Brad Ratgen: Post-Season and Player/Position Thoughts (Koivu Must Go?)
A grab bag of different thoughts as the Minnesota Wild enter the post-season.
- Brad Ratgen

According to capgeek, the Wild already used 1 compliance buyout on D Gilbert, so the team has only 1 left. If Koivu is declining and has more years and higher salary than Backstrom, wouldn't he be the better choice and hope Backstrom can regain form for next year to be the 1a/1b goalie tandem?

Oh great series and looking to see you guys next year....

Good work this season, Brad. I know there's only a few of us, but you did us proud.... when you bothered to show up

Trading Koivu makes a Vanek signing much easier to digest AND still allows this team to go out and get a top 4 defenseman, which they badly need. I don't know what buying out Backstrom really does for this team. His entire contract would still count against the cap and there's always the possibility that he is healthy and stays healthy in a backup role. The only issue with that is Harding's refusal to retire, as Russo mentioned today. He refuses to give up on playing in the NHL, which is admirable, but puts this franchise in a very difficult decision. Kuemper, Harding and Backstrom all on one-ways.... one of them has to go. Maybe they eat half of Backy's contract in order to make a trade work. Who knows

I get you weren't advocating the buyout of Backstrom, my point was all he saves is a roster spot at this point. I think Kuemper earned the net and Backstrom is too unreliable to have on the roster at this point.

Look at the bright side, at least Parrish is off the books.

I agree with Ratgen about trying to get something for Koivu. Hard working, obviously a great leader, has solid advanced stats, but he still feels somewhat overrated to me. As Brad and many others pointed out, he could hit a steep downhill as he rounds out his career. The problem I see is that I don't think he'd garner much in a trade at this point.

I also don't think the Wild should bring in Vanek as he could taper off quickly as he gets into his mid 30s. I don't see Statsny heading to Minny - the Wild shouldn't pay him what he will get as a UFA (there's very few UFAs this year that are the make an immediate difference type of player, sort of like when Richards went to NYC for way too much money).

What's wrong with the Wild just grabbing a few role players and letting the youngsters continue to develop? The only glaring weakness I see at this point is no true #1 goalie due to age (Kuemper) or injury (Harding, maybe Kuemper).

According to capgeek, the Wild already used 1 compliance buyout on D Gilbert, so the team has only 1 left. If Koivu is declining and has more years and higher salary than Backstrom, wouldn't he be the better choice and hope Backstrom can regain form for next year to be the 1a/1b goalie tandem?

Oh great series and looking to see you guys next year....
- Ur Not Me

Backstrom is not eligible for compliance.
It would come down to Koivu or Brodziak if the FO decided to use the second buyout.
I just cannot believe there wouldn't be a team out there interested in Koivu, especially if Leipold agreed to pay a portion of his salary. Still one of the better defensive centers in the game. Above average setup man, with faceoff skills.... but yeeeesh, that cap #

I agree with Ratgen about trying to get something for Koivu. Hard working, obviously a great leader, has solid advanced stats, but he still feels somewhat overrated to me. As Brad and many others pointed out, he could hit a steep downhill as he rounds out his career. The problem I see is that I don't think he'd garner much in a trade at this point.

I also don't think the Wild should bring in Vanek as he could taper off quickly as he gets into his mid 30s. I don't see Statsny heading to Minny - the Wild shouldn't pay him what he will get as a UFA (there's very few UFAs this year that are the make an immediate difference type of player, sort of like when Richards went to NYC for way too much money).

