Wilderness Walk for 1-15-2012

by BReynolds on Jan 15, 2012 9:01 AM CST in Wilderness Walks

Stop 14B, everyone. Once again, stop 14B.

The Wild lost again last night, Mikko Koivu is hurt, could be seriously. Figured we better have another stop on the route, let a few more people off the band wagon. While I agree that if Koivu is lost long term, this team is fried and served on a nice plate, I am not going to deal well with the folks who come out of the woodwork to criticize management and call for jobs.

The exercise the other day, with the role playing, was to give you an idea of just how limited your options are. A few of you got that. Others, well, disappeared when faced with the tough choices. The real GM, coach, and captain don't get to do that. They face them everyday. Go ahead and lose five top six guys, get them back, then lose three again.

Good luck.

Oh, and for all you PDO, Corsi, Fenwick mumbo-jumbo followers. Thanks for the predictions. You really proved how bad this team was, and how right your stats were to everyone around here. Yep. I remember the day you all predicted the Wild would start to slide due to something that predicted none of what has actually caused them to slide. But that's right, they don't actually predict why or how things happen, just that they will. But then they don't predict that, just trends.

Be proud. Must be nice to have a way to claim you were right now matter what happens.

Links after the jump.

Wild News

Wild captain Mikko Koivu injured | StarTribune.com - Someone go back and show me where the PDO predictors predicted this one. Anyone? Beuler?

Gillies picked up by Blue Jackets | StarTribune.com - Is this rearranging chairs on the Titanic again? Could be.

Tough night, tough finish for Wild | StarTribune.com - Gamer from Russo.

Mikko Koivu injures shoulder during shootout loss at St. Louis | StarTribune.com - Post Game Rants

For Wild's Yeo, hockey is a way of life | StarTribune.com - Excellent piece from Chip Scoggins. Fishing and hockey. Yep, he can stay.

Blues 3, Wild 2 (SO): Minnesota falls in shootout despite strong games from Josh Harding, Justin Falk - TwinCities.com - Gamer from across the river.

Zulgad: Another reminder of Doug Risebrough's first-round failures - Minnesota Wild news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities – Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) - Indeed.

Off the Trail

MSHSL announces stiffer penalties for hockey hits | kare11.com -Yes, yes, 1000x YES.

It's not time to make a goalie deal | TBO.com - Tampa writers do not feel this is the time to make a goalie deal.

Michael Russo's Sunday Insider: Speed makes, breaks game | StarTribune.com - Good write up. Curious about the reaction.

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Role playing was to show us our limited options?

I thought it was to give us ideas to use in the bedroom? Last night I was Fletcher and my wife was Yeo. We talked about what to do about the team for hours. It was the longest I have ever lasted in bed… Though my wife satisfaction was about the same as it usually is…

by eamon17 on Jan 15, 2012 9:13 AM CST reply actions 4 recs

uh… ew. ha ha.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Swarm Beat Writer:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Jan 15, 2012 1:55 PM CST via Android app up reply actions

So much win

Proprietor of Hockey Wilderness - We take Minnesota hockey WAY too seriously.

by nathaneide on Jan 16, 2012 9:55 AM CST up reply actions

Here's my take and it's not going to be popular

I say whatever we do, don’t sell the core prospects really for anything at this point. Sell the UFAs if you can and get the players who are hurt ready for next season or if we somehow do happen to back our way into the playoffs this year maybe they will be healthy by then. Making the playoffs is nice, but sacrificing all the prospects to finish 8th in the West and be swept in the first round would be for nothing. Let’s continue the building so that in a year or two, we are perennial playoff contenders.

by cgp711 on Jan 15, 2012 9:26 AM CST reply actions

May not be popular

But it’s the smart course of action. We have to admit that despite starting so well, the Wild weren’t going to have that good of a season this year, but the plan is that in 2-3 years, the Wild will become legitimate as the prospects start flowing in.

There’s no need for Fletch to become trigger-happy, his plan is working, but I just hope no one panics and that Leipold doesn’t do something stupid like fire Fletcher for missing the playoffs if it happens.

