Locked on Wild LIVE 11-16-25

Locked on Wild LIVE 11-16-25

Hey, this is Matt Holdy and you’re listening to Locked on Wild. Hey, this is Marcus Fino and you’re listening to Locked on Wild. You’re Locked on Wild, your daily podcast on the Minnesota Wild, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. [Music] [Music] All right, everybody. You know what time it is. It is a Sunday and it is time for what may be the most important show in Locked on Wild history. is Denny’s got an idea that is going to potentially change the face of the NHL forever. So, let’s get right to it. Good afternoon, Denny. Well, thank you, Seth, and welcome to What the Hell Are You Smoking? And yes, today, guys and girls, I got some ideas I’m going to throw at you and see what you think because I cannot find anything in the rule book that says we can’t do it. Uh but before we get to that, I want to go over some things that I’m seeing with the Wild last couple games. Uh number one, as you know, uh I picked Walstead as the best trade or best pick from Jud Brackett, you know, moving up two to get uh Walad from Edmonton. And I’m going to say this right now after watching him play a few games like this, he’s going to be the best goalie the Wild have ever had. That’s how good he is. And the reason I can say that and feel very confident about it is how he reads the plays that he’s way above uh most goalies on reading the plays. And he’s got an excellent glove hand. He moves side to side. He’s he has everything to be a top-notch goalie. And when you look at his numbers now, they’re elite. 924 save percentage is elite. Anything over 920 is really, really good. And as uh what is it? 2.10. 10 um uh for goals on Yeah. Yeah. Come on. That’s elite. And uh you know, I’ve always been very high. Even when he he had a bad year last year, it wasn’t so much because he was uh taking a step back, but he was hurt three times. And you know, the Wild Iowa Wild were not very good last year, as we all know. And I I never had any problems. You know, a lot of people brought up, well, look at last year. Not me. I didn’t have any question at all. And he’s proven me right. He should be our number one goalie right now. He’s proven himself to be the number one goalie, you know. And at the beginning of the year, I picked him and Z Boy to be Colder Cup candidates, and I’m sticking to it because uh he’s he’s just phenomenal. He’s an elite talent already. And if he gets one more uh shout out uh today, he’s going to be in very good company. He’ll uh um Well, it’ll be it’ll be Gus starting today. Is it Gus today? It it should be uh since it’s a backtoback. I have no problem with that. Yeah, I don’t either. The one Denny that really impressed me was in the Calgary game where Jonathan Hubedo had the breakaway and he got up to the front of the net. He tried to kind of fake Yper out and he kind of got Yesper out on like his on his knees, but then he tried to go to the side of the net and Yesper still left himself the ability to utilize both of his legs. And so Hubedo tried to kind of jam one in on the side. And because of the position that Yesper was in, even though he committed to the even though he was committed to the initial shot, he still left himself in position to be able to save the second shot with his legs. Um you don’t see that that often, especially on breakaways. Like you you said it 100% correct. He’s just he’s reading what’s going on in the ice incredibly well and he was always good structurally. Like I kind of compare him a little bit to Jakeer. Like just very very well set in what he does in the net. But when you when you’re able to read the play as well as he is right now, you don’t have to cheat at all. You just you just react to what’s going on on out on the ice. and he’s been sensational all season, but especially in his last I think it’s three starts. He’s given up two goals in three starts. He’s phenomenal. Yeah. And so, you know, I won’t be around uh when he’s retired. Of course, I’ll be gone. I’m pretty sure. Uh but he I really think he’s going to go down as the best wild goalie ever. And I’m saying it first. All right, moving on. Zoo Williams play. Now we’re coming up to 20 games. You know, in the last game, I saw him break up an odd man rush. Uh that was very, very nice to see. You know, he had his problems uh uh backing uh when he started out, but he’s learning what he can do and what he can’t do. And that’s a big deal with kids is learning what they can’t do. you know, he can’t go up the ice one on five and think he’s going to get away with it because he can’t. And once he learns what he can do and what can’t he do, he’s going to just excel. And I’m seeing big jumps from him already. And that’s really a good sign. And as long as Hines puts him in a position to be successful, uh you’re going to see huge jumps from him. Hasn’t been 20 games yet. He’s uh he’s looking much much better than he started out. And that’s, you know, 19-year-old kid learning. Other than that, um, let me see. Oh, yeah. Russo had an article a couple days ago about, uh, why Hines wasn’t using Boo in the overtime, which I brought up a couple weeks ago, if you remember. And so, now that Russo said, maybe Hines will use them because it makes no sense not to. I mean, I know they don’t want to hear anything I got to say. But when it comes to Russo, well, there you go. That’s all I’m going to say about that. And then Damon Hunt, I really like what he brings to the table and pairing him with Zeve is really a nice match. It’s like two peas in a pod there. You know, our defense is really coming together. You know, at the beginning of the year, I said we’d have the best goalie cand and Seth also said it in the NHL. And we do. We do have the best goalie tandem in the NHL. Gusb has been fighting a little bit, but I think it was more about team play, too. Uh, but, you know, our defense one through three lines is looking good. The only thing I would do is I would still put Middleston back up with uh Favor because if you look at how Favor’s or not Middleston, how he’s