As today sorts itself out NHLP and NHL Playoff matchups will make more sense.
The NHL races are wide open today as who could meet who in the first round.
The NHLP matchups even more unclear as not one Division can say who is playing
who. NHLP matchups and home ice advantage are very
much wide open today. This will be a huge day that will sort out the NHLP
playoff page.
---
Game #53 - Chicago (Jr) versus Winnipeg (Scott)
For The Cup
It is a different Cup, but GM Jr will hope it goes the same way as far as the
results. The only time GM Scott and Jr played played for an NHLP
Championship, Jr's last Cup, the 2009 NHLP Championship went to Dallas.
The NHLP Cup Holder will be awarding either with it's Championship on Saturday
night and the massive 400 points that goes along with it. The Cup Holder
played a 52 game schedule leading into Saturday where it is winner take all.
Chicago on the season has played a pool low one time, losing to Brendan's
Washington team who finished 7-2, just shy of the pools best season.
Nashville (Scottie) and Tampa Bay (Joel) at 8-2 tied for the pools best in wins.
In next years version of the rules, where every game will matter, those two
would have split half the pot for the seasons most wins. This year it is a
winner take all. It is possible it will be a meaningless game to the NHL
standings, so it is also likely the Jets are sitting some stars. Last
night in a fierce contest that went into overtime versus Montreal (Marcel), the
Jets sat Scheifele and Wheeler. Their seems little doubt the back up is in
and banged up guys like Trouba, Byfuglien and maybe Laine and Scheifele again
won't play. However, if for some reason Nashville does not win in
regulation against Washington Thursday, the Saturday game will mean first
overall in the NHL standings, possibly changing the way Winnipeg approaches
their final game of the season. One thing is for sure. The game
won't be a throw-away game for these Scott and Jr, with the largest amount of
points, outside of an winning a NHLP Championship, riding on the outcome of this
one game.
---
Blues Get Point - They Are In
While GM Chad in Colorado will either be in or out after the huge Colorado-St
Louis game, other GM's are invested in the game as well. The NY Islanders
(Ryan) stand to keep or lose their top scoring player McKinnon and GM Charlie in
New York and Phoenix will either have an extra Blue (Pietrangelo and Steen), or
they won't. If the Blues get a point, Chad is out on his NHLP Colorado
team. If Chad's Avs are out, Calgary (Jr) with Crosby or Edmonton (Scott)
with his three Jets will be in. Calgary has the tie-breaker at the moment
and is a full point up on Edmonton, meaning with both teams having just 8 player
games remaining, the Oil would have to gain a full two points. With 8
player games that tells you these teams both have players in Sunday's
Florida-Boston game where this battle could come down to Huberdeau versus Backes
and Gionta.
Klinging to Hope
One player will play a huge part in the final day's games. Yes, we know
there is a straggler game tomorrow, but most every NHLP team is done today (well
- 15 team do have something going on Sunday but 8 of those are just one man
game). GM Jr is winning by one in Calgary with Crosby, on a team that may
win their battle with Edmonton and still not make the playoffs if they can't
penalty in. Jr is also in a huge battle with Cincinnati (Matt) for what is
guaranteed a playoff spot. On that team of Jr's has Hedman, Gourde and
Point, one of the best teams in the league and surely a Cup favorite on a Tampa
Bay run. Dallas has the tie-breaker in both races, so two points up and
two points down. Both Dallas and Cincinnati are finished today. It
appears Klingberg may play a huge role in Jr's playoff hopes. Cincinnati
has Klingberg, who Jr is trying to catch so Jr hopes he doesn't score points
today. However, if he does not score points, this will make it easier for
the Oil to catch the Flames, as ironically enough Calgary has the second
Klingberg. Making Klingberg stand out a little more is he plays the last
game of today, starting at 10:30. The Rage will have Klingberg and Doughty
in that same game (Stars-Kings), so Jr will need the lead in Dallas prior to
that game or he will likely be out. By the start of that game, we will
likely know if Klingberg needs to go scoreless, or needs a point or two to
change either race.
---
ST Louis @ Chicago
A lot was decided last night as far as NHL positions, but one thing not going to
be decided until the final buzzer of their final game is the St Louis Blues and
Colorado Avalanche race for the final playoff spot. The Blues can help
their cause against Chicago tonight, but that is all they can do. A Blues
win, prior to the shootout against the Blackhawks, means they will only need to
get a point against Colorado, but a Blues tie or loss means they will have to
beat the Avs outright, even if in a shootout. Now if the Blues win in a
shootout tonight versus Chicago, they will be out if they lost in overtime,
before the shootout, on Saturday. In that weird scenario, the teams would
have the same amount of points to end the season (95-95), but the Blues and Avs
would be tied in ROW at 40-40 heading into the game and the
Avs in this case would get the first tie Breaker 41-40, in the ROW column, for
winning it before the shootout.
Not gone unnoticed in the East is the Philadelphia Flyers. They came back
last night and won in the third. If they had lost, Florida was in charge
of their own destiny. The Flyers have one game left, Saturday versus the
Rangers at 3 PM. If the Flyers get a point, they are in.
If they choke against the Rangers, Florida would only have to beat Buffalo and
Boston and they would be in. I sure hope that doesn't fucking happen.
Have to change all the penalties in every Division for 15 teams that would be
affected on the Flyers out and Panthers in. Fuck sakes. "The NHLP
Yearbook would take a blow for letting this major story go unnoticed" said Muddy
Capone, "It was the case of the classic assumption making us look like asses."
A number of teams who think they are out, would be in, and some shocking teams
that are in, well in, would be, well, well out. Oh well. Wow.
---
Colorado @ San Jose
No Penalty
Of all NHLP teams in playoff spots, only the Colorado Avalanche (Chad) is facing
a penalty under the current standings. The Ducks were able to secure a
playoff spot because the Blues lost a huge game to Chicago. No matter what
the Avs do against San Jose tonight, the Blues must get at least one point
versus the Blackhawks on Friday to make the Saturday game a win and in.
No Races
If the NHL Standings stay as is, there is only one true race for a playoff spot
heading into the final days of the NHLP season. With all teams in the
league about between 14 to 16 player games remaining, tonight will take just
about every team below 10. In the South Division Miami (Charlie) is four
points behind Cincinnati (Matt) and five behind Las Vegas (Vinnie). GM Jr
in Dallas is just 7 points back with Hedman, Point and Gourde, clearly the best
Cup threat of the racing teams but clearly needing a miracle finish to get a
playoff spot. Jr is under the same pressure in Calgary with Crosby, two
points up on Edmonton (Scott) for 5th, which if the NHL Avalanche are out, means
fourth to one of these GMs. There are a number of good races for position,
who plays who in the first round. Clearly getting a 6-player team or one
with injuries is a better match-up then a full 7 players.
---
Chicago @ St Louis
Minnesota @ Anaheim
The Colorado Avalanche can only watch tonight. The Avs will be hoping one
or both the Blues and Ducks lose tonight, keeping the door wide open for them to
make the NHLP playoffs. If the Ducks win they are officially in if St
Louis doesn't get the full two points versus
Chicago. The Blues can move over Colorado by a point after even games 80
are played. We don't know if Anaheim's Saturday game will matter, but it
is almost a sure thing the Blues and Avalanche will play a win and win game
Saturday for the final NHL playoff spot.
---
Kings Get it Done
A number of NHLP GM's finally secured their playoff teams with the huge Kings
win Monday. Now, as mathematics would have it, they could still finish
out, but that combination of events will not be occurring. It would appear
now the Ducks will also be in needing just 2 points in three games, if both
Colorado and St Louis win out and split up some points in their head to head
game. That as well is not likely happening, so if the Ducks beat any of
Minnesota, Dallas or Arizona, they too will be in.
What is left is Colorado is screwed. Assuming St Louis beats Chicago twice
on Wednesday and Friday, the ONLY way Colorado can make the playoffs is win
outright versus San Jose Thursday and beat St Louis in the head to head showdown
Saturday, without overtime. If the Blues don't go back to back wins versus
Chicago, it will likely come down to a win and in on Saturday for either team.
If the two teams finish tied in points, the higher ROW makes it in, and then if
still tied St Louis who has a 3-1 season lead head to head. Everything is
stacked seriously against Colorado making it at this point.
Only Colorado a Question Mark?
Well it does look like the Ducks are in, so it would appear only the Colorado
Avalanche of GM Chad's can yet penalty out. Any other NHLP team is already
in 5th or 6th and would not be affected. If somehow Anaheim can't pull it
out, that would add to this list, but all indications are they are save.
---
Colorado @ Los Angles
Washington @ St Louis
Although mathematically the Eastern Conference is not officially over, we are
calling it so, allowing us to focus on the NHLP races. Florida could still
get in, but it would take a miracle very unlikely to occur. When you look
at the NHLP standings, these penalties for Florida have now been shown as
official in the standings and those teams dropped. If the miracle occurs,
we'll be making changes by Saturday games if they mean anything at all.
In the West, GM Jr saved a 1st overall draft pick and maybe his season in Dallas
with a big day, now likely three points up on 6th, which is 5th, but yet could
still be fourth if Colorado or Los Angeles still fail to make the NHL playoffs.
The Ducks, down 3-1 in the third, tied it and won in overtime moving them in
front of the Kings and giving them some breathing room in the standings.
If Los Angeles wins tonight in regulation, they should be in. They would
only need a single point against Minnesota and Dallas, or Colorado not beat both
San Jose and St Louis. If that happened and the Kings didn't get a single
point in their last two games, St Louis would still need to lose to Colorado and
get 4 points from Washington and Chicago twice. So, if the Kings win, they
will be in.
If Colorado wins tonight in regulation, the Kings could be out by the morning
(if St Louis wins before the shootout) and the Kings would only have two games
to play. If the Avs win, the mind kind of gets blown, as you could have
three teams at 95 and one at 94 or two at 95 and two at 94, depending on single
points. The Avs will be in real trouble if they don't win tonight.
St Louis can really makes things easy on themselves. If they beat Chicago
back to back, they would have 96 right there. A win tonight keeps them
looking solid and almost ensures that last game versus Colorado means something
to them. It is possible they could be in good enough shape they could lose
it outright and still be in, but they have to win before then. Six NHLP
teams could still penalty out depending on which NHL team is out, plus all the 6
man teams that can be created all over the place which will knock teams out in
first round scoring. This is a HUGE race for many NHLP GM's.
---
Cup On Line After Tonight
Ottawa (Tammy) just about pulled it out, but in the end Winnipeg (Scott) is now
just two wins away from the Cup Holder Champion. There are five potential
winners left and tonight can narrow that down to just two. If Winnipeg
beats Montreal (Marcel) tonight, there will be one game - Scott versus Jr's
Chicago for the Championship. If Marcel can get it done, Montreal would
play Detroit *Haley) where Haley could then win the Cup, or if Montreal pulled
that out, the Toronto (Charlie) and Montreal (Marcel) final could occur.
Marcel's Montreal has not played one game all season, so tonight his one game is
his only chance and it would take three straight wins to get it done.
Here are the possible outcomes
the rest of the way:
Winnipeg (Scott) - Montreal, Chicago* (for the Cup)
Montreal (Marcel) - Detroit**, Toronto*** (for the Cup)
*Chicago (Jr) - (Would win Cup beating Winnipeg)
**Detroit (Haley) - (Would win Cup beating Montreal)
***Toronto (Charlie) - (Would win Cup beating Montreal)
So we can say for sure, the winner, and that whopping 400 points, will
be one of the entries listed above, now down to just 5 potential winners.
---
Boston @ Philadelphia
New Jersey @ Montreal
Colorado @ Anaheim
The East Conference appears set. The Florida Panthers complete collapse of
late has removed all their games at hand advantage and turned their season into
begging others for help. New Jersey and Philadelphia can move one step
closer to a playoff spot and ensuring two NHLP teams penalty out of their
current playoff spots, taking down at least four teams in total as well as
creating some 6 player playoff teams.
In the Western Conference one of the many remaining head to head games are on
tap. With the Blues choke on Saturday, Colorado can move back ahead of
them with a win Sunday. With a huge head to head game to close out the
season, a win today ensure they remain close enough for that game to matter.
For Anaheim, a win will likely give them a playoff spot. The Ducks should
then be up 3 points on both the Blues and Avs who must yet play head to head,
where a team likely will get zero, making it ultra difficult for both teams to
gain three points on the Ducks, basically in three or four games. This
race is so close the ROW and head to head tie-breakers should play a part as
surely two teams tie in points somewhere. Every team has the first
tie-breaker versus the Ducks, because of the ROW, but the other teams could
reach the head to head tie-breaker if tied in points and ROW. The Blues
have the head to head over the Kings (2-1) and Avs (3-1) while the Kings (2-0)
already have the head to head, even if they lose Monday to Colorado.
From #32nd to 1st Overall
Can GM Chad cheer any harder for a game then tonight? If the Avs lose
tonight, Chad's Colorado team comes one step closer to having a penalty and
dropping out in the Pacific Division. Currently, he would lose that
playoff spot to Calgary (Jr) who on the strength of the "Most Points from only
playoff players of the teams tied", is ahead of Edmonton (Scott) for 5th (by a
mere three points in that tie-breaker), which is 4th if the NHL Avs are out of
the playoffs. However, an Avs win tonight, leaves hope for Chad to make
the NHLP playoffs and Anaheim to be out. On February 26th Calgary traded
Getzlaf and Trocheck to Colorado for Nylander and Reilly. As part of that
NHLP deal, if Anaheim misses the NHL playoffs, Colorado moves from drafting 32nd
in the first round to 1st overall. GM Jr is torn. He wants the Ducks
to tonight, but Getzlaf to not score. A sub plot to this is GM Scott in
Edmonton now has Getzlaf who is tied in points with Calgary. Scott feels
it was his doing that Chad has a full team of NHL Avalanche players and wants
Anaheim to win tonight, allowing him to still have a shot at the playoffs and be
the one to take Chad's playoff spot if the NHL Avs finish out. Suddenly,
with things so much clearer, there are a lot of good NHLP races and battles for
position, but none can be much bigger then tonight for three GM's.
---
Jets First Win - Cup in Sight
Even though Winnipeg (Scott) took the Cup Holder spot from Toronto, Charlie
still has a path to win it all. The win was the Jets first of the season
and puts them three wins away from ending with the Cup in the Cup Holder Pool.
Shockingly, there are just 5 teams remaining that have not won a game all season
and 4 of them have a shot at winning it all. Boston (Brooklyn), Chicago (Jr),
Montreal (Marcel) and Ottawa (Tammy) have not won a game all season between
them, yet are 4 of the 8 left with hopes of still winning. Although the
games are for the right to play in the Cup Championship, no one has had that
game just yet, but it is coming any day now. If Ottawa wins, they will
play Pittsburgh (Matt) who would be playing for it all. With the way the
Jets have played, you would have to think winning three straight versus Ottawa,
Montreal and Chicago, all NHL non-playoff teams, might not occur, but is very
possible.
---
Florida @ Boston
NY Islanders @ New Jersey
St Louis @ Arizona
Florida has to find a way to gain a single point after winning their game at
hand if they are to catch New Jersey. This is looking slimmer and slimmer by the
game, but that is their hope. Today things would appear stacked well
against any point gains and they may do well just by playing even.
While the Ducks won the game last night, the point they left on the table could
come back and haunt them, or the Blues or Avalanche. If all the teams win
their games at hand on Los Angeles, the Kings would be ahead of only the Avs, by
having the head to head tie-breaker, if the ROW ends tied, which it appears like
it would. St Louis is easily in the driver seat of their own destiny, with
two games at hand over the Kings. The Blues just need to win tonight and
they are one step closer to securing a spot in the playoffs.
---
Win Away From Final Game
The Toronto Maple Leaf entry of GM Charlie has a huge match next
Saturday versus Winnipeg (Scott), just a win away from the Stanley Cup Final
game in the Cup Holder Pool. If Charlie wins that, the winner will be decided
in their game with Montreal (Marcel), who will get their first taste of playing
for the Cup in the one game a winner is crowned. Although Haley lost Saturday
night, they can get another Chance to play for the cup if Winnipeg wins versus
Toronto, beats Ottawa and loses to Montreal, allowing Detroit to beat Montreal
and win it all. If Winnipeg can pull things out, their next game after versus
Ottawa would not be the Championship game.
---
Los Angeles @ Anaheim
St Louis @ Vegas
Chicago @ Colorado
It has been hard to talk about the NHLP Playoff races. Lots of teams in
last still had chances heading into last night. Last night really helped
sort through things a lot, making the NHLP races truly easier to see. Each
night will continue to do that. That "P" beside your NHLP teams name is
really starting to mean something, as those teams get closer to truly being a
penalty. Below we have taken out Minnesota and Columbus and called them in
the NHL playoffs. We are truly downt to now just 7 games battling for a
true 5 spots. Dallas (Jr) who had a big 11 points last night in the South
Division, you can see it means something now. After last night you can
easily see 5th might mean something in the South if New Jersey is out. Jr
is only 4 back of Vinnie in Las Vegas for that spot. If Los Angeles is
out, 6th place would get in. You can look at the NHLP standings now and
that chart below and clearly see where the true races are, and the select few
teams that can alter the penalties listed.
Tonight the four battling teams in the West can all get back within a single
point of each other if Anaheim, St Louis and Colorado all win. If the
Kings win outright tonight, they will be four clear of Anaheim, who then would
have to win their game at hand and then still gain a true three points in the
final three games. We don't see that happening, so Los Angeles can finally
claim a playoff spot tonight. That would mean Anaheim would only have 91
points with four to play. The Blues could go to 93 points with 5 to play
and already have the tie-breaker over the Ducks, so it would seem they would be
in as well. That would leave Colorado who could be a point up on the
Ducks, at even games. Even a Avs tie knots them up and put the Avs in (if
the Ducks don't tie themselves). The Avs and Ducks play Sunday. Now
all this chatter today is if the Kings win tonight and punch their ticket.
If the Kings cannot win and Anaheim wins one at home, they would be tied and
have a game at hand, moving the Kings back out of 3rd in the NHL Division.
We truly think the Kings would still be ok, but if you are cheering for the
Kings, that is a path you do not want to venture down.
---
Columbus @ Calgary
Pittsburgh @ New Jersey
Florida @ Ottawa
Minnesota @ Dallas
Arizona @ Los Angeles
What a huge win by the Philadelphia Flyers to go into Colorado and get the job
done. Things seem to change daily, but it is very hard to not imagine the
Flyers in at this point, up a full 7 on Florida. The Panthers gave it
their best shot but Toronto, the all-time most wins in FRANCHISE HISTORY (wow),
did what they do. Win. Florida no longer has the games at hand
advantages, for even winning what they do have won't put them past anyone.
Florida can be dealt a huge knockout blow tonight by not winning and having the
Devils and Columbus put a little more separation between them. The
Panthers will penalty out four NHLP teams (maybe a fifth on the combos) and cost
another three teams to lose a first round scorer. It surely looks like the
games in hand are going to fail these GM's who were willing to risk their entire
seasons for what is looking like is going to come next, their just desserts.
If a team in front of you in the NHLP standings has a "P" consider them out of
the playoffs and just move the other teams up. It can change daily, but
things are getting closer to becoming official. If two teams do tie in the
NHLP standings in points, after penalties (shown further down this page), the
first tie-breaker is most playoff players, so a 7 player playoff team is ahead
of a six player one if either team has lost a player. The full
tie-breaking procedures are in all your rule books. ==>
The game did hurt. Losing hurt for Colorado, but it just appears they have
their own destiny in hand more so than anyone else. There are four teams,
all within just a single point of each other in the NHL Western Conference
staandings. For the Avalanche, they play all the teams they are chasing.
The Avs have 90 points the other three 91. Going 2-1 or 1-2 will likely be
the difference. Of course, do any go to overtime? That will make a
huge difference as well. They could lose them all and still get 3 points,
so how can't these be the games that save or kill their season?
The Kings can put the Ducks to rest in the next two nights with back to back
wins over Phoenix then Anaheim. We have been building towards the Friday
night tilt for a while. It is often said the best part of hunting is
thinking about going and talking about it after you get back. We've been
thinking about this match all week and will be talking about it Saturday morning
with either the Kings dethroned or the Ducks never knowing the Blind existed.
If the Kings cannot get the points tonight they will look in dire shape tomorrow
night, that is just how close things are in the standings with only 5 games to
go.
