Operation Sports Forums - View Single Post - I'm Demoting Myself: An EHM Scouting Career

KA88NE · 08-03-2015, 05:33 AM

June 20th, 2040

It's that time of year again. I've gotta say: what a relief to not have to be a part of it. Don't get me wrong, I love draft day, which is a few days away. It's the draft year I hate. Watching over fifteen scouts for 365 days and deciding which ones are best to send to really important things is an arduous process.

The other teams had it easier. They had computers set up the scouting staff schedules. I preferred to do it on my own. How else do you think our prospect pipeline got as deep as it did?

48 hours. That's how long the fun part of the draft lasts.

I was the most annoying; wheeling and dealing even when it wasn't necessary or if I didn't want to. My logic? Maybe Pittsburgh was more willing to trade its 17th pick for my 23rd pick and a prospect than Philadelphia would have been for the same package at 16. You never know which GM will stay smart and which will be a complete moron, so might as well make sure you're trying to take advantage of all of them at all times.

Let us not forget the trade that allowed the Buffalo dynasty to continue long after franchise centers, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart exited their primes.

The story of my career. #4, Taylor Hall truly was the straw that stirred the drink, everywhere I went. Even after his playing career had ended. Hall was the leader of the Oilers teams I managed, and the spark plug to the first of many Stanley Cups in Buffalo. I can only describe the man with one word: an absolute winner. I know what you're thinking: that's four words. Well, just let me be, okay?

Flashback: I take you back to Draft Day 2032. The number one prospect on our draft board was the seventh ranked player in the draft: Shael Fleury. A mid-sized center with an all-around game comparable to Jonathan Toews, but perhaps not as a physically strong.

Our scouts all agreed that Shael had captaincy material written all over him. But picking at the 30th spot, we knew we had no shot unless we could somehow squeak into the Top 10.

Thankfully, we had the ammo necessary to make it happen. But it was a risk. A risk not too different from the risk I took trading a 33 year-old Taylor Hall a year before my abrupt exit from Edmonton.

2025. I traded Hall a year before (not coincidentally) I believed his value was to decline in order to nab the eighth pick in the draft from Minnesota, making him a member of the Wild.

That pick turned into Wil MacDonald, who is now 33 years old. A graceful, quaint franchise center with the foot work of a ballet dancer and is still the face of the franchise.

He led the team to a Stanley Cup in 2027, a year after my departure from that garbage city that couldn't smell general managerial talent even if it was right on its nose. And you could definitely smell me. I mean, I was smelling material. I'm at least an 8/10 on the general manager scale, and I can't believe they didn't recognize that.

Forward to 2032, and the situation had risen again. I'd signed Hall as a bargain free-agent to help propel our team past the Eastern Conference Finals. Between 2028 and 2031, our hearts were broken almost as many times as the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's.

Oscar Gustafsson struggled between the pipes come every playoff season, and many didn't know whether to blame it on me or him. They called him The Greatest Regular Season Goalie That Ever Lived.

Often times, I'd wonder if I should trade him for a slightly less talented goalie with better poise. Maybe Winnipeg's Ronnie David. Sure, he's four years older and not as awe-inspiring in terms of talent, but he seems to be himself no matter the circumstances.

So often did I ponder such thoughts, in fact, that I actually did make a phone call to Winnipeg GM, Derek Armstrong on several occasions in an attempt to pull the deal off. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested. And I can't blame him. Look at the all-time wins leaderboard. David is third all-time with 622 and is still 37. Otherwise, there was no goalie worth making the deal for.

It was clear we had an all-time great on our hands. And yet, somehow, that was a problem. Oscar was the reason we were so dominant, but he was also the reason we couldn't win the Stanley Cup. This had Shakespeare written all over it.

Gustafsson was a player who, as you may or may not have figured out, I decided to keep. But once again, I traded Taylor Hall. If he was the story of my career, this trade was the best chapter of the book.

