NHL 20 GM Mode Logs & Conversation

IHaveNoCreativity

Registered User
May 5, 2012
12,741
542
Somewhere in Quebec.
The odd man out, A San Jose Sharks story.
image.jpg

July 1st 2020,

It's a hot day in San Jose as Sharks GM Martin Ward exits his audi q7 and enters the Sharks practice facility which hosts the development camp and is home to the Sharks offices. A group of reporters await him at the door, he walks by them. Doesn't say a word, he keeps going, walks by and enters the practice facility.

The Sharks have become a forgotten team in California, they are the oldest of the teams with the least to show. They've been to a single final where they were outclassed, they've always failed to get over the hump. There is a sense of optimism in the air, the team took a step back last week, firing it's coaching staff, trading away a star player. But there's hope for the future, the experts agree. San Jose won the draft, they have an impressive haul of prospects given where they picked and how many picks they had. They took a flyer Hendrix Lapierre, a player with top 5 talent fell to the second round due to concussion issues, Kaiden Ghule and Roberto Mccarty are both players who were expected to go in the first round, Dylan Blujus is a long way away from the NHL but some believe there is potential to be a starting goaltender. Yes, on paper the draft haul looks nice. At the development camp, Yaroslav Askarov stands out on day one. Ryan Merkley is probably the next best player on the ice followed by Lapierre, there's definitely lots of potential here.
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Ward is at ice level, only for a moment then he goes back upstairs, he has work to do. Many questions remain, Who has been released ? Who has re-signed ? Who will coach the AHL team ? Who will coach the Sharks ? Have the Sharks signed a free agent ? All these questions will be answered in the next 10 days or so.

12pm PT, the Sharks issue a press release announcing the following players will not be returning to the team:

C Melker Karlsson 77ovr 29 years old
LW Lukas Radill 77ovr 29 years old
RW Stefan Noesen 79ovr 27 years old
D Radim Simek 77ovr 27 years old
D Brandon Davidson 75ovr 28 years old

Furthermore the Sharks announced that they have named former Shark Vincent Damphousse as special assistant to the GM, he will also be the GM of the AHL's San Jose Barracuda.
West_Coast_Authentic_NHL_Sharks_Vincent_Damphousse_Autographed_Photo11.jpg

The Sharks announced new deals for the following players:
C Joe Thornton 86 ovr 40 years old 1yr 6.3M
LW Kevin Labanc 82 ovr 1yr 2.4M
D Tim Heed 79 ovr 1yr 1.3M


The Sharks also announced that goalie Aaron Dell has elected to become a free agent.
 
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IHaveNoCreativity

Registered User
May 5, 2012
12,741
542
Somewhere in Quebec.
free-agent-frenzy.jpg



We're live from our studios for free agent frenzy, it promises to be a crazy day. Your host here James Duthie, joined by the usual suspects.

Alright guys, what should we watch for or expect today ?

Darren: Well the Taylor Hall sweepstakes are underway, I'm told New York is the front runner but it's earl right now. Tyson Barrie, Braeden Holtby, Robin Leher are also all big names looking for a new home, it will be interesting to see what goes down.

Bob: Yea this a deep free agent group, probably the deepest we've seen in a long time. Now there's guys like Zedeno Chara and Justin Williams that we expect will re-sign with their current teams but there could be some movement and there's a couple of RFA's like Anthony Mantha and Anthony DeAngelo who could possibly get an offer sheet.

Interesting indeed, what about teams ? anyone we should expect to make a splash ?

Pierre: Well it's no secret that the New York Rangers are looking to make a big signing, I would also look at the Vegas Golden Knights and the repeat champs St. Louis Blues as teams who will look to make a big move.

Frank: Let's not forget the San Jose Sharks here, they're in a transition period. Martin Ward their new GM has promised to bring a cup to San Jose, I'm told he's been busy on the trade front and is looking to move out another core player. He's talked at length about bringing in winners and upgrading their depth, i'm told he's not happy with their current compete level. It's a very complicated situation there.

Darren: Yea, the San Jose Sharks have to hire a whole new staff at the NHL and AHL level or starters, I'm told that process is underway, they also wanna change up the scouting staff a bit. Now this is a team that has scouted well in the past, but there's an older regime that Martin Ward would like to change. Then he's got the roster to sort out, and i've talked to league execs and some rival GM's and the consensus here is that San Jose has a good team, there's good pieces. However, I surveyed 5 GM's and all said Erik Karlsson is the only player they'd build around and they also all agreed that they don't think the current core in San Jose can win. The belief is that they can be a great NHL team but that's it, not a champion.

One GM said: "It's tough, I think Karlsson can win you a cup by himself, he almost took that Ottawa team there basically by himself. I'd keep him, but the rest, I mean look you can't move Thornton ownership won't allow it, he doesn't move unless he wants to chase a cup. You've got NTC's with Couture, Burns, Thornton and that makes it tough. This core, just does not have it and the don't scare you. "

Another said: "I'd blow up the team, and build around Karlsson and that Russian goalie, I don't know how much freedom he has to do what he wants. I think they'd like to compete and win some games at the same time, they've got a few good prospects coming out of wining teams so that helps.

All in all, it will be a big day for them.

Ray: I gotta say as a former player, some guys wanna play and some want to win. Ward's comments took a lot of people by storm and it raised eyebrows. Some people didn't like it and they took it as a shot to Joe Thornton and Partrick Marleau, my honest opinion here is that he spoke what we all know. The Sharks have had every chance and have tried so hard but this group just can't get it done. So what happens next I don't know, but they need drastic changes and it's long overdue.

James, certainly something to watch.. Gord you're signalling us do you have something ?

Gord: Brent Burns has been asked to waive his NTC, he has to submit a 3 team list every year that he would accept a trade too. New York, Tampa Bay and Vegas are on that list. I'm told the Sharks have a deal in principle with a team that is not on the list and is in the west. Now the Rangers aren't interest in Burns and I don't think Tampa can make a deal happen. I'm told Vegas is in talks.
88-burns,-brent-(58).jpg


Darren: We forgot to mention this but at the draft Martin Ward asked Marc-Edouard Vlasic to waive his NMC for Nashville, and Vlasic agreed because of the fact that he felt Nashville is a contender, it's closer to his hometown of Quebec and because of the difference in taxes. He would pay a shade over 900k less in taxes per year. Vlasic had 6 years left on his deal.. that's over 5 million in savings. It made for an easy sell, California is a nice place to live, San Jose isn't as expensive as LA, but the taxes are high. Now in Burns case im told he's settled well in Cali, likes the weather and loves the team. We'll try to get a name of the team, that it could be he might take some convincing.

Bob: Yeah. It's going to be hard to move out some of these guys because they have NTC's or NMC's, we'll keep you updated.

James: Well certainly some big things going down in San Jose, do we have any signings yet.

Pierre: Nope, but I can confirm that the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche are trying to get convince Brent Burns to waive his NTC to join them. Both team's are young contenders who feel that they are a piece or 2 away. Colorado would not be giving up any of Makar, Girard, Byram or Drysdale in any deal, not sure what the return from Florida would be but Sharks fans don't expect a huge return.

Frank: Yeah, Brent Burns is still very good but he's 35, coming off a down year and has 5 years and 40 millions left on his contract. There's a huge risk here, now Colorado is close, they've got a great young team and he would save 3 million dollars if he went there. It's not too far from San Jose, I'm told there's a good chance he waives but the return is better in the Florida deal. Now he'd be 5 million$ richer if he left for Florida but he'd also move cross country and he's got a young family and I'm not sure he wants to do that.

Ray: He would be perfect in Colorado, he could mentor their young defenceman, allow them to take their time developing Drysdale, Byram and take pressure off Girard and Makar. It would...

James: Certainly would be huge, Gord you look like you've got an update ?

Gord: Brent Burns has waived his NTC to go to the Colorado Avalanche.

Darren: San Jose will retain 10% of his Salary, we'll have the return in a moment. Told the Florida deal was never a deal, teams couldn't agree on a return.

James: Wow, huge move for Colorado. Guys what does this mean for both teams ?

Bob: It's a statement of intent from Colorado, they think that their window is open and they're all in. I think for the Sharks we know they're heading towards a rebuild and they want to get young.

PierreM: I love this move for the Avalanche, they add another horse at the back, they have the best young D in the NHL, one of the best players in the game. You bring in a veteran presence like Burns and I think this puts them over the top. The Sharks get out of a contract that was going to hurt them going forward.

Gord: San Jose has traded Joe Thornton to the Boston Bruins for the Bruins 2nd round pick in 2021.

James: The Sharks have now made 3 significant moves in the past week, what's going on here ?

Bob: It's quiet on their end but I would think that they're signalling their intent to rebuild.

Darren: Yeah, I think this was a long time coming. Thornton wants to chase a cup, the Bruins are a contending team so hopefully he can win one here. San Jose was going to have a log jam at centre.

Frank: Yea, I think change is what..

James: Sorry to interrupt.. Gord you have something else ?

Gord: Timo Meier has been traded, told Logan Couture has rejected a trade to the Ottawa Senators.
GettyImages-1071584868-1.jpg

James: Wow, a truly wild day in San Jose. We're yet to have our first signings, let's take break and when we come back we'll have details and a break down of San Jose's moves today.

James: And we're back ad we have some signings for you:

Darren: Zedeno Chara is headed to the Vancouver Canucks on a 1 year deal, worth 4.7M, Connor Sheary is going to Winnipeg on a 1yr deal worth 5.3M.

Gord: I got a couple of big ones, Taylor Hall to the New York Rangers, 1 year 10M, Robin Lehner to LA 5 yers 5.5M and Braeden Holtby to Ottawa 5 years 5.3M. Some big singings.

PierreL: and I have the details of the Brent Burns and Timo Meir trades.

To Colorado
D Brent Burns 90vr 35 years old 5 years 8m (7.2 cap hit)

To SJ
2021 1st Colorado
2022 1st Colorado

To PHI
RW Timo Meier 85ovr 5 years 6M med top 6
2021 5th San Jose

To SJ
C Travis Konecny 84ovr 5 years 5.5M med top 6

James: Obviously 2 big trades, let's talk about the return.

PierreL: We'll we've got a hockey trade a futures trade, I think the Sharks did well here. Brent Burns is a declining asset and you can only get so much, he's got a lot of term left and that hurts them. I think Konecny can be very good if he gets more time and he wasn't buried a bit in Philly.

Frank: I like this deal for Avs, and I can see why Philly moves Konecny, they need wingers. Biggest thing here for the Sharks is that they're traded away 2 big pillars on D, they haven't replaced them and they've made 2 deals where they trade away by far the best team. I think they will take a big step back. Time will tell.
81054438.jpg.0.jpg

Darren: They also moved long time Shark Joe Thornton, but as you can see Martin Ward is ushering in a new era and it was time for change well let's see what the Sharks do wit their new found flexibility.