playing now, he’s not uh pinching in. He’s not going in taking a shot, which he did so well when he was with Faber. And that’s a lack of confidence. And that’s coaching. Uh they got to put him back up number one because what did he do to lose that spot is beyond me. I mean, uh, Middleton and, uh, uh, Brock Faber were very good together, and yeah, you know, I I don’t understand the coaching there. You know, Broaddin and Spurgeon have played together forever, and that’s where they should be. Uh, that would give us three really strong lines. And then getting to um, what I’m seeing of all these hockey podcasters saying that the Wild have turned the corner. I don’t know what game they’re watching, but they’re not watching the Wild I’m seeing. I mean, you know, Walstead still Calgary. When you get out shot 13 to three in the third period, you’re telling me the Wild are a good team? I don’t think so. We need two top six players, of which I’m going to get into after this. Uh, and against Anaheim, it was not the team. It was Walstead once again who was saving the day. I mean, he’s just dynamic. He’s phenomenal. What more can you say about the kid? Uh, our team needs help. You know, uh, we’re coming up to uh, 20 games and we have uh, eight wins. Now, when we first started, I thought the Wild would go six and 14. So, they’ve surpassed that. But when you look at how the team plays defensively, we’re fine. But offensively, we’re terrible. And what do we have? Eight power plays and nothing. Seven. 0 for seven on the power play. And I’ll just say I’ll just say this, too. The Wild generated, considering all of the power plays, they generated 2.82 expected goals against, which is below average. Uh they had 11 total shots I think on the power play which was which was not great. Um five on five the Wilder dead last in five on five goals in the uh in the NHL. And I want to just I want to just bring this up because you know we we get new listeners on a daily basis. Y and we get people, you know, that are more casual hockey fans. And I’ve had some people that have asked me, you know, you you talk about five on five a lot. Why is that so important? And so I just I just like to to hash it out. Um because, you know, we we get people that that watch varying levels of hockey. Five on five is important because it is the it’s the majority of where your offense comes from. That’s where you spend 85 to 90% of your time during a given game. Depends on how many power play opportunities there are called. Now, in yesterday’s game, we obviously saw seven power plays, which is an anomaly. So, five on five scoring is important because that’s where a majority of your scoring should come from. And so far this year, the Wild are dead last in that category. Like I said, we need top six help immediately. And this is where I’m coming up with the trees here shortly. And then uh Urban brought up a very good point about the cap acrew and uh uh how do how we can use it. And I’ll let Seth take over and uh uh because I’ve read it. I don’t see one way or another. So I’m going to let Seth uh go over this one more time. All right. So, I will do my best with this. This is uh this is a tricky this is a tricky thing to understand. So, basically, as of the trade deadline, there are usually roughly 41 days remaining out of a 186 day season. That means at the deadline, a player’s cap hit will only count for 41 out of 186 days of their hit on a new team. So 40% roughly or no, I’m probably not doing that math right. Therefore, a projected cap space for the year can fit 186 divided by 41. So 4.53 times the annual cap hit at the deadline. For instance, if a team has 1 million projected cap base for the year and that acrru at the deadline, they can add 1 million times that 4.53 times in annual capit. So if you have $1 million in cap space and you have a cruel, you can add $4.53 million at the deadline is how I understand that. That’s how I read it, too. But as Urban pointed out, we can’t go over the cap limit. And I don’t see, you know, like you were saying on your last show, we expected about 16 million cap the way things sit right now. Well, even if it’s only 10 million, does that mean cap means nothing now? I don’t think so. I think they can use it. I think it’s just like camp compliant in the playoffs. Yep. And you are acquiring a player. You’re acquiring a player, but you’re not acquiring the entirety of their cap hit. You’re acqu you’re acquiring the remainder of the season cap hit is how I understand it. And I mean, I’m in radio, so most of the things that happen other than talking on the air, I’m not good at. So that’s That’s how I understand it. Um, so as of right, and it did actually go down with putting Marco Rossi on injured reserve. Yeah. The anticipated cap space at the deadline is 13.8, which still is a lot. Oh, yeah. So, so we haven’t answered the question yet. Can we use the money? I don’t see why we can’t. We just have to be cap compliant at playoffs. That’s the biggest deal for it, but I think we can go over the cap during the season. Well, we we’ll keep working on it. Urban, that was a hell of a deal that you brought up. Really, my hats off to you. You know, you’re hockey, as most my fans do. Now, I’m going to get into what I think is probably going to shock you all. And this is because of Urban. he brought up that we couldn’t use the money on. So, I’m thinking how, you know, when you look at management uh for the top management for the best teams, Vegas, Colorado, Tampa, Colorado, um, and Florida, they look at the rule book and see what they can expound upon. And that’s what I’m doing right here. It’s never been done before, but there’s no rule that says that we can’t do it. And here we go. I’m proposing we dump the fourth line. Period. There’s no reason to play a fourth line when we don’t have one. Uh the most they play is 10 minutes. If you dump the fourth line, just go with three lines. That gives each line 3 minutes and 33 seconds more. So, you’re up to 18 and a half minutes per line. What that does do is that creates