You might think he hated me for my ruthless behavior, but he didn't. Taylor and I were friends like you wouldn't believe, despite what those PSYCHOS in Edmonton would tell you.

Here are the psychos:

His hands held no guns in relation to the decision I chose to make as the head of the Oilers, and when I approached him about trading him once more after his lone year with us in western New York, he still remained without qualms.

It was the most evil thing I'd done in my career.

"Taylor, you're retiring after this season, correct?"

"Yes."

"But you signed a two year deal..."

"Yes."

"So how about we use you as trade bait, just so we can get over the hump necessary to grab this fifth overall pick from Toronto? You can just announce your retirement after the trade is accepted."

"Yes."

"Alright, great!"

And so the deed was done. I traded our 30th pick, our top prospect Johnathan Crochetiere, prospect Gerard Peters, a still robust Cam Fowler, and Taylor Hall to Toronto for the fifth overall pick. The suckers actually accepted. By the way, they haven't won a Stanley Cup for 73 years now.

Every team above Toronto refused the same package, even going as far as to call it, "seriously unbalanced."

Hall announced his retirement three days later. We figured we'd use the Three Day Rule for this one, just to avoid any suspicion.

At least Toronto can be happy that Crochetiere turned into a pretty good player. The forward currently has 231 points in 459 career games. But we still won the deal. Because the fifth overall pick turned into Fleury. Who captained our team to six more Stanley Cups.

Ah, draft day. That's the reason I love it. Rarely do you have the assets necessary to make such an absurd trade, such a risky trade. But the thrill of the risk is undeniable. It cost me one job, but it also rewarded me with success unseen before my final decade in the league.

That's why today, I'm going to pick out which players from the upcoming 2040 NHL Entry Draft are going to shine and which are going to bust. As the years pass through on this blog of sorts, we'll see which I'm right about and which I'm wrong about.

For the first time in many years, a once-in-a-generation talent may be available. And you'll know who it is in my next post.

