I think although Minnesota is a hockey crazy state, people have yet to completely latch on to the Wild fully. It is very close but I still think people go to Russo or the other beat writers for Wild info specifically.
- Tony Dean

I agree with this but I do think that more and more people will come around and start to embrace this team. Being a newcomer here I have to say I always look forward to your articles Tony, very informative and well written. I have a feeling this MN Wild HB community will grow as the year goes on because we are headed in the right direction as a team and well lets face it, State of Hockey. Keep it up Tony, glad to be apart of this community and look forward to this season. Can't wait for puck drop this year.

Huh?! In his first season with the Wild he had a .929 SV% and a 1.97 GAA. Aside from his last two injury riddled seasons, he's averaged right around .920 SV% and about a 2.40 GAA. Not sure I'd consider that "not very good".
- MnGump

I said Backstrom was bad, he hasn't had a decent season in 2 years. First 3 years of his career are the only years he passed 0.920 SV%, GAA hovers around 2.5. Last season was brutal for him.

Well you will notice in my article it is not about the money for Bryz as Philly is coming with those BIG annual buyout payments for a while.
- Tony Dean

Yes but I doubt Bryz will want to risk being an AHL goalie all year. I think him going to Europe is more likely. I would think he wants to be starter or at least a backup.

I agree with this but I do think that more and more people will come around and start to embrace this team. Being a newcomer here I have to say I always look forward to your articles Tony, very informative and well written. I have a feeling this MN Wild HB community will grow as the year goes on because we are headed in the right direction as a team and well lets face it, State of Hockey. Keep it up Tony, glad to be apart of this community and look forward to this season. Can't wait for puck drop this year.
- Minsoh

Glad to have you. I think people mistake me pushing the WildHBcommunity as SELF promotion where as I am trying to build the community and the conversation here!

Glad to have you. I think people mistake me pushing the WildHBcommunity as SELF promotion where as I am trying to build the community and the conversation here!
- Tony Dean

Maybe you should just do a troll blog, or at least an outlandish headline to attract the savages?

Maybe you should just do a troll blog, or at least an outlandish headline to attract the savages?
- Jeropotato

Naw that is not my lane. Leave that to others.

Naw that is not my lane. Leave that to others.
- Tony Dean

I was kidding. Stick to what your doing.

Forgive me for getting a little defensive here...It's Friday, and to be honest, I'm not feeling that well after having a couple Grain Belts at last nights Gopher Football Game, and....I guess I'm just in that kind of mood...

(soapbox moment)

Let's not question Minnesota with regard to fan support of the Wild. Let's keep in mind that this team averaged nearly 103% of capacity At Xcel Center last year (4th in the entire NHL). I didn't look back in history to see where that number has been over the last several years, but I'd put a fair wager down that it's been right in that same area.
Minnesota has more players in the NHL than any other state. Last year....MN had 42 active in the NHL and nearly doubled the stats across the board of the players from the next closest state Michigan (40).
If you're basing support of our team based on hits to Tony's blog, you're insane! I LOVE reading what Tony writes, and I look forward to reading each blog post. I also pay close attention to what Russo writes (admittedly, those are really the only two 'blogs' I read). I also pay close attention to several other sports, both college and Pro.
Minnesota hockey isn't about supporting your team through a blog read. It's about going to Pee-Wee and Bantam games, high school games, watching the neighbor's kids skate for his Pee-Wee C team because his community program is SO big that he skates on a C team (following 2 A teams and 2 B teams in some cases!) The kid skates because he loves the game...I'm not going to stack us up against several Canadian cities...they have it the same way. We Love hockey because we grew up ON THE ICE!, not reading about it.
If you want to talk more Hockey with Minnesota Hockey fans....Go to the Arena at 6am When the Bantams are getting on the ice, or 11pm when the Men's over 40 league guys are finally able to take the ice.
They'll chat your ear off about Hockey! They'll talk about the beautiful play they were part of in Tuesday nights game, or how their mismatched skate blades (1 new, 1 old) took a little getting used to the first 3 times they skated on them this week. They'll tell ya how they broke that blade last week stepping in front of their buddy's boomer from the high slot! How his ass hurts from getting dumped hard by his boss at work because he didn't keep his head up when catching that pass!

Absolutely no offense to Tony here...but the number of comments on his blog is no gauge of how loyal Minnesota fans are to the Wild, or Hockey in general.

