Minnesota Wild – Season Preview
Hello everybody. Here we are at Pucking Deep again. Uh we’ve been doing season previews for each NHL team. And today we’re on to the Minnesota Wild. Very interesting team indeed. Um there’s a whole Capri off stuff going on there. That was interesting whether he’s going to sign or not, which I do believe he will sign. But uh we are we’ve been doing we did the Rangers just recently. We did that live. Check it out. Didn’t work out very well at the end, but it’s out there. We got everything we needed to say. Uh Philadelphia we’ve worked it together. And uh remember I’m going to be doing a show uh in the regular season on Pucking Deep on RNJ Media who is run by Ron right here. and Ron’s coming here to talk to me talk about uh the Minnesota Wild and the direction they may go. Um I think you would be a guy that would know a lot uh being there in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and stuff like that. You would have a lot of insight on Bill Garin and what and the Minnesota Wild. Uh how would you how would you not necessarily not necessarily coming from Pennsylvania even though they’re from Minnesota. Uh my my pastor is from Minnesota. Does that count? Oh, okay. You know, right. Uh but no, but here’s the thing, though. Okay, so I really like Minnesota. I really like what they’ve been doing up there. Ever since they got rid of the Chuck Fletchers, do you know what I mean? Right. Uh there there was another team that had to get rid of a Chuck Fletcher, too. But ever since they got rid of Chuck Fletcher, that team has done nothing but good things. They made the playoffs a couple times, do you know what I mean? Their team has gotten better. I I like some of the guys that they’ve brought in. Do you know what I mean? Um the Here’s the thing, though, and this is what we’ve talked about for every single team. You need to have that top number one C. You need to have that top defense or defensive pairing. And you need to have goalending. Okay. And and quite frankly, I I think that Minnesota is got the goalending part covered. Yep. You know what I mean? So, have they gotten the other parts worked out? Every time they’ve made the playoffs, they look, they gave Vegas a good showing, but eventually got pummeled. Do do you know what I mean? So, they’ve made some good showings. They haven’t been able to get past the first round of the playoffs. I don’t know, man. With where they are right now in the league they’re playing in, I don’t know if they’re going to be able to make it. They could potentially as a wild card because they’ve extended it now, but I I don’t know, man. I I I added uh Nicholas Kubel, you know what I mean? They added him. So, uh, here’s the other thing that I think too about them, aside from their goalending and everything else that you know that we talked about as far as that’s concerned, the the guys that they brought in, do you know what I mean? The the Demarco Rossi is signing a a contract, you know, how is Gustaf or August going to handle this? They brought in Cal Peterson as well, do you know what I mean, to help in the in the goalending? Can can Z Bunnham and uh you know Zack Begoian be enough on the back end with Dave? That’s what I’m looking at too. David Urroek is just a kid, right? Zack Begoian isn’t the greatest in the world. Favor didn’t actually really knock it out of the park last year. He’s young, but I mean he seemed to get overwhelmed in when he played against top competition. and Jake Jacob Middleton has never been a top left LT. I they keep on making him out to be. And then of course you’ve got the Brody injury that just never goes away. The guy’s injured all the time. Um and I think I think you bring up a good point there that this is a team that’s generally known for their defense and Jared Spurgeon is now 36. Uh, by the way, that’s the wrong side of 30. Yeah. And overall, I wouldn’t really call this defense overly fantastic. Now, I’m going to give him um something with Zeve Boo. Um, from what I un like from what I’ve heard and I mean, he was he did he had like 48 points in Denver last year in 41 games. That’s really impressive for a defenseman that’s not even 20 years old. like this kid is going to be good. It’s a question of how good is he going to be like I now like how good is he going to be now? I think he’s gonna be a star in the league, but they’re putting a lot on this kid to he’s going to have to play top uh you know at least the three four spot. He’s going to be playing against top competition every night uh until Broaddin comes back. So, we’ll see if he’s able to uh hold up. I saw him last year. What I saw of him, he’s got lots of talent. He’s got lots of skills, but I didn’t see enough of him to see what his overall game is like. So, I kind of put a question mark behind that. Oh, really? Okay. I I’ve seen him play in juniors. I’ve seen I mean, he was he’s a he was a coveted draft pick. And the fact that he wasn’t able to get any traction where he was drafted is a real shame. But it also goes to show you the depth of the team that he came from. Do you know what I mean? And now that he’s here with Minnesota, you know, I think he’s going to get a chance to shine and I think he is going to be able to take the load and be able to play over 20 minutes a game as that second pairing. You know what I mean? And he’s going to probably end up being on the power play or potentially be on the penalty kill. I I don’t have a problem with his game. His defensive game is actually pretty wellrounded for being as young as he is. Look, he just needs experience. It’s the for being as young as he is, right? Okay. You know, that’s the thing. I mean, a lot of like I mean, what Faber is doing is good for how what’s he like 23 is good for how young he is. And like you can say that about a lot of players, but you can’t change the how young he is aspect. They’re still not there yet. You know, I don’t know how there he’s going to be. I I I’m not sure this year. It’s It’s asking a lot. It is for a kid to have that much, you know, but he’s got some good veterans back there to lean on. Sure. