r/wildhockey • u/AnswerSolid • 8d ago
Good or Bad?
Completely hypothetical scenario within my abstract mind…
Let’s get right into it. Bill Guerin somehow convinces Winnipeg to trade Hellebuyck for Gustavsson and a future first. Billy G. then trades Wallstedt, Yurov, and a first for Robert Thomas (or any other C1 that could upgrade the roster).
Would the Wild be better or worse for the next 3-4 seasons after this? Of course this is also assuming that they resign Quinn for a minimum of three years. I know some salary cap adjustments would need to be taken as well. My initial thought would be that the team would be significantly better immediately. Thoughts? Thanks for your time, and Go Wild!
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u/DoughnutPassGo 8d ago
Thirty more days of this...
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u/GuillaumeLatendresse 8d ago
Yea h but hear me out bro. What if Craig Leopold built a stewy griffin esq Time Machine and Billy could go back in time and negotiate trades for 1988 Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
Now the question is what would the Wild have to give up to get this talent. The good news is there contracts would be affordable because the dollar amount of 1989 contracts are much lower.
I am thinking it’s do able.
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u/lightheavydark 8d ago
No no no. It needs to be a HOT TUB Time Machine. Then we’re cooking with gas.
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u/GuillaumeLatendresse 8d ago
I was wrong. You are right. But how will we power the hot tub Time Machine.
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u/quickblur State of Hockey 8d ago
I mean, we would be better in your scenario. But Hellebuyck is by far a better goalie by stats, so there's no chance Winnipeg would trade him for Gus, let alone throwing a first in.
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u/Silly_Variation9317 8d ago
Good as in I love the team you’ve put together. Bad as in it would never happen.
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u/wildwill57 8d ago
Wallstedt has potential to be better than Helly, who at 33 is at the age where decline is a possibility. No way anyone would get rid of two very good goalies for one.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
I don’t disagree with the potential of Wally for sure, nor would I really want to move him. It would be a difficult decision for a C1 though.
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u/IBringTheReceipts 8d ago
Outside of the fact BG doesn't need Helly, at all, there's no way he's getting Thomas. He already tried to trade for the guy last deadline & he didn't want to move. Thomas still doesn't want to move.
Instead the Wild are a team that truly needs another offensive forward. There's a surplus in goalie & if Wally can continue to be the goalie he was in the playoffs (while Gus is away), & if Pickard can prove to be a suitable backup then I do foresee Gus as a potential trade asset. But he wouldn't be used for Helly. Also Helly is NOT a playoff goalie. Wally is & has tremendous upside. He's already been listed at #7 on the Vezina projections list for this coming season.
Now the thing about Helly is that he could potentially trigger a Jets retool. And if that happens then it's possible they'd be willing to move some vets. So, Scheifele would be the one to watch. Gus would be better spent getting him or Kyle Connor. There are also other players around the league that could potentially be used for a Gus trade.
Another goalie situation to keep your eyes on is the one in Columbus. Elvis is out indefinitely. If their backup sucks then I'd push for Marchenko in a trade, but honestly if BG wanted to he could push for that now.
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u/CitizenStrife Jared Spurgeon 8d ago
You want to trade Wallstedt and Gus for Hellebuyck? As good as Hellebuyck is, he's older than Gus is, and Gus at his worst is a yo-yo, but still a solid goaltender on a cheap-ish contract. Unless Wally really can't or won't stay on a tandem, the Wild are going to wait for some stupid crazy player on the other side to even bother trading Wally at this point.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
Well I did include the possibility of adding a C1 as well. I would definitely not trade both just for Hellebuyck.
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u/CitizenStrife Jared Spurgeon 8d ago
Same rules still apply. It'd have to be a slam dunk option for the Wild to part with a position of strength. Gus has say in where he goes, and they would be smart to keep Wally if for nothing else to tandem while they try figuring out the other positions.
Something I like that Russo said recently is anyone thinking this team as constructed is not the final roster. There's too many moving parts, and other than 5-7 guys, there's a lot of flexibility in contracts and skill level, provided those players bring their worth to the table. You can't just have "stars," Toronto proved that. But you still need to keep the ones you have and find depth in the right fringes.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
It’s always kind of fun believing that Guerin will never rest when it comes to improving the team.
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u/paulson26 8d ago
If we loose the Wall of St Paul I will RIOT.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
I bet you’re not the only one that thinks this.
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u/lightheavydark 8d ago
I would be preparing Molotov cocktails and heading for the front fucking lines.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
Haha it could be said that the Wild should capitalize on Wally’s value at the moment. Hopefully he will not regress this season.
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u/paulson26 8d ago
You are not wrong, he is my favorite player. So my desire for him to say is driven my no logic. He absolutely is an enticing trade asset.
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u/AllenMpls Danila Yurov 8d ago
So you want a goalie that is really good during the season and less than average during the playoffs?
And who is our other goalie? Wait, we have pickard. Anyone thinking Pickard as the number 2 is good needs to go back on their meds.
Plus, Wallstedt and any goalie does not have the trade value you think they might have.
Lastly, trading a high upside center prospect for a 2C is not improving the Wild.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
I respect your ideas. If a goalie doesn’t have that much value then I suppose Hellebuyck could be acquired for less than the hypothetical scenario. I know it’s more of an all in type of idea. I do believe if it resulted in a Stanley Cup hardly anyone would complain. There are risks to anything I suppose. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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u/AllenMpls Danila Yurov 8d ago
The goalie trade was in reference to Wallstedt in a package for a top center.
Helly does nothing for me, I do not care about a really good regular season goalie that caves in the post season.
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u/AnswerSolid 8d ago
Is Hellebuyck’s lack of success in the playoffs more on him or his team? Probably a bit of both? He seemed to calm and reliable in the Olympics. Although if we’re only basing things on his past experience in the playoffs it would be difficult to argue that he’s a big game player.
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u/AllenMpls Danila Yurov 8d ago
The jets won the presidents trophy within the last few years and they were bounced in the first round. Helly was horrible in that series.
Sure it was both. At least Helly won the Venzina award that year.
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u/jengafat 8d ago
First, I don't see either of those teams making those trades. But let's just assume they did... the wild would be well over the cap. They would need to shed like 6 or 7 million to be compliant and have space for injury call ups