PITTSBURGH — Since Part 1 of our Ask Russo appeared last Thursday, the Minnesota Wild rallied to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning and almost rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers until all heck broke loose in the third period and the Flyers responded with a come-from-behind win themselves.
The Wild are 5-1-2 and have a chance to address what ailed them in Philly during practice Monday in suburban Pittsburgh. If the Wild can come up with a big effort Tuesday night in another Pennsylvania arena that hasn’t been kind to them, they’ll return to Minnesota for a three-game homestand with a not-too-shabby 5-1-1 road trip.
Check out Tuesday’s story where Rob Rossi and I plan to co-pen a piece previewing Marc-Andre Fleury’s final NHL start in Pittsburgh … until the Wild-Pens Stanley Cup Final, of course. 😊
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Wild talking contract with Rossi? Trade to replace Spurgeon? Boldy for 4 Nations? Ask Russo, part 1
Without further ado, here’s Part Deux:
Does Jakub Lauko wear a neck protector? Is he talking to other guys on the team about wearing one? — Matt S.
You’ve got a good eye and it’s fitting this question is answered on the one-year anniversary of Hibbing native Adam Johnson’s death while playing hockey in England.
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In Hibbing, Minn., he was just ‘Adam’: Memories of Adam Johnson, a local hockey hero gone too soon
I talked to Lauko about the neck guard he wears in training camp. Last Oct. 24, Lauko got extremely lucky. In a game at Chicago while playing for the Boston Bruins, Lauko was sliced open by a skate near his left eye. Bleeding everywhere, Lauko panicked leaving the ice thinking he actually lost his eye. When he returned to the lineup Nov. 11, he put on neck protection.
“Adam’s incident happened four days after my accident, so it was one of the big reasons why I put one on,” Lauko said. “I don’t even notice it anymore. It’s just part of my equipment now.”
Last season, 78 percent of NHLers in The Athletic player poll were opposed to neck guards being mandated. Lauko is the only Wild player who wears one. He doesn’t get why NHLers didn’t flock to put on neck guards after Johnson died, saying, “Players think they’re uncomfortable, but it took me like two or three practices to get used to it. I think the risk is much, much bigger than it’s uncomfortable. If you can get through two or three practices, then you have another layer of protection on the most vulnerable spot on your body which has already proven it can be fatal.
“I would like to encourage more players to wear it.”
In your honest opinion, what are the chances Kirill Kaprizov signs an extension with the Wild? I really believe if he wants to chase a Cup, he becomes a UFA, looks long and hard at offers from other teams and makes his choice then, which really puts the Wild in a bind. — Larry R.
My honest opinion is … I don’t know. The only thing I know he’s thinking is he wants to win, he loves Minnesota and, as he told me before the season, in his mind he has two years left on his contract and doesn’t want to think about this right now. A lot of time with players, as a beat writer, you do get feels because you talk to that player informally, talk to the agent, talk to folks inside the organization and friends of that player. But as well as Kaprizov treats us, he’s not about to tell us what he’s thinking, nor will his agent, who’s one of the most secretive out there. And owner Craig Leipold himself told Joe Smith and me that he can’t say for sure that the Wild will be able to persuade Kaprizov to stay but that nobody will offer him more term and money.
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The Wild’s bold moves never made them ‘serious contenders.’ What now?
Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, was in Minnesota for opening night and came into the Wild office the day before to meet up with at least Bill Guerin and assistant GM Mat Sells. Obviously, his next contract and the Wild’s desire to extend him as soon as July 1 had to be a topic. We all know how hard it was for the Wild to initially sign Kaprizov out of the KHL and we all can remember how long it took for the two sides to agree on his current five-year, $45 million contract that expires June 30, 2026. So the fact they’re communicating this early is positive. And I also think it’s good that Theofanous now has a collaboration with CAA’s Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry because they’re deal-makers. Theofanous has been an agent for decades and sometimes it feels his clients by and large become free agents and sign elsewhere.
I think one complication here is while we can assume that the Wild plan to offer him $12 or $13 million-plus, the NHL plans to begin CBA extension talks with the NHLPA around the New Year. If part of that deal is to rip up the rest of this CBA and start a new one early and they complete the deal before July 1, the salary cap theoretically could jump a lot more than next year’s projected $93 million and $98 million in 2026-27.
Kirill Kaprizov’s contract expires at the end of next season. (Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)
If you were the GM and Kaprizov says he won’t sign, do you trade him immediately or spend the year trying to convince him then losing him for nothing? — Steve H.
