[Critch]

2038/39 Stanley Cup Final - Vancouver Canucks v Washington Capitals
Vancouver got hot in the second half of the season, caught Anchorage and Seattle and overtook them to win the Pacific Division, won the President's Trophy for the best record in the regular season, they were a #1 seed in the playoffs, got past Atlanta Thrashers, Anchorage Huskies and Nashville Predators to win the Western Conference.

In the Eastern Conference Washington Capitals finished third in the Metropolitan division, finished with 94 points, 2 points less and they wouldnt have made the playoffs. They needed seven games to get past New York Rangers, six to get by the Islanders, seven to get by Quebec. Their star player is former first pick bust, former Huskies reject D Jiri Mendl, they have no 5.0 rated players, only 5 players rated higher than 3.0, and two of the five are injured and will miss the Stanley Cup. Not sure how they made it to be honest.

So on paper there's only one winner, the Capitals are a poor second best, surely there's no way they can upset the odds and beat the overwhelming favorite Vancouver team?

Nah, of course they can't, they lost 4-2, 6-1, 3-0 and 5-4 and got swept.

So Connor Bedard finally wins his first Stanley Cup, fills the one empty spot in his trophy cabinet, 18 points in 22 games too.

2039/40 Rookie Draft
Anchorage picking a bit earlier than usual, 33rd pick in the first round. A benefit of not getting to the conference final, I guess. We go risky with the pick, RW Zbynek Mucha, an 18 years old Czech, 6'2'' 204lb back-checking forward, he'd have been much higher in the draft but fell down to us because he's been out for 4 months with a ruptured ligament in his elbow and he's still listed as being out for 3 to 4 more months. The Anchorage scouts list him as the best "risky pick", worth the risk. From then on it's the normal formula of getting the scouts list of "risky picks" then choosing whoever is need the top of the list and big. Second round pick C Oleg Zagebalin and third round RD Denis Molotov have a chance of making it.

In last year's Rookie section I mentioned LW Yaroslav Kochnev who had come from nowhere to be a suddenly surprising roster. He's not been good in the AHL so he's back to being a nobody. Forget I mentioned him.

2039/40 Free Agency
A fairly quite year, not many free agents left so not many in to replace them. It was a strict one-in/one-out free agency this year.

For Right Wing former first round, 7th overall prospect Peter Hrovatin came to the end of his contract, 49 points in 82 games as 3rd/4th line RW, he wanted too much to re-sign so he went UFA. Stayed UFA for a couple of months into the new season then signed for Montreal. His replacement is 19 year old rookie Devan Vandenberg, last year's Anchorage first round pick.

For Center 4th line/depth backup C Spencer Ecclestone went. Despite not making crazy requests for an extension, he was replaceable. So he's gone, nobody picked him up so he's in the Slovenian leagues now, not even the top division. The replacement was former Calgary regular starter Jeff Smith, he was picked up from free agency, a 30 year old defensive center, ideal for the third line.

For Defensemen 33 year old Alexander Filippov left, too old for the money and years he wanted, he's now back in the KHL playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The (short-term) replacement was picked up from waivers, 32 year old Hunter Aura on a 1 year minimum wage. He's really in more as experienced backup more than a regular.

I vaguely thought about bringing back some names from the past. Oskar Vuollet had signed a 3 year extension with Philadelphia so he was out, Kaden Pitre is 33 and going downhill so he's out, Emil Hemming is 33, going downhill and playing in the Czech league so he's out too. So no old faces. Seemed like a good idea, add depth that would come in with chemistry with linemates, and maybe get a little "I'm playing for my favorite team" harmony boost too.