Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The Thomas Vanek question



Eric Duatschek asks some very good questions. Personally, I hope that Thomas Vanek still has a chance to make it to Minnesota. I think he could be the final piece for the Minnesota Wild. Well... that and a solid starting goaltender that can stop the puck and play a majority of the games. I think the Wild have that with Karcy Kuemper. Time will tell.
Eric Duhatschek, Globe and Mail -- THE THOMAS VANEK CONUNDRUM: When times were good in Montreal, there was some talk that the Canadiens might actually consider bidding for Vanek in free agency. Now, it seems highly unlikely, given what a negligible impact he’s had on their run to the semi-finals. But will Minnesota welcome him now, after making inquiries at the deadline, but ultimately settling for Matt Moulson, because the acquisition cost and the dollars out were more affordable? Moulson wasn’t a great fit in Minnesota and the New York Islanders would do well to try and kiss and make up, after dealing him for Vanek in the first place. Minnesota has the great good fortune of having Dany Heatley’s $7-million cap hit disappear after this season, but committing that money to Vanek, a player of questionable playoff pedigree, seems ill-advised at this stage. The Wild seem to have a good thing going, with the group they’ve assembled now. Sitting out free agency this summer makes the most sense for them.
One problem for Vanek is that he's been less than impressive during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vanek has scored  (5g-3a-8pts) in 13 games. He's also a (-3). That's not going to make teams want to sign him for 7+ million a season.
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