What's wrong with the Wild just grabbing a few role players and letting the youngsters continue to develop? The only glaring weakness I see at this point is no true #1 goalie due to age (Kuemper) or injury (Harding, maybe Kuemper).
- manchester33

I agree with much of what you had to say, although if Fletch is able to trade Koivu, I'd be much more comfortable with the idea of signing Vanek. So long as the deal didn't take him into his mid-late 30's.
I would love to see Fletch go out and trade for Pavelski. Now there's a center who can skate, score, and open up the ice for his wingers. Can't believe the rumors of him being available are true but you have to believe every GM in the league will inquire. Our 1st, any D prospect they want plus Zucker/Lucia or Bussieres?
Otherwise, going with a solid dman and shoring up the goalie situation could be all this team needs. After seeing how the kids played in the playoffs, I wouldn't disagree with the team going this route.

I agree with much of what you had to say, although if Fletch is able to trade Koivu, I'd be much more comfortable with the idea of signing Vanek. So long as the deal didn't take him into his mid-late 30's.
I would love to see Fletch go out and trade for Pavelski. Now there's a center who can skate, score, and open up the ice for his wingers. Can't believe the rumors of him being available are true but you have to believe every GM in the league will inquire. Our 1st, any D prospect they want plus Zucker/Lucia or Bussieres?
Otherwise, going with a solid dman and shoring up the goalie situation could be all this team needs. After seeing how the kids played in the playoffs, I wouldn't disagree with the team going this route.
- SotaPopinski

The Sharks are never going to learn are they? It's not the younger core, it's the underachieving Thornton and Marleau. I'll take Pavelski and the Sharks/Wild have a history. How can Fletch fleece them this time?

Compliance buyout for Koivu? Guys, give your head a shake. You want to throw away Koivu for absolutely nothing and that makes the Wild a better team?

I can get on board with discussing a Kesler/Koivu based deal. But a compliance buyout is foolish.

With regards to his skating, I think it would be better to see how he recuperates in the off-season. Koivu's never been an elite skater but I think his ankle injury and surgery may be contributing to what we're seeing now. A summer to rehab may have him back to a level that is acceptable.

Compliance buyout for Koivu? Guys, give your head a shake. You want to throw away Koivu for absolutely nothing and that makes the Wild a better team?

I can get on board with discussing a Kesler/Koivu based deal. But a compliance buyout is foolish.

With regards to his skating, I think it would be better to see how he recuperates in the off-season. Koivu's never been an elite skater but I think his ankle injury and surgery may be contributing to what we're seeing now. A summer to rehab may have him back to a level that is acceptable.
- Chinaski

Agreed. No way you let Koivu go for nothing. I'd even be willing to cover some of his salary in a decent enough trade before turing to a compliance buy out, or a buy out of any kind.

Lets be reasonable here... I mean yeah, Mikko is not the offensive player we all want him to be, but he is still a very big part of the reason the Wild pushed into the playoffs and made it to the second round.

Down the stretch I think he was the highest scoring center for like a 30 day stretch or something like that.. At least thats what I remebmer hearing.

Regardless, Koivu may be over paid by a million and change, maybe closer to two, but there are plenty of teams with cap space galore that I'm sure would be more than willing to take a flyer on one of the top 2 way face off men in the NHL.

I'll guarantee you one thing, if he is traded, you can bet this team will be much weaker defensively going into next season and it will show.

Agreed. No way you let Koivu go for nothing. I'd even be willing to cover some of his salary in a decent enough trade before turing to a compliance buy out, or a buy out of any kind.

Lets be reasonable here... I mean yeah, Mikko is not the offensive player we all want him to be, but he is still a very big part of the reason the Wild pushed into the playoffs and made it to the second round.

Down the stretch I think he was the highest scoring center for like a 30 day stretch or something like that.. At least thats what I remebmer hearing.

Regardless, Koivu may be over paid by a million and change, maybe closer to two, but there are plenty of teams with cap space galore that I'm sure would be more than willing to take a flyer on one of the top 2 way face off men in the NHL.

I'll guarantee you one thing, if he is traded, you can bet this team will be much weaker defensively going into next season and it will show.
- MnGump

Agreed, defensively he seems like a nightmare to play against. The Wild would have to get a very solid return to let him go. I just don't see the market for that kind of return. A Koivu and anything else for Kesler makes little sense to me - Vancouver needs to look in the other direction if they want to become competitive any time soon, not sign big money players just slightly past their prime. I say Koivu stays.

