#92Noon! 10am Hour 3/4 Jonny Athletic, John Hynes!

92Noon! Jonny - Hynes - NDN

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, it's a Wild Wednesday on the fan. Leave your
shot to take us to Wild Mammoth next Tuesday. Just
use the iHeartRadio app, send us a talkback, tell us
who your five untouchable players are on the Wild Currently.
You can get full details on the contest KFA dot

(00:21):
com keyword Contest, CAFA dot com keywort contests.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, and if you win those tickets, you might get
the chance to see the Wild's first regulation victory against
the Mammoth. I believe it's just ridiculous how they can't
solve that. You go back to Arizona as far as
I'm concerned, Yeah, go back to a Z Joining me
now as we kick off the second hour in order
to win for PA. John Krasinsky of The Athletic John

(00:44):
Krasinsky via x Joining Me now covers the Minnesota Timberwolves
for Theeathletic dot Com.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
How you doing, Johnny?

Speaker 4 (00:51):
Doing great? Nord Know, how's it going for you? Man?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Really well? Man?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
And it was a cool double feature last night, Wild
Throttling the Lightning. But prior to that, how about Anthony
ed were just saying, I'm I'm tired of this. I
hate the grizz I don't know who in the heck
is on the roster at this point.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm just gonna dump forty one on them and call
it at W.

Speaker 5 (01:10):
Yeah, it was something, you know, entirely predictable as well.
Like I was telling a couple of people you're kind
of in the back hallways of Target Center before the
game started.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
I'm like, well, they're going to be.

Speaker 5 (01:22):
Either leading by a very small margin or trailing at halftime,
and then they're going to put their foot on the
gas and figure it out.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
And that's what this team does.

Speaker 5 (01:30):
It's not always the most satisfying way to watch a game,
but when you.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
See ant kind of ascend.

Speaker 5 (01:38):
To and turn that as I turned the dial up
to eleven, like there's just no one more entertaining in
the league to watch. And yeah, in the fourth quarter
last night, I mean, he had that dial all the
way up for much of that quarter and just kind
of took the thing over and made sure they didn't lose.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
And so you just stack another W here anyway you
can get it.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah, indeed, and speak of dialing up, how about dialing in?

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Chris Finch joined.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
PA yesterday to kick off the show, and he kind
of mentioned that he sees the team dialing in that focus.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Do you see that a bit well, I.

Speaker 5 (02:11):
Mean I have seen a little bit more of it,
I will say. I mean, certainly the winning Denver was encouraging,
and you know, you're seeing Julius Randall start to show
a little more activity and come around again. And I
did ask and after the game last night, he said
in his postgame interview with Lea by Olsen that you know,
this is the most fun that he's ever had on

(02:33):
the court. And I asked him why, and he said
that each fields like things are coming together right now,
like this team is figuring things out, They're getting there,
They're they're putting it all together. They're getting there. You know,
their ducks in a row, and there are certainly stretches
of games where you see that. I'd like to see
a little bit more consistency. I'd like to see, you know,

(02:53):
kind of more wired to wired dominance if you really
believe that this is a team that can go deep
in the playoffs and even come out of the West.
But they have played better, i would say, over the
last three to four games than they had prior to that,
and so little by little it does there are signs
that it's coming around, I think we still have to
see a little bit more first.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
I want to jump into this kind of I mean
it's team related, certainly, but just kind of. I really
enjoy reading what you put out on the Athletic and
I loved the story that you did about Bones Highland.
It was about a day and a half ago and
what stood out to you? And that's part of the
cool thing. I love what you guys get in terms
of the leeway to expand on stories and maybe I

(03:38):
guess you can speak to it more kind of the
freedom to really dive deep on some of these. But
what stood out to you in that piece you put
together on Bones Highland Just the perseverance the man he's
become where he came from in Delaware, and just everything
that he has really endured and really triumphed over en
route to the NBA with a fat smile on his face.

Speaker 4 (04:02):
Yeah. No, I appreciate the shout out there.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
Nor do I do think that a quick advertisement for
the Athletic is like there. You know, nowadays, I think
there is so much more emphasis put on kind of
shorter stories, videos and clips that people can digest quickly
and get their information, and I get that that's part
of the media ecosystem that we live in and the

(04:26):
evolvement that that uh that that fans want. But I
do think that there's also a still a place for
longer form, more in depth storytelling, and and I think
that's our specialty at the athletics, certainly mine and bone.
Tiland just has an incredible story. You know, he when
he was a very highly touted prospect in Wilmington, Delaware,

(04:47):
in a hard kind of area of Wilmington, as you know.
After his junior season, they were he he lives with
He lived with twelve of his relatives and in a
home and it's two story home, and he was in
his upper floor bedroom when the house caught on fire
and he was trapped in his bedroom, had to climb

(05:08):
out of his window and jump out of the second
story window, and he fell down to the ground and
tore the pateller tendon in his knee. It's a fire
that also claimed the life of his grandmother and an
eleventh month eleven month old cousin. So just an incredible
tragedy that also really just did kind of threaten his

(05:31):
basketball career. But he was able to rehab and get
back on the court, become a first round draft pick
in Denver, had a really good early rookie season, then
kind of maybe got a little bit too kind of
high on his own supply and was really kind of
trying to push for a bigger role and alienated himself
from that group and ended up kind of getting traded

(05:53):
to the Clippers. And two years go by, and he
doesn't really play a whole lot, and then Tim Connelly,
the guy that he draft that drafted him in Denver,
brings him to the Timberwolves on a two way contract
just to kind of keep him.

