But time heals all wounds, and before long we’ll be thinking about 2025-26 and what the MN Wild will look like once they (hopefully) redo Kirill Kaprizov’s contract and spend some of the remaining cap space to acquire new talent. Cap space that won’t be impeded by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalties.

Minnesota Wild expected to trade Marco Rossi this offseason

No doubt, it should be an exciting offseason, and one that — according to Michael Russo (The Athletic) — will almost certainly include a trade of Marco Rossi, who was relegated to the fourth line and played less than 12 minutes per game during the NHL Playoffs.

In a fiery interview with KFAN Radio Sunday morning, the longtime Minnesota Wild insider told KFAN host Dan Barreiro that he’s more convinced than ever that the 23-year-old former No. 9 overall pick will be dealt at some point this offseason. How convinced? Russo puts the odds at “way higher than 75-80%”.

“Well, I’ve thought all year long that they’re going to trade him this summer and I think we’re talking probably way more than 75-80% [chance] now. Part of that is because I don’t know if he’s going to be willing to [take] even what [the Wild] would be willing to offer him right now. I don’t even know if that 5 year x $5 million contract they offered, that I reported a couple months ago, is even on the table anymore.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

All regular season long, Marco Rossi was an incredibly important player for the Wild, especially once Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek went down with injuries that cost them much of the second half.

Related: New Minnesota Wild Arena Name and Sponsor Revealed…?

In fact, Rossi finished behind only Matt Boldy in assists (36) and points (60). Only Boldy and Kaprizov scored more goals than Rossi’s 24. He was also one of the only top-line regular season forwards who played in all 82 games, where he centered mostly the first or second line and was on the ice for 18:15 per game.

MARCO ROSSI IN OVERTIME. WILD WIN pic.twitter.com/28cqDJbqmj

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 6, 2025

Then, the playoffs started and president of hockey ops Bill Guerin and his head coach John Hynes stuffed Marco Rossi down on the fourth line, presumably deciding his smaller frame and finesse-style game isn’t fit for the NHL postseason.

Marco Rossi’s people are big mad at the Minnesota Wild

Even with Gustav Nyquist and Freddy Goudreau playing poorly above him, Rossi never got off the fourth line. And while he did get run on the Minnesota Wild’s playoff power play, he still averaged just 11:08 total TOI, third least of any skater, behind only Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau.

Yet, Marco still potted 2 goals in six games and assisted on another. We still aren’t sure how Marco Rossi feels about his fourth line relegation. But according to Russo, those surrounding the young Austrian are not happy with what they believe was mistreatment of Rossi Minnesota Wild mistreated him during the 2024-25 playoffs.

“I can tell you his camp is not happy with the way that he was deployed down the stretch. It just felt like there was a double standard there. Obviously, he would up on the fourth line, was never elevated even though guys like Goudreau and Nyquist were absolutely awful in this series.

The times he was elevated, I think the Wild would point to, ‘well his fingerprints were on the winning goals in games five and six’. So, I can see both sides, but I just think that [Rossi’s camp] feels like he was mistreated throughout this postseason.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

You can’t even blame Rossi’s camp for being upset

You can’t blame those around Marco Rossi for being upset with how he was utilized during the Minnesota Wild’s latest attempt at a playoff run. Hell, I was upset. Sure, he made mistakes in the minutes he did get on the ice, and he would have made more of them, had he played more often.

But as Russo pointed out during his KFAN interview Sunday, Gustav Nyquist went offsides in the third period of game five and may have cost Minnesota the entire series. Yet, there Rossi sat at the bottom of the Wild’s depth chart all series long. And when these sort of things happen, it never ends well.

“I think that ship has sailed on a short term deal, I don’t think the Wild want to invest in him on seven or eight year deals and that 5×5 I don’t even know is on the table anymore…I don’t think he’s going to spell out publicly that maybe he wasn’t happy during these playoffs, we’ll see, he is usually a pretty honest kid.