Agreed, defensively he seems like a nightmare to play against. The Wild would have to get a very solid return to let him go. I just don't see the market for that kind of return. A Koivu and anything else for Kesler makes little sense to me - Vancouver needs to look in the other direction if they want to become competitive any time soon, not sign big money players just slightly past their prime. I say Koivu stays.
- manchester33

I agree with you in terms of there is little market for the kind of return they need. It's not that Koivu has no value to the other teams - hell, if he was bought out, you'd have 29 teams lining up to sign him to a more reasonable deal. But at his age and cap number, it wouldn't make sense to give up what the Wild would want/need to get him either. I think it was Russo the other day that suggested it would be prudent for Fletcher to explore the trade market for Koivu but it will be awfully difficult to make a good deal.

Hes not a pure offense guy, so you cant get sidetracked with his numbers. Strong 2 way game, good on the draw, I believe he was the only Av this year with strong pocession numbers.

Thats the thing, if he is getting 5.5m Avs are signing him no problem. And that will be a hometown discount. If he hits the open market, he will get 6.5m at least. Hes the big name out there, and teams would spend to get him.....oilers, preds, flames, florida would offer that and probably a bit more to try and get him to come to those teams.

If he is taking bw 5-6m a year to be a contender team, it will be with the Avs or blues bc of personal connections. Cant see him turning down offers in that range from those teams just to sign with the same money with another contender.

Last year if mike riberio is getting a 5.5m and weiss is getting 4.9m hit of a long term contract on the open market, you know stastny will get more than that with an increase in the cap
- DDM-Coga

The only downside with Stastny as he ages is his skating ability. The guy sees the ice so well that it might not be an issue but he has never been the strongest skater. Don't want to see him turn into a Heatley.

I agree with you in terms of there is little market for the kind of return they need. It's not that Koivu has no value to the other teams - hell, if he was bought out, you'd have 29 teams lining up to sign him to a more reasonable deal. But at his age and cap number, it wouldn't make sense to give up what the Wild would want/need to get him either. I think it was Russo the other day that suggested it would be prudent for Fletcher to explore the trade market for Koivu but it will be awfully difficult to make a deal.
- Chinaski

Have to find a desperate GM to make it work.

The only downside with Stastny as he ages is his skating ability. The guy sees the ice so well that it might not be an issue but he has never been the strongest skater. Don't want to see him turn into a Heatley.
- manchester33

I think the problem with Heatley is he is very one-dimensional and this league just quickly turned into a skating league that left him behind in a hurry. Guys like Koivu and Statsny are better all-around hockey players than Heatley. They can lose a step or two but still find ways to contribute.

The Sharks are never going to learn are they? It's not the younger core, it's the underachieving Thornton and Marleau. I'll take Pavelski and the Sharks/Wild have a history. How can Fletch fleece them this time?
- arvinb316

That's approaching Garth Snow/Mike Millbury status if they decide to trade away Pavelski.
Like you said, there's trade history between the 2 teams. Pavelski is another Wisconsin kid, Team USA member... make it happen Fletch!

Compliance buyout for Koivu? Guys, give your head a shake. You want to throw away Koivu for absolutely nothing and that makes the Wild a better team?

I can get on board with discussing a Kesler/Koivu based deal. But a compliance buyout is foolish.

With regards to his skating, I think it would be better to see how he recuperates in the off-season. Koivu's never been an elite skater but I think his ankle injury and surgery may be contributing to what we're seeing now. A summer to rehab may have him back to a level that is acceptable.
- Chinaski

Well said. But it is interesting how well he played prior to playoffs, then disappeared yet again when he had to face Toews and the Blackhawks. Like Nanne said, it's time for Koivu to move on.

