Vikings look to acquire quarterback in free agency
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks on during the NFL football team's training camp at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Abbie Parr | AP
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Audio transcript
CHRIS FARRELL: This is Minnesota Now. I'm Chris Farrell, in for Nina Moini. Now, we're going to stay inside the Grand Casino arena for a minute or two to talk more about this weekend's boys high school hockey championships. Wally Langfellow was there. He and Eric Nelson co-host a sports talk show called 10,000 Takes, among other endeavors. That's just one of many. And they join us each Monday to talk about the latest in Minnesota sports news. Wally and Eric, welcome to the program, again.
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. Wally, tell me more about-- well, what stood out for you with this year's boys hockey tournament?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Boy, there was a lot. There really was.
CHRIS FARRELL: It was exciting. I was watching it on TV. I watched it. I didn't watch everything, but I watched a number of the games, and they were so good.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, really was, highly competitive. There were some negative things that happened that I know a lot of the hockey-centric people are going over and over and over again online and on social media. I'm going to stay away from that just because there was so much good.
So Moorhead repeats in class AA as champion. They're the first team to do so since Edina did it back in 2013 and 2014. They won over Minnetonka, 5-4 in double overtime. Just a tremendous-- they were down by 3 goals in the third period. So really, a huge mountain to climb against the top-seeded team, Minnetonka. But they did it. And they win the game in double overtime. And as I said, they are repeat champions.
And get this, Moorhead had never won a championship before last year. They had been there, I believe, it was 19 times and had never won a title. And then they won it last year. And now, they've won it two years in a row. So congratulations to Moorhead.
In class A, Warroad denied Hibbing its first title since 1972. And for Warroad, they win their first title since 2005. And get this, the final score? The same as the Moorhead game. They win 5-4. They also won in overtime. So really, two tremendous championship games.
The semifinals were also very good. Over 19,000 people in the arena on Saturday night. I covered the game on radio. It was an electric atmosphere. And every bit of those 19,000 people were in the building, really was. And I talked to a lot of folks who were from outside of Minnesota, who come to Minnesota just to see this tournament. I talked to a Canadian couple and they were astounded by it. So that gives you an idea if folks from Canada are astounded by what we're doing with the game of hockey.
CHRIS FARRELL: So very-- did you have a favorite moment? I mean, you got all these fans, all the excitement, this good hockey. Do you have a favorite moment?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Honestly, the two wins in overtime were my two favorite moments. I mean, it's-- oh, I take that back. I'm going to take that back.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. I'll let you. You can take it back. It's OK.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thank you, Chris. There was a save made by a goaltender in one of the games on Friday afternoon in one of the semifinal games. Where the goaltender had left the-- he was leaving the ice because they were going to bring an extra attacker on, it was the final seconds of regulation. They were going to bring an extra attacker on.
And he turned around and realized that the net was empty and the other team was heading towards the net. And so he literally skated back and dove out, full length, stuck his stick out. And at the last second, with a headfirst dive, managed to get the very tip of his stick on the puck and it steered the puck clear of the net. So that was my actual favorite moment on the ice of the tournament. I've never seen anything quite like it. And it still sticks in my mind, obviously, as I'm telling you right now.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yeah. I love that. So, Eric, let's talk now about professional hockey. So Minnesota Frost, the Wild, what were they up to this weekend?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Chris, the Wild and the Frost get kicked out of Grand Casino Arena so they can stage that prep tournament. And so both were on the road, as you might expect. Yesterday in Denver, Colorado beats Minnesota 3 to 2 in a shootout that went to overtime.
And the Wild were done in by a usual suspect, Nathan MacKinnon. He scored the game winner in the shootout. Also, had his 43rd goal of the season in the second period. He's the top goal scorer in the NHL. And I'll tell you what, MacKinnon must love seeing that Wild logo, because in his outstanding career, he has 70 points in 55 games versus Minnesota, the most against any opponent.
Now, for the Wild on the losing end, one of their goals scored by Kirill Kaprizov. He now has 36 this season. Colorado, the Avalanche are the gold standard right now in the NHL. They have 95 points. That's the most in the league. Minnesota has 85. And the Wild are now third in the Central Division. They're chasing Dallas and Colorado.
