WildHBcommunity: MNWild Unfinished Business Looming Large as Camp Creeps Closer
Summer Comes to a Close in the State of Hockey
Here in Minnesota the State Fair signals the end of summer and a return to school for the kids, but for hockey fans specifically it signals a return of the team that we live and die with. On the horizon is the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament and training camp here in Saint Paul beginning Sept. 18th and in Des Moines mostly likely around Sept. 26th (Thanks @WildJoeRadio Joe O'Donnell).
The NHL Prospects Tournament will return to Traverse City for the 16th season, running from Friday, Sept. 12 through Tuesday, Sept. 16.
The eight-team tournament will include the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.
Courtesy of CenterIce.org
The Minnesota Wild open up the 2014-15 NHL Regular Season on Oct. 9th at the X versus the dirty rotten cheating Colorado Avalanche. Both teams are looking to prove that last season was the beginning of a bright future for their respective franchises. Certainly their will be no love lost between these former Northwest Division rivals. It certainly will be another highly competitive log jam type of year in the Central division with each team adding significant offseason pieces to the fold.
Unfinished Business Looms Large as Camp Creeps Closer
Around town patience has been preached with regard to the still unresolved restricted free agents Nino Niederreiter and Darcy Kuemper. As we creep closer to camp with both still unsigned, I don't think it is time to panic but it certainly illustrates how important their signings in terms of money & term will be for the Wild going forward with so many young players coming due next season as well.
On Nino specifically I think Chuck Fletcher would LOVE to get ahead of the curve and get him locked into a multi-year deal in the $3Mil+ range per year but maybe when it is all said and done his agent works a bridge deal to bet on KnightRider who certainly flashed top tier potential while proving capable of putting the team first last year.
I am in the camp that believes Nino belongs in the Top 6 and has the greatest potential to become a proven goal scorer among the Wild's young forward group(Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Erik Haula, and Justin Fontaine) but I have this sneaky feeling Mike Yeo will differ to Coyle in the Top 6 again this year to begin the season. Nino's ability to carry the puck and handle sets him apart from Coyle in my mind. Nino arrived in Minnesota last year humble and committed to disproving the nasty innuendo that surrounded his exit from the Islanders organization.
The longer this goes unresolved between the Wild and Nino, the more it trends towards a bridge deal type of scenario. Fletcher has a very good handle on projections of players and market values so I think he realizes the risk associated with not being able to get a long term pact now with Nino before he puts up significant scoring numbers and fulfills his superstar potential.
In the case of Darcy Kumeper versus the Wild the waters are much muddier because of the two veteran netminders currently under contract and blocking the young goaltender from a prominent role right out of the gates this season. Certainly if Fletcher could have moved Niklas Backstrom this summer in a trade he would have no doubt in my mind. The delicate handling of Josh Harding's illness and long term ability to remain in the lineup only further clouds Kuemper's role in the Wild organization.
Kuemper nearly chose to become a free agent after winning Western Hockey League Player of the Year after a 2010-11 Red Deer Rebels season that saw him win 45 of 62 games with a 1.86 goals against average. Kuemper was a 2009 6th round selection by the Wild in the same draft they used a 3rd round pick on Matt Hackett who was said to be the heir apparent to the NHL job.
Kuemper has done everything in his power to earn at minimum a spot in the goaltender rotation in Saint Paul to begin this season which only further complicates the current contract negotiations between his agent and Fletcher. Kuemper only has 32 NHL games under his belt but he made the most of his opportunities last season during the stretch run when it seemed the Wild was spiraling out of control.
Certainly there still exists question with regard to Kuemper and his ability to be a full time NHL netminder now but honestly this kid has proved doubters wrong every step of the way thus far in his professional career so it would be poor timing now to ruin the relationship with him in a long drawn out ugly negotiation. Tough thing right now is on the outside looking is that we don't now what Kuemper and his agent are looking for compensation and term wise.
As it stands Backstrom is under contract through next season and Harding has a year left on his deal so for all intents and purpose those are your NHL rostered goalies to begin the 2014-15 season. That is on Fletcher though because he seems to have overextended himself on the Backstrom contract after missing out chasing Ben Bishop and Jonathan Bernier last summer.
Hopefully Kuemper and the Wild come to a mutually beneficial pact with eyes on the future soon because I think we all agree neither Harding nor Backstrom appear to be the long term solution between the pipes for the franchise.
Farm System Updates and Minor League Moves
I have been following the story of MNWild prospect Reid Duke the past week or so as he had failed to report to Lethbridge Hurricanes training camp. According to my source haha I have none, but I received a DM from gentlemen that knows about all that Duke had requested a trade last year. Duke really flashed some speed and scoring talent making him a very intriguing prospect especially for a late round flier. I wonder if that affected his draft stock this spring as he certainly is into it with the WHL team with no resolution in sight. Darrell Romuld of CTV has been all over this situation. Here are some tweets from him:
Nick Seeler is another MNWild prospect is currently in limbo after leaving his team from last year the University of Nebraska-Omaha after just 2 seasons in the NCAA. The departure was unexpected and explained as due to "personal reasons" for which the Wild seemed caught of guard by it. Seeler is a 2011 5th round selection of the Wild and a kid from Eden Prairie who plays with an edge.
I have not seen an update on Seeler or the Wild's plans for him next season but I will continue to monitor what is next for the young blue liner. Seeler did not take part in the 2014 MNWild Prospect Development Camp so it is hard to tell where he stands within the organization rankings and hierarchy of defensive prospects.
The most recent prospect to no longer be in the MNWild's plans is 2006 4th round selection Kyle Medvec who has signed to play in Europe according to the Let's Play Hockey Twitter Account here:
Fletcher has moved on nearly completely from the group that had been together in Houston and then Iowa last year. All of the following players are now gone Tyler Cuma, Kris Foucalt, Chad Rau, Carson McMillan, and Josh Caron. The new additions via free agency who look destined to play mostly in Iowa are Jordan Schroeder, Brett Sutter, Michael Keranen, Joel Rechlicz, and Stu Bickel. Also options to join Iowa would be Stephane Veilleux, Cody Almond, Jason Zucker, Christian Folin, Jon Blum, Matthew Dumba, Gustav Olofsson, and Justin Falk.
Just my gut right now but here is how I see the opening game roster for MNWild:
Parise/Granlund/Pominville
Vanek/Koivu/Coyle
Cooke/Haula/Nino
Almond/Brodziak/Fontaine
Veilleux
Suter/Brodin
Scandella/Spurgeon
Ballard/Blum
Folin
Harding
Backstrom
That's all for now thanks for reading!
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Just My Take,
Tony Dean
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