A Hocky my favorite it’s jud’s hockey show something like that jud’s hockey show jud’s postgame hockey show after a wild ass kicking uh whatever you want to call it it’s Jud it’s AJ and we are here to react to well it was a pretty busy day with news because we’re going to get to
The Jared Spurgeon thing uh which is part of why we are doing this podcast but might as well start with a wild 7 to3 loss and AJ I’m just going to tell you right now just as a starting point okay and there were a ton of breakdowns
Tonight the defense in their own Zone it was terrible um all of that being being said though this is why the wild should just accept their fate this is why like I’m not even upset by it at this point in time um and I do not think uh I do
You know there might have been a goal or two that Gus wants back but they gave up he gave up seven goals and I don’t think he played poorly I think he made some great saves um I’m not upset by this I think that this is where acceptance
Becomes crucial and I think if you are Bill Garen you need to accept the fact that The Season’s done like play play hard and you know what the wild tried tonight there were times third period they were hopelessly behind and they were trying it’s over it’s done and tonight was
Another example of why when you play a team that by the way is not a killer team this is not the two-time staning Cup champion this is a this is a Tampa Bay team that’s very competent and good but you know this is not the team that won cups necessarily uh but their
Highend talent just kicks your ass and I think that that is the key of why it has to be all about acceptance now yeah and it’s it’s genuinely frustrating like it’s a letdown to me that we’re calling it this early in the season there’s still about half the year left in a
Sense you know but it’s the hole that they’ve put themselves in and how good other teams look and the you you know even if you go on a run you’re not going to get the points back to get you in a good spot in a sense doing good is going
To only shoot yourself in the foot and push you further away from what your end goal is because you know that this team right now with the way that they’re playing and the way that uh sspf is saying with kind of the puck luck going against them here tonight as well this
Team cannot win a Stanley Cup and if you do end up playing better you’re pushing yourself away from getting a guy that can potentially help you win a Stanley Cup down the road so either way winning is losing at this point whereas losing could potentially be winning down the
Road so um it’s going to be a long second half of the Season uh for this for this club for the fan base um and I want to say The Optimist me says ladies and gentlemen it’s going to be worth it at some point as long as like you said
Jud they commit to it like me on Twitter sometimes you got to commit to the bit and the bit for this team right now is to just lose and get a high draft pick commit to who you are you talk about identity Bill Garen you talk about your
Culture put aside the the culture and just accept your true identity you are not Batman you are the guy in the dark night that dressed up as Batman and then immediately got caught by The Joker you are the faux Batman here you are the schlub who is at beer league with a gut
Belly that’s fine just be that guy the rest of the season and get a good draft pick that’s totally fine do you really think the puck luck cost them like I yes they there was some Puck luuck that went against them but I think it just came
Down to Tampa Bay skilled guys kicked your ass and you couldn’t stop him and I’m sorry if Jared Spurgeon was playing he wouldn’t have stopped him either like you are you’re just not and and I say this all through a very important prism which is this and I told this to Dean
And Jesse Pierce on JHS on Wednesday and I will stand by this until I’m simply proven wrong I think the future’s bright man I think the future’s bright we we talked about this uh two podcasts ago age you got some really good prospects you’ve got some really nice talented I
Mean Marco Rossi had some moments difficulties in his own Zone tonight but he also made some really nice plays offensively scored a goal look good to me you know faor is starting to struggle but my God the kid is being asked to you know I I think I I have become the
Ultimate Brock apologist but I mean you know what what you’re asking that kid to do um so like I don’t think all all hope is lost I just think what you said is exactly right what I said’s right which is just accept your fate and like and
We’ll we get to we’ll get to the Spurgeon in injury itself but you know with him not surprisingly being declared out for the season I immediately saw well Bill Garren might go and try to trade for uh a pending free agent defenseman why like what are you gonna
Give up I mean I I wouldn’t give up any draft pick like you know if you want to go get somebody for free off the scrap Heap okay I guess so but I mean I’m not going to give up any of my draft picks because I might use those I might use