Speaker 4 (06:06):
Around the league.

Speaker 5 (06:07):
And and he really kind of got a dose of
humility through that and and kind of looked at what
he did wrong in Denver, used sort of the tragedy
that he had overcome as fuel for kind of pushing
him forward. And and he's been a really big influence on.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
On this Timberwolves team. Now.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
He is a super positive guy. Guys really loved being around.
He brings an electricity to the court when he's in
the game, and now he's a key part of their bench.
And and so it's just kind of one of those
kind of rags to riches stories that that I really
enjoy telling, and and and Bones deserves all the credit

(06:47):
for uh for doing everything that it took to get
him to this spot and learn lessons and stay tough
and persevere and and now here he is a part
of a contending team and a big part of one
as well.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, again, I encourage everyone to go and find John's
story if you haven't already, Theathletic dot com and take
a read and learn about Bones and that incredible story
that you mentioned John, And with that before we get
back to the here and now. You know, you've been
around this team in this league for a long time
and you've seen the enigmatic personalities, the big personalities, good,
bad and ugly of all of it in the NBA.

(07:22):
One thing that does kind of impress me about Tim Connelly,
it's it's about winning games too, straight Western Conference Finals appearances,
but the player mix, the human element of it. I
think they've this team's done a pretty good job culture
wise of finding those types of guys to bring into
this team.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
And Bones is a great example of that.

Speaker 5 (07:42):
Yeah, I was, you know, I was talking to one
of the Memphis writers last night before the game and
just we were kind of talking about both of our
teams and and and how whether it's like covering the wolves,
and this is absolutely legitimate Nordal Like, it's a great
walk the room. There is not a jerk in there,
and that's not a common saying in any professional sport,

(08:07):
you know, let alone the NBA. But it's a bunch
of really good guys. You know, they're not perfect by
any stretch of the imagination, but but they are, you know,
Aunt Jaden nas Rudy, Kyle Dante, like all all these guys, Bones, Julius,
all of them are are good hearted dudes that I

(08:31):
you know, sometimes they can be a little moody sometimes,
you know, you wonder like are they are they fully
on board and fully locked into the game plans and
things like that. But as people, they're generally, you know,
good to be around. I think they get along fairly well.
They they talk to each other, They treat people, you know,
with with respect, and and that makes it easier as

(08:54):
a reporter to go into that locker room and get
good answers and informative kind of feedback from the players
and and trying to you know, tell what's going right
and what's going wrong, And there's not that one guy
that I go in there and I dread having to
talk to and having to ask questions with. They're all
like really engaging and and that's very much appreciated. And

(09:15):
I do think that's part of Tim Connolly's sort of
evaluation process. He wants to have good guys in that
locker room. He does not want to have jerks that
kind of bring the bring people down and really add
a lot of pressure and toxicity to the environment. And
and some of the guys that maybe were in that
category when he first came in, they're gone now. And uh,

(09:38):
I think that was a concerted effort on Tim's part
to to make that happen. And uh, and I think it.
You know, the good thing for him is it's paying
off with wins on the court as well.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
How about how about slow, slow back with it. What'd
you think Kyle rejoining the mix?

Speaker 5 (09:54):
Yeah, I think it's really good Norto. I mean, you know,
it was funny last night. He didn't take a shot,
was a kind of a minus five in like fourteen minutes,
So he wasn't like incredibly impactful from a stat producing standpoint.
But when you think about getting buyout guys. I know
a lot of times around this time of year when

(10:17):
teams signed by out guys, there's just this real celebration of,
oh my gosh, the thunder got this guy, or the
Wolves got this guy, or the Celtics got this guy,
and man, that's going to just make a huge difference
in their championship odds. And most of the time that
you know, is overstated and the guy comes in and
he might play a little bit here and there and

(10:38):
that's it. But I really do think that Kyle Anderson
has a chance to be very helpful to this group.
They need more ball handlers and he can do that.
They need more defensive versatility in the front court when
Rudy Gobert is out, and he can do that. They
need a guy in the locker room who is kind
of a truth teller, who is a you know, a

(10:59):
guy that people respect, who can kind of call people
out when things aren't going well. And Kyle can do that.
And so, I mean, I don't think he's going to
be a twenty five minute a night guy, but I
do think that he gives Chris Finch a player that
he trusts to put in in different situations. In a
way that he feels more comfortable with than say a young.

Speaker 4 (11:25):
Player like Terrence Shannon Junior.