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? So, I mean, you got the Zach Begoians, you got those guys that are you can lean on those guys, you know, and and and I think that’s going to be part of it. I I think that’s going to be part of what his learning curve and and you know, Yeah. guys learn. I got a kid that was very confident, though. That’s one thing I will say. Confidence is not a problem with Z. I don’t think anybody’s going to be uh knocking that kid down confident confidence wise, which is really good. It’s really good to have that much confidence in yourself. Um, as far as what you were saying about the top uh number one center, I mean, this has been a problem for them for quite some time that they’ve been trying. Mostly it has been because or at least they’ve been saying because they were paying Sudter and Pereiz a very large chunk of money that they bought out a while ago and now they this year um if I remember correctly, their their cap is not spectacular. They got about 4 million. Um, but next year it’s going to be a lot. They’re really going to be focusing on Marco Rossi, who last year fared pretty well. I This is what I say about this team. This is a team that’s the sum of its parts more than the actual um like that’s a good way to put that. Capri off is amazing. One of the best three zone defense players in the game. Plays elite competition. could probably score 50 goals for you. Um, yeah, I love Matt Baldi is absolutely awesome at 24 years old. They’re really good there. Joel Ericson is an elite second line shutdown guy. Really good. Um, and but none of this like he he’s elite shutdown guy. Is he an elite player? No. but he’s very good in his role and like they don’t really have that um centered like you said that’s going to take over a game or something like that. They have Marcus Johansson, good solid three-way guy. Marcus Felino, same sort of thing, although he’s getting older. Ryan Hartman. Yeah, these are good players. Yeah. And if you look at other teams, you’ll you’ll like most other teams, you’ll see these top end guys like Rangers we talked about yesterday. They got Paneran and you know, guys like that. But once you start going down in the lineup, they’re not as good as Minnesota. So, they’re basically working on really good offensive depth and a solid structure that I do believe that they have. Um, I think that will will get them in last year before they had all these injuries because remember Capri off was injured last year, right? Um, Broaddin of course again was in injured, Joel Erikson E was injured last year and they still found a way to make the playoffs and before that they were on a roll. They were really flying last year. They were completely on a roll. Um, and like you said, Philip Gustson, I mean, he’s an above average number one number one goalender. Uh, the Jesper Walstack kid, they’re putting him as a second. I don’t know about that. Uh, he didn’t do very well in the AHL, but I I think this is like I think you I think this is something that or you something you brought up that this is a team that bubbles, makes it in, and then loses in the first round again. It’s, you know, it’s can they keep can they keep on doing this? Where are they going to find that number one center or that one player that’s going to bring them into an elite status where you can say this is a contender? Would you call this team a contender to win the cup next year? No. No. No, not even close. I mean, they they finished fourth in the Central with 97 points. They were 4530 and seven, right? that that that’s not too bad. I mean, all with a lot of injuries though, too. You got to remember, right? Okay. So, they made a lot of that at the beginning of the season and then towards the end where the injuries kind of caught up to them. Do you know what I mean? So, but they got bounced in the first round and then what was it the year before or two years before where they were playing against Vegas and they actually like they they actually punched Vegas in the in the mouth and got him to bleed a little bit and then Vegas was like, “Well, oh yeah, and then just housed them, right?” So, I mean, they they’ve they’ve tasted the playoffs. They they have that potential there. I just don’t think they’re the complete team yet. I just don’t I I think they’re a step or two away. We’ve been saying that for a long time. And I think part of the problem is is they have to try too hard to make the playoffs. By the time they get to the playoffs, like this is a grindy team. They got They’re out of gas. They got Yeah, they’re out of gas by the time the playoffs come. They need some guys that can just win games for them. They need at least one guy that can just win a game for you where you don’t have to grind out every single game, work your bag off in the regular season just to make it. And then when the playoffs start, you’re going up against, like you said, a team like Vegas that rests their players down the stretch. They win games playing perimeter and not engaging physically all that much because they got the talent to be able to win those games. Yeah. Minnesota just doesn’t have that. And I think that’s pretty much what we’re seeing. Same old, same old for Minnesota. Hopefully next year. Hopefully next year. They should be called the Minnesota hopefully next years. That’s what they should because that’s pretty much what they are every single year. And it’s time for Garren to take the next step here. I think it’s it’s getting a little thin in this, okay, we’re good enough category where you’re getting middle round first and not really getting not really the contender and all that stuff. And I I don’t know what the answer is to tell you the honest truth besides finding that number one center somehow. Here’s the thing though, when you look at the division that they’re in with the Colorado and the Dallas makes it tougher. Right. Okay. Right. So that’s what I’m getting at here. Right. I think I think Mammoth is going to be a little bit better. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Nashville necessarily. Chicago is going to be a little better. Um I’m looking at at probably Colorado to win this or Dallas, right? Um with Minnesota finishing fourth last season. I don’t see Dallas, Colorado, maybe St. Louis, maybe Minnesota coming out of here. Unless y’all think Utah’s going to be any better or unless you think Nashville’s going to be any better. Nashville. Yeah. Okay. Right. So, I don’t know, man. I I think See, I think Minnesota could have everybody and actually do very well and even come second in the division. Something like that. I could see it happening because they play that kind so hard every game, right? You can Winnipeg does this. Winnipeg has not learned that you don’t need to win every game. They haven’t learned this. You can like take like you look at the Florida and Tampa Bays and stuff like that. If you look them on the set down the stretch in the second half, you’ll see them play perimeter games not engaging physically and people will be saying, “What happened to Tampa? What happened to Florida?” I’ll tell you what happened. Any coach will tell you this is a marathon. The regular season is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. It’s not a sprint. There’s times when you’re going to have there’s going to be certain spots in your in the season where you’re going to have to kind of take a break and hope you win some and Minnesota has doesn’t have the talent to do that. And Winnipeg doesn’t know how to do that apparently. Um, you know, like these kind of teams. Also, Winnipeg doesn’t really have the talent to do that either. So they end up having to grind all all their games and you can win the division. That’s the reason why the President’s Trophy curse, you know that President’s Trophy, it’s not a curse. It’s a team that tried way too hard for a trophy that don’t matter and then when they go in the playoffs, they’re done. That’s exactly what happened to Winnipeg, man. Because they they won the President’s Trophy last year. I I I still think they have a really good team up there. Do you know what I mean? But that’s exactly right. You put all of everything into the regular season. Then then it comes down to the to the second season and you got nothing left. Exactly. That’s what happened. I mean, all you have to do is look at Hellbuck. All you have to do is look at how he played and see how he did all throughout the whole regular season. VZ trophy winning goalender and then he got to the playoffs and he had nothing left. Yeah, I think it’s a combination with hollow not of nothing left and being too intense. Yeah, he he’s got to take it down a little bit, but I mean the best teams have learned how to do this and they’ve learned how that it is a marathon. is not a sprint and Minnesota. But the best teams have talent that can win games in like playing perimeter, not engaging. Minnesota’s not that team. If they’re not playing a structured defense, grind it out type game, they’re not going to win too many games. And and that’s what and that’s the problem. I’m with you, man. I’m with you because if you look at the division, I mean, the division is is kind of set like that. Do you know what I mean? St. Louis is kind of a grinded out team, you know what I mean? Colorado is kind of a physical team. You know, Chicago’s kind of a grinded out physical team. You You know what I mean? Like they’re just all good, too. So, like you took Minnesota and you put them in the Pacific division where you got Vancouver, Calgary, whatever. I think they’d have a better chance because they can take it a little easier against teams like that. But you’re playing in the Central that is a tough division. uh you’re playing against a lot of good, like you just mentioned, very tough teams and it makes it much more difficult if you don’t have that high offensive talent that can just pot a couple for you in a game and you can just step back and just Okay, chill guys or some like Exactly. It’s like almost like a zenness you got to have through to try to remember to try to get to that finish line without being exhausted. Yeah. Because because Minnesota’s going to grind out games and they’re going to if they’re going to win games, they’re going to be three to two or four to three or one. You know what I mean? They’re going to be onegoal games. They’re going to be a lot of overtime games. You know what I mean? Things like that. So, I’m with you, man. I’m with you on that parallel. Make the playoffs out in the first or second round. I mean, it that’s So, so let me ask you this question then. Let me ask you this question. So, in the Central, who do you got winning the Central this year? I think it’ll be Colorado. Um, Dallas, they Dallas will all can always surprise you because they’ve lost some players off of their roster. Um, and they’re replacing them with young players like Marchment and stuff like that. Um, the question is how the young players that are coming in are going to be and they quite often have the ability to surprise you. Um, but I think Dallas hopefully will learn because they uh Dallas has the worst travel schedule of any team in the NHL. Did you know that? It’s terrible. And I I’m I’m hoping for their sake that they can get up early and start doing what I’m saying and try to slow it down a little bit, find ways to get some rest during the season where I just think Colorado themselves have that kind of talent to win those games that I’m