really big matchup problems. Oh, excuse me. uh for the other teams uh when they’re when their fourth line rolls out, we’re rolling out our first line. That’s a huge advantage by only running three lines. And this is how I do it exactly. I would keep one forward in case somebody got hurt during the game so we have a replacement. And I would keep one next to defenseman in case a defendant gets hurt. But they wouldn’t play otherwise. They’re just sitting on the bench. There will be no fourth line. And I would really like your thoughts and comments on this because I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it. And I’m giving you all the reasons why we should do it. You know, Hines is terrible at time management, but with three lines, ah, he’s looking pretty good then. So, your thoughts on running with just three lines. And also, it does a few other things, too. uh if you’re not dressing 12 players, well then you have more money in cap space, right? And uh coming up to the trades now, you know, I’m very high in Anders League. He’s in the last year of his contract. He’s at 7 million. So now he’s down to about five million with 20 games. We’ll just say 20 games. And uh they’ve already told him they’re not going to resign him. and he’s walking at the end of the year for nothing. So, what I am proposing is we’ll give him a third round and a fourth round, which that’s about totals about what $5 million is worth two picks. And they keep they pay the money and we get Andrew Lee for for a third and a fourth. Now, I don’t know what you guys think about that, but Andrew Lee, and I’ve heard a lot of people say, “Oh, he’s 35 years. He’s too old.” No, he’s not. As I’ve gone over several times, these guys stay in shape. They work out year round. They have all their specialists. Look at how many players are are almost hitting 40 now. Uh look at Sydney Crosby. Look, I mean, everybody uh there’s never been in in a time where hockey players have lasted this long. You know, back watching hockey as a kid, if you hit 30, you were lucky. Cuz back then, you didn’t come to camp to get uh in shape. You came to camp to get in shape. You know, when we had Jack Carlson on and he was talking about how they used to do things, uh it makes perfect sense now. I mean, when you have a dietician, you got this college and that college and uh you can definitely see the results because there’s more uh guys over 35 playing than ever. And I think you’re going to continue to see that rise. Then uh uh so my first one is Andrew Lee. Now, let me ask you what you think netfront presence means to you. There’s no long answer to this. I would just like what your thoughts are as fans on what you think Netfront presence is. Uh when I asked Seth that he was 100% had it right on. I’d like to see what everybody else thinks because my idea of Netfront presence might be different than a lot of you. I don’t know. We’ll find out. So write a comment if you know what you think about what Netfront presence is. All right. Next. because we’ve lost Rosie and two weeks always means a month. I mean, it just does. Uh, we need a center and I’ve scoured the NHL and I’ve come up with two replacements. O’Reilly and Nashville, which I definitely think could happen, and Tavvaris in Toronto uh Toronto’s uh in freef fall right now. They don’t know what the hell they’re do. Uh they’re not playing good hockey, excuse me. and uh they need to change. So, and out of the two I like Tabars better than uh O’Reilly. His cap hits 4.38 a million a year. He’s 35 years old, but please don’t get on me about his age. I just went over that. And uh you’re looking at uh you know 65 70 points a year. He would definitely be our number one center just like that. And he would be a big help. you know, he’s a big strappy young um older gentleman, I’ll say. And to get him, you’re going to have to give up uh uh probably a first and a couple picks. And that’s fine. I would do it in a heartbeat. Uh the whole thing with the his 4.38. Well, Toronto can eat half of it, and we can take the other half. Now, he’s got he just signed a four-year contract, so he he’s good till 39. But if you look at uh uh oh, what’s his name from uh trade from Boston last year to Florida? Marand. Marian. He’s 37 and if it wasn’t for Marian, Florida wouldn’t have won. He’s 37 years old and they had no answer for him. So please get off the he’s too old. One thing about older players is number one, they know what it takes. They know what has to happen in order to win a cup. They might be a little slower, but they’re also a lot smarter and they know how to read plays better. And that makes that makes up for the difference of speed. Do we need speed? Hell yeah. We need two top six forwards right away. And you know, just because uh we’ve won a couple games, it wasn’t because the wall are playing good hockey because they’re not. It’s because we have such a spectacular goalie. And then my third trade option is Alex Tuck. Once again, I’ve been talking about this guy for a year. You know, he told Buffalo he wanted $10 million. And they said, “Well, he did that for a reason. He wants out of Buffalo.” Buffalo’s about to go in another retool. It looks like they’re just a mess again. As always, I mean, when’s the last time Buffalo made it to the playoffs? 