a different conclusion. Don’t just echo what the posters here say.
woodcock: If the Wild are to get a serviceable center, they would need to make a roster move (via trade) before the regular season starts. In my mind, Skoula starts the season as the #6 defenseman on this club, with Foster relegating Skoula to No. 7 when he returns to the active roster. Since Jl will only dress a maximum of six ‘D’ on any given night, Skoula will then get to do what he does best…
…running the press box popcorn machine.
5 or 6. Which is where he should be and where he will be quite solid. I agree that to get a servicaable center they will need to make a trade. I think DR will try to do that. If Foster returns and he can play it will be interesting because then DR can trade a D for something–not a star but someone serviceable as he should then have 8 decent D assuming Reitz steps up. I kind of like his moves adding Mojzis, Kolanos, Schultz and Locke as he creates more competition in camp and he then has guys on Houston he can call up in case of injuries to be his 3rd and 4th liners.
I would have to agree with woodcock on this. Skoula is #5 regardless if Foster comes back or not. Skoula has his brain freezes but he is better than Foster. Last year, Foster was injured but also scratched for many games. He was ahead of Hill and Nummy and may contend with Carney but he wasn’t going to knock out Skoula out of that 4th spot. This with Zidlicky, Skoula will be regalated to the 5th spot.
JL and maybe DR likes to carry 8 defensemen even if two are in the press box every night. He and the coaches will have those two ready to step in at any time. The 6th defensemen will be MAB.
After Skoula was benched, his play was much better and even this blog posters admitted as much.
woodcock: I do watch the games. While Skoula can look good much of the time, your IRR-tinted glasses must block out the inexplicable bone-headed moves he makes that cost the team. While +/- can be overrated as a stat, when your virtually dead last on the team in that department, it’s hard to argue that there isn’t a problem. He’s a #7 D.
He did make some glaring mistakes (who can ever forget the fall) but so many times at games I heard fans screaming Skoula when someone else made the mistake. I also saw him quietly play some very effective games. I also saw other D make the exact same mistakes but no one screamed. He is the fans favorite whipping boy (and this blogs favorite whipping boy when we aren’t beating on DR) and gets blamed for far more than he deserves. I don’t say he is a top D but I think he is a fine 5 or 6 D.
My take on Skoula is that he does make mistakes, expensive mistakes. But, probably not as many as we collectively like to dump on him.
Sometimes, it is others who make the mistakes which we attribute to Skoula.
In trying to assign the pairings, don’t forget injuries. Skoula has been injury free when others have gotten hurt.
Reitz is gone?
Unless there was a trade that was announced and none of knows about it, Reitz is still with the Wild.
Reitz should be #7 and play a decent amount. This again assumes it will take Foster a while to recover.
Iceman: It’s easy to stay injury-free when you just stand there and don’t ever move to take the opponent (who normally has the puck in his possession) out of the play. When we say Skoula is a ‘human pylon’, we mean just that…another object to go around en route to the Wild net. When Martin makes a good play, even I acknowledge it. Sadly, those are way too few and very far between.
Bullmoose: Skoula was at one time late last season the 4th worst in plus/minus amongst ALL NHL defensemen, regardless of number of games played. Agreed, +/- can be a somewhat over-rated (and, over-used) statistic, but in Martin’s case it stands out like a sore thumb.
Sunshine: As I said earlier in this thread, I see Skoula as #6 until Foster returns. Then I see Skoula as #7 after that. Foster is bigger, younger, has a better shot and definitely has more hockey sense than Skoula. (At least Foster will attempt to hit a guy now and then. Can’t say that about Marty.)
What I also see Martin as? Expendable.
Didn’t Ms Conduct mean that Reitz is not in Houston.
Though Skoula made some glaring mistakes, I do not think he was as bad as we hung on him. If he had not logged more minutes and drawn duty against guys he was not physically equipped to handle we may not have bitched about him. But then, it would have been somebody else.
Ticket prices at New Yankee Stadium reprinted from Charley Walters as quoted from Johnny Blanchard:
“”Just picture this,” he said. “Behind home plate, the first row from dugout to dugout in the new stadium, maybe 120 seats or so, how much do you think one of those seats will cost for just one ballgame? Twenty-five hundred dollars! Can you believe that?
“When we played in the World Series, those seats probably were $25.”"”
More from Charley Walters interview with Johnny Blanchard, for contrast, think back about Voros dining by himself last fall:
“”Blanchard and Yankees idol Mantle, who died 13 years ago of cancer at age 63, were close pals.
“The guy I really miss a lot,” he said. “God, he was a good guy. I don’t care what they print about him; he was really a good guy. He was such a good teammate. He was the Harmon Killebrew (of the Yankees). I never played with Harmon, but from what I hear from the guys, Harmon was a first-class man in the clubhouse.
“Mick was, too. He never got on anybody. When you first came up (from the minors), you’ve got butterflies, which is normal, the first few games, the first month, whatever.
“So I was sitting on 0 for 18 (at-bats) or something like that and thinking, ‘I don’t want to go back to the minor leagues.’ You’re going bad, and that’s running through your mind. That airplane ticket, you know, ain’t far away. You think about things like that.
“Well, all of a sudden after a ballgame (at Yankee Stadium), I was sitting at my locker and quiet. You don’t have much to say, pal, when you’re going bad. So a guy taps me on the shoulder, and I looked up and it was Mick. He said, ‘Hey, you come with me tonight.’ Oh, boy. Number Seven asks you to go to dinner with him. Holy cow!”
Mantle took Blanchard to dinner in Manhattan.
“We had a steak and never talked baseball,” Blanchard said. “Mick said, ‘You ever fish, Blanch?’ I said yeah, and so on. That was so neat, I couldn’t wait to get to the park the next day. And Mick never said one cotton-picking word about baseball.”
Mantle paid for dinner.
“Oh, did he!” Blanchard said. “Yeah, I’d like to have just the tip. He did the same thing to (backup infielder) Phil Linz when he came up, and Phil thought he had died and went to heaven.”
“But that’s the way Mick was. He knew you were going bad. He went through all that himself. Mickey never knew what impact he had on you. He was just one of the guys. One day they told him, ‘Hey, Mick, you’re captain.’ He said, ‘So what, what do I do?’ They said, ‘Just act the way you are.’ Mick said, ‘You didn’t have to call me up to tell me that. I’ll be myself. But I don’t know how to be captain.’ “”"
*Didn’t Ms Conduct mean that Reitz is not in Houston.*
Yes. Not much concern about the Minny blueline on my part. Just Houston.
Great story, Iceman… Word.
I’m sure many of you have seen this article on the Wild’s offseason acquisitions but for those of you who haven’t TSN wrote an article on our moves. To sum it up, the author believes we signed Nolan for too much, and that we could have done better overall.
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?id=243288&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl
for4rest: In the TSN article, Scott Cullen is only comparing it to what the Wild ‘lost’ in FA (Rolston, Demitra) and is not comparing it to what other teams in the West (e.g., Vancouver, Nashville, Dallas) have lost during the summer. From that standpoint, IMO, the Wild have held their own. Different talent, not better or worse. Just different.
Cullen is looking at this from a FANTASY standpoint; he is TSN’s primary Fantasy Sports columnist. The Wild may have overpaid for Nolan, but not like the Canucks overpaid for Demitra, or some of the other ‘deals’ during free agency.
Michael-
as a belated birthday present- could you verify if Mr. Elo (?) really exists? I was hoping for solid news on PMB and SRV; but seeing Benny on the news last night will hold me over.
“I also saw other D make the exact same mistakes but no one screamed.”
I’ve noticed this quite a bit with our fans. I can’t deny the Skoula bashing. I do it all the time but even our fan favorite Brent Burns still makes mistakes but people don’t call for his head. I remember Burnsie playing in the Columbus game the day after Thanksgiving and he skated the puck right in to Backstrom and Columbus scored. If that was Skoula people would have ripped their seats out of the X and thrown them on the ice!
M 03, there is a short interview with Elo on one of the Wild “PONDcasts.” He doesn’t say much though. His English is only slightly better than my Finnish.
Lucky: IIRC the end of that Columbus game were the loudest boos ever heard (up until that time) at the ‘X’. It would have been louder, but about 1/3rd of the crowd had gone home (or gone back to shopping; it was, after all, ‘Black’ Friday for retailers.)
But Skoula made up for it three weeks later against the Rangers, when Gaborik scored 5 goals in one game and no thanks to Marty S., we needed every one of them…
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368212
nhl.com article on Gillies and Cuma about their prospect camp experience so far.
