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Critch · 04-05-2023, 11:37 AM

Close Season Wrapup
I think the Anchorage window with the first batch of rookies is coming to an end. For the average player in the game the peak is 26 to 29 then there's a chance of regression. Some hanging on longer than others, mid to late 30s, others crash sooner. The core of the team (Gavin, Vuollet, Mews, Karmiris, Mattila, Pitre) are all hitting that 29/30 zone now and some of them are starting to show up on the monthly development report with negative development, some have already lost a little from their overall star rating (Mews and Karmiris mainly). Out of the group of them, only Gavin and Vuollet have contracts beyond this season and neither of them are regressing yet.

I've tried shopping the other four, they're all asking for big pay raises and/or long contracts to re-sign, but the return on all of them isn't great (the regular 4th round pick + mediocre player offer) so I'll be holding on til the Trade deadline and trying again.

Along with the old guys wanting to get paid, the young guys (Leader, Dollack, Landrey and Svensson) are coming to the end of their entry level contracts so maybe it's time to shed the old core and go more youthful. Maybe keeping Gavin and Vuollet as the top centers and getting younger around them. I think that would still be playoff worthy. Or maybe we keep the band together for one more run at the playoffs. I don't really know yet.

First news of the close season was former Anchorage favorite and more recently salary stealing has-been Vasili Podkolzin came to the end of his 3x6.5mil contract and promptly retired. 1006 NHL games (809 with Anchorage), 226 goals, 343 assists, 1 Stanley Cup. I'm choosing to believe he's now an in-studio analyst for our local TV coverage.

2036/37 Free Agency
We had Podkolzin's salary freed up, and then traded away a couple of others (Matthew Paranych went to NY Rangers for a throwaway player to clear 2.5mil, C Miloslav Martin went to Montreal for a pick) and we had money to burn. First signing was 29 year old Russian defenseman Alexander Filippov. He had 4 years in the NHL at Edmonton but he's been in the Swedish league for the last 3 years so he's a depth addition to a barren defensive roster.

And that was the end of the free agents. We should have had money to spend, but we don't and I don't know why. According to the team finances screen we're over 5mil below the budgeted payroll, well below the league salary cap, but it says Available Money for Free Agents = -2.9mil. So no idea, as it stands we need another defenseman and a backup goalie (we really need a backup goalie, we only have 2 and one of them is a .5 star rated Polish teenager).

I'm not completely sure that claiming players from waivers doesnt bypass the "offer exceeds your budget" check, so I'll be trying that out to fill the gaps if I cant get round the problem.

2036/37 Rookie Draft
Looking through the Anchorage prospect list, it's a wasteland. The last passable prospect (C Spencer Ecclestone 2034 second round pick, 2.5 current 2.5 potential) is in Anchorage now and will be a backup next year and there's nothing left without him, most of them have a potential to one day not really be good enough for AHL. I'd dump most of them but maybe there's a diamond in the rough? Or maybe even a 2.5 star player? I think part of it is I've neglected the scouts. I didn't realize the AI wasn't doing that, the scouting was terrible. So a whole bunch of scouts signed for US, Canada, Western Europe and Eastern Europe and hopefully things get better. I didnt bother with the rest of the world, we might miss out on a 2.0 star Japanese or Algerian outlier but that's a risk I'm prepared to take.

This year's draft was underwhelming, a Finnish winger called Anssi Ridanpaa (2.0/3.0) at 1.12 and a whole bunch of 2.0 potential defensemen. We get mentioned in the draft review email for the first time ever, apparently we had the consensus "worst draft of the year". The increase in scouting is not rewarding us with immediate benefits, it seems.

2036/37 Preseason
We go 6-1 in preseason, I think that's a record. Even the .5 rated Polish goalie Chwalislaw Janiszewski gets a win in his debut, 3-2 against Pittsburgh. Other than that we move on a couple of bit parts to free up salary space and get a cheap backup goalkeeper so the 19 year old Polish goalie can carry on developing in the AHL. The new goalie is Neil Pintaric, he's been at Hartford's AHL team for years. To add to our lack of defensive depth new FA signing Filippov turns up full of borscht and vodka and is too unfit to play.

For free-agent watch, Easten Turko has sat out a whole year but still won't talk to Anchorage. He's gone from being one of the best young defenders in the league to somebody who won't sign anywhere. Tarin Smith signed for the Ukrainian second division last year (he was approaching 4 years without a team), confusingly turned up at Anchorage as a rookie tryout in the close season, and has now signed for a Ukrainian Super League team. At least he's playing for somebody now.