James: Agreed, we want to thank you all for watching today and be sure to tune in the fall when we come back.
 

IHaveNoCreativity

Registered User
May 5, 2012
12,741
542
Somewhere in Quebec.
The odd man out, A San Jose Sharks story.

July 6th 2020, SAP Center, San Jose California

10 am PT time, reports gather in the press room at the arena. Martin Ward will address the media, and will introduce new head coach Elias Turris. He's also expected to touch on new signings, and the franchise altering trades he has made in his 3 weeks in charge. There's a lot of emotion in the air, the president of the Sharks fan club is her. Fan reaction has been mixed, some say Ward is running the team into the ground while others say a change was needed.

Here's a quick receipt of the Sharks free agent signings:
C Derek Brassard 81 ovr 32 1yr 2.5 M
LW Vlad Namestikov 81ovr 27 1 yr 2.2M
RW Michael Frolik 83ovr 32 1yr 3.9M
RW Tyler Toffoli 82ovr 28 2yr 4.2M
RW Craig Smith 82ovr 31 1yr 2.8M
D Travis Hamonic 82ovr 30 1yr 4.25M
D Freddie Claesson 77ovr 27 1yr 875K
D Oscar Fantenberg 78ovr 29 1yr 800k
G Cam Talbot 81ovr 33 1yr 1.4M

While the depth on the wings and at centre has improve, and the once shallow prospect pools has also improved, many are wondering at what cost ? The team as a whole has lost a lost of talent that has not been replaced and the defence is a shell of its former self. These questions are to be answered shortly...

Martin Ward: Good Morning everyone, I want to thank you all for coming out to this press conference today and thank our fans for their continued support. Allow me to introduce our new head coach Elias Turris, Elias has spent the past 2 years as head coach of Zurich in the Swiss NLA, and prior to that he was an assistant with the Swiss National team for 5 years. We think he brings a fresh perspective and new ideas to our team, he will grow along with our players. He has great experience, he won 2 silver medals at the WHC, has a reputation for getting the most out of players and for overachieving. We think he is the right man to lead us forward.

Elias Turris: Thank you Martin, I am excited to come here and work with the Sharks in order to win the Stanley cup, we have a lot of work to do. We have some good players, and it will take time but we will achieve our goal.

Martin: I know there's lots out there right now and people want to know what is going on with the direction of the team. We're in a transition period, we'd like to get younger, we're going to build a roster of smart competitive hockey players. You have to care and you have to compete, we want to be the smartest and most competitive team. We'd like to remain competitive here, and we think we can. Simply put though it was time to move on from the past and begin anew and that's what we've done. We have a lot of flexibility going forward in terms of cap space, roster space, lot of 1 year deals if a guy doesn't fit we can move him. We have some good prospects and we can take our time developing them. The free agent signings added a level of depth, we didn't get everyone we would have liked. I think we've better upfront, we're deeper but at the back it will be a battle and Erik's going to be leaned on a lot. We're more competitive which is what we wanted and we have more grit. 1 step at a time. We have time for a few questions if anyone has.

Martin ! Martin ! Martin !

Martin: Let's start with you.

Mario Fernandes: I'm president of the Sharks fan club, what do you have to say to us ? We pay our hard earned money and all you've done is make the team worse.

Martin Ward: I'd say we aren't worse, were better positioned for the future. Be patient, wait a little longer we'll become a real contender.

MF: That's not an answer, we were a contender and you took us to pretender in a one week span.

Martin: Look, this is hard for the fans like yourself. You show up every game, year after year, you go through the ups and the downs and here you are after all this with a team that didn't come through and win. Saying goodbye is hard, moving on is hard. The hardest is accepting that you aren't good enough and going from there. We've been trying here with this group for 15 years now, Joe and Pat, it didn't happen with them. It's time to move on and build a new group and get over that hump, that requires a couple of steps back and new blood. We're trying to do that and we thank the fans for their continued patience. Next question.

Owen Nolan: Martin, as an alumni I welcome your leadership. What's the plan for Yaroslav Askarov ?

Martin: Good question, right now we're going to let him stay in Switzerland, he's doing well and we don't see a need to bring him over. I think next year we'd want him in North America if he continues to progress, he's not far away from being an NHL goalie.

Owen: You drafted Hendrix Lapierre in the mid second round, pundits are praising that pick, are you concerned with his injury history at all ?

Martin: Not at the moment, he's got high end skill and we think he will comeback strong this year. Anyone else ?

Jenna Brown here, Martin what's the timeline on getting back into the playoffs ?

Martin: 1-2 years, we think we can get there this year, won't be easy but we underachieved last year and with a good start this year we'll be back. That's all we have time for for today, thank you.


2020-2021 San Jose Sharks Roster:

E.Kane (86) L.Couture(87) T.Hertl (85)
K.Labanc (82) T.Konecny (85) T.Toffoli (83)
V.Namestikov (81) D.Brassard (81) M.Frolik (83)
M.Sorensen (80) D.Gambrell (79) C.Smith (82)

E.Karlsson (95) T.Hamonic (82)
M.Ferraro (79) T.Heed (79)
O.Fantenberg (78) F.Claesson (77)

M.Jones (85)
C.Talbot (81)
 
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Serac

#HFOutcasts
Jun 27, 2014
8,674
2,075
B.C.
2022 Offseason

The lottery results are in again, and the LA Kings stay at #1.
A shock however where Ottawa moves up from #7 up to #2. This will be their 4th top 3 pick in 3 years.
Vegas also moves up from #5 up to #3.
This leaves Chicago dropping to #4 and BCM dropping to #5 respectively.
This means that in their first 3 seasons, the Monarchs have dropped 7 spots via the draft lottery in total.

Retirements
PlayerOverallAgeTeamGames PlayedGoalsAssistsPoints
P. Marleau7842BOS17955826411223
J. Spezza8239VGK13113996631062
D. Byfuglien8337WPG1115227420647
A. Goligoski8136LAK104487354441
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
PlayerOverallAgeTeamGames PlayedWinsLossesShutouts
C. Schneider7336BCM42117516526
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
No real surprise retirements this year. LA gets a little weaker with Goligoski retiring I suppose.

#1: LAK - Y. Pushkarev | RW | 84 | Franchise
#2: OTT - B. Hamilton | LW | 81 | Elite
#3: VGK - B. Lambert | C | 80 | Elite
#4: CHI - S. Wright | C | 81 | Elite
#5: BCM - A. Hale | LW | 82 | Elite

WPG acquire: K. Okposo (84), BOS 2022 2nd (53rd), WSH 2022 3rd (96)
BCM acquire: WPG 2022 1st (8th)


CAR acquire: BUF 2022 2nd (48th), NSH 2022 3rd (83rd), EDM 2022 5th (159th)
BCM acquire: CAR 2022 1st (30th)

TOR acquire: BCM 2022 3rd (67th) & ANA 2022 3rd (75th)
BCM acquire: TOR 2023 2nd & TOR 2023 3rd


PIT acquire: CAR 2022 3rd (94th)
BCM acquire: PIT 2023 3rd

NYR acquire: BCM 2022 5th (131st) & NSH 2022 5th (147th)
BCM acquire: NYR 2023 4th

Round##PlayerPositionOverallPotential
18C. ReavesLW80Elite
116V. NazarovD75Top 4 D
117D. BeaupreRW74Top 6 F
130B. PaetschRW76Top 6 F
235K. HedbergC62Top 6 F
251J. StamkosG49Elite
376J. DimaloC53Top 6 F
499T. Manderville*D60Elite
4109J. KoivuRW50Elite
5156J. HarringtonRW54Bottom 6 F
6163M. MaattanenC49Top 6 F
7195G. CoburnG49Fringe Starter
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
* = Scout deemed GEM

A pretty incredible draft if I do say so. The first two rounds were pretty loaded, with many NHL ready or just 1 year away ready talent spread through the 1st, then solid prospects still left in first half of the 2nd.
BCM also taking advantage of the fact that 1, WPG had a horrendous year and had the 8th overall pick they were looking to move for immediate help and that 2, K. Okposo bounced back big and jumped up to 84 overall to provide that value.
BCM walks away with FIVE 1st round draft picks made, all of whom are at the very least only 1 year away from making the team, if not immediately making the team.

Signed
J. Bednar | G | 62 | 850k x 3
F. Exelby | G | 62 | 900k x 3
A. Hale | LW | 82 | 900k x 3
C. Reaves | LW | 80 | 900k x 3
J. Weekes | RW | 79 | 900k x 3

Released
J. Bergman | D | 78
Y. Weber | D | 76
G. Bourque | LW | 76

Notable Free Agents
D. Kuemper | G | 86
I. Shesterkin | G | 85
A. Ovechkin | LW | 93
P. Bergeron | C | 90
S. Jones | D | 90
B. Boeser | RW | 88 (RFA)
C. Parayko | D | 86
D. Perron | LW | 86

BCM Signs
Nobody!

Yep more CHEESE
T. Nosek | C | 78 | 18.5m x 1
T. Jurco | RW | 77 | 18.5m x 1
K. Chistov | D | 53 | 6m x 1

Notable Signings
CGY | D. Kuemper | G | 86 | 6.245m x 3
CHI | I. Shesterkin | G | 85 | 4.925m x 6
SJS | A. Ovechkin | LW | 93 | 7.635m x 1
STL | P. Bergeron | C | 90 | 8.785m x 1
MIN | S. Jones | D | 90 | 11.070m x 7
VAN | B. Boeser | RW | 88 (RFA) | 9.255m x 1
OTT | C. Parayko | D | 86 | 5.740m x 1
DAL | D. Perron | LW | 86 | 8.535m x 1

PHI acquire: P. Danault (84) & EDM 2024 6th
EDM acquire: A. Ginning (73, Top 4 D), F. Nordqvist (49, Starter), PHI 2023 3rd


WPG acquire: B. Dumoulin (82) & SJS 2024 3rd
SJS acquire: WPG 2023 1st

COL acquire: A. Henrique (84)
ANA acquire: T. Salminen (68, Top 6 F) & COL 2023 2nd


WSH acquire: K. Wood (79), C. Verhaege (78), PIT 2023 3rd
BCM acquire: L. Johansen* (81, Top 4 D) & WSH 2023 4th
* RFA L. Johansen signs 2.4m x 3 contract

LAK acquire: J. Anderson (84) & CBJ 2024 3rd
CBJ acquire: C. Tanev (83) & LAK 2023 2nd


NSH acquire: T. Toffoli (86) & NJD 2024 3rd
NJD acquire: M. Ekholm (85), NSH 2023 2nd, NSH 2023 5th

Of note, former BCM player, D. Hunt (was 80 overall) has dropped to 77 overall in free agency and is asking for a...4.1m contract. LAK would go on to sign him to a 3.370m x 1 contract.
Also a surprise to see T. Toffoli at 86 overall. Believe he was 83 or 84 overall the year prior.