As for the Coyotes, you have to really feel for their fans. The team has
14 wins in their last 20, each and every one painful to the teams truest fans.
All meaningless to any hope they had to make the playoffs, but yet those wins
have surely cost them the first overall pick in the Draft. Your chances of
a franchise player have dropped from 20%, down to 11 or even 9%. Instead
of them having a 20% chance of the top pick and everyone else having a 80%
chance, now they gave the teams just in front of them a 44% chance. If
they keep winning Detroit will be behind them tonight giving the teams in front
over a 50% chance while there own will be 1 in 20 soon. Of course Buffalo,
Ottawa and Vancouver have the top three best odds to land what all along looked
like it was going to the desert (of course we mean Vegas - hahaha).
---
Florida @ Toronto - L
Philadelphia @ Colorado - Phil W
You can't get much worse then the Anaheim Ducks. They are very big.
Very slow. They can do nothing offensively. Their entire game seems
to be just play it in their end and "Keep it close". You can't find a more
undisciplined team. They are the worst. But man oh man, is their
goalie good. True to form they threw away a huge game, one this bad team,
badly needed. Now they are tied with Los Angeles with 5 games to play and
the Kings have the tie-breaker. They play head to head Friday night, with
both teams then playing back to back nights versus Colorado. If either
team goes 0-2 right there, they are likely out of the NHL playoffs. After
that just a game or two left for both, so the head to head games will decide the
West. One more note. If the Ducks truly stink this bad and they are
racing with the Kings, Blues and Avalanche. Hmmmmm....
Speaking of both head to head games, things that stink, and Colorado, what a
huge game they play tonight. Colorado is out, but all they need is a
single point versus Philadelphia and the Avalanche will move back in front of
the Ducks for the final playoff spot. The Avs have Philly, Chicago, and
San Jose mixed in games between Anaheim, Los Angeles & St Louis, playing the
Blues on the very last night of the season. GM Chad in Colorado is the
only GM affected by the Avs dropping out last night. GM Scott said he is
going to laugh so hard if the Avalanche miss the playoffs. Scott tells the
story: "GM Jr has left the NHLP Deadline. The thing is over.
We are sitting around looking at all our teams. Ya, there is 5 minutes on
the clock, but the thing is over. No one has used the Minors in over an
hour. I opened my mouth and likely cost my team their season. I said
to Chad. I am shocked (in Colorado) you didn't go after the Florida guys
(with your four Blues players). Chad replied he could not afford to get
into those point battles. You know what he is talking about. Like
the battle where I dropped 16 points to get RID of Rantenan. I think he
was referring to that kind of battle. The battles where GM's where
unloading teams like Blues and Colorado players. You know, to avoid that
risk. But it slipped out of me as it has too many times over the years.
Ya, but you are keeping the Blues, hell, even Colorado is ahead in points.
The light when on for Chad. As Trump would say. A dim light.
Very dim. Not a bright light. Dim, dim light. A very dim
light. Well, within three minutes Chad had dropped his entire four Blues
for four Avs. He fucked me. I fucked myself. So I can't tell
you how hard I am cheering for the Avs to be the team out. The irony is
the Blues are in and would be in. They have scored so much, Chad would
still be ahead of me. If the Avs miss, one of Jr or I will penalty in.
That is going to feel awesome if it happens. Maybe just maybe, I get in
because I opened my mouth and fait has it that, that is what I was suppose to
do. The Jets go to the Finals and I win it all. All because Chad
swapped out his four Blues for four Avs in the dying minutes of the Deadline.
This league has been built on this type of story."
We know the Avs can't afford to be leaving points behind, but if you are
a Flyers fan, you have to think they let one get away in Dallas. Now you
have to go into rested Colorado who is going to bring everything. If the
Flyers win tonight they move ahead of Columbus and tie Pittsburgh in points.
If they lose, and someone has to lose this huge game, the Flyers are now, best
case, 5 up on Florida with the Panthers having three games at hand, or worst
case just 3 up. If the Flyers are only 3 points up and you are giving
Florida the tie-breakers and three games at hand, it will be the Flyers who will
appear the odd team out in the East. Truly that will mean just 2 up.
If you give the Panthers 3 points in their 3 games, you aren't up, you are out.
With the Flyers, would so go Buffalo (Joel), Toronto (Chad) and Green Bay
(Ryan), all current NHLP playoff teams.
Before the Colorado and Philly game, Florida will have already won or lost.
The Panthers cannot afford to lose and playing in Toronto won't be easy.
Florida has to almost max out every point in the games at hand, and then they
can just play even with the teams ahead, and they will be in. The big
thing on their schedule is Boston 3 times. A seemingly huge game on the
NHL schedule is Friday when Tampa Bay and Boston play head to head. It
matters to every team in the East. If those teams are in a battle for
first in their division to the final weekend, Boston will be playing their best
roster. If that race is over and Florida and Boston are playing 2 of the
last 3, and even a head to head game after the season is technically over on the
Sunday, why would Boston play Chara, Bergeron, Krug, Backes and Marchand?
I know I forget their best players, but they are healthy. I know I
wouldn't even ice a team, just forfeit, cause nothing good can come from
meaningless games, but serious injuries. The backup is in, and why risk
him? Play the guy who is on-call to play in case the first two goalies get
hurt. He deserves some game action. You owe nothing to the other
teams. What does Boston owe to Philadelphia or New Jersey? If they
can't help themselves, why should you bail them out, risking your run for the
Cup for them? You do what is best for your Cup run. I would never
risk Bergeron, who has taken over 1000 more faceoff this season then the next
closest Bruins player (sorry - that was Kopitar, but I am all about the fake
news now so I will leave it in), getting hurt in a meaningless game to my team
in the final game(s) of the season. The final weekend, we see back up
goalies and rested players. It has always impacted the NHLP races.
Why would 2018 shape up any different?
---
Carolina @ New Jersey - W
Philadelphia @ Dallas - T
Columbus @ Edmonton - W
San Jose @ St Louis - W
Minnesota @ Nashville - T
Anaheim @ Vancouver - L
Columbus, Philadelphia and New Jersey can look at Florida and say, "We don't
have to beat Florida, just one of the other two teams in our Division."
There are several ways to look at this race, but even if Florida won out, they
can get no higher than the 1st Wild Card. The other three teams are
playing for a third seed in their Division and the two Wild Card spots.
The issue for those three is if Florida ties any of them at season end, Florida
has every tie-breaker, the first and second, against all three (except the
second tie-breaker against Columbus - head to head). So if Florida wins
their games at hand, they tie Columbus and Philadelphia in points and have the first
tie-breaker on each, as well as they would outright be ahead of the
Devils.
Edmonton is playing very well at 6-2-2 but not as well as Columbus with only a
loss in their last eleven games. The Jackets can't let this slip away, or all
the other three teams can pass them and put them into 9th and out at even
games. You would think New Jersey should get the points tonight, but the
Hurricanes have won three straight. A win by the Devils keeps the pressure on
Florida, while a loss means the Panthers pass them with just a single point in
two games at hand.
Colorado just could not get it done and now leave themselves as
the team out if St Louis can beat San Jose tonight. The Blues, who
have won 5 in a row, are in the driver seat if they keep winning.
They play the hottest team in the NHL, winners of 8 straight in the
Sharks.
A critical two points are at stake for the Ducks. Winning means a
true two points up on the Kings with each 5 to play and their head to
head game on Friday. A loss moves the idle Kings back ahead of the
Ducks and will likely force a must win in regulation versus the Kings,
something that won't be the case should they win tonight. The
Ducks winning tonight means just getting to OT versus the Kings on
Friday will leave them ahead with 4 games to play, while the Kings will
be playing catch-up over their final three games and very likely be
playing for a Wild Card spot.
Minnesota must be feeling good about their game heading into Nashville
tonight. They are 6-2-2 and just beat Nashville 4-1 two
games back and just took the Bruins to overtime. A tough schedule
for any team. Another unexpected win tonight and we will give the
Wild a deserved playoff spot. The Wild would be up 5 with 6 to go,
and teams behind playing a lot of head to head games to finish, where
their will be a loser in each one. If the Wild lose tonight they
should still be ok, still needing all four teams behind them, each to
all gain at least three or four points over just 6 games. It would
take a total collapse, maybe even losing out which seems improbable.
The Wild will likely be our next team we welcome to the 2018 NHL
playoffs.
---
Florida @ NY Islanders
Colorado @ Vegas
Calgary @ Los Angeles
We have officially declared there are now 9 NHL teams racing for 7 playoff
spots, dropping Dallas now to officially 'Sayonara', or as the Spanish say in
Dallas, "Sayonara". They just choked and could not do anything down the
stretch. Now they can play spoilers, a role they may be better suited for.
Of the 6 NHLP players effected by Dallas, GM Marcel is hardest hit with Seguin
and Radulov, while Benn is a hard blow to miss in his first round scoring for GM
Chad in Toronto, if they don't penalty out if New Jersey misses. GM's
keeping Dallas players have no one to blame but themselves. "The Stars
were definitely never a sure thing" said Muddy Capone, adding, "Many GM's had
lots of points but risk first round six man teams, even potential penalty by
keeping them, so other GM's who worked harder to remove that risk won't be
shedding a tear today."
We have seen a number of underserved points handed out almost every
night. Last night those "Lucky Ducks" did it again, totally dominated
by Edmonton, and goalie out when they tied it to go on and win it in
OT. The Kings have Calgary and Arizona while the Ducks play Vancouver
leading up to the teams Friday night showdown. If they take all those
points, Friday each team will be at 93 points with the Ducks ending that
game with 4 to play, one more then the Kings. Seems surely this is all
coming to that game.
If Colorado can get a point tonight, they will end the night ahead of
the Kings and with a game at hand. Vegas is still 5-3-2 over their
last ten, so still a tough draw. Colorado still plays the Ducks,
Kings and Blues, games that will ultimately decide their fait.
If the Panthers are going to come back, all the way back, they can
ill-afford to lose too many more games. Leaving points on the table,
even just a single point versus the Islanders, those are the points you
will look back on in two weeks and go "That game killed us." Getting
the Job done tonight means they are a single point behind the Devils
with a game at hand. Currently, the first tie-breaker, the ROW -
Regulation/Overtime Wins, so anything not ending in a shootout win, has
the Panthers one up, 35-34. Now, if the Panthers ROW finishes tied with
the Devils on the last day of the season, the next tie-breaker is head
to head games, and this also goes to Florida on the strength of a 2-1
season series lead (no head to head left to play). The Devils aren't
going to get ahead in the ROW column versus Florida, not without just
beating them in points anyway, so just consider that Florida only has to
tie the Devils the rest of the way and they are in. The age old NHLP
question is perfect to ask right here. Would you rather have the two
games at hand (Florida) and in charge of things, needing 3 points to
knock out your opponents, or be up the 3 points (Devils), and just sit
back and watch the games unfold, with the team behind you able to knock
you out without a possible response? I don't think team either feels
comfortable, but a Panthers win tonight. and Devils fans will be feeling
hotter than the Devil's armpit.
---
Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh
Boston @ Minnesota
Anaheim @ Edmonton
Vancouver @ Dallas
Who would have saw Saturday unfold like it did. St Louis winning
in Columbus and Minnesota soundly beating Nashville. Then Los
Angeles loses to Edmonton. In the East Sunday, you can't help but
look at the Standings and say Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are in.
Florida is so far back, like 7 behind the Pens. But if the Pens
lose today, the Flyers tie them in points and if somehow Florida then did win
their games at hand on both teams, the Panthers are just a single point
behind them for the final playoff spot with just 6 games to play.
With 14 days left in the season after today, Florida plays 9 games in
the final 14 days, including three versus the banged up Bruins and
finishes with 5 in the last 7 days. The NHL season ends on
Saturday, April 7th with 15 games, however, due to a canceled game this
season, Florida and Boston play the lone game Sunday the 8th, in what
could be must see TV. If the Flyers can't get it done today,
Florida can pass them by even games. The pressure to MUST win
every game is certainly on Florida, but I wouldn't want to be the team
to tank in front of them, just in case.
Heading into the third period of the Wild versus Preds game Saturday, 5
NHL teams in the West were all within ONE point for the final playoff
spot, either having 89 or 90 points each. That is insane.
For the first time in two weeks since the NHLP
Trading Deadline, a team moved from Red to Green (below), changing the
potential NHLP penalties. If the Ducks don't get a point in
Edmonton today, it changes back as the Kings move in and the Ducks out,
again. Those teams play a big head to head game Thursday.
The Ducks game today is a game at hand, so if they win, they would only
need to take the Kings to overtime and still be ahead come Thursday, so
it is a big game in the race for third in the Pacific and 9th in the
West. Dallas must win against Vancouver or we will stroke them off
the list they likely aren't deserving to be on anymore. The Stars
end with a head to head game versus the Kings, but even if they do
finish 5-2, giving them 94 points, they would have to have two teams in
front finish 2-5, for those teams to finish behind. The Stars are
1-6-3 in their last 10 and none of the teams they are chasing has less
then 5 wins their last 10. Dallas out really affects the NHLP
North Division where a Dallas-New Jersey combo kills two teams (Chad &
Marcel). The room for error doesn't really exist anymore.
Teams who crash now are likely out and anyone playing 5-2 to finish
definitely is in, at least in the West.
---
Change Has Come
For the first time since the NHLP Trading Deadline, three additional
teams have now been added to the Potential Penalties list. There
hadn't been one change since the Deadline when teams like Florida, St
Louis and Dallas, were out and remained out. Well, until last
night. The Los Angles Kings, with what was thought to be the
easiest game of the day for the racing teams, could not beat Edmonton
and now with just 6 games left are in 9th in the West. As the NHLP
Standings are now, three divisions would see two teams penalty out,
showing NHLP GM's the importance of setting a team, even when in 6th
place. There are just two weeks remaining in the season. The
Kings still have chances, playing both Anaheim and Colorado, but if those
teams win their games at hand, or get a point in the head-to-head
matchup, the Kings could finish the season where they sit today.
The Kings are in a much better spot then Colorado or St Louis and those
teams winning out, doesn't necessarily affect the Kings. The
Kings only need to get ahead of the Ducks, and vice versa, and are
automatically in, no matter even if behind Colorado and St Louis in
points.
---
St Louis @ Columbus
Tampa Bay @ New Jersey
Arizona @ Florida
Nashville @ Minnesota
Los Angeles @ Edmonton
Vegas @ Colorado
What a crushing way to lose. The Dallas Stars may have been dealt their
death-blow after blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period versus Boston, allowing
the 3-2 goal with 11 seconds to play. With now only 7 to play and needing
to gain at least 5 points, we can likely already place them as out. The
Ducks got a huge point in Winnipeg. The Ducks could not do anything at all
and were out-classed so badly it was borderline embarrassing. The Jets
looked like the Globetrotters, constantly making great passes, but just unable
all night long to beat Gibson. It was just so hard to believe the Ducks
could have won it in overtime. The Blues win, means winning their game at
hand tonight versus Columbus, can move them in and the Ducks out. Staying
in the West for Saturday, St Louis, Los Angeles, Colorado and Minnesota, all
separated by just three points are all in must win games. The losing teams
will be within a game of being caught potentially for 9th place. The Kings
look like they have the best draw of the night, with the Avs maybe the easier of
who Minny and St Louis have on tap, playing two teams who have combined on a
18-1-1- record their last ten games.
In the East the Devils win was huge and they can go back to back with a win
tonight against Tampa Bay. With the Bruins one of the most banged up teams
in the NHL, a Tampa win will put them closer to first. First likely means
New Jersey or Florida in round one. Finishing second means Toronto.
I don't think anyone (well, Boston or Tampa Bay) wants the Leafs in Round One,
so a lot to play for. Florida has Arizona in their must win. If the
top teams in the standings win, the Devils will only be a point ahead of Florida
who would then have two games at hand to catch the Devils. These two seem
the only true race in the East even though Philly isn't
out of the woods just yet.
---
Charlie Takes Cup - Just Three to Go
The way GM Charlie has rolled the past few weeks, is it any surprise he is now
the Cup Holder? The Nashville team of Scottie's held the Cup a record one
month and tied Brendan's Washington team with 7 straight wins as the Cup Holder.
Now it is Charlie's Leafs who are just three wins away from the NHLP's First Cup
Holder Pool winner and the 400 points that comes with it. Now up for
Toronto is Detroit (Haley) on Saturday. For Toronto to win out they will
have Winnipeg (Scott) and Montreal (Marcel) after Detroit. Marcel is the
only entry to not have played a game for the Cup this season. For Haley a
Detroit run seems unlikely, as after Detroit still
have Montreal (Marcel), Pittsburgh (Matt), Ottawa (Tammy), Columbus (Shana) and
ending with, yup, Montreal (Marcel) again.
---
New Jersey @ Pittsburgh
Anaheim @ Winnipeg
Vancouver @ St Louis
Boston @ Dallas
The Kings and Blue Jackets won the big games Thursday. Neither team has
been ruled officially in, but the NHLP did move San Jose as safe, removing their
teams from any potential penalties their NHLP owning GM's might face. New
Jersey must win tonight versus Pittsburgh to keep the heat on the Florida
Panthers team who is just a point behind with a game at hand. Losing
tonight and giving the Panthers two games to gain a single point to move ahead
is a dangerous move Devils fans would not want. In the West both Dallas
and Anaheim are in really tough games. Dallas needs a win versus Boston
while the Ducks must win in Winnipeg, something visiting teams just don't do. A
Stars win keeps their slim hopes alive while a Ducks win moves them back in
front of the Kings. For the Blues, they must win against Vancouver to keep
the pressure on everyone in front. St Louis can tie LA and be a point
behind the Avs at even games, and if the Ducks can't win tonight, the Blues can
pass the Ducks outright by even games, if they win tonight. Making a Blues
win tonight bigger still is they must play Columbus tomorrow who hasn't lost
since 2004.
---
High Scoring NHLP Night
Dallas (Jr) went from 16 points out of 4th to only 10 out after an 11 point
night. The Dallas players had 11 with all 5 players having a third period,
yet they could get no more. In Buffalo, things were getting a little bit
to close for GM Joel, who's 10 points moved the team from 5 up on 5th to 14.
Of course there is no hotter GM than Charlie who just can't stop scoring.
Since the NHLP Trading Deadline, while teams like Hartford (Andrew) has 12
points, and Calgary (Jr) and San Fran (Scott) have 17, GM Charlie in Phoenix has
42, NY Rangers 42 and Miami 37. For Charlie the finish is real. His
three teams won't face any penalty if Columbus stays in and if the Kings can
hold their spot. The NHLP totally missed the HUGE week of GM Charlie last
week in New York, where the Rangers had almost an all-time record 34 points.
---
Rangers 3 Shy of Historic All-Time Mark
Totally lost on the NHLP was the New York Rangers week ending Sunday night.
GM Charlie's team had a totally insane 34 point week. The NHLP record for
points in a week was set by GM Shawn in Halifax 10 years ago. Shawn's
players had a week total of - 9-8-8-5-4-3. Halifax had a 14 point week
that same week and pulled off the feat in the next to last season the NHLP ran
with 6 player rosters. Charlie's 34 is the highest total in the past 10
NHLP seasons. In the last 10 years prior to this week, only 7 NHLP teams
have hit 30 in a week. Vancouver (Joel) 33, Phoenix (Charlie) 32, Chicago
(Andrew) 31 and 30's for San Fran (Scott), Pittsburgh (Chad) and Colorado (Chad)
who did it two. Charlie's week was led by NHL player of the week
Pietrangelo who had 9, while Perron, Couture and Pavelski had 5 each. C.
Miller had 4 and three point weeks went to Bozak and Oshie (9-5-5-5-4-3-3).
"It is a really tough thing accomplish" said Muddy Capone, "Congrats to GM
Charlie."
---
Cup Holder Continues
A huge game tonight with Toronto (Charlie) versus Nashville (Scottie).
Scottie has 7 wins in a row and another tonight will put him against Minnesota
(Sean) while Charlie's Leafs would get Detroit (Haley). These games are
huge as these are your last games. You lose your game, or your chance to
play for the Cup now, you simply won't get another chance.
