2021 Minnesota Wild In-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
GopherVotary said:
Marchessault nets two tonight (you heard it here first).
Click to expand...
That line has not produced in this series, but then again, none of the forwards have. Shit, the Habs just collapse their whole defense down towards the net and are content letting the defensemen take shots from the point and even inside the point.

To that end, it sounds like the youngster Nic Hague is playing tonight instead of Holden on D; Hague hasn't played a TON this postseason since Holden came on, but played most of the regular season. I'm a little worried about how Hague will handle such an aggressive forecheck from Montreal, sometimes he's a little shaky with the puck in his own end. Expect Montreal to go after him hard on the forecheck.

Not a great skater yet, but he's super long and rangy and by all accounts has one of the best slap shots in the organization. At the very least I hope he makes a few of the Habs hit the ice after taking some slap shots to the shin.

I still think VGK is quite a bit better than Montreal, but literally have no clue how this will go tonight. The team that scores first will be feeling pretty good about themselves, no doubt.
 


GopherVotary said:
Bad call by me. Pacioretty had a golden opportunity to win it in OT but failed. The MAF Gaffe in game 4 ultimately cost Vegas the series.
Click to expand...
Well SHIT. Hot goalies in the playoffs, a team can ride that the whole way. Price was far and away the best player in the series. Still not overly impressed with Montreal but whatever. The sun will come up tomorrow. I'd be more broken up if I had the weight of 20-30 years of postseason futility piled on me but what the heck; 4 years in, one Stanley Cup Final, two Western Conf Finals, and a highly bullshit first round playoff exit. I can live with that.

I believe I'll be cheering on the Islanders the rest of the way
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Well SHIT. Hot goalies in the playoffs, a team can ride that the whole way. Price was far and away the best player in the series. Still not overly impressed with Montreal but whatever. The sun will come up tomorrow. I'd be more broken up if I had the weight of 20-30 years of postseason futility piled on me but what the heck; 4 years in, one Stanley Cup Final, two Western Conf Finals, and a highly bullshit first round playoff exit. I can live with that.

I believe I'll be cheering on the Islanders the rest of the way
Click to expand...
Man, what a terrific series - especially for only 6 games. I'll tell you what, the Habs figured out how to slow down Vegas, so you have to give them credit for that. There are two sides of hockey - offense and defense. And defense is not just in the defensive end. Their forecheck is really good, they make it tough on Vegas getting clean through the neutral zone and they don't make big mistakes in their own end. And they have just enough skill players - boy is Caufield a shot in the arm for them. Oh and the goalie is ok too.

Man, that save by Price in OT when he had no idea where it was and it hit him in the shoulder was the game winner for Vegas. It should have been over right there. I can't believe that didn't go in. Then Montreal rushes right down and scores. Not great Vegas defense on that rush.

Sorry, bro.
 

GopherVotary said:
Bad call by me. Pacioretty had a golden opportunity to win it in OT but failed. The MAF Gaffe in game 4 ultimately cost Vegas the series.
Click to expand...
Good call. At least a chance of an almost certain game 7 at home. Saves Oh Gee some cash though, I bet.....
 


GopherJake said:
Good call. At least a chance of an almost certain game 7 at home. Saves Oh Gee some cash though, I bet.....
Click to expand...
Money I would have gladly spent. Your loss though, Jake. I was considering seeing you wanted to come down for a Stanley Cup Final game if they made the SC Final.

At least it was on the road and not at home. The only series I've seen them lose the closing game at The Fortress was when the Capitals closed out the Cup in our first year. It was painful, and I almost didn't want to go, but at the end of the day it's history and you have to go. I'm glad I did, and for the most part watched Ovechkin and the Caps skate around our ice with the Cup.

I guess it's the offseason now. The core will be back for the most part, but there is some young talent ready to play now. I think at least 1 of the top 6 and maybe one of the top D will not return and who the hell knows what they do with Goalie; Fleury one more year at $7M, and Lehner on a multiple year deal at $5M/year.