A. Johnsson (85)M. Letunov (80)A. Holtz (82)
A. Hale (82)C. Reaves (80)J. Weekes (81)
J. Quenneville (81)A. Angello (78)M. Dal Colle (80)
B. Tanev (81)T. Nosek (78)T. Dellandrea (77)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
V. Koltsov (84)J. Honka (86)
L. Johansen (83)J. Siegenthaler (78)
G. Forsling (76)W. Lagesson (76)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
A. Nedeljkovic (81)
E. Comrie (80)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

2022 8th overall pick, C. Reaves changes over to C as he has surprisingly decent faceoff and defensive stats.
2021 129th overall pick J. Weekes (Elite) has made incredible jumps, from 69 overall (nice) just last year, to 81 overall the next year.
The biggest weakness is the defense, so that should be a target for BCM this season.

OFF: 83
DEF: 83
GOA: 80
 
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Mal Reynolds

never goes smooth, how come it never goes smooth?
Sep 28, 2008
1,687
611
Hi guys, thought I'll finally chime in here. Long time reader, love each of the different logs (with the different styles & approaches). Keep up the good work! :banana:

Just bought the game myself last week. Great escape and time waster during this chaos & bedlam haha. like expansion mode myself, morale on and mostly sim. Right now I'm just trying to get used to the coaching... couple of general questions directed at no one in particular ~ is there a coaching style you guys prefer? Do you try and match your NHL & AHL coach styles, or focus on teaching & development at the minor league level? Do you tend to scout manually or just set it on auto?

If I may keep ranting and raving like a lunatic, I found the defensive coach nerfed my offense and bled GA in my one quick playthrough (though to be fair, it *was* an expansion team)... that said, definitely performed the worst of the different coaching styles with a pretty similarly talented roster. At this point, I've been autoscouting while I get used to the new system but I imagine pro scouting will be less of an afterthought this year as I now have to consider scheme fit....

Down the road, it'd be nice to be able to select your coach rather than being assigned one
 

kinger8998

Registered User
Apr 5, 2015
1,281
1,351
Nova Scotia
New York Rangers Franchise Mode

dLgqgeM.jpg


Setup and First Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season

Setup

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BREAKING NEWS: Jeff Gorton steps down as Rangers General Manager
Setup
Despite some fantastic work over the summer, Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton has stepped down from his position with the team, for undisclosed reasons. John Davidson and Glen Sather have pegged rookie GM Brant King to take over duties, while he will have Chris Drury at his disposal as Assistant GM and GM of Hartford.

GMBK has some huge shoes to fill, after Gorton added Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Julien Gauthier and drafted Kaapo Kakko all this offseason. The Rangers are primed to have success this season, as the look into the future showed when they were 37-28-4 in March and still hanging around the Playoff picture.

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images
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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers deal Georgiev to Senators for pick, Ryan, Gaborik
Setup
The New York Rangers three headed goalie conundrum has been solved. Alexandar Georgiev has been dealt to the lowly Ottawa Senators for the New York Islanders 1st round pick, maligned veteran Bobby Ryan and former Ranger Marian Gaborik.

The Rangers get a 1st round pick, a good trade off for a goaltender who's path to becoming starter was blocked by the best goaltender in franchise history and the heir apparent to his throne.

Ottawa gets their starting goalie for now and the future, while they rid themselves of not only Ryan's, but Gaborik's contract too, albeit while retaining 50% of both salaries.

Ryan, who hasn't had a 50 point season since 2015-2106, enjoyed somewhat of a rebound season last year with the lowly Senators, scoring 42 points. The Rangers believe he can rebound with a new challenge and a new chance.

Gaborik, who played for the Rangers from 2009-2013, rejoins the club after missing all of last season on injured reserve. Although nearing the end of his career, the Slovak comes back to the place where he enjoyed the two of the best statistical seasons of his career.

GM Brant King

Georgie is a great goaltender, and wll be for a long time. It comes down to his aspirations versus what we can give to him. In his view, he's a starter and he gets that chance in Ottawa. In our view, he's a guy with a lot of potential who struggled to take a full grasp of his chances here, maybe because he saw our situation. We have the greatest goaltender in franchise history and a guy who has long been called our future, and played like he knew that.
We wish Georgie the best of luck, but when you can pull a first round pick out of a surplus you have, it's a deal you can't turn down. Marian is coming here with a point to prove. He's certainly going to be an impact player for us this season. The same for Bobby, everyone has written him off, except for us and himself. We know what he has in him, we saw flashes of it last year and we saw what he did before that in his career.

First Half of Season

LWCRW
Panarin 91Strome 84Ryan 81
Kreider 85Zibanejad 89Buchnevich 83
Gaborik 79Chytil 80Kakko 79
Lemieux 77Howden 78Fast 80
Nieves 76
McKegg 75
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
LDRD
DeAngel
o 84​
Trouba 85
Lindgren 79Fox 83
Staal 78
Smith 79​
Hajek 78
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
StarterBackup
Lundqvist 88Shesterkin 83
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

images

RUMOR: Tensions grow between Quinn and King
End of Preseason
Normally, a GM will have a good relationship with his coach. But, normally the GM will have his choice of coach. Not in this case, as David Quinn enters his second year with the Rangers while GMBK enters his first.
King and Quinn reportedly have different views on what to do with Kaapo Kakko, the 2nd overall pick entering his first NHl season. While King feels it is important not to mess with his confidence, as that's part of what makes him so good, Quinn feels the AHL may be a better option for the rookie if his play after 9 games is not where he feels it should be. King envisions Kakko playing the entire year in the NHL, to allow him to transition to NA ice at the level he will play at next year.
Keep an eye on this as the year progresses. While Quinn and the Rangers had team success in the flash forward, his ice time decisions on the 4th line and with young players like Libor Hajek, Lias Andersson and Kaapo Kakko were questioned.

images

GAME 1 RECAP: Artemi Panarin leads Rangers past Jets in Season Opener
Oct. 3rd, 2019
The Rangers big free agent acquisition showed why so many teams coveted him this offseason as the electric Russian scored twice and added an assist in the Rangers 7-4 win over the Jets.

Ryan Strome, who had a solid finish with the Rangers last year after coming over from Edmonton, had 3 assists, while Bobby Ryan (0-2--2) and Marian Gaborik (0-1--1) each had points in their debut.

Henrik Lundqvist didn't have his best outing, but the Swedish netminder started his 14th consecutive season opener and won his 450th career game. The future hall of famer is no longer the unquestioned starter with Igor Shesterkin in town, so the 37-year old will be extra motivated to maintain his throne.

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GAME 3 RECAP: Shesterkin wins first NHL start in rout of Edmonton
Oct. 12th, 2019
The Rangers offense was firing on all cylinders in a 6-1 win over the Oilers, but Igor Shesterkin was no slouch in his first start. The 23-year old stopped 28 out of 29 shots faced from McDavid, Draisaitl and co, to earn his first NHL win.

Rookie Kaapo Kakko had a phenomenal game with 3 asssits, while defenseman Jacob Trouba and Tony DeAngelo had 1 goal 1 assist each.

The win brought the Rangers record to 2-0-1 after they lost 5-4 in a shootout to Ottawa last week.

images

GAME 4 RECAP: Zibanejad's 4 assists not enough in 9-7 loss to Devils
Oct. 17th, 2019
In a high scoring affair, the Devils outlasted the Rangers 9-7. The Rangers (2-1-1) made a late push, down 8-4 after the second, but it was not enough as the Devils held on to earn their first win of the season (1-6-0).

Igor Shesterkin had a brutal night in his second NHL game, but rest assured it was just a blip on the phenoms radar. Henrik Lundqvist was not good in relief either.

Mika Zibanejad recorded 4 points, all assists, while Artemi Panarin scored 2 goals to bring his points total to 9 in just 4 games. Kaapo Kakko (0-2--2) and Brendan Lemieux (2-0--2) each had two points as well.

Filip Chytil suffered a mild concussion in the game and will be out until late November. Greg McKegg takes his spot in the lineup, and will play on the 4th line as Brett Howden moves up to center line 3.

images

GAME 6 RECAP: Kaapo Kakko scores 1st NHL goal in win over Canucks
Oct. 20th, 2019
The New York Rangers desperately needed a win after 2 consecutive poor defensive efforts resulted in losses. The team defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the shootout to improve their record to 3-2-1 early in the season.

Rookie Kaapo Kakko has gotten off to an impressive start, with 6 assists in his first 5 NHL games. In his 6th game, he scored his first NHL goal and added another assist to bring his season points total to 8 in just 6 games played. He will slow inevitably during the rigors of the NHL grind, but nonetheless an impressive start.

Pavel Buchnevich recorded 3 assists in the win, while Bobby Ryan and Chris Kreider scored the other goals. Igor Shesterkin earnes his second NHL win, making 26 saves on 29 shots.

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GAME 11 RECAP: Rangers defensive woes continue in loss to Nashville
Nov. 2nd, 2019
The Rangers fell to 4-6-1 after the lost 6-5 in Nashville tonight. Down 4-1 after two, they battled back to a 5-5 tie late, but Nashville got a goal from Roman Josi late to win the game in regulation.

The Rangers have no problems scoring, but they have an inability to keep the puck out of their own net. Henrik Lundqvist always starts slow, but he's neevr been this bad. Also, Igor Shesterkin has shown flashes, but has not been able to string together more than one strong outing to date.

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GAME 13 RECAP: Shesterkin lifts Rangers over Wings
Nov. 6th, 2019
Igor Shesterkin gave the Rangers the best game they've gotten from a goaltender this season, stopping 26 shots for a .963 SV% and his 4th win. The Rangers (5-7-1) needed to get back in the win column ahead of an important division matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow.

Mika Zibanejad scored the overtime winner, while Jacob Trouba scored the other goal.

images

GAME 14 RECAP: Kakko scores 4 in 10-6 loss to Hurricanes
Nov. 7th, 2019
The Rangers inexplicably managed to waste away a 4 goal performance from the current rookie of the year leader Kaapo Kakko, by allowing 10 goals to the Hurricanes. The Rangers defensive and goaltending efforts have been porous this season, but this is a new low. This has to be rock bottom.

Tony DeAngelo had 3 assists, as did Brett Howden. Marian Gaborik scored and added 2 assists, while Greg McKegg scored the other goal.

Henrik Lundqvist surrendered 4 goals on 16 shots while Shhesterkin surrendered 5 more on 13 shots.

images

GAME 19 RECAP: Henrik Lundqvist shuts out Caps
Nov 20th, 2019
Igor Shesterkin seemed to have run away with the crease, until another horrible performance led to a 9-5 loss to the Lightning. Since then, the Rangers have won 4-3 (SO) over the Panthers and now 2-0 over the Capitals, both with Lundqvist in nets.