Speaker 5 (11:26):
And it would be great to get some of the
rookies and second year guys a little more run. But
they're trying to win a championship right now, and so
I think that the more trusted veteran guys that they
have out there, I think the better it will be
for what they want to accomplish in the immediate future here.
And Kyle Anderson has been welcomed back with open arms,

(11:47):
and so it's a pretty cool thing that he's back in.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
The mix here since you brought him up. Tough year
for Terrence, right, Terrence Shannon Junior from an injury, and
just even early on you're thinking what he can do
post Nikhil Alexander Walker leaving and and steps in and
it's just it's it's not clicking.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
He gets hurt.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Now he's back and he's kind of he's in that
DNP status.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
U what's up with? What is the path forward for him?

Speaker 2 (12:15):
And you mentioned this team's trying to win a title,
and so maybe this season it's going to be some
sparing usage down down the stretch, But what is the
path forward for him.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
Yeah, I still think he has a possibility of a future,
certainly with this team Nordo.

Speaker 4 (12:30):
I mean, he is a big.

Speaker 5 (12:31):
Strong kid that it can get up and down the court.
I think that one thing that we have seen so
far this year, he had a ton of expectations coming
into the season, had a really good summer, played really
well in Summer League. But I think one thing that
he kind of found out as he made more of

(12:52):
a name for himself is that when you know when
teams are scouting you, when teams are actually looking at
at what you do well and what you do poorly
and how to attack you, it requires the player to
make adjustments off of that.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
And I think that you know, early on and.

Speaker 5 (13:11):
A lot of last season, Shannon came in and nobody
knew what he brought to the table, and so he
just used his speed and his power to kind of
overwhelm the teams.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
Sometimes.

Speaker 5 (13:22):
Well, now they know that he doesn't have much of
a right hand, they know that there's a few other
things that weaknesses that he has in his game, and
so it's on him to sort of adjust to that
and keep working and tailor his game to how opponents
are playing him, and you know he also the injury
is a big part of things here. The foot has

(13:45):
not been good for most of the season and that
has limited his explosiveness, especially on defense, his ability to
change directions. So whether or not he contributes a lot
more this year, I think having another summer to work
on his game predibly hard worker. I think you still
have a chance to be a rotation player, but it's

(14:05):
just maybe not coming as quickly as people would have hoped.

Speaker 2 (14:08):
As John Krasinski Johnny k johnny athleticviathletic dot com, follow
him on x at j O n k r A
w cz Y and ski time for a few more here.
Chris Finch joined yesterday with pa I mentioned that, and
along with talking about just what they're seeing moving forward,
he did mention a little bit about the dynamic and

(14:29):
the relationship between himself and Anthony Edwards. Now, you and
anybody within ten feet of the Timberwolves from a reporting standpoint,
all of you have reported in depth about just you know,
it looks loud, it looks ugly, it looks volatile, it
looks contentious, but here's what it is behind the scenes.
And Finch kind of he talked about that and just

(14:51):
competitive personalities, and they both want to win. They have
an immense amount of respect and appreciation for each other.
Does that is there any part of that that does
lead potentially to I mean, does it speak to where
am I going with this? Does it speak to the
emotion and potential inconsistency of this team?

Speaker 3 (15:12):
However?

Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, I mean, like I do think that they are
too ultracompetitive guys to emotional guys and very prideful guys.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
And so.

Speaker 5 (15:26):
The way that those types of people communicate with each other,
especially in high pressure moments, can sometimes be more volatile.
You can, it can sometimes be a little more in
your face, and you know, the sort of the banker
out there, the mechanic out there, the journalists out there,

(15:47):
if other people out there who watch this and see
it on.

Speaker 4 (15:51):
TV or or in the arena.

Speaker 5 (15:53):
And watching you look at it and say, man, that
must be a terrible situation. Because in my workplace that
would reply and and that would be kind of indicative
of really big problems. But in this arena, it literally
it is sometimes how guys communicate. And the important part

(16:14):
or subtext about that is the personalities of both of
them are such that they can yell and be yelled
at and then move on quickly. Like there are people
there are certainly players and coaches, and there's other people
that can be more sensitive to that, and so those
interactions can linger and confester and can really turn into

(16:37):
big time problems. But with Ant and Finch, they have
just shown time and again over the course of their
relationship that they can have disagreements, they can have even
forceful interactions, and then they move past it very very quickly.
They forget about it. They don't hold grudges. They usually
one will apologize to the other, or one will go

(16:59):
and or the air with the other, and and and
and then they move on. So I think that that's
all so far been very healthy. We will see, though,
nor honestly, how this goes into the playoffs, because they
are in They will be entering these playoffs with more
pressure on them than ever before. And how do both

(17:20):
of those guys, the star and the coach handle that.
How does that trickle down to the rest of the
team in times of adversity. We will see, But as
of right now, I don't have a concern really that
they're reaching some sort of breaking point that there is
some sort of schism to use an old Vikings term

(17:40):
around here. So I just think that they are two
guys with a lot of juice and and when the
when the when the lights are bright and the temperatures hot,
they can bark at each other, but neither one of
them takes it personally, and they just they just keep
moving forward, and that's been very productive, been successful for

(18:01):
them to this point.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
Last thing for you, I just on a more simple
note with with more, with more games under the belt
of Io Desumo, what do you see him impacting? What's
different or potentially even better with Desumo in the mix.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
Yeah, he's definitely.