Forgive me for getting a little defensive here...It's Friday, and to be honest, I'm not feeling that well after having a couple Grain Belts at last nights Gopher Football Game, and....I guess I'm just in that kind of mood...

(soapbox moment)

Let's not question Minnesota with regard to fan support of the Wild. Let's keep in mind that this team averaged nearly 103% of capacity At Xcel Center last year (4th in the entire NHL). I didn't look back in history to see where that number has been over the last several years, but I'd put a fair wager down that it's been right in that same area.
Minnesota has more players in the NHL than any other state. Last year....MN had 42 active in the NHL and nearly doubled the stats across the board of the players from the next closest state Michigan (40).
If you're basing support of our team based on hits to Tony's blog, you're insane! I LOVE reading what Tony writes, and I look forward to reading each blog post. I also pay close attention to what Russo writes (admittedly, those are really the only two 'blogs' I read). I also pay close attention to several other sports, both college and Pro.
Minnesota hockey isn't about supporting your team through a blog read. It's about going to Pee-Wee and Bantam games, high school games, watching the neighbor's kids skate for his Pee-Wee C team because his community program is SO big that he skates on a C team (following 2 A teams and 2 B teams in some cases!) The kid skates because he loves the game...I'm not going to stack us up against several Canadian cities...they have it the same way. We Love hockey because we grew up ON THE ICE!, not reading about it.
If you want to talk more Hockey with Minnesota Hockey fans....Go to the Arena at 6am When the Bantams are getting on the ice, or 11pm when the Men's over 40 league guys are finally able to take the ice.
They'll chat your ear off about Hockey! They'll talk about the beautiful play they were part of in Tuesday nights game, or how their mismatched skate blades (1 new, 1 old) took a little getting used to the first 3 times they skated on them this week. They'll tell ya how they broke that blade last week stepping in front of their buddy's boomer from the high slot! How his ass hurts from getting dumped hard by his boss at work because he didn't keep his head up when catching that pass!

Absolutely no offense to Tony here...but the number of comments on his blog is no gauge of how loyal Minnesota fans are to the Wild, or Hockey in general.
- mngopherguy

None taken I COMPLETELY agree with your point here. I honestly could not agree more. The confines I was speaking of were in attempting to build the Community here and the MNWild conversation here.

I see my role as a Blogger/Writer/InternetMedia as a facilitator to people that want to talk hockey and discuss the team in general.

This season I hope to build stronger relationships and collaborations with other MNWild content generators. I will do my best to create and participate in multi-avenues of approach to discuss the MNWild this year.

I would TRULY appreciate everyone SPREADING the word though about WildHBcommunity to friends/associates or who ever wants to break it down about our favorite squad.

None taken I COMPLETELY agree with your point here. I honestly could not agree more. The confines I was speaking of were in attempting to build the Community here and the MNWild conversation here.

I see my role as a Blogger/Writer/InternetMedia as a facilitator to people that want to talk hockey and discuss the team in general.

This season I hope to build stronger relationships and collaborations with other MNWild content generators. I will do my best to create and participate in multi-avenues of approach to discuss the MNWild this year.

I would TRULY appreciate everyone SPREADING the word though about WildHBcommunity to friends/associates or who ever wants to break it down about our favorite squad.
- Tony Dean

My 'rant' wasn't directed at you Tony...I enjoy reading your blogs, and don't feel like the amount of comments or feedback is any kind of indication of the loyalty that the State of Hockey has to you or to The Wild.

I'm spreading the word. Creating more and more 'Tony Rubes' is a good thing. It's a great page!

I still have little faith in Harding. His treatments kept him out most of last season, why would this season be any different? That leaves you with Kuemper and Backstrom and I am not sold on either. Kuemper for the obvious, he has only 1 season in the NHL and Backstrom has not been very good since becoming the #1 over Dwyane Roloson or Manny Fernandez can't remember which. Unless Harding is healthy for a complete season I think Minny's goaltending will be a weakness.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

It could hurt them, but it hasn't been a weakness yet, even last year when they had to play four guys.

My 'rant' wasn't directed at you Tony...I enjoy reading your blogs, and don't feel like the amount of comments or feedback is any kind of indication of the loyalty that the State of Hockey has to you or to The Wild.

I'm spreading the word. Creating more and more 'Tony Rubes' is a good thing. It's a great page!
- mngopherguy

I knew it wasnt but it highlighted some very relevant points and I wanted to expound upon it. I appreciate you Sir!

