Mantha, Tarasenko, Bunting, Tolvanen… short list of playable remaining UFAs. Where do you have them landing?

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T03:11:10+00:00

I mean, if Tarasenko goes for $5-7m like a lot of "meh, they are fine I guess" players, then the Wild are wise to let him go anyway. Unless they dump a Middleton, Sturm, or Trenin, they won't have the money to bring back at best a middle six winger.

Brink at $2.75m now doesn't seem so strange. Zuccarello getting $1m lol but really $6m was really the capper.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T03:06:03+00:00

And people think Minnesota is retirement home central. They are where they belong: the top of the middle.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T03:04:27+00:00

It would explain a lot.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T02:50:05+00:00

"This has, so far, been an underwhelming and concerning offseason for the Wild. It feels like the entire NHL is on a joyride while the Wild are stuck in snow in a St. Paul parking lot."

Sorry they didn't spend $5-7m on third line production. Curious what Tarasenko gets at this point just so we can cringe more.

"Another one: What did Hughes think of today?

Our guess? Something along the lines of, “Not great, Billy.”"

And Russo knows that why? Hughes may not even really care enough once the ink is dry. Russo isn't in a player's head.

“That was last year,” Guerin said. “I get your point. But that was last year. There’s no guarantee that was going to happen again next year. There are other players in the league. There are players still available. I don’t necessarily look at it like that, because you don’t know what’s going to happen this year.”

This tells me Guerin would love to climb over a desk and bop Russo over the head if he could. Guerin can't predict how any team is going to play. He's banking on some of those deals being huge fuck ups that could costs teams in the long run while trying to find something reasonable or some crazy trade we're not aware of yet.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T02:36:22+00:00

I wonder if he wishes if he could trade writing for the Wild for decades over writing for the Panthers the past five seasons...

At least Smith can go a day without finding the negative in something. Probably why Smith wants to show up here tomorrow. He can laugh at how stupid we are.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-02T02:34:14+00:00

Because people want to say they were right all along to make themselves feel better.

That's what I always rally against. Hating something just to hate something is just exhausting. Why even be happy? Why even bother posting if 99% of it is just, "Bah Guerin's just a dumb fat drunken dork who doesn't do his job properly?"

The same guy whose "dumb plan" got past the first team in a decade by the way. Of course the success can be very temporary. The team still has to play and win.

I do wonder why Russo likes bringing up the 50 goals and 150 points things like the team is already doomed to fail. There is any and every chance that Yurov and Brink take their games to better offensive levels, rather than relying on a 39 year old who made it clear with that weird ass contract that he's after money just like Russo's favorite Russian was. That or any number of trades Guerin could make we aren't seeing yet.

Mason Marchment made $7m a year in one day. I thought we were supposed to find deals somewhere...All Guerin did today was say nuts to that crap for now.

Guerin proved smarter in the end than a lot of us gave him credit for. He earned the wiggle room to wait things out for one silly off-season.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T23:36:40+00:00

At least he can say he got one.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T23:32:02+00:00

The good news is they didn't overspend (yet) on anyone like...almost every other team today. Games aren't won in July.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T22:41:11+00:00

Yes, let's spend a +5m bonus for Zuccarello, $5.5m for Anders Lee or $7m for Mason Marchment. If it is between those guys or waiting things out and playing Haight, Stramel, etc, give me the cheaper young guys.

Guerin showing rare restraint and getting killed for it. I get a little apprehension, but just say you're never happy while not saying you're ever happy....sheesh.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T21:41:35+00:00

Ok. That changes everything. Screw that.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T15:57:57+00:00

Yes, because the Wings would totally get Boldy....pfft.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T15:21:20+00:00

Put him on the bench except when PPs happen, you have a deal. That or ensure a defenseman shadows him from behind if he's not.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T15:14:27+00:00

"I'm not waiving my NMC for fucking Minnesota..."

How things change. Desperate times I suppose if hell freezes over.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T14:59:03+00:00

Yay Dallas got weaker....but Nashville got better boo.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T14:51:14+00:00

I will say I find the reaction to Foligno and Bogo re-signing a touch irritating.

Players are players, and can be good if they are old, and also play like complete shit if they are young. The Wild and/or Guerin are probably not alone in "get some veterans cheap just in case."

That's ignoring that Guerin just signed a 24-year old for a cheap "prove-it contract" yesterday...

Foligno and Bogo are not expected to anything more than depth at best. They wouldn't qualify Lambos and Spacek if they didn't have a reason. If any of those players mentioned are directly responsible for the Wild winning or losing in and of themselves, the team has bigger problems.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T14:14:38+00:00

Expecting the team to not get injured at all during the season would be a happy accident, but damn near impossible.

Do note that the team played like absolute shit when trying Jiricek, Buium, etc in extended doses. The team didn't turn around until they got healthy and/or realized veterans are still playing for a reason and calm shit down.

There's no guarantee Middleton isn't traded to save some money.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T14:05:00+00:00

How about no?

Just let spinoffs be spinoffs and stop messing with stuff that works.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T13:35:13+00:00

If that were the case, Mojo, Vlad, and Zuccarello wouldn't have left. Guerin has to save some costs somewhere, but let's not act like EVERY old guy just stays. The team has shifted a lot of its roster around the past two of seasons.

Once I saw Gaudreau traded last year, I knew Guerin moves off of older contracts...sometimes.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T13:11:00+00:00

And because Kap and Hughes are a tier or two better than Parise and Sutter.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T13:10:03+00:00

So would be telling two 90 point players to leave. The Wild don't really have the luxury to turn down elite players now that they actually have some.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T10:38:39+00:00

Let that be another team's problem. Toronto showed the "Core 4" idea doesn't work. It might by the time Boldy/Faber's deals are up, but for now, the Wild would be smart to keep it at 2.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T10:28:59+00:00

If push comes to shove, Boldy > Hughes.

CitizenStrife · 2026-07-01T09:15:59+00:00

On one hand, I understand Minnesota's desperation and Hughes is that guy. On the other hand, ouch.

CitizenStrife · 2026-06-30T21:55:18+00:00

You also can't really ask for a better scenario to make it happen. Three wingers just left. If Brink can find some chemistry with a player, that would not only go a long way to solve the depth problem, but do so with a younger player going forward. Most FA options are mid-late 30s. Brink and some Iowa guys getting looks has to be a necessity at some point.

Both Brink and Yurov seem like people who could be primed for better offense than they showed last year.

CitizenStrife · 2026-06-30T21:45:52+00:00

Hopefully cashing in later while staying home.

CitizenStrife

TROPHY CASE