People outside the Knights think Fleury is light years better, and he was great this year but Knights fans remember it was Lehner they rode all the way through the playoffs last year when Fleury was struggling, then they signed Lehner long term and tried to move Fleury all offseason and Lehner was expected to be the #1 this year. Fleury starts the year hot, Lehner gets a concussion and misses some time, and Fleury has a Vezina caliber year. Go figure.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Money I would have gladly spent. Your loss though, Jake. I was considering seeing you wanted to come down for a Stanley Cup Final game if they made the SC Final.
Click to expand...
God-damned Habs! Thanks for the thought, Oh Gee. That would have been a blast.

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
At least it was on the road and not at home. The only series I've seen them lose the closing game at The Fortress was when the Capitals closed out the Cup in our first year. It was painful, and I almost didn't want to go, but at the end of the day it's history and you have to go. I'm glad I did, and for the most part watched Ovechkin and the Caps skate around our ice with the Cup.

I guess it's the offseason now. The core will be back for the most part, but there is some young talent ready to play now. I think at least 1 of the top 6 and maybe one of the top D will not return and who the hell knows what they do with Goalie; Fleury one more year at $7M, and Lehner on a multiple year deal at $5M/year.

People outside the Knights think Fleury is light years better, and he was great this year but Knights fans remember it was Lehner they rode all the way through the playoffs last year when Fleury was struggling, then they signed Lehner long term and tried to move Fleury all offseason and Lehner was expected to be the #1 this year. Fleury starts the year hot, Lehner gets a concussion and misses some time, and Fleury has a Vezina caliber year. Go figure.
Click to expand...
I'm no NHL salary cap expert, but $12MM sounds high for the goaltending tandem? Can't argue with the results. Maybe that's the ticket. Fleury is older, so it doesn't surprise me that you consider him the lesser of the two, going forward, at least. That position has to be a grind though. Especially now, where - as that "Hockey has a gigantic goalie problem" article says, they really are in there not to be athletic, but just to be big. It's all work and not a lot of "fun". Let one through somehow, even when in "perfect" position, and you get the "ughhhhh"s from everyone. I never had any desire to be a hockey goalie.

I'll be watching the rest of the way. Man, this has been a great playoff season.
 


So glad to see Vegas lose. Go Habs. Time for Canada to have a Stanley Cup winner.
 



GopherJake said:
God-damned Habs! Thanks for the thought, Oh Gee. That would have been a blast.


I'm no NHL salary cap expert, but $12MM sounds high for the goaltending tandem? Can't argue with the results. Maybe that's the ticket. Fleury is older, so it doesn't surprise me that you consider him the lesser of the two, going forward, at least. That position has to be a grind though. Especially now, where - as that "Hockey has a gigantic goalie problem" article says, they really are in there not to be athletic, but just to be big. It's all work and not a lot of "fun". Let one through somehow, even when in "perfect" position, and you get the "ughhhhh"s from everyone. I never had any desire to be a hockey goalie.

I'll be watching the rest of the way. Man, this has been a great playoff season.
Click to expand...
You're right, but..... as I heard plenty of times since they signed Lehner, only one team has more allocated to Goalie than VGK; Montreal. But that's misleading because Price is making $10.5 and the backup a few bucks.

I think there was talk of MAYBE Pittsburgh taking Fleury back for a year or so if the price was right but who knows. This front office will be working some magic this offseason, they always do. I would be actually surprised if they didn't jettison someone fairly surprising (Reilly Smith, Fleury, etc) and bring on a fairly high caliber player at Center. If they can get someone to take a mid-higher level contract off their hands (Smith makes $5M, Fleury $7M, not sure who else), I could see them making a play for a TRUE center, which they happen to really be lacking. I checked the Free Agent list and at Center it's a lot of older guys, not that exciting. By the way I keep mentioning Smith not just because he wasn't GREAT this year (although he's one of the original Golden Misfits), but also because he's only got one year left on his deal which might make him easier to move.

Looking forward to watching the rest of the playoffs. It's a little too soon to say I could cheer for Montreal but I really like excellence, like supreme excellence, at one's craft and Carey Price is just playing out of his mind right now. Seems like a good dude, hard not to root for.
 