Them to make trades like what’s the incentive just accept it acceptance just you know what and and heck I love tonight you because you played young defenseman and you find out and you and and there’s no better time to do it there’s no better time to do it than
Right now and find out because you’re going to have kids coming up um you’re G to have competition and this will improve everybody this will also give give you a really nice and you know the more we we watch this age John Hines I think is here and yes
It was an 11 and3 start and we all raved and it they look damn good they were moving the puck really well uh but but you know since then 28- one with Hines and it’s looking more and more like he is here as as for the time being a
Gatekeeper until they can get to training camp next uh next fall which I’m fine with as well so I’m not going to go out and make a trade I’m not going to go out and make some type of substantial deal to to you know oh perhaps I can get mat dumack or
Something screw that just go just as Scott says and as we’ve said about teams before embrace the sock it’s fine especially because the sock is probably only going to make you stronger with your prospect pool that I already like um quickly I do need to address this
Comment I did lie on the good old X machine on Twitter we were told it was to my knowledge that Jesse Pierce will be joining us she had some other stuff come up um so I do apologize for anybody coming specifically to Jesse I understand um why that’s a bigger draw
Than myself but uh sorry to disappoint there um yeah with with this team I feel like it’s just I we’re constantly waiting Jud we’re constantly waiting you you wait for a big signing a big Superstar back in 2012 July 4th they signed Parisian suor side by side I was
Young and naive at the time that was the greatest day of my life old and I loved it I was old and I loved it so don’t feel we go eventually the sun sets on that okay you know what that wasn’t that wasn’t the move but guess what they’ve
Got this guy Krill capriso they drafted him and he looks pretty darn good they’ve moved on and all this stuff and blah blah blah he signs a threee extension in the KHL oh boy now we gotta wait three more years oh he finally comes over thank goodness but now you’re
Still in this this cap uh salary cap dilemma you don’t really have this you you’re playing essentially with a hand tied behind your back compared to every other team you still have another year after this that you’re dealing with it and now this season it’s uh injury after
Injury it’s stacking up you’re just constantly waiting and now once again it’s like well it looks like the future is gonna be it I’m Jud I’m just sick of waiting so this um has been but you’re gonna have to wait yeah and there’s nothing I can do about it there’s
Nothing I can do about it I’m I’m with you totally I hear you and I agree with you but you’re going to have to wait again man like there’s no getting and and I’m with you as well perian sudor the day that they signed will forever be
The biggest free agency day in the history of this state you know because like Favre came in here but that but that wasn’t like oh my God you got this guy for a long term like for one day the wild made us the Yankees they were we in
This state were the Yankees we were the Dodgers we were the big bad badass we’re going to kick your butt we’re going to go sign two top guys and and it it helped a team that wasn’t at that point in time selling out and yes we all
Bought into there’s going to be a Stanley Cup Parade down West 7th it’s going to be fantastic that was totally erroneous in retrospect um but you’re going to have to wait again and that’s what Garen has to accept too like that’s what and perhaps he has I don’t that’s
Not in his DNA but we are going to have to to wait again but I would argue that the future looks again optimistic if you just allow this to go and I I saw a comment um it’s now passed on my screen from Jason about are we tanking or are
We just this bad and my response is this okay there is it safe to say we are tanking or are we this bad I think that that question is very very um difficult to answer because I think it dovetails I think both parts of that question dovetail into the same
Point which is you need to accept like you don’t you don’t purposely for the most part unless you really tear things apart you don’t purposely tank okay but you’re not very good you’re not that good and I think I think what you do is like you don’t necessarily yet it’s not
Like you’re stripping guys away but when you look at Spurgeon being hurt and and now he’s gone don’t replace him okay is that tanking or is that just acceptance you know as Dian say we are this bad and yeah they’re just not that good but but
I don’t also hate what I see there’s things I hate there’s players Marcus Johansson dude I I don’t know what we’re doing here um baly I know he’s got a bunch of goals with Hines but he continues to appear and disappear he is he’s a he is a true magician in the