Need to ease up on the “double standard” talk when it comes to Skooba and other Wild blueliners. Burns may make the occasional “Skoula move” but Ingelwood Jack will also throw a stack of goals in the net during the course of the season; drop his gloves and fire some rights at a deserving opponent or even, Gretzky forbid, throw a stiff body check in the corner. I think many in Russoville would grant Marty a shred of slack if he offered more than “minutes eating”. Of course he’s going to be on the ice a lot, whom else a year ago did fans want to eat them? Carney? Hill? Nummi?…..
Of course there is a double standard.
Skoula can be serviceable - as he showed last year after doing his best ‘Orville Redenbacher’.
However, answer me this my fine Skoula apologists…
Who would you rather have on the ice with the game on the line…Skoula or ANY of the other Wild defensemen?
KJ, same answer as yours except last year Hill, Carney, and Nummi were definitely lower on the totem pole.
But, the real answer ought to be when a player is put in a position of being over matched the results are not going to be good.
Skoula needed to play against better competition than he was able to handle because we were short premium D.
I have not read all the comments, and I haven’t been around much this weekend, bit I must say this:
“Trade PMB to Dallas for Mike Modano.”
This is by far the dumbest idea I have ever seen anyone post.
Thanks for your time, you may no go along with your daily business.
I am no Skoula apologist but last season I would hands down take him over little elf boy and over the hill.
Austin,
This also works.
After reading Sunshine’s link, I have to wonder if DR is thinking about keeping Gillies this year like he did with Shep last year. And knowing the Wild, if they think a kid won’t get much from spending another year in juniors, he will be here.
But then what to do with BP? Move him back to the wing, where he might be more comfortable and fit better with JL’s system?
“Skoula apologists” is the wrong term. I have never claimed he is an All-Star D. But he is serviceable and should be quite effective as a 5 or 6. But on this site we get the mindless blather about him and then the Greek chorus chimes in to echo the same mindless blather. Also, there is more to D than a thundering hit as we saw when Hill would nail someone in the corner only to leave the front of the net wide open. D is also about body positioning and moving your feet and getting the puck going the other way–to someone, not just ringing it around the boards. Skoula sometimes did that well. And, yes I sure would rather have had him in there than Carney, Hill or Nummi. I am hoping we now have 4 better D.
Pouliot might get a stint here and there as a winger but he will be primarily in the center position. Gillies is not a center and the Wild have said that they will put him at the wing. He only played center because his team lacked centers.
I think DR would like to keep Gillies this year but its a numbers issue. We have 22 players signed with one-way contracts. Pouliot is 99% guaranteed a spot. Foster will be on IR but for how long? Can we keep Gillies and when Foster gets back, try to stash someone on IR until after the trade deadline where it doesn’t matter how many players you have on the roster?
That or trade someone.
I could see Parrish on the block.
I would rather the Wild skate a player short than have Skoula on the ice. Body position and moving your feet? That would assume he was actually on his feet…
The man can’t skate. Flat out. Non-servicable, non-helpful. Useless.
Let him sign in Russia.
Yeah, Buddha, you’re right better to skate with 4 than have Skoula on the ice, eh? Well, we now know the depth of your analysis. A member of the Greek chorus, eh?
Exciting!
This year, we might have 5 youngsters on our team, 4 which are rookies!
Sheppard, Gillies, Pouliot, Clutterbuck, Reitz. Reitz still counts as a youngster
Our 2006 draft doesn’t look too bad
I suspect that Clutterbuck will start in Houston. But who knows. I just think that with Weller and Nolan we got our bangers and Clutterbuck may have lost his spot. Will we peddle Parrish? That’s a question.
Remember there is always the waiver wire. It wouldn’t be unheard of to see Weller, on a one-way, sent to Houston via waivers if they ended up in roster trouble and they felt like they wanted to keep Gillies around, that’s how they lost Moore. I think there will something else that will happen at waiver time, whether with PMB, Veilleux, Parrish, Bellanger, Boogaard or whomever.
How does it count against the cap if a team decides to cut a rostered player that they have signed?
Woodcock: Sorry, but I am not Greek…and buddha is correct when talking about the human pylon, Skoula. A corpse has better body position. If Martin had any less foot movement, he’d have to be detached between periods from the ice surface. And he’d get the puck going…towards his own net (and he scored twice last year that way, too!)
I would have much rather seen more of Carney (as old and inflexible as he bacame as the season dragged on) than Skoula last season. Hey, rememeber we need a space on the roster for one of the kids! IMO, Skoula is defenseman #7 after Foster comes back.
DR: Trade Skoula NOW for a real NHL center. We might just be able to bamboozle someone again…
I meant this year’s rostered D men.
Who would you pull off the ice to put Skoula on?
Apologists is the correct terminology where Mindless Marty is concerned.
That is what is so maddening about him. He can look serviceable. And then cough up the game when it is on the line.
I’m back. Duluth was fun. I am sunburned, tired, and very low on clean clothes. The worst part of trips has to be the laundry when you get back. I didn’t realize how much I’d put off before I left and now the piles have grown huge. And now I need to give the dogs baths as well, since they got all super stinky playing with “grandma’s” dogs for the weekend. That will wait for tomorrow however. Gooseberry Falls looked really nice this year, there was actually water going over them. Last fall when I was up that way it was just a trickle. I need to finish unpacking. I’ll get caught up tomorrow and then be back with opinions on things… maybe. Or I may just babble some more, because that’s always fun.
Good Old Wally jottings
could easily see Parrish gone from the roster. Owen Nolan and him seem a bit the same, and Parrish had lost his hockey desire when his baby was born. Does Parrsih want get his edge back and be gone from his daughter during the season ?? He needs to know that before training camp begins or he will get another cuncussion like he did at the end of last year….
The new signing of Locke…DR is trying to find his next Wes Walz ? no doubt… Bravo DR
Benoit Pouliot a Wild Player ?? I dont see how he could be - His attitude sticks out like a sore thumb. Listening to this guy talk, wow! he needs to get a pulse. The number 1 thing that this guy needs to do is set a goal for himself, and be determined to reach it. The first goal should be to decide to care about something, probably anything…. I think a good name for this guy could be Totally Pauly (Pauly Shore) link below
http://www.nndb.com/people/172/000026094/
Good Old Wally I have a link for Totally Pauly as well. I agree Wally, Benoit Pouliot is alot like Totaly Pauly. Instead of being named after Eddie Shore, he can be named after Pauly Shore… Maybe the new nickname us fans can call him is Pauly ?? Just a thought
Benoit is not far from the story of Mike Modano who also was a bit sloppy. If I remember it right his turn around came when he got some help from medication. I know that DR is hoping this kid can turn it around without getting JL too distraught
Really? BP doesn’t seem like an terrible attitude kid. It’s obvious he could work harder but he’s not, but I don’t think it’s Emery type, where is a cancer and just unwilling to improve.
Also, I don’t see how Locke is DR’s try to get the next Walz. If you mean DR thinks of Locke as a NHL roster player, I think your mistaken.
Belle had nowhere to go, he was not improving and Houston had a scoring problem last year. Locke adds some depth on center in case of injury and some solid points in Houston.
But this argument is based on, if you meant this is DR thinking he got a NHL roster player. If you meant, good job DR, and really meant it, then this argument is nothing, forget it lol
Pouliot just needs to mature. He’s had his sniff of the good life and I think he’s going to make it as hard as he can for them to send him back down.
Was there a time when Patrick Roy’s name was pronounced “Ruh-wah”? I’m watching a Boston/Habs playoff game from 88 and the announcer keeps calling him Ruh-wah. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Nolan gets a lot of bad pub out of Toronto because he was a wash out as a trade deadline acquisition back several years ago. (I’m sure he cost them a first rounder.) He had injury problems but has resurrected his career to the point where he’s decent. (Right now Jason Blake is their Skoula - Nolan was a few years ago.) Keep in mind that they love Demi Moore (he’s a local guy) and after 41 years of rebuilding after their last cup they are the odds on favorite in the John Taveras sweepstakes (but they’ll mess that up, too).
How about Yayger or Gaboarik?
I love Demi Moore. She’s alittle to old though.
She does not have much of a shot either Circular Theory.
WRT, if Skoula is that bad, how you going to get a decent center out of him in a trade?
Can’t forget Aaron Veros.
But seriously. Ruhwah? Over and over. Merde!
How DO you say his name? Roy? Whah?