The 37-year old has had the worst start of his NHL career, but with Shesterkin struggling to jump right into a starters role in Hank's lapses, Henrik has a fighting chance to fend off the people calling his decline. These were just his 2nd and 3rd wins of the season. The Rangers need this to be the Henrik Lundqvist they get on a nightly basis.

Jesper Fast and Artemi Panarin scored the only goals in an odd low scoring game for the Rangers.

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GAME 32 RECAP: KZB line lifts Rangers over Ducks
Dec. 14th, 2019
The Rangers have quietly strung together a nice run of late, going 13-3-2 in their last 18 games to improve their record to 18-11-3.

Pavel Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad led the way with 1 goal and 3 points each, while Jesper Fast scored twice and Chris Kreider had 2 assists. Kaapo Kakko also scored in the 5-3 win over the Ducks.

Henrik Lundqvist has retaken the net from Shesterin, winning his 5th straight start, making 28 saves on 31 shots (.903 SV%).


images

GAME 34 RECAP: Shesterkin stuns Leafs as Rangers win 3rd straight
Dec. 20th, 2019
To follow up his second career shutout (2-0 over the Predators), Igor Shetserkin stopped 37 of 39 shots in a shocking win over the high octane Maple Leafs. The win vaulted the Rangers to 20-11-3, good for a tie for 1st in the Metropolitan.

Chris Kreider, Brendan Lemieux and Marian Gaborik provided the goals for the Rangers, while Ryan Strome had 2 assists in the 3-2 victory.

The Rangers are now tied with the Penguins for first in their division, but have 2 games in hand.

images

GAME 36 RECAP: Panarin's hattrick lifts Rangers to 9-4 win
Dec. 23rd, 2019
Artemi Panarin wa the 1st star of the game as the superstar scored 3 goals (3-1--4) and vaulted the Rangers to an all-important win over the 3rd place Flyers. The Rangers, who have fallen behind the Penguins for 1st, needed these swing points to fend the Flyers off as the Playoff positioning heats up early.

Mika Zibanejad also had 4 points (1-3--4), while Chris Kreider had 3 assists. Tony DeAngelo scored (1-1--2), while Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemiuex each recorded 2 assists. Filip Chytil had a goal and an assist.

Henrik Lundqvist was good enough, but certainly would have liked a better effort after Shesterkin's 3 great performance sin the games prior.

First Half Recap

images


RecordHomeAwayGFPGGAPGPP%PK%DivisionConferenceLeaguePlayoffs?
23-14-414-6-09-8-43.44 (6th)3.20 (T-22nd)24.2% (5th)79.3% (22nd)3rd5th9thYes
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

images


GoalieRecordSV%GAASO
Henrik Lundqvist11-8-2.8903.240
Igor Shesterkin12-6-2.9022.932
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The Rangers have split starts evenly to date, and each netminder has had their deserved runs, but it must soon be time to stick to one gun. No matter what was you look at it, Shesterkin has been the better goaltender this season, as hard as that might be to admit.

Henrik Lundqvist can still play, there is no doubt. But any starts he may get from this point out may as well be an audition for the team he's chasing the Cup with next season. The 2019-2020 starter looks to be Shesterkin.


images


PlayerGPGAP+/-PIM
Tony DeAngelo4182331+86
Jacob Trouba4171219+640
Adam Fox4131013-78
Ryan Lindgren38156-612
Libor Hajek27066+314
Marc Staal28213+77
Brendan Smith
30213-220
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Tony DeAngelo has flourished into one of the league's top offensive defesnemen, sitting 7th in defensive scoring at the halfway point. Meanwhile, Adam Fox is enjoying a solid rookie season after a slow start, while Jacob Trouba is doing just fine in a matchup role. His offensive stats have suffered some, but his defensive play is invaluable.
Ryan Lindgren has struggled, but managed to maintain his lineup spot for most of the season. Libor Hajek, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith have been fine rotating as the bottom 3 defenders.


images


PlayerGPGAP+/-PIM
Mika Zibanejad41152944+426
Artemi Panarin41162642+16
Ryan Stome3992332+18
Pavel Buchnevich41141731-212
Kaapo Kakko41121729+52
Chris Kreider4072128-139
Jesper Fast4111718+72
Brendan Lemieux4181018+215
Marian Gaborik4171118-58
Bobby Ryan3961117-520
Brett Howden3611415-111
Filip Chytil26459-16
Greg McKegg

Boo Nieves
21

4
6

2
2

1
8

3
-3

-1
0

2
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

MIka Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin are in the thick of the scoring race, both sitting inside the top 15 of the league, as the leader has just 51. Ryan Strome is enjoying continued success, while Pavel Buchnevich finally seems to have figured it all out. Chrsi kreider is having a down goal scoring season, but his assist total keeps him on track for another 50-point year, consistent with his career.
Kaapo Kakko sits 2nd in rookie scoring behind just Quinn Hughes, the runahead leader for rookie of the year at the halfway point as a defenseman.
Jesper Fast and Brett Howden are having pleasantly good seasons in the bottom-6 as is Marian Gaborik. Bobby Ryan is doing fine, but compared to expectations has underwhelmed some. Filip Chytil has struggled after coming back from a concussion, and in the 22 games since registered just 2 goals and 5 assists.
Greg McKegg and Boo Nieves have been good when called upon.

images


In the AHL Hartford, the Wolf Pack currently sit 5th in their division, but because their division is stacked, they are just 3 points out of the playoffs and 5 points out of the lead.

Vitali Kravtsov has adjusted just fine to North America, with 17 points in 36 games. Lias Andersson, who elected to return from Sweden after a brief stinit, leads the Pack with 30 points. Julien Gauthier has 29 points in 36 games.

Second Half of Season
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GAME 50 RECAP: Shesterkin leads Rangers to B2B wins over Detroit
Feb. 1st, 2020
After Henrik Lundqvist opened the second half as the best goaltender, the tides turned again in the Rangers crease. Two subpar outings by Lundqvist, and it was Shesterkin's turn to steal the crease back. A 41-save shutout and a 22-save performance (22/23) led the Rangers to a home-and-home sweep of the Wings.

The Rangers scored 5 goals in each game of the home and home. In the second game, The KZB line leds the was with 2 points each. Bobby Ryan, Marian Gaborik and Artemi Panarin scored the other goals.

The Rangers improved to 28-17-5, just 1 point out of a WC position and 2 points out of third in the Metro.

images

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers fire Lindy Ruff
Feb. 19th, 2020
After a 5th consecutive loss surrendering 4 or more goals in every game, the Rangers relieved defensive coach Lindy Ruff of his
duties.
David Quinn's seat is now getting hotter, as the teams defensive woes are now solely on him if they continue.
GM Brant King held a press conference to address the matter:

This type of performance from a team of our caliber in unacceptable. There's being young, and then there is being irresponsible and careless. This organization can deal with growing pains and adjustment periods, but this is not what that is.
I expect more from this team. Our skid has left us 5 point out, which is an amount that doesn't get closed very easily at this point in the season. We need much better.
AHL head coach will join Saul Holden will join the NHL team on the bench for the rest of the year. Tom Hayes will take over his role as AHL coach for the time being.


images

GAME 60 RECAP: Shesterkin snaps Rangers losing streak
Feb. 21st, 2020
In the second to last game before the Trade Deadline, and the first without former defensive coach Lindy Ruff, Igor Shesterkin shut the door behind an improved defensive performance for a 4-1 win over Carolina.
Mika Zibanejad recorded 2 points (1-1--2), while Brett Howden, Brendan Lemieux and Pavel Buchnevich also scored.

Trade Deadline

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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers say goodbye to Staal, Lundqvist at 2020 Trade Deadline
Trade Deadline
GM Brant King

San Jose approached us about a trade for Hank. We were not shopping him, as we did not ask him to waive his protection prior to the contact between us and the Sharks. I asked Henrik if he'd be interested in pursuing a Cup with the Sharks, and he said yes. They're a really good team and Hank is a really good goalie. Hank is still an elite goalie in this league, but it was time for our organization to transition.
This is the toughest thing I've ever had to do. I watched Hank carry this organization for the last 14 years, and he is the epitome of a Ranger. He holds so many record for not only us, but the entire league. Our biggest failure was not getting him a Cup before this inevitable moment came.
As for Marc, this was actually something we proposed to him. He can go to Carolina and play with Jordan (his brother). He's gotten a chance to play with Eric, but not Jordan, so we thought he might be interested. Carolina's had some injuries on the back and they've trade some guys so there was an opening for him to play too.
For Marc we got back a 7th round draft pick. No salary retained. For Hank, we retained two million dollars and we received goaltneder Aaron Dell and prospect Ivan Chekhovich.

images
images

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers Cap off busy day with extension, trade
Trade Deadline
GM Brant King was busy during his first NHL Trade Deadline, making 4 trades and signing a contract extension for Tony DeAngelo.
The first two trades were emotional, seeing Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal say goodbye to the only organization they've ever known.
The second two consisted of two defensemen. First, the Rangers moved Brendan Smith back to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2021 4th round pick and Trevor Daley. No salary retained in the deal. Second, the team sent Carolina's 1st round pick, as well as prospect Cale Sjalin and their own 2020 3rd to the Columbus Blue Jackets for defender Ryan Murray.
Murray, 26, has another year remaining on his deal, and can step right into a top-4 role for the Rangers. Moving Smith's salary for next season allowed them to make this move.
Tony DeAngelo has broken out as a top tier offensive weapon for the Rangers this season, and he proved it like they wanted him to. That lined him up for a payday, which GMBK was happy to give. The New York native signed a 6 year extension carrying a $6.000M AAV.

LWCRW
Panarin 91Strome 84Buchnevich 83
Kreider 85Zibanejad 89Ryan 81
Gaborik 80Chytil 80Kakko 82
Lemieux 77Howden 78Fast 80
Nieves 76
McKegg 75
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
LDRD
DeAngel
o 84​
Trouba 85
Murray 84Fox 83
Lindgren 80
Hajek 79​
Daley 77
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
StarterBackup
Shesterkin 84Dell 82
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Rest of Season

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GAME 66 RECAP: Ryan leads Rangers over Blues
March 3rd, 2020
It has been a hard season for Bobby Ryan, who has not quite re-found his game like expected in New York. But, as the Playoffs near and the games mean more, he has showed signs of life. The 32-year old scored twice and added an assist in a 7-2 win over the Blues.
Pavel Buchnevich also scored twice, and Mika Zibanejad had 3 assists.
Ryan Murray scored his second as a Ranger, while Kaapo Kakko and Brendan Lemieux had the other markers.
Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves (.923 SV%) in the win.

images

GAME 74 RECAP: Zibanejad clutch as Rangers beat Pens
March 20th, 2020
With just 8 games remaining in the NHL season, the Rangers sit 6 points out of the Playoffs. After losing to the Pens 3-0 two nights prior, Mika Zibanejad was not about to let it happen again. The teams leading scorer scored the overtime winner, his 2nd point of the night, to earn the Rangers a much needed win.
Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko also scored, while Igor Shesterkin earned 1st star honors with 35 saves (.945 SV%).
The Rangers now have 83 points, while the Flyers have 87. They have both played 74 games.

