Or perhaps keeping a strong core is key to showing KK and Fiala that you’re serious about winning in the future. They weakened the positions that could be weakened due to ending contracts or expectations of future high end players, i.e. the top 6.

Predicting the future is a crap shoot but this team is going to be a playoff team next year and will win a round of the playoffs the year after. If you don’t see it fine, but getting rid of the long term strength of the organization (Brodin/Suter/Spurgeon) is not the way to make it better.

You just take the chance of ruining your prospects by bringing them up before they are ready. Addison has a couple AHL games under his belt and that's it. Khazanov couldn't make it in the KHL, but he should be in the NHL now? JEE and Dumba (both better prospects at the time) were almost ruined by being forced to play over their heads in the NHL.

There is a reason the taxi squad is made up of older players. They are what they are as players at this point. All they'd be doing in the AHL is taking ice time from the prospects that need development time.

The loser mentality will sink in with this lineup. They'll win games, but it'll be on individual play not team play. They aren't giving PP time to players that are earning it, just the same 3 highest paid players (all wear a letter) as always. Meanwhile they have JEE and Greenway; the guys leading the team in goals, assists, and points; sitting and watching as Mayhew, Hunt, Bonino, and Bjugstad are getting PP time.

How is this any different what Buffalo had in the Kane, Eichel, Reinhart, ROR teams? A handful of good players and the rest aren't good. Foligno and Ennis even said that it was completely different when they came from BUF to MN. In BUF they were just expected to play hard and see what happens. In MN the expectation was to win every night and make the Playoffs every year.

Sure, but the California teams and the Yotes are really bad. Kaprizov alone could drag this team to a playoff spot.

With what are they going to make the Playoffs next year? Suter, Spurgeon, and Parise are not a strong core. These are the "leaders" of the team. They have 1 non-4th line center in JEE. Without a major overhaul they can't compete with STL, DAL, and COL for the Playoffs.

I don't see Boldy, Rossi, Beckman, and Addison all coming in and "fixing" this team next year. Half their cap is tied up in 6 players (5 have full NMCs that don't end anytime soon). 3 guys will need big raises this offseason.

This was the year to go for it; while JEE, Kaprizov and Fiala were all cheap. The had the d-corps, they had the wings, and they had cap space, all they needed was a decent goalie, and a center. They traded away the wing depth and the a couple of centers. But at least they got a goalie, right?

I just see the CHI downward spiral in the years ahead for MN. Overpaid, never-ending contracts that they can't get rid of drag the team down.

Yeah no. Take marat & 1st round pick out. Ask from Guerin for dumba has always been a 1-2c. Marat can become a really good dynamic c, & Russian pair with Kaprizov

What you ask and what you get are two different things. MN is still getting a 1C for Dumba in this trade, they are just adding to Dumba to do it.

Lindholm is the better player, cheaper, and longer term. A 1-for-1 trade isn't even close. If Dumba started out white hot and looked like he did before he tore his peck then it could be closer. That would be a 1C for a 1RD trade. As it stands this is a 1C for a 4D trade.

For a Dumba equivalent player use Risto when you think of trades. Dumba/Risto 1-for-1 is really close in value. Same position, similar contracts, similar playstyle, etc.

Leipold is definitely that delusional/stupid...let’s all hope Guerin has the seeds to tell him to stay out of it...

And then gets fired for it. You forgot that part.

Good point!

that is such an overpay for the wild