By the way, this could be a really interesting offseason, with the VGK right in the middle of things... again.

With VGK exempt from the Seattle expansion draft, look for at least one team, possibly more than one, to offload a player in a trade to the Knights that they may end up losing anyway to Seattle. Might as well get something rather than nothing. I even saw Dumba's name thrown in there, but I doubt the Wild make any deals with Knights after Vegas fleeced the Wild for Haula and Tuch.

And while I think rumors of Vegas going after Buffalo's Jack Eichel are awfully far-fetched, I wouldn't put anything past this front office. They have shown to be one of the most aggressive groups I've ever seen. If the price isn't just plain stupid, the addition of Eichel would/could make the Knights frightening next year. Eichel's pending disc/neck surgery could potentially drive down the asking price. Vegas has no true #1 Center, and I doubt they go into 2021-2022 without changing that.

Look for sparks to fly leading up to the expansion draft and into free agency.
 

A healthy Eichel would make Vegas the favorites. It'd be helpful if they trimmed their goalie budget as well.
 

TruthSeeker said:
A healthy Eichel would make Vegas the favorites. It'd be helpful if they trimmed their goalie budget as well.
Click to expand...
This. Number one centers are in low-supply. The bidding will be high, unless the surgeon announces "the surgery didn't go well today." LOL.
 



Oh boy. Tampa beat the hell out of Montreal. If the Habs don't get a forecheck, this series is going to be over quick. Tampa had a dozen great scoring chances. Montreal had a few, but very little sustained pressure. They were better in the second half of the game, despite the score blowing up. But not good enough. Too many great chances by Tampa. If they get slaughtered again in game 2, it's going to get ugly at the end of the game. There was blood on the ice already and a blowout will result in some Eddie Shore Olde Time Hockey, I predict.
 

Tampa looked really really good last night, but then again, Vegas rolled over Montreal in Game 1; I think this will be a different story though. Tampa is just too good. Montreal just has no business being in the SC Final. Frustrating. Looks like they are resorting to the same chippy and cheap shot tactics they used against Toronto and Vegas; cross-checking and slashing where they can get away with it. Uggghh....

I hope Tampa rolls them in 4
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
With VGK exempt from the Seattle expansion draft, look for at least one team, possibly more than one, to offload a player in a trade to the Knights that they may end up losing anyway to Seattle. Might as well get something rather than nothing. I even saw Dumba's name thrown in there, but I doubt the Wild make any deals with Knights after Vegas fleeced the Wild for Haula and Tuch.
Click to expand...

Amazing that the Knights are exempt from the Expansion draft, the rich get richer.

Regarding the Wild making deals with the Knights, they are 2 GMs removed from the 2017 Expansion draft, so I would hope Guerin would do whatever he thinks is best for the Wild. The window looks to be open in St Paul now.

Also, while it worked out in Vegas' favor I would not say currently the Wild got "fleeced". Fletcher would have had to expose Dumba or Brodin, had they not made that deal. If they wind up losing Dumba anyway to Kraken, then it does look worse, though they got a pretty solid 4 years out of him. But hey, they the took the Knights/Kraken expansion dough, so that's the price of poker so to speak.
 

Hakstol coaches the Kraken. Didn't he coach Parise at UND?

Don't protect Parise from the expansion draft. Problem solved.
 

TruthSeeker said:
Hakstol coaches the Kraken. Didn't he coach Parise at UND?

Don't protect Parise from the expansion draft. Problem solved.
Click to expand...
He has a no-trade clause (or what not) that prevents this, without Zach's permission, I believe.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
cross-checking and slashing where they can get away with it. Uggghh....
Click to expand...
Cross checking is borderline out-of-control. I noticed several last night that were over the line. I can tell you from experience that those do not feel good and it doesn't take much to make them vicious. Now, these guys aren't wearing paper thin shoulder pads, like I did (don't wear any now, as I play no-check), but they are also getting hit by bigger, stronger guys, sometimes much harder. I wish they would crack down on it. Suter got slammed right into the corner of the post and crossbar, nearly getting severely injured. I've seen several near misses against the boards in this playoffs. And it's really easy to have the cross check get up into the neck and face when guys are "careless" with their cross check.
 