20 years ago, I think. I don’t know, but it’s been a long time. I think it’s been 14 years. Yeah, long enough. And uh Alex Tuck has a 4.75 cap hit right now. He’s good for 70 points a year. He’s a very good power forward. He’s very reliable, doesn’t get hurt, and he would be an excellent addition to the Wild. You know, he was originally a wild player. They uh gave him to Vegas so that we wouldn’t pick uh Eric uh oh Jesus I’m sorry I forgot his name. He was a center for us. Oh uh Holla. Yeah. Eric Holla. That’s exactly right. So we wouldn’t pick Holla or so they wouldn’t pick Holla. Yeah. That’s how they got tucked which was you know mindboggling. Of course, that was the first year and the GMs really didn’t know how to uh deal with it and so, you know, it is what it is. But Alex Tuck would make an excellent addition. Now, you know, and Urban brings up a point about uh you can’t go over the cap. So, we’re still figuring out, but let’s just say we can’t go over the cap. All right? We get Andrew Lee for nothing. They pay they paid the whole five million that’s left and let’s say we get to ours for 4.39 and they take half of it. So that puts us down to uh 2.1. Then we get Alex Tuck and they pay half. Then we got to ditch a couple players. But yeah, so what? I’m ready to ditch all fourth line. It’s not that hard to do. And I know uh we there’s only one way the Wild can actually do that and that’s to terminate the contracts. You got to go to the players, say, “Listen, uh we know, you know, thank you for playing for us, but uh you’re done.” And then work out a deal and kick them to the curb, so to speak. Uh that’s the only way I can see that we can do it, but it definitely can be done. And it’s been done a lot actually over the years. Uh, as far as Cairo now, because of uh uh what’s going on with Rossi, uh Kyu’s on the back burner for now. Uh I just don’t see how we can do Kyu now. So your thoughts and uh what you think about Alex Tuck, Anders Lee, and John Tavvaris. And if not, John Tavaris, Ryan O’Reilly. Uh those are my three picks that would absolutely help the Wild and that would truly make us contenders for the cup if they do this. And when you’re talking about Billy Seat, it’s on fire. He has to do something. And as as he said as much. So I hope they just listen to I hope what I’m doing is giving them ideas that they might have overlooked or haven’t looked at all. It makes sense to me. and uh you know that’s all I can do. So uh any thoughts or comments on what I’ve had to say so far about my third line gig? Um couple comments on the third line to start. Okay. Three lines works if you’re a young team. The Wild Forwards age in that scenario would be concerning for three extra minutes. I don’t see it in a in a condensed schedule. H I don’t see it. Players are in too good a shape today. Back in the 80s. Yeah. But I don’t see this team this team as it is has looked I think I think in the probably four different games so far in the first 20 I have made numerous mentions that the team looks tired. I just don’t see them being able to hold up physically. If you have an injury-prone team with a handful of players that are 30 or older that don’t skate well as it is, I don’t see them being able to handle that. Well, I can I got another uh thing I want to throw at you guys. As you know, I’ve talked about body language and how I look at teams and read the players. Uh, and I’m gonna tell you right now, Hines has lost this team. There’s nobody giving 100% out there. You know, when our best player is taking three shots a game, when he should have a minimum of six or seven, he’s not putting in 100% effort. Nobody in his team is putting in 100% effort. And uh, I’ll take Calgary. 13-3 in shots in the third period says it all. it wasn’t for Walstead, you know, as I talked about earlier, this team is not impressed with Hines anymore. So, if that’s if that’s the case, why haven’t they fired Hines? Because that is that’s a problem that can lead to players demanding their way out. Why haven’t they fired Hines then? If that’s the case, well, I think it’s coming. Uh, Billy has to do something. He knows he has to do something because his job is on the line too. And he’s about making moves. And uh you know, two years ago when I said Dino was going to get fired, nobody believed me. Not one person thought I was call making the right call there. And lo and behold, what happened? He got fired just like I said he would. Because if you read how the players react, their body language and how they’re talk, you got nothing going on in the bench. I mean, there’s nobody excited to play. Uh, that says a lot. Believe me, hockey players when they’re into it, they’re all they’re yapping and talking smack and, you know, all the good stuff. You don’t see that. You don’t see it at all. I think the wild best are giving up about 80%. you know, they’re out there playing, but they’re not giving you 100%. And if you can’t see that, next time you watch the game, look at how they’re talking in the bench. That’s a very good key of how this team is reacting. Uh I I really do. I think Hines has lost a game and I think it won’t be long before uh he’s history, you know. And if you go back Oh, excuse me. with Hines’s history and coaching starting with Nashville. He got fired there because he wouldn’t play the kids and that’s how we got fial. Then he goes to New Jersey. Same thing. You wouldn’t play the kids. You know they all, excuse me, all this talent waiting to play. He wouldn’t play him. Boom. He leaves and look what happens in New Jersey right away. They just go right up the board. And look at and I want you guys to all think, you know, Seth brought this up before, but it’s very important. We have a huge disconnect between Iowa and here. A huge disconnect. Only two players since uh Billy has taken over have come from the Wild and actually stayed and played. And that’s Baldi and Ross. That’s it. Two players. and we consistently have one of the top ranked teams in the AHL. Now, how can that be? It’s because they don’t give them a chance to play, you know. And uh uh Billy said the other day he doesn’t know what they have. Well, I wonder why because he doesn’t play the kids. Hines doesn’t like the kids. He’s already said that. Time to make a move. And you know, I know the Wild don’t like they’ve told me so. In fact, I’m not going to get into it, but they’re not real happy. We don’t need to dis We don’t need to discuss that at all. Yeah. But all I’m going to say is that uh I know they watch my show and I don’t care if you don’t like what I have to say. I’m not doing puff pieces. I’m just giving you my honest thoughts and opinions on the game of hockey of the Minnesota Wild, which I dearly love. And I don’t care what you think. So there, uh let’s get to questions and comments. Um, let’s talk about the three