Sense of the word that he disappears at times and then he comes back and then he he disappears uh I didn’t see Capri hav much tonight but you know I thought Rossi offensive zone wise played well the defense looked certainly the entire defense had problems but I don’t but I
Don’t think that it’s just uh like I don’t think this team is that good and I think that’s what presents the opportunity to sort of just sit back here and try and get as high in the lottery as possible and not be upset about this because I’m not watching them
Now and I’d be curious to get your response to this I’m not watching them now and and thinking man if they just had one guy give a bit more or one guy do there’s some guys I’d love to see subtracted but I watch tonight and I
Just said you know what Tampa Bay in a very good Eastern conference right now age is a wild card team okay that was a wild card team um and so I watch that and I say do the wild stack up at all and the answer unequivocally is
No yeah and this is this was my fear about some of the recency following the win over the Islanders in the you know the celebratory 552 win for Mark Andre flurry they looked amazing that game but that’s the Islanders and the Islanders are they they might be able to like
Battle for a wild card spot down the stretch here they’re you know they’re back a few points but that is not a solid hockey team the Tampa Bay Lightning are a solid hockey team and like you said they are a wild car team right now in the East the the wild you
Saw them against the Flyers you saw them against coyotes this this is what the norm is they’re GNA have that kind of pop up and the guys are just going to be buzzing and you know things are going to be firing all cylinders pucks are just
Going to find their stick and then hey you know look at that empty net uh let’s just tap it in this is going to be the night that is going to be the majority of nights for the Minnesota Wild here moving forward the remainder of the
Season uh um I I see I see a lot of people always talking and it’s been I think a little more prevalent here the past couple of days put Merill on waivers send him down like put just caught him oh no no no I’ll tell you why
I am going to be a John Merill Super Fan he is my MVP the next half of the Season that guy is going to be a m first name on my lineup card every single night if if I’m John Hines no reason that he should be in the Press Box amazing to
Help if we’re going for a draft pick which this is what I know I know that they’re not technically eliminated and growing up that was my like well if they’re still got a chance then I want to cheer for them I I I can’t do it th
This team is gonna make me just go gray I’m GNA have bags under my more though more so than I do already um they they need to uh just Embrace what they are right now which is not a very good hockey team what did did you make of the
Between periods uh report on the ESPN plus telecast from Kevin weeks who by the way is very plugged in so like he is he’s a former player he’s not a journalist but he definitely is plugged in as hell and he tries to get stories um what did you think of hit his report
That it sounds like Garen already getting calls on flower uh we’ve talked about this and if flurry wants out and wants to go to a contender absolutely he deserves that respect uh but what did you make of that and as we cycle through this I will maintain that if I had my
Brothers I would much prefer trading Guston because the return would be so much more and I don’t think that the way things shake out that gustofson is like this huge part I mean again he played well tonight dude and they gave up seven goals I I can get what’s his face zann
McIntyre from Iowa to give up 14 you know like who cares if it’s seven or 14 so what was your response or your thoughts about that report and how would you approach that I think that that’s good news to me um in the sense that I think other teams
Are it confirms my belief on what this team is and I think other teams of other hockey mines and front offices are making the call and saying hey what are we thinking here for one of your net minders I think they understand what I
Am led to believe and what I see on a nightly basis with this team I would like to hope that bill Garren is smarter than what we I’m not that that that that’s gonna be a poor way of phras phrasing it but I want to think that he
Played the maybe we will maybe we won’t card uh the other day in that pregame presser about what’s he gonna do um are we trading are we not um I think he would like to believe that they can make a push but I think he knows that they
Won’t and so I want him to make a decision on what he’s doing sooner than later because it’s it I don’t want the stock market to crash on him if that makes sense don’t wait too long because if that clock continues to tick down and down and down the seller