---
Florida @ Columbus
Los Angeles @ Colorado
NY Rangers @ Philadelphia
Vegas @ San Jose
Can you get any bigger game in the West? The two Wild Card teams hook up
in their first of two remaining battles, the other one in 11 days. Los
Angeles is in the worst spot heading into tonight's game. The Kings just
can afford to lose. A loss will mean the St Louis Blues would only need a
win with two games at hand and would be ahead of the Kings, tying in the ROW and
beating the Kings two of three games this season, the last, the night of March
10th, the NHLP Trading Deadline. The Kings, with a loss, will be playing
catch up with only 7 games to play and will be flirting with being out in the
West. The Kings being out eliminates the NHLP's Islanders (Ryan), Coyotes
(Charlie) and Strip (Vinnie), and more teams on the Los Angeles combos, like New
Orleans (Shawn) and Cincinnati (Matt) on the Kings-Devils. If the Kings
win, they put the pressure right back on the Avs and Ducks as the teams in the
Blues line of sight. We have removed Calgary. Clearly they are out
with just 7 games to go and 7 points back.
In the East we think Columbus can punch their ticket tonight when they play
Florida. What a battle this should be. Two teams who have played
awesome hockey down the stretch. Would Pittsburgh or Washington truly want
to play a seven game series with Columbus right now? Likely not. With just
8 games to go, it is hard to imagine the Blue Jackets just collapsing and New
Jersey and Florida both almost winning out. If the Jackets where to finish
4-4, that is 95 points, the Devils would have to go 7-2 to catch them. The
real race seems between Florida, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Even Philly
is now a real stretch to finish behind the Devils. Even if the Devils win
their game at hand, they would have to still gain 3 points in 8 games on the
Flyers without a head to head game. Now if Florida loses tonight, they
would have to get a point in their game at hand to be ahead of the Devils.
That suddenly would be tough. The NHLP Standings and races are close, but
until this NHL Standings thing continues to sort itself out, only NHLP teams not
facing any potential penalties are truly safe.
---
Montreal @ Pittsburgh
Anaheim @ Calgary
St Louis @ Boston
Dallas and New Jersey suffered huge losses while Philadelphia and Los Angeles
got huge single points. We are almost where we think we can call Columbus,
San Jose and Minnesota in, but there are just too many head to head games, and
games at hand from teams behind, to make the call. Columbus won their 9th
straight and are actually tied with Pittsburgh, so you can't say Pittsburgh is
truly safe now if you say the Jackets aren't. The Pens still play New
Jersey twice, as well as Columbus, Philadelphia and a tough game against
Washington, 5 tough games in their final 9. Only one team can miss from
the East, so they would have to fall behind the Devils and Panthers (and
Columbus and Philadelphia), a seemingly improbable task. If the Devils and
Flyers beat them in the next 5 days, we will take more notice. The Pens
should be able to beat the Habs tonight but with 16 NHLP players they would reek
havoc everywhere claiming a ton of teams.
In the West, Anaheim and Los Angeles keep playing leap frog, with now the Ducks
a game at hand, and versus the Flames tonight with a win moving the Kings back
to the 8th and final playoff spot. The Kings and Avs play tomorrow and
someone has to lose, leaving huge opportunities for the teams behind.
Dallas is really looking out in the West and at 2-5-3 their last ten, they are
playing like a team going nowhere. The team to watch from the back of the
pack is St Louis, who plays Boston tonight. If you are a fan of any team
in, you want St Louis to lose tonight. If you need the Ducks, Kings or Avs
out, you are cheering for the Blues tonight. At even games the Blues can
be one behind the Ducks, tied with the Kings, and three behind the Avs, making
the Avs-Kings head to head games huge, along with games like Kings-Ducks and Avs-Ducks.
Some teams have to lose points and St Louis can gain with any type of decent
finish. In the Blues final ten games they play Boston, Columbus, San Jose,
Vegas, Washington and finish with Colorado. That is a tough schedule, but
it starts tonight in Boston if they truly can make a run. If New Jersey,
Dallas and St Louis just stay out, no single NHLP team penalties out and it
takes a combination of the three to claim two North Division Teams, Toronto
(Chad) and Florida (Marcel) and Cincinnati (Matt) in the South, would be the
only three teams to penalty out. Portland (Vinnie) is the only NHLP team
that is officially out based on Penalty.
---
Philadelphia @ Detroit
Columbus @ NY Rangers
Florida @ Ottawa
New Jersey @ San Jose
Los Angeles @ Winnipeg
Colorado @ Chicago
Dallas @ Washington
The Kings saved themselves with an insane comeback with the goalie pulled and
won in overtime. You take those two points away and put them versus
Winnipeg tonight and things appear much different. The same can be said
for Columbus who are going after their 9th straight tonight in New York.
The Bruins had two breakaways where guys were hauled down in overtime, and the
ref appeared to just freeze on both of them, determined not to call an OT
penalty. The Blue Jackets can win their 9th straight tonight - 9 IN A ROW,
yet if they lose on Thursday versus Florida, both Florida and New Jersey will be
able to pass them by even games played. This is all so insane. If
Florida beats Ottawa and New Jersey can't win in San Jose, the Devils will only
be a point up on Florida who will have two games at hand. The Devils-Stars
combination costs three NHLP GM's (Chad, Marcel and Matt) their seasons.
The Kings and Dallas have tough games tonight, but every game has proven tough
for every team battling. We are getting close to saying Minnesota is in,
Calgary is out, one 6 up and one 6 out, but we will track them for a bit longer
with all the head to head games still to play.
---
Columbus @ Boston
Florida @ Montreal
Los Angeles @ Minnesota
The Bruins are four points back of Tampa Bay with two games at hand.
Winning first means avoiding the Leafs in the first round and likely getting New
Jersey, Columbus or Florida. The Bruins are coming to play tonight in a
huge game for both teams, the other being the Blue Jackets. If the Jackets
can't win tonight and Florida does (which they should), the Panthers have 3
games at hand and will be just 4 back of Columbus. The NHLP North's
Division is all about Columbus, as if they miss, so does two teams in the
standings (Chad & Shawn). Before the teams play head to head on Thursday,
the Jackets play the Rangers and the Panthers the Sens. If the teams get
to that head to head game separated by just 4 points with the Panthers having 3
games at hand, that could just be the game to put the Panthers in for good, as
having 3 games in hand and only a true 2 points out, as they would have the ROW
tiebreaker, the Blue Jackets would be in huge trouble.
In the West, the Kings can reclaim 3rd spot moving the Ducks to 8th in the
Pacific, but would need a full two points. If the Kings can't win tonight,
they can then be passed outright for the final playoff spot by the St Louis
Blues (with a tough next game versus Boston), with the Blues being a point back
with a game at hand after tonight. The West still appears to come down to
these head to head games. Each night that goes by with these standings so
close, the next head to head game looms larger still. The Kings have the
Wild & Avs twice and the Flames, Ducks and Stars once each. Teams cannot
afford to not get points out of every game, but yet, with all these head to head
games, someone is losing the game, opening the door for someone else chasing
them.
---
New Jersey @ Anaheim
The second half of a back to back against teams racing in the West is a huge
game for the Devils. With a win the Devils move ahead of Columbus and
maybe Philadelphia who plays Washington. The Devils can ensure that the
Panthers three games at hand can't affect them, as a win puts them 7 ahead of
Florida. As far as the Ducks they are in a group of four teams all tied
with 84 points. The Ducks can move the Kings out of third in the Pacific,
with the Kings potentially falling into 9th depending on the outcomes of Dallas
and Colorado. The Avs have Detroit and this is their game at hand on the
group, so the Avs can look even more secure with a win. Dallas has what
appears the hardest game of the night, playing at Winnipeg. If Dallas
loses and the Ducks get a point, Dallas would fall out of the Western Conference
Playoffs. Dallas and a number of different combinations from the East
cause a number of NHLP teams to penalty out, but not Florida so nothing would
change tonight with Dallas out. Tonight is another huge night with just 20
days left in the season.
---
Head to Head
For Teams Racing For The Playoffs
It is just incredible to think only one head to head game will be played among
the four teams racing in the Eastern Conference. Florida is in Columbus on
the 22nd, and that is it. What could be of huge importance is the
Cross-Over games, where presumable one team will lose. New Jersey plays
three straight in California. The West is full of head to head matchups.
These are huge four point games and almost every night. The Kings play 7
head to head games with the West teams they are battling with while St Louis
only plays two, and Calgary three, not likely good when they are playing catch
up. Each of the other 5 teams - Minnesota, San Jose, Anaheim, Colorado and
Dallas play at least 5 head to head games with the teams they are battling with.
I think it is a safe bet that these games will determine will thrives, and who
implodes, down the stretch.
---
Flyers - Out After Even Games Played?
GM Shawn insisted at the meeting that the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers were no
shoo-in to make the playoffs, while GM Scott just stood there and laughed at
Shawn. "Hell ya, I was mocking him, he fucked me all day long" said Scott,
"But I had no idea the Flyers might actually truly miss the playoffs, as if."
Well, as-if has become very-possible, as when all the games at hand are played,
the Flyers would be tied with Columbus, but in 8th based on a better ROW, the
first tie-breaker in the NHL Standings. If the Devils win their game at
hand, they would be a point ahead of the Flyers with 11 to play and Florida,
although still four points behind the Flyers have three games at hand. If
Florida won two of three in regulation, they would have a better ROW then the
Flyers. As far as the NHLP, the Flyers were now added below and would
claim three teams. The NHLP's top two teams in the North, Toronto (Chad)
and Buffalo (Joel) could join Green Bay (Ryan) as Flyer Die-Hards. With 22
days left in the season, Muddy Capone says he can't remember the league in such
a wide-open state. "You have a lot of good teams that have dropped out and
a lot of good teams, high in the standings, that can be out" said Capone, "Each
night, each game, is so intense." While the East is quiet tonight, there
are a number of big games in the West.
---
Charlie's 52 Point Week
GM Charlie continued his post Deadline tear, picking up another 10 points in
Phoenix who have 20 points on the week and it is only Friday. Charlie's 52
(20-17-15) is incredible with each of his three teams in the top 6 teams for
scoring this week. Although he isn't near any records, with GM Chad once
having an 83 point (30-30-23), there is still the weekend to play. Most
teams around 20-30, with Jr's week at 20 between his three teams, two and a half
times less then Charlie. All three of GM Charlie's teams, which league
consensus were going to be dead after failing to attend the most crucial meeting
of the year, are all currently in and pulling away from 5th. The biggest
night went to the NY Islanders, a team who grabbed 31 points after the NHL
Trading Deadline with a crazy trade-filled Waiver and catapulted into first
place in the Atlantic Division, only to find themselves there again after an 11
point night. This will be a very interesting finish in the NHLP as a
record amount of teams are certainly going to penalty out. The NHLP
Standings in Office Pools does not show the penalty amount, but the "P" beside a
teams name means based on the NHL Standings today, that team would suffer a
penalty, which in almost every case means not make the NHLP Playoffs.
---
Jarnkrok Gone For Season
While GM Ryan in Boston can deal with Jarnkrok's injury wihtout risk of missing
the NHLP playoffs, the same can't be said for GM Jr in Memphis. The
Machine, after the NY Rangers (Charlie) come up with a nine point night, find
themselves in 5th place, now 5 points out. Memphis only will need Florida
to miss the playoffs and they are in. "I cut it too close" GM Jr told the
NHLP Yearbook, "I went for it and many other teams are carrying non playoff
guys, will likely finish ahead." We see it each season, great NHLP teams
missing the NHLP playoffs with lesser teams making it in. The bottom line
is the better teams win, and going for it, even when it costs you your playoff
team is the right thing to do. A ways to go yet, but for many NHLP GM's,
these late season injuries, like Jarnkrok may wind up killing their hopes for a
Cup.
---
NHLP Trading Deadline
It was the first time in six seasons the NHLP Trading Deadline did not reach 30
Transaction, 14 in total of the high over that time of 43. Of the total 29
Transactions this season, only 8 were trades and 21 to the Minors. "It
seemed like GM's were a lot more busy prior to the meeting this year" said NHLP
analyze Muddy Capone. The league was on pace for 190 deals and ended with
194, the second most over the past 6 NHLP seasons. GM Matt lead the league
with 44 Transactions, six more than GM's Andrew and Chad who were also very
active. GM's Vinnie, Charlie and Tyson were the bottom three with GM
Vinnie making an almost impossible mere 3 transactions on the season.
"With three Waivers, that might be the leagues all-time lowest total ever" added
Capone.
NHLP Trading Deadline Transactions the Past
6
Seasons
Year
Total Transactions
Deadline Trades
Deadline Minors
Deadline Transactions
17/18
194
8
21
29
16/17
222
14
29
43
15/16
173
14
24
42
14/15
170
14
19
33
13/14
162
15
25
40
12/13
160
14
25
39
---
Cup Favorites In Philly Crash Hard
GM Scott said it is a tough blow. The Philadelphia Flyer are the first
post-deadline team to suffer a major injury, losing Spurgeon twice. The
Flyer are only three points up on 5th and likely cannot make the NHLP Playoffs
unless Florida misses, causing Atlantic City (Vinnie) to penalty out. With
thee players now hurt, with Spurgeon gone minimum four weeks, the GM's best hope
for success this year is surely lost. A team with Laine, Ehlers,
Connor, Brassard and Palat, which had some promise on a Jets run, will likely
fade quickly down the stretch. "Five man teams don't win round one" said
the disappointed GM. "I have suffered these big injuries before, and we
will have them again" said GM Scott, "Sometimes an injury helps you, if it is to
someone else, and other times, it is the end of your season."
---
Striking Distance?
Another huge win for Scottie has pushed the next game for the Cup to March 22nd.
For Scottie to win out might be asking too much, as his Preds would still have
to win 7 games for that to happen. Next up on the 22nd is Toronto (Charlie).
If Nashville wins they would play Minnesota (Sean) and be down to just 6
straight for the Cup. Losing it now means you likely won't get another shot.
If Charlie can win on the 22nd, he would only have three games remaining to win
out, against Detroit (Haley), Winnipeg (Scott) and Montreal (Marcel) to win the
Cup. "The Montreal and Toronto final would be a sweet end" said Muddy Capone,
"Montreal, Marcel, playing their only game all season, one game, and it is for
the Cup, awesome story."
---
Sides
GM Jr pulls way out in front with over half the NHLP sides officially
over. There are some real point races yet to go, and of course
some unknowns, like who will win the NHL Stanley Cup, with a huge 200
points by itself. We added a link to both the Sides and the Cup
Holder in the Menu. GM Matt is really going to be ill when he
see's how badly he is being crushed in the Sides, but he can get it all
back, 200 points of the 290 he is down if he gets the Stanley Cup winner
right. "He first needs Edmonton to finish strong and get in and as
he says, anything can happen" said Muddy Capone.
Earlier in the season Brendan had the Cup for 25 days, the longest
streak of the season. Scottie, with 25 days left in the season has
a streak of 21 days holding the Cup. There seasons a game for the
Cup every 3 to 4 days, so we might have 7 games remaining with the final
winner winning 400 points, a huge jackpot. Tonight Scottie and his
Preds face GM Scott's Jets, who are only playing for their second time
this season. GM Charlie will play Scottie if Nashville wins and GM
Jr will play Scott if the Jets win. Any person going on a streak
right now, like we have see from Brendan or Scottie, could run the table
and win it all. GM Marcel is the only player not having a game for
the Cup this season, but he only has to play just one game and he could
win it all. The Cup Holder Pool will really be very different next
season, with those rules under the current standings for this year.
Next season, a fourth loss will mean you surrender your team for good,
while the GM who beats you will own your team moving forward, until that
team is lost by losing four games within a round. "It will make
every game mean something all season long" said Muddy Capone, "So
players will play elimination games and they will have to enter with
Expansion teams, teams not chosen, and even possibly have to wait on a
waiting list to get back in if all teams are taken". Each time a
person now with multiple teams beats himself, that team will become a
new expansion team, so the best teams in the league will be recycled, so
anyone can have any team in the years to come." This year it is
coming down to one game for all the marbles and we will follow it
through the rest of the way here on the homepage of the site.
---
West Division Clarification
It was brought up at the end of the NHLP Trading Deadline, that three
NHLP teams could all penalty out in the West Division. As the GM's
tried to figure out what those penalties could be, another question was
asked on the NHLP Rules. GM Scott mis-spoke saying if three teams
penalty out, which team has the most playoff players. "That was
just a brain fart" said GM Scott, "Once I thought about what was being
asked and looked at it later, I realized I was misleading the guys."
So right now, here would be the penalties, based on the current NHL
standings:
St Louis (Tyson) - Minus 111 (4 man playoff team)
Green Bay (Ryan) - Minus 72 (4 man playoff team)
Portland (Vinnie) - Minus 104 (3 man playoff team)
For the Penalty rule, only the penalty matters. So it appears if
the NHL standings stay at they are, Green Bay will easily be in on
points.
The ONLY time the number of playoff players matter, is if the teams TIE
in points, at which time the first tie-breaker on that rule as the
person with the most playoff players.
This might be a rule the NHLP BOG's look into. "If none of the
teams can bring a six man team and face penalties, would we then want
say Portland to be the playoff team, if they had 5 playoff players"
wondered GM Scott about the current rules. "I don't know if we do,
but our focus is on better playoff teams" said the GM.
One thing we do know. If the NHL Standings stay as is, not only
could have Portland made it in if they had set a 6 man playoff team and
avoided a penalty, but whoever does get the last spot will be a first
round blowout with only four players at best.
---
Matt's Health Scare Shakes GM's
For the first time in league history, a GM left the meeting for the
hospital. While other GM's were cracking jokes like "With his teams, I'd be
sick too", GM's Scott and Ryan took it the hardest. Both GM's spoke of
cancelling the meeting. "I was so distraught I don't think I made another move
the rest of the day" said Scott who clearly took it the hardest. With Matt
having a deal to the Minors on the board at the time he left it was Ryan who
insisted guys lay of the deal. "He was very adamant" said Muddy Capone, "A guy
like Matt should be appreciative there are stand-up, fellow GM's, like Ryan who
had his back." The NHLP was able to speak with Matt today who said he was fine
which was of great news for everyone. The GM's teams are in good shape, with
only Indianapolis sitting in 5th, but easily within striking distance for
fourth. "Let's hope we don't experience that again" said one GM who asked not
to be named, "But just in case, maybe Matt should pay upfront next year."
---
Montreal Improves Team Again
GM Marcel took his lowly CTR standing to heart and if he didn't, the CTR
surely will be giving his team a lot more love next ranking.
Montreal added Backstrom and Sergachev in a deal with Hartford for
Granlund and Palmieri. Marcel recently added Point and E. Kane and the
team is still up 23 points and is definitely starting to look like a potential
winning team. For Hartford the team has had to scramble since Matthews injury.
Finally the team has a few point cushion, but the Division will undoubtedly get
closer tomorrow by days end.
---
A More Elite GM
GM Andrew added his 5th Elite player and his second in Chicago in what
can only be called a true dream team. Scheifele was added with
Wheelers, Bergeron and Subban, while the rest of the team of Krug,
Turris and Rick Nash are as good of bottom three as you can get.
Andrew, the undisputed NHLP King, saw a weakness and pounced. With
Chicago easily running away with their Division in the South, the GM was
able to hold onto Scheifele, no matter how long Winnipeg holds him out.
All he had to do was talk his "A" game with GM Scott and it was over.
Scott admitted there likely wasn't another name GM Andrew could have
said that would have immediately got Scott out of his chair quicker.
"I love certain players, the way they play, the way they shoot the puck"
said the GM, "Toews, Stamkos, Kopitar, Laine and yes, Ehlers is one of
my favorite players in the entire league." It seems like GM Scott
has always had Ehlers who has only been in the NHL for three seasons.
Scott said Winnipeg would be dumb to bring Scheifele back, even at day
to day, for at least two weeks. "Why would Toronto rush Matthews
or Winnipeg Scheifele, their games don't matter, there is nothing to
gain and everything to lose" said the GM. Knowing that, already in
5th place, knowing it was Ehlers who has 12 points and 40 shots in his
last ten and who might be on one of the better lines in the game, with
Laine and Stastny, Scheifele and his banged up body didn't seem quite as
good anymore. With the NHLP Trading Deadline tomorrow GM Scott
said he wished other GM's weren't so attached to their players.
"You talk to guys and their top six guys are untouchable" the GM said,
"I have twenty-one players and I'd part with any one tomorrow if I liked
the deal. You have to be willing to cut the cord. I know I
have traded away a few Cups. I know those are my players names on
other GM's Cups. I also know it was just this type of deal that in
the end, was the difference in me winning. If Andrew goes up 7-5
on me because I gave him Scheifele, I am happy for him. If I get
him 6-6, no, he won't be happy for me, but he will respect what I did
and why. Most important to me is I will be happy with myself
because I'm not afraid to trade my best
player. I have those balls and I'll do it again tomorrow."