trades. Big ticket wants to know where the assets come from to make all three trades. Well, third and fourth, two picks down. You wouldn’t do that. I mean, think about I don’t think New York does that for Anders Lee. Yeah. I don’t know. He’s walking at the end of the year for nothing. It’s not up to the team. It’s up to Anders being Who’s to say he’s who’s to say Minnesota’s not in his 15 team no trade list? I don’t know. I doubt Minnesota would be. I mean, he’s a Minnesota boy from Dina. Uh I don’t know. Brock Besser didn’t want to come here. No, Brock Besser got a deal he couldn’t turn down, you know. Uh Colorado gave up so much to get him they couldn’t afford to uh to lose him over money and so Brock Nelson yeah Brock Nelson Brock B didn’t want to come here either I don’t know about Brock Bess not Thomas Vanic didn’t want to come here unless he was grossly overpaid Phil Kessle didn’t want to come here I’m just saying I’m just playing playfully playing devil’s advocate here yeah I understand Blake Wheeler did not want to come here either he said it was too much pressure and you know it is what it is. You’re not going to uh but I think most people for the most part would want to finish their career in Minnesota growing up in Minnesota. Uh you know that’s just my thought and feelings. I think in a year in which there are a lot of new teams that are contenders for playoff spots, I think getting Anders Lee, John Tavvaris, or Ryan O’Reilly, and Alex Tuck is going to cost you most of your draft picks this year and probably five of your top 15 prospects. I would do that in a heartbeat because then we would have a legitimate shot of winning the cup. And I mean that sincerely. That’s what uh draft picks are for. They’re assets to be used. You know, there’s two ways you can build a team. That’s uh taking picks, developing them, and playing them, which the Wild don’t do. So, why not trade them? Because they’re never going to get here anyway. Uh, you know, like like I said, we have a big disconnect between Iowa and the home the homeboys here. Uh, only two have made from Iowa Wild up here and stayed. Hines doesn’t play him. You know, when they call up a kid, all he does is sit on the bench. He doesn’t get to play. You know, finally had to put Damon Hunt in. Thank God he did because I really like what Damon Hunt. He solidifies our defense. Uh he’s a stay-at-home defender. He closes the gaps real well. He turns the play to the outside as he should. And I can’t see anything wrong with his play at all. He’s not flashy, but he’s solid. He’s steady. And he’s smart. And what more can you ask for? You know, you just let Zeve do his thing because he’s Ze’s getting ready to take off. And when he does, oh my god. But in the meantime, how many games do you think we’re going to win? One- nothing. It’s not going to happen that often. Now, we got lucky only because of Walstead because our team is not playing well and all the hockey podcasters that say we’ve turned a corner. No, we haven’t. Our team needs serious help up front. And even Billy has said we need some help. So, let’s see what he does because uh his chair is on fire. Any more questions, thoughts? Uh let’s go to Bob on the power play. Uh he says, “The Wild have to start moving around. The statues throwing passes approach got them turnovers as usual. How about cycling or handoff passes 0 for seven is gross.” Oh, it’s terrible. And they’re standing around. I uh we have a coach that they brought in just for the power power play, right? What does he tell them to do? I don’t get it. You know, as I said before, if you’re going to use Gretzky’s office, I would have Zeba Bully in behind or Zugs because he’s a great passer, too. And use that as your base for the power play because uh that screws up a lot of teams. It’s hard, very hard to defend that when you got Balding and Capri off into the slots with their one-times. Oh, Jesus, and it’s not that hard to do. So, I don’t know. They just pass it around, pass it around, pass it around, and they accomplish nothing. 0 for seven is a joke. Uh, but like I say, too, I don’t think this team is really in the plane for Hines anymore, and that kind of shows it. You know, they’re all out there playing, but they’re not giving 100%. And if you can’t see that, you got to look at the next game and think about what I’m telling you. Look at the chatter in on the bench and how they’re reacting and talking to each other. That will tell you a lot because I’m telling you, uh, uh, this team is not happy with. But, you know, it’s Billy’s boy, so we’ll see what happens. But I could see Hines getting moved real soon. When you only get eight wins out of 19 games, that’s I don’t care what anybody says. That’s not a good start. So, we’ll see. And as for uh picks for the players, I would absolutely give up a first for uh uh for Alex Tuck or Tavaris, for O’Reilly, I mean for Anders Lee. I don’t know. I’d actually have to talk to him and see where he’s at because if uh he doesn’t want to play here like Seth suggests he may not even want to play here, I would talk to him first and see. But I would really go hard after Andrews and uh all you can do is ask what they want and take it from there. You know, he’s owed about $5 million. gave him a couple picks and uh and a player maybe Jurich because they’re looking for a young defenseman and uh Jurichk I don’t think is being handled right here. You know, I’ve said it before, he’s got the best shot on the team and I don’t think he’s being developed the way he should be. You know, that’s Hines, that’s coaching again. And it’s for Tavaris or Tuck. Either one. They’re worth the first round plus uh I don’t know. Question is, would I give up Ogrren and Jurosk being that they won’t? Well, they called Og. We’ll see if they play him now, but he would be a got Ben Jones in for those faceoffs. Yeah. Well, that’s history under my youth. Uh because I definitely, you know, you’re talking about two times. No, they’re in too good a shape today. Three and a half minutes is not a big deal in today’s game. I