Jonathan Blum

Minnesota Wild GM Fletcher Must Trade’em or Pay’em Blue Line Edition

Jun 21, 2014 • 5:18 am

WildHBcommunity: Minnesota Wild GM Fletcher Must Trade’em or Pay’em Blue Line Edition

In trying to understand what the future holds for the Minnesota Wild long term & short term, I decided that trying to figure out which players in the young NHL ready core are here to stay or more valuable as trade assets. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher is a master of the long view approach when maneuvering in trades and the draft.

In my profiles below of the Wild’s young blue liners I do my best to outline their skill sets and careers to this point. While I wish the organization could keep them all, that is just not realistic so I give my reasoning for each on how I would proceed to either pay them or trade them if I was in Fletcher’s shoes.

I mention trading some players I think we all love but please keep in mind that I only see Fletcher including young players the Wild values if the return for them is significant enough to risk them becoming stars elsewhere.

Jonas Brodin

signed a 3 year / $2.78 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, including an annual average salary of $925,000. CONTRACT:3 yr(s) / $2,775,000 SIGNING BONUS -AVERAGE SALARY $925,000GUARANTEED:$2,775,000FREE AGENT:2015 / Restricted

The selection of Jonas Brodin 10th overall in 2011 was a moment chronicled by the Minnesota Wild’s “Becoming Wild… series which has done a very nice job of providing the fan base with an inside look at the franchise since Craig Leipold and Chuck Fletcher took over operation and ownership. The conversation captured at the Wild’s draft after the selection of Brodin is such a fantastic glimpse into the talent and skill of Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr’s contribution to rebuilding this roster and replenishing the organization prospect depth.

Brodin was fantastic in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, at just 19 years old he was the youngest defensemen in the NHL playing top pairing minutes Ryan Suter. Brodin is a fantastic skater and his ability to maneuver and escape with the puck while under duress makes him a special talent. Brodin’s Hockey IQ has seen him flash the potential to become a strong offensive contributor from the blue line.

Brodin’s strengths are deeply rooted in subtle aspects of hockey so he is not a player that will game to game jump off the screen or create exciting moments but his abilities and contributions are completely evident here in the State of hockey. The 2013-14 season was a bit of a mixed bag for Brodin because he had the look in the early goings of a player that was going to take a giant leap in production and role. Brodin had several fractures in face resulting from a routine dump attempt and it derailed his sophomore season.

Brodin was still a strong contributor to the Wild’s blue line this past season but he wasn’t able to reach the superstar level it looked like he trending towards previous to the injury. Brodin deserves credit for playing through the injury and finding ways to stifle opponents despite being less than 100 % healthy for most of the season. Brodin has very good hands but must add strength to his frame because he was caught too often reaching for the puck rather than taking the body of opponents especially during the 2nd round Blackhawks series.

Trade’em or Pay’em

Brodin is a legitimate Top4 pairing NHL defender and he could very well be the partner of Ryan Suter on the top pairing again next season. Brodin is about as untouchable as a 20 year old gets because he has 2 seasons under his belt and is just scratching the surface of his potential. Pay’em

Jared Spurgeon

signed a 3 year / $8 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, including an annual average salary of $2,666,667. CONTRACT:3 yr(s) / $8,000,000 SIGNING BONUS - AVERAGE SALARY $2,666,667GUARANTEED:$8,000,000 FREE AGENT:2016 / Unrestricted

I don’t think Jared Spurgeon will ever get to recognition he truly deserves for his ability to eliminate opponents in the defensive zone because his slight stature becomes a focal point for just about everyone. The truth about Spurgeon is he has outworked his detractors and doubter while using his athletic gifts to out-everything his opponents of the ice. Spurgeon went from quirky free agent mighty mouse over-achiever to the Wild’s best overall defender last season.

Spurgeon has been a point generator from the blue line everywhere he has played and that is how he caught the attention of Fletcher and Flahr. Spurgeon signed with the Wild in 2010 after the New York Islanders decide not to sign their former 6th round draft pick. Spurgeon’s 5’8… 168lb frame surely played a large part in their decision making process. Spurgeon has NHL talent and his development has been one the most impressive storylines for the Wild.

