Wild Stock Market Report

by BReynolds on Dec 6, 2010 10:00 AM CST in Features

Stock_market_down_medium

Having left you all hanging for two weeks, desperate for a sign that the economic climate was going to improve, we decided it was time to update the stock market report once again. Honestly, I forgot to write it, and by the time I was reminded, it made sense just to let it go until this week.

Once again, we hope you have not made any silly investments in our absence. If you have, just sell it all and buy a first round draft pick. It's what we would do.

Mikko Koivu (KAPT): Let's just say, things are not going well for Kaptain Finland. Losing battles, losing faceoffs, losing the puck far too easily. He looks to be missing a step somewhere, despite his fierce competitiveness still being completely intact. Is it his linemates? Is it a chemistry issue? Whatever it is, something is missing.

Rating: Hold

Niklas Backstrom (BAX): The asking price has never been lower, so your chance to buy low is here. Backstrom has been racked with his team's failures. Those who blame this on him are not seeing the whole picture. To prove it, look at how much success Jose Theodore had is relief. Wait for it... none. The team's ills always find their way to the goalie, and this is no exception. Our advice is to buy low, Backstrom is still better than the team in front of him.

Rating: Buy

Martin Havlat (CZCH): Are you kidding me? If you need to be told that this guy is on absolute fire right now, you need to go watch basketball. Ridiculous numbers were being put up, and then he gets Butch on his line? This could be the makings of the only exciting thing left to watch this season. After a full season and a quarter of this one... it's about time.

Rating: Strong Buy

Patrick O`Sullivan (POS): Sully has performed well in his short stint with the Wild. Playing anywhere from the top line to the third, O'Sullivan seems to be replaceable with Brad Staubitz, Eric Nystrom, and Chuck Kobasew. We disagree completely. He has added a much needed burst of youth and energy. He has been the only player in on the forecheck more times than I can count. Creating scoring chances, working hard (Sorry Tom), and making a difference. Yeah. I'd probably bench him, too.

Rating: Buy

Todd Richards (SUIT): I'm afraid Mr. Richards has entered penny stock status. His value has plummeted that low yet again. When the GM goes on the record that he would consider firing you, it's probably best you start packing. A trade isn't going to change things around here. Unless Fletcher can trade for Alex Ovechkin, that is. Richards is looking to become the victim of a team that just can't put it together. His in game coaching notwithstanding, Richards seems like a good guy. Too bad he just can't seem to find the answer.

Rating: Sell.

Minnesota Wild (L): The benefit of a ticker symbol change (previous: W), the Wild have been absolutely terrible as a team for at least the past two weeks. Dropping like a stone in the standings and having no answers to the problems it has been presented with, the Wild are just not worth the buy-in collectively. There are pluses and minuses, but the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Let the run on the bank begin.

Rating: Sell. Sell. Dear lord... sell. Quickly.

Initial Public Offerings

Pierre-Marc Bouchard (BALD): Butch is back, folks. You missed your chance to buy low already, but you can certainly still buy in. The opposition is giving him plenty of space, he is skating on a line with Martin Havlat, and there is strong chemistry there. The moves are there, the creativity is there, and it looks like he was never gone.

Rating: Strong Buy

Jared Spurgeon (TINY): The first handful of games for Tiny Dancer have shown us that just because someone is 4' 6" tall doesn't mean he can't play. Wait... what's that? 5' 9"? Yeah... OK. While his positioning is solid, and he does show an offensive upside, I just don't see him being anything more than Marc-Andre Bergeron. I'm not sure how many fans are going to buy into that. I truly feel he is destined to play out his days with the Aeros. Unless the Habs need someone, of course.

Rating: Sell

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Comments

You forgot.

Craig Leopold (SCUM): SELL. Get rid of him with an owner that can actually manage a team instead of driving it into the ground slowly. All the proof you need is how my Preds did with him and now, without him.

by DonBorvio on Dec 6, 2010 10:23 AM CST reply actions

I understand the bitterness from Nashville, I do. Please don’t get me wrong when I disagree with you.

Leipold is spending near the cap, has lost 50 million in equity on the team, and has given GM Chuck Fletcher full control to do whatever he wants to do. I prefer the owners to stay out of the day-to-day operations, and to stay out of personnel decisions. If Leipold had come in, slashed the payroll, let Koivu walk and signed low end free agents, I might buy the the “driving it slowly into the ground” mentality.

Right now, I see any owner who fired the GM, brought in new management from top to bottom, is spending a ton of money, and the team just is not getting it done. Hard to blame this on a guy who is spending as much money as Leipold is when he could just as easily get rid of anyone who is succeeding, spend only to the salary floor and pocket the profits.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Assistant Editor:SBN Minnesota Owner: Komissaari erämaa

Rule #17: You may not impersonate representatives of Hockey Wilderness and handout NHL themed wrist bands.

by BReynolds on Dec 6, 2010 11:22 AM CST up reply actions

Agreed

All the information I have tells me that Craig says out of the way of the hockey ops and pretty much has an open checkbook. There just isn’t a lot more to be done dollars-wise given the current NHL financial system.

by redheadzeb on Dec 6, 2010 12:03 PM CST up reply actions