Wah is how I say it and how I’ve always heard it said. I think technically there’s supposed to be sort of a back-of-the-throat nod to an ‘r’ at the beginning, but we don’t have that sound in English, so it gets lost in translation.
icemen: read the last sentence of my previous post, the operative word there was, ‘bamboozle’…
jaromir blogger: You are right on about Nolan. The Leafs fans have never gotten over the fact that they are the reason a lot of players just don’t want to play in TO.
Russo, thanks for satisfying my curiosity about Foy. While not good for the Wild, I wish him all the best in STL. Nice tie in to the story too BTW!
Skoula is serviceable. The problem is that he was playing too many minutes. Play too many minutes and you get tired both physically and mentally. You get sloppy. You coast when you should move your feet. You slow down when the puck is in ’safe’ zones (neutral ice, offensive zone).
Limited minutes should cut down on his mental lapses.
That said, I’d love nothing more than to see him traded for a center or a D replacement but it isn’t going to happen - at least not this year.
Good grief, Good Old Wally! Do you really think Parrish enjoyed sitting on the bench last season?!? All he wants to do is play hockey.
Tom Powers of the Pioneer PRess has an interesting story.
Here is the first paragraph as a teaser:
TOM POWERS
“”Never let it be said that Kevin Constantine, coach of the Houston Aeros, isn’t diplomatic. His players always are given several options. They can do things his way. Or they can do things his way. Or, finally, they can do things his way.
Last season, the Aeros opted to do things Constantine’s way. As a result, the Minnesota Wild’s primary minor league affiliate shed its country club image and became known as a hard-working, developmental team.
It wasn’t so easy. Constantine remembers standing behind the bench last fall and wondering what the heck he had gotten himself into.
“Oh no!” he remembers thinking. “This could be a long year. We were getting outshot by 10 or 15 shots, out-chanced by seven or eight. To myself, I wondered how many games we would win.”
Speaking politically correctly, Constantine took over a team that had acquired a few bad habits. Translation: fat and lazy.
Some guys weren’t happy because they thought they belonged in the NHL. Others were more interested in partying. Still others just didn’t care. Among those languishing in the sun were Benoit Pouliot, Peter Olvecky and Clayton Stoner.
I can just picture Constantine, a renowned taskmaster, squinting at his players while thinking to himself — to quote Gilmore Tuttle from the movie “Slap Shot” — “We’ll straighten you out, you little *^%!” “”
So, after reading Tom Powers, maybe we discover it was not the scouting staff that should be roasted for previous draft choices (ie: Thelen) not getting to the NHL?
CTheory- Wes Walz was offensive type about the same size as Locke. JL may turn him to a defensive specialist as a last hope for his career in NHL ? No doubt !(Just like Walz…. As much as Good Old Wally and the Beaver are a couple of freaks I have to agree with the Beavers statement below
Good Old Wally I have a link for Totaly Pauly as well. I agree Wally, Benoit Pouliot is alot like Totaly Pauly. Instead of being named after Eddie Shore, he can be named after Pauly Shore… Maybe the new nickname us fans can call him is Pauly ?? Just a thought
I’d say Parrish gets a shot to put up points early in the season. If he’s not performing better than last season then I’d not be suprised to see him traded for a prospect or draft pick. He’s got to be worth something to some team (east I’d guess).
Things in his favor for this season (most of these have been pointed out by others).
He’ll have had plenty of time to recover from injuries (and forget the pain).
His new kid will be a little older. The kid is probably sleeping through the night now. He’s had time to adjust and get used to having another mouth around.
The Wild picked up a couple of defensemen known for being part of the play in the offensive zone. They apparently like to shoot and can handle the puck. Hopefully this will result in more pucks for Parrish to tip and/or bang in the rebounds. He has afterall, made his living in front of the net.
In response to C Nelson: Good Old Wally knows for some men having a child is so powerful that it may cause some men to choose a diferent path. The man being away from home as much as a pro hockey player may cause him serious job related problems. Good Old Wally quit his sales job when he had his first kid, and Good Old Wally had a great job making great money ! The hit on Parrish by Liles that hurt Parrish could happen again if Parrish does not figure out where he is at in his head before he starts training camp
cnelson says:
July 14th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Good grief, Good Old Wally! Do you really think Parrish enjoyed sitting on the bench last season?!? All he wants to do is play hockey.
Good stuff. Thanks Iceman. Constantine is SO what the doctor ordered down here. Love that guy.
The Pio really needs to set up an RSS feed for their Wild news.
I missed the Foy story … apparently to the Blues but under what circumstances?
Iceman, I believe he was UFA (maybe RFA and the Wild showed no interest).
I went a-searching.
A search on TSN of “Matt Foy” turned up the following as the number one result:
http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=243391
That is all I’ve found.
He’s got the Blues logo by his name on NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470165
The lack of acknowledgment of the move indicates to me that it’s a 2-way deal. Which sucks because now we’ll have to play him pretty regularly and he IS quite a good AHL player…
Plus they’ve got that goalie, Ben Bishop, in Peoria. What a beast. Biggest goalie I’ve ever seen in person. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Goody,
Foy was a Group VI UFA.
Good Old Wally: Just look for him to have a better year this year. Nice that you gave up a good job to spend more time with your kids. We need more dad’s like that.
July 9th, signed w/STL, per TSN.
I think that Locke was purely a depth move. They had given up on Belle and figure Locke will play in Houston and be there in case of injury.
Foy article: http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x833730562/Blues-sign-familiar-Rivermen-nemesis-likely-send-to-Peoria
Ok, this is just a rumor, but…
I was talking to a guy I know (not well) who lives in Trencin, Slovakia. He says some Slovakian newspapers are reporting Gaborik is expected to sign a two-year extension this week.
This is just hearsay, but thought I’d pass it along anyway.
I know its just hearsay but two years seems a strange number. And no, don’t bring up that his buddy, Demitra’s contract is up in two years. That will not factor into it as then Gaborik’s contract won’t be up for 3 summers if he signs a 2 year extension,
We will see. If its just a two year extension, boy, are we going to be disappointed. I want at least a 5 year deal.
Wallshot:
You should ask your buddy if he has seen Gaborik’s new car. I can’t remember what type it is but it cost about half a million dollars.
I’d like to see Gaborik signed for longer too, sunshine. I didn’t even think of the Demitra angle, to be honest. 
That’s just what the guy told me. I could see Gaborik not wanting to agree to something long-term though. Keep your options open, eh?
“You should ask your buddy if he has seen Gaborik’s new car. I can’t remember what type it is but it cost about half a million dollars.”
Is it one of these?
frankly, I’d prefer the shorter contract….less of a chance he’ll float for a season on a short deal than if he signed a long-term deal at huge dinero.
Don’t worry, someone will.
I really do think that if Gaborik only signs for two years, DR will be flamed even more - from people who were willing to giving him some leeway but as long as he signs Gaborik long-term. Losing Rolston and Demitra were hard to swallow. But not signing Gaborik long-term will be impossible to take.
Gaborik is the biggest fish of all re-signings.
this just in: Wild players don’t want to be the best.
Demitra on his preferred linemate:
“I played my best hockey when I was in St. Louis and I played with guys like Keith Tkachuk and Scott Mellanby,” Demitra explained. “They always want to be the best. I like the guys that drive the net and work hard and get me the puck in the slot so I can make plays.”
http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=18196
ATX: I don’t even know what kind of car that was. I barely know the difference between a Chevy truck and a Ford truck.
more from Demo:
Gillis has promising high-tempo, aggressive hockey, and thus far has stocked his team with exactly the type of players who can play that game. After two years playing tight-checking hockey in a defensive-orinted Minnesota system, Demitra is aching to throw off the reigns.
“I know what I can do and I can definitely do more than I did in Minnesota. We played so much defence and it was working, but my first year every time I played wing I scored many goals, but when I played centre I always had to stay back. I know what I can do and I know I can score much more and have more points,” he said.
umm…does Vigneault know that??
Wow an insult against his good friend, Gaborik. I wonder how their summers are going to be like.
sunshine, that was a Bently. They cost from 100K to about 500K depending on the model.
He could have also bought a rare Ferrari as well. But those are extremely rare and very difficult to get ahold of. But they do cost about 650K.
ATW,
I read earlier that he got a customer Ferrari, @ about $500K. Only a handful made.
Can’t seem to find anyting on it right now…
I thought he’d just get a new simulator.
NERD.
