Wilderness Walk for 2-24-2012: Game Day Edition

by BReynolds on Feb 24, 2012 10:39 AM CST in Wilderness Walks

Welcome back, computer. It's been far too long that you have been gone.

Let me get this straight. I was unavailable to watch last night's game (will be again tonight), and the Wild won a game? In a shoot out? Has anyone talked to Hockey Ops at the NHL level? How this can't be overturned on review is beyond me. I was fairly certain there were rules against this type of thing. Maybe the presence of the young upstart on the bench got Backstrom playing again.

Whatever it was... keep doing it.

Vote- Time to vote for Defending the Blue Line.

Wild News

Backstrom big, even in shootout | StarTribune.com - Bizarre.

A few Wild have warm thoughts about Florida | StarTribune.com - Warm. About Florida. Get it?

Wild freeze season-ticket prices for next season | StarTribune.com - Would have been difficult to justify raising them.

First Round Bust: Fun With Stats Episode 2: Dancing on the Grave - Enjoy.

Enemy News

Dallas Stars News - Sports News for Dallas, Texas - SportsDayDFW - Newspaper home for the Stars.

Defending Big D - And your SBNation home for all things Stars.

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Are we now progressing to the mean?

Twitterverse: @hobey_baker

by The Nooge on Feb 24, 2012 10:49 AM CST via Android app reply actions

See, my mind is still boggling at that Carter trade.

Jeff Carter for Jack Johnson and 1st round draft pick (likely mid round this year or later round next year).

So, they basically traded Jakub Voracek and Sean Courtier and a 3rd round pick, for at best a mid 1st rounder. And not only that, but the trade for Jeff Carter was intended to provide that Jackets with a #1 center and an additional top line scorer. In return for him, they lose the top-line center, and get an offensive D man that is very similar to the guy they signed in FA, Wisnewski. In trading Carter, the Jackets didn’t address any of their positions of need: Shutdown D, Offense, Goalie, top prospects… and have a lot of money tied up in decent but not great offensive D men. The biggest positive is that they don’t have to worry about having to pay Carter for the next 10 years.

Anyway, onward to Dallas. I really don’t know what to expect from this game. Both teams are travelling to play a back-to-back game. Who is going to be in the net for the Wild? Can they break the curse in Dallas? Dallas is suddenly playing well, on the back of Michael Ryder of all guys. The Wild, missing Koivu, is playing better defensively and has had more battle to their game… this is a case of guys stepping up to cover for the missing Kaptain.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 11:05 AM CST reply actions

Lots of trades look bad when you take that view

At the time it was a viewed as a good trade. They were getting a 30-40 goal scorer to play with nash. It didn’t work out though for some reason and they needed to move on. The trade yesterday was again a good traded, if not better for the jackets. They get a mid 1st round pick, and a top pairing Dman who can do it all for a guy who didn’t want to be there. To me it was to good trades at the time they were made. also never now what you get with picks, who knew courtier would play so well. If the jackets did they prob wouldn’t have traded it away. Not to mention if they get the first overall and take yakopov, plus the 3 or four picks/prospects they get for nash they will be well on their way.

A question though, with johnson gone from LA, could zid be going there? The kings just gave up a man who could make that first pass and skate with the puck. Why not go to the Kings and say " give us a 3 or 4 and you have a guy who can move the puck up to you new scorer.

by FueltheJet#2 on Feb 24, 2012 11:20 AM CST up reply actions

I wouldn't say Johnson can do it all

He can’t play a lick of defense. At all. He looked fine in a defensive-minded Kings team, but he’s not going to do Steve Mason any favors in Columbus.

Also, if they wanted a defenseman like Zids, they would’ve kept Johnson. Doesn’t make much sense to go get an inferior, aging d-man to replace Johnson.

Columbus didn’t technically trade Couturier, they traded the pick to get Couturier. Doesn’t mean they would’ve picked Couturier, but he certainly would’ve been a good fit for the team.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 11:53 AM CST up reply actions

No, they didn't trade Couturier

but they did trade a very high draft pick in a pretty deep top end draft last year, and it was very likely (even if they didn’t draft Couturier) that they’d have picked up someone who could have helped them out nicely, as early as next season.

Now the trade for Carter was bad primarily because he was actually a bad fit for a first line spot with Nash, and had a history of personality and responsibility issues. Philly dropped him awfully fast. It only took about 15 games this season before Carter was rumbling about ‘not fitting in’ and rumors about demanding a trade already.

Columbus has become a train wreck.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 12:08 PM CST up reply actions

100% agreed.

How Howson still has a job is mind-boggling.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 12:15 PM CST up reply actions

Keep in mind that the great Craig Patrick is advising things in Columbus right now.

I’m not sure how much input he had in this trade or if he was on board when the other trades went down last summer. I for one thought last summer, the BJs were making solid moves. And frankly, Carter could have worked in Columbus if he had wanted to but was instead a baby about it all, got his way, and got traded out of there. Trading the pick that became Couturier is probably what hurts the most. He could have played this season alongside Nash and maybe then Nash would want to stick around longer. It is obvious that Columbus is going through a top to bottom rebuild now. Best of luck to them as they are our expansion cousins even if watching their games can be painful at times. Hopefully Craig can right the ship over there.

by cgp711 on Feb 24, 2012 1:25 PM CST up reply actions

The problem is that this trade can't be viewed in isolation.

