Quoting: NathanJoseph
Go read Michael Russo piece from yesterday. This fo doesn't want to keep fiala, and they value dumba over him. Also Arizona isn't a team a player like dumba would waive too. Russo said in his article wild offered sturm a long term contract before dealing him when he said no. That wild are valuing players like stirm over fiala is telling
This is a direct quote from the article that you are referring to yesterday, where in there does he say that the wild value Sturm over Fiala, or that they wouldn't trade Dumba which could save Fiala? It actually says in the article that if Dumba wants a raise that they should trade him which could save Fiala.
So, deep down, I do think the organization is planning to trade Fiala this summer. Now, will they trade Dumba, too? I don’t think they want to, but they should get out in front of it this summer and see how much Dumba would cost on an extension. If he’s willing to take a haircut from his $6 million, I see it happening. If he isn’t, I can see him getting dealt this summer or in-season in 2022-23. They value Dumba on and off the ice, and I don’t think they want to move him. But if they have to, maybe that saves Fiala.
Fiala and Dumba have the same agent, by the way, which adds an interesting dynamic.
Back to Fiala, I agree with you. It would be a shame. He’s got his warts. He’s the perfect example of a high-risk, high-reward player. No matter how many times you try to coach out the turnovers, they’re still going to happen at bad moments, like in the recent Buffalo game. But he’s always trying to make something happen and always works his butt off. He also can skate and score like few others on this roster and few others that this organization has ever had.
Matt Boldy has helped Fiala ignite since coming up from the minors, and it would be a shame if that tandem can’t continue to grow together. The Wild may look at it like Boldy is driving that line, but the chemistry is undeniable and one could make the same argument that Kirill Kaprizov is nothing without Mats Zuccarello — and vice versa.
But $6 million a year wasn’t enough for Fiala last summer, so it’s hard to envision it will be this summer. And I don’t see how the Wild can afford to pay him more than that. Here’s the analysis Shayna Goldman and I did recently, and that was before the Jost acquisition.