But I can tell from talking to people in his camp that they’re not happy, and I think that now affects things because I don’t think, where they feel he deserves to make money and term, I don’t think the Wild are going to go that route and the usually spells out the beginning of of a player on a team.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

Matthew Boldy has become one of the best supporting stars in the league, at least early on. Brock Faber had his blow-up last season, as a rookie, and the Wild are relying on him to lead their group of blueliners for the next decade. Then… there’s Marco Rossi.

Wanna talk about hot starts? Through 18 games, Rossi has 5 goals and 10 assists, and he is averaging 16:27 TOI. Without a doubt, he has become a major contributor to what this team is trying to do, and he’s arguably the best center they have on roster right now, especially when you factor in Joel Eriksson Ek’s recent injury issues.

Minnesota Wild reportedly have something against Marco Rossi

So, at just 23 years old and clearly catching his stride as an NHL player, the Minnesota Wild have to be ecstatic about the Austrian’s future, right? Apparently not. According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), the Wild — who have been trying to trade Rossi for years — still are not high on their young center.

Why? Inconsistencies in the hard areas: in front of the net, 50/50 puck battles, along the boards, etc. When Rosii isn’t on his game, John Hynes and Bill Guerin believes he loses focus in those areas. So much so that longtime Wild insider believes a trade involving Marco Rossi is coming, sooner or later, and he is worried Bill Guerin will regret it, in the end.

“[Marco Rossi’s] game has been up and down, but there’s a ton of guys on this team that have been up and down Jakob Trenton has been, a lot of times, down. And there are just certain guys that seem to get nitpicked, and I’ve seen this for my history with certain players. There’s just always that one player. Kevin fiala was that guy here, treated very differently than other guys.

My biggest concern is that I think that this isn’t just the coaching staff. I think it’s upstairs too. I am still convinced that they are going to trade him. I don’t know when, I don’t know if it’s imminent, or you know, by the deadline or next summer. I just think that they do not feel like he’s the player to commit to long term.”

Michael Russo – Worst Seats in the House Podcast

Report: Don’t Be Surprised if Minnesota Wild Sign Top Draft Pick After His Sophomore Season

They still have multiple years of team control over Rossi and he’s proving himself to be a legitimate top-6 center, not to mention the commitment he has shown for the organization in recent offseasons, staying in the Twin Cities instead of going back overseas to be with family.

Russo worried Wild could regret trading Marco Rossi

Rossi even skipped out on Olympic trials with his Austrian national team last summer, which failed to qualify for the games without him. At every turn, Rossi has proven to be worthy of the 1st round draft pick Minnesota spent on him a few years ago. Yet, Guerin & Co seem intent on moving him.

“For a guy that’s done everything they wanted, skipped his sister’s wedding, didn’t participate in the Austria Olympic qualifiers. They asked him to get faster, he worked with [local skating coach] Andy Ness all last summer. They asked him to get stronger, he worked with Matt Harder all last summer. He wants to win, he’s a total pro. It just seems like, to cut ties with this guy at 22 and sometimes, in my eyes, treat him the way they are… I just think that they’re gonna really regret this.”

Michael Russo – Worst Seats in the House Podcast

As Russo and Anthony Lapanta — his podcast co-host and the voice of the Minnesota Wild on FanDuel Sports Network North — discuss, nobody knows Marco Rossi better than Guerin and Hynes. So why do they not see what we see, when we watch him blossom into one of the better forwards on this roster?

Related: Minnesota Wild Future Ranks Among Brightest in NHL

Who knows. But one thing is clear. Those leading the Wild organization are not fans of Marco Rossi, so don’t go buy any No. 23 jerseys anytime soon… no matter how well he plays. Here is the full episode of “Worst Seats in the House”.

The full Rossi conversation happens around the 29-minute mark, but this is a subject Russo eludes to throughout the episode. He is not on the same page as the Wild, when it comes to the 2020 No. 9 overall pick.

A credentialed media member campaigning for this type of vengeance is disgraceful and beyond unprofessional. And video reviews are done in concert with the NHL Situation Room in Toronto not Dept of Player Safety in NYC, fyi https://t.co/LEoOZgoeO8

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 18, 2023

Hits early in the series by Dumba and Foligno, combined with dirty Ryan Suter cross-checks on Kirill Kaprizov in game 1, had refs and fans of both sides on high alert the rest of the series. Problem is, Stars’ fans went way beyond social media shit-posting.

