WildHBcommunity: MNWild Summer Hockey Blackhole in Full Effect
WildHBcommunity STRONGER than Ever and Growing!
I have been absent a bit I have some huge life altering career stuff going on with me right now which has taken priority BUT I have still been monitoring and lurking in the shadows keeping an eye out for the comings and goings around the NHL and State of Hockey. I have seen the WildHBcommunity members representing all over HB in hockey conversations! Cheers!
So after a year of representing Hockeybuzz covering the Minnesota Wild, I can honestly say I think our community is growing and getting stronger. Each day new screen names appear giving their take and forwarding the conversation here which makes everything worth it to me. I have been very fortunate to get an opportunity to cover the Wild for HB and meet so many passionate smart hockey fans in the past year. I have learned so much about reaching a greater audience and engaging people who are actively interested in MNWild content.
Going forward I plan to grow and branch out how I engage the WildHBcommunity here at HB, on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. I will continue to podcast with Derek Felska and other MNWild content generators. I am looking to participate more with Eklund on the Buzzcast to make sure the Wild is addressed and represented in the conversation. I will also look to doing something consistent with Franklin Steele & James Tanner who are both HB writers and great personalities on a hockey podcast that takes a wider angle and hopefully can be fun and humorous.
Last but certainly not least I will be joining Jeff Dubay for #TonyTuesday this fall to talk hockey on
Jeff Dubay 5 Min Major
Nobody has been more supportive and generous with me than Jeff with regards to sharing my content and being a friend. I am excited and thrilled to get an opportunity to mix our personalities together for 5 minutes of hockey chatter!
Catching Up on Some Offseason Moves
Justin Fontaine gets a 2yr/$2Mil ONE WAY deal to re-sign with the Wild after being a restricted free agent this summer. Fontaine as rookie last season played in 66 games scoring 13 goals and 21 points while spending time on every line for the Wild. Fontaine's size causes him to be a player without a role but he has shown that he will do everything in his power to stay in the lineup. Fontaine scored 55 and 56 points in his 2 AHL seasons in Houston so he has a proven record of production as a pro.
Does Fontaine truly have a future in Minnesota, I am not sure but at minimum he is a versatile player and an asset for the team under contract for next to nothing for the next 2 years. Fontaine was given a one way contract so he will be on the opening game roster in Saint Paul to begin 2014 but I am not confident he finishes the year here. Fontaine has a knack for scoring goals and collecting points so he will hang around but maybe he gets moved later on.
Jon Blum and Jason Zucker both re-signed with the Wild to very team friendly prove it type deals that include the option for both to play in Iowa with the 'Baby Wild' which is a win for general manager Chuck Fletcher. Blum has a very good opportunity to make the NHL club out of training camp this fall because he should be a nice fit for what is looking like a bottom pair time share. Blum got 15 games last year in which he flashed some of his offensive capabilities in addition to showing he understands that his defensive game and physical play have to be consistent for him to crack the NHL lineup.
Blum handled himself extremely well in his first season as a member of the Minnesota Wild organization which is a credit to him being in tune with where his career currently is now and what it will take for him to avoid the pitfalls that never saw him breakthrough with the Nashville Predators. Blum should have every opportunity to earn consistent 3rd pair minutes on his current one year two way deal.
On Zucker there is multiple avenues of approach here but giving him a savvy 2 year deal with the first season being a two way and the last being a one way is excellent insight by Fletcher. Zucker has been very compelling to follow since his selection in the 2nd round of the 2010 NHL Draft because he is such a non-conventional hockey prospect. Zucker has forced the Wild's hand at different points with his exciting dynamic abilities only to hit a bit of a wall last year. Zucker in truth was surpassed by his fellow young forwards last season and maybe even season before in the pecking order and lineup.
Fletcher still speaks very highly of Zucker but returning from an injury and subsequent setback in addition to the suddenly crowded Top9 forwards makes it near certain that the former University of Denver star winger will begin the year with the 'Baby Wild' in Iowa. I think Zucker and Fontaine both realize that they will be in trade rumors frequently going forward because both have yet to carve out a consistent role for themselves despite both proving capable of production in the AHL and NHL games.
I really enjoy watching Zucker play because his speed and aggressiveness offensively are rare for anyone in a Wild sweater since Marian Gaborik. Zucker has to force his way back to Saint Paul which I truly hope is the case because he would look so good next to Erik Haula and Nino Niederreiter on easily the most talented 3rd line in team history.
Justin Falk returns and Nate Prosser departs and the crowd went.......who cares really?
Both of these guys have had some moments that stand out in my mind both good and bad. Both of these guys are journeymen types at best and depth callups to play bottom pair minutes. Prosser left for a two way deal with St. Louis where he may be buried farther down the depth chart than he would have been here. Falk meanwhile was traded to the New York Rangers in a low risk gamble being that he is a former 4th round pick and has notable size at 6'5" 200lbs but he is by no means a physical presence.
Falk can carry the puck a little bit and contribute some offense every once in a while but realistically he blew a major opportunity to elevate his game and pro career here in Minnesota 2 seasons ago when the Wild was starved for anything decent on their blue line. Falk will play in Iowa maybe paired up with the tiny but tough Guillaume Gelinas. Falk is nothing more than a low risk depth add by Fletcher on a player the organization knows what to expect from. Its crazy to think about it but Falk is still just 25 years old.
The Lingering Contract Negotiations with Darcy & Nino No Big Deal YET
With Darcy Kuemper this is not the first contentious game of chicken he has participated in with the Wild. Kuemper was nearly an unsigned draft pick after blowing up in his final year with Red Deer winning goalie of the year and bursting onto the prospect radar. Kuemper is leveraging not only for money but an opportunity to be the netminder of the future right now. Kuemper has been able to eclipse the previous top goalie prospect Matt Hackett who was then shipped out. Kuemper is now looking to push Niklas Backstrom and/or Josh Harding back out of the way as he fights to graduate fully to the NHL now.
Kuemper has limited NHL experience but when he was called upon last year he carried the team during their playoff push and showed he may just be the best option between the pipes when healthy. Kuemper has a fairly decent amount of leverage against the Wild right now. Fletcher is in a tough spot here because if all three of his netminders are 100% to begin the season than Harding is probably the best of the bunch.
Backstrom is the oldest and makes the most money. Kuemper at minimum should be in a time share with Harding or Backstrom but if Fletcher is not able to move the veteran Finn than maybe Kuemper begrudgingly begins the season in Iowa as he does not yet require waivers even when he re-signs to what will most likely be a one way deal.
On Niederreiter I think the deal will hopefully be a 3-4 year deal because the best is certainly on the horizon for him. A prove it type of deal 1-2 years could result in him being owed a huge number as soon as next season where as, if Fletcher can get him to ink a $3.5-$4Mil per deal for 4 years maybe they save some space on the last 2 years of the deal. Nino has the look of a superstar and NHL goal scorer despite being called upon to play a very unselfish two way role last season.
Fletcher and his staff have to get it right with all of these young players they have worked so hard to acquire and develop. Projection of each of these 20-somethings will be a huge factor in the sustained success of the franchise. Fletcher has done very well to amass his most talented/skilled/deep roster ever for this season but what has been most impressive about his performance as the top personnel guy here in Minnesota is the ability to protect his cap space and asset while doing so. Fletcher has worked smarter not harder in protecting the 3 year and 5 year outlooks of the Wild.
That's all for now thanks for reading!
I want to thank the
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Just My Take,
Tony Dean
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