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GAME 79 RECAP: Igor Shesterkin keeps Playoff hopes alive with dominant performance
March 30th, 2020
With the Rangers Playoff hopes clinging by a thread, and the team needing to win out to give themselves the best chance. Igor Shesterkin continues to prove why it was time to move onto him.
The Florida Panthers peppered the netminder to the tine of 40 shots, but Shesterkin stood tall and made 37 saves to will the Rangers to a 4-3 overtime victory off a Ryan Murray goal.
Murray, who has been stellar since arriving added an assist to his goal, while Mika Zibanejad also had a goal and an assist.
Ryan Strome and Bobby Ryan scored the other goals for the Rangers.
Adam Fox had 2 assists.

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GAME 80 RECAP: Kakko propels Rangers into Playoff spot
April 1st, 2020
In what has to be one of the most improbable runs of all-time, save for the Hamburglar and the Ottawa Senators, the Rangers have leadfrogged the Philadelphia Flyers for the final WC spot with a 3-1 victory.
The Rangers were tied 1-1 going into the thrid when Kaapo Kakko scored the go ahead go with 7 minutes remaining. The Rangers killed two penalties down the stretchg, and Kaapo Kakko assisted on Ryan Strome's empty netter to seal the deal.
Mika Zibanejad had the other goal for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves in the win.


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GAME 81 RECAP: Strome scores OT winner as Rangers outlast Pens
April 2nd, 2020
Less than 24 hours after the highest high of the season, a 3-1 win to leapfrog Philadelphia for the final Playoff spot, the Rangers needed to defeat the division leading Penguins one last time to keep up in the race.
Tied 3-3 heading into the third, the Rangers took a 4-3 lead off a goal from Marian Gaborik. Less than 3 minutes later, Evgeni Malkin tied the game, which is how regulation would end.
In overtime, Shesterkin made 5 saves before Ryan Strome scored the game winner with 18 seconds remaining.
Mika Zibanejad had 3 assists in the game, while Jacob Trouba (1-1--2) and Ryan Lindgren (1-1--2) had 2 points each. Tony DeAngelo also scored.
Igor Shesterkin got the offense to bail him out this game, as he has so many times down the stretch. This was the Rangers 8th consecutive win, but they'll need one more to hold off the Flyers who sit just 1 point behind them.

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GAME 82 RECAP: Rangers clinch Playoffs with 9th straight win to close out season
April 4th, 2020
The New York Rangers booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Rookie Kaapo Kakko was the hero in this one, scoring twice and adding an assist to lift the Rangers to the Season of 16.
Tony DeAngelo, the Rangers best defenseman all season, had 2 assists. Bobby Ryan scored one final goal to close out the season, and empty netter late to seal the game.
Igor Shesterkin started all but one game after the Deadline as the Rangers had their sights set on the Playoffs, and he did not stop until the job was finished, making 22 saves in this one.

Season Recap

images


RecordHomeAwayGFPGGAPGPP%PK%DivisionConferenceLeaguePlayoffs?
45-28-923-15-322-13-63.40 (6th)3.05 (19th)20.6% (10th)81.5% (T-14th)4th7th9thYes
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

images


GoalieRecordSV%GAASO
Igor Shesterkin29-21-3.8903.240
Aaron Dell(SJS) 24-14-4
(NYR) 1-0-0
.905
.941
2.99
1.00
4
0
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Igor Shesterkin's stats may not be stellar, but his progression was. He struggled early in the year to string together good performances, but then strung together one of the best 9 game stretches the NHL has seen in a long time to get the Rangers to the Playoffs.
Aaron Dell played just 1 game after joining the Rangers. He is under contract next year with an AAV of $1.900M.


images


PlayerGPGAP+/-PIM
Tony DeAngelo82114859+188
Jacob Trouba82132336+1044
Adam Fox8152429-720
Ryan Murray CBJ
NYR
64
21
7
3
8
10
15
13
-3
+15
28
6
Ryan Lindgren795914-241
Libor Hajek54099+620
Trevor Daley
1000+10
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Tony DeAngelo was incredible all season, finishing 8th in defensive scoring, while also improving his defensive game overall. Jacob Trouba was good in a shutdown role all year, while Adam Fox got better as the year went on.
Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek both had their struggled, but were integral parts in the defensive turnaround of the Rangers down the stretch.
Ryan Murray has been touted the best Trade Deadline acquisiton of 202o by TSN after his incredible performance.


images


PlayerGPGAP+/-PIM
Mika Zibanejad82305888+1754
Artemi Panarin82374784+912
Ryan Stome77204666+512
Chris Kreider81194059+573
Kaapo Kakko82263056+92
Pavel Buchnevich81223254-416
Marian Gaborik82152742-210
Bobby Ryan80161935+239
Filip Chytil6792433-618
Brett Howden7782129+237
Jesper Fast71131124+94
Brendan Lemieux82111324+343
Greg McKegg

Boo Nieves
23

4
6

2
3

1
9

3
-4

-1
2

2
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Mika Zibanejad cemented himself as one of the top centers in the NHL, finishing with 88 points, which was good enough for 10th overall in NHL scoring. Artemi Panarin finished with 84, good for 15th. The two elite options gave the Rangers offensive firepower they haven't had since Jaromir Jagr.
Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich each posted career highs in points, which the Rangers have been waiting for them to do for some time now. Filip Chtyil had 24 points over the final 41 games, great output for the young center after suffering a concussion early. Kaapo Kakko will no doubt finish high in the voting for the Calder, but will likely lose to Quinn Hughes, a rookie defender who posted 60 points.
Marian Gaborik was a surprise with his welcomed production, and while Bobby Ryan also produced in a support role, a bit more was expected of him given the opportunity he had early in the top-6. He could be a trade candidate this offseason.
Brett Howden, Brendan Lemieux and Jesper Fast combined as one of the best 4th lines in the league, a real asset to have heading into the Playoffs.
All Rangers regular forwards posted above 20 points, an incredibly balanced attack.

Next Post: 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 2020 Offseason
 
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Serac

#HFOutcasts
Jun 27, 2014
8,674
2,075
B.C.
is there a coaching style you guys prefer? Do you try and match your NHL & AHL coach styles, or focus on teaching & development at the minor league level? Do you tend to scout manually or just set it on auto?

I'm still sort of adjusting to the coaches myself. Really don't like defensive coaches. I have a forwards coach right now and that's doing pretty okay. Generally speaking though, I look to get generalists (save for the goalie coachea). I do prioritize teaching though on all levels.

I tested the auto scouting and it was extremely bad, so now I manually scout. And by manually, I mean go right into assign scout and say scout specific players. It is still a little inconsistent with how they scout players though. One year manually scouting, the top 10 was scouted within like 2 months, and another year, it took all year to fully scout the top 10. But manually scouting has made it better overall for finding say, gems and busts (which are much rarer than in previous years).
 

kinger8998

Registered User
Apr 5, 2015
1,281
1,351
Nova Scotia
New York Rangers Franchise Mode

dLgqgeM.jpg


2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 2020 Offseason

2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs

images


The New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins twice in three games down the stretch to secure a Playoff spot, which could play a role in this series. The Penguins had the chance to kill the Rangers Playoff hopes, but failed to do so, and now meet them in the first round.
The Rangers and Penguins previously met in the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2014-2016. The Rangers defeated them memorably in a come from behind 3-1 series deficit on their 2014 Cup run and dispatched of them easily in 5 games in the 1st round of their 2015 Eastern Conference finals run. In 2016 the Rangers were eliminated by the Pens in the first round.
This is a very young Rangers team going up against an experienced Penguins team just two seasons removed from back-to-back championship. The Penguins are eager to win their 4th Cup in the Crosby/Malkin cap era, while the Rangers are eager to make a name for themselves.
This will be a thrilling series.

LWCRW
Panarin 91Strome 85Kakko 82
Kreider 85Zibanejad 89Gaborik 80
Buchnevich 83Chytil 81Ryan 81
Lemieux 77Howden 78Fast 80
Nieves 76
McKegg 75
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
LDRD
Trouba 85Fox 83
Murray 84DeAngelo 84
Lindgren 81Hajek 79
Daley 77
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
StarterBackup
Shesterkin 84Dell 83
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

First Round vs. Penguins
GameScoreNYR GoalsNYR GoalieNotes
14-1 PITDeAngelo (1)Shesterkin
(.895 SV%)(4.00 GAA)
25-1 PITPanarin (1)Shesterkin
(.762 SV%)(5.00 GAA)
Shesterkin struggling in
first playoffs, surrenders
5 goals on 21 shots.
Changes made to all lines/
pairings.
34-3 PITPanarin (2), Howden (1), Strome (1)Shesterkin
(.875 SV%)(4.06 GAA)
Rangers outshoot Pens
41-32, Shesterkin continues
to fail in Playoffs. Dell to get
next start.
48-7 NYRZibanejad (1,2), Chytil (1,2), Howden (2)
Panarin (3), Fast (1), Murray (1)
Dell
(.870 SV%)(7.00 GAA)
Not the win they envisioned,
but the Rangers avoid
elimination.
Shesterkin to start game 5
with more line changes.
52-1 NYRRyan (1), Kreider (1)Shesterkin
(.975 SV%)(1.00 GAA)
Rangers outshot 41-24,
Shesterkin only gives up
1 goal for important road win.
Back to MSG for game 6.
64-3 PITGaborik (1), Strome (2), Zibanejad (3)Shesterkin
(.900 SV%)(4.06 GAA)
Rangers eliminated from
Playoffs.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

2020 Offseason

[QUOTE]
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BREAKING NEWS: Vegas Golden Knights win 1st Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup Playoffs
In just their 3rd NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights have captured the Stanley Cup.
They easily dispatched of the wildcard Predators in the first round, and defeated their demons of the 2019 1st round by beating San Jose. They then ousted Dallas in 6 games before sweeping the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals.
It was an absolutely dominant performance by the Presidents' Trophy winners en route to their first Cup in Franchise histroy. They have now been to the finals in 2 out of the first 3 years of existence.
While Robin Lehner was incredible in nets, boasting a .935 SV%, it was Mark Stone who took home the Conn Smythe Trophy with 25 points in just 19 games, while being his usually dominant two-way self.
The fact that Marc Andre Fleury started just 30 games in the Regular season, and did not start a Playoff game raises questions about a trade at the Draft. It was clear Vegas felt Robin Lehner was the superior option, but the only way they'll be able to sign him is by moving Fleury, a capable starting goaltender in his own right. [/QUOTE]

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BREAKING NEWS: Marleau, Chara call it quits from NHL
Offseason News
Two of the most notable names from the 2010's have called it quits on their NHL careers.
Patrick Marleau, drafted in 1997, and Zdeno Chara, drafted in 1996 have both retired from the NHL. Both players are two of the few remaining that have played hockey in the 90's, and they retired having played games in each of the past 4 decades.
Patrick Marleau's 1667 games played ranks 5th all time, while Zdeno Chara's 1560 is good enough for 14th. Marleau's 1170 points ties Bobby Hull for 53rd all-time.
Other notable names include Andy Greena, and Chris Kunitz. Former Rangers forward Cody McLeod also retired.