don’t care if they’re back to back every day. It’s Denny, it’s not it’s not the it’s not the additional minutes per game. It’s the additional pounding that players take and then you leave yourself no you leave yourself no buffer because then you make yourself an easier target in theory. That if we’ve got three lines to play then that means that the top line is going to go up against the other team’s biggest line to try to just wear them down on a game by-game basis. Yeah. And then they also get the fourth line which is uh happy birthday time there. Yeah. Yeah, but if they’re getting the if they’re getting the crap beat out of them, they’re not going to be scoring goals. Well, they’re getting the crap beat out of them right now every game. What’s What’s changed? Nothing. Fair. That’s a That’s a very fair point. That’s a very fair point. They uh because we are a oneline team, our first line gets hit hard and nobody stands. You know, Capri off doesn’t he doesn’t put up with no [ __ ] I’m going to tell you right now, you treat him bad, he’s coming at you. Well, how about stop turning the puck over? Well, that’s a big deal. Has he ever has he turned over the puck this year like he did in the previous years? Never. It’s never been like that. It’s 10 times worse this year than it has been in the past. Yeah, I know. And uh you got to wonder what’s going on with it. Why is he doing it? Uh, he’s too he’s too good a player to be giving up that many chances all the time and takeaways. Maybe he already wants his way out. I doubt it. This is his team. He’s here forever. I wish he would make up the lineups though. I really do. I don’t like Hines’s lineups at all. I mean, I understand his uh put Hartman up there and trying to rekindle. You know, Hartman had a career year. He scored 35 and everything he t he touched turned a goal that year, but where has he been since then? Not even close. And uh I understand with Rosie being gone, that puts him in a hell of a deal. But you know what? We got a young man named Yurof who’s ready to go. And I’ve watched his play. His two-way game is solid. He skates, you know, he’s got good wheels. He’s got a hell of a shot. Why not give him a chance? You got him on the third line. Put him up there. See what he can do. He might surprise you. And talking about Hines is talking about protecting the kids. Where does that come from? Protecting the kids. I’ve never heard that. I’ve never heard of that before. Oh, we’re protecting the kids. Protecting them from what plan? Oh my god. You know, it just shows you how out of touch Billy and Hines are uh with the kids because they have no idea and Billy said so as much. And that’s terrible for a GM to say he has no idea about his players. That’s terrible. Absolutely terrible. Well, I can tell you I’m not the GM, but I can tell you about every single player, their strengths, their weaknesses, and you know, what they should be doing and why they don’t is beyond me. Next question. Uh Ron says, “According to Google, uh the Wild are on Andersley’s modified no trade list.” Then Minnesota’s on Yep. Team that a team that he does not want to go to. Well, that’s disappointing. Well, scratch him then. He doesn’t want to play here. He doesn’t want to play here. We just move on. Next. Um, let’s go to this one. Do you think it’s a possibility at the trade deadline or after that Billy trades Gus for some offense? You shouldn’t. You need two guy. You need two goalies in today’s system. Uh there are more no more goalies playing 82 games like back in the old days or 70 75 games. Doesn’t work that way anymore. Uh we need two. We have the best goalie jam in the league right now. You know, I will debate that with anybody in any hockey podcaster period. They need one team that’s got two better goalies than us. There is a name. Now, Wall said has really solidified our situation. Next, uh John Tvaris signed a hometown deal in Toronto to stay. What makes you think he would accept a trade to the Wild? I wonder if he has a modified Yeah, he does have he does have some that I read. I don’t know if Minnesota’s on it or not. Uh he has a full no movement clause this season. Yeah, that I did read. But you know what? That’s just a piece of paper. You can ask him and say, “Listen, things aren’t working right. Can we move you?” And he says yes or no. And that’s how how that works. You know, with all these no trade movements and all that changes every day. And as far as our players with with the no trade movement and all that, you know what? If they told me no, they’d be doing Herbies for two hours every day and sitting on the bench till they said yes because uh that’s bad business. Uh just is what I would do. That’s old school hockey. I’m not worried about players waving. My concern is far bigger. I don’t think Billy I don’t think Billy would ask. Well, another reason for him to step aside. Really? You know my thoughts on Billian Hines. I’ve gone over the hundred times. I’m tired of talking about them. Next question. Are we concerned with Carrill that the turnovers are not getting better? Well, let me get back to one thing. I don’t think the team likes playing for Hines. It’s quite evident. I see it all over. Next game, just watch how how the bench reacts and the chatter between players. And you can tell a lot about a team by what happens. Excuse me. Next. Um, let’s go to Drew who says, “Tage Thompson, we need more right-handed shots in the lineup. First power play has five left-handers. Second power play has all three right now. Tate Thompson is not available. He’s on a He’s got four years left on his contract. It’s a beautiful contract for Bull Buffalo. I don’t know what you’d have. You’d probably have to give up five number ones and five players to get them. Not worth it. And they’re not they’re not moving him. They I’ve seen several people say a lot of teams have inquired about him. He’s not going nowhere. That’s who you build around. Not move. Next. Uh if the Wild won’t give David Uric the offensive push where he is at his best, do you trade him or do you wait