Stars fans send Michael Russo death threats

Michael Russo sat with Vikings play-by-play voice, Paul Allen, on PA’s daily KFAN radio show (Nine to Noon) on Thursday. There, he revealed that, during the Stars/Wild series, Dallas fans somehow found Russo’s phone number and street address; then used both to send him ominous death threats, even threatening to slit his family’s throats. He says the threats continue coming to this day.

“It’s the first time I’ve said this publicly but, during the the Dallas series, Stars fans got my phone number, my address and were sending me death threats galore. I had security outside my house, I was getting police escorts in and out of arenas. It was a freaking unbelievable stressful time. [I was] getting text messages about, you know, my family’s throats being slit and mine [being slit]. I mean, it’s still going on.”

Michael Russo – 92Noon (KFAN Radio 100.3 FM)

Russo had already divulged this information privately to “Nine to Noon” host and his friend, Paul Allen, who helped him get in touch with authorities that could help. Michael says that, now, multiple law enforcement agencies are working on his case.

The Athletic‘s new parent company, the New York Times, also started an investigation of its own, which is something they do on the regular for their reporters. Russo was told, however, that this is the first time they’ve ever had to investigate threats to a sports writer.

Stars fans being Stars fans…

Unfortunately, this type of behavior probably won’t be a surprise to hockey fans around the NHL. Ever since Norm Green deleted the first half of “Northstars” and moved the once-beloved franchise to Dallas, “respectful” has rarely been seen in the same sentence as its new fanbase.

Dallas Stars fan gets punched in face after saying “N-word” — hopefully he learned his lesson.
pic.twitter.com/BAZBAPZgik

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) February 9, 2023

Here is today’s full final hour of “Nine to Noon”, which featured multiple writers from “The Athletic” including Michael Russo, Jon Krawczynski and Alec Lewis. The segment included talk about how successful The Athletic has been in the Minnesota market (which I wrote about earlier this week). Russo talks about the threats he’s received from Stars fans starting at the 19:50 mark.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The business plan, back then, was clear and extremely effective. Overpay the best local beat writers in sports to do the same job they were already doing for their previous employer, but with more freedom and without word limits. Then, pair those local writers with one or two of the biggest national news breakers from each sport (Shams -NBA, Rosenthal – MLB, Pierre LeBrun – NHL, etc).

Then, offer subscriptions for one low cost and give readers access to every story on The Athletic website/app. The monthly cost, depending on which promotion was running at the time, could get as low as $1 per month. That could be 300% less than that of a local newspaper subscription. Here’s a real-life example: I chose the yearly subscription for The Athletic and it costs $39.99. The Minneapolis Star Tribune charges me $62.27 every three months ($249.08 per year).

Every time my Star Tribune subscription hits I am reminded of why the newspaper business is dying.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) June 7, 2023

The Athletic bleeding money…

But while the emergence of The Athletic — which was sold to the New York Times last year for $550 million — successfully changed the landscape of sports reporting forever and scared the shit out of legacy mainstream media outlets, it’s business plan has struggled to produce revenue. That’s why, earlier this week, they announced company-wide layoffs to their beat writer army.

According to an internal memo obtained by the Washington Post, The Athletic told employees that 20 writers would be laid off and 20 others would be re-assigned to a different beat. Soon after, In all, the company still plans to employ over 100 beat writers.

That strategy marks a departure from the outlet’s onetime mission, which was to cover every team from every major league across the country with a dedicated reporter. The Athletic has been successful editorially, with millions of subscribers, but that coverage — and the travel and staffing associated with it — is expensive.

“The Athletic has generally viewed every league in a similar manner, with similar beats and offerings. But our growing body of research and our own understanding of the sports we cover compel a more nuanced approach,” the note said. “There is no perfect formula for determining which teams to cover, but we are committing dedicated beat reporters to the ones that most consistently produce stories that appeal to both large and news-hungry fan bases, as well as leaguewide audiences.”

