Fletcher continues to work trade market
Posted on July 16th, 2009 – 10:32 AMBy Michael Russo
Good morning everyone. Nothing like the NHL schedule being released to really get one pumped up for the season.
Spent last night booking hotels through December. Might as well get a jump on it, eh?
I’m about to take some R&R, and I mean it this time. The blog and newspaper will continue to be updated by others when news breaks, but I’m going to do my best to take a giant step back for the next number of weeks.
As far as news on the horizon, there will likely be little minor-league, depth signings (I hear Duncan Milroy and Jon DiSalvatore), the negotiations and eventual signings of Josh Harding and Kyle Brodziak (Brodziak has an arbitration hearing scheduled for July 31, but it would be shocking if it got there) and the release of the preseason schedule (although I think it’s pretty much ironed down on the previous blog).
The team will likely also plan some sort of trip in the middle of camp as team-building (Pittsburgh and Anaheim used to do this when Chuck Fletcher was there). A reader (or maybe readers) also emailed me recently to see if I can ask Fletcher if the team would try to get an East Coast Hockey League affiliate. I asked Fletcher the other day, and he and assistant to the GM Jim Mill plan to investigate this. Fletcher doesn’t feel it’s a pressing issue, but if there’s a possibility out there, it could happen in time for next season.
As for the current roster, Fletcher says he continues to scour the trade market and that if there’s a next move this summer, that’ll likely be it. He said there are a few quality free agents out there, but none that really gets his appetite whet.
As I reported earlier this summer, he’s willing to go a player or two short deep into the summer with the hope of having the cap space and roster flexibility to make a move.
“I think we still have some cap flexibility and there are teams that need to acquire cap flexibility,” Fletcher said. ”So there’s certainly the ability to acquire somebody by trade if something makes sense. We’ll look at all the options and see what makes sense and see what the best fit is. But with this group, we feel comfortable going into training camp if it doesn’t happen.
“I don’t think it was the deepest free-agent class to begin with. There was a pretty good rush on July 1. There are still some possibilities out there. But in the cap system, once you spend your money, it’s spent. So how patient do you want to be? There’s certainly conversation now amongst teams and I expect there will continue to be right until the trade deadline. So the question would be: When do you want to make your play and what makes sense? It’s obviously the process we’re going through on a daily and weekly basis, but it’s tough to handicap.”
So what is Fletcher saying here?
Later in the summer or into next season, some teams are likely going to have to move some bigtime players to get under the $56.8 million cap ceiling or create cap flexibility going into next summer. I know some fans are dying for the team to take a “risk,” but the risk has to be the right one. And if there are no free agents out there, there are no free agents — plain and simple.
You can’t dump players in an NHL world with guaranteed contracts, so if you make a mistake and spend your money on a player that is inferior to one maybe you can get via trade later on, you simply can’t make the next move.
So Fletcher wants to save the cap space now to allow him to hopefully trade for a significant player.
Remember, teams can go over the cap by 10 percent during the summer as long as they get below the ceiling by the last day of training camp. Boston, Ottawa and Chicago are over the cap right now. San Jose’s not over the cap, but if you plug in three or four holes the Sharks still have on their roster, they’re basically over the cap.
What does this mean? Maybe Phil Kessel still becomes available in Boston. Maybe Ottawa’s Dany Heatley can still be had. Maybe Jonathan Cheechoo in San Jose. Eventually, Chicago will undoubtedly have to dump salary — whether that’s Patrick Kane himself, or a Patrick Sharp or Dustin Byfuglien.
The Blackhawks might be fine going into the season because if you send Brent Sopel to the minors and one of their one-way contract goalies (Crawford or Niemi), by my math, they’re under the cap for this season (BUT BARELY).
So do you really want to sign Mike Comrie or Jason Williams now if there’s some sort of chance to maybe land a Patrick Sharp?