It is the most competitive division in the National Hockey League. The Wild, though, going to get some home cooking. How about this for activity in St. Paul? Coming up tomorrow night, Utah Mammoth take on the Wild. Thursday, Philadelphia at Minnesota. Saturday, the New York Rangers will skate against the Wild in St. Paul. Then, on Sunday, Toronto comes in to take on the Wild.
Speaking of Toronto, the Frost were North of the border yesterday in Canada. They get a win against Toronto, 3 to 2. To Kelly Pannek scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Frost goalie, Maddie Rooney, was very good in the victory. She stopped 22 shots on goal.
The Frost have 30 points. That's the third most in the PWHL. And Friday, they're at home as well. So it's going to be another busy week of pucks in St Paul. Seattle will take on Minnesota. That's Friday night at the Grand Casino Arena.
CHRIS FARRELL: Wow. OK, so it's March. This means it's tournament season in college basketball. So we'll shift the basketball now. So the women's Big Ten Tournament was this weekend. And the men's begins this week with March Madness right on his heels. So Wally, what's the latest?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, we'll start with the men, because they do play on Wednesday. The Gopher men's basketball team, they defeated Northwestern on Saturday night. That was at home. And that was their regular season finale. They won by one point, 67-66.
Langston Reynolds led Minnesota 21 points, including the game-winning basket with 11 seconds to go. They are now the 11th seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will go up Wednesday night against Rutgers, who is the 14th seed. And so they're going to need to run the table, though, to make the NCAA tournament. They'll probably get a bid or an invite, if you will, to one of these other tournaments.
Although, I'm not sure if they take teams that are below 500 because the Gophers record is now 15 and 16. So they would need to win two games in the Big Ten Tournament to at least finish at 500, figuring that they win two to go 17 and 16. If they should lose, then they would be 17 and 17. Yeah. I mean, they're going to have to win five in a row to go to the NCAA tournament. That's not going to happen.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK.
ERIC NELSON: I think that they should set their goals to win on Wednesday and see what happens and get there Thursday, because they're very injury riddled as well. They're playing with basically five or six guys, so it's probably not going to happen. On the women's side, the ladies lost to Ohio State in their Big Ten Tournament game last weekend. That was on Friday. They'll now have to wait and see where they will open the NCAA tournament.
They should get an NCAA tournament bid. They're 22 and 8 overall, 13 and 5 in the Big Ten. And they were ranked 19th going into that final weekend of Big Ten play in the Big Ten Tournament. So they're going to get in. So there will be some March Madness for basketball for the Gophers, but it is very unlikely it will be the men and it will be the women.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. So Eric, the NFL new year starts Wednesday, right? And that means that's when teams can begin to sign new players. And well, what's going on with the Vikings? What's the speculation? What do you think's going to happen?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, absolutely, Chris. Pop the corks, get out the champagne and confetti. Tomorrow night is NFL New Year's Eve. And for a lot of Minnesota Vikings fans, they are going to be giddy when Wednesday comes. Because the actual new year, the NFL new year, begins at 3 o'clock Central time on Wednesday.
So the Vikings and the other 31 teams in the league will be participating in what we now call this free agency frenzy. And as always, for the purple, the focus is on quarterback. Minnesota is likely going to sign somebody to compete with JJ McCarthy for the job next season. Here's some potential names to keep in mind.
The front runner probably would be Kyler Murray, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals. He's been released by the Cardinals. Tua Tagovailoa, who was with Miami, is going to be on the market. This is a name you may know, Aaron Rodgers. We're not sure of his future in Pittsburgh yet.
I think you remember a guy named Kirk Cousins. Atlanta is saying goodbye to Captain Kirk. Jimmy Garoppolo with the Los Angeles Rams is going to be out there in the quarterback universe. Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers.
And then Anthony Richardson is another name to keep an eye on. The Colts said he can seek permission to get a trade. Daniel Jones has won that job. I think Kevin O'Connell likes Anthony Richardson. So all those names-- out of one of them, I suspect the Vikings are going to get at least one of those guys.