Speaker 5 (18:16):
Over the last couple of games, Nordo looked more comfortable
with where he fits on both ends of the floor.
We were talking to him last night and he said
he's still trying to figure things out and he's still
a long ways away from where he wants to be.
But certainly early on in the very first few games
after coming over in the trade, you could see that

(18:36):
he was tentative that he didn't exactly know how to
play with his teammates on either side of the floor,
And so then you are seeing some pretty like ugly
plus minus numbers. He was minus thirty three I think
in one of the games, minus twenty five in another,
and so you're just like, what's what's kind of going
on here? But too in particular, he looks much more

(19:00):
like the Io dessum MoU that you saw in Chicago, decisive,
getting down hill, getting to the basket, getting out in transition,
being a little more disruptive defensively. And I think that's
all about learning his teammates, learning the system a little
bit more. He is a smart guy. He is really athletic.
He is big and strong, and he's a great fit

(19:21):
for them. I think it just is going to take
time for everyone to just get familiar with each other,
and every game that goes on he looks more comfortable.
It looks like he needs to. What they've focused on
with him is to not defer as much. And it's
very kind of natural for a newcomer to try to

(19:43):
come in and be polite, especially with bigger stars like
Anton Julius and those guys and more established players. I'm
going to just defer to them. I'm going to give
get the ball to them and let them go to work.
I don't want to step on toes, but they want
Io to step on toes. They want him to be aggressive,
they want him to look for his own shots. The
more aggressive and assertive he becomes, I think, the more

(20:03):
dangerous the team becomes as a whole. And I think
we're getting closer to that point with him. He's starting
to look really good.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
I dig that, and I dig your work, and I
appreciate you giving me time this morning, my friend. Have
an awesome week, and we'll catch up again soon.

Speaker 6 (20:17):
All right, thanks talking to man.

Speaker 3 (20:19):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
That's John Krasinsky of v Athletic Vathletic dot com at
John Krasinsky via x And because I practiced this in
the mirror, uh each day before before I go to work.
It is at j O N k r A w
c z y n s k I and it's been
as I mentioned with John, it's been reported on so

(20:42):
so deeply because it is jarring. And I like the
way that that Krazinsky. You know that Johnny took it
the way or the direction that he did in relation
to you know, here's what it is.

Speaker 3 (20:55):
Now, here's what we know.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
And you have these these massive personality these that can
collide when things get hot. Now we need to see,
of course, with more pressure on them really than at
any point during Finch's tenure here and in Anthony's career
with two straight Western Conference Finals appearances, you know what
this thing is going to look like moving forward when

(21:17):
things get hot and the games count in a playoff series.
It just kind of clicked in my head and it's
been a kind of, you know, the inconsistency piece with
this team, and I just think about that volatility word
as it as it sits in moments where you're watching
that take place from your coach and your star player.

(21:38):
I just wonder how that trickle down effect is in
terms of how it could potentially the emotional nature of
this game lead maybe to some of the inconsistencies in
certain aspects and on certain nights as part of that
with Finchy and Ant. But for now it's working. They've
won four straight and it's got to be third spot
or bust.

Speaker 3 (21:57):
Still.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
I think it's one more win, one more loss maybe
then the Houston rockets Houston one I think last night.
So you're still chasing that third again. I think it's
Spurs and Okac in the top two, and that's already
been decided. With so few games remaining, but an opportunity
to jump into the three spot. The way they match up,
I think they actually Wemby and all things included if

(22:18):
there was a postseason series. I like how the Wolves
match up against those Spurs. But there's still time. I mean,
as mundy as the West is, that's the frustrating thing.
The bottom's kind of falling out on the Western Conference,
but you're still six deep in terms of trying to
figure out what is this team, what can they be?
How far can they go? And we're just so close
to the postseason. I want to start breaking down those

(22:39):
probable matchups, but everything's so freaking subject to change on
a night by a night basis. But thanks as always,
John Krasinski. And again I'm not getting paid by the athletic.
Here read that piece on bones. It's an awesome piece
of work that Johnny did. Here's what we're gonna do.
We're gonna pause and when we return next segment, head
coach in the Minnesota while John Hines. I'm expected to

(23:01):
chat with John after the five to one win, a
couple of days to chill before they had to Vegas
and face the Golden Knights on Friday night back to
Wild Hockey. Before we hear from the TV box Anthony
Lapanta at eleven. That's the timber Tech setlist redo and
we're going to join the head coach when we return
next here on the fan's.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
Nugget free, it's fun loose favor favor of open ice.
HiT's caprice hit the red life, I'm back in it shot.
He's gone.

Speaker 6 (23:40):
Over Marion, they do franchise leader.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
In career goals. His Carrino caprice up.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
It's into the emptied after number two twenty.