This is the stuff that has to be weighed. I agree that when you look at the Wild’s depth chart as it currently stands, there’s one giant hole — whether it’s a top center, or if Pierre-Marc Bouchard can fill that hole, a scoring winger.
But sometimes it’s better to wait — especially if there are few exciting free agents available.
As you can tell, it’s hard to make a trade right now in the NHL. The only really substantial one that’s happened since the end of the season was Chris Pronger to Philly, and the Flyers paid an enormous price.
It’s hard to move money outright. Even if you take a pretty good player for a pick or prospect, teams are still asking you to take a player back to balance it off a little bit. It’s not quite like the NBA, but teams are trying to balance contracts and money all the time.
But there are teams like the Wild that have left a little flexibility, so just maybe you can take a $3 or $4 million player from Chicago and not make the Blackhawks take a contract back.
Interestingly, a team that’s left a lot of flexibility is New Jersey. Lou Lamoriello’s left a lot of cap room, which is interesting to me because historically the Devils are a team at the other end. They still have to re-sign Zajac, but by laying in the weeds, Lamoriello’s another guy I expect to eventually make a move.
OK, as usual, I got sidetracked. But things just pop in my head and come out my fingertips.
As I mentioned last week, patience everyone. And when I say patience, I’m not saying be “satisfied with being mediocre” as some fans accuse. Like I said, I agree there are holes. But it’s imperative to figure out the correct way to fill those holes because in a league where it’s proving impossible to repair a mistake via trade, you better not make mistakes. Make cap mistakes, and it could wind up costing you a Patrick Kane, or in the Wild’s case, a Mikko Koivu or Brent Burns eventually.
Now, as Fletcher said above, this could be the team if he can’t make his “play” before the season. The only reason before the summer I was talking about Colton Gillies potentially being in the minors is I thought the team would probably need his $1-plus million cap space. But right now, if no move is made, he’s got a good shot at making the team.
And I know he was playing prospects in that scrimmage the other day, but he looked very, very good. Fast, nasty (buried Petr Kalus) and scored two goals — one exceptional one.
Anyway, I’ve said my peace. Have a good rest of the summer, and hopefully I’ve got it in myself to stand down and let others cover the team. Mid-July is usually the official end of the previous hockey season for me, so I hope you enjoyed the coverage this season. See you next season, amazingly, my fifth already covering the Wild.
(OK, I’m back. Nashville signed Peter Olvecky).
I’ll leave you with this. Here’s a look at the depth chart as of now:
Goalie
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding
Barry Brust
Anton Khudobin
LD-RD
Kim Johnsson-Brent Burns
Nick Schultz-Marek Zidlicky
Greg Zanon-Shane Hnidy
John Scott-Jaime Sifers
Tyler Cuma-Justin Falk
Clayton Stoner-Jamie Fraser
Marco Scandella-Maxim Noreau
LW-C-RW
Andrew Brunette-Mikko Koivu-Martin Havlat
Owen Nolan-James Sheppard-Pierre-Marc Bouchard (RW until training camp)
Antti Miettinen-Eric Belanger-Cal Clutterbuck
Colton Gillies-Kyle Brodziak-Derek Boogaard
Petr Kalus-Benoit Pouliot-Craig Weller
Robbie Earl-Morten Madsen-Danny Irmen
Matt Kassian-Cody Almond-Carson McMillan
(the depth chart will change when the Wild plugs some minor-league holes, believed to be Duncan Milroy and Jon DiSalvatore, to replace Corey Locke and Krys Kolanos).
126 Responses to "Fletcher continues to work trade market"
Thanks for the info and all the great work, Don Russo. Enjoy your vacation!
Thank you, Russo. Enjoy the vacation. Best of luck when it comes to not stepping in here every now and again.
By the way, that’s a great blog entry to end out the season.
Thanks for the novella Russo. No need to panic yet.
I think the holes will be plugged. In Fletch we Trust (for now)… 
Enjoy the va-ca. You have deserved it.
In terms of getting an East Coast affiliate, does that affect the Aeros at all?