The Washington Post

The Athletic takes over Minnesota sports scene

The Minnesota sports scene was one of the first to be majorly affected by The Athletic’s initial takeover. That’s because they immediately targeted and brought aboard the Star Tribune’s longtime Wild beat writer, Michael Russo, one of the best and most respected media voices in all of hockey.

From there, they snagged Jon Krawczynski, who covered the Timberwolves for Associate Press. They weren’t done, though. Popular podcast host and trusted Twins writer, Aaron Gleeman, soon joined the crew, too. All three have huge local followings and are regulars on the only mainstream FM radio outlet in town, 100.3 KFAN, which only amplified The Athletic’s reach locally.

And just like that, The Athletic became one of (if not THE) most trusted sports news outlet in Minnesota. Since, they’ve cycled through Vikings and Gophers writers and the Twins paired Dan Hayes with Gleeman, to cover the Twins. Joe Smith was recently added to their Wild coverage, too.

What happens to their local sports coverage now?

So what do these beat writer layoffs mean for all the Minnesota sports fans who rely on The Athletic for their mainstream sports coverage throughout the year? Senior writer and The Athletic original, Michael Russo, told MinnesotaSportsFan.com on Thursday that The Athletic (New York Times) has no plans to eliminate local beat writer positions in the Minnesota market.

Why? Because according to Russo, sports fans in Minnesota buy up The Athletic subscriptions and read its stories at a much higher rate than that of other markets.

“Minnesota shouldn’t be affected at all because the market has been so successful thanks to the thousands of subscribers that support us. We’re still all here and covering the local teams here like a blanket.”

Michael Russo via email response to questions regarding The Athletic’s layoffs possibly hitting Minnesota sports coverage

While this may be the case for now, I’ll be interested to see if that’s remains the plan going forward. Sure, this local market might read The Athletic more often than others. But will that matter, if more cuts eventually come?

And if you’re Jonny K or Aaron Gleeman, are you passing up other job opportunities should they present themselves? Probably not. And losing any of Russo, Krawczynski or Gleeman would take a huge chunk out of that readership.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Michael Russo worried about Minnesota Wild entering playoffs

And that is worrisome for many who know this team, and have watched every moment of every game this season multiple times through. Like Michael Russo (The Athletic), who told Dan Barreiro on KFAN Friday that he is concerned about Minnesota’s chances vs Dallas, who he believes is one of the hottest teams in the league.

“I’m not quick to just discount [the Wild’s recent slump] like those inside the organization seem to be poo-pooing it. I’m concerned. I think that they have lost their mojo. They, for some bizarre reason — with the conference on the line and that’s what concerns me the most — they went to Vegas, after that huge win in Colorado. They were there for four days and I feel like they took their foot off the gas and haven’t been able to catch up ever since.”

Michael Russo on KFAN Radio

Have Wild lost their mojo?

Russo thinks the Wild lost their mojo when they lost two-straight games to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on April 1 and April 3. Then, they lost Ek to injury on April 6 vs the Penguins. All three games were also losses. That’s a lot of L’s.

It’s difficult to argue with Russo’s logic. He goes on to talk about his concerns for how poorly Mats Zuccarello is playing, how beat up the Wild are and how hot the rest of the Western Conference is.

“What concerns me is, and I get why the Wild have sat a bunch of their players over the last couple games, but what concerns me is, not only did you lose your game, but now could you have lost your cohesion because a lot of these guys haven’t won a lot of games together in the last little while?

Kaprizov missed 13 games and has only played two games since. Mats Zuccarello, I’m very concerned about. This is somebody that I think has had a very subpar second half and that’s dating back to before Kaprizov was hurt. Kaprizov gets back in the lineup and I didn’t see a lot of improvement in his game.”

“The fact is Vegas is on fire, Edmonton is on fire, Colorado is on fire and Dallas is on fire.”

Michael Russo on KFAN Radio

Obviously, the Minnesota Wild could hit the ice on Monday night and look like they did when they went on a hot streak for two months after the All-Star break. Or, they could find their skates in game three upon return to St. Paul and never look back.