Speaker 4 (23:52):
And the wild and from by one lad.

Speaker 6 (23:54):
The nerd.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
That was indeed we heard it from Alex day Lock.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
A terrific call by Joe O'Donnell there part of the
five to one victory last night Wild beating the Tampa
Bay Lightning at Grand Casino Arena.

Speaker 3 (24:08):
A little record setting moment there.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
And well, let's stalk to the guy that was front
row center for that, John Hines, head coach of the
Minnesota while joining nine to new and how are.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
You doing John?

Speaker 6 (24:18):
I'm great in order, how are you doing that?

Speaker 2 (24:20):
I'm doing well and always appreciate your time. Congratulations on
the victory and certainly a fun moment for Carill capriz
Off last night with his notching his two hundred and
twentieth goal in a wild sweater and setting a new
franchise record.

Speaker 4 (24:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (24:35):
Thanks. It was obviously a good win. I thought the
guys really really played well, and I think we gathered
ourselves after the last couple of games against Saint Louis
and Utah, So it was nice to see the stylo
game that we played and the guys get back to what,
you know, the game that gives us the best chance
to win night in the night out. And as far
as Caerill goals, it's a tremendous accomplishment obviously to Pasco

(24:56):
bar for the all time goals and you know, in
really such a short amount of time him in his
young NHL career, and he's a pleasure to coach, he's
a pleasure to watch. And was just really happy for
him that he had some looks earlier in the game.
You know, he wound up with the with the empty netter,
but he had about two empty netters that he could
have had earlier too, So I'm happy for him.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
It's a great accomplishment, it is, indeed, and he did
have a few chances. I almost imagined in the dressing
room after the game, they're like, hey, congratulations on the record.
But I mean it was just an empty netter. I
mean it's almost like they had to give it to you.
He couldn't buy one earlier in the game. He had
some great chances last night, John.

Speaker 6 (25:32):
Yeah, he certainly deserved it, though. You know, you look
at I've been very impressed with him, even since he's
come out of the breaks. He looks, you know, just
laser focused. He's got great jump to his game. He's
highly competitive. So that's a really good sign for for
Carill but also our team that he's come come back
from the break and he's dialed in.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yeah, and you mentioned the team gathering, gathering yourselves after
after a couple of losses in a row.

Speaker 6 (25:55):
There.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
I know Kucharov does get through in the second period
last night, but what was really working for you guys
in limiting dangerous chances overall for him and the visitors.

Speaker 6 (26:06):
You know, I think we did a you know, I
felt like when we come back from the break. The
Colorado game was pretty good. It was a highly competitive game.

Speaker 5 (26:14):
You know.

Speaker 6 (26:14):
The Utah game just wasn't indicative of how we want
to play, whether that's from a competitive standpoint, structurally, whatever
it is. Some days you're going to have some nights
like that over the course eighty two games. You know,
I thought the Saint Louis game, we were okay. I
think we had a chance to win the game, but
it wasn't really the identity we wanted to play with.
So when we got back to I think much much more.

(26:35):
We played a faster game. We moved pocks north. I
thought our checking structure up the ice in the offensive zone.
In the neutral zone, we were much more on our
toes and we didn't give We didn't give easy ice
and easy looks. We made them earn if they were
going to get a chance, that they had to earn them.
And that was the focal point going into the game,
and the guys did a heck of a job executing.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
I mentioned this earlier in the show Chatting Hockey with
with Alex Staylock. He was doing analysis on the Right
you know broadcast last night and just kind of thinking
about Brock faber John that I do typically think of
him defense first. In terms of Brock's game and what
he brings to this team at a super high level.
But then I watch that goal last night and you're like,
wait a minute, hold on, He's got fourteen this year.

Speaker 3 (27:16):
You just the the evolution of his game.

Speaker 2 (27:18):
Maybe it's playing with Hughes, but in his own right,
the ability to evolve and get better. Just brock Faber
continues to amaze me night after night.

Speaker 4 (27:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (27:29):
You know, I think when faves for you know, first
came in, you know, I think that was that was
kind of you know a little bit of what a
stick was when he was, you know, coming up to
college and things like that. Was he was a great
skating hard to play play against, kind of I don't
want to say defense first, but more of a more
of a more of a uh defensive defenseman. But you know,

(27:50):
I think when you look at his skating skating ability,
he does have good puck skills. He's a high he's
an elite competitor. And you know what I found with
him coach him was he's always looking for ways to
get better. And then he comes he turns pro and
you know, based on opportunity and some things that happened
with our team, he got some opportunities on the power play,
which was new to him, and then I think he

(28:11):
found some footing there, and he just continues to evolve
his game. You know, even last year or at our
exit meeting last year, he's like, hey, what do you
think I need to get better at? What do I
need to work on? And you know, in the summertime,
you can't work on necessarily defense, but you can work
on your body and conditioning, but also your puff skills.
And he's a highly talented player that's always looking to improve.
So it's nice to see his game evolving on both

(28:32):
sides of the bucket.