08-03-2015, 05:33 AM	#3
KA88NE Rookie OVR: 0 Join Date: Nov 2010	Re: I'm Demoting Myself: An EHM Scouting Career June 20th, 2040 It's that time of year again. I've gotta say: what a relief to not have to be a part of it. Don't get me wrong, I love draft day, which is a few days away. It's the draft year I hate. Watching over fifteen scouts for 365 days and deciding which ones are best to send to really important things is an arduous process. The other teams had it easier. They had computers set up the scouting staff schedules. I preferred to do it on my own. How else do you think our prospect pipeline got as deep as it did? 48 hours. That's how long the fun part of the draft lasts. I was the most annoying; wheeling and dealing even when it wasn't necessary or if I didn't want to. My logic? Maybe Pittsburgh was more willing to trade its 17th pick for my 23rd pick and a prospect than Philadelphia would have been for the same package at 16. You never know which GM will stay smart and which will be a complete moron, so might as well make sure you're trying to take advantage of all of them at all times. Let us not forget the trade that allowed the Buffalo dynasty to continue long after franchise centers, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart exited their primes. The story of my career. #4, Taylor Hall truly was the straw that stirred the drink, everywhere I went. Even after his playing career had ended. Hall was the leader of the Oilers teams I managed, and the spark plug to the first of many Stanley Cups in Buffalo. I can only describe the man with one word: an absolute winner. I know what you're thinking: that's four words. Well, just let me be, okay? Flashback: I take you back to Draft Day 2032. The number one prospect on our draft board was the seventh ranked player in the draft: Shael Fleury. A mid-sized center with an all-around game comparable to Jonathan Toews, but perhaps not as a physically strong. Our scouts all agreed that Shael had captaincy material written all over him. But picking at the 30th spot, we knew we had no shot unless we could somehow squeak into the Top 10. Thankfully, we had the ammo necessary to make it happen. But it was a risk. A risk not too different from the risk I took trading a 33 year-old Taylor Hall a year before my abrupt exit from Edmonton. 2025. I traded Hall a year before (not coincidentally) I believed his value was to decline in order to nab the eighth pick in the draft from Minnesota, making him a member of the Wild. That pick turned into Wil MacDonald, who is now 33 years old. A graceful, quaint franchise center with the foot work of a ballet dancer and is still the face of the franchise. He led the team to a Stanley Cup in 2027, a year after my departure from that garbage city that couldn't smell general managerial talent even if it was right on its nose. And you could definitely smell me. I mean, I was smelling material. I'm at least an 8/10 on the general manager scale, and I can't believe they didn't recognize that. Forward to 2032, and the situation had risen again. I'd signed Hall as a bargain free-agent to help propel our team past the Eastern Conference Finals. Between 2028 and 2031, our hearts were broken almost as many times as the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's. Oscar Gustafsson struggled between the pipes come every playoff season, and many didn't know whether to blame it on me or him. They called him The Greatest Regular Season Goalie That Ever Lived. Often times, I'd wonder if I should trade him for a slightly less talented goalie with better poise. Maybe Winnipeg's Ronnie David. Sure, he's four years older and not as awe-inspiring in terms of talent, but he seems to be himself no matter the circumstances. So often did I ponder such thoughts, in fact, that I actually did make a phone call to Winnipeg GM, Derek Armstrong on several occasions in an attempt to pull the deal off. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested. And I can't blame him. Look at the all-time wins leaderboard. David is third all-time with 622 and is still 37. Otherwise, there was no goalie worth making the deal for. It was clear we had an all-time great on our hands. And yet, somehow, that was a problem. Oscar was the reason we were so dominant, but he was also the reason we couldn't win the Stanley Cup. This had Shakespeare written all over it. Gustafsson was a player who, as you may or may not have figured out, I decided to keep. But once again, I traded Taylor Hall. If he was the story of my career, this trade was the best chapter of the book. You might think he hated me for my ruthless behavior, but he didn't. Taylor and I were friends like you wouldn't believe, despite what those PSYCHOS in Edmonton would tell you. Here are the psychos: His hands held no guns in relation to the decision I chose to make as the head of the Oilers, and when I approached him about trading him once more after his lone year with us in western New York, he still remained without qualms. It was the most evil thing I'd done in my career. "Taylor, you're retiring after this season, correct?" "Yes." "But you signed a two year deal..." "Yes." "So how about we use you as trade bait, just so we can get over the hump necessary to grab this fifth overall pick from Toronto? You can just announce your retirement after the trade is accepted." "Yes." "Alright, great!" And so the deed was done. I traded our 30th pick, our top prospect Johnathan Crochetiere, prospect Gerard Peters, a still robust Cam Fowler, and Taylor Hall to Toronto for the fifth overall pick. The suckers actually accepted. By the way, they haven't won a Stanley Cup for 73 years now. Every team above Toronto refused the same package, even going as far as to call it, "seriously unbalanced." Hall announced his retirement three days later. We figured we'd use the Three Day Rule for this one, just to avoid any suspicion. At least Toronto can be happy that Crochetiere turned into a pretty good player. The forward currently has 231 points in 459 career games. But we still won the deal. Because the fifth overall pick turned into Fleury. Who captained our team to six more Stanley Cups. Ah, draft day. That's the reason I love it. Rarely do you have the assets necessary to make such an absurd trade, such a risky trade. But the thrill of the risk is undeniable. It cost me one job, but it also rewarded me with success unseen before my final decade in the league. That's why today, I'm going to pick out which players from the upcoming 2040 NHL Entry Draft are going to shine and which are going to bust. As the years pass through on this blog of sorts, we'll see which I'm right about and which I'm wrong about. For the first time in many years, a once-in-a-generation talent may be available. And you'll know who it is in my next post. Last edited by KA88NE; 08-03-2015 at 05:55 AM.