Ehlers? Will you trade Ehlers tomorrow Scott was asked.
"That fucking guys untouchable" laughed Scott
--
Buffalo Acquires Marner - Tightens North Division
Marner has been a bouncing ball, but he finally has a home he won't be
moving from. GM Joel's huge lead in the North Division is no
longer, but he is very happy with his newest players Marner and Rielly.
Calgary (Jr) is now shopping Nylander after the deal to move Crosby's
team back into a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. In the
nights other deal Los Angeles (Andrew) gave 8 points to Toronto (Chad),
trading Monahan for Gostisbehere. Monahan was either hurt before
or after the deal, but he is heading to the NHLP Minors so really is of
no concern to Chad. GM Jr said Rust's career ended after his team
made the deal by about 30 minutes. "Just my luck" said Jr, "It is
known as Jr Timing." Rust who left the game is likely just day to
day. The NHLP has had a number of injuries this week, the most
serious, yet reported, might be Scheifele in Edmonton (Scott) who likely
won't be in the lineup for a while. Other GM's are still looking
what to do with McAvoy. The NHLP standings are tightening by the
day and with all the action tonight, we fully expect more deals.
GM Charlie who will not be attending, is looking to move several players
on a couple teams. It is unclear if the GM will be using the
Minors, a decision Charlie has yet to make, costing 15 spots in the
first round or a Waiver.
---
NHLP Minors Frozenr
The Minors are officially frozen ahead of the meeting on Saturday at 10
AM. The NHLP will have printable sheets out to everyone shortly.
There is one final Waiver on the season tomorrow night in Atlantic City.
GM Vinnie does not use the Frozen Numbers for his Waiver. As per
league rules the NHLP Pecking order for the Trading Deadline is also
frozen as of today and here is that official Pecking Order.
NHLP Trading Deadline Picking Order
Joel 976
Marcel 951
Andrew 921
Matt 920
Ryan 913
Shawn 898
Tyson 884
Jr 872
Scott 868
Chad 858
Charlie 855
Vinnie 851
---
Straight to the Point
GM Marcel had a very busy day in Montreal. After giving 13 points the GM
offered up E. Staal to GM Scott in San Fran, who took the deal for Point(s).
"The Canadiens added a huge piece, a scoring distance player" said Marcel who
was ecstatic he could find a Bolt player for so cheap. For GM Scott he
said everything changed in San Fran at the NHL Trading Deadline and he swore
he'd trade every Bolt and Bruin he had, and so far so good. The GM said
his four Tampa Bay players where better than the three Dallas (Jr) had, but when
Namestnikov got traded, Tampa Bay was no longer an option with the teams (San
Fran and Dallas) sharing Point. "I am looking at Chicago or Dallas as the
team representing the South Division, as we make our team" said Scott, "Hoping
Andrew either wins with Tampa moving on or Jr wins with Boston moving on, and we
are sitting with one of each if we can get a high enough scoring team to get
through our Division" the GM said. The GM said the North Division is going
to be in really tough to go to the NHLP Finals with such powerful teams are in
the South, "But they all have to get through one another and hopefully the way
to beat them will be the second round winner wins the round but losses his
players."
---
Habs Move 13 West
GM Marcel wasted little time this morning starting to move out points in
Montreal. The GM traded Monahan and 13 points to the West Divisions Los
Angeles Kings (Andrew) for Kane. The Habs have a full 7 playoff players
and are up 31 now on 5th, so we expect Montreal will do more. The Habs
were rumored all week to possibly in on Crosby, but that deal just got harder to
make in Montreal. The Kings who lost McAvoy for four weeks had to trade
him or act and gain points. Once McAvoy was traded it appeared a race to
trade with Marcel would occur between GM's Jr and Andrew, but this wasn't the
expected move. We still feel McAvoy is being shopped to a team that can
carry him, but suddenly GM Andrew has points to go to the Minors in Monahan with
58, so he might be setting up a dump. With the entire NHL roster of
Panther players in the NHLP Minors, GM's seem unafraid to take on non-playoff
points. The Kings went from 5th to 2nd with the deal, now leaving GM Ryan
in 5th with Green Bay. The Knights may now look to unload the injured
Simmonds. The Division keeps going up and up and up in points and suddenly
Vancouver (Joel) is only up 22 points on 5th, that is after a much needed 10
point night last night in Vancouver otherwise first to fifth would be just 12
points.
---
In The Storm's Cellar
GM Shawn admits he comes down to the cellar quite often, "The Storm's Cellar" as
the team calls their little hideout. Peace, quiet, time to think things
through. With 44 points up on 5th we might say the team is a long ways
away from the cellar and the place won't be anything but a "Seller of points" in
the next few days. The CTR #22 ranked Storm, as of the last CTR, seem a
lot better team now. Loaded with talent and scoring the team is sitting
with 6 players who's teams would start as the home team in the first round of
the playoffs. Shawn can do anything he wants in Seattle. He has the
points. Team Reporter Terry Bull said this team feels different. "I
think this team is good enough to win it all" said Bull, "Shawn just has to make
a few right choices over the next few days." What is the right choice?
"The team that wins it all must have every single thing go right" said Muddy
Capone, "You have to be able to envision your entire path, and that also means
what players other teams will have left, your potential opponents, when you
would face them." It sounds crazy says Capone, but winning GM's such as
Andrew are always talking about "Who do I want to play in the first round and in
the second round or in round three, he'd have this or that guy left if this or
that team won." This week while trying to think it all through, down in
the Storm's Cellar, there it was, the answer to the mystery. "I could not
believe it" said Shawn, "There in the corner was the lost NHLP Chips & Felt, I
was shocked" said the GM. Many other GM's were shocked as well for it
solved a mystery that could not be figured out since the draft. Many other
GM's remain shocked that Shawn, as solid a GM as he is, just cannot win a Cup.
We think Bull is right. This team. This Division. This season.
Seattle is good enough to win it all. The GM just needs to take the time,
find that quiet place in the Storm's Cellar and figure it all out. He was
finally able to solve one mystery in the Storm's Cellar, now it is time to
figure out the mystery of winning an NHLP Championship in Seattle.
---
One Of Three Teams With 40 To Give
Montreal Canadiens Team Reporter Jos Bleau said GM Marcel wakes up to an inbox
of emails every day. "I have been getting a lot of text and emails"
admitted Marcel. Seems other GM's in the league are looking for points.
Montreal happens to be one of three NHLP teams who are up over 40 points on 5th
place in their Division. The GM admits trades for points are coming.
Some R. Nash guy from Boston (the one that use to play for the Rangers) is the
GM's only player who's NHL team will start the playoffs as a player playing for
a home team. The last CTR, which gives points for a teams position in the
NHLP standings, had this team rated #32 in a 36 team league. "When it
comes to playoff teams, you really can't get much worst" said Muddy Capone,
"Other than maybe not making it at all." Where would this team rank in the
CTR if it wasn't for potential? Marcel might not want to put much weight
into what the CTR thinks says Bleau, "The Habs are first overall in the league
and have four players scoring over 0.88 PPG, why mess with such a deadly scoring
team that is set to crush their first round opponent, a team that no one wants
to face?" That is why being an NHLP GM is so difficult. Yes, the
team can score. Outside Monahan who has 58 points, the rest appear to be
playoff players. So who does the GM bring in players for distance, or does
he believe he has a team good enough to win the NHLP Championship as is?
If all the home teams win, but when does that ever happen, only Nash would be
left in the second round of the playoffs. Last year in Florida, Marcel won
the first round series and was left with one player in the second round and lost
13-5 to Cleveland (Tyson) who had 3 players and would go on to win the Cup.
So having a strong first round team doesn't win Cups if you have no distance
players for later rounds. GM Marcel notoriously has a ton of points.
In 23 seasons, he has a Cup. A ton of points in 23 seasons. A Cup.
Lots of points every year. 1 Cup. 23 seasons. Who knows.
Maybe less points might equal more Cups. For Marcel, he has to figure that
out by Saturday.
(Update: Within minutes of this article going live, GM Marcel traded
Monahan and 13 points to Los Angeles (Andrew) for Kane)
---
Get Use To This
The Atlantic City Gamblers (Vinnie) used the final NHLP Waiver of the season,
not surprisingly choosing two Florida Panthers, Barkov and Huberdeau. The
Gamblers also selected Fisher and easily were able to drop McDavid after the
NHLP Yearbook mistakenly preached the NHLP Minors were drying up. With an
entire roster of Florida players in the Minors it would appear every GM with
high scoring non playoff players can swap them out for Florida players. GM
Vinnie was able to get them for free, but the next GM will have to bid for them
against other GM's. With Florida's strong offensive game last night, it
appears a lot of points could be had at the meeting as well for teams going to
the Minors. GM Vinnie also dropped J. Staal and Carter to the Minors to
make the numbers work. Carter who's Kings are currently in a playoff
position today will be a hot commodity on Saturday if that stays the same by the
meeting.
---
The Difference TODAY Between 4 & 6
Big time injuries kill seasons. When those injuries come before
the NHLP Trading Deadline, least GM's can react. Next week no one
has that luxury anymore. With the breaking news of the four weeks
for McAvoy, two NHLP GM's were sent scrambling today. GM's Andrew
in Los Angeles and GM Jr in Memphis are at the helm of the teams
suffering this critical blow to their teams. "He is far to good of
a player to be in the Minors after the Trading Deadline" said Muddy
Capone. So a four week injury, with 5 weeks in the season, means
finding a team to carry him the rest of the way. If it was a 6
week injury, he might miss the first round, a huge difference.
With Boston one of the Cup favorites in the Eastern Conference, GM's who
can carry him have to open their eyes to this potential gift. "You
would not be getting him for a bargain price if it wasn't for this news"
Capone added. Not every team can carry an injured player, but many
can. As long as a player is back by the playoffs, top teams should
never have any fear of grabbing a guy who can go many rounds. This
injury may help solidify Boston's second place standing in the Division,
but they still are only 6 back of Tampa with 3 games at hand for first.
First gets a wild card team, second hosts Toronto first round. The
good news is this is 4 weeks and he will play again this season.
The bad news is likely neither NHLP team is in a position to carry him
through this injury.
---
Blackhawks Wheelers & Dehlers?
According to the Chicago Blackhawks (Andrew) Team Reporter Hy Marx, the
team is in fact looking for a new home for their Jets players. The
Blackhawks have a ton of points to move and some very attractive pieces.
When the NHLP Yearbook asked if Chicago was set, the 6-time NHLP
Champion GM Andrew said anything but. "I am not sure on Wheelers
and Ehlers at this time" the GM said, "I am looking to see if there is a
way we can set our chances up better." Of course, when you have
more rings than fingers, even if it doesn't make sense to us, we aren't
the leagues top GM. This would be a massive move and every GM who
needs points, or loves the Jets, had better make a click through
Chicago. It is hard to imagine any team having a pair of players
Andrew will ultimately find more attractive than the duo at 124 points,
but we never doubt the GM when he says he is going shopping for another
Cup.
---
Leafs Galore
If you like the Toronto Maple Leafs then you better get to steppin' to
Calgary (Jr). B.A. Ware, the Flames Team Reporter said a trade is
coming in Calgary, but the question is will Crosby be moved, or the
teams Leafs, Marner, Nylander or Rielly. Ware said the deal is
coming this week, ahead of the Trading Deadline. "The Flames can't
go to the Minors until this deal is done" said Ware. The Flames
have three players who total 44 points, likely the lowest total in the
league for three players. The longer the team waits into the
meeting, GM Jr knows the more players who will be pillaged from the
Minors, meaning at the very least the Flames are beggars and not choosers of the
teams bottom four. Obviously trading Crosby would be a blockbuster, but reality
is it might not be needed. The Flames are only 14 points out and if both St
Louis and Los Angeles miss the NHL playoffs, with the current teams in front,
the Flames would be in. Trading Crosby, a player proven to be playoff gold, may
not be necessary, but an option every GM with points should surely be
considering.
---
Vancouver Adds Two Preds
As teams who need points continue to trade playoff players, teams with
points continue to set their playoff teams. GM Joel changed
direction, adding two Nashville players in Vancouver in two separate
deals. First a huge deal with Hartford (Andrew), trading Krejci
and 13 points for the leagues most demanded player Ellis.
Immediately a second deal, this one with Pittsburgh (Chad) was
announced, where the Canucks brought in the teams third Pred, Smith for
Haula in a 6 point deal. The deadly CTR #1 Canucks team still has
17 points to move but with three Preds and two Bruins and Golden
Knights, what more can the team do to get any better? The two
deals put the Atlantic City Gamblers (Vinnie) now in 5th place, although
only 5 points out of first place in the Atlantic Division. One
would think Atlantic City would use this final Waiver to secure the team
a playoff spot, meaning anyone and everyone could go today. The
Gamblers could keep their Leafs, build a playoff team and race with the
Division or blow into first place by acquiring points and see what the
team they can select from the Minors. This is the final NHLP
Waiver prior to the Trading Deadline on Saturday at which time there
will be one month left in the NHL season.
---
NHLP Mourns Former GM Dave
'One Foot' Remembered
GM Dave who was a member of the NHLP for 6 seasons passed away this morning.
Dave who was always full of life, laughing and carrying on, joined the NHLP in
1994-95, the NHLP's 6th season. That rookie season Dave went to the NHLP
Finals for his only appearance, in Pittsburgh, before losing 9-3 to GM Leo's Las
Vegas Cup win. Dave, commonly known as "One Foot" or "Uncle Dave" by those
who loved him was in the league for the first year of fellow GM's Jr, Marcel,
Andrew, Chad and Charlie, joining the same season GM's Jr and Marcel started.
Dave now joins his Brother-in-Law, GM Raymond as former GM's who are no longer
with us. "Those two were always a hoot when you got them together" said GM
Scott, "Each had a way to make the other laugh."
RIP Uncle Dave. You will definitely be missed.
---
Cincinnati Trades Elite
Most GM's may consider them both Elite players at this stage in the season.
Marner who had 18 points last month, definitely has been playing like an Elite
NHLP player even though drafted twice in the second round of this years draft.
Marner was acquired by Cincinnati (Matt) in a trade for their Elite player
Pastrnak. The deal moved Toronto (Chad) five points closer to a playoff
spot in the ultra-tight North Division, which now has just 10 points separating
2nd and two teams that will miss. Both GM's were very excited to get the
players they got, while one can only imagine GM Chad already has the valued
Pastrnak on the block. "You have GM's who have built teams around Tampa
Bay, around Boston and around Toronto" said Muddy Capone, "Each is such a good
team, yet it is a known fact, at least one of those three teams will only see
one playoff round this season." Although there is no chance Toronto
catches Tampa Bay, nine back, Boston is only 6 back of Tampa Bay with three
games at hand. So, in the end, either Tampa Bay or Boston is going to play
Toronto in the first round of the playoffs. This is a big trade.
Matt had the option and took the Toronto player. Chad really needed the
points, so we don't know if he would have grabbed Pastrnak or kept Marner if he
really had a choice. Last year in the two weeks prior to the NHLP Trading
Deadline there were 21 total deals. This year with 6 days yet to go to the
Deadline there have already been 20 deals for the 14 days prior to the meeting
(so in the last 8 days). The league is on pace for 190 deals (155 to date)
this season, shy of the 222 made last season, but higher than the 165 deals a
season based on the average 5 years prior to last season.
---
Oil - Icemen Swap Four
Indianapolis Icemen GM Matt was excited to add the points and the right
combination in anticipation for a Minors drop at the NHLP meeting. The
Icemen traded Getzlaf and Stastny to Edmonton for Smith from Vegas and Spooner.
Indy gained 8 points and now have a three player drop totaling a very manageable
88 points. Edmonton GM Scott said the risk was all theirs. The GM
said dropping Spooner was not an issue at all, but now there is a huge
risk-reward the Oil were willing to take. "We improved our Jets team, but
most importantly we maxed out our potential replacement for Spooner" the GM
stated. Scott had anticipated bringing in a three point first round player
for Spooner, going to the Minors with 32 points at the Trading Deadline.
The GM said now, if the Ducks miss, all Edmonton was sacrificing was three first
round points, but if Getzlaf is a first round participant, he strongly believes
the Oil win the deal. "You do have to take certain risks to win it all"
said Scott, "Playing it safe, which is the only way guys who struggle to win
know how, is not the best way to win." The GM said sure when you go for it
you often fail, but often that is when everything aligns and you win it all.
Clearly the Oil went for it. After that, the rest remains unwritten.
---
Insane 20 Minutes
An absolutely insane 20 minutes led up to the Waiver being made. In the
final minutes 4 deals which included 12 players and 5 draft picks changed hands
before a five player drop was made by the Islanders. Although not
technically a three way deal, three GM's got together and interchanged their
rosters before the dust settled. After a chaotic 31 point gain yesterday,
GM Ryan was not done stockpiling this morning, adding a pick in each the 2nd,
3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th rounds and not small picks at that. All this for
players he was dropping in his Waiver anyhow. Today started with 40
minutes before the Waiver when GM's Charlie and Ryan could not agree on a
Transaction. GM Marcel in Florida stepped in and gave Ryan two picks
including 18 spots in the 4th for Vatanen, gaining two points for Duclair.
Now with 20 minutes to go, GM Scott got involved and worked a deal with Charlie,
between San Fran and Phoenix. The deal hinged on GM Ryan making a trade
with each San Fran and Phoenix, receiving further draft picks from both teams.
With Ryan's drop not affected in any way, he took the trade, triggering three
more deals to be made. Ryan had his completed Waiver into the league at
11:58 at which time Office Pools was immediately updated reflecting all the
madness. "It took us a while to update the site, almost a full hour with
all the picks" said Muddy Capone who thinks the 4 deals and the Waiver pick plus
all the picks are finally all correct. In the final 20 minutes, Phoenix
traded Toews to the Islanders for Steen, a one point deal that Charlie included
a 3rd and 5th. That was an upgrade for the Coyotes as Steen has a shot at
the playoffs, whereas Toews does not. Phoenix then traded Barzal and
Gaborik, 83 points to San Fran who moved out Vanek and Turris 77 points.
This move allowed the Titan to trade Barzal and Gaborik, who was not an injury
penalty as he only missed the Friday game, to the Islanders for Rananen and
Duclair 81, but Scott gained Rananen's points he scored last night, for players
Ryan was dropping anyhow. Scott included 16 spots in the second round for
the points San Fran could badly use. "When the dust settled, everyone got
what they wanted, Ryan picks, Charlie playoff players and me points" said GM
Scott. Ryan then dropped all players he just acquired and added MacKinnon,
Doughty, Toffoli, Hartman and McDonagh to go along with Brassard and Hornqvist.
The Islanders are in second place and have 6 playoff players with MacKinnon's
Avs a single point out of the playoffs with a game at hand. "It might have
been the best Waiver, start to finish, in the entire season" said Muddy Capone
when the Islanders gained points and picks and have reset their season.
---
Four-Way Deal Turns to Two Trades
It was almost an insane four-way deal. GM's Chad and Scott had the
first part worked out and brought in GM Ryan. Ryan was going to
lose Brassard, Hornqvist and Green (who was a Waiver penalty) and gain
Palat from Pittsburgh (Chad) and Namestnikov and Steen from Philadelphia
(Scott). Philly was to then receive Laine, Hischier and Green from
Pittsburgh for Marchassault, Smith and Ellis. In essence both
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were giving 7 points each to the Islanders.
GM Ryan turned the deal down, saying he wanted to keep Hornqvist.
Philly then agreed to give Quebec 10 spots in the second round and
Pittsburgh was giving Quebec 15 spots in the third if Quebec would trade
Hornqvist to the Islanders for Palat, making a four way deal compete.
Quebec said they would not do it and the entire deal was quashed.
Philadelphia didn't want to let the deal go for they wanted Laine with
Ehlers and Connor, while Pittsburgh was lining up three Preds and
Marchassault and Karlsson. "There was so much put into this
blockbuster three-way interdivisional deal, we
decided if both GM's would make the deal, we would take Palat instead of
the Islanders Hornqvist" said GM Scott, "Thus it was no longer a three
way deal, but two separate deals that hinged on both being made or we'd
not be involved in either." In the first deal Philadelphia
gave the Islanders 17 points and Namestnikov and Steen for Brassard and
Green. The second deal Philly added 7 points and Laine, Hischier
and Palat while Pittsburgh got Marchassault, Smith and Ellis. The
Islanders now got 31 points on the day and are now in first place.