Speaker 2 (28:34):
What do you look for, John as the head coach
when you see a guy like Robbie Fabric getting his
first shifts with the team as he did last night?
What are you looking for when someone debuts and just
kind of trying to work his way into the system.

Speaker 6 (28:49):
Really exactly what Robbie did last night. I thought he
came out, you know, he played with energy, he was competitive,
He had a couple of hits early. I think he
had a couple of scoring chances. Well, you know, it
was nice to see him come in and and and
kind of show us a little bit of what what
he what he can bring on this team. And it's
a small sample size. But I think, you know, being

(29:11):
picked up on waivers and coming in meeting a new
team and playing the way they played last night, it
certainly was encouraging for us to see that, and I
think he felt good about about his game as well,
and now we want to continue to build on that.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
You know, similar little bit different. You hadn't seen Jonas Brodin.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
On the ice for a while, and you know, as
an outsider, it just felt, you know, I'm just kind
of like, Okay, when when were we going to get
to see Jonas again? We get the Olympic pause and
all of that, he comes back. I thought he looked
pretty good. Coach, what did you see?

Speaker 6 (29:40):
I would agree with you. I think he looked he
looked really good. I mean he was conditioning, looked good, skating,
skating was on point. I thought he moved the puck well,
you know, he's always a difficult player against UH from
a defensive standpoint, but I like the speed, conditioning, puck movement,
you know, those things we're ron pile last night for him.

(30:01):
So it's great to have him back in line up.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
No, absolutely, And I saw the announcement yesterday Michael McCarran
is joining the squad and a move with the Predators. Uh,
you coached McCarran in Nashville if if I'm correct on that,
What what do we know about Michael McCarran and how
excited are we to see him come to Saint Paul.

Speaker 6 (30:20):
Yeah, you know, I think first and foremost, he's a
he's a great Uh, he's a great kid. You know,
he's got a lot of character. He's uh, you know,
he's got wife and some kids. He's going to come in.
So I think when you add a player into your team,
it's not just the player, it's the person and the
people that he brings with him. He's got a great family,
great background. So the person entering our our team in

(30:40):
locker room and organization is is what you want. And then, uh,
you know, from a hockey standpoint, Uh, you know, he's
a big, strong player. He can play stunner and wing,
right shot, very good face off guy, He helps on
the penalty kill, bring some physicality.

Speaker 4 (30:57):
You know.

Speaker 6 (30:57):
I think he's a multi dimensional player, and you know,
I think he's going to bring he brings some energy on.

Speaker 4 (31:02):
And off the ice, you know, into your team.

Speaker 6 (31:04):
So we're excited to have him. I think that he's
going to fit in well with our group and how
we want to play. But you know, I think when
you put the team together and looking towards you know,
the end of the season here and then into the playoffs,
is you have to have guys that I think can
fill roles and there's little things that make a huge
difference in games and in a playoff series. You know,

(31:25):
as we all know, face off is important, physicality is important,
penalty killing is important. You know, having lines and identity
lines are really important. So you know, I think he's
going to add some some strong elements to our group.

Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yeah, strong elements for sure. Six two hundred and thirty
pounds is what he was listed at. And watch it
anytime you join me, John, and I always appreciate it.
I always have the dumbest question you're going to get
all day, and here it is, Michael McCarron, sixty six
two thirty. When you're that big, and I remember watching
the Olympics Tage Thompson, he's six six, just a giant
out there, right. What are traits when you're a player

(32:02):
that size? What is the challenge in terms of trying
to keep up with those five ten five eleven speedsters
when you're six six and two thirty, like mister McCarron is, yeah,
you know, I think.

Speaker 6 (32:14):
It comes down to a couple of things. One is
those big guys. You know, if they're in good shape
and there and they got some power to them. You know,
the younger guys could be quicker, but you know, the
big guys they have a lot of reach. They can
take up a lot of space if they're willing skaters
like Pages and like Michael r that because I think

(32:34):
their size and reach, both of those players are big players,
but they're both pretty smart, so I think the anticipation,
the anticipation skills help as well. And then the other
thing too is you know there's also advantages to be
in that big Like I said, you have a long wingspang,
long reach, good stick detail, heavy on the pluck, you
can carry a lot of ground. You know, when there

(32:55):
needs to be physicality, you know you're you're usually on
the on the top side of that. So you know,
I think it's like every player, whether you're smaller, whether
you're big, it's it's do you use your assets to
a high level. And we feel with a guy like
Mccaaren some of the things that he brings to our team,
the intangible things and the details of the game, you know,

(33:16):
are are important and are going to make us.

Speaker 2 (33:18):
Better at Sehn Hines, head coach in the Minnesota Wild.
Last thing for you is simply enough, it's Friday night
in Vegas. You know, just kind of a whirlwind coming
back from the pause with the back to back, not
a lot of time to just take a breath. You
kind of get an extra day here before you go
to Vegas. Would you consider that to be a much
needed breath or just a good opportunity to kind of
reset things with with a with a great schedule in

(33:42):
front of you.