The only thing that scares me is the fact that Fletch through in the We are fine going into the season the way we are card. Makes me a little nervous.
Thanks Mike! You are absolutely the best in the biz!
Wildfan,
No need to worry, as we do look pretty decent right now. Lots of unknowns (Poolboy, PMB at center, Havlat injury bug, lack of depth in HOU, etc.) sure, but as CF has pounded the need to have flexibility, I’ll trust him on this one. There will be options to fill holes as the season nears, or during. I think things are actually shaping up fairly well considering what CF got left with by Smug.
Russo you’re the best, and enjoy the rest of the summer!!
—Makes me a little nervous.—
The guy has spent his whole life in training to run an NHL team. He managed to make his way through Harvard. He has come in and been assertive, strategic and methodical. He just came from a team he helped build that won the SC.
Anyone who is nervous about CF at this point simply has no clue as to what it takes to create a strategic vision for a business and implement it. This is not a flippin’ video game where you just hit the reset button if you don’t like the way its going.
Take a valium.
I think you need the Valium, settle down. Keep in mind we wont be getting Crosby and Malkin via sucking horribly for years.
SotB,
Lmao!
Maybe Wildfan has an easy button for everything. Shop at Staples Wildfan?
Wildfan,
Easy does it. Who’s going to suck for years?
I say take 2
Just going over the schedule for next season and other than a really decently-balanced March / April (for a change!!!), I can’t say I like it too much. Once again, we have too many LONG homestands, and several LONG roadtrips to deal with.
The reason I don’t care for these 4 and 5 game homestands is that the team usually is pretty flat by about the 4th or 5th game. Inconsistent would be the best word to describe how they have played on these long homestands the past few seasons. Whether it’s family distractions or what, they just don’t play well for more than 2 or 3 of the games during those. I much prefer the two and three gamers over those longer ones.
The two 5-game roadtrips, with one effectively being a 7-gamer with only a one day stopover in St. Paul after the first five road games, will suck but seems to be a reality in recent years.
Overall, what I don’t care for is the lack of balance throughout the season in these schedules. In the first 6 weeks of the year, we are 7 home / 13 road in terms of games. And yet then down the road we have two 4-game and one 5-game homestands to balance it out. Also, we see Coloroado three times in the first three months of the season at teh X, none after that, and are done with them totally by Jan 28. The two home games for us against Detroit are within six days of each other at the X.
In the “who’s your travel agent” department, look at the first roadtrip of the season… They play in LA, fly up to SJ, then have THREE off days before flying back down to SoCal to play ANA, and then they go north to EDM and VAN to finihs it out. Sheesh!!!
Also, once again there are several times during the season where we have 3 or 4 day stretches with NO games at all.
On the “great to see the wife again” front, due to the Olympic break (which I also don’t care for) and the 5-game homestand, the team will effectively be in St. Paul for the ENTIRE month of February.
Like I said though, March and April are nice and well-balanced. Should be fun down the stretch if we’re in contention for the Division at that point.
I wonder if Colin Campbell does the schedule as well as handing out the discipline. It sure looks like it!!
Fatboy,
LMAO!
An easy button, that is great.
Part of this season’s storyline is how the team handles homestands and roadtrips under the new regime. (Well, how it handles everything under the new regime but I digress.) But getting worked up about the schedule is useless at this point. Maybe this year’s Wild under TR will do better with long roadtrips and long homestands. We just don’t know yet.
vi⋅a /ˈvaɪə, ˈviə/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [vahy-uh, vee-uh] Show IPA
Use via in a Sentence
–preposition 1. by a route that touches or passes through; by way of: to fly to Japan via the North Pole.
2. by the agency or instrumentality of: a solution via an inquiry.
And that is “who” will be sucking for years Fatboy. Little grammar lesson for you.
Gee, thanks.
I stand corrected, and feel so much better now that I know.
Try 3, you seem a little high strung.