But when someone as plugged in and knowledgeable — not just about the game of hockey and the NHL but about of the Minnesota Wild specifically — is worried about how this team is playing, entering the postseason… then I am too.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Passive aggressive shots here and there happen more regularly. Maybe, a writer goes on local radio or a podcast and vents criticisms they may not feel comfortable putting on paper. But rarely do the Michael Russos of the world go completely off the rails, in print, for the entire world to see.

Michael Russo disgusted by Wild

Russo has been covering the Minnesota Wild for nearly 20 years and he’s become invested in their success for a multitude of reasons, both personally and professionally. And recently, his Wild have been playing like shit.

So Wednesday, after another big loss pushed Minnesota outside of the current playoff tree, Michael lost his cool on the keyboard a little bit, which I always respect. He didn’t back down and hit the “Publish” button on Thursday morning, too. It started with an attack on the general manager.

But to not even make a single call-up while trotting out the same lineup night after night that has proved through 54 games it’s one of the worst even-strength-scoring teams in the league has been perplexing.

He doesn’t want to throw Rossi into such a tense situation like he’s some savior. Guerin’s in the winning business, so if he feels Rossi’s not ready, he’s the man in charge and would know better than any of us.

But the way Walker spurred Matt Boldy earlier in the season or the way Beckman has been scoring lately, surely they’d make better options than Jordan Greenway, Sam Steel and Ryan Reaves.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

Russo starts the article off bewildered at why Bill Guerin hasn’t done more to supplement the Wild’s offense during their recent scoring slump. As Michael points out, the Wild don’t have to call up Marco Rossi or make a splash trade to try and jumpstart this team offensively. There are other options that could work, and have worked in the past.

Evason and Marc-Andre Fleury feel Russo’s wrath

Next, the veteran Wild scribe took aim at Minnesota Wild head coach, Dean Evason, and his insistence on playing a struggling Marc-Andre Fleury when his teammate, Filip Gustavsson, is on a hot streak.

The “Gus Bus” has only allowed a 1.70 GAA and a .939 SV% in his last 10 games and the Wild win way more often when he takes the ice lately. Yet, for whatever reason, Evason left his hot hand on the bench vs Colorado on Wednesday, in favor of an expired hall of famer who’s been playing poorly for weeks.

The result? Fleury and the Wild took an L despite the 38-year-old facing just 19 shots. Avs goalie, Alexandar Georgiev, allowed only two goals on 43 shots and earned the game’s 2nd star (ESPN). That’s more than double the the amount of shots MAF faced, for those counting.

What’s more, despite Gustavsson going 7-1-1 in his past nine home starts, leading all NHL goalies in goals-against average and being second in save percentage since before Thanksgiving, the coaches opted to start Fleury, who was pulled in his previous start and hasn’t been nearly as good as Gustavsson, no matter how hard coach Dean Evason insists Fleury has been “fantastic,” too.

The decision sure backfired, especially in the second period when Fleury gave up the second and third goals on the Avs’ eighth and ninth shots — 14 minutes, 9 seconds apart.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

Russo questions recent healthy scratches

Lastly, Russo turned his keyboard tapping fingers to some of the Wild’s head-scratching healthy scratches, of late. Most recently, it was rookie defenseman, Calen Addison, who was shunned to the press box on Wednesday.

Russo doesn’t only question Addison’s benching, though. He doesn’t understand the timing of Dumba’s benching a month ago or Hartman’s a short time after. Michael’s criticisms didn’t stop at coaches and executives, though. By the end of his article, players all over the roster were falling victim to his ricochet shots.

… another decision that backfired was the decision to sit Addison.

Fair or not, the Wild have pushed Alex Goligoski aside to such a degree that the 37-year-old has collected dust. Yet they threw him into Wednesday’s lineup and decided now was a good time to send their power-play catalyst Addison a message because he hasn’t been good defensively.