Hey Russo,
Any chance we could get a little analysis on Locke? He seems like he has been a stud in the OHL. Any chance that will translate into production in the show? Or is this another James Sheppard-esque interchangeable 3rd or 4th line center.
On another note, Kolanos seems like another Alexander Daigle signing - i.e. reconstruction project with little upside.
ATX: Walters’ column mentioned it. I know it wasn’t a Bentley - too staid for Gaborik. He has a red Ferrari already as it was reported in the Pio several years ago.
The mental image of the car is that its speedy.
Porshe?
Fitb: Locke is so tiny. He will get crushed by Phaneuf, Regher, and Sarich. Burrows now has another small guy to go after. I worry for him already.
He will get crushed by Phaneuf, Regher, and Sarich
Nah. They don’t play in the ‘A’.
—-
Whoa!
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I wanted to get back to a discusion on the length of contracts that NiNY touched on earlier. What do you guys think? What is to perfer a long term deal that keeps a player here or a short term deal where the player might leave but also might incurage him to play harder and keep puting up numbers to get an even bigger deal next time?
Thoughts?
” got a customer Ferrari, @ about $500K. Only a handful made.”
That would be the Enzo then. It wouldn’t suprise me if he got one… they are pretty damn difficult to get usually though. i think there were only 500 of them made. I think there are 2 here in Austin. http://www.bigbaer.com/assets/ferrari-enzo.jpg
I used to think teams where crazy signing player to DePietro length contracts but I’m starting to change my mind. Even mid range contracts like Yawnson’s that seem high in the begining is starting to look decent. The key has to be to that they should not include a “non-trade” clause.
So Woody, how do figure I’m part of the Greek chorus. Skoula is a piece of crap, and I have said that since they traded for him. As for analysis, when ever you’re ready for it, let me know. The man has had a terrible career, and it boggles the mind that anyone sees any talent in him at all.
As for skating with 4 players, it’s called sarcasm. It’s a literary device used to make arguments, and for confusing those people who can’t seem to understand its use.
Don’t worry, Sunshine. He’d have to play in Minny to get crushed by those guys. He’ll be in Houston getting crushed by Pete Vandermeer and Andre Deveaux.
NiNY-
If you’re out there, just wanted you to know that I stumbled across your blog the other day. Just wanted to let you know it is well written.
ATW,
You got it!! Evidently, “Pininfarina, the coachbuilder, put Glickenhaus’ every specification atop the Ferrari-built Enzo chassis.”
I recall he was waiting on a new Porsche. Something along these lines:
http://www.allautoreviews.com/auto_reviews/porsche/porsche-carrera-gt1.htm
Not sure if its the exact model, but close. His was to run $500K
While there may be some element of truth to what Demo says its not as if he is going to a wide-open offensive team. The Canucks scored 10 fewer goals than we did. And, Demo sometimes a little effort is required, also.
That is what worries me if Locke ever played for the Wild. I am not worried about him in the AHL.
bfw, that’s awesome. Do I win a prize?
I think the only things that Demo said that was correct was that the Wild does play a more defensive game and that the center has to stay a little back.
Buddha - Not to interfere with your “discussion” with Woodcock but I have to defend (wow this feels very strange) Skoula a bit. I don’t know how you can call him a “piece of crap”.
We might not like the way he sometimes gives the puck away in his own or how he trips on the goal line but a piece of crap isn’t that a bit over the top? Real how much money do you think we can sink into our D? Skoula had way to many minutes last year do to injuries etc. if they can play him at 5th or 6th D he should get the amount of minutes he can handle and will actually be of value especially if you consider his relatively low cap hit.
“I recall he was waiting on a new Porsche. Something along these lines:
http://www.allautoreviews.com/auto_reviews/porsche/porsche-carrera-gt1.htm
Not sure if its the exact model, but close. His was to run $500K”
If it’s a 500K Porche, it’s probably the GT. THat thing is a monster. Very rare as well.
At least the PP has a columnist (Powers) who enjoys hockey unlike Star Trombone.
Here is a skilled Enzo pilot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVrMZX2kms
Wasn’t even his car. It was a charity event.
“Here is a skilled Enzo pilot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVrMZX2kms
Wasn’t even his car. It was a charity event.”
Gotta feel pretty dumb crashing one of the rearest cars in the world.
Well Buddha when so many here say the same thing–constantly– and they just echo each other and all use such hyperbolic language when referring to Skoula it is hard to take any of those posts seriously. So, it is hard to detect any sarcasm when all seem to say the same thing.
And, I agree with BDS. He seems like a perfectly acceptable 5 or 6 D. He actually had a number of good games mixed in with the glaring errors.
bfw, that’s awesome. Do I win a prize?
Well, since we’ve narrowed it down to the Ferrari or Porsche, you get a neon green rubber pencil.
Enjoy.
I was wondering could European prospects, when their season is over, sign an Amateur Tryout Contract with the Aeros like what Jones and Gillies did this past year?
It would be great to see Sprunger, Iloven, and Elo play for the Aeros for a couple of weeks to help them get acclimated to the country and North America game. I know Sprunger is in no-man’s land with the Wild but if we can hang onto him, we should bring him over soon.
“get a neon green rubber pencil.”
Sweet!
At least the PP has a columnist (Powers) who enjoys hockey unlike Star Trombone.
Who would have guessed the loss of Barreiro would be a detriment to StarTribune hockey coverage?
sunshine, Do you know what Sprunger’s status w/Fribourg-Gotteron is? If he’s not signed for this season, I don’t see why they couldn’t bring him over (if he’s interested.)
Otherwise, they may let him to continue to develop at “home.”
buddha: much obliged!
Or is this another James Sheppard-esque interchangeable 3rd or 4th line center.
Beltway, don’t forget that Shep was just 19 most of the season.
19 years old, 78 games, 4 goals, 15 assists,-1 +/-, 29 penalty minutes.
Sure, he’s not Crosby but, he’s going to be as valueable as Koivu in a few years. Just for the record, Koivu’s first year…
22 years old, 64 games, 6 goals, 15 assists, -9 +/-, 40 penalty minutes
At least the PP has a columnist (Powers) who enjoys hockey unlike Star Trombone.
Does anyone really care about sports columnists anyway? What a worthless job. You were too fat and awkward to actually play sports as a kid (or now, for that matter), so now we are supposed care about your opinions on them? And you get paid for that?
PLEASE.
I think Russo noted that Sprunger has one year left on his contract with his Swiss team. I don’t know what the European hockey season is like but if their season ends early and the Aeros are still playing, would it be a violation of rules to bring them over on an ATO?
BDS, concerning length of contracts: what “incents” people is different for each individual and the risk to the team is different for each individual. I think you can offer players either time or money. Only in extremely rare situations can you give a player both (ie: Gretsky!).
But, the problem is that if you offer somebody something, then everyone else will want the same thing too.
Wild signed Schultz, Burns and Koivu for a reasonable sum to the team and a reasonable term. They are emerging players that will likely keep us in the hunt and that we can continue to build with.
Now, you cannot make a mockery out of their contracts by paying others huge money. Or, you destroy their team first attitude.
Regarding Demo’s comments: unless you have an incredibly skilled players (with the puck), a team MUST think defense(ce) first. Do not give up anything easy.
Demo did not seem to like it, probably he needs to scapegoat someone else for his lack of performance here.
Although it was a little disappointing to lose Rolston and his goals, there was an element missing from the 2007-8 team. Call it glue that keeps it together. Recall just how frustrated JL was?
I do not know enough about the new players but maybe we now have more of a “team” than we did?
I don’t know what the European hockey season is like but if their season ends early and the Aeros are still playing, would it be a violation of rules to bring them over on an ATO?
Well, in light of the fact that some Rusky team signed Radulov, even though he’s signed for this season w/NSH, I don’t see how bringing Sprunger in after his Euro-team contract expires would be an issue…
At the risk of perpetuating the Gabby rumor above, can it be that a 2 year deal would coincide with the end of the current CBA? I throw this out, ’cause I have no idea the answer, but would it be to either/both sides’ advantage to have the contract’s expiration coincide with the CBA’s expiration?
“Or is this another James Sheppard-esque interchangeable 3rd or 4th line center.”
Yeah I was wondering if this was some kind of sarcasam or if you were being serious? Any rookie playing for Lemaire whose name isn’t Gaborik will be put on 4th line for on the job training their rookie year while they learn the defense side of the game. Shep actually had an interview with NHL.com after the season ended and he was talking about how excited he was for next season so he could concentrate more on his offense.