Ope3 said:
Amazing that the Knights are exempt from the Expansion draft, the rich get richer.
Click to expand...
Well, the Knights had the foresight to make that deal a few years ago; they don't get a piece of that Seattle expansion moola so they aren't getting off scott free in the whole deal.

Gotta continue to love how the NHL reports injuries (or how they DON'T); it comes out now that D-man Alec Martinez for the Knights played the entire postseason with a broken foot, likely from blocking a shot in the final regular season game. Crushed the league in blocked shots for the regular season and again in the playoffs, so not surprising. Good grief, how do you play hockey with a broken foot?
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Well, the Knights had the foresight to make that deal a few years ago; they don't get a piece of that Seattle expansion moola so they aren't getting off scott free in the whole deal.
Click to expand...
I don't begrudge the Knights one bit, smart people running that organization. Also, without getting chipped off a piece of the Seattle fee, then it's perfectly fair/reasonable that they do not have to expose a player in the expansion draft.
 

TruthSeeker said:
Hakstol coaches the Kraken. Didn't he coach Parise at UND?

Don't protect Parise from the expansion draft. Problem solved.
Click to expand...
GopherJake said:
He has a no-trade clause (or what not) that prevents this, without Zach's permission, I believe.
Click to expand...
Yeah, his non-movement clause requires the Wild to protect him. Even if he'd waive it, hard to see an expansion team wanting to take on that contract.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Yeah, his non-movement clause requires the Wild to protect him. Even if he'd waive it, hard to see an expansion team wanting to take on that contract.
Click to expand...
The advantage is that if he were to waive it, then we could protect someone else we definitely want to keep.
 

GopherJake said:
The advantage is that if he were to waive it, then we could protect someone else we definitely want to keep.
Click to expand...
Sure, if he wants to help out the Wild he could waive it knowing that Seattle is unlikely to take him (or maybe even that he's willing to go there). I'm no insider, but from what I have read, he's not in the mood to be doing Wild management any favors.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Sure, if he wants to help out the Wild he could waive it knowing that Seattle is unlikely to take him (or maybe even that he's willing to go there). I'm no insider, but from what I have read, he's not in the mood to be doing Wild management any favors.
Click to expand...
I imagine there's a scenario where the Wild make a deal with Seattle to take Zach's contract in exchange for some serious draft capital, or another prospect/player. Those are the kinds of deals the VGK made during their expansion draft; take on a bloated salary in return for another prospect and/or picks.

The Wild have two 1st rounders and two 3rd rounders in this year's draft. I could see a deal where Seattle takes Zach and his shitty contract in exchange for some assets in return. A seasoned vet could go a long ways for a new team like Seattle. VGK took on a few players like that and that leadership can be valuable.
 

Zero surprise that the Wild's KK97 wins the Calder for top Rookie but even as a homer, I'm a little surprised that Fleury won the Vezina. I thought for sure it was Vasilevsky's year to win it. Fleury had career numbers and he's essentially the most likable and well-thought of player in the NHL by most accounts but this surprised me. Perhaps a little bit of a sentimental pick by some of the voters, who knows.
 



Highway robbery tonight by Tampa Bay. Thoroughly outplayed, but they managed to outscore Montreal. Goalie guy for Tampa was pretty amazing. Incredible goal by Blake Coleman at the end of the 2nd period would have really taken the steam out of a lot of teams - and it looked like that's what happened, as the 3rd period was much more of a toss-up. They just showed 3 more goals by Coleman that were very similar, including one in college (where did they get that footage - Miami, OH???). Then two more in the pros, including one last year in the bubble.

They said since 1951, teams that went up 2-0 in the finals won 90% of the time. I'll tell you what though - I am not counting out the Habs just yet. The Suzuki, Caufield, Whoever line played much better tonight than game 1. They are home Friday and Monday. If they can somehow even the series, then, of course, it gets interesting.....

Final note: I will take Denault on my team any day of the week (him being the backchecker on the Coleman goal notwithstanding....). Denault is just a damned good hockey player.
 


You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom