First of all their defense is as averag as ours is, and their goaltending can also be as hot or ice cold as ours, so let's look at that offense.
Eriksson and Benn two superstars no question. The rest of that offense? Ryder had a career year last year, not saying he won't be good again, but they aren't called career years for nothing, he'll come back to earth this year. And you want Jagr, Roy and Whitney anchoring your second line? Morrow btw, is banged up, and more and more ineffective, he does not have much time life. Nystrom also will of course not come anywhere close to the numbers he produced from no where last year.
But back to that second line, Jagr did not seem all that thrilled to be there considering he talked about Montreal and wanting to be there the day he signed. Jagr also broke down the second half of last year and he was playing on a great offensive team where he was a secondary scorer, next year he will be counted on to produce at his age. I'm telling ya that ain't happening all year long, and i'm betting he's gone by the trade deadline. Whitney seems like an ageless wonder but at some point the glass is going to run out on that tank, and it's going to be on the Stars watch, and Derek Roy anchoring the second line over Ribeiro? Guy won't stay healthy and see 50 games next year.
Their scoring depth is shallow, it's a poorly, poorly put together team realying on some wierd combination of youth and old, old geezers and I bet ya they finish right where Calgary is in the 9-13 range next year and I will be SHOCKED, SHOCKED if they somehow make the playoffs next year.
You say you'd strongly argue that they didn't improve, then all you say is that you think their team is bad. That's not making a relevant argument. Improving and being good aren't anywhere close to the same thing.
I don't know how many NHL jerseys have been sold since the Wild signed Parise and Suter, but I have to say the t-shirt with the Wild logo on the front and Parise 11 on the back has to be one of the most popular ones up here in the GF area. I saw at least 35 people walking around today wearing them. (including me )
^there are pleeeenty of the knock offs floating around ebay right now. the knock off makers have gotten better with the color of the greens, but that shiny puffy logo and number is a dead give away. alongside reebok as wrong font, wrong collar, etc.
You say you'd strongly argue that they didn't improve, then all you say is that you think their team is bad. That's not making a relevant argument. Improving and being good aren't anywhere close to the same thing.
That's fair, to clarify Dallas didn't regress that much, it's not like Ribeiro and Souray are high impact players, but they did not improve much at all, and will be fringe playoff team like Calgary all year long. Jagr, Roy, Morrow will all break down and be ineffective, and Whitney will age, their defense is truly average at best and so is their goaltending.
Benn will be superstar in this league, but Eriksson is a good player not great, that is also true, and Ryder will not be as good this year either.
That's fair, to clarify Dallas didn't regress that much, it's not like Ribeiro and Souray are high impact players, but they did not improve much at all, and will be fringe playoff team like Calgary all year long. Jagr, Roy, Morrow will all break down and be ineffective, and Whitney will age, their defense is truly average at best and so is their goaltending.
Benn will be superstar in this league, but Eriksson is a good player not great, that is also true, and Ryder will not be as good this year either.
All they lost was Ott, Ribeiro, Dvorak, and Souray, but they added Jagr, Roy, Whitney, and Rome. With Rome played correctly (as a bottom pairing guy) unlike he was in Vancouver, he's actually pretty decent. Larsen is looking to build upon his rookie year, and was coming along quite well at the end of the season. They have Dillon or Oleksiak who might get their first shot on the blue line as well.
With the aging of their prospect corps, they have the same sort of depth we will have (though I of course think the quality of our depth is greater) this season in case Whitney doesn't put up 20 like he has all but twice since the lockout (17 in 05-06 but only played 63 games and 17 his first year with extremely low-scoring Phoenix). Jagr put up 19 goals in 73 games with Philly. His previous 3 NHL seasons (yes I know, big jump of KHL time) were 25, 30, and 54 goal seasons. Maybe Ryder will fall off of his last season, but people are acting like it was a freak and way better than ever possible. It was his third 30 goal season. It was his fifth (out of eight) 25+ goal season. The fewest goals he's ever scored in a healthy year is 18. It's not like "falling off" from his 35 last year is going to be that dramatic. He'll likely dip back under 30, but he didn't even set a career high for points last year. He's still a lock for at least 20, and probably at least 25.
From players gone, they've lost about 39 goals. Assume Ryder falls off by 11 goals and you get -50. They've added about 20 in Jagr, 20 in Whitney, and 20+ in Roy. That nets them up 10+ goals, which would be more than the difference between them making and missing the playoffs last season. That's not considering the fact that Goligoski will likely rebound from a down year. Larsen is improving, and Benn hasn't come close to peaking yet. I'd say the only way one could expect Dallas to miss the playoffs is if they think other teams around them improved more.
Question... does anyone know of a good article that explains that exact epicness that exists given that we nabbed Parise and Suter? Sort of like how it all came together, their Minnesota ties and how everyone and their brother wanted them and so many laughed at our chances of getting one, let alone both?
I am trying to explain how huge this is to a friend that is not hockey informed at all and lives in a different country for that matter. Did Russo or anyone else write a great article summing up the situation? I sort of looked around now after the fact and have struck out so far. Thanks in advance if anyone has some links.
Question... does anyone know of a good article that explains that exact epicness that exists given that we nabbed Parise and Suter? Sort of like how it all came together, their Minnesota ties and how everyone and their brother wanted them and so many laughed at our chances of getting one, let alone both?
I am trying to explain how huge this is to a friend that is not hockey informed at all and lives in a different country for that matter. Did Russo or anyone else write a great article summing up the situation? I sort of looked around now after the fact and have struck out so far. Thanks in advance if anyone has some links.
LOL. I am astounded over how obsessed those people are with Parise. I cannot believe they are acting like he owed them something. Some are saying he made a "home" there and he left his home. lol Okay then. lol
I remember how I felt when Marbury bolted for NJ/NY and left Garnett and the great potential they had possibly winning a championship. He left more out of jealousy though but I remember thinking the guy did go home (even if he was a creep about it) and whatever, I moved on about a week after it took place. That situation also went down in such a different way.
I do think deep down the reason why so many of those people are taking it so hard is because they never imagined he would sign with the Wild. I think because they weren't prepared for it is why it is so difficult for them to accept. I have NO IDEA how they didn't prepare for this but I don't think most did because they assumed he would go to a contender and not a rebuilding team, even his hometown. So I think the shock value is what's making the hurt so intense. Still, move on already and accept the fact that you were dead wrong and never should have underestimated the state of Minnesota and the Wild.
That's the same dipsh** that thought it was tampering when yeo and leopold said after the signing that "they've been planning to go after both suter and parise all year".
He thought the league was going to give the devils our top prospects lol.
Even after tons of people called him an idiot, (including devils fans) he still thought we were tampering
The numbers turned out to be 13 years and $98 million. The contracts included identical signing bonus structures ($25 million the first three years) and no-trade clauses. Both players could have made more elsewhere. Parise reportedly had been offered $110 million by Philadelphia. Suter was offered more than $100 million by a team Sheehy wouldn't identify.
To make the Minnesota contracts identical, Parise actually took less than the Wild had offered him.
Bookmarked for future Pari$e and $uter references.
"Do you honestly believe he will go there" 
