Compete Level

They got three more seasons of Brady before he's UFA (which seems nuts, how did that come so quickly?) and probably need to be contending by the end of it to have a chance to keep him around.

Wild re-sign Johansson for some reason. Sure almost no money but why not just give a younger player a chance?

I don’t particularly want the Wings to trade for Rossi but it feels like Guerin is cornering himself into a terrible return

BLOT re-upped GOURDE for 2.33 per for six years

Did they hire Lou Lam as a consultant

Grand Moff Larkin wrote: ↑Mon Jun 02, 2025 1:36 pm I don’t particularly want the Wings to trade for Rossi but it feels like Guerin is cornering himself into a terrible return

He 100% is and it’s driving me nuts. Based on his production I don’t have a problem giving him around what Boldy makes but he won’t do it because he’s small. But he’ll throw an absurd amount of money in Trenin who sucks.

On one hand, I do wonder if Marco Rossi is a guy you can lean on in the playoffs at 5'9" -- like if the Wings got him, would he center DeBrincat and Kane? How badly would that line get steamrolled by Florida? Long-term is he a second-line winger? I don't know. He goes to the scoring areas so it's not like he's a perimeter player.

On the other hand, Bill Guerin drafted him. He was 5'9" then, too! This isn't a surprise! If you don't really play him in the playoffs, how do you know for sure that he doesn't work there! It's not like the Wild have a surplus of skilled scoring centers. I do not see a scenario in which dealing Rossi makes them better next year.

Trenin's a funny one because he immediately seemed overpaid based on his prior point totals. It's not like he came in and his production dropped. This is what you paid for!

My current draft board:

1. Schaefer
2. Misa
3. Desnoyes
4. Hagens
5. Martone
6. Frondell
7. O’Brien
8. Martin
9. Eklund
10. McQueen
11. Bear
12. Aitcheson
13. Mrtka
14. Carbonneau
15. Smith
16. Reschny

Anyone past that would be concerning

Added Reschny because I've heard enough positive things about his upside, but I don't know if Yzerman would go for a 5'11" center.

Someone on HF Wings did a blog ranking their top ten current Wings prospects with long write-ups / analysis, and my biggest takeaway was that ASP was the only defenseman on the list. It sounds like Anton Johansson did well after coming over midway through the season, but the Wallinder (decision-making) / Buium (skating) / Tuomisto (skating) batch of rangy defensemen aren't looking likely to hit. It's a rough year for defensemen past Schaefer.

Mrtka's probably the next off the board. 6'6" with some offensive is definitely Yzerman's type, but Seider and ASP are RHD so where does he fit long-term? I'm curious if Seattle takes him since they need D and he plays there in the WHL. Not as physical as you'd like for that size -- Tyler Myers comps.

Aitcheson is mean and scores goals and hits, all of which Yzerman would like, and plays on the left-side so he could be Seider's partner. Seems like his ceiling is second-pair, but the intangibles are there. I think if he's available at 13, and I strongly suspect he won't be, Yzerman takes him.

Jackson Smith has a lot of tools but hockey sense questions, and that concerns me. I don't see the Wings picking him, but again, if the perceived need is D and the top three guys are off the board, who knows.

Brock Nelson reupped with Colorado for three years at 7.5 per

Helps the cost of getting him but he didn’t seem like a great fit

Three years is a solid term though.

I had to scroll so far on the Athletic’s post about it to find a comment not from a Wild fan

Grand Moff Larkin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 04, 2025 5:15 pm I had to scroll so far on the Athletic’s post about it to find a comment not from a Wild fan

Haha yeah BG wanted him pretty bad I think. No thanks tho

If he hit FA I’m sure BG would’ve given him more term

DeBoer canned

Listening to the Prospect Knowers on The Athletic Hockey Podcast and they feel like Lynden Lakovic goes 11-13 now -- he's the top winger in the group after Eklund, etc. I'd be thrilled if he goes before the Wings pick so one of the top 12 guys is still there (Eklund, Aitcheson). I just don't see Yzerman taking a guy whose NHL comp seems to be Anthony Mantha. Big frame, scores goals, not physical, somewhat questionable brain / COMPETE LEVEL.

Lalonde joins the Leaves as an assistant

Oshie retiring huh

Wasn’t he LTIRetired this year anyway

Lane Hutson won the Calder. [deepest possible groan] He deserved it, but I deserved to feast on Habs fans' outrage if Celebrini had won it.

Sounds like a deal to move Kreider to Anaheim is in the works. He’d been mentioned as an option if the Wings struck out on the big free agent options, but my gut is that he’s closer to Tarasenko territory than a bounce-back year.

My big takeaway from the comment section on Pronman's latest draft ranking is that Habs fans think they'll get Radim Mrtka at 16/17