I’m not saying he shouldn’t do anything to try to cling to the playoff spot, but he shouldn’t do anything stupid like trade an important cog to the Wild’s future machine.

I'm that ''ignorant dumbass'' who writes with the ''whiny idiot homer'' over at Hockey Wilderness.

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Jan 15, 2012 11:15 AM CST up reply actions

I'm more worried that Yeo or Fletch will be fired which would be a huge mistake.

by cgp711 on Jan 15, 2012 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

I think for the most part thats the consensus around here

I have seen very few people willing to sell on our prospects around these parts. If its a longer term trade for a forward that can play top 6 for the next couple years, I would be willing to toss in a Zucker or a Bullmer. But would be against any trade involving Granlund, Larrson, Coyle or Phillips.

by ThatGuy22 on Jan 15, 2012 11:46 AM CST up reply actions

Popular with me

I wanted to do the same thing last year; in fact, maybe a little more extreme by getting rid of all RFAs for everything and anything from pucks to picks.

The critical Xs in play here this year are 1) it won’t make the “fans” that were expecting such great things very happy—these are the peoples’ money that is really important to the bottom line, unfortunately. And 2) Mr. Leopold wants to the make the playoffs really bad (see #1). The more I reflect on it, that hot start might have been just about the worst thing that could have happened in regards to the future.

I just hope Fletch and Yeo can convince Mr. Leopold of the good things coming in the next few years. Now, if those good things don’t come? We can all get our pitchforks then, but until that time, waiting out the storm seems the best answer.

Being from Minnesota, it would be rude to put something clever here.

by redheadzeb on Jan 15, 2012 1:31 PM CST up reply actions

After reading that Tampa article

It would seem we waited too long to move Harding as Tampa is out of the hunt now. They are right when they say they can just wait until the off-season and sign Harding or Elliot. In my opinion, it seems that leaves just one team in the playoff hunt with major question marks in goal, Toronto, but of course, Burke isn’t concerned about that. Maybe if Harding gets into a couple fights when we face Toronto next week, that will convince Burke to trade for him.

by cgp711 on Jan 15, 2012 10:02 AM CST reply actions

Wow...

The bitterness is stronger than a cup of Starbucks’ dark roast coffee today…

by TC Mooch on Jan 15, 2012 12:57 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

I don't think anyone is bitter, we're just coming back down to earth after being in the clouds the first half of the season.

This was a project to start the season and it still is, we just did unusually well to start, no one expected that.

by cgp711 on Jan 15, 2012 1:21 PM CST up reply actions

oh, I’m bitter. thought, that’s not anything new.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Swarm Beat Writer:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Jan 15, 2012 1:55 PM CST via Android app up reply actions

Having half your team go down to injuries sucks...

I can relate. Especially when it’s mostly the key players. I get tired of stats-heads too. People and actions defy stats all the time.

"We want to keep beating them...to break their pride and break their season...is a huge thing for us." - David Legwand

by DonBorvio on Jan 15, 2012 2:20 PM CST reply actions

Isn’t Dirk a stats guy? Says so on his profile. Makes me wonder why you’ve commented nearly 6000 times on a site that covers angles you don’t like at all.

Follow me on twitter @CoolJ90

by CoolJ90 on Jan 15, 2012 2:58 PM CST up reply actions

Dirk isn’t really a stats guy in the way that we have an issue with stats guys. Dirk likes to know all the angles, and is an excellent writer with an excellent site. Absolutely nothing wrong with commenting that many times on a site that covers your favorite team in a way that many times surpasses the way the MSM does.

Dirk, from what I can tell, would never spend the time of his readers to belittle another team simply for the attention. But maybe that’s just me.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Swarm Beat Writer:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Jan 16, 2012 12:09 AM CST up reply actions

Yeah, he just presents them mostly. I do poke fun at his opinions at times, but Dirk’s a nice guy. The Sergei Kostitsyn shooting percentage thing is one I like to bring up (SK74’s a cherry picker).

"We want to keep beating them...to break their pride and break their season...is a huge thing for us." - David Legwand

by DonBorvio on Jan 16, 2012 1:06 AM CST up reply actions