Speaker 6 (33:44):
Yeah, I think so. You know, we came back from
you know, we we had a really good run prior
to the prior to the break, and then you know,
everyone's going there different ways and some of some guys
in the Olympics, some guys are off. Then when we
come back, we had so many guys at the Olympics
that were practiced with a small group and then and
you know, we come right back and go on the
road and played a good game, played a bad game,
played an average game. We had a day off, thought

(34:06):
we had a really productive morning yesterday, just resetting our
minds and what we need to do. I thought we
played a really good game last night. Guys, get a
breather again today, and you know, I'm excited we get
a good practice tomorrow before we leave, and then we
got two big games, right, We got Vegas and color
out on the weekend and a practice to start it
off tomorrow. So I think it's a good reset and

(34:28):
just keep moving forward and getting better and building our
team game and building our individual game here down the stretch.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
That's awesome, man, Thanks as always again for joining us
nine to now, and have a terrific weekend with with
Vegas and Colorado on the horizon, and hope we get
the chance to chat next week.

Speaker 6 (34:44):
All right, thanks Donald, take care man, always a pleasure.
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
That's John Hines, head coach in the Minnesota. While they
do get to take a breath today and again next
up a Friday night affair, hitting that text line for
Fallness and Alex stay lock and hopefully getting two points
out in Vegas with those goldens.

Speaker 3 (35:00):
Some news around the corner.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
I do want to kind of hijack a bit of it,
jump back, I'm sure Brett's got some Vikings bits in
his news his news bag. But then Anthony La Panta,
your TV voice of the Minnesota Wild, will be in
studio at eleven. It's the fan man. Hey, Brett, Hey,
what the hockey Tournament's on forty five TV, right?

Speaker 3 (35:22):
I believe?

Speaker 4 (35:22):
So okay?

Speaker 1 (35:23):
And you can also hear coverage of it starting tomorrow
on KFA and Plus ninety six to seven, and.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
Also right here on the same Zach Alverson on the call.
That's correct.

Speaker 4 (35:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:33):
The reason I'm all this mixed in, the reason I'm
asking is I get it.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
It's high school hockey, so maybe they don't put together
like an hour long pregame or something.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
But I've had this thing. It's like the Kelly Clarkson Show.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
I had like Pink and Nev Campbell on there a
bit ago while I was talking to Heinz, and now
I think that's Kelly. I don't know, I haven't seen
Kelly Clarkson in years, but I just feel like I'm
being like, there's a ruse, like I just need this
to become hockey. And I guess I got to wait
nine more minutes, but yeah, could it? I just take

(36:05):
me next year? We do a pregame.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
I don't know any anyway, Kelly Clarkson show on my TV.
Here in the studio, News de.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Nord's brought to you by the Casino at Canterbury Parkcanterbury
Park dot com. Feeling the felt all your long live
racing and play in the spring and tons of shows,
tons of things to I mean, bring the whole family,
that's what you do. Just drive down to my favorite
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you'll have a blast. Where we headed to first Brett number.

Speaker 3 (36:32):
We'll had a new.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
Winter park out and egan a couple of cap related
bits for your Minnesota Vikings. First off, on the potential quarterback,
he's one of two as of now, I mean maybe
you throw in well, there's all kinds of there's all options,
there's Circo change or it could be Tua.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
I think it's gonna be I think as of today
it's gonna be Kyler or Gino Smith and six four
six eight six. I mean that the text line, Yeah, no,
that's what I'm That's what I'm getting. That's what I'm
get here at a super high level. Why would we
bring in Kyler. Does that mean yeah, is Ryan Wright
likely to be out with Kyler? I don't like the Vikes.

(37:09):
I don't think the Vikes have the cap room to
carry two punters. That's Nate, Yeah, I get it. Kirk
Cousins hands down the best option. That's Steve from Adnah Robert,
I can't believe we're discussing Geno Smith, Kyler Murray. The
Vikings need to consider another route that starts with a bee,
as in bottoming out. Putting Grenard on the trading block

(37:31):
is the correct call. That's what Robert thinks. All right,
I get it, I get it. I know it sounds weird.
I will say this. I got a text message, why
are we considering Gino Smith? Seattle dump him to sign
Sam Darnold so we take their garbage. Actually, they moved
on from Geno Smith because he wanted forty million dollars
a year. The Seahawks were going to re sign him,

(37:52):
they were efforting a new contract. He wanted too much money,
so then they did move on absolutely, and then he
was hideous in Las Vegas.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
I get it, I get it. I'm just this isn't
necessarily what I wanted to happen.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
I wanted number nine, our tenth overall pick, to be
a star and a budding superstar, and it's not happening. So, yes,
we're talking about Kyler and Ginos Smith killing the Messenger.
Nordo has lost his ever love in mind, that's Stephen Casey. Hey,
why don't we see if Ponder wants to make a comeback.
So now, yes, I'm getting it. I get it, I

(38:25):
get it.

