Quote:
Originally Posted by Izulde
This looks extremely entertaining to say the least. Hope it keeps going
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Thanks, it'll keep going for a while. Not giving up without a playoffs.
2024/25 season, first half
The last update left off with the Huskies less than halfway to the salary floor and looking to blow $32mil on just about anybody to meet the requirements and advance on. Luckily the game is quite forgiving if you're stuck in that situation, free agents will negotiate and sign straight away so two highly paid FA (G Sam Montembeault for 6.25mil x 3 years and RD Tyler Myers for 8.3mil for 1 year) and one player received in a salary dump trade (36yo Center Jonathan Toews from the still rebuilding Blackhawks) and the salary floor got a whole lot closer. By then there was nothing left worth bidding for in FA, nobody who would improve the team anyway, so drastic measures were needed. RW Nick Cousins lucked out in lottery-winning fashion. He demanded 1.4mil per year for 2 years, but settled for 13mil for one year and, after some roster shuffling to the AHL, we were above the salary floor and could press "next day" with confidence. Cousins was able to sit on the bench counting his money while being the highest paid player in the league.
I'm planning on this dynasty being a bit quicker moving and not crawling along one game at a time, but game two was the Huskies first ever OT win, 2-1 at Atlanta, so it gets a special mention. Game 3 was a win too, 3-0 at Minnesota and for a moment Anchorage had the best record in the league. Things kept on going positively and the Huskies got to 6-3-0, before being 9-7-0 at the beginning of November and in the playoff race. They were not scoring many but were riding along on a wave of Matt Murray playing like an all-star goalie. The goalies have little icons signifying their form, little flames for "hot" and little icy things for cold, Matt Murray rolled through the first couple of months hovering between 3 flames and 5 flames (the max) and kept the team ticking along. I was just at the point of thinking "Is this game too easy? Am I going to the playoffs with this chaff?" when it all crashed and burned. In early November an OT loss at Boston dropped the team below .500 for the first time at 9-9-1 (the Huskies first ever loser point) and we were soon out of the playoff race for good.
It's now January 1st 2025, right after the all-star break, and the Huskies are 8th of 9 in the Pacific Division, 44 games played with a record of 15-25-4 for 34 points. They have allowed a fairly respectable 138 goals, pretty much middle of the pack for goals allowed, but they're the second lowest scorers in the whole league with only 94 goals in 44 games. Injuries havent helped, top line LW Carl Grundstrom has been out for the season since the 2nd game, top line C Anthony Richard is out for the season now too, 2nd line LW Yauheni Aksiantsiuk has been out a couple of months with a broken collarbone but he'll be back soon. If you hover over a team it gives a little summary, apparently the Huskies weaknesses are at LD, RD, C, RW and LW. So only the goalies arent a weakness, the current plan is to try and trade Murray off for a pick at the trade deadline, so G will be on the list too soon.
Top scorers are injured-for-the-year Anthony Richard and Jonathan Toews with 9 goals, Toews started off as third line center but is now on the top line thanks to the injuries. Most points is waiver pickup Dylan Holloway who has 23 points (8 goals and 15 assists) bouncing about the top 6 playing either center or left wing as needed. Dylan Holloway is also one of only two players with a positive +/-, he's on 3 while fellow waiver pickup C Rasmus Kupari is on 5. RW Nick Cousins has played in 16 games and has 2 goals. $13mil per year doesnt get you much these days.
For the rookies, 1st round pick RD Henry Mews is rolling through the Major Juniors at over a point per game and would already be our best defenseman if he was in the NHL, so he'll be called up next season. 2nd round pick Emil Hemming is looking ok in Finland but may need another year there before NHL, and 3rd round pick Chris Thibodeau would probably be called up next year but is currently listed as indefinitely injured with "massive eye trauma" so who knows if he'll be ready.
The plan for the next post will be get to the end of the regular season and zip through the playoffs. Wont need a separate post for playoffs since the Huskies wont be there.