You have to admit that Gaborik came into a unique situation. Most of the players he played with that first year were throw-away players. While they might have had more NHL experience, he was equal in stature with them. As I recall, JL and maybe DR threaten to send him to the minors if he didn’t learn to play defense. I think that motivated him to backcheck more.
Now the Wild have really good players so Sheppard as a rookie couldn’t compete with Koivu or Demitra for top line.
Did the “Hossa to Russia after this year” idea ever advance? Perhaps Gabby wants to see how things go for the first two years of the new KHL and, if it proves viable, take the really big bucks over there. I read that the KHL has more than 20 teams already but it would not surprise me if the ultimate plan for this league is to cover all of eastern Europe.
SGS - Interesting Idea regarding the KHL. I actually believe they have set their sights at an European league not only east European. I know several of the team in the Swedish league have been in contact or been contacted by the KHL.
I know it is asking a lot but why cannot Bettman and the NHL do something proactive for once and try to etablish some sort of European developmental league that could keep the european prospects in Europe for a while and then send them to the NHL much better prepared. I don’t know how this would be set up but I’m sure it would be possible.
I don’t think the rest of Europe is as enthusiasitc about this huge KHL league either.
Nolan ousted as NYI Head Coach:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243405&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_main
So - totally off topic and this will probably get skipped over, but I thought I’d throw it out regardless.
I was watching some video clips of BP on wild.com yesterday, and he looked good - noticeably different than the rest of the young guys (I mean, he should, it was what, his 4th dev. camp?)
Anyways, I was thinking about the tryouts last fall and how much JL was raving about BP and that he really wanted him to be here. Then, due to shep’s age, he got the nod over BP.
So, is there really any reason to fear benny being on the team this year? I’m actually kind of excited for it. Seems like his attitude has changed considerably from a couple of years ago.
Nolan ousted as NYI Head Coach
- Safe bet: Don Lucia is not on the short list.
- Question: Was Kyle Okposo’s development a factor in the Nolan decision
Jim, I still believe in Benny’s potential, so I’m excited too, not only to get the questions we all have about him answered, but also because we’ve potentially only seen the tip of the iceberg with him. It’s time to show some faith in him, which DR has done, and let him make what he will of the opportunity. He’s got the tools. He just needs the confidence and maturity to make the most of those tools.
Bah, that Nolan story is boring. It’s much more fun when they burn their bridges…
jimlove,
Of course, the Wild finds itself in a similar situation again this year doesn’t it. Doesn’t one of their prospects fall into the same trap as Shep? They can’t send him to Houston so they either return him to juniors or keep him with the big club?
Pouliot would be done if DR did that to him again.
I am excited to see more of Pouliot. He has gained some maturity. I don’t know if it was KC, having passed him up for Sheppard, or him realizing that the NHL door is closing on him when other teams didn’t want him in a trade either. Whatever the reason, I hope he comes in with a something-to-prove attitude and really does well this year.
Because we are definitely going to need him and the young guys to step it up.
Goody: that is a good point but since Gillies can’t play center, Pouliot is 99% guaranteed a spot by virtue of need in the center spot.
Everybody else can play in Houston and can be called up and sent down.
on B-b-b Benny: just win, baby!
sunshine, Thanks, I couldn’t remember who it was. Good to know that Pouliot won’t have that happen to him again. As I said, his confidence would’ve been so low it’d have to look up to see… something really, really low. That one kind of got away from me, sorry.
WTH is going on with contract talks for SRV and PMB? A week from today is SRV’s arbitration hearing and PMB is shortly afterwards. There has been dead silence on the Aeros signings of its RFAs too.
I just want to know if the Wild are even talking to SRV and PMB’s agents.
GGGGGGS: Maybe Nolan was supportive of Donnie Luc’ and the boys, and that was the “philisophical” differnces between him and Snow. j/k
—-
Random note:
Apparently, recent signee Tomas Mojzis played in the 2008 Men’s World Inline Hockey Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.
“…So he’s got that goin’ for him, which is nice.”
bfw*: big hitter, the Lama…
Sunshine: I appreciate the concern over the SRV and PMB contract issues, but realistically, I’m more concerned about the Gabby contract issue. SRV and PMB will have their arb hearings and sign their 1-yr deals. Gabby has to have his contract extended before camp starts or we’ll be dragged through a Hossa-esque mess all season, culminating with a deal in February which I’m sure will do nothing to help alleviate some of the anxiety many of us in Russoville suffer from in regards to Dougie Ballgame’s ability to GM this team to Cup contender status.
…The flowing robes, the grace, bald… striking.
It’s time to show some faith in him, which DR has done, and let him make what he will of the opportunity.*
* After the OJ trade fell through and Morrison went to the Ducks
That said - and assuming the Gabby/PMB/SRV contracts are taken care of - Benny will be the most intriguing story of preseason and I am also looking forward to seeing what he can do.
The reason I am concern about SRV and PMB contracts is that I get the feeling, DR is waiting to see how their contracts shape up before dealing with Gabby’s contract.
If DR does sign PMB to a lengthy contract, it might affect the salary amounts, not the cap hit, for Gabby. DR is methodical in that way. I would rather he jump straight into Gabby contract talks but DR is an A then B then C kind of guy.
Gaborik’s contract is the biggest fish out there and as I stated earlier, if DR can’t re-sign him, there will much hell raise. I would say that losing Rolston was disappointing but losing Gaborik will put this team and its fans into a deep depression for a little bit until we see the results of a trade.
DR is an A then B then C kind of guy.
Gaborik’s contract is the biggest fish out there.
That alone should be enough to concern you.
Using those as jumping-off points, “A” should be Gaborik, yes?
But evidently, it is not. But let’s see what happens…
The Gabby rumor is interesting. The theories propounded here all could be relevant–see how KHL goes,wait for current NHL-player contract to expire and be re-negotiated or possibly wait to see what the Wild do and how high the cap goes assuming the existing contract gets renewed. I sure would like to see him signed long-term but at least on a short-term basis a 2-year extension beyond his existing year might work. Wonder if it is just an extension of an extra year. But then this is all complete rumor and we have no idea if there is any basis for this. But one more thing to ponder when work gets slow.
While we are pondering things, how about is it still true that the Wild are a well-coached team? What makes the Wild a well-coached team?
Three things you hear described about the Wild: defensive hockey, disciplined, and a well-coached team.
How many other teams are labeled as well-coached? Detroit for one. Is it base on who is the reputation of the coach or the actions of the players attributed to the coach? Hope I am making some sense.
To me, well-coached is a synonym for micro-managed. I always thought of well meaning abundant rather than meaning quality.
I felt JL had some trouble getting favorable matchups against the Avs, even at home.
If the point is that most NHL-level coaches coach well, then perhaps the better (though harder to quantify?) metric would be their impact on the game, during the game?
I should explain that I’m not saying the Wild’s coaching staff is of inferior quality. I believe that the Wild has both high quality coaching and the coaches like to take a very active role (micro-manage) during games.
Doesn’t it depend to some extent on how you define “coach’? And, then by extention “well-coached?”
To NiNY’s point, that could be strategical decisions during games (matchups). It could also refer to the coache’s ability to get players to play their role within a specific system. Or, to make in-game adjustments.
To a lesser extent, one must take into consideration the coaches ability to maximize each players’ personal abilities.
More commonly, “well-coached” is a term that, imho, refers to the players’ abilities to execute “the little things,” such as getting the puck in/out of the zone, puck support, puck movement, etc.
another angle on the coaching topic: what about unintended consequences?
For example, JL likes to experiment with line combinations. A symptom of micro-management borne of a lifetime’s worth of hockey experience and a savant-like ability to understand the game? Sure, why not.
But, the Wild take a lot of too-many men penalties. At least some of those have to be due to confusion as to whom is replacing whom when guys come off for a change.
Does that make him a bad coach?
or this: Walz was JL’s lump of clay.
Great.
Are all of Wes’s prior coaches lesser in skill/ability/vision/greatness to JL for not having the vision to try to mold him into a Selke-type center instead of a speedy scorer?
or, to pluck the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, what about Skoula? JL loves the guy. Yet he is prone to the spectacular F up.
Is Skoula well-coached or not?
Nick: Skoula is well-coached. Very well-coached, as a matter of fact, between JL and Mike Ramsey, two who both played significant time in the NHL.
Skoula just doesn’t have the sense to accept the coaching.
It would be interesting to see how many of too-many-men penalties the Wild took. I don’t think they took that many when you think about the line combos that JL throws out there.