Geno, at least the road trips seem to be somewhat grouped by location. Didn’t they fly coast to coast last season at one point? Or at least I seem to remember a @NYI, home, @NJ in 4 days kind of situation last season. This schedule seems to at least send them to an area, play all the teams in that area, send them home for a few, then send them to another area, play all the teams in that area, send them home for a few, etc.
Glad I could help, I know some of the smallest words can be the hardest to figure out.
who’s is the contraction for who is
Wildfan:
—I think…..—-
Sometimes I wonder.
Anyone who is nervous about CF at this point simply has no clue as to what it takes to create a strategic vision for a business and implement it.
+1 to that line and the rest of the POTD worthy comments. Sure we would all like it if the major roster question was answered with what looked like a sure thing but (and no offence to Saku) I like the intrigue heading into the first of many seasons with CF at the helm. The possibilities now clearly outnumber what Smug was up to in his final years.
“but I’m going to do my best to take a giant step back for the next number of weeks.”
How many vacation days does a beat writer get??? Cripes, haven’t you already taken off 4 weeks (Ireland, etc.).
Don’t expect much sympathy from the working men and women reading this blog.
formatting phail.
CF = hope
Smug = dispair
I’ll hope for the best.
Seriously Travel Gnome… I would imagine the continuous hours of work for a sports reporter is rather huge… what with the travel and the deadlines. A lot of time accrues there. This is the off season, and I imagine that the paper wants to have Russo take some of that time that they owe him.
Not that I’m religious or anything, but AMEN kj!
Yes, the new and improved kool-aid is wonderful.
Wildfan, the entire point is that the best options for trades and high quality moves is not now but perhaps by 2 months from now. This will be about negotiation, and I think Fletcher has a pretty good idea where he can make something work. It just takes time and the right timing.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of money comes off the books next year. By this time next year, we could be looking at some dynamic differences in the entirety of the lineup. If CF makes a mistake with a bad contract or deal now, the Wild could be handicapped in what they can do later. This isn’t a 5 year plan. This is a make the best team possible plan, just don’t panic and pay too much/trade too much for a quick and not perfect fit.
kj, we all hope for the best with CF. I am just excited to see a new brand of hockey that will be played.
And Wildfan gets an AMEN!
Fatboy, I apologize for my comments earlier if they came off being harsh. No harm meant, not to a fellow Wild fan.
Russo:
Love ya like a brother! Have a great vacation.
No offense taken Wildfan, is all good.
Bottom line is for all us fans, we all want to see the best, and all have all sorts of questions/ideas that we would like answers for. Like kj said,
In Fletch We Trust (for now).
Should be the new team motto, not just for the Wild, but for Russoville as well
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the one and only State of Hockey, and to the organization for which it stands, one team, under Cliff Fletcher, with kool-aid and cheese curds for all.
Pssst…Goody…it’s Chuck…
Not if Chuck could just get us some decent beer in the X, I’ll be a devotee of his for the rest of my days.
er… Not = Now
Dang it! I know that! I had left the first name out but then added it for the extra syllable.
According to Fletcher’s initial outlay on FAs and potential trade target (leaving about $2 million under the cap) the Wild still has about $5.5 million to spend, so let’s hope they find that top-line scoring wing. Brunette needs to be on the second line with PMB and Nolan. PMB will make a great center; he’ll do just fine in that #2 center spot. But they desperately need a wing to put on Mikko’s line with Havlat.
I guess I don’t understand where Gillies fits into all this. Or, for that matter, defensive minded Belanger. Is Eric REALLY going to be here this year? Is Fletcher not trying to trade him, perhaps to New Jersey??? It makes no sense. With PMB, you have four capable, offensive-minded centers. Belanger just doesn’t fit this scheme, and he’s cheap for a trade partner.
And does Gillies move to wing? And if so, are we supposed to get excited abotu that? Cal Clutterbuck is one thing; Colton Gillies is another. I’d rather see Kalus or Pouliot, and see someone finally inspire their potential. But Gillies? Hmm.
