Not to be completely biased, but I see that being a damn good package.... so long as the team trading for them isn't already lacking size and isn't expecting Spurgeon to be a top pairing d-man (unless it's next to Shea Weber)
Hopefully the team brings Leopold back over Prosser and Folin is ready to take on a bigger role. I don't believe there are any blueliners in Iowa ready to make the jump quite yet.
Suter/Brodin
Scandella/Dumba
Folin/Leopold
I can live with that
- SotaPopinski

I agree with you on the defense pairings. I like Leopold's game. He still moves well for an older defenseman and he's always been a good puck mover. I think he fits this system nicely and he's been pretty public about not moving his family. I think they could get him at a really reasonable contract as a #6-7.

As for Granlund/Spurgeon, it's not a bad package but if they deal Granlund they've weakened themselves down the middle even further unless they are getting a better centerman back in the deal. And I'm just not sure there are teams out there with better centerman that would be willing to make that deal.

I'm still not sure what they are doing with Coyle. He played center basically the entire second half and then in a must win game they used him on the wing (where I thought he was more impactful). It looks like he played pretty well at wing on the top line for USA in the World Championships too. I've always thought that's where he was better anyway, but with the Wild's lack of depth down the middle maybe they still see him playing there. If they deal Granlund and don't get a center Coyle almost has to play center next season.

Good point on Coyle. As much as they need him to slide in and succeed at the center position, it is looking more and more likely that he belongs on the wing.
Packaging Granlund and Spurg HAS to bring back a top 6 center that is not on the downside of their career, otherwise Fletch gives Granny his bridge deal and hopes for the best. It's not like they will be straddled with his contract, like they are with so many other players.

The real disappointing thing about this season to me is that we never got to see some different line combinations that may work well for this team. And that leaves a question as to whether this roster has more to give.

I know I'm a broken record on this but I just find it really hard to believe that Pominville and Vanek were never really tried together. Neither one of those guys was going very well this season and I thought it might have been worth a shot to see if they could rekindle some old chemistry. At least we'd know if it was a viable combination going forward since many others with Vanek did not seem to work very well.

I'm back to where I was before the season started in terms of what the top three lines should be (not that I ever left that position):
Parise-Haula-Zucker
Vanek-Granlund-Pominville
Niederreiter-Koivu-Coyle

The real disappointing thing about this season to me is that we never got to see some different line combinations that may work well for this team. And that leaves a question as to whether this roster has more to give.

I know I'm a broken record on this but I just find it really hard to believe that Pominville and Vanek were never really tried together. Neither one of those guys was going very well this season and I thought it might have been worth a shot to see if they could rekindle some old chemistry. At least we'd know if it was a viable combination going forward since many others with Vanek did not seem to work very well.

I'm back to where I was before the season started in terms of what the top three lines should be (not that I ever left that position):
Parise-Haula-Zucker
Vanek-Granlund-Pominville
Niederreiter-Koivu-Coyle
- Chinaski

I think Vanek needs to be bought out. Now that we've all seen that he delivered as advertised (well all but the scoring aspect) the game we all kind of thought he would, I think Fletch can take a bath in that contract and move along.

Absolutely worthless player for the better part of the regular season and all of the post season save one game... or maybe save one period.

I think Coyle is a tradable asset, move Nino up to the 1st or 2nd line and if he doesn't deliver next season, he should be moved. Granlund a very tradable asset. I could see him being the main piece of some kind of deal to get a true number one center. Maybe package him with Spurgeon and a Fontaine or Haula.

I think Vanek needs to be bought out. Now that we've all seen that he delivered as advertised (well all but the scoring aspect) the game we all kind of thought he would, I think Fletch can take a bath in that contract and move along.

Absolutely worthless player for the better part of the regular season and all of the post season save one game... or maybe save one period.

I think Coyle is a tradable asset, move Nino up to the 1st or 2nd line and if he doesn't deliver next season, he should be moved. Granlund a very tradable asset. I could see him being the main piece of some kind of deal to get a true number one center. Maybe package him with Spurgeon and a Fontaine or Haula.
- MnGump

I just don't think they're in a position to do that - buyout Vanek. It's probably more than likely that they will have to buyout Backstrom and if they do I think they are stuck with his full cap hit - it will just free up the roster spot.

Buying out Vanek I believe would be an additional $2.177M cap hit for four more years (2/3 of remaining salary spread over double the number of years left on the deal). And you take out a player who isn't completely useless but may not fit very well into the system the team deploys. You'd still have to fill that scoring role somehow.

It would just be a lot of dead cap space for a team that is already in a tight cap spot.

I think Fletcher would have to swing some major deal(s) to clear space to buy him out.