it out another year? Well, it all depends on what happens with coaching because I see changes coming right away. Uh Billy has to uh he can’t be looking at the team and thinking that we’re a good team. He just can’t. And for all these hockey podcasters are saying that the Wild have turned a corner. What corner have they turned? They’re not a good team. God, when you get outshot 13 to three in the third period by Calgary, which is probably one of the worst teams in the league, what does that tell you? The players don’t care. They’re not playing. How much more obvious does it have to be? I I just uh I see, you know, because uh Hines is Billy’s boy, they may take another three or four game losing streak, but I see it happening. I really do. Uh Hines is just not uh he’s not going to bring us to the promise line, I’ll tell you that. Next, uh Jay says he’s going to the game tonight, so uh look forward to uh getting in uh boots on the ground. Um cool. Look at what’s going on. So yeah, please uh look at the bench and how they’re talking to each other. When a team is playing together, they’re very excited. They’re clapping each other on the back. They’re, you know, they’re all doing all kinds of good things. You look at our bench, they’re just sitting there staring, watching. Oh, my turn. Let’s go. That type of thing. I mean, that will tell you a lot. Trust me, I know. Oh, I know what I wanted to bring up. In a couple weeks, I’m going to have some uh fellow Northstars coming back on. I have uh Scott Buad uh who’s uh coming on in a couple weeks. He’s on vacation right now, but he’ll be back in 10 days. He’s coming on. He’s going to talk about his magical year where he had just one hell of a season. Everything he shot went in. Uh he had 43 goals, 39 assists, and uh it was his best it was his career year and he’s going to talk about that. I’m lining up some more Northstars. I won’t tell you who yet till they committed to coming on, but I’m working on it. Seriously, I’m also trying to get Wally uh Shaver on now, but he’s such a busy guy and he’s got, you know, he’s got his own show and all the stuff with the golfers, but I am trying to get Wallace Shaver on, too. Uh, you know, just moving forward and trying to, uh, you know, give you guys a good product. And, you know, I really do appreciate everybody who comes and listen me rant and rave. And I hope you understand. I’m just giving you what the thoughts that I see really. And if you don’t agree with them, that’s fine. Most people don’t agree with me, period. But I really do appreciate it. Everybody, you know, a couple weeks ago when I had 127 comments, uh, that was spectacular. That’s called interaction and I love it. That’s what this show’s about. And so if you get a comment and we don’t get to it on this show, make sure when the show goes off, you put it in the comments and I will definitely answer. Uh that’s one thing I always promise to do. Uh that’s just the way it is. Uh what else did I want to go over real quick? I think I covered everything. I’m surprised I didn’t get more reaction on Three Lines. Just I’m sure I’m sure there will be more reaction to that after the show is done. Yeah, I hope so because what’s wrong with it? I mean, Hines is not He’s playing the fourth line less than 10 minutes. So, why have a fourth line? And talk about getting beat up and they’re getting that anyway. Doesn’t matter. And how many players uh play 18, 20, 21, 22 minutes. It doesn’t make a difference. Well, it ensures that all three lines get at least around 18 minutes and they can definitely carry that load. So, to me, it only makes sense because it creates huge matchup problems for all the teams when our number one’s out against the number four or number three or however they want to do it. Um, it’ll give our first line a breather and, uh, you know, that’s like taking candy from a baby when you got our first line playing against the third or fourth line of the other team. Um, a lot of points to be had there. As for the power play, I’m so disappointed. They just stand around. They don’t rotate. They’re not skating. They’re just passing the puck around looking for the perfect shot. And you see how well that works. They got to create chaos. They got to, you know, ah I just uh I don’t understand what our coaches tell them to do out there. But you know, I don’t think the team’s 100%. I think they’re playing about 80%. I really do believe that. I see all the signs. And hopefully when you go to the game tonight, you’re going to see what I’m talking about with the bench. Uh because it means that that’ll tell you a lot. Next question. If there is uh what about Jason Robertson? Is he available? Do the Wild even have prospects to deal? Iowa is terrible right now and Uric is the worst trade in memory. Well, I wouldn’t say Uric is the worst trade in memory. They’re not use they’re not do using him the way he should be played, you know. He’s the kind of defenseman that doesn’t play defense. He plays offense. And I want you to think about Brett Burns uh back early Wild days. He’d skate at the ice and go like crazy. And the Wild didn’t know what to do with him. They had no idea how to use Brent Burns. So they traded him to San Jose and look what happened. Just blossom. the same thing with your same kind of disconnect with uh Urchek. They don’t know how to deal with them and that’s a coaching problem because Uric has got a lot of talent. Uh you know what can you say? Would I trade him? Yeah. If I if I could uh get Alex Tuck uh for your check in Oakland, I’d do that in a heartbeat because I know what I got Alex Tuck. And with Buffalo getting ready to retool once again, they’re looking for prospects and uh they’d be two to give up along with a couple picks. Next, uh is Peter Lavlet on your coaching radar? No. No. What about Craig Barubi? No. No. John Tordella? No. No, I want Todd Nelson from Pittsburgh. He’s an assistant there because I think when something happens, you’re going to see and I think uh Seth is in agreement. We’re going to see Cronin come up from Iowa when there’s