04-05-2023, 11:37 AM	#79
Critch lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Herndon, VA	Close Season Wrapup I think the Anchorage window with the first batch of rookies is coming to an end. For the average player in the game the peak is 26 to 29 then there's a chance of regression. Some hanging on longer than others, mid to late 30s, others crash sooner. The core of the team (Gavin, Vuollet, Mews, Karmiris, Mattila, Pitre) are all hitting that 29/30 zone now and some of them are starting to show up on the monthly development report with negative development, some have already lost a little from their overall star rating (Mews and Karmiris mainly). Out of the group of them, only Gavin and Vuollet have contracts beyond this season and neither of them are regressing yet. I've tried shopping the other four, they're all asking for big pay raises and/or long contracts to re-sign, but the return on all of them isn't great (the regular 4th round pick + mediocre player offer) so I'll be holding on til the Trade deadline and trying again. Along with the old guys wanting to get paid, the young guys (Leader, Dollack, Landrey and Svensson) are coming to the end of their entry level contracts so maybe it's time to shed the old core and go more youthful. Maybe keeping Gavin and Vuollet as the top centers and getting younger around them. I think that would still be playoff worthy. Or maybe we keep the band together for one more run at the playoffs. I don't really know yet. First news of the close season was former Anchorage favorite and more recently salary stealing has-been Vasili Podkolzin came to the end of his 3x6.5mil contract and promptly retired. 1006 NHL games (809 with Anchorage), 226 goals, 343 assists, 1 Stanley Cup. I'm choosing to believe he's now an in-studio analyst for our local TV coverage. 2036/37 Free Agency We had Podkolzin's salary freed up, and then traded away a couple of others (Matthew Paranych went to NY Rangers for a throwaway player to clear 2.5mil, C Miloslav Martin went to Montreal for a pick) and we had money to burn. First signing was 29 year old Russian defenseman Alexander Filippov. He had 4 years in the NHL at Edmonton but he's been in the Swedish league for the last 3 years so he's a depth addition to a barren defensive roster. And that was the end of the free agents. We should have had money to spend, but we don't and I don't know why. According to the team finances screen we're over 5mil below the budgeted payroll, well below the league salary cap, but it says Available Money for Free Agents = -2.9mil. So no idea, as it stands we need another defenseman and a backup goalie (we really need a backup goalie, we only have 2 and one of them is a .5 star rated Polish teenager). I'm not completely sure that claiming players from waivers doesnt bypass the "offer exceeds your budget" check, so I'll be trying that out to fill the gaps if I cant get round the problem. 2036/37 Rookie Draft Looking through the Anchorage prospect list, it's a wasteland. The last passable prospect (C Spencer Ecclestone 2034 second round pick, 2.5 current 2.5 potential) is in Anchorage now and will be a backup next year and there's nothing left without him, most of them have a potential to one day not really be good enough for AHL. I'd dump most of them but maybe there's a diamond in the rough? Or maybe even a 2.5 star player? I think part of it is I've neglected the scouts. I didn't realize the AI wasn't doing that, the scouting was terrible. So a whole bunch of scouts signed for US, Canada, Western Europe and Eastern Europe and hopefully things get better. I didnt bother with the rest of the world, we might miss out on a 2.0 star Japanese or Algerian outlier but that's a risk I'm prepared to take. This year's draft was underwhelming, a Finnish winger called Anssi Ridanpaa (2.0/3.0) at 1.12 and a whole bunch of 2.0 potential defensemen. We get mentioned in the draft review email for the first time ever, apparently we had the consensus "worst draft of the year". The increase in scouting is not rewarding us with immediate benefits, it seems. 2036/37 Preseason We go 6-1 in preseason, I think that's a record. Even the .5 rated Polish goalie Chwalislaw Janiszewski gets a win in his debut, 3-2 against Pittsburgh. Other than that we move on a couple of bit parts to free up salary space and get a cheap backup goalkeeper so the 19 year old Polish goalie can carry on developing in the AHL. The new goalie is Neil Pintaric, he's been at Hartford's AHL team for years. To add to our lack of defensive depth new FA signing Filippov turns up full of borscht and vodka and is too unfit to play. For free-agent watch, Easten Turko has sat out a whole year but still won't talk to Anchorage. He's gone from being one of the best young defenders in the league to somebody who won't sign anywhere. Tarin Smith signed for the Ukrainian second division last year (he was approaching 4 years without a team), confusingly turned up at Anchorage as a rookie tryout in the close season, and has now signed for a Ukrainian Super League team. At least he's playing for somebody now.