Why would Gillies need to “move” to wing? He played left wing all season last year.
Also, don’t you think they’ll split Schultz and Zidlicky? Why would you have two stay-at-home Ds together? (Zanon and Hnidy?) Wouldn’t you want to mix them up for regular shifting, say Schultz with Zanon and Zidlicky with Hnidy? If you don’t, aren’t you risking even more of those maddening odd-man rushes we’ve grown so accustom to seeing when Burns and Johnsson are on the ice?
Wallshot, he’s listed as a center, though. Sorry.
You haven’t actually watched a Wild game, have you Lala? Zidlicky is the antithesis of stay-at-home defenseman.
And does Gillies move to wing?
From … wing? Gillies was a center in Juniors, but plays wing with the Wild, and he’s probably better suited to wing at the NHL level.
4 offensively-minded centers, I’m not sure of that. With Butch, you have Mikko, Butch, Shep and Poolboy. I’m not convinced Shep is offensively-minded, and I’m ok with that because one of those guys has to take the checking line center role, which would be Shep or Poolboy, probably Shep because he at least comprehends the word “defense”
“next number of weeks”? Say it ain’t so, Russo! Have a blastie, though. We’ll keep the trolls warm for you while you’re gone.
Right now if the roster is set…I would rate Fletcher’s moves as dismal. Objectively, the roster has less scoring. You can say Gabby was injured so Havlat is an upgrade..but Havlat has injury issues as well. Both healthy, I would rather have Gabby in a heartbeat. I certainly hope Fletcher is able to upgrade prior to the season, or I would have to give him very low scores so far. He only signed one player of any significant value.
I disagree Skoula, The two gritty, tough stay at home D men will have a bigger impact than you think. Hopefully Backy doesnt have to worry about people in his grill anymore.
So I follow the Hershey Bears a bit (Butch’s younger bro Francois plays there) and last year they had Alex Giroux, who LIT UP the AHL with his numbers (and led them to the Calder). Last I checked he was a free agent. Hows does a guy with those numbers linger in free agency this long? I’m very unfamiliar with the minor league ways, so maybe someone can open my eyes a bit…
Alex Giroux- 60G 37A in 69GP -
15G 13A in 22 playoff games
I also disagree with Skoula - we have yet to see what the new system will do for scoring, but hopefully we’ll pot a few more with all of the forwards playing forward rather than 1 playing defense.
Butch4Prez, that is a good question. Sounds like a solid player to me.
I also disagree with Skoula…. I love bandwagons! 
Is it bad that I just skipped Skoula’s comment because it sounded too much like whining at the beginning? Then again, with a broken blackberry and not a lot of work, you’d think I’d be reading every comment available.
I’ll jump on that bandwagon though. Give it a little time, even into the season, to see what everyone can do in the “new system”. Patience…
Skoula is right that we need an offensive upgrade, but to say only one player of significant value?
Butch, for one he is already 28… that is pretty old for a prospect. Also he has done virutually nothing in the limited time he had in the NHL. 1 goal and 1 assist in 12 games.
Big numbers in the AHL and juniors dont always translate to the NHL… looks like he might have peaked in the level of play in the AHL
I noticed his NHL numbers (or lack thereof) too, but man, thats one hell of a peak in the AHL! Definitely enough to make you wonder what if…
Kelser, he would still be a nice addition tot he Aeros IMO. I am sure they would appreciate some scoring dow there.
Ya Butch, considering Puliout can bareley score in the AHL. He has got to be worth something.
Is it weird to say that I’ll miss Russo while he’s on vacation?
I think I’ll be having blog withdrawals.
true, im sure they wouldn’t mind a 60 goal scorer! probably deserves another chance
I would imagine that Giroux is looking for a prospect worthy contract. At the age of 28, and with no real NHL numbers to back them up, will be putting interested organizations at a lower number. I’m sure that he’ll sign somewhere this summer. It’ll just take some time for the price to be right.