That would depend how negotiations are going. If the Wild offer him a Brink’s truck and it’s not being entertained, Guerin would have a pretty good feel for what Kaprizov is thinking. And I do think it’s incumbent on the Wild not losing Kaprizov for nothing. Marián Gáborík turned down an $80 million deal in the summer of 2008, got hurt in Florida immediately to start the season, ultimately underwent hip surgery in December and became untradable at the 2009 trade deadline.
For a franchise that drafted a slew of first-round busts from 2004-08, it was brutal to lose him without assets in return. But Kaprizov also has a full no-move clause, so he’d control where he’d go if it came to that. And that’s a complication, too, because I’d think he’d want to go where he’d ultimately sign and then why would that team even give up assets when they could wait a year?
What the Wild need to is just hope they prove he can win long-term in Minnesota and that when they put $100 million on the table July 1, that enticement spurs him to sign. Remember, if he doesn’t take that next summer and then sustains a catastrophic injury or something in 2025-26, that money may not be there from the Wild or somebody else when he’d become a free agent July 1, 2026. That’s always the risk for a player to chance waiting.
Who do you expect to be the odd man out when Ryan Hartman returns to the lineup? — Nate A.
I’d think, if healthy, rookie Liam Öhgren. In fact, if I’m the Wild, I’d consider sending him to Iowa. One, he’d help Iowa, which is 0-6-1 and has been outscored 34-15. Two, he hasn’t produced a single point yet playing on the fourth line and second power-play unit. I think it’d be good for him and get his confidence up.
Do the Wild need to tank (heavily or moderately) to escape perpetual mediocrity? — Jesse M.
I’m no longer a proponent of tanking in a 32-team league. It would take years, and it is absolutely not a given it amounts to anything. Heck, Edmonton had No. 1 picks galore and hasn’t won a Cup. Look at Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit. They still haven’t won a thing after years of being lousy. As much as I like how teams like Anaheim, San Jose and Chicago are loading up on prospects, there is no promise of it working and they are not close to being a contender.
Can you explain how the power-play unit has transformed from putrid last year to the catalyst in the victories vs. Columbus and Florida? — Ameer
I disagree with your characterization. Yeah, they caught fire down the stretch, which helped, but they finished 10th in the NHL last season and their No. 1 unit led the league in offensive zone puck possession. When healthy, they just have so many weapons and so many different looks, whether it’s running it through Mats Zuccarello, rotating Kaprizov and Matt Boldy in and out of that right circle or the bumper position, or Joel Eriksson Ek at the net front. I like the job Brock Faber is doing at the point, although on breakouts, he just looks so uncomfortable with the neutral zone drop pass. I love the play because it usually puts Kaprizov and Boldy in full-speed attack mode, but teams see how unnatural it is for Faber because they’re clearly pressuring him big time now.
How underrated of a pickup was Zach Bogosian? — Nighthawk
Such an upgrade on Calen Addison, it was almost laughable. Great trade by Guerin and great extension. He’s such an underrated skater, too, and his ability to walk the blue line is terrific. Great leader in the room, as well.
Zach Bogosian has put in the work for the Wild with excellent skating to start the season. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
We are approaching the trade deadline and the Wild are battling for the top seed in the West. You are the GM. What move do you try to make to improve the roster? — Dustin J.
With all that being said about Bogosian, I still think the Wild are a hulking defenseman away. In every playoff-round loss I’ve covered, it feels the Wild defensemen aren’t big or physical enough around their net to clear out bodies and eliminate big-time forwards.
Is this team actually more disciplined or have they been able to avoid taking more penalties due to playing from in front so much? — Zach R.
Small sample size, yes, but they sure seem more disciplined. I mean, on the road, the Wild have been on the penalty kill three times in their last three games. That’s pretty unbelievable. They’ve taken 15 penalties (and no majors) in eight games, tied with the New York Islanders for fewest in the NHL. They’ve been short-handed 15 times, second-fewest in the NHL to the Isles’ 13. Their 32 penalty minutes are last in the NHL. They’ve just avoided infractions probably in large part because they’ve kept their feet moving, are playing fast and smart hockey and have largely kept their composure.
Of our top prospects in Iowa, who is off to an impressive start? — Greg
Hard to find too many positives with the 0-6-1 Baby Wild, but Michael Milne is healthy and is second on the team with five points, and Hunter Haight had a hat trick in San Jose. Both have an even plus-minus.