GM Chad said he is now looking to trade Zajac with either Little or
Smith. GM Scott said the three-way deal was exciting. "I haven't been involved
in one this big in 20 years" said the GM, "It reminded me a lot of the deals we
use to do all the time in this league."
---
GM Scott - "I haven't been involved in one this big in 20 years"
HUGE Three Way Inter-Division Deal
Breaking news is a huge three way deal in the NHLP. The teams
involved, Pittsburgh (Chad), New York Islanders (Ryan) and Philadelphia
(Scott) have called a 2 PM press conference. Rumor is a fourth
team backed out who was involved late, but the deal still went through.
GM Scott told Muddy Capone, "I haven't been involved in one this big in
20 years."
---
Pens - "Laine Being Shopped"
GM Chad said he wanted to make it clear that he is going to do something
big in Pittsburgh and is willing to give the team a new flavor, by
trading his two Jets. "I want to move my Devils, and if that means
moving the Jets with them at the same time, I am open to this type of
move" said Chad who confirmed he isn't looking at Blues players in
Pittsburgh, "But I will take your blues elsewhere" he said with a
chuckle. If Laine is moved, this would be a remarkable find for
any GM as the Jets just might make a long run this playoffs. "You
sometimes have to make a stance" said Chad, "You either like Nashville
or the Jets, but hard to like them both when halfway through the
playoffs one is out" he said.
---
Islanders Move Into 4th
GM Ryan said he still has his three Pittsburgh players to trade, but at
what point does the GM decide he wants to start saving his assets?
As reported yesterday by team reporter Howier Feltersnatch the team had
a deal in place that would propel the Islanders into a playoff spot.
It was believed that deal was for a Brassard, but the team still has
both Brassard's and is already in fourth. Ryan added 14 points and
Rantanen in a deal with Quebec (Matt) for Johnson, moving the Nordiques
from 2nd to 5th in the East Division. With the Islanders now in
4th in the Atlantic, the GM can continue to put some serious distance
between them and the rest of the pack, or built a playoff team from
here. Ryan said Green is back tonight and with the points freeze
set for Sunday, a GM might want to gain a few in a deal. Green is
only worth 26 to the Minors. "I am still looking at trading a
Brassard" said Ryan.
---
Avalanche Take On More Blues
As reported just yesterday by Willie B. Hardigan, team reporter for the
Colorado Avalanche (Chad), the club has taken on another Blues player,
giving GM Chad four Blues. The Avs added Schwartz, just as
Hardigan reported the team was looking to do, trading Getzlaf to
Indianapolis (Matt) in the deal with a Conditional first round pick
attached. "It has been some genius work watching the veteran Chad
at work" said Hardigan who states Colorado is assured a first round pick
no matter now if the Ducks make or miss the NHL playoffs. Colorado
has the #32 overall pick in the 2020/21 draft and that turns into a 22nd
pick if the Ducks make the playoffs and a #1 overall if the Ducks miss
the playoffs. "When you have made as many trades as a GM like Chad
you start to appreciate how a GM's mind works, to maneuver himself into
a better draft spot all the time taking on more Blues players that guys
are throwing away" said Muddy Capone. This is a great way to make
the most of a bad situation. The Avs win big if the Blues make the
playoffs and if they don't, are stock piling picks from other GM's for
taking on their Blues players, so either way Chad will come out ahead.
Chad said if you want to give him a pick, he has yet more room on his
Roster for more Blues players. One GM said, "I don't know why I
didn't think of this strategy".
---
Two NHLP Trades
Rumors are Getzlaf has been traded and NY Islanders team reporter Howie
Feltersnatch is breaking a huge deal on the Island. "There was no
way the Islanders could not take these points" Feltersnatch told the
NHLP Yearbook. Stay tune for details.
---
Getzlaf for Nylander Transaction Missed
Thanks to GM Joel flagging Player Tracking wasn't aligning with Office
Pools, it was realized a Transaction that occurred on February 26th was
not updated on the site. "Rather a pretty big deal to be over
looking" said Muddy Capone who also said GM's making these deals always
need to double check their deals are appearing where they should, to
help flag such mistakes. The deal itself was huge, but even bigger
was the conditional pick in the deal. Getzlaf and Trocheck were
traded by Calgary (Jr) along with the 2020/21 #1 overall pick which will
be GM Chad's in Colorado shall the Anaheim Ducks miss the NHL playoffs
this season. The Avalanche traded Nylander and Reilly in the deal
where the conditionals are for the teams to swap first and second round
picks that season if the Ducks fail to see post season action, a huge
haul for Chad if that was to happen.
---
Colorado - Taking on Blues?
GM Chad has admitted his 126 points for three Blues players may be
impossible to come off this late in the season and said he might be
willing to take on more Blues players. "Might as well have the
best Blues team" said Chad who's Avs are only 4 points out of the last
playoff spot in the Pacific Division and if they Kings are out, they
would be in based on a Phoenix (Charlie) penalty out. Chad still
has other issues with Trocheck's 57 points and Getzlaf's 42. "They
can't all miss" Chad said, "I need to bank on a few teams and take my
chances." The Minors freeze after games Sunday night so GM's will
have a better idea what can be done with their points.
---
Wolverines - All In With Kings?
With Kopitar and Pearson having 100 points between them, New Orleans
appears to have no options but hope the Kings make the playoffs.
The team is 12 points up on 5th place but not only has Monahan and
Gaborik, 74 points to worry about moving, the team has Bergeron who is
injured for likely at least two more weeks. Keeping the Kings
players means if they fall out late, the teams season will end in a
penalty out. Trading two kings with 100 points this late in the
season, might be impossible.
---
96 For Three Plus Blockbuster
The NY Islanders (Ryan) have the Waiver Friday and have been hinting of
some potential big trades. The team currently has two non-playoff
players and Vatenan's low number, three players for 96 points for the
Minors. Currently the Islanders are about 17 out of a playoff spot
and the GM says deals for that amount are already on the table.
Green is a minus three in a Waiver dump, a player the GM would like to
move ahead of the Waiver if someone can get creative. There is
little doubt that the Islanders will be in the playoffs after the
Waiver, but it remains to be seen how many playoff players the team will
have. If Ryan can pull this off with a full 7, the GM will be a
genius.
---
Kucherov - Can It Even Work?
Holly Wood is reporting the Los Angeles Kings (Andrew) are interested in moving
Kucherov. This issue is, is it possible? Kucherov leads the league
in scoring with 82 points and with the next lowest player, McAvoy, that is 112
points. Not many NHLP teams can get that done, but there are a few teams
like Buffalo (Joel) who are well capable of making that kind of deal work.
"It is a sick feeling to have to trade a guy like that" said GM Andrew, "But I
am not seriously thinking of it."
---
Carter in Play?
Noah Lott said the Phoenix Coyotes (Charlie) are open for business. In a
good place with a much needed low scoring player, something every team in the
league is craving, GM Charlie is in tough in Phoenix. The GM will not be
at the Trading Deadline. That means even if the Kings get into the NHL
playoffs, the team still has Barzal and Toews as potential penalties. The
Coyotes know surely Barzal will have to be eaten, which means trading Toews.
The organization has the right to use the Minors at the meeting themselves, to
avoid a penalty, at the cost of either a Waiver or 15 spots in the first round.
If Charlie can somehow get to 6 playoff players before the meeting, that asset
can be saved. Some NHLP teams could drop Toews and Carters low 5 points,
but that would mean putting Carter in the Minors with the Kings now looking like
a playoff team. If Miami cannot get to 6 playoff players, they are likely
out anyways due to penalty.
---
20 Back But Loaded With Talent
GM Charlie turned down points as there was nothing in the Minors as far as
playoff replacements. The GM is now 20 points out of the playoffs and
agrees he has all kinds of options. "If we wanted to go one playoff player
short, we could already be in the playoffs, but that is not our goal" said
Charlie who will now work on trading playoffs for playoffs and moving up the
standings. TJ Miller, TJ Miller of Tampa Bay will get some action while
the Surf also added Vanek and Riley Nash. With the highest playoff player
in the Minors less then 40 points many GM's are going to have to work miracles
to avoid 6 player teams, something likely impossible at this stage of the
season.
----
Miami Trades Vanek for Picks
With Vanek in the NHLP Minors GM Charlie new he would be easy to swap
out and then pick up again in the Minors. San Fran (Scott) gave a
4th and 6th round pick plus 3 points to unload Namestnikov.
Charlie was surprised there was not a bigger market for Vanek but
admitted once the deal is announced, players across the league would
have given more. "I have to make a Waiver pick in a hour" said the
GM. The Titan GM admitted the team lost big. "We can't
afford the three points, but went from a top line Tampa player who was a
huge asset to a Columbus player, having to give points and picks to get
him" said the GM who said the NHL Deadline was one of his worst ever.
"All teams face adversary" said Scott, "Just happens to be the Deadline
that finally worked against us this year."
---
Indianapolis Hits Dozen
GM Matt has two of the five 12+ point weeks of the 2017/18 season, the
most the number had been reached outside of the crazy 2019/10 season
when 8 teams topped the number including the all time 17 hit by GM Jr in
New Jersey that record scoring season. For the Icemen, they hit
the dozen for the first time in the NHLP history thanks to a 5 from
Zucker. Three players, two of them playing their first game for
their newest teams, E. Kane and Stastny (Schwartz) had two point nights.
Pitrangelo had the 12th point and Burakovsky was held off the sheet.
Voracek, the teams leader in points, did not play on the night.
Both times Matt has had a 12+ have been this season, with Quebec hitting
13 January 4th. GM Chad in in Pittsburgh had a 10 point night as
well, making three different teams on the night reached double digits.
---
First Time For Everything
The NHLP's Montreal Canadiens (Marcel) have been in the NHLP all 28
seasons, but not until last night did the team ever have 12+ points in a
night. In a very rare occurrence, two NHLP's teams hit 12+ in the
same night, a possible first in the NHLP. Although there are now
still 9 current NHLP teams that have never had a 12 point night, only
four of those were in the NHLP's first season. Ironically they are
all GM Andrew's current teams, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hartford along
with Toronto (Chad). That group of four teams has won 6 NHLP Cups,
but none have had a 12+ point night. Other Cup winners still on
the list include two-time Cup winners in Las Vegas and Portland.
Montreal was on that list of teams to never have a dozen, but Marcel
changed all that with a huge night Tuesday. E. Staal and Granlund
combined for 9 points in a night that clearly could have been much
bigger with all 7 players playing. Singles then went to Palmieri,
Nash and Seguin while Hischier and Monahan did not point. Marcel
now has four career nights in the dozen plus range, only one more such
night away from tying the all-time high in that category, done 5 times
by both GM's Tyson and Scott. GM Marcel also had 24 points on the night,
a 12-7-5, which is the 4th best night ever, only 4 away from the NHLP
record 28 by GM Chad.
---
Six Player Swap Between Seconds
Two NHLP second place teams made a six player swap. GM Chad's
Pittsburgh team received W. Karlsson, Palat and Zajac from Quebec (Matt) for
Suter, Hornqvist and Koivu. With just 11 points separating the Nords from
5th place, they clearly didn't feel confident holding Palat who is out at least
two more weeks. Chad's Pens are confident, suggesting in a league-wide
email he will move 20 points in a deal to unload his Devil's players, something
surely many GM's will find attractive. The league is within its final week
before the Minors are frozen. The NHL's Trading Deadline only made the
issue of points in the Minors worse, creating more points to go to the Minors
from the NHLP, than players traded from NHL non-playoff teams to playoff teams.
"It was a very unusual situation" said Muddy Capone. Miami (Charlie) who
has the Tuesday Waiver will certainly clean up any players who were moved,
already stating he is taking Miller twice who is the newest Tampa Bay player.
By the time two more Waivers are used, it is very possible the highest point
getter on an NHL playoff team in the Minors will be no higher then 35 points
heading into the NHLP Trading Deadline.
----
Islanders Swap Pen for Pens
GM Ryan said Brassard and Brassard, who has 10 points in his last ten games are
now for sale on the Island. The GM also took the plunged, adding Karlsson
who Ryan said just might end up in Tampa Bay after all is said and done.
"I had to take this opportunity to try and salvage our season" said Ryan who
traded Crosby and acquired the Waiver prior to this pickup. If Karlsson
does get traded, the GM will have one of the most sought after players at the
NHLP Winter Meeting and if he does not go, he can still swap out Karlsson to the
Minors at the Meeting. "When you are in the Islanders situation, this is
likely the best case scenario" said Muddy Capone, "Ryan getting this team in is
unlikely, still over 20 back, but it was never gonna happen by doing nothing."
The GM just can't sit back and watch things unfold, it is only 13 days to the
NHLP Trading Deadline. Ryan must be active or this will all be for not and
another long wasted season will be gone by. Although Ryan is 24 back, the
fourth place team has McDavid to move and with the current standings is facing a
penalty out, meaning Ryan could be as little as two out of fourth until Vinnie
does something in Atlantic City.
---
Flames Land NHLP's Biggest Prize
In the end it didn't take a lot of points, only 13, but GM Jr landed
Crosby in Calgary for a package that included the Waiver. The
Islanders (Ryan) agreed they could have got more, but can add Brassard
twice with the Waiver, assets that they can eventually trade to
hopefully make the playoffs yet this season. Even after the deal
the Islanders are still in last and still 23 points out. The
Flames still have lots of work to do, but two low numbers in the lineup
will allow for them to go to the Minors. The top three are a nice
trio of Crosby, Marner and Getzlaf. Crosby won the NHLP
Championship last season in Cleveland (Tyson) and this is the first time
in 6 NHLP seasons he has been traded.
---
Crosby Auction Now at 20
When you lead the league in playoff scoring and your team has won two
straight Stanley Cups and are maybe now favorites again, 20 doesn't seem
like a hell of a lot. The New York Islanders (Ryan) have made it
known that Crosby will likely be traded by next Friday or Saturday.
Why then? Well the Islanders have a Waiver on March 2nd, the
second one after the NHL's Trading Deadline. Ryan will be able to
gage on many non playoff points he can take and unload at that time, or
if he must trade Sid for only playoff points. The Islanders may
also be able to go to the Minors and improve what they have, prior to a
trade. Another option Ryan said was someone could "Go all out,
take Crosby and the Waiver". They that team can set themselves up
in the Minors, even trading back in. There are a lot of names
flying today. One small deal saw Myers go to the Kings (Andrew)
for one of his two Millers who went to GM Charlie's Rangers. We
fully expect more trades coming later today.
---
NHLP Trading Deadline - MARCH 10TH
With what is looking like 11 of 12 GM's to be in attendance the NHLP
easily had their Trading Deadline date, Saturday March 10th. GM
Marcel is hosting as he and Jr swapped out meeting dates. This is
the earliest the NHLP Deadline has been in many years. "The first
option of dates never gets chosen" said Muddy Capone, "But shockingly
this year it did." With the tight NHL standings, anything can
happen. Most teams will still play around 13 to 15 games left on
the schedule, meaning no NHL Matchups for the first round will
officially be known either. It does change a lot. Injuries
after the deadline affecting teams in the first round, going this early,
we will see a few that can't be countered now. "We have a meeting
in 14 days and the NHL hasn't even had their Deadline, which feels
unusual" Capone added. The NHLP still has four Waivers, with the
last being March 6th. There are usually some big trades in the
week prior to the meeting, so we expect things to get a little haywire
now. There are huge NHLP player names out of the playoffs, like
last years Cup winner Crosby who is available. Other players like
Kessel and Stamkos are also sitting near or out of the playoffs.
---
Storm Grab Three NHLP Newbies With Waiver
A pair of first round selections and an undrafted player were all scooped up by
GM Shawn in Seattle, with all three believed to be first time NHLP players.
DeBrusk, Riley Nash and Zach Aston-Reese joined Eller as the newest members of
the NHLP's Pacific Division first place Seattle Storm. "We could have
taken a risk, we get that" said Shawn, "But playing it safer, we have a great
well balanced playoff team." The temptation may have been to go after a
Karlsson, taking the chance the guy goes to someone like Tampa Bay, but the risk
is you have to move him again, when in a battle with everyone else, at the
Deadline if that deal did not go through. Only GM Jr is left in Calgary to
pick prior to Monday's NHL Trading Deadline, while three NHLP teams will have
the luxury of picking after the NHL teams have set themselves. The NHLP is
only waiting on GM's Shawn and Tyson and will be able to call an official
meeting.
The schedule page was in a wrong location but it is right now. Please get
your dates in. With the first 6 GM's to respond the most popular date is
March 10th, in just two weeks. It is important that you get your schedules
in as we will likely have to call a meeting next week if that is the case, as
we'd need to freeze the Minors 5 days in advance.
---
Oh The Temptation
Barrie has a 5 point night, MacKinnon a 4, and both are in
the minors twice. If Colorado wins their games at hand, they are
tied with St Louis for the final playoff spot. It had to be an
almost impossible temptation to resist, but GM Marcel passed on them
all. What may make the Waiver in Alaska a little more of a head
scratcher, is the one Colorado player Marcel had, Landeskog, he kept.
So he still believes in the Avs, just not enough to get their best
player. The GM dropped four players, including all three of his
Columbus players. After winning last night the Jackets are now in
the playoffs today. The Attack picked up Zucker, Konecny, Janmark
and Palmieri in a 133-133. "I think we have a good team there"
said Marcel, "There was no really reason to go all in when we are
securely in a good position in the Pacific." The Carter effect has
taken it stance on two different NHLP Divisions. GM Charlie in the
Pacific decided he would keep the injured Carter, thus allowing all the
other teams in the Division to continuously trade and drop points all
season long. Although the Division has the second lowest first and
5th place teams, only to the Atlantic Division, where GM Vinnie also has
Carter, the Pacific Division is the only Division with four teams
averaging 0.74 PPG or better. The veteran GM Charlie knew by
keeping Carter he would never be far out when Carter returned as the
other teams would drop to his teams place in the standings, a common
trait in the NHLP. "When you understand the ins and outs of the
league as a guy like Charlie, you understand why moves like this are
made" said Muddy Capone. Here are two teams, both carrying an
injured guy with three points all season long, and yet both are still in
fourth place in their Divisions. With Carter, who no longer uses
the wheel chair lift and surely, almost certainly, very likely getting
closer, and closer, and closer, and almost a guarantee to play again in
his career, maybe even back now by the playoffs, it will be interesting
to see how these two Divisions play it out down the stretch when one of
the most deadly and prized possessions in the entire league returns.
---
Huge Three Way Deal Rocks Quiet Night
In a deal that GM Andrew said was in works all month, the Hartford
Whalers traded Stastny and Pietrangelo to Toronto (Chad) for Matthews
and Ellis. The Leafs then immediately traded those two again with
Zucker to land Benn, Marleau and Spezza from Indianapolis (Matt).
In the first deal Andrew paid 18 points to get Matthews and the fiercely
fought after Ellis who many GM's now believe just 18 points was a steal
for Andrew. For Ellis his stock has been through the roof since GM
Chad paid 18 points and McAvoy in a straight up deal for the Nashville
defenseman who has a whopping four points his last two games. Woke a lot of
GM's up to his value. "Matthews was just a throw in on the deal to make the
numbers work" said Capone who had inside information. GM Chad only made that
deal to get the Blues players for GM Matt, who apparently would only trade Benn
for more Blues players. "I think the Blues could be a wild card team and if
they play Vegas in the first round, they could go right to the Conference
Finals" said Matt who is always looking at the playoff matchups prior to making
any deal. It is a fascinating deal with lots of moving parts. Matt believes
highly in the Blues who are now just a single point up on being in the playoffs,
but right where he wants them, with 21 games to go. The Blues have played the
most games of the teams around them. It is believed they are set to make a
splash with bringing in some offence as they are the NHL's 31st lowest scoring
team since January 1st, even with a plus 17 on the season, better than all teams
chasing them. In the Western Conference there are 8 teams battling for 5
playoff spots and all 8 are within just four points of each other.
---
Alaska - Columbus Guys Are Going
GM Marcel is using his Waiver in Alaska and named at least three to five
guys all in danger of being dropped. The GM said his three Blue
Jackets, Foligno, Anderson and Jones could join Landeskog and Eberle in a
five player drop. For Columbus, only a point out of the playoffs
and with a game at hand, GM's with players much further back should be
looking for an upgrade. "Maybe of these teams are so close, you
could win four in a row at this stage and no one catch you" said Muddy
Capone.