To me Burns is a testament to the Wild coaching staff. They practically built him from the ground up. I would remiss if I don’t acknowledge Burns’ willingness to give himself over to the coaches and soak in their information and execute.
Skoula is Skoula. We all have exhausted that subject on both sides. See previous posts to get a better understanding.
But, the Wild take a lot of too-many men penalties.
Do they? Vs. all other teams?
when guys come off for a change.
I do see where your coming from, I just think that this is ultimately the players responsibility.
If a player is unsure and hops on the ice, he is risking a 2-minute minor. Players must be ready when called upon.
NiNY, your questioning tactic reminds me of Caine flashbacks on Kung-Fu (except you left out ‘Grasshopper’)!
Great talent can make great coaches, great effort from marginal talent makes greater coaches, grasshopper!
Vs. all other teams?
Objection, relevance?
The point was that, if some of the TMM minors can be attributable to JL’s constant line changing, is that an indictment on his constant line changing and therefore a detriment (unintended consequence) of his coaching?
Players must be ready when called upon.
agreed, but the question is: does the coach’s strategy/propensity to change combinations on a shift-by-shift basis create instability on the bench.
I’m sure none of them are sleeping on the bench, in other words: they’re all ready when called upon.
NiNY, your points are very well taken on the too many men issue.
Before we discuss the TMM minors, anybody know how many the Wild took in comparison to the other teams? Perception is different from reality.
PP had a good article about how KC is basically breaking down Kalus and rebuilding him from the ground up. Look for better #s this year.
Objection, relevance?
If your premise is that the Wild take “a lot” of TMM minors, that can be statistically substantiated by comparing them to all other teams.
If they aren’t any different than other teams, then how can you argue that they are not “well-coached?” in that regard. That would mean that all OTHER teams are similarly “poorly” coached.
does the coach’s strategy/propensity to change combinations on a shift-by-shift basis create instability on the bench.
Assuming this is the case, is this strategy/propensity significantly different than other coaches? Are the players being unreasonably asked to perform their basic job functions?
TMM — are they considered bench minors among other team penalties? If that is the case, the Wild only took 6 bench minors - tied for 3rd place with four other teams.
Before we discuss the TMM minors, anybody know how many the Wild took in comparison to the other teams? Perception is different from reality.
Thank you.
When I mean 3rd place, I mean 3rd fewest bench minor penalties. Edmonton had the most with 13.
If your premise is that the Wild take “a lot” of TMM minors, that can be statistically substantiated by comparing them to all other teams.
That’s fair.
One could argue that TMM is one of those “unforced error” type penalties that need not ever occur - with a disciplined (read well-coached?) team.
I thought the discussion was about whether or not the Wild is well-coached under JL, et al. Part of that will be based on perception vs. other teams as has been pointed out. But another part of that can be perception vs. itself - and that’s really where I saw this particular question falling into the discussion.
I have the game sheets printed out through game 73 and I’m up to 5 for the Wild (out of 384 penalties taken). I’ll get to the rest tomorrow, unless someone else beats me to it.
I still don’t know how to find penalties by type for other teams without looking at all of their game sheets, which I’m not going to do for obvious reasons.
Also bench minors can be for yelling at the refs. Saw a few of those from other teams this year.
I get what you are saying, NiNY. However, if perception says that they do but in reality, they don’t, that’s a whole different story.
TMM is a bench minor penalty. All the Wild’s six bench minor penalties could be TMM or combo of other penalties such as unsportsmanlike conduct.
NHL.com stats has the # of bench minor penalties taken by a team but does not breakdown what they are.
Here is the stats number
It would be interesting to see whether JL’s “line juggling” is significantly more varied than other coaches, both in the West and East.
And, I will grant you that the degree to which there is confusion on the bench may increase as the frequency of random line combinations increase.
However, that in and of itself does not supercede the ultimate responsibility of each player, beFORE he jumps on the ice, to simply “count to five,” imho.
Certainly helps stir the pot on a slow day, NiNY.
TMM — are they considered bench minors among other team penalties? If that is the case, the Wild only took 6 bench minors - tied for 3rd place with four other teams.
Third fewest.
I’d love to see that cross-referenced with the average age of the team (in some way that accounts for TOI).
I tried correcting myself earlier but thanks for doing it again, bfw*. Didn’t want it to sound like we had the third highest.
ms.conduct, Edmonton had the highest # of bench penalties and second youngest team. I think Phoenix had the youngest.
On the flipside, Detroit has the fewest # of bmp and was the team with most veterans (ie oldest players)
That all seems consistent with watching the team this year, too. A few years ago it seemed more that the Wild took more than it’s share of TMM penalties, but I certainly didn’t notice that this year.
Another consideration is that, sometimes a TMM is just bad luck and/or has nothing to do with line juggling. Seems to me that those penalties are more often the result of the player leaving the ice, who can’t resist the temptation to play a puck that suddenly comes to him as he’s supposed to be changing.
Do you think we will get an assessment of this year’s prospect/development camp from the Wild brass either through the papers or their blog?
Yeah, Sunshine, that’s what I was getting at, but I didn’t know the stats for sure.
Preds sign Joel Ward.
I guess it really doesn’t matter in the whole scheme of things does it?
I mean, JL ain’t goin anywhere.
Ok so apparently Demo got a car, now if the Mr was a pro hockey player this…
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1970-1974-plymouth-barracuda-coupes.htm
….is what he’d buy. If I was making Demo money this…
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0601rc_1946_ford_convertible/index.html
…is what I’d get. And if money was no object I’d be just like Jay Leno, with a staff to car for my hundreds of classic and rare cars. I don’t get why Ferrari’s and Porche are “so cool.” Give me a classic any day.
Is it time for the season to start yet? Summer is getting boring. And with the hottest part of the summer yet to come I am not a happy girl. Heat sucks, sorry ATX and Co down in Texas, I don’t think I will be visiting you… ever…. I hate hot weather.
“I mean, JL ain’t goin anywhere.”
Actually kj I’ve had this feeling like he’s close to calling it quits for good. He is 62 and if he has another season where the players won’t listen like last year I could see him taking off to spend time with his family.
Oh and just incase some of you wonder why I love classic cars, it’s because I was raised in one, well, the summer months anyway. The link below takes you to a picture of my Dad’s 1929 Ford Model A (the web site is my brother-in-laws). The top is chopped 3 inches and the front end has been lowered. The chassis has a corvette rear end. And the engine is a chevy small block V8. It used to have a big block V8, and when it had that engine my older sister remembers my dad beating a Corvette off the line at a light one night. That car is tiny on the inside, but Dad has had it since 1976. I don’t think he’ll give it up any time soon. The car parked next to it in the picture belongs to my Dad’s friend. It’s a 1934 3 window coupe. I’ve ridden in the rumble seat of that car when I was younger. Rumble seats are fun, but not in the rain.
http://www.carlmadsen.com/cars/BTT50s_2008_Friday/page2/files/page2-1140-full.html
Unfortunately I have to agree with Lucky about JL. If the team doesn’t listen and play as a team, I think he’ll retire.
This is a bit belated, or maybe not because it seems to be a continuous bash, but I would rather have Carney on the blue line anyday over Skoula. Although both are slow I think Carney is a smarter player than Skoula. And I don’t buy that he will make less mistakes if he gets less minutes. He is the player he is and getting less minutes won’t change how he thinks out there. He just needs to wake up.
That and Carney is a great mentor for younger players. He was Yoda, now he has passed on the lightsaber to ObiWan (Burns) and we shall see what he can do for the Skywalkers, whether they are more Anakin or more Luke. Ok I need food if I’ve digressed to Star Wars metaphors.
I have to agree too. I think he feels that if he can’t take the team beyond the first round of the playoffs or get to the playoffs this year, he is definitely gone. Deep down, I think he is giving the Wild brass time to find a new coach.
Is he the oldest coach?
Its also wake-up call to the boys. For the core guys, JL and the Wild are what they have ever known. Its going to be vastly different for them.
If I had to bet money I’d put it all on Mike Ramsey getting the job. I don’t think they’ll pick up another coach who was let go unless they find the next Mike Babcock. JMO…
Line changes are a red herring. They are not micro-managing.
If you go into a game with a plan, but the plan is not working then you better be quick enough and flexible enough to make a switch on-the-fly.
These guys have probably played twenty years of hockey each. Line changes are simply a matter of paying attention.
Another item to add to the definition of “well-coached” would be players who are making smart decisions on a timely basis.