And one other note on the Vikings, Chris, center Chris Kelly has retired. He signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Vikings in 2025, but he finished last season on the IR because of a concussion. He's had multiple concussions dating back to his days with Indianapolis when he played in four Pro Bowls. So that center position is critical. Right now, it's Michael Jurgens for the Vikings, number one on the depth chart. But they may be looking for some depth as well at that position.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well thank you very much, sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Chris.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thank you.
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. Wally, tell me more about-- well, what stood out for you with this year's boys hockey tournament?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Boy, there was a lot. There really was.
CHRIS FARRELL: It was exciting. I was watching it on TV. I watched it. I didn't watch everything, but I watched a number of the games, and they were so good.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, really was, highly competitive. There were some negative things that happened that I know a lot of the hockey-centric people are going over and over and over again online and on social media. I'm going to stay away from that just because there was so much good.
So Moorhead repeats in class AA as champion. They're the first team to do so since Edina did it back in 2013 and 2014. They won over Minnetonka, 5-4 in double overtime. Just a tremendous-- they were down by 3 goals in the third period. So really, a huge mountain to climb against the top-seeded team, Minnetonka. But they did it. And they win the game in double overtime. And as I said, they are repeat champions.
And get this, Moorhead had never won a championship before last year. They had been there, I believe, it was 19 times and had never won a title. And then they won it last year. And now, they've won it two years in a row. So congratulations to Moorhead.
In class A, Warroad denied Hibbing its first title since 1972. And for Warroad, they win their first title since 2005. And get this, the final score? The same as the Moorhead game. They win 5-4. They also won in overtime. So really, two tremendous championship games.
The semifinals were also very good. Over 19,000 people in the arena on Saturday night. I covered the game on radio. It was an electric atmosphere. And every bit of those 19,000 people were in the building, really was. And I talked to a lot of folks who were from outside of Minnesota, who come to Minnesota just to see this tournament. I talked to a Canadian couple and they were astounded by it. So that gives you an idea if folks from Canada are astounded by what we're doing with the game of hockey.
CHRIS FARRELL: So very-- did you have a favorite moment? I mean, you got all these fans, all the excitement, this good hockey. Do you have a favorite moment?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Honestly, the two wins in overtime were my two favorite moments. I mean, it's-- oh, I take that back. I'm going to take that back.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. I'll let you. You can take it back. It's OK.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thank you, Chris. There was a save made by a goaltender in one of the games on Friday afternoon in one of the semifinal games. Where the goaltender had left the-- he was leaving the ice because they were going to bring an extra attacker on, it was the final seconds of regulation. They were going to bring an extra attacker on.
And he turned around and realized that the net was empty and the other team was heading towards the net. And so he literally skated back and dove out, full length, stuck his stick out. And at the last second, with a headfirst dive, managed to get the very tip of his stick on the puck and it steered the puck clear of the net. So that was my actual favorite moment on the ice of the tournament. I've never seen anything quite like it. And it still sticks in my mind, obviously, as I'm telling you right now.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yeah. I love that. So, Eric, let's talk now about professional hockey. So Minnesota Frost, the Wild, what were they up to this weekend?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Chris, the Wild and the Frost get kicked out of Grand Casino Arena so they can stage that prep tournament. And so both were on the road, as you might expect. Yesterday in Denver, Colorado beats Minnesota 3 to 2 in a shootout that went to overtime.
And the Wild were done in by a usual suspect, Nathan MacKinnon. He scored the game winner in the shootout. Also, had his 43rd goal of the season in the second period. He's the top goal scorer in the NHL. And I'll tell you what, MacKinnon must love seeing that Wild logo, because in his outstanding career, he has 70 points in 55 games versus Minnesota, the most against any opponent.
Now, for the Wild on the losing end, one of their goals scored by Kirill Kaprizov. He now has 36 this season. Colorado, the Avalanche are the gold standard right now in the NHL. They have 95 points. That's the most in the league. Minnesota has 85. And the Wild are now third in the Central Division. They're chasing Dallas and Colorado.
It is the most competitive division in the National Hockey League. The Wild, though, going to get some home cooking. How about this for activity in St. Paul? Coming up tomorrow night, Utah Mammoth take on the Wild. Thursday, Philadelphia at Minnesota. Saturday, the New York Rangers will skate against the Wild in St. Paul. Then, on Sunday, Toronto comes in to take on the Wild.