I was just looking at the Wikia again… Some of the nicknames for players I have never heard…
Belanager = Vlad? Belly?
Kimmy J = Yawny??
Benny = Switzerland?
Carney = Midway?
I thought we were just keeping those to frequently used on the blog names…
Carney = Midway is a clever one tho…
Yeah ATX some real head-scratchers there.
Ok Skoula, you say Fletcher’s moves suck and that he only signed one player of significant value..that’s fair, tell me who you would have preferred to have sign with the Wild (Gaborik not included)? Sedin’s never hit the market, Hossa barely hit the market, Gabby was as good as gone…what other impact player would you have liked signed?
Though I will admit I sometimes call Belanger “Vlad” because he looks like a vampire, or would if he shaved his beard-thing
I understand “Belly” but I have never seen anyone call Belanger that. “Yawny” makes sense too, but again I have never heard anyone call him that.
I saw 1 person link Benny as Switzerland once… in that a nickname does not make. And while “Midway” is indeed clever, I have never heard anyone call Carney that.
I sort of remeber someone calling Bella “Vlad” but I can’t remember when or why.
You Wild fans need to grow a pair. What a bunch of sportswriter arsekissers. This blog is lame.
Canuck Fan says:
July 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
You Wild fans need to grow a pair. What a bunch of sportswriter arsekissers. This blog is lame.
I’m just bitter because I’m a fan of team that is going nowhere and has accomplished nothing of worth in its 40 years of existence. And our best players are Swedish twins that are in love with each other
Rededheaded sweedish man love makes my undies wet.
—I would have to give him very low scores so far—
You wonder how CF sleeps at night knowing a message board poster named SkoulaSux is giving him low marks.
You wonder how CF sleeps at night knowing a message board poster named SkoulaSux is giving him low marks.
Especially when said player who the poster claims “sux” isn’t on the team anymore.
Canuck fan! Don’t you have your own blog site to leave your Sedin Twins fantasy on?? Don’t do it here…
Especially when said player who the poster claims “sux” isn’t on the team anymore
So just because he’s not on the Wild he automatically doesn’t sux anymore? I am not defending Skoulasux… I’m just saying.
He didn’t sux when he was here. A Skoula compliment a day keeps the doctor away
Belly is Belanger’s name on the team as I believe that Don Russo has reported that a few times.
AustinTXwildfan says:
July 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I was just looking at the Wikia again… Some of the nicknames for players I have never heard…
Belanager = Vlad? Belly?
Kimmy J = Yawny??
Benny = Switzerland?
Carney = Midway?
I thought we were just keeping those to frequently used on the blog names…
Perhaps someone from another group (wmb or player) is editing? Yawny I’ve heard, Belly I get, Midway - love it, Switzerland - as in that is where he’ll likely end up, Vlad I don’t get.
Why would you have two stay-at-home Ds together? (Zanon and Hnidy?)
Well, Pittsburgh did that with Scuderi and Gill, and it helped get Fletcher a ring. Just saying.
As for that kid with the goals in the AHL: The AHL is a different beast entirely compared to the NHL. It’s much easier to put up numbers in the minors than in the bigs.
Great job….enjoy your “off season” time off.
Goody, I thought the point of the Wikia was to reference things that are specific to the blog. IMO it doesn’t matter if the names make sense or not… but they should be used on this blog frequently.
It’s not really a big deal or anything… I just thought that was what the Wikia was all about.
Getting a little protective of the wiki, ATX?
No. Well… yeah. I just thought it was for blog specific stuff that’s all.
Anyone know if Russo has visited the wiki devoted to Russo’s blog?
“As for that kid with the goals in the AHL: The AHL is a different beast entirely compared to the NHL. It’s much easier to put up numbers in the minors than in the bigs.”
Beniot Pouliot doesn’t want you saying this like this!
I didnt see Russo sneak this update in earlier:
(OK, I’m back. Nashville signed Peter Olvecky).