The 28th NHLP Trading Deadline which is hosted by GM Jr, although no
official location has not been confirmed, could be less then one month
away. The dates are posted and the NHLP does not see a meeting
later then March 25th. The NHL season ends on April 8th and most
teams would only play about 5 games on March 31st, not a fair amount to
create the down the stretch races for all teams. Please get your
availability in as the first option is just three weeks away.
---
Suarez Repeats for GM Scott at Daytona
In a field packed with this many entries to the Daytona 500 Best Crash Pool you
knew there was no way the race could run crash free. A relatively clean
race until lap 60 when all hell broke lose, thanks mainly to rookie participate
GM Matt with the #42 car (which
can be viewed here at 0:31 seconds). There was the possibility
of something, but it was Matt #42 that truly caused the wrecks of both GM
Scott's #19 and GM Jr's #13 cars in the same crash. By the end of the
crash both Scott & Jr's car sat side by side on the infield (0:48
seconds), both clearly out of the race. Right at 1:21 of
the video you can see the potential but it is Matt's #42 (blue-white) that gives
Scott's #19 (Orange) a perfect pit maneuver that would make any police officer
proud. At that point you could see it was game over for the #19.
Right at 1:21 you can also see Jr's 13 (white) car high against the wall and
about to be in this wreck within 6 seconds. Scott's #19 was turned a 45
degrees and hammers the wall head on, from 195 miles per hour to a complete stop
moving forward and then backwards within a second. The #19's damage was to
the front, back and side while Jr's car could do nothing but crash into the car
in front of it. Jr's #13's front may have had more damage then the #19 but
overall that was it for Jr. He really needed someone behind him and he
would have likely had the wreck of the day.. All in all Matt's #42 got
through leaving Scott in first and only the #42 for Matt and Capone's #7 still
racing. On Lap 102 at 1:52 it was Capone's turn to end his day. His
#7 (Bright Green) slams full speed into the #9 car which is determined to ne the
wreck of the day. The #9 slams into the wall and then does four 360 turns
before being t-boned by two cars, one the #7 of Capone. The #7 suffers
enough damage to the front to rival the other crashes earlier with enough side
damage to make it close, but Capone really needed one more bump from somewhere
to pull off the win. As for Matt's #42, he felt like the maytag repair man
the rest of the way. With so few cars and Matt now being down four laps,
his only hope was his driver fell asleep or their was a wreck when the leaders
were lapping him. There just was no one left to crash with and
although Matt's car was not dent free, the #42 did finish the race.
All-in-all it was a very entertaining race. "I certainly text Matt pretty
quick, thanking him for taking me out" said Scott, "I so look forward to my #19,
Suarez making it three in a row next February."
Here is a great video of some imitations of some famous actors helping to
explain the rule changes in NASCAR for this season. Ross Marquand is top
notch.
---
Daytona 500 Best Crash Pool
Start Time 2:30 (Entry Deadline 2 PM)
Current Pool Pole Positions
17th - (Scott) #19 - Daniel Suarez (ARRIS, Toyota)
28th - (Muddy) #7 - Danica Patrick (GoDaddy, Chevrolet)
38th - (Matt) #42 - Kyle Larson, CreditOne Bank, Chevrolet)
----
Record Field Makes GM Scott Emotional
Sunday morning, just hours before the 2:30 Daytona 500 Best Crash Pool begins,
GM Scott reflected on an emotional week. "To think that we've grown to a
field of this magnitude, right here in Canada, where NASCAR isn't the top sport,
it is quite emotional" said the GM. Scott's Toyota is now up against two
Chevy's with a
2 PM deadline for entries. Scott said he
hopes "Newbie" GM Jr understands the number one rule, "Always protect your car."
When asked what the rule refers to the GM said things are very competitive.
"I would hate to see the Twisted Tea #13 a little salty, you know, have engine
trouble, it is a terrible way for your day to end today" said Scott. Scott
who is the defending Champion said if he gets the chance he'd like to be the one
who takes out GM Jr's GEICO car. "Maybe we get a little sideways early, he
knows I owe him, he knows what I am talking about" said the GM referring to some
previous bumper rubbing between the two GM's. Scott said he isn't fearful
of the #13 car, "I would be much more worried if Jr himself was behind the
wheel." The bragging rights for this event rival no other in the long line
of sides in the NHLP. The different strategies to the race are numerous.
Scott believes you want to be near the front of the pole. "What happens at
the back stays at the back" the GM says from his winning experience, "But if we
get into it up front, good luck to everyone." Muddy Capone likes the pole
positions in the last two thirds, his #7 GoDaddy driven by Danica Patrick starts
in the 28th spot of the 40 car field. "Definitely much better changes of
getting air-born in the back of the pack" then adding, "You put one of these
puppies vertical, your day is gonna end well." Capone said he is worried
of being the one in a little T-bone action with Jr's car. "He's right in
front of me. That #13 gets sideways I am right there behind him. Say
hello to my little grill" Capone stated, "I don't want to be that guy that is
responsible for a Jr win in his rookie event." No more sleeps.
Protect your car at all times and see you at 2:30. And of course, HAPPY
DAYTONA DAY EVERYONE!
---
GM Matt Way Back
GM Matt said he has been looking forward to the Daytona 500 Best Crash Pool all
year. "I regretting missing the field last year, but I am excited for my
#42 today" said the GM. Matt admits he won't be intimidated and would love
to get "Air-born" today he said. His baby-blue #42 will start way back in
the 38th of 40 positions, a strategy that he says will certainly get him into
trouble today. "There is no way you can be that far back and go unscathed,
it just doesn't happen" the GM who is excited about taking down his first
Championship. "I will be shocked if I run a clean race" said Matt.
28th - (Muddy) #7 - Danica Patrick (GoDaddy, Chevrolet)
38th - (Matt) #42 - Kyle Larson, CreditOne Bank, Chevrolet)
---
Happy Daytona Day Everyone!!!
It is back!!!!!!!! GM Scott said he has barely slept this week.
"I am like a kid counting the sleeps to Christmas" said the GM who
defeated Muddy Capone in their annual Daytona 500 Crash Pool. "I
would put that win right beside my five NHLP Cups" the GM said after the
race last year. When GM Scott was asked if it is a tad "Morbid"
cheering for a crash during a race, he laughs, "The happiest I have ever
seen a GM in my life, GM Jr's player just lost a spleen. It's that
kind of excitement, ten fold." Last year Scott won with Car #19,
Daniel Suarez who had the worse crash between the Pools cars.
Finishing in first place last year allowed Scott the opportunity to pick
first, again taking the bright orange ARRIS car which he called "The
most beautiful car in NASCAR", then adding, "Well, we hope not by the
end of the race." The #19 starts mid field in the 17th pole
position while Capone's pick this year, starting further back at 28th,
the bright green #7 GoDaddy car driven by none other then Danica
Patrick. In what is known as the most dangerous event in all of
sports,
a race on a track claiming the lives of 23 drivers
over the years, last year's race was major incident free,but filled with plenty of crashes but
only 5 cars ended the day without being involved in some accident.
The race is set for Sunday and all the starting
field cars are here. This is a great shot of each car
and anyone is welcome to take one if they want into what can only be
describe as the most intense race of them all. "This pool isn't
for everyone" Capone says, then breaks into laughter with tears
streaming down his face, "Ya, some GM's just watch the sport for its
skilled racing." This is the only pool where you actually hope for
bad luck during the event, as the most banged up car of the day takes
down the top prize, which this year is expected to set an all time
record for the Pool.
---
Sure Things for Avalanche
Although last place in the Pacific Division GM Chad did a very veteran move, not
using the Waiver for a temporary point grab, but adding as many sure things as
possible. "If you have playoff guys you are always in the race" said Chad
who added Parayko, Ekholm and Parise, three players who are currently in the
playoffs. The Pacific Division has teams in front who will be doing their
work with the next three Waivers, as Alaska (Marcel), Seattle (Shawn) and
Calgary (Jr). Those three teams in the top three playoff spots in the
Division, based on this mornings NHL standings have 378 non-playoff points
amongst 10 players, 38 per player. "A lot of players are right there" said
Muddy Capone, "That's why it isn't easy making decisions as a GM, as the wrong
one now may be costly later." All three of the picks are prior to the NHL
Trading Deadline, the only three teams to pick now prior. Marcel is up
next and we have not heard yet what Alaska's plans with the Waiver are.
---
Palat Injury Leads to Trade
GM Shawn said he just could not hold onto the injured Palat, moving him
for a Columbus player and 6 points. New Orleans is in a battle for
a playoff spot in the North Division and even though in second place
after the deal, are still only 9 points up on 5th. Quebec (Matt)
wasn't worried about holding Palat for a month, even though in second
place as well and only 7 points up from last place. "This is my
first Tampa Bay player, I could not let the opportunity go by" said
Matt. As far as the Wolverines, the roster has quite a few
question marks. Based on this mornings standings four players
totaling 152 points (38 per player) are out of the NHL playoffs and
Monahan who has 52, his Flames are a single point in front of Anaheim
for 9th, and out of the playoffs. "I have no idea how GM's are
going to figure out their teams" said Muddy Capone, "One day GM's load
up on Hurricanes because they are in and the next game they are out."
Capone said you can look to the Minors now and see your outs, but if you
don't find them through the remaining Waivers, everyone else is going to
want those same outs at the NHLP Trading Deadline to set their rosters.
It does seem some teams only way in will be to eat a high-scoring
non-payoff player, but no NHLP team ever has won the Cup entering the
playoffs without a full roster. This is the situation many GM's
have put themselves in by holding onto non playoff players or players on
these teams that can go either way. "Even when the playoff do sort
themselves out" Capone added, "Certain NHL teams, like Columbus for
example, would really hurt GM's who want to use the Minors, as if they
make it in, their highest scoring guy in the Minors has 32 points, not
60 as if say Colorado gets in." There have been lots of
opportunities including trades, Waivers and a Meeting to set a team.
Many GM's seem at the mercy of the NHL standings. There is a lot
of hype around the NHL Trading Deadline that a lot of action could occur
this year, creating many new valued players in the Minors. That
could be a good thing for some GM's, but there is still an issue of
everyone else scooping up these players before your opportunity, which
sometimes you must just create yourself.
---
GM Chad Keeping Busy
After acquiring a Waiver pick in Toronto, GM Chad has his own coming Saturday in
Colorado, while also making an injury pick in Pittsburgh. With the Maple
Leafs Waiver Chad added four players including McAvoy who was traded to Memphis
(Jr). Staying with Toronto is Gostisbehere, Zucker and Burakovsky.
Pittsburgh then dropped the injured Thornton and added Suter. As for Chad
he said he is looking to deal on a few teams and Toronto is going to trade Ellis
any time now. As far as this weekend, Chad's Avs have some key pieces in
their top four which the GM is opening to trading pre-waiver. The plan is
to drop Toffoli, Wennberg and Kesler but Chad knows a huge deal is sitting there
if he can find it for his last place Avalanche. The team has to Blues and
two Leafs which are very attractive pieces that can fetch a pretty number for
the last place club with a Waiver. The question for Chad is he needs to move
enough to get his team in and keep enough to still have a shot at winning, often
the most tough thing a GM does.
---
BOG Clarifies Trading Rule
A founding rule, that all trades must stand by themselves, had a little clerical
work to clear up any potential loopholes or grey area within the rule.
Each Transaction must stand by itself. Conditions and Players to be Named
Later, which are allowed, are not one Transaction as a whole, but each is it's
own uniquely numbered Transaction. "We are not trying to discourage these
deals in any way, but must prevent potential problems and issues that can arise
if a trade is viewed as a whole" said the BOG. So if you make a trade,
that trade must stand alone. If there is a condition, when the condition
is met, that trade too must stand alone. Below are many examples of
different Transactions and each has its own unique Transaction number.
Moving forward, each of those different Transaction numbers must make sense, and
be able to stand by itself. If one does not, the Transaction can be vetoed
and will not stand. To prevent issues from occurring, when a player to be
named later is involved, the players must be named at that time, so we can look
ahead for potential issues and they be flagged immediately and dealt with if
needed. If you have any questions, please ask.
---
Toronto Grabs Waiver
In an interesting and quite creative move, GM's Jr and Chad hooked up on a deal.
Chad now has the Waiver in Toronto after sending Ellis to Memphis (Jr) for
Wennberg. The deal comes with a condition that Toronto will pick up McAvoy
from the Minors, sending him back to Memphis for Ellis. After the deal was
broken down, it caused a stir with GM Scott
The Deal
To Memphis
To Toronto
Part 1
Ellis 8 Points
Wennberg 22 Points
Waiver
Part 2
Waiver Pick
Adds McAvoy 26 Points
Part 3
McAvoy 26 Points
Ellis 8 Points
On the surface it is only what works out to a 4 point deal. GM
Scott simply asked who would trade McAvoy 26 from Boston for Ellis 8 from
Nashville straight up. According to the current NHLP rules 6(J), stating
in part: Waiver Picks may be included in trades. However, all trades must
still stand alone. After discussions with GM Jr there is a clear difference of
interpretation of the rules.
---
GM Jr - It is One Transaction with Different Parts
GM Jr insists this is one deal. "Chad getting the Waiver is a good deal
for Chad" Jr said. "It can only be perceived as a whole. It is one
deal, all-inclusive. Not two or three deals. As long as the net
result is equitable for both GM's, all the better." When GM Scott said he
has never perceived a deal as a whole and said it was his understanding of the
rules that all deals had to stand by themselves and this can open up
transactions like we have never seen, Jr disagreed. "You are interpreting
this as multiple transactions. I made one deal with a condition. It
is all the same deal. One deal." When Scott said maybe we need to
change the rules to read the deal as a whole needs to make sense, Jr stated "I
don't see the need. The net of the transaction makes sense and I believe
in this deal it does."
---
Where to DrawThe Line?
GM Scott said every past transaction with conditions are very easy to
find. Player to be named later are deals often used and he admits no one
has ever used them as much as he has. "I use them all the time, so I walk
the finest line here in this discussion" said Scott. "I can tell you, when
you see my name in that deal, the second part always stands alone. I thought it
had to. That is the way I create them. By allowing Jr and Chad to do
this move, now anyone can do as follows:
A Future Deal
To GM 1
To GM 2
Part 1
Player A - 50 Points (non-playoff guy off a roster)
Player B - 0 (zero) Points + Waiver
Part 2
Waiver Pick
Adds Player C - 60 Points (Playoff guy from Minors)
Part 3
Player C - 60 Points
Player A - 0 Points
In this example, the NET is only 10 points. Jr says this is fine. GM
Scott says "I have never done this for I didn't think we were allowed to as the
deals would not stand alone. I am giving 50 points and then I am getting
back 60 points in two different deals, not one transaction. I see this as
giving 50 points in deal one and in deal two, getting back 60 points."
Scott said he is not OK with this, BUT "If we are going to say this is
acceptable then it just opens up an entire arsenal of new transactions I can
make. This would be heaven for me to not have boundaries. I don't
want this, don't like it, but if this is the way we can do deals, least all GM's
can now use this same approach and all would be fair."
---
Here is Another Example
GM Scott said if the deal just has to stand on its own as a whole, now we can
really open things up, as this stands by its own, using the current standings
and current players statistics
The Deal
To Halifax (Shawn)
To Toronto
Part 1
Matthews 47 Points
Eberle 42 Points
5th Round Pick (10 spots)
Part 2
Waiver Pick
Adds Gostisberhere 44 Points
Part 3
Gostisberhere 44 Points
Matthews 47 Points
So this is a great deal tonight for Shawn. He trades Eberle and a 5th
Round pick to Chad for Matthews. The deals condition says Chad must pick
up Gostisberhere and Shawn gets him for Matthews. The NET is only 2
points. But seriously, we can trade even up Matthews for Eberle (or insert
Sedin, Arizona guy).
I would never have thought of this for I assumed the Matthews for Eberle had to
stand alone. If I am wrong, this is an every Waiver move next year for me.
---
Over the past 5 years here are every player to be named deals. We
have the dates so anyone can look up the points for any deal at the time
they were made. I monitor these as they occur to ensure the points
and players make sense. So in full disclosure here they are:
17
Feb 16th
Trade
Toronto (Chad) Trades McAvoy to Memphis (Jr) for Ellis to complete
Transaction #15
Chad 20
Jr 9
16
Feb 16th
Waiver
Toronto (Chad) Drops MacKinnon (9), Pearson (13), Wennberg (10) and
Johansson (12), Adds Gostisbehere (9), Zucker (13), McAvoy (10) and
Burakovsky (12)
Chad 19
15
Feb 14th
Trade
Memphis (Jr) Trades Wennberg and February 15th Waiver to Toronto
(Chad) for Ellis. There is a Player to be Named Later Condition to
the Deal that Toronto will pick McAvoy from the Minors and Trade
McAvoy to Memphis for Ellis
Jr 8
Chad 18
Conditions
Yes
951
Jan 3rd
Trade
Philadelphia (Scott) Trades Eriksson, M. Johansson and
2018/19 2nd Rounder #57 to Florida (Marcel) for C. Smith,
Ellis and Pick #44
Scott 20
Marcel 12
Yes
950
Jan 3rd
Waiver
Florida (Marcel) Drops Boeser (11), Aho (11), Drouin (10),
Duchene (11), Ryan (11) and Jenner (13), Adds Radulov (11),
R. Smith (11), Connor (10), C. Smith (11), Nash (11) and
Ellis (13)
Marcel 1
949
Jan 1st
Trade
Philadelphia (Scott) Trades Aho and Ryan to Florida (Marcel)
for Connor and M. Johansson. A condition to this deal will
be that Florida uses their January 2nd Waiver and selects C.
Smith and Ellis from the Minors and trades those players to
Philadelphia in an agreed upon future deal.
Scott 19
Marcel 10
906
Nov 11th
Trade
Florida (Marcel) Trades Namestkinov and Ho-Sang to
Philadelphia (Scott) for Voracek and Schultz to complete
Transaction 904
Marcel 4
Scott 9
905
Nov 11th
Waiver
Florida (Marcel) Drops Lee (12), MacKinnon (11), Hartnell
(12) and Bennett (12), Adds Namestkinov (12), Duchene (11),
Galchenyuk (12) and Ho-Sang (12)
Marcel 3
904
Nov 11th
Trade
Florida (Marcel) Trades Schultz to Philadelphia (Scott) for
Hartnell. The Deal Includes Conditions for GM Marcel to
Select Two players from the Minors - Namestnikov and Ho-Sang
Marcel 2
Scott 8
823
March 3rd
Trade
Philadelphia (Scott) Trades Backlund and McDonagh to
Hartford (Andrew) for Werenski and Doughty to Complete
Transaction #819
Scott 48
Andrew 28
819
March 1st
Trade
Philadelphia (Scott) Trades Werenski, Werenski, Gagner and
Doughty to Hartford (Andrew) for Vrbata, Vrbata, Duchene and
Jagr. The deal includes a player to be named later.
Scott 44
Andrew 27
454
March 8th
Trade
San Fran (Scott) Trades Palmieri (1) to Montreal (Marcel)
for Burrows (1) to Complete Transaction #449 (Scott 3,
Marcel 3)
Scott 245
Marcel 97
449
March 7th
Trade
Montreal (Marcel) Trades Burns (2) and March 7th Waiver to
San Fran (Scott) for Filppula (2) and a Player to be Named
Later (Marcel 5, Scott 5)
Marcel 94
Scott 214
432
Feb 8th
Trade
Quebec (Matt) Trades Palmieri (1) to Buffalo (Joel) for
Bickell (3) to Complete Transactions #429 & #430 (Matt 4,
Joel 4)
Edmonton (Scott) Trades Vrbata (2), McDonagh (1) and Feb 7th
Waiver to Quebec (Matt) for Drouin (2) and Backlund (1).