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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers given A+ grade for work at Draft by TSN
TSN Hockey
The Rangers were given the best grade of the 2020 NHL Draft, as were many teams in a stacked draft, as future game-changer Quinton Byfield fell right into their laps. The forward from the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL suffered through a tought draft year, which saw his stock fall from consensus challenegr for 1st overall all the way down to 11th.

The team also had another 1st round pick, as well as 8 other picks in the Draft. Their 22nd overall pick was Connor Zary (63 OVR, High Top 9F), who was deemed a reach by some, but he is also revered by other analysts.

A few of their notable later picks were Jan Mysak in the 4th round (57 OVR, Med Top 6F) and Josh Lawrence in the 6th round (58 OVR, Low Top 6F).

Re-sign Phase

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With $15.000M in cap space after moving Henrik Lunqvist, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith; the New York Rangers have put themselves in a good position. GM Brant King has already signed Tony DeAngelo to an extension, and other than fellow RFA Ryan Strome, the biggest contract he would have to sign is for bottom 6 UFA Jesper Fast.
After faltering defensively and goaltending wise in the playoffs, it would not be a surprise if GMBK tried to save cap space to address those needs externally via Free Agency.

PlayerOVRAgePotentialPositionPlayer TypeStatsYears/AAVThoughts
Ryan Strome8626Med Top 6FC/RWPlaymaker77 GP
20-46--66
+5 ... 12 PIM
2/$5.000MShort term deal the
smart way to go with
Chytil growing and
prospects on way.
Phil Di Giuseppe7826High
Bottom 6F
LW2 way Forward76 GP
17-32--49
-13 ... 12 PIM
(AHL)
2/$0.850MSolid depth option
or a solid AHL scorer
and mentor.
Quinton Byfield7418Med EliteCPower Forward66 GP
21-37--58
+12 ... 21 PIM
(OHL)
3/$0.925M
(ELC)
A bad draft season,
relative to expectations,
saw Byfield drop to the
Rangers at 11 with the
pick from Ottawa.
Won't play in NHL this
year, but will be a
dominant player in his
career.
Nils Lundkvist7319Med EliteD2 way Defender51 GP
4-17--21
+7 ... 10 PIM
(SHL)
3/$0.925M
(ELC)
Future top 4 defenseman
for Rangers, but will be in
AHL this season to
adjust to NA game.
Lauri Pajuniemi 67 20 High Top 9F RW Sniper 59 GP
5-16--21
+3 ... 16 PIM
(Liiga)
3/$0.875M
(ELC)
Will be a solid middle 6
scoring option for NYR
in future. Will play in
AHL this year and likely
[TBODY] [/TBODY]


New York signed defesnemen Darren Raddysh and Brandon Crawley to AHL deals. Forwards Vinni Lettieri and Ryan Gropp also signed AHL deals. The Rangers also signed goaltending prospect Olof Lindbom to an ELC.
GMBK has not yet signed RFA's Brendan Lemieux or Boo Nieves. Both have been tendered a qualifying offer and remain propert of the organization.
The Rangers elected to release goaltender Aaron Dell. They also released veteran of 2014 team Jesper Fast, defesneman Trevor Daley and forward Greg McKegg.


Free Agency

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The Free Agent Frenzy broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Deal Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
FA Bait: Craig Button
Free Agency Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duthie: We now come to our New York Rangers recap for the 2020 Free Agent Frenzy. What does this segment have in store for us Craig?

Button: The Rangers were the biggest players in Free Agency for the second consecutive season, something not a lot of people were expecting. They made a flurry of moves, and most of them were huge deals.

McLennan: The Rangers traded Bobby Ryan early in the day to the Dallas Stars. They got a 3rd round pick in return. This should have signaled to us that GM Brant King was ready to play today, but none of us saw what was coming later in the day.

images


McKenzie: The Rangers immediately signed Taylor Hall to a 6-year contract as soon as the Free Agency period opened. The deal was a shock to most, as the league knew everyone would check in on Hall, but no one pegged the Rangers as a legitimate contender. The deal carries an AAV of $10.165M.

Poulin: I guess if Hall really wanted to sign with the Rangers, how do yuo turn that down. That beign said, this deal, plus Panarin's is going to cause some serious problems for the Rangers over the next 2-3 years as guys need new contracts.

McGuire: Brant King said it, the Rangers have a lot of young players on cheap ELC's or deals that they won't have the chance to have in 2-3 years. You add a gamechanger like Hall to the mix while you can, and you sort the other stuff out later.

Ferraro: Not to mention they have Igor Shesterkin in nets on his ELC and one of the top centers in the game in Zibanejad only being paid 5 for the next 2 years. This signing gives them on hell of a chance to win this years Cup and even next years too. Watch out for the Rangers.

images


Miller: The Rangers have signed goalie Anton Khudobin to a 1-year contract. It was no secret the Rangers were in the market for a veteran support option for Igor Shesterkin, who could've used the support he lost in Henrik Lundqvist when times got tough in the Playoffs.

Biron: Khudobin has had success wherever he went. This guy has game, and theres no reason that will change in NY. This is a great signing for them.

images


LeBrun: Alexander Edler is heading to the New York Rangers via trade. First reports say Rangers send their 1st round pick and prospect Lias Andersson to Vancouver. Vancouver retains 50% salary.

O'Neill: Not sure I'm a huge fan of this one for Brant King. Trading 1st round picks before the season even starts is risky. You saw it when Ottawa gave theirsm and subsequently Cale Makar, to Colorado. Also, a new regime in Brant King seemed to inspire confidence in Lias Andersson, he had a great season in Hartford, why trade him now?

Ward: Edler is a real veteran presence the Rangers don't have on the backend, so I get the motivation behind it ... but I have to agree with O-Dog here. This was a steep and variable price to pay for what will likely be on eyear of Edler in NY.

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Dreger: Just hearing now that the Rangers have locked up Filip Chytil to an extension. A total of $36.000M over 6 years for an AAV of 6. He's still finishing up his ELC this season, so this doesn't kick in until 21-22.

McLennan: I really like this for the Rangers. This could even be an overpay in the first year of this deal if Chytil doesn't take the next step right away, but this is going to be a deal widely regarded as a win for the Rangers. Chytil showed serious flashes of him having something special (in just one season his potential went from Med Top6, to Low Elite ... to Low Franchise).

PlayerOVRAgePotentialPositionPlayer TypeStatsYears/AAV
Taylor Hall9028N/AFSniper81 GP
34-49--83
+7 ... 42 PIM
(ARZ)
6/$10.165M
Alex Edler8434N/AD2 way Defender72 GP
5-16--21
+14 ... 18 PIM
(VAN)
1/$3.000M
Filip Chytil8221Low FranchiseC2 way Forward67 GP
9-24--33
-6 ... 18 PIM
6/$6.000
(ext. 21-22)
Anton Khudobin8234N/AGHybrid28 GP
14-10-3, 2 SO
.911 SV%
2.80 GAA
(DAL)
1/$2.750M
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Next Post: 2020-2021 NHL Season
 
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Dylonus

Registered User
May 4, 2009
11,938
15
Pittsburgh
Can anyone tell me why this happens??

I picked up Duclair in the expansion draft, but he is an UFA. WHY IS HE NOT AN RFA? He's only 23. How can he possibly be unrestricted?
 

IHaveNoCreativity

Registered User
May 5, 2012
12,741
542
Somewhere in Quebec.
Can anyone tell me why this happens??

I picked up Duclair in the expansion draft, but he is an UFA. WHY IS HE NOT AN RFA? He's only 23. How can he possibly be unrestricted?
He was let walk by Chicago, they didn’t tend him a QO, which is how Columbus signed him as a FA. Because he wasn’t tendered and cut lose they forfeit his rights, not the best decision made. Guy has literally always had talent but bad influences around him.
 

IHaveNoCreativity

Registered User
May 5, 2012
12,741
542
Somewhere in Quebec.
The odd man out, a San Jose Sharks story.

November 30th 2020,


Insider Trading


Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie joining me here for this week's segment of insider trading, guys we've got an offer sheet to discuss, a small trade that was made, and a potential grievance filed against the San Jose Sharks who are at the forefront of this edition and we'll close out with a potential challenger for Aatu Raty for the #1 spot in this year's draft.

Darren: Yea so as we saw this week, San Jose traded Boston's 2nd round pick to Ottawa along with their own 5th in this year's draft in order to get their 2nd round pick back. They did so in order to tend an offer sheet to RFA D Anthony DeAngelo who then signed a 1 year 3.8M dollar deal. This is a coup for the Sharks. They've blown up that D core this year, they're 12-14-1 and they were lacking depth on D so they went out and added that with DeAngelo. Now the inside scoop here is that he wasn't going to sign with just anyone and it's believed that the Sharks have reached some sort of long term extension with DeAngelo.

Bob: That's right, San Jose tendered a contract that will pay DeAngelo roughly 2.5M given how many games are left. Now his camp was asking for 5 years and 5,4M and the Rangers countered north of 4M but the teams never got close. The Rangers don't have the cap room to match 3.8 right now in Season, it also didn't give them much time to negotiate any sort of cap clearing move. It is believed that DeAngelo may not have wanted to sign long term in New York.

Darren: Right, so what the Rangers what the league to investigate is to see if there is some sort of gentlemen's agreement to a longer term contract. They think that the Sharks are trying to avoid given up their first and 3rd round pick for DeAngelo. Right now the Sharks pick would be a high first round pick, so you can understand both sides.

Alright, so what's the likely hood of anything happening in terms of discipline ?

Bob: I don't know, it's a tricky situation because it's a 1 year deal and at a point the Sharks and DeAngelo do have to meet to negotiate a deal. Now I think the Rangers have asked the league to look at the timeframe, if a deal happens immediately between both parties then I suspect we may see some sort of penalty.

We'll that's one story to follow, and for our views keep in mind that San Jose has 3 first round draft picks in this years draft and they own Nashville's pick. The Predators currently sit 4th from the bottom. Something to keep in mind there.

Now Bob, there's a lot of noise coming out of Davos in the Swiss league right now and it's centred around a player eligible for this year's draft.