Do the Baby Wild have a team that can contend in the AHL this year? — Jorj L.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say no. I know you asked this question well before their winless skid reached seven. This is an issue and it can’t be good that many of the veterans the Wild spent a fortune on this summer have, statistically at least, stunk. Devin Shore? Three assists, minus-11. Ben Jones? One goal, one assist, minus-6. Brendan Gaunce? Two goals, three assists, minus-10. Travis Boyd? One goal, three assists, minus-7.
Other than Marco Rossi, Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar — and Guerin clearly felt the latter two were expendable since he traded both rather than re-sign them — it sure feels like the KHL, SHL and NCAA are producing more NHL-ready Wild prospects than their AHL affiliate. Marat Khusnutdinov and Öhgren stayed in Europe and made it right to the NHL. Danila Yurov will be next. Probably same with Zeev Buium. And other than Daemon Hunt, none of their once-hyped blue-line prospects are close to NHL-ready.
Do you still think Yurov will plan to come over to North America next summer? — Libby B.
I think he wants to play in the NHL, and if he does, he’d have to come over because the Wild own his rights. But I think he has to be reasonable. Last year, his camp wanted “B” bonuses. Those are largely unattainable, but the Wild would have had to account for them in their cap anyway. They simply couldn’t afford to have a manufactured $3-plus million AAV for him. Heck, right now on this road trip, if suddenly a forward couldn’t play Tuesday, they’d have to go 11 forwards and seven defensemen or send Hunt back down in order to afford a $775,000 call-up.
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Q&A with Wild prospect Danila Yurov: Why he’s staying in Russia and when he plans jump to the NHL
After Hunt, who’s the next defenseman to make a contribution in St. Paul? — James P.
I assume Buium signs after the Frozen Four, assuming the University of Denver gets back. So I’d think he’d get an immediate taste of the NHL. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll start next season with the Wild, but he’ll get a solid shot.
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Steal of the first round? Wild trade up, snag NCAA champ Zeev Buium at 12
Why don’t refs ring up quick penalties the next game on the player that made a fool of a ref by faking a penalty? I think that would be a good “code” to live by and stop the clowns from faking a penalty. Absent replay, what other solutions are there? — Brad B.
I don’t think the refs should make up penalties, but I have long argued the NHL should send a video each morning to the referees of players who embellished to get a call. Those players should no longer get the benefit of the doubt. If they happen to fall to the ice and don’t draw a penalty, well, guess what? Stop diving and maybe the refs will believe you again. I think that’d curb this epidemic by many of the same perpetrators.
How much fun was it last spring to see the Panthers win the Stanley Cup? Does it make you regret coming to the men’s professional sports championship wasteland of Minnesota? — One Hundred Watt
Was a blast, especially seeing folks I covered there like Roberto Luongo, Bill Lindsay, Ed Jovanovski and Rick Dudley hoist the Cup. But no, glad I made the move. If I stayed down there, I probably would have been laid off by my old paper years ago. They haven’t covered the Panthers in years and the paper’s based in Broward County where the team plays!
Roberto Luongo told me the Cup felt as “light as a feather.” pic.twitter.com/q6dBvcTWQz
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 25, 2024
Which airport has the best Sky Club? — Rusty
The one at Minneapolis at G20 is spectacular. I also love the one at Chicago O’Hare and LAX. JFK is way too crowded, although I’ve never been inside their new Delta One club. Looks amazing. Best club I’ve ever been in is KLM’s in Amsterdam. I connected there when I covered the NHL Media Tour in Prague two months ago and it was so amazing, I was disappointed my plane wasn’t delayed.
Read your article on Dean Evason going to Red Rocks. Did a bit of Googling. Did Deano go see Lamb of God and Mastodon at Red Rocks? Is he a metal fan? — Andy K.
He actually saw Dierks Bentley, but he does like some metal and pretty much every genre of music, he says.
On a long road trip, as the beat writer, what do you enjoy most and enjoy least? Got any fun plans with days off in Pennsylvania? — Dustin J.
Always depends on the city. Obviously I like some more than others. Love catching up with friends in New York and getting great meals everywhere, but you’d be surprised how much of being on the road is just seeing the inside of your hotel room. As for Pennsylvania, I checked out a cool cigar bar in Philly and had dinner with colleague Kevin Kurz. Monday night, I’m either having dinner with Rossi or attending the Giants-Steelers Monday Night Football game. I’ve been to the stadium before for a Steelers game and a U2/Lumineers concert during the 2016 or 2017 Final, and I love being inside of it.
(Top photo of Jakub Lauko: Bruce Kluckhohn / NHLI via Getty Images)