Speaker 4 (38:25):
I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
I'm just a Vikings loving rube and this is all
very weird. I just want the team to be good again.
Where are we headed next?

Speaker 1 (38:32):
Well, So, according to CBS Sports Jonathan Jones, a Kyler, yeah,
will most likely sign for a VET minimum that's one
point three million when he becomes a free agent. That
would help with the cap situation where you're having to
gut a lot of people, including our grave.

Speaker 2 (38:50):
Aaron Jones, maybe that's maybe that's true. I still I
I don't know. I don't buy it. He's going to
be released on Wednesday when the league year starts, and
if he's signed for the league minimum, you will have
probably three or four different suitors. There's there's got to
be a handful of teams that would say Kyler that talent. Yeah,
injury issues and all of that, but one point three

(39:12):
million sign me up?

Speaker 3 (39:15):
So I still think.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
I mean, you're probably seeing seven, eight, nine, ten million dollars.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
For a one year deal. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
I could be out of I could have lost my
ever love and mind per Steve in case, I just don't.
It's not going to be a ton of cash, but
I think it'll be more than a fat minimum.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
We'll see.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
But on that note, Grenard's is going to be one
of those cat casualties most likely. It looks like they're
willing to move him one way or the other. Your thoughts, well,
there's there's not enough time because I want to get
to Anthony Lapanta here. But it does bear in mind.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
And Pa is going to be back, by the way,
the host of I the Noon returning tomorrow, and I'm
certain of this that we'll discuss this more. And the
text that I sent him yesterday is do you think
Dallas Turner is ready? Do you think Dallas Turner is ready?
And the reason I bring that up is if you

(40:08):
trade Grenard? And I've heard all kinds of ideas that
have kind of spawned from that day. Two pick XYZ
potential player.

Speaker 3 (40:17):
Who knows where that goes? Or are you packaging to
move up in the draft.

Speaker 2 (40:21):
There are certainly options that the Vikings would have, but
per Schefter, the Vikings would like to keep Grenard, but
they also have salary cap issues. Okay, so we know
that Bernard wants a raise. What's a little market correction
on what he's doing for the Purple. I still think
they figure out a way to keep them. And with
Dallas Turner, I'm really split on it. Certainly better in

(40:42):
twenty twenty five. The idea that's simply because he was
a first round pick and it's year three that we
have to start him. That makes zero sense to me.
Either he's worthy of a starting spot or he's not.
He was splash here in twenty twenty five. That came
with the reps in the opportunity seven hundred snaps and
change versus three hundred his rookie year, So he's.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
On the field more.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
He made some plays. Part of that sack number covered
sacks I didn't think. I still don't think he's twitchy
or fast enough or savvy enough to consistently beat tackles
off the line.

Speaker 3 (41:15):
That's just one man's opinion, but again, he was much
better in year two.

Speaker 2 (41:18):
I'm not writing off Dallas Turner, and I hate how
these conversations have to be. It's either Grenard starts because
Turner is awful, or Turner has to start because he's amazing.
The truth's line in the middle from my standpoint here,
and I'm not against him getting the opportunity that.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
The thing that I would be against, though, is.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
If you're rolling into twenty twenty six or rolling into
the draft and it's it's Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel
as your bookending excuse me, bookending pass rushers the thing
for me, you know. And I'm not in charge of
the money. I'm not in charge of making decisions and
making moves. The thing that would make more sense to

(41:57):
me is you find a way to get Grenard happy
and whatever that market correction and money looks like, and
maybe you move Andrew Van Giggle if you were going
to move. Somebody missed five games last year. He's got
the next thing, and I love I love, I love
Van Ginkle Van Ginkle style, but it's the last year

(42:18):
of his deal coming up.

Speaker 3 (42:19):
He's older, about to turn thirty one. He did miss
that time.

Speaker 2 (42:22):
Now, Grenard missed time last year with the shoulder too,
so I get all of that, but.

Speaker 4 (42:27):
I just.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
I'm not sold on Turner being the answer and the
true one for one replacement there.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
But he still has a right to grow still very young.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
In all of that, twenty five was a significant growth
in comparison to his rookie season.

Speaker 3 (42:44):
He did make plays, he was splashy at times.

Speaker 2 (42:49):
I don't want to lose Jonathan Grinard, and I don't
think the team wants to lose him either. So right now,
if I had to bet, I would bet on the
team finding a way to make could work with Grenard
so that he stays here. Again, one man's opinion, but
that's where we're at on that. Oh, mister Lapant is here.
Wild throttled the lightning last night. Yes, Wolves handled Grizzlies

(43:11):
thanks to forty one from Aunt.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
And that's about News de Nord, Right, Yeah, that's about it.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
Party on, Thank you, Brett, Brett Blake Moore leading News
de Noord brought to you by the Casino at Canterbury
Parkcanterbury Park dot com. A hockey heavy presentation will continue
to be such. I got eventually once the Kelly Clarkson
Show finally ends. I'm going to get to watch some
high school hockey and I'm gonna get to chat hockey
with Anthony Lapanta. Final Hour ahead nine to noon