Spurgeon is not without his flaws mostly to do with his size and how that creates matchup disadvantages with certain players and teams like was the case during the Avalanche first round series this year. Colorado was targeting Spurgeon with their fore-check treating him to an onslaught of brutal hits which caused the slight of stature defender to become turnover prone and ineffective.

The advanced statistics community loves Spurgeon dude to his extremely strong possession numbers and the offense opportunities he creates with his strong skating and excellent stick handling ability. Spurgeon is still a bit of a tweener with regard to his ceiling potential though and his ability to be effective against some of the Western Conference elites. Spurgeon is extremely smart though so his lack of size has created an opportunity for him to develop some of the best stick skills defensively of any defender in the league.

Trade’em or Pay’em

Spurgeon was signed last summer to a very team friendly 3 year $8 million dollar deal with a cap hit of $2.66 million through the 2015-16 season. It will be very interesting to see how the 23 year old continues to develop here in Minnesota because Fletcher and Flahr will have to make a projection and evaluation on whether we have seen the best from Spurgeon. I like Spurgeon and in truth have underestimated and undervalued him in the past but I would not be opposed to him being included in a major package for an immediate upgrade. Trade’em

Marco Scandella

signed a 2 year / $2.05 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, including an annual average salary of $1,025,000. CONTRACT:2 yr(s) / $2,050,000 SIGNING BONUS -AVERAGE SALARY $1,025,000GUARANTEED:$2,050,000 FREE AGENT:2015 / Restricted

The Wild’s second round pick (55th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft was used to select Marco Scandella a 6’3… 207lb two-way defender who finally fulfilled his potential last year in Minnesota. Scandella is defensemen that flashed very early on an ability to skate the puck end to end which reminded Wild fans of fan favorite Brent Burns but in truth the two are very different players.

Scandella found himself a regular in the 2011-12 Wild lineups because of his potential but also due that club being talent deprived and short on NHL caliber defensemen. Scandella played about how you would expect a teenager making the jump to the highest level of hockey in the world. The good with Scandella early on was he was a big strong kid able to skate, hit, handle the puck, and create opportunities when activated. The bad with Scandella was too much inconsistency, lack of responsibility in the defensive end, and a meltdown in self confidence.

Scandella spent nearly the entire 2012-13 lockout shortened season in the AHL as he watched other defenders (Spurgeon, Brodin, Prosser, Kampfer, etc) get promoted to the big club ahead of him. The move was a clear shot across the bow for Scandella by the Wild’s front office and coaching staff that he must remedy what was causing him to be hard to trust. Scandella was arguably the Wild’s best defender in the first round of the 2013 playoffs versus the Chicago Blackhawks and he carried that momentum with him into the 2013-14 NHL season.

Scandella put together a strong season in 2013-14 anchoring pairing with both Spurgeon and Brodin on a regular basis as the stay at home defender. Scandella signed a very club friendly 2 year $2.05 million dollar contract last summer making him a restricted free agent after this upcoming season. Scandella has developed into more of a stay at home defender but he still holds the skill and ability to activate into the offensive zone and drive the play.

Trade’em or Pay’em It will be interesting to see the handling of Brodin, Spurgeon, and Scandella because Fletcher will have to agree to new contracts with all three in the next 2 years. Brodin and Scandella are restricted free agents next summer and each will be due a raise on possibly long term deals. Scandella is not a huge point generator but he pairs with every other Wild defender really well and while he is skilled he does the dirty work as well. Pay’em

Jonathon Blum

signed a 1 year / $650k contract with the Minnesota Wild, including an annual average salary of $650,000. CONTRACT:1 yr(s) / $650,000 SIGNING BONUS - AVERAGE SALARY $650,000GUARANTEED:$650,000 FREE AGENT:2014 / Restricted

With a very limited opportunity in Minnesota this season Jonathon Blum provided glimpses of what he could bring to the team next year. Blum is an offensive defenseman who is a former first round (23 overall) selection of the Nashville Predators in the 2007 NHL Draft who signed in Minnesota after he was allowed to become a free agent. Blum came to the Wild looking for a fresh opportunity to get his professional career on track after not being able to stick on the NHL roster with Nashville.

