Maybe at the deadline, idk if zucc waives right away

No.

he waives to boston right away, Minny is in for a rebuild I think

WTH he didn't even play a game for you yet. I know the contract was a bit too much for a bit too long but see how he fits in first. And if no other team wanted to match that contract a month ago, why would they give you something to take it on now?

One of the dumbest things about people on this site is that they cannot grasp the concept that teams do not trade players they literally just signed. That is the quickest way to ensure that no free agent ever signs with your team again.

man this is worse for both teams' situations. without secondary scoring from zuccarello that minny team looks capital-BAD. zucc is a check for 15g-35a-50p on minny but with backes as a replacement you're looking at sub-80 league points. plus it absolutely blows up minnesota's ability to attract free agents, if you can even get him to waive his full NMC for his first three years. and it's all for a pick that's probably sub-25?

on boston's side, you get a good player for way too much money. zucc makes nearly as much as any player on the bruins' first line but is clearly a 2W kinda guy. that's not great for your internal salary situation, and literally be the same contract as backes's current situation in two or three years. it kicks the can down the road which is okay if you're trying to win now. but a part of win now is having cost-controlled assets for the down years, so giving up a first is a really difficult sell. just seems like bad, bad value.

idk. i think both teams would look at this proposal and want no part in it.

This would be a valid point if Fenton was still the GM. But since he’s not, your comment is irrelevant.

I

IF the Wild were offered this deal from Boston, they would be complete morons not to accept it! The Zuccarello signing is/was such an incredibly stupid signing, Fenton should have been fired for it alone. No one in their right mind would look at the Wild roster prior to 7/1 and say, “they are one Zuccarello away from being bonafide Cup contenders,” no one!
Not only is the contract too long for too much, it also includes a full NMC so the Wild will need to protect Zuccarello for the expansion draft...meaning they will now need to protect 3 players over 32!! I would much prefer 2 years of Backes than 5 years of Zuccarello especially if it means the team will be worse, miss the playoffs, and have a better chance of rebuilding with better draft picks. Anyone who can’t see a rebuild is the ONLY way to fix this team is about as out of touch as Fenton...

Congratulations friend!
You have won the award for:
"Dumbest Thing I've seen on the internet today"!

Zuccarello has not played a game for the Wild and you're trying to trade him for a geriatric, sub 30 pt. Backes and a low 1st rounder? You blow in from stupid town? Zuccarello is absolutely a 1RW on this team and he'll be top six talent for several years. If you think we dont have a chance to contend for the playoffs then youre just blind. A step forward from all of our young guys plus a continued point production from all of our vets can make this team quite threatening, even in the central division.

In conclusion, this is the worst mock trade I've seen in a while and this has cemented my belief that MNBassman's takes are just really really bad.

If you honestly think signing Zuccarello was a smart move, you are simply too stupid to try to reason with…

If you honestly think trading a player of the caliber of Zuccarello for a guy like David Backes and a low first rounder is a good move, you are simply too stupid to try to reason with...



I genuinely think you must be a troll with how awful your takes about this team are.

I’m going to try to explain this to you...

The Zuccarello signing was enough to get Fenton fired all by itself! You don’t trade away players in their prime for young kids and then sign a 32 year old player to block their opportunities to develop...and you sure as hell don’t give a 32 year old player a 5 year deal WITH a full NMC (no movement clause) so you have to protect him in the upcoming expansion draft!!! This trade wasn’t about getting equal value (player-wise) for Zuccarello, it was about getting rid of his contract and allowing the Wild to protect younger players with longer futures from being selected in the expansion draft.

All of this, plus the fact that this team was (and still is) a lot more than one Zuccarello from being legitimate Cup contenders! While I like him as a player, he was signed for too much money and, more importantly, for too many years! Do some research and see how many lucrative 5 year contracts given to players over 30 were actually a good idea. I can save you some time and tell you there are VERY few!!
If you are OK following a team that is consistently an NHL-average team with no hope of making a serious run at the Cup, there is nothing wrong with that. I, however, want to see the Wild build a team that can actually contend and Zuccarello epitomizes all of the short-sighted, impatient moves this franchise has made since Leipold took over...and that’s all they will ever do if they continue to make moves like signing Zuccarello!

Have a nice day!

>zuccarello signing shouldve gotten him fired - this is an opinion and thus can not be argued

>criticizing fentons moves - nobodys trying to defend fenton in here but thats a cool strawman you made

>expansion draft fears - NMC or not, we almost certainly would've protected zucc nonetheless. Exposing or trading him immediately after signing him is a big flashing neon sign to other UFAs saying "DO NOT COME TO MINNESOTA, YOU ARE NOT VALUED HERE." either way, a forward protection list including zuccarello isnt the worst thing. it only means we have to expose 1 additional young player and JEE and Greenway both need to show enough consistent potential to reasonably be protected. This is a moot point in the argument.

>the fact is that this team is more than one Zuccarello away from being cup contenders - again, this is an opinion, not a statement of fact.

Now if you can take your Leipold-hatred glasses off and see the potential of this lineup, maybe you'll stop having these garbage armchair GM takes that you have.

Have a nice day!

There would be ZERO need to protect Zuccarello because there is ZERO chance Seattle would be dumb enough to draft him!

Keep drinking the kool-aid...leipold is laughing all the way to the bank because of people like you!

No, he still signed with the team. If anything, it makes it worse if you trade players immediately after canning the GM just because the old one signed them. It makes your franchise looks unstable and then no one will ever sign there again.

Agree to disagree.

Every player and agent in the world would understand this move. It’s the fans who can’t seem to get it...

Right, you've got no proof that all players and agents would understand this move. The only evidence you have is of all the fans that don't agree with it. Perhaps you are the one in the wrong here. If every player and agent in the world understood this, then it would've already happened! You cant just defend your own hot takes by saying "youre dumb, the real hockey people understand how this is right." That's not an argument.

It’s not a hot take that signing Zuccarello to that contract was idiotic! All it does is placate the fans who want to put a bandage on a team in desperate need of major surgery.
Keep this in mind when you assess this team: NHL average teams make the playoffs, but they do not win Cups. This is (IMO) an NHL average team...that might make the playoffs, but has no chance to win the Cup! I want more, period!

alright if that helps you sleep at night