my quick math is 33 million a year tied up in your defensemen.

Around what you gotta pay for one of the best Dcores

Schultz is worth half of that. Also, Strome gets 5 Million.

Lol you're not even counting Greg Pateryn's 1,1750,00 hit buried down on the farm. I could see them trading Dumba eventually. Just not while his value is low.

Not on a bridge deal. If he wants $5 million, he'll have to agree to more term, which maybe Minnesota would be willing to do

and yet they have had this d core for years and what has it gotten them?

Adjusted. Gave Strome 5 x 5 which puts him right between the Schmaltz and Dvorak cap hits.

Hawks decline. The value is there but those pieces don't intrest us. Just send us Brodin and call it a day

Forgot to mention that someone on that D would be taken by seattle anyways

Offense isnt great.... at all. Plus I think head office needs a re arrangement. With this dcore the team should be performing better

Not sure why the Wild are signing Shultz? Just bring Menell up he is ready.
As much as I would like Strome for the Wild I really don't want to move Brodin for him but like the Chicago guys are saying the other stuff doesn't interest them much.
If Wild don't trade Dumba or Brodin before the expansion draft the Wild likely protect Dumba and get a handshake agreement in place that is signed after the ED.

Giving Cirelli an offer sheet remains as my favorite scenario to fix our center problem

Menell is the best answer IMO. I'm still okay with Pateryn as 3rd pairing but would scratch him or bury him in lieu of Menell.

I hope we keep both Dumba and Brodin, having to wait until after the expansion draft scares me but might be the best route to take. Just makes me nervous.

I'm hoping someone in need of a 3 pair right shot defenseman offers Wild a pick for Pateryn and I would like to keep hunt but Wild need to find a spot for Belpedio and Menell in the NHL.
Ideally I think Wild resign Soucy bring Menell up and find a trade for Pateryn and Belpedio, keep hunt since he can play both sides and he is dirt cheap. Looking ahead to the expansion draft I think Wild lose either Soucy, Foligno, Donato, or Greenway.

There's a couple options.

1) have a handshake agreement with Brodin to let his deal expire and sign him after the draft so he won't require protection. There's a risk because Brodin likely would want a deal done ASAP since he'd be risking injury without a deal in place.

2) go the 8 skaters, 1 goalie route. Unless a vet with a NMC waives their clause, protect Parise, Zucc, Fiala, Ek, Suter, Spurgeon, Brodin, and Dumba. Seattle will likely select Kunin or Soucy (assuming he extends this off-season) depending on what other players are exposed. I like Kunin, but I'd sacrifice him before a defenseman.

I honestly have no issue spending a bunch of money on defense. We want to play a defense first game and investing in good defenders is how we achieve that. I do agree we need to upgrade our offense significantly, but I also don't see anyone (besides Cirelli) for us to throw our money at this offseason to significantly upgrade our offense. So why not spend it to keep the defense together?

well, because it keeps you from spending money on your offense via free agency, trade, or paying your own players

I'm really hoping for that handshake agreement. Makes me nervous but then I'd protect:

F: Parise, Zucc, Fiala, Kunin, Greenway, Ek, Foligno, *Leaving one more season to decide #7*
D: Suter, Spurgeon, Dumba
G: Kappo Kakhonen

Well we've tried the options via free agency and trade over the last decade: Parise, Pominville, Vanek, Niederreiter, etc. but nobody ever turned to be that big game changer we needed. We've been decent at offense but we've never had that superstar. That's why Fenton traded Granlund for Fiala straight up (a foolish trade at that time IMO). Because he knew that's what we lacked, he made a desperation trade to get a guy that had that ability.

It's not that we haven't spent money and assets on offense, it's just that we haven't done it the right way.

If the handshake agreement is in place between Brodin and Guerin (which we won't know for a while), then I think we lose Soucy. If the agreement is in place we should chose the 7/3/1 option and be able to protect most of our forwards. I would expose Donato. And I think Seattle will see how good Soucy is and decide to pick him instead

Signing big name FA rarely works out and really what the Wild are lacking is top end centers which rarely get on the open market so might as well pay the guys Wild have regardless of position.

That's my thinking as well but until you see what other teams leave exposed can never be completely sure.

Foligno and Staal wont need protection, they'll be a UFA. I could see a handshake deal with them working out before one with Brodin. I could also see MN re-signing Staal and Seattle not picking him, just because he might just decide to retire if picked.

FWDs: Parise, Zucc, Fiala, JEE, Kunin,Greenway, (open spot). Donato and Hartman are the best FWDs exposed.
D-men: Suter, Spurgeon, (open spot). Dumba would be exposed under the games played draft requirements currently. MN will probably just give Hunt a 1 year deal so he'll be exposed. Menell and Belpedio will also be exposed. Spurgeon's NMC is a killer here.
G: Kakhonen. Stalock exposed (it's why MN won't trade him this year)

I was thinking extension to Foligno as well but I never thought about doing handshake agreement like Brodin. And I 100% think Foligno would do that. I think both Foligno and the Wild are in agreement that it's best he stays here in Minnesota long term (and much to my delight). Also, thank you for helping me realize that I'm bad at math. Not sure if you caught it but I clearly can't count to 7. Anyways, I like your version better in regards to forward exposure. That last spot I was saving open for a potential 1C coming in (and I'm assuming you were doing the same).

I was unaware of the games played requirement so thank you for explaining that. It does seem now that Dumba is the likely one to get picked now that I know that.

I think MN will just sign some d-man (like Hunt) to a 1 year cheap deal to get a d-man that qualifies. Or any Brodin/Dumba will get a d-man back that'll meet the requirements.