There is a Condition on the Deal that Quebec Will Use the
Waiver and Select the Player to be Named Later From
Transaction #429 and Trade him to Buffalo (Joel) (Scott 6,
Matt 6)
Scott 209
Matt 152
429
Feb 4th
Trade
Buffalo (Joel) Trades Vrbata (2) and the February 7th Waiver
to Edmonton (Scott) for Kunitz (5) and a Player to be Named
Later (Joel 7, Scott7)
Joel 184
Scott 203
101
March 24th
Trade
Carolina (Joel) Trades Morrow (1) to Hamilton (Tyson) for
Green (1) Completing Player to be Named Later Agreement in
Transaction #98 (Joel 3, Tyson 3)
Joel 177, Tyson 79
98
March 24th
Trade
Hamilton (Tyson) Trades Duchene (2), Simmons (3) amd March
24th Waiver to Carolina (Joel) for van Riemsdyk (3), Martin
(2) and a Player to be Named Later (Tyson 8, Joel 8)
Tyson 76, Joel 157
97
March 24th
Trade
Edmonton (Scott) Trades Clarkson (3) to Alaska (Marcel) for
Tanguay (1), Completing Player to be Named Later Agreement
in Transaction #95 (Scott 4, Marcel 4)
Scott 255, Marcel 102
96
March 24th
Waiver
Edmonton (Scott) Drops Erhoff (2), Erhoff (2) and
Nugent-Hopkins (3), Adds Clarkson (3), Silfverberg (2) and
Laich (2) (Scott 16)
Scott 251
95
March 24th
Waiver Swap
Alaska (Marcel) Trades March 23rd Waiver and 2014/15 2nd
Round Pick #49 to Edmonton (Scott) for Pick #44 and a Player
to be Named Later (Marcel 3, Scott 3)
Marcel 98, Scott 235
Yes
---
Palat to 30
Palat is now an injury pick for GM's Joel and Shawn, although it is unlikely he
will find himself being dropped, he is still not expected back to mid-March.
GM Chad could pick Friday for Thornton, who may not return this season, up to 36
points in Pittsburgh. Then on Monday, Toronto (Chad) can make two more
picks for MacKinnon and Johansson. MacKinnon is now skating and can score
no doubt, but the Avs have fallen a few out. Dropping 61 point guys to the
Minors isn't something likely possible without a Waiver. On the 24th GM
Ryan can pick for Trouba. If you have an injured player not on the
Calendar, just ask.
----
He's Back For Back
GM Joel added Aho and Aho as part of a four player pickup, dropping four
guys with 34 points each including Backlund and Backlund. Aho has
had a great season, just 4 points from reaching 50 and already in the
top 50 NHL scorers. For the NHLP team with the same name, adding
two NHL Canes could really pay off for Joel if they continue to stay in
a playoff spot. "With Stamkos on this team, it isn't a team you
would like to play in round one" said Muddy Capone. The Canes
did hook up for a deal, moving out Little and Koivu in a pre-drop move
with Pittsburgh (Chad) who sent points and Backlund and Leddy. The Hurricanes
were in last place but thanks to 6 from the two Aho's, a 10 point night
after the pick, Carolina has moved up to third in the ultra-tight East
Division. Memphis (Jr) now falls into last, just 12 out of 2nd and
has the next Waiver on Thursday. The Machine say it is available
and this makes sense, with the Machine loaded with talent. GM Jr
did send out an email and he is open to making a huge deal if the numbers make
sense.
---
Bruins Find Preds With Ease
GM Ryan laughed at all the nonsense about the Minors being bare, picking
three Preds from the Minors in a five for five drop. The Bruins
were able to land Jarnkrok, Ekholm and Bonino. The Bruins also
added high scoring Gostisbehere and Tkachuk. Sitting in second
place in the NHLP's South Division the team can clearly score.
Boston hung onto Tavares and if the Islanders can get in, now the Bruins
have some potential distance guys in his three Preds. The GM
pointed out that Philadelphia has been the hottest NHL team from the
Metropolitan Division, out pointing all the teams in the Division over
the last 30 games. The only issue is for the Bruins to be at their
strongest they will need all of the Devils, Flyers, Flames and Islanders
in the playoffs, which certainly is a possibility. "I left some
outs in case I have to move any of them" said Ryan who took the low
number of Bonino to make that happen. The Bruins are also up 18
points on 5th so GM Ryan has room to maneuver if the time comes.
---
2nd to 5th - Just 10 Points
Three NHLP Divisions are are as tight as ever with the difference
between 2nd and 5th place in the three Divisions, just 10 points.
The East Division is even closer still as only 10 points separates last
place and second place. "We are in for one of the most intense
finishes ever" said Muddy Capone about the closeness of the Divisions.
There are currently only 9 NHLP teams who could give 10+ points in a
trade and still be comfortably in the playoffs, which we considered as 5
or more points. That doesn't sound too comfortable.
Depending on the NHL teams in the playoffs, many teams are safe or in
positions to face a penalty. For example, Buffalo (Joel) is way up
in the North Division by 36 points. If Philly misses he would face
a 61 point penalty and if Dallas missed a 29 point penalty.
Phoenix (Charlie) is in 4th but faces a 48 point penalty if the Kings
miss the playoffs. Almost every Division is in this exact same
situation. How crazy are the NHL standings. The Kings have
17 players currently in the NHLP. That is more than St Louis,
Winnipeg, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Boston and get this...twice as many
players as Washington, Dallas, New Jersey and Philadelphia, all teams
currently in the playoffs. Is your team in or out? We are in
for one hell of a wicked finish in the NHLP.
---
Inter-Divisional Blockbuster - Two Playoff Elites Traded
Thanks to the great team reporting by long-time Hamilton Hitmen Reporter
Kenya Kill Jr, the NHLP was able to break a deal before it was
officially reported, and what a deal it is. The Hartford Whalers
(Andrew) traded three picks along with Tarasenko and Hoffman to Hamilton
(Tyson) for Backstrom and Kadri. Both GM's said they were happy
with the deal which sent nine points to Hamilton and tightened up the
Atlantic Division from top to bottom where both teams still sit.
"I no longer have the uncertainty of Hoffman" said GM Andrew, "We also
were able to diversify." The Whalers who had four Blues, traded
their best one, but Backstrom is a nice fit for the Capitals who for
once aren't expected to win it all. Not having all that pressure,
which is squarely on Pittsburgh this season, may be everything
Washington needs to go all the way. The Hitmen basically get 9
points for Kardi and assume the risk or uncertainty of Hoffman.
"If he gets traded, we do well in the deal" said GM Tyson who can then
re-trade Hoffman for more points and build around Tarasenko. If
Hoffman does not go, Tarasenko is a huge asset that can bring in all the
points the team will need to compete for a playoff spot. "We have
work to do there" said Tyson, "But we inched closer." Hamilton is
now only 11 out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic and have Connolly's
low number to go with Hoffman, 52 for two players, if it comes to that.
We don't often see two Elite playoff players traded in one move, so it
is definitely an NHLP blockbuster.
---
Backstrom Out of Hamilton?
Kenya Kill Jr, long time reporter for the Hamilton Hitmen (Tyson) told
the NHLP Yearbook of a deal involving the Hitmen and the Hartford
Whalers (Andrew). There is no official news as to the players, but
Kill Jr said he feels Backstrom must be on the way out. Hoffman
would likely be one piece coming the other way. The Hitmen are
well back so moving Backstrom is likely an attempt to salvage their
season. This is a huge move. Stay tune as the official deal
unfolds.
---
No Thursday or Saturday Waiver?
Your first thought might be, was that a screw up? Nope. At
the start of the year the NHLP Waivers were set according to the rules
and the first 6 dates with 9 games played had to be axed out with Feb
8th and 10th those last two dates. This leaves GM Ryan with the
Sunday Waiver instead of a Saturday Waiver even though there were 9
games played each night. "It is something to tweak maybe" said
Muddy Capone, "We could still eliminate the Waivers we have to, but
leave the Saturday's alone and take away another day, like Sunday."
The value of this is a GM would not have to noon Monday to make a pick,
but the luxury of picking by noon Sunday. In other NHLP news the
league's teams have dipped below the 200 man-games remaining mark.
Practically every second day from here on out teams are dropping 7
man-games the rest of the way. Things go fast. The Divisions
are mostly ultra tight, mirroring the NHL. It appears the home
stretch is well under way.
---
Montreal - Ugly First Place Team
GM Marcel is in first place and just used the Waiver to set a playoff
team that now consists of two players at 91 points from Minnesota, 47
points from Calgary, 53 from New Jersey and 25 from the Rangers.
The Canadiens have 23 points to work with but will likely find it hard
to move many of these players. The Habs were the CTR #32 most
powerless team and they didn't do a lot to climb the rankings. This Waiver might have been the one
that says there is nothing left in the Minors more so than any other.
Marcel dropped 4 players for 143 points and added E. Staal, Granlund,
Hischier and Nash. Seems likely Nash gets traded, but if the Wild
fall out, Montreal will have a ton of work to do, that apparently isn't
going to happen from the Minors. How do you get two players from
the Minors now who have an average 45 points each? "This has to open some eyes" said
Muddy Capone. The NHL Trading Deadline is three weeks away and
players moving can open up, creating more points in the Minors, but that is always a
question mark. Will it actually occur or will it not? There are 7
more Waivers before the NHL Deadline but NHLP teams having a ton to do
may be a little disappointed when it comes time to make a playoff team
from the NHLP Minors.
---
The Right Fit
A seemingly small deal today could have big implications on two teams
playoff runs. GM Andrew traded Steen out of Chicago and welcomed
in Krug from Colorado (Chad). Although their was no difference in
points, the Blackhawks now have both Bergeron and Krug instead of
Bergeron and Steen. For the Avs Steen is a nice fit with Schenn.
"These are the kind of moves that win Cups" said Muddy Capone, "It goes
almost unnoticed, but the complexions of the teams look entirely
different." For Chicago they have one of those teams you just don't see
changing a lot more down the stretch, meaning it is possible Andrew has
50 points he just doesn't move later on. The team is scoring like
crazy and outside of Doughty, all players are on top teams in the NHL
with two Bruins, two Jets and to Preds, all teams that can go all the
way. It is clear Chicago can do whatever they want this season,
but what would you want besides what you already have? Krug was a
small fit today, but at some point later on we might look back at how
big today's deal was.
---
NHLP Email Down
This will not affect the site in any way, but we have moved that email
under the same hosting as this site, meaning it is going to be down all
day. Please text any deals.
---
Shawn Captures Super Bowl Title
The final score of Super Bowl LII was Eagles 41, Patriots 33, for a combined 74
points. Shawn, he got 73. In a high scoring Super Bowl like no
other, the two teams combined for 1152 Yards, the most of any NFL Playoff game
ever, breaking the most yards in the Super Bowl before the 4th quarter even
started. Of the NHLP record 14 scores in the game, GM Shawn was in on 7 of
them (#'s 3,5,6,9,11,12,14), finally ending GM Joel's reign of three straight
Super Bowl Pool wins. Last year there were only 10 scores in the game with
Joel winning, only scoring in three of them and ending with 39 points. For
Joel this year wasn't a good one. Joel was the only person to not score a
point, while three other GM's who started with 8 in the first two scores of the
game, never had another score the rest of the way (Marcel, Jr & Chad).
Shawn just could not stop scoring, but only beat the Everyone ticket by 5
points, which ended with 68 points. No one after that was in the game at
the end as third was GM Scott who ended with just 21 points. The games
first half was quite interesting as there were two missed extra points, both
giving Shawn points on the 6 or 8 while Shawn also lost an Eagles 7 on score #4,
when early in the game they surprisingly went for a two point convert. The
6 or 8, usually not in play until late in the game, counted for 4 of the 14
scores. There were also four Field Goals and 6 Touchdowns that were scored
as 7 points. It was the highest scoring Super Bowl Pool, not surprising as
the entire game only had one punt. Now Shawn will turn his focus on
winning his first NHLP Championship, with the winner crowned in just 5 months.
---
GM Joel - Three in a Row
Against improbable odds GM Joel has won the last three Super Bowl pools. A
prize that pays for his NHLP entry the GM admits he looks forward to it every
season. "I'd be happier to win the Cups at this rate, but it is fun
cleaning up the sides" said Joel. This season, for those who are out
early, there is an Everyone line. If that one wins outright, nobody
suffers a loss. The odds of Joel winning today are only 12 to 1, but
winning four years in a row is over 20,000 to one to accomplish. The NHLP
site will be updated at half time (at the least) if you want to check back for
the scores as the game is played. Good luck to all. Some GM is about
to get the gift of a free season...and it is most likely gonna be Joel.
---
Kings Busy - Gain 16 Points
GM Andrew was expecting, and hoping, to do exactly what he did. The GM
made four separate one player moves and a four for four Waiver, ending up 16
points and from 5th to second place. "We did a lot of small moves, things
are tight everywhere" said the GM who found it hard to move points with almost
every NHLP Division as tight as they ever are this time of year. The GM
traded Marleau, Kesler, Andreson and Neal in one for ones for the four players
he dropped, DeBincat, Dotchin, Drouin and Landeskog. "It is getting really
hard to find playoff guys with any value" the GM said after he added C. Miller
twice from Vegas, Muzzin and McAvoy. In other NHLP news, GM Marcel said he
will use the Waiver on Tuesday in Montreal but would entertain moving back
Waivers if someone wanted to pick sooner. The GM has 15 points to give and
has Draisaitl he is planning to move.
---
Kucherov - "Likely to Stay"
GM Andrew didn't mention Kane, Neal, Neal, or Marleau, likely all
playoff players, as players who would end the day as Kings, only
Kucherov. After acquiring Saturday's Waiver in a trade with
Hamilton (Tyson), GM Andrew sounded like he hoped the day would bring
some trades. Gone is Marleau, whom the team had twice with
Anderson coming the other way. "You don't give three draft picks
if you don't have big plans" said Muddy Capone in anticipation for what
Saturday may bring. With the Minors getting more depleted by the
day GM's have got to take these Waiver day opportunities to pick up
playoff players and sometimes, for bargain prices. The number of
points players are traded on Waiver days are often less than any other
day of the year. Andrew knows what he wants and will be working
it, but if he gets an offer he wasn't expecting, he might trade the
roster.
Two people are awarded points for each
score during the game starting with Score #1 and if 13 = 1st again
Scoring:Must have the
correct team.Saftey or Field Goal = 8 Points.Scores of 6,7,8 = 6, 7 or 8 Points
4th Quarter & OT= Double the Points.All Scores in the 4th Quarter are Doubled.So a
Field Goal is 16 Points, TD's 12, 14 or 16
Entry is 20 (x 11 Tickets = 220 Prize)One winner who has the most total points at the end of the game
If a 13th score occurs 13th score = 1st
and so on again
---
Cincinnati Looking Good
GM Matt made a hell of a move in trading the fringe, injury, maybe gone
for a month MacKinnon and getting back the sure thing, Bruins top player
Pastrnak in return. "It was points well spent" said Matt who added
Pastrnak to a lineup stacking up nicely with Klingberg, Johansen, Josi
and Landeskog. Green Bay (Ryan) who stated he did second guess the
move, added a entire Ducks team to go along with his Flyers. Up
came Rakell, Henrique and Silfverberg in the four player drop. "I
am all in now with the Ducks and Flyers" said GM Ryan who also moved up
the standings into third in the Division. With the deal, the Rage
likely now ensure that three of the 8 strongest teams in the NHL are
from the South Division, joining Chicago (Andrew) and Dallas (Jr).
"You don't want to play any of those teams in round one" said Muddy
Capone, "But it is building towards two of them will meet in that
round." The NHLP is really heating up. How so many GM's just
let Pastrnak slide is baffling. Boston has only lost once in
regulation their last 18 games.
---
Pastrnak "In Play" Says GM Ryan
Likely set on using the Waiver to unload Shattenkirk, who is a minus 4
points to the Minors (19), GM Ryan shocked the NHLP Yearbook when he
said he needed serious points and "If I get the right number for
Pastrnak, he'll move tonight" said the Knights GM. We might just
see a bidding war as players this good, a point a game guy on a top
team, aren't readily available and many GM's who don't have to trade
these type of players will not. Green Bay has many options and as
the GM said, Pastrnak will only go for the right price, but this has to
peak the attention of GM's sitting with points to give. In other
NHLP news, GM Tyson has stated the Hamilton Hitmen Waiver on Saturday is
for sale, as are all player on the rsoter, including Backstrom.
The GM said he is very open, needs points and is willing to swap the
Waiver if a deal can make sense.
---
Miami Gains 15 For Letang, Drops Four
GM Charlie said he wasn't expecting to add Radulov and Parise for Letang,
Zajac and 15 points, but he sure did like the deal. Miami said
Quebec (Matt) made the offer, one Charlie simply could not turn down.
The Surf then dropped four players including Granlund and Keith, adding
Vanek, Rielly, Rust and Bonino. "If I am going to be out of the
playoffs, better out with assets" said Charlie who feels he has at least
six playoff players now in Miami and went from 27 to just 10 out of
third with still the Waiver after the Trading Deadline. Charlie
said you can do so much with that Waiver. "If Vanek doesn't get
traded, I have options and if he does, we can trade him and still make a
pick after seeing the NHL final teams" Charlie says of that late Waiver.
GM Matt said he was happy giving 15 for Letang. "You can see
Pittsburgh now making their move" the GM stated, "How can you not want
their offensive defenseman when they are going for three straight Cups."
Matt said he is convinced the Penguins will be adding by the end of the
Deadline.
---
Trigger Pulled
The NHLP East Division just changed in a hurry. The Halifax
Destroyers have went from last to third place in a deal that might
trigger a flurry of activity. "Often we see the shockwaves of a
deal, the ripple effect if you will, trigger something even bigger" said
Muddy Capone. The inter-divisional deal saw Quebec stay in first,
giving 5 points to acquire Atkinson for Coyle.
---
"They Did What....?"
The Miami Surf (Charlie) actually went out and got the Waiver tonight.
Whhhhhat? The Netflix camera crew was in such disbelief the
conversation when like "They did what? Get the Fuck outta here." It likely sounded like this. The
Surf GM paid next years Waiver and a second rounder, the first team to
meet Halifax' (Shawn) asking price. For the Destroyers, the only
mistake they likely made was not taking a Waiver in the year following,
as now they have 3 Waivers next season all within 6 spots. "We are
certain no NHLP team has ever had three Waivers in a season" said Muddy
Capone. Depending on the coin flip of the Waiver order next
season, Halifax could have the 7th, 8th and 12th Waiver of the season,
or Waivers at this exact point in the season which both just netted
Waivers for next season to GM Shawn. As for the Surf, after the
shock sets in you realize the team likely has no other choice if they
want to salvage another miserable season. In a league wide email
this morning the Surf have said everyone is available, including Letang.
With the Pens recent surge up the standings, 7-3 in their last ten and a
seemingly wide-open Metropolitan Division, only 6 behind Washington for
first place, one must assume after the Pens grab another piece at the
NHL Trading Deadline, they will be going for a third straight Cup run.
Letang in the playoffs is like having Bitcoin stock, it can be awesome
or the bottom can fall out. Last season Letang never played a game
in the playoffs and just the season before, when he was healthy like he
is now, had 15 points in 23 games. Parayko is an easy move for
Miami, as he is the highest scoring Blues player in the Minors, so
Charlie can include him in an all out drop and a GM can pick him up
today for a few points. Kane may be the most interesting of them
all. If the Hawks win tonight over the Preds, they can be two
points out. If a GM makes a pitch for the Pair, Kane and Keith,
that is just 72 points. If you are high in the NHLP standings, and
carrying non-playoff guys further than two points out, how can't you go
hard after this possibility if it is closer than your own current
chances. Miami must decide, making a tough decision. If
Charlie hangs onto Kane, he has already told the NHLP Yearbook this
morning, "I still have the first Waiver after the NHL Trading Deadline"
as an out. Calgary (Jr) must pick by Noon Sunday (25th), so
anything after that as far as NHL Trading Deadline day moves to Monday
(26th) at 3 PM would benefit Miami as their pick doesn't have to be in
until Noon Wednesday Feb 28th. Miami is 27 points out of 4th.
Do you sell everything tonight and go all out, which appears what the GM
is doing, or do you keep Kane and just grab as many points and playoff
guys as possible, and hope either Kane becomes a playoff guy, with still
a possible out at the NHL Trading Deadline? It should be a great
day for Netflix. We just hope after paying next years Waiver the
GM doesn't leave the entire day on the cutting room floor.
---
Ovechkin - Crosby - Malkin & Barzal
That is right. That is the company Barzal recently joined.
Only 4 players in the past 20 years have scored 50 points in their first
50 games as a rookie. Them the four. All those players were
3 point a game kids in Midget as well. To start the season Barzal
only had 3 points in his first 9 games but has had two 5-point games.