It was peculiar timing. The Wild have scored 13 five-on-five goals in the past 14 games, so scoring on the power play has been just about the only option for a month. Removing the NHL’s rookie leader in assists and power-play points for the seldom-used Goligoski or, say, Jon Merrill, who hasn’t exactly been stellar, didn’t look like the right move when Goligoski’s mistake led to Colorado’s first goal and Merrill was on the ice for the first two.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

When Russo was finally done, just about everybody who has the Wild emblem on their paycheck received some sort of parting blow. Sam Steel, Ryan Reaves, Jon Merrill and Alex Gologoski were in the line of fire at some point but Jordan Greenway came under attack multiple times: “… if anybody deserved to have a message sent to him Wednesday, it was the winger Greenway…”.

Nobody at Xcel Energy Center is safe right now when Michael Russo is given a platform. That includes radio. Russo went on KFAN Thursday morning and doubled down, touching on just about all of these same areas.

Go Mike go. I’m all about a sports writer with power who isn’t afraid to go after the local clubs.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

“I didn’t really want to be moved,” Talbot told reporters on Thursday. “It played out in the media that maybe I had some ill will toward the organization or something like that. It wasn’t like that at all.” – Cam Talbot (via Star Tribune)

Talbot’s Agent Publicly Blows Up

Technically, he might be right. But, what else was the Minnesota Wild general manager supposed to think? Here he is, trying to lead his 3rd-ever draft, while Cam Talbot’s agent (George Bazos) is chewing his ass in a hallway at Bell Arena? Within sight range of major NHL reporters.

Moments after Bazos gave Billy a hallway tongue-lashing, Talbot’s agent channeled Cam’s frustration through media, telling Pierre LeBrun (TSN) that Guerin “has a lot to think about”. Billy, of course, spouted back later that night. By then, everyone had a pretty good handle on how Cam Talbot was feeling.

But nobody is more irritated with Talbot “talking out of both sides of his mouth” and “acting so innocent” through this situation than Michael Russo, the all-powerful and longtime Minnesota Wild beat reporter, now with The Athletic.

Russo Goes Off on Talbot

Russo went absolutely nuclear on Cam Talbot during Friday’s “Worst Seats in the House” podcast, which he hosts with Wild play-by-play commentator, Anthony LaPanta (Bally Sports North). Michael’s epic rant starts at the 19:00 mark and lasts about one minute. I’ve transcribed it in parts below.

“Cam Talbot, yesterday again, talking out of both sides of his mouth, acting so innocent here, it’s insane. He, on his conference call yesterday, said this is just something that played out and was overblown in the media. And that [media made it out to seem like] he had some sort of ill-will toward the organization, when it wasn’t like that at all. He will not explain what he means by that. Umm, excuse me, we watched your agent yelling at Bill Guerin!” – Michael Russo (Worst Seats in the House Podcast)

Michael Russo is just revving up, in the quote above. His somewhat formal complaints are about to unravel into a complete tear-him-down tirade of Cam Talbot. The rest is transcribed throughout this blog. But if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend you back up and actually listen before continuing. I do my best to set his quotes up but there is no re-creating the shrill in Russo’s voice, as his anger cracks the microphone.

Talbot Fooling Nobody

Remember, this isn’t the only time someone else has voiced displeasure on Cam Talbot’s behalf. During the Wild’s 2022 playoff run, Talbot’s wife took to social media and let the world know that she (and likely her husband) were frustrated.

If Cam Talbot should take aim at anyone, it’s those within his own circle. Blaming the media, in this situation, isn’t fooling anyone. For Russo, he feels the Talbot family is firing shots in his direction and that’s clearly something he’s not willing to tolerate.

I can’t blame him. What happened between Bazos and Guerin, at the draft, wasn’t a journalistic mirage. The fact Cam ended up traded proved that media reports, specifically Russo’s, were right. So, is Cam requesting that reporters not do their jobs? Sure seems like it.

By this point of Russo’s rant, he is yelling into the microphone. LaPanta seems a bit taken aback.

