wild/nhl

It will be interesting to see who the big surprise will be amongst the prospect pool. A number of them will be solid NHLers, but will any become elite? Coyle and Granlund seem most likely, but we shall see! I still think the Wild trade a pick to the Devils for the rights to negotiate with Parise before the free agent market opens.

The best team in the playoffs is the LA Kings, Mister Grandlund, is the same size as spurgeon, and we all know what happened to him with the flying elbow that concussed him knocking him out for the season. Fair to say that the league needs to change the rules if were ever going to see a guy Grandlunds size be a great hockey player in the NHL. Remember Boogymonsters dancing partner Dwight King, 3 goals in the playoffs and looking good doing it. I say Matt Kassian might be a better bet then Gransdlund

Wrong again, MKIA. Dwight King is DJ King's younger brother.

whatever, dj king, same guy that danced with the monster

Here is what I would like to know. Why can some teams turn around their franchise is a couple of years but we give our GM's 5 or more years. in 2009 the point totals are as follows: Nashville 88, LA Kings 79, Phoenix 79, Minnesota 89. This past year: Nashville 104 and in the playoffs. LA Kings 95 and in the playoffs. Phoenix 97 and in the playoffs. Minnesota, 8 points less with only 81 and on the outside looking in yet again. Sorry, but Fletcher has been a failure so far. If they do not make SUBSTANTIAL improvements this year, time to bring in a GM that doesn't have yet another 5 year plan.

Remind me again why Parise would consider Minnesota? The very last factor a competitor like him would consider in selecting a new team, if he does go to a different team, would be the proximity to Faribault, MN. The Wild has a huge hill to climb when it comes to becoming a playoff team. I don't think Parise just wants to be on a playoff team - he wants to win the Stanley Cup. These careers are too short to wait a few years for this team to become a contender.

dirty, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington all took 5 years to go from basement to high-caliber teams. The Blues have taken even longer. The problem with Wild has been that we have had no, literally NO, first-round picks that have turned out to be top-tier players for many years. And the previous regime, under Riseborough, not only were poor drafters but believed that nothing but first-round picks matter, so they traded all the 2nd and 3rd round picks when they should have stocked up. Multiply that with the fact that we are always not bad enough to land a top 3 draft pick EVER, and you have a franchise with nothing to work with. Fletcher and Flahr have completely changed that. If we had a team like LA, who had a decent prospect pool and yet was continuing the struggle, then, as you pointed out, a good GM--like Fletcher, in my opinion--could turn that around in shorter than 5 years. Of course. Fletcher was not facing the same situation. DR left this franchise a complete mess.

I read an article like this and get excited for the upcoming season and then realize it will likely be delayed because of the labor issues. Only the NHL could screw this up. Right now, the NHL is on top of its game with high TV ratings, great exposure, interest and lots of young stars to market the game. Naturally, they will blow it by having a lock out. I seriously hope they have enough sense and respect not to put the fans through this again. Get it done before training camps open. If they are serious as a league they need to take advantage of their current position and the best way to do that is to not interrupt your product. On a side note there are a few things I'd really like to see come out of the next agreement: Realignment, obviously. I'm sure it will happen as all of the reports basically say the players want it but it is being used as a bargaining tool. I would also like to see some sort of cap exception rule that would allow teams to keep the players they have drafted and developed. Thre is nothing more frustrating than seeing a guy who the organization has groomed (Gaborik) bolt for another location. If a guy wants to leave, he will leave but if the advantage is given to the home team by allowing them to offer more $ than other teams, I think many players will stay. This is so important for the NHL as they need to keep their talent in the communities they came up in. This allows the fans to get to know players and have a vested interest in them. Also, it obviously allows teams to establish a level of cohesion that Free Agency or cap constrictions so often interrupt. The dismantling of the Blackhaws after their cup is exhibit "A." Thanks for reading my rant. I already miss hockey and the season isn't over yet!

If the devils win the cup I think parise may consider the Wild. Otherwise I do not see him coming here to much later in his career.

My question is this, if the Wild are so high on all this young talent, is bringing in Parise for the money he's going to want worth it? I say roll with young guys and spend the money more wisely. Parise is a great player but the Wild are more than 1 player away from turning this around. Brodin will help on the blue line but we could use another solid defensemen say, Ryan Suter!