What are the odds that Russo can’t string five consecutive days of staying away from the blog during his vision quest? I say not good. But those are selfish hopes.
Everyone needs a vacation. Even Michael. But where does a man with 120,000 miles per year and elite status go to get away from it all?
Hopefully on a porch somewhere, with a hammock available and a drink close by…
…just not going anywhere. the perfect “stay-cation”.
Enjoy, Michael.
ATX, those recent additions to Wiki are my fault. Those are nicknames the players call each other. After I posted I realized they are not used on the blog, therefore…..ooops.
Wildfan, I wouldn’t take Fletch’s comments (’We are fine going into the season the way we are’) too seriously. Part of that is because alot can still happen and part of it is it’s the PC thing to say. As a GM you don’t want to come out right now and say “Hey everybody, I have little faith in this team”! or “These players are nowhere near good enough to compete”. Fletch is better off giving the bland quotes right now.
I hear the Days Inn just outside Gary Indiana has some fantastic deals going on this time of year. If you spend an entire week without witnessing a fatal shooting, you get the second week free! Just a thought, Mike.
This Blog i great. This has probably been busyiest off season ever for the Wild and its been great getting the info so fast on this Blog. Thans Russo.
also, do you know if there is a chance the Wild will come to the Ralph again for a preseaon game? Would love to see them play the Hawks and see Jonny come home!
Sioux Fan: Is the Ralph still there? I know it is, but I thought the old man put enough money in trust to destroy the building if UND dropped the Sioux name…maybe just a rumor. For being upset about their image as non-fighters, the Sioux sure put up a hell of a fight to drop the name.
Enjoy your break and I always look forward to your comments. Hope we have you for another 5 years….
Russotweet: Jordan Leopold rejects Wild. 
Jordan Leopold rejects Wild.
PWNT.
Just saw the tweet. It’s unfortunate. I always liked Leo. Maybe he was just sick of winning big games at the Xcel.
Then again, he went to FL - maybe he was just sick of winning games…
Leopold rejected the Wild? I thought that this would be the place to be with new management and an uptempo style. Guess not….yet.
I will hope for the best for trades but historically, there doesn’t seem to be many trades happening during the quiet period between FA and training camp. There has been a few not many during the first half of the season. Will wait and see what happens.
The Avs just traded a top D prospect away to the Rangers for a 28 year old AHL lifer. The fans are pissed.
I wonder if some players are seeing the Mark Parrish experience and staying away because they don’t want that additional pressure.
Wafer: All parties involved in the Parrish incident are no longer with the Wild organization. Maybe after a full season of the new regime, some of the Minnesota players will think again about playing here.
Wallshot: Can you blame Leo? He had been getting shuffled between a Calgary organization which couldn’t figure out which way was up, and a Colorado organization which was going in the tank. Add in his injuries, and he basically was stuck in a rut.
Ask Russo when he returns…there are few better places to practice and play in the dead of winter than South Florida!
So do you really want to sign Mike Comrie or Jason Williams now if there’s some sort of chance to maybe land a Patrick Sharp?
Definitely not. So far I would give CF a “B+” grade. I think by the start of the season that could definitely bump up to an “A”.
Chuck has taken Smug’s lemons and made “Vodka Lemonade”.
All parties involved in the Parrish incident are no longer with the Wild organization.
But the question is not with the organ-eye-zation, but with the media and fans expecting the hometown boy to be the team savior. That won’t change with the new regime, but I agree that CF and crew might ease tensions better than Smug could have.
Now who wouldn’t want to play in front of your hometown crowd, in “The State of Hockey”, & with the #1 fans in hockey, in “The Ultimate Crib” of sports Arenas?
Oh, Jordon Leopold….
Agreed, Wafer. I think that the perception of what DR & Co. represented, plus the fact that every Minnesota-born/raised player would have been expected to not only save the franchise, but take a ‘hometown discount’ (so they could do it on the cheap), was then and is now too much to ask today’s player.