Do if you’re stuck with them you can only demand a certain price if you do it now while there’s time you can you can essentially set the market at this at this point if you really wanted to make a move um and I’m with you I think
Guston would be the guy to go but we’ve had this conversation I think now four or five times about Mark Andre flurry where if he wants to go you have to let him because there’s gonna be teams that like like Kevin week said are calling um
Toronto I think probably is a club that would be interested I think Colorado would be an interesting one now because they do need help Alex Alexander gorgiev is not looking like their guy how about the Devils the Devils need when Jack Hughes comes back they they
Might be a fringe playoff team but they but if they get healthy if you were to send the devil’s Guston and a defenseman you would get a ton of capital back you’d get so much back from them uh but I’m I’m with you you know what we are
Seeing like the some very important deadline deals made now way before the deadline which we didn’t used to but it feels like in in recent years we definitely are and I’m with you set the market establish the market don’t sit back and wait and wait and wait and then
You know as it gets down to to the gun which is is it feels like what Fletcher did and certainly what Fenton did the year that he M he made some trades I think he traded Nino early and then waited but anyway the point is I love
The thought of making trades of being the first to make trades and New Jersey definitely needs a goenda for the playoffs he might not so just floating that out there is a possibility of a team that definitely would be a good fit in at least one area
With a wild what do you think of this question by jacobe boomman first off um quick note of kind of the time table of things we saw Bill Garren I want to say was it last year the John kingberg trade that was like IM materialized out of the
Out of the blue he had made he had made the call with Anaheim they said you know what we’re going to sit pretty we’ve got some other options guess what no they didn’t they just didn’t like the price at the time and that only help hurt them
Because Bill gar called back guess what the price dropped um granted you know maybe it didn’t work out for the wild but for for the time that was a great trade on his part you didn’t give up a whole lot for a guy that at the time
Like on paper it’s kind of what you wanted it’s kind of what you needed uh but the point is make a trade sooner than later that’s that’s it but uh to Jacob’s question what do you realistically think that Gus can bring back for the wild in a trade
I had been saying that I that I would sort of make the type of trade that the wild made with the Blackhawks for flower which was I think a second round pick that would have kicked up to a first round pick conditionally if the wild had made the Western Conference Finals silly
Us they got eliminated in the first round um but I I got a note from a guy a couple of days ago on on X that said that’s too low and I thought about I like you know what you’re probably right I would probably go for a first round pick
Cuz he’s got term left gust us he’s got term left he’s younger um he could become their you know if you if you send him to the right team like flower could go to Colorado and back up gorv if you sent up to New Jersey gustofson could be
Like their top guy so I would probably go for just flat out at least a first round pick yeah and if anything it’s got to be the weakest uh conditional thing of all time which is like they win a game in the playoffs like they don’t get swept he
Starts more than half of their you know postseason game something along those lines just for the sake of the illusion of on paper some people are gonna say oh they only traded a second round pick blah blah blah but yeah it Guston given his aav given that he’s not a oneandone
He’s not a rental this year first round It Whatever the final result should be a first round whether that is in illusion or solidified up front but first round absolutely and if you were to trade him in June or July you would not get that but at the deadline with a team that’s
Desperate and again when when Jersey gets you you know Jack Hughes back and they’ve had a very roller coaster like up and down season but they if they make the playoffs and they have things right and some goal trending they could make a run so yeah I think a first round pick
Um and to Robbie here too to Robbie’s Point you’re not only you going to get the pick that’s almost the cherry on top you’re going to get more losses cuz like you said and I think I agree he played despite the score pretty solid tonight
For giving up that number I mean it it’s tough when people your defenseman are just turning the puck over right at the top of the Zone with nobody else to You Know cover the puck carrier but um you know you’re going to add more losses which then in turn it’s a win-win on