An intelligent question seems to be this…. Now that we know the roster is this team a contender for the Stanley Cup ?? Most will say no.. If you say know give a reason
GOW: Last year’s team was light years away from the Cup simply because it had too few guys it could go to for goals in the playoffs. Gabby struggled to find the back of the net; team scores 12 goals in 6 games and is bounced. So, we let the team’s #2 scorer walk without compensation; let another viable winger go without compensation; sign a couple of mid to high-teen goal scorers to replace them. Seems like Dougie Ballgame and the rest of the Brass are expecting an AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL lot of improvement from the guys that were on the roster last year to produce more goals. That still assumes that Gabby is on the team come training camp. This team needed to keep Huggy; move Demo to wing; get a legit center and then ADD a scoring wing. Sounds like a lot to do but that’s what successful GMs do. They keep the cogs in place and then fill in the holes that arise. We didn’t fill holes; we traded Huggy and Demo for Bruno and Meitttinen and Nolan. Status quo unless we are expecting huge, giant, massive porn star boobie-sized leaps and bounds from the guys that were on the roster a year ago. A couple of goals here or there won’t do, we need somebody to step up and plug 30 becuase this team isn’t a serious contender for the Cup with one guy scoring 40+ and a few others hovering around the teens.
Porn star boobies are the first thing that came to you when trying to think of the biggest thing possible?
GOW, seems to me anyone saying Yes should give a reason. The No reasons are more obvious IMO.
Here is Russo’s story on contract talks between SRV, PMB and the Wild. Gist of the article: SRV is negotiating for himself and getting close. Smart move for a guy not making alot of money. PMB and Wild far apart.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/25452054.html?location_refer=Most%20Viewed:Wild
Backstrom in final year of contract and he smells the money ? no doubt
A coachable JL roster ? no doubt
A tougher team ? no doubt
A team with more players to go to the net ? no doubt
Brent Burns and Nick Schultz better ? no doubt
The choice to keep JL or attract more sexy free agents… Keep JL…no doubt
Is the cup more attainable with this roster.. Yes… no doubt
Bullcrap. The Wild will finish no better than 3rd this year in the division. Get off the crack, boys.
As long as that third spot = playoff spot, why not?
I look for the Wild to finish 4th in the Western Conference and depeding upon health ?? challenge for the cup this year
GoW…No.
I have one BIG reason why. It’s a team called the Red Wings.
The Wild will be l-u-c-k-y to find the playoffs in the upcoming season.
You do not become a Cup contender by wishing for it. You do not get there by shopping on the Dead Cart. It requires talent, effort and timely goal scoring. The cupboard is definitely not bare, but the Wild will regress.
You heard it here first.
Mister Know it all does not take crack Mike. It is bad for your health, and Mister know it all is trying to stay fit
KJ= The truth be told. The Wild would have beat Detroit this year if they faced them. Colorado was a worse match up for the Wild.
Playoff time typically does not equate to the best team automatically winning
This may have already been posted but here is an article on tsn regarding Sheppard and Pouliot. Wild Road Tripper: not advocating for what is said in this article but thank you for breaking the last one down for me.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243439&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl
being fit is over rated
You tell him Good Old Wally- Mike should ask KJ if he is smoking crack
Wellllll…. I’d make a distinction between “attainable” and “more attainable than last year” but IMO it’s irrelevant and here’s why:
The bottom line for me is do I think we have a stronger team than Detroit or Dallas? No. Not by a long shot.
The X factor, IMO, is the chemistry this set of players generates together. But no matter what, this team is not elite. The D is improved, the forwards are neutral. It’s not enough.
No question, our defense is stronger but also can provide points. A young guy or two will give the team some new spark.
I am not big on Owen Nolan, at his age. But, by accounts he is an important team man. They can probably equal last years goal production by committee.
If Nolan is a lot better locker room guy than Rolston, then I think we will be pleasantly surprised.
The chances are good, that this will be a much more closely knit group.
So, I am saying that unless they have bad luck of a long term injury to a key player or players, they will be at least as strong.
I think Demitra will be easily replaced.
JL is your diference Misses Conduct- The GM gave him his ingredients he needs. How about Backstrom ? The Power play was given consideration in the offseason as well Misses Conduct.. I dont think Totaly Pauly will be a factor but he could be
SRV is giving a big vote of confidence to the Wild team management for anyone who is paying attention.
That is a big plus in my opinion.
Those are the guys you want on your team, those who want to be here and potentially could take something less than market to stay.
I think that attitude pays dividends.
Maybe, Wally, but I’m gonna need to see it in the lab, in a beaker, over the Bunsen burner before I believe in the chemistry. (Too much?)
Backstrom. You mean, “Oh crap. Hey Bob, remind me how to do a shootout…” Backstrom? Nah, he’s a good goalie but he’s the same guy as last year, so goaltending is a wash. Plus, Harding needs to be sharing the role more.
But hey, this is why they play the game on the ice. I’m always hopeful, but realistically, my gut feeling is that we’ll be lucky to see the second round of the playoffs.
***
Yep, that’s good stuff with SV, Iceman. People are quick to vilify the front office but man, you look at the Ducks, the Isles, etc. it could be so much worse. This organization doesn’t leave you feeling like you need a shower the way some do.
But i think Wild was easily shutdown in the playoffs because we had 2 clear lines that scored, the rest didn’t. So it was easy enough to shut down.
Gaborik - Focus on him and there goes alot of goals
Demitra - More of a playmaker but also easy to shutdown, too soft
Rolston - Eliminate his slapper or angle him off
Koivu - Harder but JL likes him on the checking line so he’s won’t see much scoring time with Gabby
Bouchard - Playmaker and small, easy to shutdown
So all they had to do is shutdown Gaborik and Rolston and the rest are just playmakers who are small and soft.
This year, we have a little bit of scoring from top to bottom. And these guys are strong on the puck.
However, them alone is not enough to replace the goals so its a big ? on the youngsters (Sheppard, Gillies, Pouliot) if they can chip in their own goals as well
Well, there’s always Crack Squirrel. And Irmen. Don’t forget Irmen.
I second Iceman’s comments at 11:17 - hopefully we will learn soon that PMB will also be on board for the next few years.
SV, a late round pick from the Wild!
The Wild developed a late rounder?
:O
+1, re: Iceman @11:17 pm
SV adapted his game to fit into the league and knows the team & managment. Plus he works for <1/10th of Gabby’s salary. I can certainly relate.
Hope it goes forward and extremely well.
Circular Theory, 11:42PM
I’m right there with you.
Get all your scoring from one or two lines and when they get shut down or go cold you have no chance.
Get goals from all around (obviously more from the top lines) and if those top lines get shut down, you’re still able to score a few and maybe pull out a win. Also, the other team has to pay respect to all lines and can’t load as much against one or two lines. They have to spread out their defensive players (D and defensive forwards) to cover the scorers on all lines.
07-08 regular season goal scoring
player GP G %tot
Gaborik 77 42 19.09%
Rolston 81 31 14.09%
Parrish 66 16 7.27%
Demo 68 15 6.82%
Burns 82 15 6.82%
PMB 81 13 5.91%
Belan 75 13 5.91%
Koivu 57 11 5.00%
SRV 77 11 5.00%
Foster 56 7 3.18%
Radio 73 7 3.18%
Voros 55 7 3.18%
Fridge 69 6 2.73%
Johnsn 80 4 1.82%
Shep 78 4 1.82%
Foy 78 4 1.82%
Skoula 80 3 1.36%
Schultz 81 2 0.91%
Nummy 27 2 0.91%
Hill 35 2 0.91%
Pouliot 11 2 0.91%
Carney 61 1 0.45%
Walz 11 1 0.45%
Simon 38 1 0.45%
Clutter 2 0 0.00%
Boogaar 34 0 0.00%
Kelly 2 0 0.00%
1535 220 100.00%
so the formatting sucks…but essentially I read that in a few different ways:
1. only 1/3 of the total goals came from Gaby and Rolston. I thought it would have been more.
2. For as much as we emasculate him (myself included), Parrish still finished third in the team in goals scored. He was also third on the team in terms of goals per game (.24).
3. When you project the goals per game of guys like Koivu out to 82 games (not set in stone that he’d have played all of them, necessarily) you get 15.82.
4. PMB should be a 20 goal guy. I know he’s not a sniper, and he’s more of a playmaker. But, really, 7 more goals should be possible (even though it’s a 53% increase).