I feel getting rid of Koivu would be a step back for the organization. We knew from the get-go that he was not a goal scorer and probably never would be. But take a look at the points he put up and the line mates with which he was playing for his entire career. The guy is a solid set-up man, and that is what we knew he would be. Did we over-pay to keep our leading scorer, top center, and captain? Maybe, but a lot of other teams probably would have paid the same, if not more, for him.

We bring in Parise and the two worked wonderfully together, except for putting the biscuit in the basket. Parise was supposed to solve that issue - so if Koivu puts up solid numbers playing with nobodies and has-beens, but Parise doesn't light the lamp, why is the onus put on Koivu? This season he finished at nearly an identical point-per-game rate as Parise, but no one mentions trading Parise (I'm not, either). Everybody talks about how the Wild consistently struggle to put the puck in the net, but Koivu is the only one that really gets the blame. There are 11 other forwards out there not burying the puck.

The amount of puck-control Koivu has with the puck is astounding; these playoffs (as of game three against Chicago) he was the number one player in terms of puck possession, and his face-off win rate was one of the highest during the playoffs. He is one of the best two-way centers in the league and consistently ranks as one of the highest face-off winners. If the Wild were to have swapped Haula or Granlund for Koivu, we probably would have lost against Colorado - the amount of face-offs he won in our defensive zone against their top line was, in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons we won that series.

Can we fault Koivu for not scoring goals? Sure, we know he has a propensity to pass the puck before shooting, but re-watch any of the games and take a look at the plays he set up and the other players who didn't bury their chances. Koivu is not the reason the Wild don't score more goals.

Not only has he put up those solid numbers, but he's done so playing the most minutes as a forward for the Wild, and against the toughest opposition. I don't think Granlund or Haula will be ready next year, let alone the next few years, to step up and play top-line center duty against the opposition's best lines and maintain their play. Both of them played fantastically in the playoffs, but again, numbers and quality of opposition favor Koivu.

I'll admit that I'm a huge Koivu fan. There's a reason everyone in the organization and hockey-related media express how important he is as the captain. Not only would we lose one of the best two-way forwards in the game, one of our top scorers, and our captain, but we would disrupt the entire chemistry of the team if we were to move him.

This was a big season for the Wild in a lot of ways. A lot of people didn't peg them to be a top team, as we are still a few years out in terms of development of a few players (but what team isn't?) and we had the glorious carousel of goalies. Definitely problems that a lot of teams face, but my opinion was the next few years would be when the Wild really shine - when Granlund, Nino, Coyle, Haula, Brodin, and Spurgeon really continue their upward development and emerge as our top players, with younger, solid prospects in tow - all while being led by three very competent captains and a very solid, in my opinion, coach. Before the season started I felt this was year was going to be another step up for those players and their development, as well as the last hoorah for a few players coming off contracts, not a run to the Cup.

But we all have our opinions - such is the glory of man.

Edit:

One of the most common things I hear is that we need a top-line center and captain in-line with Toews who is, arguably, the best center in the game. Every single team in the league would love to have a Toews on their roster, but there's only one. Koivu did a solid job in the playoffs last year and this year in keeping Toews in check. No other center performed better last year in the playoffs against him, and so far no other center has this year.

Edit 2:

I feel our fan-base is one of the only ones in the league that doesn't recognize how important Koivu is. Anytime the Wild play on national television, the broadcasters discuss how good and important he is for the Wild; any time I have discussions with fans of opposing teams, they discuss how hard he is to play against; there always plenty of opposing player comments throughout the season indicating the respect the other team has for him. But he doesn't score goals so he needs the boot, in the eyes of Wild fans (and some media - KFAN/Souhan).

Well said. But it is interesting how well he played prior to playoffs, then disappeared yet again when he had to face Toews and the Blackhawks. Like Nanne said, it's time for Koivu to move on.
- SotaPopinski

If by disappear you mean offensively, I think it has a lot to do with Koivu's approach to the game. Being defensively responsible has always been the foundation of Koivu's game and I think he may pay even more attention to it in the playoffs at the cost of putting up less points. That's just me speculating.