Bob: Yeah, so there's a prospect Derek Gagne who plays for Davos who has the talent to challenge Aatu Ray for first overall.

Bob, can you tell us about him ? There appears to be a lot of attention surrounding him and it's not that positive.

Bob: Right, so first off the young man is an electrifying winger. He's got a hard heavy shot, with a quick release and dead eye accuracy. He's fast, very skilled and goes into the dirty areas. Additionally he has the smarts to go with it, however there are many major concerns about his attitude and his off ice antics.

Bob, can you elaborate ? How did he end up in Switzerland ?

Bob: So there's a feud going on right now with him and hockey Canada and this stems from midget when he was 14. Now he was playing in the Quebec Midget league where he scored 50 goals in rough 40 games, he missed some games for violating the leagues social media policy and he publicly criticized hockey Quebec on multiple occasions which lead to him missing out on the Canada games. He absolutely lit up the playoffs there and then the Telus cup, now this was at the age of 14. The family applied for exceptional status, and was denied it, now we usually know who applies for it if it was granted. If you remember we reported that the news of him being denied was leaked accidentally and early. It started the rift, he wasn't denied based on ability and that was made clear to him. Now for the Gagne's there was no question about playing midget AAA again, it was a one and done. No here's where its gotten tricky, they tried to get an exception from Hockey Canada to play Jr.A at 15, that was denied which led to him denouncing them on social media. He also was not invited to the annual U-17 development camp in the summer and thank was really the last straw for him. So we've all seen the videos and comments from him and really he's been taking shots at them for awhile not. They tried to find a USHL team but Hockey Canada once again stepped in....

Bob it seems like he's the victim here.

Bob: So this is a tricky situation, Hockey Canada and Hockey USA don't want players crossing borders under 16 to play hockey unless the family moves, but the Gagne's took it as just another move to impede him. So finally, his agent got a call from the Jr.coach in Davos, who offered Gagne a spot on their U-20 team at the age of 15. So he spent the 18-19 season playing for them, where he scored about 100 points in roughly 50 games, and he trained with the pro team. There were some issues that kept him from signing a pro team contract at 15 but he made his NLA debut last year at 16 and played in 46 games where he scored 13 points (7,6) and fought 3 times. He was also suspended and fined repeatedly during the season. As you know he was not invited to both this year's and last year's WJC camp and has not made an appearance for Canada at any camp. People I have talked to believe he might be the best Canadian born 03, and maybe the best one in general.

Bob, so why is he a late first rounder ?

Bob: Well, attitude and off ice issues play a huge role in it. He's been suspended this year twice, he once again attacked Hockey Canada on twitter and has gotten into feuds with teammates. Scouts have not seen him against his own age group or a big stage and consistency is an issue as is team play. The talent and potential is present so he is once to watch but it remains to be seen wether he will fall or rise.

Thank you Bob for your insight, certainly a story to watch out for.
 

Serac

#HFOutcasts
Jun 27, 2014
8,674
2,075
B.C.
2022/2023 Season

With now 2 franchise players drafted into the league, we shall check in on them.
2020 1st overall pick, C. Domingue is at 92 overall now at 21 years old, coming off a modest but not spectacular 22g and 54a the season prior.
2022 1st overall pick Y. Pushkarev is at 85 overall at 18. Coming in as a 5'8 Sniper, he sounds like a fun player. He had 21g and 25a in the russian league last year. He's immediately on the LAK top line.

Of note, 2020 3rd overall pick Y. Nikitin (Elite) at 87 overall is on Ottawa's 4th line, at LW when he's naturally a C.
And lastly, 2021 1st overall pick A. Räty (Elite) is developing very slowly, still stuck in the minors in Ottawa, at 80 overall. He had a modest, if not worrying 38g and 23a in the AHL last season.

COL acquire: A. Johnsson (85)
BCM acquire: COL 2023 1st & COL 2024 1st


BUF acquire: M. Letunov (80, Top 9 F) & M. Dal Colle (80, Top 9 F)
BCM acquire: A. Stranges (77, Top 6 F), BUF 2024 3rd, BUF 2024 4th

OTT acquire: J. Quenneville (81, Top 9 F) & TOR 2023 3rd
BCM acquire: OTT 2023 1st, OTT 2024 5th, M. Wennlund (69, Top 9 F)


CHI acquire: R. Pulock (83) & M. Subban (81)
NYI acquire: V. Zykov (79), C. Propp (68), CHI 2023 2nd, CHI 2024 2nd

ANA acquire: E. Gustafsson (84)
CGY acquire: H. Engren (59, Top 4 D), COL 2023 2nd, ANA 2024 2nd


BUF acquire: E. Svechnikov (83)
DET acquire: T. Tynan (75, Starter), BUF 2023 3rd, BUF 2023 5th

BUF acquire: J. McCabe (82) & M. Scandella (80)
VGK acquire: BUF 2023 1st & BUF 2024 5th


ANA acquire: L. Couture (85) & R. Fitzgerald (78)
SJS acquire: V. Latypov (76, Top 4 D) & T. Salminen (70, Top 6 F)

SJS acquire: J. Pageau (85), J. Eberle (82), S. Varlamov (81)
NYI acquire: A. Knyazev (76, Top 4 D) & WPG 2023 1st


SJS acquire: W. Simmonds (81), STL 2024 3rd, NYI 2024 3rd
STL acquire: V. Latypov (76, Top 4 D) & J. Del Zotto (63, 7th D)

CAR acquire: R. Fabbri (84), CBJ 2023 4th, CBJ 2024 4th
DET acquire: V. Khavanov (65, Top 6 D), CAR 2024 1st, CAR 2023 3rd

As an upcoming UFA I had a tough decision to make with Johnsson. As arguably my best player, or forward at least, it was hard to part with him. However he was asking for over 7M for his next contract, and when someone offered two 1sts for him, I jumped at it. It doesn't hurt that A. Hale can immediately step in to replace his production too.
This year's buyer was Buffalo getting depth from BCM and VGK, and getting decent albeit not spectacular player in Svechnikov this year.
That being said, ANA bought in hard getting two of the best players in E. Gustafsson and surprisingly L. Couture.
SJS making some interesting moves, moving out older vets, and replacing them with younger guys of equal talent. Then they cave near hour 0, and give up some decent assets for an aging W. Simmonds. Truly a puzzling team.

Of note, some surprising players on the block were D. Pastrnak in Boston, K. Kakko with the NYR, and lastly V. Tarasenko in STL.
As pending UFAs, Pastrnak and Tarasenko make some sense. Kakko is the surprise with 6 years left on his deal. He is having a bit of a down year, but he's still only 22 years old.
Sadly, the only defenseman that BCM was interested in acquiring that was on the block was picked up by Chicago when they acquired R. Pulock.

Post deadline team:
OFF: 81
DEF: 83
GOA: 80

RecordHomeAwayGFPGGAPGPP%PK%
38-38-618-20-320-18-33.113.5220.7%79.5%

The team is on a steady climb up. Goals for are marginally up .09% despite trading their best offensive player. And goals against are marginally down .04%. The biggest thing was the PP% being 13th in the league. The PK% was sloppier being 20th in the league, but baby steps!

The top team in the league this year were the Philadelphia Flyers with 118 points.
At the bottom of the league are the Montreal Canadiens with just 65 points. Boston and St. Louis are surprisingly next with 66 and 69 points respectively. Nice.
BCM finish the league 20th with a very surprising 82 points.

Player Stats
Once again taking top spot in the league in goals is the now SJS A. Ovechkin, who got 55 goals. A surprising 2nd place was 2022 1st overall pick for LAK, Y. Pushkarev who scored 52 goals. The next Ovechkin perhaps?

Leading in points this year was J. Eichel who scored 112 points. Right behind him was S. Crosby with 111 points.

BCM Stats
After trading away the franchise leader in goals, a new face stepped up this year. A. Hale demolished the old franchise record by 16 goals, putting up 46 goals. Safe to say BCM has their goal scorer of the future. Fellow rookies A. Holtz and J. Weekes follow up with 23 and 22 goals respectively.

A. Hale also puts up the most points for the team, tying the franchise record of 73 points. Following that is J. Honka with 66 points, and finally A. Holtz with 61 points.


WPG vs NSH (NSH wins 4-3)
COL vs CGY (COL wins 4-0)
SJS vs ANA (SJS wins 4-2)
VAN vs ARI (VAN wins 4-1)

WSH vs PIT (PIT wins 4-1)
PHI vs FLA (PHI wins 4-3)
OTT vs BUF (BUF wins 4-1)
TBL vs CAR (TBL wins 4-3)
-----
COL vs NSH (COL wins 4-2)
VAN vs SJS (VAN wins 4-2)

PHI vs PIT (PIT wins 4-3)
TBL vs BUF (BUF wins 4-2)
-----
COL vs VAN (COL wins 4-3)

PIT vs BUF (PIT wins 4-1)
-----
COL vs PIT (PIT wins 4-1)

Defeating the defending cup champs, Pittsburgh went all of the way to capture yet another Stanley Cup in their franchise, off of the back of S. Crosby who scored 36 points and netting himself the Conn Smythe.

The Calder however was an extremely tight race between Y. Pushkarev and A. Hale. Pushkarev having the goal advantage (52 to 46) and Hale having the point advantage (73 to 71). Much to the surprise of a lot of people however, A. Hale wins the Calder to capture the first award for a BCM player!
(To me, I think a 50 goal player should edge out someone who only has 2 more points, but I will take it! Also yes, that means Pushkarev had a whopping 19 assists. Truly the next Ovechkin.)

Also lastly, C. Domingue, the other drafted Franchise player had another underwhelming year, also only managing 73 points, 3 less than last season, on a playoff team. Despite this, he still led the team in points.
Ottawa is a weird team.
 
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Mal Reynolds

never goes smooth, how come it never goes smooth?
Sep 28, 2008
1,687
611
I'm still sort of adjusting to the coaches myself. Really don't like defensive coaches. I have a forwards coach right now and that's doing pretty okay. Generally speaking though, I look to get generalists (save for the goalie coachea). I do prioritize teaching though on all levels.

I tested the auto scouting and it was extremely bad, so now I manually scout. And by manually, I mean go right into assign scout and say scout specific players. It is still a little inconsistent with how they scout players though. One year manually scouting, the top 10 was scouted within like 2 months, and another year, it took all year to fully scout the top 10. But manually scouting has made it better overall for finding say, gems and busts (which are much rarer than in previous years).