Both ways you’re getting more capital and you’re increasing your own Capital because you’re G to lose more games this uh last thing off this game this penalty kill is just absolutely atrocious uh the lightning now in the last two Gam games against the Ducks and wild are six for
Six on on the power play their power play is the best in the league uh the wild I I looked this up at the start of the game was fifth from last fifth worst Power or PK in the entire league I’m sure they last now um this is the type
Of thing too where I think Hines like you’ve got to get this fixed you got to get it fixed next year in trading camp but I mean that PK is just absolutely atrocious okay let’s finish up with Spurgeon talk so he’s out for the season which we speculated on now I thought it
It was the shoulder that he had hurt in Chicago in the preseason that was a reoccurring problem well it turns out that Garen announced today it’s not the shoulder it is wear and tear for a hip and back problem um he Jared is what 33
34 years old age yeah 34 34 okay so this is worth being concerned about number one when you hear about hips and hockey players like you know um Patrick Kane had that new resurfacing of of his hip done and he’s come back for Detroit but that being said he missed extensive
Extensive time and it derailed his career completely for a year plus uh a back problem I guess if if a hip problem with a hockey player is a top your list of uh oh a back problem is a close second I think you gota you know and I
Hope he’s back next season I hope everything is fine all of that being said I think it would be naive not to be concerned about his career and if if and when he does come back with as small as he is in the position he plays just how
Much he looks like the Jared Spurgeon who was at the top of his game a couple years ago yeah this is I don’t know if there could be a worse player for this to happen to on the wild just because of like his age his role um how like his level of play
Prior to the injury and what he’s been doing like he there’s not I maybe brodine but in to my mind there’s not too many defensemen that fly under the radar for their performance as much as him um he is like he’s not the biggest of guys but
His mental uh game like knowing where to be where to position to stick how to cut guys off drive them wide given a lower frame um I mean it’s it’s top of the class stuff but when it comes to this injury I mean if it’s one or the other
It’d be a completely different conversation but needing back and hip stuff that that’s that’s your skating that’s your Mobility that’s your flexibility out there you’re constantly being in that hunched over position you’re constantly in and we talked about this with uh Capri of as he was kind of
Easing back into his normal form but the hips you’re constantly opening your body up you’re shifting your weight if you don’t have that type of that Health you just can’t play at a high level so it’s either a full recovery things get back to normal everything’s good next season
B you’re not at 100% you’re not what you were but you’re smart enough and good enough to be able to adjust your game and and you know given he’s a smaller guy and all this stuff like he’s already had to adjust his game I would like to
See given who he is how much more he can or see it’s just maybe he comes back but you can tell it’s not the same guy it’s a considerable drop off in playing ability it’s um you know he almost becomes probably a liability out there and then you have the conversation of it
It changes the Viewpoint of the fan base of like I said the reason C I think is so heavy with fan bases where if he goes and plays a half season where he’s just a liability he’s wearing the C and all this stuff the attention’s going to be
On him the spotlights going to be on him because of the comeback it’s not going to be good and then you’re going to have that burden of will he ever find that form again I don’t think so if you don’t see that right away it’s I mean it’s
Pretty much all but done what concerns me a lot too is one his size and two his position and three this is and we shouldn’t be surprised but with his size and with the position he plays I mean this sounds like just wear and tear from from trying to compensate for being
Small right trying to move guys out trying to go into Corners I mean we’ve seen this guy and to his credit but he’s taking some hellacious hits like and this is all part of that and so my concern is okay and and I’m glad he is or I’m glad that
The team is addressing that this now because it gives him a chance to get back for training camp if all goes well and there’s no guarantee that that happens but if he comes back next year my concern now is okay he’s not going to
Grown so like is it one one or two hits again that start the attrition process um so I I think this one is worth keeping a very close eye on and being very concerned about now all of that being said it’s going to give certain
