Wild agree to terms with Suter and Parise

[Topper]

Why should the Wild worry about being close to the cap if they are happy with their line up?

Injury relief for a more expensive replacement does not kick in until you go over the cap and unused cap space is a waste of an asset.

[Jovocop]

So now David Poile is very disappointed and a little upset, misled perhaps. Says in all his negotiations with Suter beginning last year never once did Suter say location was his primary motivating factor. Now Suter says location was the big thing for him. So why does Poile feel a little misled ? Because had Suter said these things last January then Poile may have traded the big guy and gotten a return. Same scenario with Hamhuis. Hamhuis only said he wanted to test FA but when he signed with the Canucks, actually left money on the table to do so, he said it was location that motivated him.

So the lesson here is for GM's to really know what motivates these guys and act accordingly.

Poile felt all along he could re-sign Suter but it appears that he really never had a chance. That has him feeling disappointed and a little misled along the way.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he talks with Weber about a new deal.

It's hard to feel too badly for the Preds - they knew that Suter could walk and they didn't lock him up, so they were playing with fire. They knew the risks and decided to keep Suter, now they got burned.

Now, if they do the same thing with Weber and can't sign him this summer but hold onto him, they are complete idiots. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..........

Hamhuis (once), Suter (twice), Weber (third)??

[the Dogsalmon]

unce...tice...fee times amady...

[Eddy Punch Clock]

unce...tice...fee times amady...

amember me?

[Aaronp18]

It's hard to feel too badly for the Preds - they knew that Suter could walk and they didn't lock him up, so they were playing with fire. They knew the risks and decided to keep Suter, now they got burned.

Now, if they do the same thing with Weber and can't sign him this summer but hold onto him, they are complete idiots. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..........

Or in the Pred's case fool me thrice.

Don't forget about Hamhuis, he was moved around for picks and Parent but nothing substantial.

Yeah like they said^^^

[Uncle dans leg]

If they were that good, they would not be bottom feeders for most part of the season, would they? Good teams find ways to maintain their level of plays instead of just the beginning of the season.

Yes this is true. I cant say why they dropped like stones but they did get hammered by key injuries and didn't have the depth to overcome it. By adding the 2 top players they just did, they may have addressed this to a certain extent.

[the Dogsalmon]

unce...tice...fee times amady...

amember me?

OTAY...lets lite up...

[Orcasfan]

This is a big gamble for the owners of the Wild! Last year they spent $56 mil; this year they will up against the cap at $70 mil. That is an extra $14 mil or so...and, according to their owner, they are not making money...and he attributes that to the players' salaries! The economic reality in Minnesota these days is not pretty. This is a big gamble that Parise and Suter will fill the arena every night. We'll see.

Actually, given that they still have a couple of signings to complete (their D), it may be that they could be moving a piece or two.

I have been a fan of Suter for a while, and would have loved to see him in Vancouver...but not at that price, for god's sake! There is no way he is worth that kind of money...at least not to a team like the Canucks. Maybe he is worth the money in Minnesota, if all the ducks line up!

Parise is probably worth that money, no matter where he plays! This change will certainly make the NW division a lot tougher (about time!), and, together with the Oilers and the Avalanche, will provide some good hockey to watch next year!

[Eddy Punch Clock]

This is a big gamble for the owners of the Wild! Last year they spent $56 mil; this year they will up against the cap at $70 mil. That is an extra $14 mil or so...and, according to their owner, they are not making money...and he attributes that to the players' salaries! The economic reality in Minnesota these days is not pretty. This is a big gamble that Parise and Suter will fill the arena every night. We'll see.

Actually, given that they still have a couple of signings to complete (their D), it may be that they could be moving a piece or two.

I have been a fan of Suter for a while, and would have loved to see him in Vancouver...but not at that price, for god's sake! There is no way he is worth that kind of money...at least not to a team like the Canucks. Maybe he is worth the money in Minnesota, if all the ducks line up!

Parise is probably worth that money, no matter where he plays! This change will certainly make the NW division a lot tougher (about time!), and, together with the Oilers and the Avalanche, will provide some good hockey to watch next year!

You've had a lot of coffee today!!!

[Blaster86]

I'm more inclined to think they fell from grace rather than overachieved.

I recall hearing an opposite story when reading about them. Their play didn't change, the luck and results did.

[Meds]

Nashville is heavy under the gun now.

Departed players: Suter, Radulov, Lindbeck

Players still unsigned: Weber, Wilson, MacLellan, Andrei/Sergei Kostitsyn

Their current blueline?