Sounds like we have pretty similar mentalities. Coach influence and coaching staff chemistry seem to matter as well (ie not having a balanced HC with a defensive & offensive assistant each)... and seems like even two balanced HCs would have subtle differences in strategy and preferences

Not a perfect system but it's an addition I've for the most part enjoyed

Still have yet to manually scout, or even really check in to see how they autoscout, I know they apparently nerfed the scouting a bit this year so it's more difficult (and I wouldn't be surprised if the scouts still spend 3 months on character assessment, though at least it's a little more warranted with coaching schemes).... anyway, that'll be more of a priority going forward as I tend to try to build my expansion clubs through the draft
 

Brewsky

King Of The Ice Mugs
Jan 26, 2011
6,072
103
King County
www.brewsky.com
Anybody else have unrealistic d-men scoring. I have scoring at medium (great for forwards) but I get like 15 d-men who score 60+ pts and almost 30 d-men who have an average Time On Ice of 26+ minutes which is insane.
 

Brewsky

King Of The Ice Mugs
Jan 26, 2011
6,072
103
King County
www.brewsky.com
Anybody else have unrealistic d-men scoring. I have scoring at medium (great for forwards) but I get like 15 d-men who score 60+ pts and almost 30 d-men who have an average Time On Ice of 26+ minutes which is insane.
 

Serac

#HFOutcasts
Jun 27, 2014
8,674
2,075
B.C.
Anybody else have unrealistic d-men scoring. I have scoring at medium (great for forwards) but I get like 15 d-men who score 60+ pts and almost 30 d-men who have an average Time On Ice of 26+ minutes which is insane.

I only really play with high scoring, but I get that. Teams will rely on their best players a lot (notably forwards who get loads of ice time as they're played in all scenarios). Don't see that being too different with the defensemen.
 

Brewsky

King Of The Ice Mugs
Jan 26, 2011
6,072
103
King County
www.brewsky.com
I only really play with high scoring, but I get that. Teams will rely on their best players a lot (notably forwards who get loads of ice time as they're played in all scenarios). Don't see that being too different with the defensemen.

The forwards have been reasonable, they're around 20 minutes. But d-men are almost 4 minutes higher than where they should be.

There shouldn't be 30 Erik Karlsson minute munchers in the NHL.
 

CraigsList

RIP #13
Apr 22, 2014
19,246
7,029
USA
While y'all have been posting updates on your franchise mode, I am on my third 25 season franchise, lol.

Have done one with the Seattle expansion, one with the Penguins (chosen by my wife) and am now doing one with the Flames.
 
Last edited:

Serac

#HFOutcasts
Jun 27, 2014
8,674
2,075
B.C.
2023 Offseason

The lottery results are in and with no Ottawa in lottery contention, the LA Kings are being spoon fed, jumping up from #12 up to #1 and acquire their second straight 1st overall pick.
The NJ Devils jump up from #4 to #2, and Montreal drops from #1 to #3.
The BC Monarchs with five 1st round picks had 2 lottery shots, but stay at #13 and #14 (EDM).

Retirements
PlayerOverallAgeTeamGames PlayedGoalsAssistsPoints
E. Staal8038VAN14214996741173
D. Krejci7437BOS1178256593849
C. Perry7138PHI1152414434848
D. Keith7839CHI1270112563675
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
PlayerOverallAgeTeamGames PlayedWinsLossesShutouts
D. Dubnyk7737MIN74835629146
J. Halak7838WPG59229820251
J. Howard7539TOR59827620927
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Only notable thing about this batch of retirements is how heavily players seem to be regressing. E. Staal the only 80+ overall player retiring, and he was already regressing to a bottom 6 forward.
Also of note, J. Halak is a damn good goalie, with them stats.

#1: LAK - E. Warrener | RW | 81 | Elite
#2: NJD - C. Foy | D | 77 | Elite
#3: MTL - S. Lombardi | LW | 79 | Elite
#4: BOS - X. Myers | LW | 78 | Elite
#5: STL - M. Voloshenko | C | 78 | Elite

BCM acquire: TOR 2023 1st (9th)
TOR acquire: M. Maattanen (50, Top 6 F), COL 2023 1st (31st), PIT 2023 1st (32nd)


SJS acquire: BCM 2023 3rd (77th) & STL 2023 4th (99th)
BCM acquire: SJS 2024 2nd

BCM acquire: MTL 2023 4th (97th)
MTL acquire: SJS 2023 4th (121st) & WSH 2023 4th (122nd)


ANA acquire: Y. Trenin (79, Bottom 6 F), BCM 2023 4th (109th), NYR 2023 4th (111th)
BCM acquire: A. Andersson (77, Top 4 D)

NJD acquire: BCM 2023 5th (141st) & VAN 2023 5th (158th)
BCM acquire: NJD 2024 4th

Round##PlayerPositionOverallPotential
19C. ScatchardRW72Elite
113R. Fehr*D63Elite
114D. HollwegLW66Top 6 F
123Y. HuetRW64Top 6 F
240L. SutterD64Elite
245J. CarlsonRW65Top 9 F
253T. Chimera*D63Top 4 D
378J. VahalahtiD62Top 4 D
497F. TallinderD62Top 6 D
6173V. MackayD567th D
7205R. HeeremaC48Top 6 F
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
* = Scout deemed GEM

A pretty average draft. Took advantage of Toronto looking to move 9th overall, with what was looking to be a weaker back end of the draft.
Also traded Trenin who had some decent value, though Andersson is already 23 which is why his value isn't super high.
Lastly, the NYI drafted Q. Manderville in the 6th round who was 70 overall and Elite potential. Definitely looks like one of the steals of the draft.
(One thing to add, due to multiple minor trades they made, the Pittsburgh Penguins have only their 1st and 2nd round picks for 2024)

(Re)Signed
L. Killinen | RW | 74 | 750k x 3
G. Murray | RW | 76 | 925k x 3
B. Clarke | D | 75 | 925k x 3
Like...10 other ELC's

Qualified
Y. Koltsov | D | 86

Released
E. Comrie | G | 80
T. Jurco | RW | 79
T. Nosek | C | 79
A. Nielsen | D | 77
G. Forsling | D | 76
W. Lagesson | D | 76
M. Stephens | C | 76
M. Luff | RW | 75
M. Wennlund | C | 71
K. Chistov | D | 58

Notable Free Agents
C. Tarasenko | RW | 90
M. Rodgers | D | 88 (RFA)
A. Galchenyuk | C | 88
K. Vesalainen | LW | 88 | (RFA)
B. Boeser | RW | 88 | (RFA)
Y. Nikitin | C | 87 | (RFA)
D. Perron| LW | 87
Y. Koltsov | D | 86 (RFA)
T. Meier | RW | 86
R. Dzingel | LW | 86
J. Toews | C | 86
I. Samsonov | G | 85 (RFA)
R. Lehner | G | 85

The great RFA season it seems.

BCM Signs
Y. Koltsov | D | 85 | 6m x 8
L. Nassen | D | 77 | 750k x 2 (Top 4 D, but 25 years old, also a month into free agency)

Alas, still CHEESE
M. Koivu | C | 78 | 19m x 1
C. Fitzgerald | D | 78 | 19m x 1
J. Hayes | RW | 78 | 5m x 1
We should be getting close to no longer requiring delicious cheese.

Notable Signings
LAK - V. Tarasenko | RW | 90 | 10.270m x 3
CBJ | A. Galchenyuk | C | 88 | 10.500m x 7
WPG | K. Vesalainen | LW | 88 | 8.365m x 2
VAN | B. Boeser | RW | 88 | 9.485m x 7
WSH | D. Perron | LW | 87 | 7.270m x 1
CHI | T. Meier | RW | 86 | 8.375m x 5
DET | R. Dzingel | LW | 86 | 6.630m x 3
WPG | J. Toews | C | 86 | 6.010m x 2
WSH | I. Samsonov | G | 85 | 5.940m x 2
ARI | R. Lehner | G | 85 | 5.855m x 3

COL acquire: P. Hornqvist (83) & PIT 2025 4th
PIT acquire: A. De La Gorgendiere (65, 7th D) & COL 2025 1st


FLA acquire: B. Nelson (84) & NYI 2025 5th
NYI acquire: Z. Madsen (61, Top 4 D), FLA 2024 1st, FLA 2024 5th

CAR acquire: T. Barrie (85)
NYI acquire: A. Grebeshkov (63, Elite (Goalie)), CAR 2025 2nd, CAR 2024 3rd


DAL acquire: O. Bjorkstrand (84) & CBJ 2025 4th
CBJ acquire: DAL 2024 2nd & NSH 2024 2nd

ARI acquire: N. Gusev (85) & J. Petry (82)
STL acquire: ARI 2024 1st & ARI 2025 1st


BCM acquire: Y. Nikitin (87, Elite)
OTT acquire: J. Huhtanen (64, Elite), J. Bednar (67, Starter), SJS 2024 2nd
* Y. Nikitin signs 6.7m x 8 contract

COL acquire: J. Honka (87)
BCM acquire: M. Rodgers (88, Elite)
* M. Rodgers signs 7m x 7 contract

Fun fact, Y. Koltsov took less money in free agency than what I offered him during our contract negotiations.

BCM made some big moves this free agency. Acquiring two RFAs in trades as their teams couldn't afford them, significantly setting them up well in the future, and even right now.
The trade for M. Rodgers was a bit difficult, as J. Honka was basically the cornerstone of the franchise, but we have new faces coming in ready to carry the franchise.
J. Honka also had very, very high trade value due to his AAV being 4.3m. Thank you past me.
M. Rodgers is a DFD, but will be making a switch over to a TWD. He was the 2nd overall pick in the fantasy 2019 draft, and his future partner, Y. Koltsov, was the 4th overall pick in the same draft. Neat!

The trade for Y. Nikitin is...interesting.
It's basically a mesh of trade finder pieces. Ottawa wanted some of my other prospects, or Honka. They vehemently wanted J. Weekes, but as my current greatest find in the draft, he's untouchable. So I had to settle in giving a little more value in the 2nd and elite prospect, as opposed to trading a combination of lesser prospects.
The contract however is a beauty, due to Ottawa putting Nikitin on their 4th line last year, earning less than 10 minutes TOI. He will immediately step into our 1st line.

Also yes, not a typo, Y. Koltsov dropped from 86 to 85 after I signed him. Jerk.

Extensions
P. Broberg | D | 78 | 800k x 3
A. Andersson | D | 77 | 750k x 6
T. Dellandrea | C | 78 | 1m x 2

A. Hale (85)Y. Nikitin (87)A. Holtz (84)
B. Tanev (81)C. Reaves (84)J. Weekes (85)
A. Stranges (81)A. Angello (78)N. Aube-Kubel (79)
M. Koivu (77)T. Dellandea (78)J. Hayes (77)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
V. Koltsov (86)M. Rodgers (88)
L. Johansen (83)B. Clarke (79)
P. Broberg (79)J. Siegenthaler (78)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
J. Comrie (84)
A. Nedeljkovic (81)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

OFF: 86
DEF: 86
GOA: 83

The team is finally starting to take shape. Team status is still rebuilder, but depending on how things go, we may be a hopeful at the very least by next year, if not this year.
 
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