Wild future vs. Oilers future
 

Although neither the Wild nor the Oilers are the team I root for - I'm really looking forward to seeing these teams develop over the next few years. Both of them have some young studs already and some very highly regarded prospects. Picking between them - which is the most promising group over the next 5 years? I think I'd pick the Oilers - but it's close.

Oilers: Eberle, Hall, RNH, Yakupov, Schultz, Marincin, Klefbom, Hartikainen, Paajarvi

Wild: Granlund, Zucker, Coyle, Phillips, Dumba, Scandella, Hackett, Gustafsson - and then add in the recently acquired Parise and Suter.

(Vancouver better win soon because both the Wild and Oilers are potential powerhouses in that division in the next 2 or 3 years)

I feel the Oilers will have better top end talent but the Wild will have better depth.

Oilers. They have 3 first overalls...

I think the Wild have a better mix of veteran leaders (Koivu, Parise, Suter) and young talent than the Oilers do, which is heavy on the latter but lacking heavily in the former.

You forgot Musil.

The top end talent will be far more valuable than the depth of prospects Minnesota has to offer. Once Edmonton becomes competitive it won't be difficult to convince quality depth players to join.

Are we talking about picking between only the players listed or the overall teams?

If it is just the players listed it is the Oilers easily but if we consider the rest of their teams I think the wild slightly take it by having many good/great players to support their prospects such as Kouvi, Parise, Heatley, Suter, Backstrom where the players you listed are basically the Oilers.

Minnesota will never have good depth as long as Parise and Suter both have mammoth contracts that make them unable to sign guys

So ye like someone said Edmonton has the better top end talent and Minnesota has more prospects but I'd take Edmontons situation 10 times out of 9

And what sort of contracts do you suppose the three #1 overalls + Eberle will warrant?

Plus they've got Shultz who, if he's everything he's cracked up to be will be getting payed too

Difference is home grown talent will likely take pay cuts to play for a team they enjoyed playing on (See Crosby)

Spending big names on UFAs like Parise or Suter and eating up huge cap space before you develop your own prospects is a pre-Burke Toronto Maple Leaf strategy lol

I'm sorry, but how is it fair to compare any team's future to a team who has had the last three first overall picks and also lucked into a flukey college FA signing.

That said, Minnesota has a great supporting cast, compared to almost no supporting cast in Edmonton outside of Smid/Petry.

it's not a fluke, it's destiny

Future depends on management, the Oilers fail here.

Let's say they take a cut and are payed less than the Minnesota stars (-7M) and all garner 6M contracts, is it better to have two stars at 7.5, or four at 6?
Personally, I think it's important to have the depth players (I'm using this term grudgingly because I feel that these two will be solid 2nd liners) like Zucker and Coyle because they won't command the extra pay that the stars will and will only produce marginally less, at least that's my opinoin.

I think that Minnesota has a better future because of the balance in their prospects. Do the Oilers have a bright one too? Yes, I believe so, but until they learn to draft outside the top two rounds and manage assets with emphasis toward the middle two lines, they won't go anywhere

Islanders- Tavares, Hamonic, Strome, Reinhart, Nino, Nelson;)


Both EDM and MIN are crazy talented.When it comes to prospects EDM has more Fire power IMO if you count Hall and RNH but MInny does have the vets Parise,Suter and Koivo...

Both have bright futures

Well Suter,Parise and Heatley make 7.5 + Koivu's 6.75=$29.25 mill

Eberle and Hall are already signed at 6 mill, so i suspect they will try and get the other two at around that mark, so that equals 24 mill, even with schultz, that wont equal 30 million.

I like the post but koivu makes almost 7 too and backstrom makes 6. I know backstroms contract is up next year but he'll still command five and if you let him go you'll have a hole in net. Players like coyle and zucker if they get to be second line players won't be cheap either, probably around 4.5 million. Point being, I feel like Minny won't be able to afford all the depth they have assembled. Same with Edmonton and all their young guns

I don't know. It's tough, but I'd probably go with Minnesota. They have the guys who are already studs in Parise, Koivu and Suter, as well as guys like Heatley, Setoguchi and Gilbert. I like Backstrom in net as well. I think it will be easier to transition young guys into a situation like this where they don't have to be the ones carrying the team, whereas if Edmonton is to have any success it will be entirely up to their young players.

As good as Edmonton's young talent is, I think it's a safer bet that Minnesota will become a great team.

A better question would be "Who will be better in say... 3 years?"

Oilers with: RNH, Eberle, Yakupov, Hall, Schultz, Petry, Smid, Klefbom, Marincin, Musil, Hemsky, Gagner, N. Schultz, Dubnyk.

Wild with: Koivu, Parise, Suter, Dumba, Brodin, Granlund, Zucker, Coyle, Gilbert, Hackett, Heatley, Setoguchi, Scandella.

So Coyle and Zucker will produce marginally less then the Big Four? To each his own i guess.

I'm going to take the Oilers because I think that Krueger is going to get the most out of a talented roster. I have been completely impressed with everything I've heard about him and that he has said.

Because getting fully developed elite players in their prime for zero assets is somehow more fair...
:facepalm:

I think the Wild will be the better team the next three years. The Aeros have not been outplayed by the AHL Oilers at all. The Wild have not had problems with the Oilers as of late and addition of Parise and Suter, guys in their prime, will be better the next 3 years as the Oilers forwards round out their games and they develop some defense/goaltending.

In other words, there is no denying the young talent Edmonton has. But I don't think the gap between Edmonton's prospects and Minnesota's is as large as the gap between the NHL teams over the next 3 years.

Players becomming UFAs in their prime happens all the time. A kid getting drafted, working his way up to top-prospect status and then signing with another team is extremely rare. Not to say either one isn't fair(maybe for Anaheim), but the latter is definitely more flukey.

Minny is going to be better for the next few seasons (easily IMO). They have a better NHL lineup which was really bolstered this offseason with Parise and Suter. I like the EDM young guns to be better than the Wild young guns but the Oilers need another stud on D (preferably experienced) and an upgrade in goal to become a legitimate threat. So in short I think I go with the Wild with a better future but if Oilers can just add a couple more pieces....

I was more addressing the 1st overall picks.

As for it being flukey, it wasn't at all. Schultz chose the Oilers.

I'd rather be able to sign elite FAs who are already developed like Parise / Suter than draft 1st overall and sign the occasional random 21-year-old prospect.