Blum scored 7 goals and 29 points with the Baby Wild in Iowa this season appearing in 54 games. Blum also played in 15 games for the Wild near the end of the season but failed to crack the lineup during two playoff series this spring. Blum is a restricted free agent this summer so Fletcher will have to work out an agreement to keep him with the organization or allow him to pursue other opportunities. I could see both happening to be honest but I am not sure Blum returns if he presses for a one way contract from the Wild.

Blum could see the writing on the wall here in Minnesota with the signing of NCAA free agent signing of Christian Folin to go along with Mathew Dumba and Gustav Olofsson turning professional and being eligible to play for the Baby Wild. If Fletcher tenders Blum a qualifying offer it could mean a number of different things with regard to his future in the organization.

Trade’em or Pay’em

In the case of Blum I believe he has an NHL skill set and ability but I think if future with the Wild will be tied to how Fletcher chooses to proceed with his offseason plan. Blum could certainly return on a two-way deal and contribute in both the AHL and NHL next season. If Blum is no longer interested or willing to accept a two-way deal it will create a bit of an all or nothing scenario for Fletcher though.

Currently Keith Ballard is under contract for the upcoming season and he represents in my mind the healthy scratch bottom pairing plug and play type. If Clayton Stoner or Nate Prosser are in Fletcher’s plan then it create more of a log jam at the bottom of the roster. Blum is tender a qualifying offer could become a part of a bigger package in trade and I would be okay with that. Trade’em

Mathew Dumba

signed a 3 year / $2.78 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, including a $277,500 signing bonus, and an annual average salary of $925,000. CONTRACT:3 yr(s) / $2,775,000 SIGNING BONUS $277,500 AVERAGE SALARY $925,000 GUARANTEED:$2,775,000 FREE AGENT:2016 / Restricted

Mathew Dumba was selected by the Wild with 7th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. Since his introduction to the Team of 18,000 at the 2012 Summer Prospects Camp he has captured attention with his exciting blend of offensive ability and physical style of play. I remember Dumba lining up a fellow Wild prospect near center ice and destroying him with an open ice hit.

The handling of Dumba by Wild brass has been intriguing given that they chose to keep him and play him beyond the 9 game window that under age Canadian Juniors players can be kept on NHL rosters without burning a year of their entry level deal. Dumba appeared in 13 games this season with the Wild, he appeared to be playing not to make a mistake which ultimately defeated the purpose of accelerating his development because he was not making use of his offensive abilities or aggressive physical play.

Fletcher and his staff came up with a savvy backup plan for Dumba who had failed to launch at the NHL level loaning him to Team Canada for the World Juniors Hockey Classic. Dumba had never played in the WJHC so getting him selected for the team and having him slotted into a prominent role against the best young prospects in the world was a major opportunity. From there Fletcher was able to leverage and facilitate a swap of Dumba’s WHL rights from the Red Deer Rebels to the Portland Winterhawks.

Dumba went on the world tour his rookie season and although his journey had lead him back to Canadian Juniors, I think it is safe to say he has come out on the other side better equipped to contribute as a professional hockey player. Dumba’s strengths are dynamic offensive ability, very good skating, and electrifying physical play.

Dumba needs to work on his positioning and gap control, gain a better understanding of his defensive assignments/responsibility, has to have confidence in the risks he takes to create the big play, and he must add muscle to his frame.

Trade’em or Pay’em

I am very interested to see what is next for Dumba as he has the type of mentality that will cause him to push very hard to earn a spot on the opening game roster in Saint Paul. I think it is generally assumed though that Dumba’s development plan will have a top paring role with the Baby Wild in Iowa. Dumba had a great season with the Winterhawks both during the regular season and in their deep run at the Memorial Cup.

Dumba definitely has dynamic talent that leave no doubt in my mind that he will be an impact player at the NHL level. The question will be whether he can develop enough as a defender to be trusted as a Top 4 or even Top 2 NHL defender or will he just profile as a specialty type of offensive defenseman. Dumba could be used as a centerpiece of a major package for a more proven NHL commodity to improve the team now but I hope not. Pay’em

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