Speaking of Toronto, the Frost were North of the border yesterday in Canada. They get a win against Toronto, 3 to 2. To Kelly Pannek scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Frost goalie, Maddie Rooney, was very good in the victory. She stopped 22 shots on goal.
The Frost have 30 points. That's the third most in the PWHL. And Friday, they're at home as well. So it's going to be another busy week of pucks in St Paul. Seattle will take on Minnesota. That's Friday night at the Grand Casino Arena.
CHRIS FARRELL: Wow. OK, so it's March. This means it's tournament season in college basketball. So we'll shift the basketball now. So the women's Big Ten Tournament was this weekend. And the men's begins this week with March Madness right on his heels. So Wally, what's the latest?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, we'll start with the men, because they do play on Wednesday. The Gopher men's basketball team, they defeated Northwestern on Saturday night. That was at home. And that was their regular season finale. They won by one point, 67-66.
Langston Reynolds led Minnesota 21 points, including the game-winning basket with 11 seconds to go. They are now the 11th seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will go up Wednesday night against Rutgers, who is the 14th seed. And so they're going to need to run the table, though, to make the NCAA tournament. They'll probably get a bid or an invite, if you will, to one of these other tournaments.
Although, I'm not sure if they take teams that are below 500 because the Gophers record is now 15 and 16. So they would need to win two games in the Big Ten Tournament to at least finish at 500, figuring that they win two to go 17 and 16. If they should lose, then they would be 17 and 17. Yeah. I mean, they're going to have to win five in a row to go to the NCAA tournament. That's not going to happen.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK.
ERIC NELSON: I think that they should set their goals to win on Wednesday and see what happens and get there Thursday, because they're very injury riddled as well. They're playing with basically five or six guys, so it's probably not going to happen. On the women's side, the ladies lost to Ohio State in their Big Ten Tournament game last weekend. That was on Friday. They'll now have to wait and see where they will open the NCAA tournament.
They should get an NCAA tournament bid. They're 22 and 8 overall, 13 and 5 in the Big Ten. And they were ranked 19th going into that final weekend of Big Ten play in the Big Ten Tournament. So they're going to get in. So there will be some March Madness for basketball for the Gophers, but it is very unlikely it will be the men and it will be the women.
CHRIS FARRELL: OK. So Eric, the NFL new year starts Wednesday, right? And that means that's when teams can begin to sign new players. And well, what's going on with the Vikings? What's the speculation? What do you think's going to happen?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, absolutely, Chris. Pop the corks, get out the champagne and confetti. Tomorrow night is NFL New Year's Eve. And for a lot of Minnesota Vikings fans, they are going to be giddy when Wednesday comes. Because the actual new year, the NFL new year, begins at 3 o'clock Central time on Wednesday.
So the Vikings and the other 31 teams in the league will be participating in what we now call this free agency frenzy. And as always, for the purple, the focus is on quarterback. Minnesota is likely going to sign somebody to compete with JJ McCarthy for the job next season. Here's some potential names to keep in mind.
The front runner probably would be Kyler Murray, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals. He's been released by the Cardinals. Tua Tagovailoa, who was with Miami, is going to be on the market. This is a name you may know, Aaron Rodgers. We're not sure of his future in Pittsburgh yet.
I think you remember a guy named Kirk Cousins. Atlanta is saying goodbye to Captain Kirk. Jimmy Garoppolo with the Los Angeles Rams is going to be out there in the quarterback universe. Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers.
And then Anthony Richardson is another name to keep an eye on. The Colts said he can seek permission to get a trade. Daniel Jones has won that job. I think Kevin O'Connell likes Anthony Richardson. So all those names-- out of one of them, I suspect the Vikings are going to get at least one of those guys.
And one other note on the Vikings, Chris, center Chris Kelly has retired. He signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Vikings in 2025, but he finished last season on the IR because of a concussion. He's had multiple concussions dating back to his days with Indianapolis when he played in four Pro Bowls. So that center position is critical. Right now, it's Michael Jurgens for the Vikings, number one on the depth chart. But they may be looking for some depth as well at that position.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well thank you very much, sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Chris.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thank you.
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