But, even if you do, it’s a poor return for Columbus. Jack Johnson is a poorer version of the offensive D man that they already have, and isn’t not going to be paired with him, and he makes a lot of money for what he does. Yes, they get a shot at a mid-round pick, say 12th to 16th… but they basically walked away from that trade not addressing any of their major team weaknesses (I mean they should have at least pried Bernier off the Kings), and get the right to draft in that mid round bubble where there is talent but it’s usually 2 to 4 years out, if not more. Carter is undeniably a top 6, goal scoring talent, with a long contract but at a pretty reasonable cap hit. Kaberle had a bigger return from Boston last year than Jeff Carter got this year.

Yeah, a lot of pundits jumped all over Columbus as being playoff favorite this year, but that trade that got Carter was hardly viewed positively by a lot of people. First off, Carter was always going to be a difficult fit with Nash on the same line, and having Carter center a line with Nash was the #1 reason for the trade. The primary problem is that Nash and Carter have pretty much the same game and need a high caliber playmaker to get the most out of their games. Beyond that, Columbus gave up a promising young player in Voracek, and a high draft pick, for a guy who already had a lot of Personality and Motivation question marks in his recent past. It was an aggressive trade for the wrong guy.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 12:04 PM CST up reply actions

Heck, it could become a late round pick.

Carter gives the Kings the scoring they desperately needed. That, paired with unbelievable goaltending could make them a dark horse team in the playoffs. Plus, Johnson is overrated.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 12:17 PM CST up reply actions

I completely agree...

If they can start scoring, I think that the Kings are going to start steam rolling and the scoring will start all over the place. With their system, and Quick, add some more timely scoring and that is a tough team. That and I think Voynov actually has the potential to ably fill and perhaps bring more to the Kings than Johnson was bringing.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 12:19 PM CST up reply actions

this is a case of guys stepping up to cover for the missing Kaptain.

It’s about damn time.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 11:55 AM CST up reply actions

One thing you can say for Johnson...

He doesn’t seem to have the same habit of getting suspended for stupitidy. That part at least is not redundant.

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by Justin J on Feb 24, 2012 12:04 PM CST up reply actions

heh...

There is that. It isn’t much, but I guess they have a 1b PP captain.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 12:09 PM CST up reply actions

Oh Ro

Mittens had found himself on Waivers again… God I hope Fletch doesn’t get any idea’s given our need for a scoring winger(who no longer scores)

by ThatGuy22 on Feb 24, 2012 12:30 PM CST reply actions

Looks like they realized he doesn't look so good without Koivu.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 12:38 PM CST up reply actions

He didn’t do so good with Koivu.

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

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Feb 24, 2012 12:47 PM CST up reply actions

This

Although, Koivu did make him into a 20-goal scorer, which surely threw some teams off.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 12:51 PM CST up reply actions

No one is going to pick up that contract.

Does he have a no trade or no movement clause. If it is no movement, can they even send him to the minors? And even if they do send him to the minors, enjoy paying that salary there. I bet Yzerman is now happy someone took priority claim over him when he originally signed Mittens.

by cgp711 on Feb 24, 2012 1:27 PM CST up reply actions

If he had a 'no movement' clause

they couldn’t put him on waivers.

by Krotz the Wall on Feb 24, 2012 2:33 PM CST up reply actions

And no movement clauses are usually reserved for players of some importance...or sometimes, just a pretty stupid move by the GM.

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

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Feb 24, 2012 2:36 PM CST up reply actions

Season Ticket Prices

Glad to see the prices unchanged. I was afraid the early success would have put in motion a price hike. Good on the Wild for realizing what a mistake that would have been.

The only thing I want to see now is a way to defer payment until the CBA is resolved while still guaranteeing our seats. Giving the team our money (again) and letting them hold on to it without any hockey being played is not something in which I’m interested…

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

by redheadzeb on Feb 24, 2012 1:04 PM CST reply actions

I read today that the cap may rise to $69 million for next year.

What a complete joke. The owners who didn’t want to spend so much are actually paying more for players now than they were before. Frankly, with the recent trades, the NHL is starting to look like it may turn into MLB with super teams again that have all the star power and the rest of the league’s teams made up of blue collar players. Jeff Carter just proved to the entire league that if you get traded somewhere you don’t like, be a big baby about it and you will get traded again maybe to a place you do like.

by cgp711 on Feb 24, 2012 1:30 PM CST reply actions 2 recs

Rec'd

Follow @JayKlinkhammer

PEK > NBA ALL STAR WEEKEND 2012
MATT HACKETT FAN CLUB PRESIDENT
WILLINGHAM&CHEESE.
RGIII = BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE

by y2jayjk on Feb 24, 2012 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

Also.

Does anyone else think that the league has too many teams? I love the NBA but I feel it suffers from having 2 too many but I feel the NHL may have more like 4 too many.

Follow @JayKlinkhammer

PEK > NBA ALL STAR WEEKEND 2012
MATT HACKETT FAN CLUB PRESIDENT
WILLINGHAM&CHEESE.
RGIII = BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE

by y2jayjk on Feb 24, 2012 1:49 PM CST up reply actions

It would make sense that it would jump

With the big new fancy TV Deal that makes them far more than they made in the past.

by ThatGuy22 on Feb 24, 2012 4:04 PM CST up reply actions

Who published that?

Seems like a very premature prediction considering there is no CBA in place for next year. Not saying that it’s wrong or anything, but man, that’s going out on a limb.

You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Mikael Granlund = Suomi Savior

by JDesthubert on Feb 24, 2012 3:28 PM CST up reply actions