Wafer says:
July 17th, 2009 at 8:14 am
But the question is not with the organ-eye-zation, but with the media and fans expecting the hometown boy to be the team savior.
Especially given his role with the Gophers teams and the awards he garnered. Parrish doesn’t have quite the same record and only went to SCSU (no offense to the SCSU crowd). I think the pressure on Leopold might have been just a bit higher.
I think I’m lost, did Jordan Leopold reject us on July 1st and we’re just hearing about it now? I know he already signed with Florida so I don’t understand how he could just be rejecting us now…
We didn’t need Leopold anyway. He’s over rated.
I wish I had some sort of snappy one liner to add to the blog today…..
unforunatley I’m plum out….
enjoy your vacation russo…..
Leopold has also proven that he is somewhat Gaby-esque brittle. He has played only two full seasons (’03-04, ‘08-09) and he is now on his fourth NHL organization (Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado and now Florida).
And Goody is correct: There was a different set of expectations for Leopold as there was with Parrish, especially with then-KFAN sidekick-turned convicted felon Jeff Dubay pushing him at every turn, when Leo was on the radio show every time he was in town…
Lucky - Russo tweeted that according to Ben Hankinson, Jordan Leopold received an offer from the Wild but turned it down for Fla.
Also, Parrish and Cullen were real Gopher-killers if you remember that era, and given Parrish’s NHL totals, I think the pressure was as high on him as it would be on Leopold.
The wild do not need to get anymore middle of the pack players such as Leopold. They also can get rid of the wasted spot on the roster with the boneheaded Boogieman. He is always injured and does not tangle with anyone. Fletcher was left with nothing. He needs to get players that can play to Richards style.
rinkrat…remember that it wasn’t for lack of trying…..
no one wants to fight boogie…….
I think if lappy ever dropped the gloves to face boogy would have s#%@ his pants once that hook came for his face…..
Under Fletcher’s system Boogie scores 2 golas this season. I have forseen it…
*goals… not golas… I don’t even know what a golas is.
I just imagined being in lappys shoes for one of those moments…..excuse me…..I need to go change now…..
he scores two goulashes?
Boogie always injured, never scoring,always has his nose pushed up against the window of the dance because he is always a scratch. We got alot better results from Nolan on both ends of hat deal.
ATX the last time you started forseeing things, they didn’t happen.
STOP IT!
Boogaard adds nothing to our offence, get in about 8 fights a season(if that) and last year took more stupid penalties then he drew.
I think the NHL is getting away from the one dimensional fighter. We need to be smarter then the last regime when it comes to cap spending, stop throwing big money at 3rd and 4th liners.
Do people really think Derek Boogaard deserves $1Mil this year? To play 3 minutes a night?
IMO this is Boogaard’s last season in a Wild sweater.
So wait — do the other players call Pool Boy Switzerland?
I am not the foreseer… I was stealing from kj (at least I think it’s kj that does that). I did forget the ghey smiley though.
Okay, Boogie scores 3 (yes THREE!!) goals and adds 5 assists this year having a career year totaling 8 points. Thus sending his trade value through the roof. We get AO, and Malkin for Boggie and our first rounder through a three way trade. I have forseen it… 
There, that’s better.
Don’t you think Leo was intrigued by playing with Ballard? Also, we have no idea what the contract offer from the Wild was.
So I was trying to watch this video on TSN abuot Hossa joining the Hawks, and when the video started I got an error message that said Canada Only… wtf? I can’t watch videos on TSN because I am not from Canada?
If you’re in the trading market, buy low, sell high. The Buffalo Sabres are down on Jochen Hecht, a versatile center who had an off year. His cap hit is a little high, but Buffalo might make a great trading partner.
food.
I dont blame Leopold. When guys are going to sign with a team doesnt have much of a chance to win the cup they want to play. He didnt think he was a shoe in to be a top 4 or 5 Dman so he went some where he will be.