talking about. I think it’s one one team in the in this division and one team in the league that have the McKinnons, they have uh you know Nichas uh Mar stuff like that. So if they want if they want if they want to they they’re going to have there’s going to be times when they play bad teams they can get up right away and then start playing perimeter and you know they can win those kind of keep the puck away from everybody and yeah you know no I’m with you. I’m with you. So I think that they probably win the division. What do you think? I I like I like either Dallas or Colorado. I I think this might be the year of Dallas. I’m hoping that that that’s kind of what I’m who I’m picking is Dallas. Okay. Um I I also think that Colorado is going to be there as well, too. And I think Winnipeg is going to be there as well. You know what I mean? But it’s it’s now it’s going to be a crapshoot as to who’s going to be that fourth team. Is it going to be St. Louis? Is it going to be Minnesota? Is it going to be Nashville? Is it going to be you know what I mean? You know, so so Minnesota I think is the best of the bottom. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like they fit in there in four or five spots around. Right. Right. That’s kind of where I and that’s kind of where they finished last year, too. So that’s where I’m at with them this year, too. So yeah, they could. And and also, like I said, Dallas and Colorado could get way up could could start taking their foot off the gas. And Minnesota keeps grinding it out. Yeah. Right. They wind up in second or first. And then everybody’s like, “Well, what happened to them? I lost in the first round.” Because they drain themselves. Exactly. They play that type of series. So anyways, there we go. Minnesota. And uh Oh, we forgot one thing is this other kid that I wanted to talk about before we go is Liam Ogran. Watch out for that kid. Do you know anything about him? I mean, from what I saw, Yeah. No, I haven’t heard of that one. Yeah, he he could uh he could be a difference maker for this team. He’s super strong. Uh he’s But again, he’s one of those guys that’s a like everybody else. Grind it out. All of those sort of things like that. When it comes right down to it, I think they This is It’s time for them to just get pure off one or two pure offensive players that can change a game. Hints, hints. Wink wink. Nudge nudge. Yeah. You know, off is amazing. Don’t get me wrong. He’s awesome. I think they need one or two one or two more guys that can do that. I agree. All right, thanks for listening everybody. Uh Ron, tell me what’s going on on the on that. We got a lot of stuff going on here, man. A new website coming out soon. Um that’s going to be really awesome. It’s going to feature a Puckin deep website page where you’ll be able to come and see all the shows and everything we got going on there. Um, we got uh some great Prospector Watch stuff coming out, so be tuned to check that out. Got some great Hockey Writers, Inc. stuff now. We teamed up with the great Russ Cohen. So, now we do the Hockey Writers Inc. with uh Russ Cohen, and that’s awesome with the Flyers coverage on that. So, we also do the Huddle, which is a Pittsburgh Steelers show with Gage Ryan. Um, we just had fivear matchup on the show this past week, so be sure to check that out. also doing uh the Nitney Report where we report on the Penn State Nity Lions, not just the football team, but the hockey team as well, too. Plus the puck indeed, man. You got to be sure to check that out, man. New website coming out. Um all kinds of great stuff coming on. Doing this great partnership here with Pearllo. Also be looking for some partnership with the prospect Dawn. Um be doing stuff for him and doing some content and some and some uh stuff for them as well over there, too. So, be sure to check that out. You can find me on X at RJ_Idia. And you can check out the new website at rjmediasports.com. It’ll be out soon. It’s not there yet, but um the new uh URL is rjmediasports.com. Check that out. You can check us out also on YouTube. And you’ll be able to at some point be able to find this show on all your podcasting platforms, too. So, there you go, man. Right on. And for puck in deep, uh, again, it’s called that for a reason. If you like indeping, I’ll be doing videos. Uh, you’ll be able to, if you enjoy looking at the little nuances of every team and everything that happens in the NHL and how it might affect that team, all of those sort of things. And guess what? I’m a professional sports handicapper. um on the uh on a a sports podcast called the Ice Guys voted best sports podcast in North America last year and they reached out to me part of it. So, it’s kind of hard to be on the best sports cast in North America and not be very good at what you do. So, you will be able to find uh my hockey picks as well here in the future and uh I’ll tell you how to do that and uh or you can go to uh Pirllo’s NHLP. You’ll get some there as well. I’ll be posting stuff on my Twitter, but my best picks will be available with RNJ Media come the season start. and uh you so I would sub up my if you like having fun and making a little money you’ll also enjoy this program that way. So I’ll see you then and thanks everybody for coming on listen to the Minnesota Wild. Catch you next time. We’ll be on to other teams and everything else in the NHL on Puck in Deep.
RNJ Media Sports is proud to present:
Puck In Deep: With Pearlo and Ron!
Team Preview: Minnesota Wild
Join us as we announce a brand new show and channel called “Puck In Deep” an NHL flavored show with the great Pearlo Wisdom as we dive into the deep end!!
Lots of new changes and good things to come. Stay Tuned!!
Follow Pearlo on X – @pearlosnhlpow
Follow Ron on X – @RNJ_Media
SMASH the LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to keep up on all the latest!!