5. Will Shep catch the sophomore slump bug?
6. If PMB should be a 20 goal guy, Belanger should be in the 15-17 goal range easy.
7. Considering it’s not his main focus, 11 goals from SRV is gravy. Lots of gravy.
NiNY, #5 @8:28 … my opinion is no sophomore slump for Shep. He was brought on slowly, did not have the opportunity for overconvidence in 2007-08.
sunshine:
Sorry. @4:43, missed your 4:14. 
Hard to slump to much less than 19 points.
The more I look at this roster, the more it looks like this season is going to be a disaster.
Could be a long winter.
NiNY, I too say no slump for Shep. From his comments he seems to be pretty mature. He knows last year was a ‘learning year’ and as such, he probably was a little more conservative than he needed to be. Now that he’s got that year under his belt, he’s not the new kid, he may not be so afraid of JL’s wrath and as such might do a little more offensively.
11 goals from SRV is gravy. Lots of gravy.
Shoot, that’s a career high. We’re talkin’ biscuits AND gravy!
I have to think PMB does NOT want to go to arbitration. Presumably he’s looking for a multi-year deal, obviously at bigger dollars than the Wild is offering.
So if he goes before the arbitrator then he’s only going to get a 1-year deal and probably not as high as he wants.
I have to think he’d dangle the “if you don’t sign me now, and we go to arbitration, I’m holding out” ploy in front of Lynn.
I think the liklihood of him getting traded is going up.
NiNY - interseting goals analysis. I think BP’s got some scoring touch to add as well. He won’t get a chance to add much as a 4th liner, but he’ll add a bit.
Looks like SRV will be signing too (whew!) soon, and hopefully then PMB and Lynn can get this done.
Thanks for the article Russo!
Didn’t PMB say something along the lines of “I wouldn’t mind playing my whole career in MN”?
Seems to me he’s the ideal guy to sign long term - assuming for a reasonable ammount. DR et. al. have to see that player salaries are going up, up, up. Signing PMB now for multiple years at today’s going rate is going to look good in a few years when a similar player may be signing for much more. Just don’t give him a no-trade. Some team is always going to be looking for a ‘playmaker’ to setup thier ‘goal scorer’. If/when the time comes trading him shouldn’t be an issue.
maybe thats part of the contractual problem Goody - if you were PMB wouldn’t you want a NTC in this contract after you’ve been dangled to multiple teams over the last year?
If he’s traded - who is he traded for?
I say lock him up long term, and give him a limited NTC - maybe for 3 out of 4 years
Agreed.
From his perspective, he’s looking for a long-term deal, period. If it’s with the Wild, great. But it is financial well-being, after all.
So, if he doesn’t get what he wants from Lynn, he simply takes the 1-yr, putting pressure on the team to trade, and is UFA next summer, where he can get top dollar AND choose where he wants to play.
He’s holding all the cards, imho.
bfw*: that was what I was trying to say. Only I think there’s a good chance he forces the trade by telling Lynn he would hold out no matter what if they go to arbitration. He’s got value now. It’s not like he has to play this season for someone to want him. Yes, if he does play this season and kicks butt then he’ll get more next summer as a UFA…but what if he gets hurt?
I guess I’m not really sure what else they could expect from PMB.
More goals. Okay, fine. We know he can be a 20 goal scorer. He’ll have added responsibility and pressure this year to do so. Might be easier if he’s not always playing with slapshot rolston too.
Bring it in the playoffs. Check. He showed up to play last year. Can he rock the ice like iginla? Of course not - he just doesn’t have the size. But for his capabilities, he did pretty well.
Everything they’ve asked of him he’s done - reward the guy. Let him play his cards, especially if we have the cap money, which we do.
Agree or Disagree: PMB has more leverage because DR could not retain Rolston.
Even assuming a Gabby extenstion is completed soon, I think the last thing DR needs is a name Wild player playing the season as a pending UFA.
6gs: agree.
Agreed, NiNY. Gotcha.
Disagree, Goody. I would say the ideal player to lock up long term (which they didn’t) is Burns. Norris potential.
sg6 - i agree. They need the 60+ points he’ll put up. And if they make a trade, I just don’t know who they’d trade for that would be at 1)a decent cap hit 2)similar age 3)similar output.
I’d be pissed if we made a 2 or 3 player trade with him. It just wouldn’t add up in my mind.
bfw*: Burnsie got a new deal last year, just not a super long deal.
Indeed. I was responding to “ideal player to lock up long-term.”
Burns’ deal is far short of a LTD, imho.
That’s all I’m sayin’.
gotcha, bfw*. Agree with that, too. I’m still not sold on the 15-year deals.
“Everything they’ve asked of him he’s done - reward the guy. ”
100% agree. I would love to see PMB get a 4 year deal, with a NTC (Limited if it has to be). Get it done Lynn.
I hope we do make a run at keeping burns for a long time when his contract is up.
I was wondering where ATX was with all the PMB talk going on this morning.
We’ve got Burns through 11/12. That’s 4 years. Maybe our definition of ‘long term’ differs.
Agree or Disagree: PMB has more leverage because DR could not retain Rolston.
Being a potential UFA arguably decreases his trade value, increasing pressure on the team.
They need to either pony up, or move on. ‘Nuff said.
It took me a minute to catch up jim. I gotta be here to support the little bald fellow!
I would have liked to have Burns on a 6 year deal. Later on his salary would have looked like an absolute steal.
Maybe our definition of ‘long term’ differs.
Agreed. (Think: DiPietro, Ovechkin, Lecavalier, Iginla, et. al.)
As a note, ever DR says he should have signed him for longer.
I am wondering if PMB is angling for a similar salary and cap hit as Martin Erat at $4.5 million. I don’t know if I would give PMB 7 years though.
Looking at the past contracts this FA season, PMB has to be wanting over $4+ million. Give him $4.5 million and a limited NTC in the first two years.
I think if the Wild can land around $4.5 million its a good deal.
I still think his salary is going to look like a steal. Same with Mikko.
IMO, there’s long term (maybe 6 years) and stupid (DiPietro, Ovechkin, Lecavalier, Iginla).
This is a contact sport and players suffer injuries all the time. Sure, those players are great, but with the cap, a player signed like that goes down and your screwed for a long, long time.
ever = even
is iginla’s contract long? how long will he torment us from calgary?
jimlove: forever.
Not really… if they get injured and retire, the cap hit goes away and so does the salary, right, since they signed the contract before turning 35 years old?
Iginla will likely be a lifer with the Flames as Lecavalier with TB.
Iggy becomes a UFA in the 13/14 season.
jimlove: forever.
geez. You’d think he signed a contract with the devil or something.
Not really… if they get injured and retire, the cap hit goes away and so does the salary, right, since they signed the contract before turning 35 years old?
Bingo!
Care for a prize?
of course…a week ago I would have said that Favre would have been a lifer Packer too…
geez. You’d think he signed a contract with the devil or something.
No. The Flames.
of course…a week ago I would have said that Favre would have been a lifer Packer too…
I come here to get away from that madness. It’s like an oasis of happiness in the sports world
wah. wah. wahhhhh.
lol
It’s like an oasis of happiness in the sports world
You’ve obviously missed the Skoula bashing! LMAO.
I’ll take that cracker jack diamond ring, please.
I’ll take that cracker jack diamond ring, please.
Regular, or Clown Size?
You’ve obviously missed the Skoula bashing! LMAO.
Nah, I just find that more pleasant than Mr. Favre’s soap opera.
Ditto @jimlove.
OK, injury isn’t a good reason. Well, there’s always ‘Parrish’s syndrome’ in that as they age, their production could drop off leaving you with an invalueable (both production and trade) player that you must continue to pay. Granted, the likelyhood of those quoted contracting that is slim. But, I wouldn’t put PMB or Burns in thier class either. Burns has the potential to be there in a couple years though.
One thing about contracts is that time heals and makes look like a steal.
But, the contract needs to be fair from both the teams and the players perspective.
If the player demands so much that they cannot ink a decent supporting group then the star will never make it to the Cup.
A contract that is six years old or longer when the player has since become a big star, then there is agitation to renegotiate. I think that sours the player towards his team, especially if the team does not have the Cap space to renegotiate.
So, maybe four years is not such a bad length. The player has an opportunity to capitalize on his performance and also more inflated pricing sooner.
Their, not thier, for some reason I keep spelling in thier today.
it, not in. I can’t win!
What the…?!
food - just to keep us from perishing.
So THAT’S how he broke his foot!
You tell him Good Old Wally- Mike should ask KJ if he is smoking crack
Pot, Kettle
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