______ / ______
Gill / Ellis
Klein / Josi

Ellis is still relatively inexperienced at the NHL level having only 32 games under his belt. He's a good skater and has a great offensive skill set, but he's 5' 10" and 179lbs.....not really what you're looking for in an NHL defenseman if you're playing a shutdown system like Trotz.

Gill is big, strong, experienced, but slow and at the end of his career.

Roman Josi is about as experienced as Ellis, he's bigger, but still not expected to become much of a defensive presence. THN scouting report puts him as an offensive blueliner with upside but cautions that he is injury prone and lacks a physical edge.

Klein is a two-way guy on the blueline, but reports on him say he is inconsistent and needs to learn to use his size. His biggest strength is his shot blocking.

There are some available UFA's on the market, but with Suter departing and citing location, and Weber still on the fence, you have to think that Nashville is starting to drop to the bottom of alot of lists. The available defenseman market is topped by guys like Rosival, Kubina, Spacek, Finger, Carle, Eaton, and Barker. Those are the only guys that are going to come in and provide any hope of consistent top 4 play. I won't be surprised to see a couple of them go back to their "current" teams.

You gotta hope that Gillis is looking at the situation there and at least considering making a big splash for Weber. I can't see anyone else offering Poille something that would match Bieksa + Ballard + Raymond for Weber. Toss in a prospect or a pick too. I really would hate to see Juice go, but when it comes right down to it, I see Bieksa and Weber as very similar players, the difference being that Weber is bigger, more consistent, and always plays with that edge. Weber has a way bigger shot too.

Hamhuis / Weber
Edler / Garrison
_____ / Tanev

If Gillis can fill that blank with someone that compliments Tanev, that would be the scariest blueline corps in the league. I'd say either pitch something to Shaone Morrisonn or maybe take a chance on Kurtis Foster.

Morrisonn is huge. He's known for being mean and playing physical. He's never going to be an offensive threat but he's responsible and can play the PK. He's also a left-handed shot which works with Tanev and he's from Vancouver, so he might come back home for a bit less than he'd take elsewhere. It would be sweet to stock our blueline with 4 BC boys who can all play good minutes.

Foster is a big guy too, he's got good upside but has been really inconsistent so far. He has an absolute bomb from the point, but THN says he struggles with his coordination. He's also a right-handed shot, which may or may not work if paired with Tanev.

The other thing to consider is that making a deal that sends Ballard and Bieksa out frees up $9M in cap space. Give $7-$7.5M of that to Weber. Then factor in that it is a foregone conclusion that Luongo is on the way out. That free's up another $5.5M. So Gillis would have roughly $7M to play with. With that in mind he could make pitches to both Morrisonn and Foster who combined for roughly $5M this past season. Then Tanev could slot into the 7th spot. Putting Alberts on waivers would free up another $1.25M.

None of this really solves our top 6 forward problem though. Particularly with Kesler being sidelined until December. But dayum that blueline has me dreaming a bit.

[Scintillator]

So, how soon does the League investigate the validity of these 13 year bizarro cap-circumventing contracts?
Clearly something suspicious going on up in Minn-haha.

[ukcanuck]

Now, if they do the same thing with Weber and can't sign him this summer but hold onto him, they are complete idiots. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..........

Hamhuis (once), Suter (twice), Weber (third)??

Rats! Poiled again...

[Aaronp18]

Hamhuis / Weber
Edler / Garrison
_____ / Tanev

What about Scott Hannan for a year?

[Orcasfan]

This is a big gamble for the owners of the Wild! Last year they spent $56 mil; this year they will up against the cap at $70 mil. That is an extra $14 mil or so...and, according to their owner, they are not making money...and he attributes that to the players' salaries! The economic reality in Minnesota these days is not pretty. This is a big gamble that Parise and Suter will fill the arena every night. We'll see.

Actually, given that they still have a couple of signings to complete (their D), it may be that they could be moving a piece or two.

I have been a fan of Suter for a while, and would have loved to see him in Vancouver...but not at that price, for god's sake! There is no way he is worth that kind of money...at least not to a team like the Canucks. Maybe he is worth the money in Minnesota, if all the ducks line up!

Parise is probably worth that money, no matter where he plays! This change will certainly make the NW division a lot tougher (about time!), and, together with the Oilers and the Avalanche, will provide some good hockey to watch next year!

You've had a lot of coffee today!!!

(Actually my preferred caffein-vehicle is tea!)