Edit 2:

I feel our fan-base is one of the only ones in the league that doesn't recognize how important Koivu is. Anytime the Wild play on national television, the broadcasters discuss how good and important he is for the Wild; any time I have discussions with fans of opposing teams, they discuss how hard he is to play against; there always plenty of opposing player comments throughout the season indicating the respect the other team has for him. But he doesn't score goals so he needs the boot, in the eyes of Wild fans (and some media - KFAN/Souhan).
- deslni01

Probably because they don't watch him all that much. I know I come across as a Koivu hater around here, but I think he is a very effective player. I also think that with Parise, Pommer, and Suter on the roster, that his leadership skills will not be missed if he were to be traded. I also do not believe that this team would take a significant step backwards defensively with him gone. His skating is getting worse and worse by the year, ankle surgery or not and Yeo's system already has his forwards playing somewhat conservatively, that his absence will not cause a downward spiral.
This team needs to score more goals to be more successful. Moving Koivu down a line or 2 just to keep his defensive skills on the roster does nothing to accomplish more goals. Add a legit #2 d-man and with another season under their belts, hopefully the rest of the d corps will be even stronger next season.

double post

Can we fault Koivu for not scoring goals? Sure, we know he has a propensity to pass the puck before shooting, but re-watch any of the games and take a look at the plays he set up and the other players who didn't bury their chances. Koivu is not the reason the Wild don't score more goals.
- deslni01

I'm pretty much in agreement with what you are saying, but the one big gripe I have with Koivu is this one where he just doesn't shoot when it is the most obvious, proper offensive play to make. Drives me totally (frank)ing nuts because he can shoot the puck and this team needs to shoot whenever it has a decent shooting lane.

The only other gripe I have with Koivu, and this is admittedly nit-picking, is that I think he plays what I will call a "slow" offensive game. When he carries the puck, particularly in the offensive zone, I feel he has many chances to make a quick pass that he doesn't seem to recognize is there. And I think that limits the chances he can set up. This is why I very much dislike he and Parise on the same line. I think Parise's strengths are leveraged when playing with a "fast" offensive mind, like Granlund. Koivu is more of a plodding offensive player who is good at protecting the puck and fits better with cycling types like Coyle and maybe Niederreiter. It's why he fit well with Brunette too.

I also do not believe that this team would take a significant step backwards defensively with him gone.
- SotaPopinski

I think that depends on who you move him for. I don't think Koivu is irreplacable, but they would need a comparable center or they would be worse.

I think that depends on who you move him for. I don't think Koivu is irreplacable, but they would need a comparable center or they would be worse.
- Chinaski

True, but it's not like Fletcher will bring in an Ovechkin or someone with similar disdain for playing defense. If Koivu is in fact moved, I don't think it will be too difficult finding a defensive minded center who makes considerably less than our captain. Finding someone who can score and play d is what they'll struggle finding... unless that guy is already on this roster?? Granlund improved on his 2 way game this year and we all know what Haula did in the playoffs. Maybe he could turn into that guy down the road

True, but it's not like Fletcher will bring in an Ovechkin or someone with similar disdain for playing defense. If Koivu is in fact moved, I don't think it will be too difficult finding a defensive minded center who makes considerably less than our captain. Finding someone who can score and play d is what they'll struggle finding... unless that guy is already on this roster?? Granlund improved on his 2 way game this year and we all know what Haula did in the playoffs. Maybe he could turn into that guy down the road
- SotaPopinski

Someone's gotta pay for that Bruins' loss. That no good Bergeron should be run out of town. We'll take him off their hands.

Actually, this is kind of funny - I just tried to run a comparables search on CapGeek for Koivu for 2014-15 and this is what I got back: Your request generated an error. It's possible the player does not have a contract in the specified season. Please try again.