Guys more of a chance yes you know it’s going to give guys a chance and they do again have some guys some defenseman coming up uh just as importantly as as we discussed the last time that we recorded an episode of this show and as you talked about this gives you a chance
If you get a top 10 pick which you should to take a defenseman and eventually replace him so all of this would we have to wait and see but I certainly did not expect the news that came down I expected that he would be out for the season I did not
Think that it it would be this and this has definitely being a hip and a back made me rethink where Jered Spurgeon is at with this team and what the realistic ability he is going to have to return as the player that we once knew yeah um and
I think stout here has a pretty good viewpoint on it and I think I agree with him yes I know immediately everybody pulls out the well who are the ufad dmen out there that uh the wild could go and acquire who should they go get to fill
This hole they got more cap space right let’s go let’s go see I heard Dumba can can you get Dumba now I don’t think the coyotes who are actually a pretty good team are going to trade a guy contributing which I think he is contributing but yes now they got cap
Space use that cap space that that should not be the the mindset that should not be your for first priority if anything you get some you get another John Merill you say hey do you have a twin sir can we sign him for the rest of the season we got cous
Just I’m kind stupid of me pay the minus Brothers just pay John Merrill and Goose as your as your third pair like and and you know what you can rotate them play kids one night play them to together the next I’m telling you they’re the minus Brothers they’re a guaranteed minus
Three every night if they play together you’ve heard of the the Charleston Chiefs Hansen Brothers now it’s the minus Brothers Brothers coming to minus Brothers just you know guys on the ice for goals against you know consistently number four and 33 um here here’s what I in this is a
Lot of cap space to just kind of have now putting him on ltir but I I want to see the first priority you’re no longer the Minnesota Wild approaching the deadline you are the Minnesota middleman you are the team that is holding on to cap space for others as they wheel and
Deal at the deadline oh that’s fine you can’t afford a 1.5 million cap hold well guess what we’ve just had 7.75 million allocated and we have a deal for you it’s only going to cost you the low low price of a fifth round pick or a fourth
Round pick that’s fine we can wheel in deal we have no problem doing your dirty business the Minnesota middlemen are going to be charging up the draft board stacking up those picks raking in all the capital and I cannot wait to watch this happen I love this thought the only
Problem and we actually talked about this on the show Wednesday with uh Dean and Jesse the without a cap guy the report from the athletic is that the that the National Hockey League central registry office is helping the with their cap and that there’s not necessarily a person in the building
That now understands the cap which is where you made some great trades last year what you uh you you got Demetri orve from Washington and sent him to Boston Ro from what um at the time Toronto yeah Toronto and and sent him El oh no no no I’m sorry from St Louis and
Send him to Toronto but the point is but but the point is you have to have a I mean I I a’t claiming I get the cap myself but you got to have that guy so does Billy have somebody who can actually help him I love your idea I
Love the thought but I’m gonna tell you right now I give Bill Garren as much of a chance of of really comprehending the cap as I do AJ or Jud which is to say it’s probably pretty small I mean he ain’t a mathematician and neither are we well I shouldn’t
Speak for you neither am I I’m the I’m the fur Furthest Thing from I would say that’s why I’m sitting here to you and not with my three roommates who I lived with in college who are all accountants in in that field of of work hav join us
Hey I’ll I’ll call them up they can crunch some numbers for us I’m sure they wouldn’t mind all right sir thanks much we’re done um again a well you you could call it a very disheartening disastrous performance in Tampa Bay or you could call it opportunity knocking again as the wild
Moves up the tank ofon which is not a bad thing tomorrow night the Florida Panthers I believe correct yes is that and then Carolina on Sunday I see two more opportunities to continue this horrid stretch of hockey and you know what the best thing about those two
Games are we’re on the East Coast 6 PM puck drop tomorrow 400 pm on Sunday nothing like a little Mata action oh God yeah there’s nothing the gone to the Northwest division days of 9:00 starts when Jud did not like that all right sir thanks much check out all of the score
North uh stuff at our YouTube channel much appreciated for those who watched and if you’re listening now just remember uh there’s nothing like an opportunity to reset your team
source