a coaching move. But I think for next year, I’d be all over Todd Nelson. Look what he’s done for that team already, you know, and I talked about Todd Nelson last year, you know. I really wanted the Wild to go after him, after David Carl. But, uh, of course he signed with Pittsburgh because I’m sure Minnesota didn’t even inquire to him. But, uh, he’s a man on the move. He knows how to coach kids up. He’s won, you know, several cups down in AHL and he’s certainly doing something for Pittsburgh because when’s the last time you seen Pittsburgh play this way? You know, uh, Sydney Crosby is having a reclamation. Jesus, he’s playing out of his mind right now. Okay. Oh, questions about Netfront presence. Did we get any answers? No. Not a one. What’s wrong with your fans? There were you, Denny, you threw like 15 things at people all at once, though. They don’t know what they don’t know what to react to. Oh, Jesus. I’m sorry. Well, anyway, netfront presence. When I talk about net threat presence, I mean this. Now, right now, we have Rossi and E are our two net threat presence. And they’re not built for that. Rossy’s hurt. Essell of a player, but he’s not built to take that kind of punishment. And for net front presence, you need a player who can deflect the puck. He’s an excellent He’s excellent. That’s his specialty is deflecting pucks in front of the net. That’s net front presence. And if you look at what Chris Krider’s done for Anaheim, he’s totally transformed that team because you can’t move him in front of the net. He’s that good. And uh if they didn’t have Chris Krider, Anaheim would not be near where they are right now. It’s because of him and his net presence, what he brings. And that’s what the Wild sorely need. So, I guess if Andrew Lee doesn’t want to play here, I’m gonna have to look at some more players who excel in front of the net. But, if we only have uh three and a half million to play with, there’s always a way around. I mean, you have to look at what you can do and what you can’t do and make something work. Um, I’ll figure something out, but I’m telling you right now, I’d be going with three lines, plain simple. Um, I think it would help us tremendously. Anything else? How about Charlie Strael? Yeah, he’s looking good. He just got uh third star of the week, I think. Uh he’s going to be a good player if if they actually play him here. You know, we saw him uh what last year at the training camp. I like what I see from him. I mean, I can’t wait till he’s traded for a third line 38y old physical but doesn’t hit player. Well, I’m pretty sure he has he has five goals in the first 10 games of the season. He had nine all of last year. Yeah. How many assists does he have? Because he’s a slick passer, too. Yeah, he’s got third He’s got 13 points in 10 games. He’s plus 12. There you go. There you go. And I looked at uh rather height. He’s not big enough to play here yet. He’s got to put on minimum 10, 15 pounds like all kids do coming from up the leagues and they get the NHL. Uh because I really like Riley Height, but he’s not big enough yet. He’s not strong enough yet to play here, but that’ll come. Well, and he’s got to learn he’s got to learn how to play the Bill Garren way. Yeah. Well, two and two a lot of teams use. And you know, the two and two is a very aggressive uh formation. And uh I wish I could explain it better, but I’m really uh I’m working on some things. I’m not going to talk about other than the fact that I’m working on and you will actually be able to see what I’m talking about uh with this artificial intelligence and stuff. Uh yeah, things will come together. Uh let’s see what else. Did I miss anything? Any last questions before we go? Uh Bob says maybe go try to get Mason Marchment big, strong, and fast. Yeah. I I don’t I don’t know if he’s available and No, he shouldn’t be because honestly, rant time. This is what I keep saying is that the Minnesota Wild have kind of painted themselves into this corner by having players that do one thing, other players that do the other and not the former. It’s okay. It’s not offlimits to target players that are fast, that are a little on the bigger side, that can skate, can play defense, and can score. Like, it’s it’s not it’s not off limits. No. Uh, of course, Billy has other ideas. Just look at the construction of this team. It’s pathetic. Again, I continue to be just baffled by that, Denny. like you you would know more considering that you had a chance to see more of his playing career. Bill Garin was one of the baddest mfers on the ice when he played. Yep. Oh yeah. He uh he didn’t take any [ __ ] I’ll tell you that. And this team is exact opposite of that. Like honestly, I would rather have something more like that than something than what they have right now because at least that and yeah, you would end up getting penalized a ton, but at least there’s some personality there. This team is just lacks everything. Just vanilla. Yes. Well, that goes back to why I think Hines is on his way out. Team doesn’t want to play for him anymore. they’re tired of. And I see it all over. Like I said, just watch the bench, folks. If you get to if you go to the game, you’ll be able to see exactly what I’m telling you. Watch the bench chatter and you see that there is none. That’s a good sign. Science probably says he’ll take him out of the lineup if they if they are allowed because he’s gota he’s got to think. He can’t think with all the chatter going on in the bench. Oh, that’s funny. But anyway, Uh, we’re at the end of the show. Excuse me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for listening me rant rave. Give me a like. Subscribe to the show and uh we’ll see you next week. Now, what? Sunday or Monday? Uh, Sunday. Hockey plays at home next weekend, so I’m around. So, it’ll be Sunday. All right. Sunday noon, folks. See you then. and leave me your comments when the show’s over. I’ll get back to you. Bye, everybody.

Denny proposes a radical idea that could change the NHL forever Denny also discusses new trade targets for the Wild