Let's be honest, this team has been, at times, painfully boring to watch. They have been called the "Mild" by both in and out of staters since their inception for good reason. Until Parise and Suter signed with the Wild, the team was battling with the Wolves for third most popular team in Minnesota. With the additions and the hint of success I believe that this team will overtake the Twins and only trail the Vikes in popularity. Exciting times have finally arrived for this team and hopefully that means Tony can get more of the hometown following that he deserves.

Let's be honest, this team has been, at times, painfully boring to watch. They have been called the "Mild" by both in and out of staters since their inception for good reason. Until Parise and Suter signed with the Wild, the team was battling with the Wolves for third most popular team in Minnesota. With the additions and the hint of success I believe that this team will overtake the Twins and only trail the Vikes in popularity. Exciting times have finally arrived for this team and hopefully that means Tony can get more of the hometown following that he deserves.
- SotaPopinski

Well Sota that got me FIRED UP haha!

This season is going to be CRAZY!

Loaded Squad with so many talented kids in the wings.

We Comin' We Comin'

Well Sota that got me FIRED UP haha!

This season is going to be CRAZY!

Loaded Squad with so many talented kids in the wings.

We Comin' We Comin'
- Tony Dean

Agreed. I'm not sure they scare anyone yet ( probably underestimated by the Avs too), but this is a team that is slowly becoming a force. All they need is solid goaltending (which they might have in Keumper) , now that they have that game breaking scorer.

Agreed. I'm not sure they scare anyone yet ( probably underestimated by the Avs too), but this is a team that is slowly becoming a force. All they need is solid goaltending (which they might have in Keumper) , now that they have that game breaking scorer.
- Jeropotato

They have solid goaltending. It saved their ass last year. Yes, it was unconventional in that it wasn't one guy, but goaltending is not their problem to date.

They have solid goaltending. It saved their ass last year. Yes, it was unconventional in that it wasn't one guy, but goaltending is not their problem to date.
- Chinaski

Never said it was, but Keumper has a way to go before he instills fear into other teams.

Never said it was, but Keumper has a way to go before he instills fear into other teams.
- Jeropotato

That he does, but I honestly don't think he needs to instill much fear. As proven by the complete f-show of our goalie carousel last season, Yeo's system along with the solid play of our defensemen allows this team to succeed with even an average goalie in net. It would awesome to see Harding stay healthy and for Kuemper to prove that he belongs in this league, thus giving Hards the games off he needs to stay fresh, but this team has proven that it can succeed without an elite goaltender. Winning a Cup this way is a whole different story, but I am not putting it past them.
Obviously, their chances of making a Cup run improve immensely with strong goalie play, but Yeo has done a great job of getting his forwards to buy into the system, making it pretty damn difficult for opposing teams to get a quality shot off, much less score.
To be in the top 10 in goals allowed with the goalie conundrum we had last year, is pretty darn impressive.

That he does, but I honestly don't think he needs to instill much fear. As proven by the complete f-show of our goalie carousel last season, Yeo's system along with the solid play of our defensemen allows this team to succeed with even an average goalie in net. It would awesome to see Harding stay healthy and for Kuemper to prove that he belongs in this league, thus giving Hards the games off he needs to stay fresh, but this team has proven that it can succeed without an elite goaltender. Winning a Cup this way is a whole different story, but I am not putting it past them.
Obviously, their chances of making a Cup run improve immensely with strong goalie play, but Yeo has done a great job of getting his forwards to buy into the system, making it pretty damn difficult for opposing teams to get a quality shot off, much less score.
To be in the top 10 in goals allowed with the goalie conundrum we had last year, is pretty darn impressive.
- SotaPopinski

This is a great point and the main reason why I'm not too concerned about the Wild's goaltending situation. There is more depth out there on the goaltending market these days and I just think if the Wild goalies falter, there are moves Fletcher can make to address it that still give the Wild a reasonable chance to compete. Elite goaltending is a very nice luxury to have these days in the cap system. But you will pay a premium for it and it can affect your ability to keep or build broader depth on your team.

The thing that worries me most about Kuemper is how many games will he play this season. I just think it's a huge mistake for this guy to play 20-30 NHL games in a backup or platoon role. At his age, with his ability, he needs to be playing a lot. I still think Iowa is the place for him and he can shuttle up and down when and if Harding or Backstrom are hurt.

