Any hockey fans out there?

[SAJ-99]

Bill Guerin and the Wild might have broken NHL free agency before it even started

The Minnesota Wild are going to be the team to watch this offseason. Not only did they make it to the second round and have a plethora of top young talent, gene

gonepuckwild.com

This article summarized the FA market and why Guerin signed McCarron. It will be tough for any team to improve without overpaying journeymen. Trades are the best path and the Wild are too good now for picks to have much value. Barzal or Larkin are your best bets but Wild will need to give up something of current value to get either of them.

I think the Wild were hurt in playoffs by E Ek injury, but they need depth. Maybe if Vegas wins it will show that a team can be top-heavy and still win the Cup, because looking as the past list of recent winners there is a lot of experience and depth.

 

[cedahm]

Wild signed McCarron for 6yrs $20m ($3.3m per). Term seems long for a 31yo journeyman, but the money is flowing this offseason.

With the thin UFA market and Cap increasing, I guess the AAV isn't terribly out of line, but he got a full NMC the first 3 years (and a 15 team no trade list the last 3 years), which seems pretty insane for a 31yo bottom 6'er.

 

[seeth07]

This is pure fantasy and not going to happen but there is a crazy way for the Wild to get the cap space they need for a trade to get a top line center like Larkin or Matthews.

Spurgeon decides to hang up the skates and retires after realizing that his best value to the team is by freeing up 7.5mil of cap space. Since his contract was signed before he was 35, his salary is entirely removed from the cap. He would go down as the best Wild player ever for making that decision. Don't get me wrong, I love Spurgeon but not has his current cost.

 

[Wildabeest]

I’m just happy to still be talking about games vs. off-season trades.

 

[SAJ-99]

top line center like Larkin or Matthews.

I hear Sturm is on the block but it wouldn't clear much $. The issue isn't cap space as much as draft assets. Wild don't have a 1 or 2 pick this year. Vegas doesn't have a 1 or 2 for next two years (enjoy the run). Think like the GM of the Red Wings, and ask what would work for you?

Hard to tell for sure because the Maple Leafs don't have a coach, but I doubt Matthews is going anywhere now that they have the 1st pick. There are quite a few teams that don't have the talent to make a run but also don't want to fully tear it down and rebuild - Toronto was one (although should have the talent), but teams like Redwings, Kraken, Philly, Rangers, and Penguins all seem stuck in the middle but on the downward side of good.

Three more games of a crazy and exciting series and then fans get to return to their misery of asking why their team did or didn't do something. lol

 

[seeth07]

I hear Sturm is on the block but it wouldn't clear much $. The issue isn't cap space as much as draft assets. Wild don't have a 1 or 2 pick this year. Vegas doesn't have a 1 or 2 for next two years (enjoy the run). Think like the GM of the Red Wings, and ask what would work for you?

I wouldn't say the Red Wings though are in a rebuild. They are a team that should have been able to reach the playoffs last year and perhaps that is part of the frustration coming from Larkin. With that said, the team really turns over after this next year with Debrincat, Faulk, Gibson and Copp becoming UFA and Compher will only have 1 year left. To me that basically means next year is all in or bust of them because they will be at a rebuild in 27. They have 32mil in cap space right now and if it was up to me running the show, there is no way I'm trading Larkin right now and seeing what I can do to build a strong team this year as best I can and if it all fails by February, time to unload for a rebuild.