“Bill Guerin couldn’t have made it clearer that you were not happy with the 50/50 split. This is not something that blew up in the media! Your wife tweeted after the season and that’s why this all happened. I don’t understand what Cam is trying to do here. And when [Talbot] said this, he’s obviously talking about me. I did not overblow that stuff at the end of the year. Clearly it was an issue in the Talbot household. He basically admitted he wasn’t happy with it. Then when I’m watching, an hour after the Fleury announcement, his agent is hot with Bill Guerin! I didn’t invent this stuff! This isn’t a figment of my imagination!” – Russo

Just admit you’re mad, Cam.

Nobody blames Cam Talbot for his frustrations. Michael Russo, included. Cam was brought in two offseasons ago to be the Minnesota Wild’s No. 1 goalie. Outside of some normal in-season swoons, he was even better than advertised.

Talbot was expecting a postseason split with Fleury. Why not? He went 13-0-2 in net to end the 2022 season. But he was shelved, instead. So, frustration is warranted. But be a man about it and admit your irritation. Don’t force your wife and agent to fight your battles for you, while you claim innocence.

“Bill Guerin wanted a Fleury/Talbot 50/50 split and traded him for a reason! This is not a media invention! I mean, it’s amazing. I love Cam, but enough with this BS! Just say you weren’t happy with the 50/50 split. Say you weren’t happy with the way they treated you down the stretch. But don’t blame this on the media.” – Russo

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Anson Carter is an NHL studio analyst for TNT and a former ten-year (’96-’06) veteran in the league. He moved around a lot throughout his National Hockey League tenure but had plenty of success, scoring 202 career goals and 421 points.

Carter vs Russo

For whatever reason, Carter isn’t a fan of the Minnesota Wild or their long-time beat writer. I’ll catch you up on where this feud started momentarily. But on Thursday while on national TV, Anson Carter went as far as blatantly suggesting that Michael Russo is racist.

Anson Carter goes in on @RussoHockey, this could go south fast pic.twitter.com/cU9ZnjnwsU

— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) February 10, 2022

“Apparently, I don’t watch games. So, stay on code, buddy. Lazy. Fans are saying that I have an ego, too? Ok, doesn’t he have an ego too for saying that he’s an authority on these things, talk? Honestly…

“It’s the wrong month. Stay on code. Please, stay on code because we know exactly what’s happening.”

Anson Carter – TNT Broadcast

If you listen until the very end of the video, as the host is trying to send the broadcast to commercial as quickly as possible, you can hear Carter say in the background, “…like he’s (Russo) the authority. Sounds all white to me.”

How Did We Get Here?

Where do these accusations of racism stem from? You’d think Russo must have done something pretty egregious if Carter is reacting this way, right? Wrong. He and Michael have been feuding for about a week now. But their (mostly) social media spat wasn’t based in race until last night’s “NHL on TNT” aired.

It started with Anson Carter calling Minnesota Wild fans (and reporters) out on Twitter. Russo responded to his tweet with a bunch of facts that made Carter look clueless on his knowledge of the Wild roster and how they’ve been playing. Apparently, that makes Russo a racist in the eyes of Anson Carter.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Subscribe:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Spreaker | iHeartRadio (Coming Soon) | Google (Coming Soon)

It was a rough Thursday… after the Twins and Wild both lose. The Wild need to win to stay in Edmonton tonight so Strom has Michael Russo (The Athletic) for “Chronicles from the Sofa” to try and talk us off the Wild playoff ledge..

Follow Stephen Strom on Twitter: @SStrom32

SUBSCRIBE ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM

CLICK YOUR PLATFORM BELOW AND SUBSCRIBE

EPISODE SUMMARY

On Episode 12 Michael Russo joins the show to talk wine, travel and a little hockey. The guys give heaps of praise to the Seattle Kraken, preview the NHL Playoffs and make a few big announcements at the end of the show!

EPISODE CHAPTERS

1. (00:00) | Show Intro
2. (04:09) | Episode 12 Wine Selections
3. (09:01) | Michael Russo on Wine, Travel, and life in the bubble for NHL Players
4. (37:18) | The Seattle Kraken knocked it out of the park
5. (44:20) | The Arizona Coyotes are a gong show
6. (47:20) | The NHL Playoff Preview
7. (87:31) | Come watch game 1 of Wild-Canucks with us!
8. (89:15) | Jake’s written content finds a home!