This is a great point and the main reason why I'm not too concerned about the Wild's goaltending situation. There is more depth out there on the goaltending market these days and I just think if the Wild goalies falter, there are moves Fletcher can make to address it that still give the Wild a reasonable chance to compete. Elite goaltending is a very nice luxury to have these days in the cap system. But you will pay a premium for it and it can affect your ability to keep or build broader depth on your team.

The thing that worries me most about Kuemper is how many games will he play this season. I just think it's a huge mistake for this guy to play 20-30 NHL games in a backup or platoon role. At his age, with his ability, he needs to be playing a lot. I still think Iowa is the place for him and he can shuttle up and down when and if Harding or Backstrom are hurt.
- Chinaski

Kuemper will likely be in Iowa at the start of the season if Harding and Backstrom are both healthy.

That he does, but I honestly don't think he needs to instill much fear. As proven by the complete f-show of our goalie carousel last season, Yeo's system along with the solid play of our defensemen allows this team to succeed with even an average goalie in net. It would awesome to see Harding stay healthy and for Kuemper to prove that he belongs in this league, thus giving Hards the games off he needs to stay fresh, but this team has proven that it can succeed without an elite goaltender. Winning a Cup this way is a whole different story, but I am not putting it past them.
Obviously, their chances of making a Cup run improve immensely with strong goalie play, but Yeo has done a great job of getting his forwards to buy into the system, making it pretty damn difficult for opposing teams to get a quality shot off, much less score.
To be in the top 10 in goals allowed with the goalie conundrum we had last year, is pretty darn impressive.
- SotaPopinski

I agree with this and most of the criticism directed towards the wild is our goalie situation. That being said we went through 4/5 goalies in a year each starting games and we came out at the end of the season in the top 10 goals allowed and made it to the second round of the playoffs and somehow that is getting overlooked. If our kids continue to improve upon last years playoff performances and everyone is on the same page defensively then with decent goal tending by whomever it may be we can be very effective. Like you said Sota, it seems that the team is buying into Yeo's system of limiting chances and If the wild continue to do that and put some more pucks in the back of the net then we should have a strong season and hopefully a long run in the playoffs.

Just saw this from Bob McKenzie on Twitter:

No shortage of unsigned RFAs - Johansen (CBJ), Dillon/Eakin (DAL), Schwartz (STL), Niedereitter (MIN), R Smith/Krug (BOS), DeKeyser (DET)...

...Smith-Pelly (ANA), Ellis (NSH), Gelinas (NJD), Moore (NYR) - but one with an interesting/different/dynamic is MIN G Darcy Kuemper

With Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding under contract, MIN wants Kuemper on two-way contract. Kuemper, after strong playoff, wants one-way.

Kuemper is looking at his KHL options (with NHL out clause, of course).

- Bob McKenzie

Just saw this from Bob McKenzie on Twitter:
- Chinaski

Yep, KFAN reported that Kuemper and his agent are rumored to be asking for more per year than Backstrom is currently making (3.4 million).

If this is true, I think it's time to let Darcy explore his KHL options or possibly trade his rights. Call back Bryzgalov, he would most certainly accept a two way deal.

Yep, KFAN reported that Kuemper and his agent are rumored to be asking for more per year than Backstrom is currently making (3.4 million).

If this is true, I think it's time to let Darcy explore his KHL options or possibly trade his rights. Call back Bryzgalov, he would most certainly accept a two way deal.
- MnGump

Although this is a kid whom has shown flashes, he's still not that far remove from being Darcy swiss cheese kemper. If he wants to get paid like a five year veteran based on just a handful of games, bye-bye. Especially if it's true that the briz would accept a two way, as had been rumored.

What is the consensus on his deal?
Russo keeps saying that even on a one way deal, we can send him to Iowa without clearing waivers...So with that said...
What's the price that would be worth keeping him around if it's a one way deal?

Fletch is certainly not going to pay this kid $3M/yr to play at Iowa!

As an 'insurance policy/future consideration', let's say we offer him 1.5M/yr on a 2 year/one way deal (if that's even possible?...not sure what the whole waiver situation is???)

The more I think about this, the more I feel like we would be okay without him.
He's really never given me the 'lights out' feeling that I want in a goaltender.
He's had a couple of good games, but when I think back, I don't recall him ever really playing on his head and all by himself keeping us in the game.
I do recall a great shoot out win...and the next shootout he was a total sieve!

I guess I've sort of shifted gears on this one over the last couple months...I was in Darcy's corner...but now I think the kid is getting just plain greedy!