With the difference that

a) Johnson has 2 years more term.

b) Wild doesn't need the prospect in the slightest

Think of it this way though...a two year $6M cap hit on a bad player is just as bad as a 4 year $3.25M cap hit on a bad player from a value standpoint. Yeah the two year deal is less commitment but it’s the same thing money wise as $3.25M over four.

Cap-wise it's close the same, money-wise it isn't. The last year for Backes is only $4M because the contract was front-loaded. Total salary for Johnson is still $8M+ for the next 3 years.

Also Backes is likely a decent 4C for the weak team of ANA. Wild already have 3 better LHD options than Johnson (Suter, Brodin, Soucy).

Also ANA had issues with their RHDs, Andersson helped there. Wild is stacked with wingers, Björkqvist don't help them in the same way...

I didn’t even realize Andersson was a RHD...it makes more sense now.

Think outside the box here. The Wild's defense is making their goalies passable at times. With Johnson on their blue line, they could lose another couple games and improve their draft position. This might be something for Billy G to consider.

Backes isn't as bad as people give him credit for, but he's not passing Getz or Rico, they aren't scratching Steel, and barring a trade, Grant won't get scratched, he's producing amazing this year

You know your team is in a swamp when their fans actually want their team to lose in order to steer the team towards a rebuild lmao.

Dunno. Still think he'll fit in your TOP12. Maybe as a 4th line RW but still.

There's no way this isn't a do nothing year for the team, so best to just hope for a top 3 pick and hope Guerin can make some moves this summer. With Zucker and Koivu off the books, they'll have some cap space to make some roster changes. I'm confident one of Brodin or Dumba are gone by the draft with Soucy looking like a top 4 player capable of playing LD or RD if needed. Fiala has 7 goals and 12 points in his last 9 games so he's continuing to improve, so it's not all bad. Team just needs some more changes.

The fans that want the tank look at CHI and PIT as the way to build a team and completely disregard the EDM, AZ, BUF, etc of the NHL. Even being the worst team is a coin flip of getting a top-3 pick with the latest set of lottery rules. This also isn't the draft to tank for MN. It is a wing heavy draft, small wings at that; it's not a draft to get the player (center) they need unless they luck into the 2oa (Bayfield).

I mean.. they're obviously cursed. Wtf is this?

You have to be !@#$%^& kidding me on this Draisaitl goal pic.twitter.com/pXtdGnKm81

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 22, 2020

Plz get Deslauriers out

Lol.

Considering that they won, and Spurgeon scored a hatty...

...that curse is a bit limited.

Not to mention that one of the MN goals went in off an EDM players stick. The puck luck was pretty even tonight, as was the bad goaltending.