Kucherov who leads the NHL in scoring has not even had a four point game
this season. Barzal just had a stretch where he had 10 points in
three games. So, this Barzal looks like a good one moving forward.
If he finishes the season like he started his first 50 games, it is most
likely he won't be playing twice in the NHLP next year.
---
The Final 30 Games Have Arrived
The NY Islanders (Ryan) have lost Trouba for 6 to 8 weeks, letting all
NHLP GM's know it is that time of season. "Players going out eight
weeks about now are starting to be in jeopardy of missing the rest of
the NHL season" said Muddy Capone. If Troubla is gone the full 8
weeks, he would miss all February and March, with April only having the
first week before the end of the season. As for the Islanders they
have the second Waiver after the NHL Trading Deadline and Crosby has
picked his game up, so much so he has become a huge NHLP asset.
Trouba was scoring about 4 points every 10 games, so this injury will
only cost the Islanders in total 10 to 12 points, not crushing by any
means. For a team who is only 4 points up on 5th however, every
point counts. Now that the NHLP is in its official homestretch,
the final 30 games, injuries here on out will be crippling to some
teams. Coming back in February the league sees Hedman, Forsberg,
Scheifele and Carter. GM's Vinnie and Charlie have held Carter all
year and he is set to soon return with 3 points. With the Kings
recent fall in the standings it is hard to say if the move will have
paid off. If you just look at Phoenix, the same time Carter went
out Barzal had the same 3 points, now he has 51, so you wonder what
might have been had you swapped your guy out and hit the replacement
correctly. The NHL Trading Deadline is now 4 weeks away with the
final NHLP Waiver in 5 weeks, only 14 left. The NHLP's home
stretch has begun.
---
Halifax - Waiver Is Up for Grabs
The Halifax Destroyers (Shawn) who have the 8th strongest team in the
Eastern Conference are looking to move their coming Tuesday Waiver.
In a three way tie for the final playoff position in the East Division
the GM doesn't have much to go to the Minors, sitting with Eberle and
Kesler, players that are close enough to get in. The GM is feeling
good about Kessel now that the Pens seem poised at a third-straight
Stanley Cup run. With Schwartz back healthy Shawn said he thinks
the teams real scoring will now start to shine in the coming weeks.
---
60% of the NHL Season Complete
CTR Power Rankings Completed After Game 50
GM Scott didn't have the biggest moving team, but did move all three his teams
into the top 6 strongest NHLP teams in the power rankings. It was GM Joel
with the biggest move, his Sabres moving up 24 spots into 4th overall, giving
Joeltwo of the top four teams. Joel's
Vancouver Canucks have first place in the rankings. The Canucks have it
all, including 31 points that the GM may find tough moving, if there is such a
thing in the NHLP. Joel also has all three of his teams in the top dozen
while GM's Andrew and Jr have have two teams each. Other notable increases
were Edmonton (Scott), moving up 15 spots after a huge Minors drop at the Winter
Meeting and Alaska (Marcel) who moved up 10 spots. The biggest drop
Indianapolis (Matt), dropping 16 spots even after giving next years Waiver and
having two of three recent Waivers. The latent rankings are at the bottom
of this page.
---
Indy Add Voracek
GM Matt made two deals, adding 13 more points before a three for three Waiver.
The Icemen first traded Krug for Kane who the team kept, then Schmaltz was added
for Toffoli. The second place Icemen then added Voracek, DeBrincat and
Burakovsky with a Waiver pick that cost their team next seasons Waiver.
Now 17 points up after some aggression, Matt has solid scoring atop the roster
in Voracek, Schwartz and Benn. Assuming Kane is heading to a playoff team
the top four could be strong enough to compete with Division heavyweights in
Vancouver (Joel). The key here may be ensuring all those top four are on
NHL playoff teams, something out of Matt's hands but a crucial part of any
potential success the Icemen can have moving forward.
---
Canucks Better Still
The Vancouver Canucks (Joel) traded 8 points to Indianapolis (Matt), adding Krug
for Kane. The Canucks are strong, now with three Bruins Marchand, Krug and
Krejci to go along with their three Golden Knights Karlsson, Perron and Haula.
The team has a 7th player of Fiala and more points then GM Joel can trade if he
wanted too. Vancouver is as good as anyone and far ahead of the Divisions
competition. Although trades come around when you least expect them, GM
Joel will be hard pressed to get better. "There is always a way to
improve" said Muddy Capone, "But you look at a team this good and it makes you
wonder just how they are going to accomplish that feat." We certainly
expect Vancouver to be one of the very best when the NHLP playoffs roll around.
---
Icemen Doing It Their Way
He might not of coined the phrase, but GM Raymond may have said GM Matt
is a "Sucker for punishment." Then again, GM Raymond would have
done the exact same move. Whether you like his style or not, Matt
is his own man. He is aggressive and makes a lot of moves,
currently leading the NHLP in Transactions with 26, and starting to pull
away. "There are likely more similarities between GM's Raymond and
Matt then any other GM ever" said Muddy Capone who has witnessed 28
years of the NHLP. "Matt does all those things Raymond did, in
very similar ways" Capone continues, "There is something to be said of a
GM who does what he wants without giving a rats ass what other GM's
think. That was Raymond. That is Matt." If you
talk to other GM's in the NHLP, they love Matt, and wish we had more
guys like him. Matt doesn't sit on his thumbs and isn't in over
his head. The GM went out and acquired tonight's Waiver, just 4
days after making a Waiver pick, of one they acquired from Boston
(Ryan). This time the GM sent a pair of picks including swapping
the 7th overall for the 8th overall and shipping next years Waiver to
Halifax (Shawn). As for the Destroyers, they still also have the
NHLP's next Waiver and now two, back to back, next year. Matt has
said everyone but Schwartz is on the table. If that is true there
is a lot of weight currently on the table, big names who are potential
heavy hitters. Benn's Stars are really flying and Krug is a
monster for the Bruins. If a GM can hold onto Jumbo Joe for a few
weeks, Thornton is very much in play, with his Sharks alive and well.
The team also has Toffoli, Lindell and Spezza, all worthy of staying out
of the Minors. "It is a huge price to pay for a Waiver" said
Capone, "So we doubt Matt just does a minor move." So we expect
something big. It was GM Raymond, who while on the way to a Winter
Meeting, surprisingly once told everyone he was dropping John LeClair to
the Minors. LeClair, playing on the Legend of Doom, one of the
leagues leading scorers, on the leagues top team - ya, that guy, going
to the Minors. He wasn't shitting. He had a plan and he did
carry through with it. No one could understand it. It didn't
make much sense to anyone else, but him. He couldn't give a shit
what you thought. Matt, well he doesn't either.
---
Sabres Build "Best Flyers Team"
GM Joel said the offers he did receive were not the direction the
organization wanted to go. "We didn't want to move our points at
the expense of not making the best pick possible" said the GM who wanted
to build the "Best possible Flyers team". The team added Giroux
and Voracek and the team now has the most points in the NHLP with two
Flyers, Stars and Golden Knights. Haula and Theodore were added
from the first place Knights while Janmark and Rust all joined Klingberg.
For this late in the season, GM Joel did quite well said Muddy Capone.
"You would not think swapping out 200 points for six players would be so
easy to do at this point in the season, but it is" said Capone.
What is making this type of Waiver work, is the NHL standings. Of
course NHLP penalties for non-playoff players only exist after the final
game of the NHL season is played, and before then, every single game is
causing a team to go from a third seed, to a wild card position or even
out of the playoffs completely. So what no one is really seeing is
the NHLP is built up with a huge number of top players on teams that
might be in or out on that final day. Having those players on your
teams roster are decisions all GM's will have to make and it is going to
work for some and not for others. But as in every previous NHLP
season, come the deadline, although it may appear we have more playoff
guys available then other years, reality is after the final game of the
NHL season, we will have 16 playoff teams, just like every other season.
Poor planning now will ultimately lead to a number of high scoring NHLP
players not being able to be swapped out at the Deadline, meaning more
teams then usual will likely have to eat a high-scoring non-playoff guy
to get in, likely killing any real shot they have at a Cup.
---
Garage Sale - GM Joel's - Tonight
There is nothing like going out on a Saturday morning (or sometimes a
Tuesday evening) and hitting the garage sales. You just never know
what you are going to find. In Buffalo tonight GM Joel has
advertised, "No reasonable offer will be refused." That is the way
it should be. You get out all your unwanted goods, put them on
display and take what you can get. Surely you don't want to have
to pack things back up and store this crap for another day. The
Sabres do have something for everyone. You have Eichel and Okposo,
two high scoring players who can help a team gain some points down the
stretch and use those points at the Trading Deadline to go to the
Minors. That will likely just cost at least one good player.
Remember, Buffalo has 27 points to work with. If you want to spend
your money on fringe players, there are some great ones available.
Tkachuk's Flames are right there, third seed, but a mere two points up
from not even making the playoffs at all. Suter is right there,
tied for 8th overall and Rakell, a little further out still but not
eliminated by any stretch, just 3 points behind Calgary for the 3rd
seed. Remember the NHL has Divisional games down the stretch, so
any hot team can move up. Then you have the prize of the day.
Karlsson. He is the gem catching everyone's eye. Man, can
you imagine taking a chance on this guy and having him get traded?
He is like a painting. You are thinking, is it an original or a
print? Big difference. One way you score beyond belief and
the other you just hope you can break even somewhere down the line.
Remember, in this day and age, how often is it
truly an original? His 31 points seem very obtainable
with off the chart potential. If he ever goes to a top playoff
team, literally he can be 6+ first round points, hands down. What
will be Joel's asking price? Well, inquire and find out.
Make an offer. As he said, no reasonable offer refused.
There is nothing like a good Yard Sale.
---
Indy Adds Krug and Points
GM Matt used the Icemen opportunity after acquiring the Waiver in a swap
with Boston (Ryan) to get some points and add Krug. Spezza and
Lindell who combined for 6 points on the night caught the GM's eye, but
he past on the Star player who had 5 points on the night. "I am
happy to add Krug" said Matt. The Icemen now have three Dallas Stars led
by Benn.
---
Bruins - Decision Day
GM Ryan said he doesn't have a plan for the Waiver today and he will
either trade it or use it to change the flavor of his team. He is
asking GM's to text him offers. They may not have a plan, but the
one thing Boston does have is potential. They have the potential
of two big named players who have been continuously rumored in the NHL
to be potentially on the move. The Islanders are three
points out and not exactly lighting it up, with a 3-7 record their last
10 games. Tavares continues to say the right things in the media,
it is hockey 101. Each Islanders loss could be a great thing for
Ryan. Will the Islanders hold on to Tavares past this deadline if
they are not going to make the playoffs this season? The
difference is by keeping Tavares, maybe he does sign long term on the
Island. Keeping him means maybe he decides to sign elsewhere and
the Islanders get absolutely nothing at all. NOTHING. If
they are out and make a huge 10 million per season pitch for him and he
says, "Let me think about it" or "I don't want to talk contract
mid-season", that has to tell you, you have to trade him. What
would be the return? Well, a hell of a lot bigger than any other
player, Karlsson included. Likely at least a first (and more
picks), and a couple top prospects. Those can help ease the pain
of him walking for nothing. Hey, if you trade him, get that
package and he really does want to sign long term, you can still sign
him and have your package too. Hoffman, Ryan's other player is
much more likely to be traded, and Ryan knows this, meaning he likely
won't get dropped to the Minors. As for Ryan, today, he could put
Tavares in the Minors and get something for Tavares and not worry what
happens. If he decides to gamble, likely later Tavares and even
Boston's two lowest numbers (81 now for three players) will be harder to
go to the Minors with and get the return he can get today. Today
clearly is decision day in Boston.
---
Green Bay Losses Shattenkirk
If there is one GM who thinks the hockey Gods are out for him the past
few years it is GM Ryan. Green Bay who is battling for the final
playoff spot in the West Division, already without Arvidsson, have now
lost Shattenkirk for what appears like a very long time. He is set
to have surgery. This same injury caused Stamkos to miss four
months. The Knights have a February 1st Waiver and will likely be
in the running for one sooner if one is available. The GM cannot
get the next Waiver in Green Bay, because he already has it in Boston.
Under league rules even if Boston does move the Waiver, Green Bay cannot
move Shattenkirk to whomever gets the Waiver and drop Shattenkirk,
meaning he will have to go another time, or February 1st at which time
he will be a penalty. "Things could be worse" said Muddy Capone,
"We could be looking to expand by four GMs."
---
MacKinnon and Landeskog Join Rage
The GM's options may not have been limited, depends who you ask, but GM
Matt was almost giddy adding two high scoring Colorado Avalanche
players. "The Avs just can't lose and we have a high scoring team
for sure" said Matt who also added UFA Nash and Devils defenseman
Vatanen, in total a 10 point gain on the night. There are so many
teams vying for the final NHL wild card places, who knows what teams are
going to be in and out. This is going to leave many GM's either
scrambling late or having to make a call to stick with their guys and
hope their player's teams get in. Adding MacKinnon and Landeskog
could be a blessing or a curse. The way the Avs are playing, they
surely look like an unstoppable team, but reality is they are only tied
for the final playoff spot with Los Angeles and Minnesota sitting 9th
and 10th. Anaheim and Chicago are within three points of 8th as
well in the Western Conference race. Each and every game is huge.
For Matt, he has plenty of scoring, no doubt. He also now has 91
points for two key players on his team that if he has to replace, full
value will very unlikely not come from the NHLP Minors.
---
Johansen Stays - Heinen and Suter Gone
GM Matt laughed when he heard the rumor he had traded Johansen. "I
can get 30 points for him at the Deadline, all Nashville guys will be in
high demand then" said the GM who just might be right. How he
ended up with Johansen and three Preds in general, and the fact he isn't
giving him away cheap, speaks volumes of where this GM is headed.
What Matt did do in Cincinnati was get Aho and Aho, a 14 point gain for
Heinen and Suter. The GM can now at least use those two players in
his Waiver drop, but it is possible he isn't done trading today.
As far as GM Marcel, he didn't want to move Aho and Aho, but the
potential long term injury proved to difficult to keep him twice.
Aho has been all over the NHLP this season and was just added at the
Winter Meeting, playing only a game for Marcel before his injury.
He is surely headed to the Minors again where if Carolina plays
themselves into a playoff spot, he will surely be a catch for some GM
when he is called back up later this season when healthy.
---
Rage Make Major Move
A report that has surfaced out of Cincinnati are the Rage have made a
major move. The source said Johansen has been dealt out of town
and is likely headed to the North Division. If the rumor is true
Johansen has had a crazy couple weeks. He was first dealt for over
20 points and picked up by GM Shawn who traded him at the Winter Meeting
to the Rage. If what we are hearing is true, this means Cincinnati
will likely be using the NHLP Waiver. This should be a decent
point gain as well for the South Divisions 4th place team. More
details as them become known.
---
Winter Meeting Transactions Completed
The NHLP Yearbook finally has updated all the Transactions from the
Winter Meeting as well as Player Tracking. If you notice anything
missing or any mistakes, please advise. In total the Winter
Meeting had 9 trades, more than any of the past 5 years while moves to
the Minors were 20, less than each of the past 5 years. "There
were a lot of huge names get traded" stated Muddy Capone, "We usually
don't see so many big names get dealt at this meeting, but top players
on top teams were flying all day."
---
Year
Trades
Minors
Total
17/18
9
20
29
16/17
7
25
32
15/16
2
25
27
14/15
5
26
31
13/14
5
28
33
---
Lucky 13
GM Shawn is looking forward to hosting the NHLP Winter Meeting in Seattle.
The date is Saturday, January 13th at 11 AM. The league has 8 GM's with a
yes on that date, beating all other dates, with a possible 10. GM's
Charlie and Matt will currently not be attending this date with Charlie's
schedule only having one official Yes anyhow. The winter Meeting just sits
in the midst of an 11 day hiatus between Waivers with GM Chad on the 7th and
Shawn on the 18th. There are a lot of points to give in the NHLP Standings
and a lot of teams sitting with players who must be exchanged out to the Minors
before the serious deals can occur. The Winter Meeting allows for the
setting of teams which often leads to the blockbuster deals.
---
NHLP Freezes Minors & Pecking Order
The NHLP had frozen the Minors this morning and all GM's in time will
receive a copy for the scheduled weekend meeting. The Pecking
Order for the meeting will be posted after Toronto makes their Waiver
pick, which was scheduled for Sunday.
Andrew 639
Joel 625
Matt 611
Chad 587
Scott 585
Shawn 585
Marcel 578
Jr 554
Charlie 542
Ryan 540
Tyson 533
Vinnie 519
Note: GM Shawn has more non-playoff guys, so falls behind Scott in
the Pecking Order under the tie-breaking procedure.
---
Netflix Was (Previously) There
The Miami Surf head office was buzzing last night after a 10 point night.
"The Camera Crew went home early, so we missed it" said a producer, "Go figure,
first time in months that happened." The Surf are in their 6th season of
around the clock filming of what will eventually be turned into a Netflix
Special. "We are there every step of the way towards Miami building an
eventual Cup" the producer of the series went on to say. Set to release in
2050, originally the idea was for a 5 to 10 year series, multiple seasons.
Things are being scaled back, but there is belief, if the Surf can ever win it
all, maybe a full hour 'action-packed' program could be produced. The crew
is there every moment. For instance early in the season the crew was
filming as GM Charlie opened an email offer. "Imagine filming the very
second the GM himself is reading the proposed deal, the behind the scenes to a
die-hard is like nothing TV has ever seen" the producer went on, "In this
particular email we have Charlie typing out his response without hesitation".
'I think I will keep Patrick', click - send. "Keep in mind" Charlie tells
the camera crew, "If someone offers you the deal, they must be trying to fuck
you in some way." Charlie then added, "And that guy has been trying to get
rid of Aho all season." This is the kind of insight we can expect in the
eventual program. Of course the Surf have not made a deal yet this season,
still having their original team the GM Drafted. "There is a reason I
drafted those guys, the best of the best" said the Surf GM. Rest assured
though, when the time comes (unlike last night), surely the crew will be there
to catch every live second of the heart-pounding action in Miami.
---
Cincinnati Adds Palmieri
The Cincinnati Rage (Matt) added Palmieri from Edmonton (Scott) in a move for
Nash. Palmieri played 20 less games and had three less points than Nash.
----
Leafs Adding Mix
GM Chad said he wanted to add the right amount of playoff players and scoring in
his three for three Waiver. MacKinnon, Couturier and Ellis came up while
the GM dropped Gaudreau, Galchenyuk and Leddy. Chad said he had a late
offer that he turned down for 25 points because he "Wanted to ensure we had
Ellis" whom the GM said was the most valuable player in the Minors. Not
surprising the GM would turn down 25 points for Mathews and/or Marner, but the
GM said those players were not involved in the offer. The Minors are now
frozen and the pecking order is below. The Winter Meeting will be
different this season, with 13 NHL teams not playing a single game by Saturday,
due to the NHL's mandated five day break each team gets once a season.
Last year the NHL staggered the breaks but this season are having them all at
once. Only 18 games are during the freeze, while a normal NHL week is
about 35 games.
---
Quebec's Massive Week
It was quite the week for GM Matt. After getting his first ever
12+ point night the GM hit a 31 point week, a mere six off the all-time
NHLP record of 37 by Halifax (Shawn) ten years ago. How big was
Matt's week? Well every NHLP GM except Joel had two of their three
teams combine for equal of less than 31, including GM Vinnie who had all
his three teams less than 31. No NHLP team has had more than 31 in
a week over the past 5 seasons, dating back to 2013 when GM Joel had a
33 in Vancouver. Radulov, Hall and Giroux had 6 points each while
Coyle, Niederreiter and W. Karlsson all had one less than the four
points of Saad. The Nords of an NHLP high of 227 points and are 39
points ahead of fifth in the NHLP East Division.
---
Marner Joins Matthews in T.O.
It came at a big price, but GM Chad said he was happy to add Marner with
Matthews. "I think I can now do something here" the GM said.
The Leafs GM turned down a 34 point offer to keep Matthews and Josi to
"Build around them" but the very next day Josi was out the door once
Marner was in the picture. Now Toronto has something better they
want to build around. Out with Josi were Bergeron and Parayko, who
found a new home in Southern Ohio with the Cincinnati Rage (Matt).
GM Matt was very happy to add Bergeron, who went out and scored 5 points
on the night. "I think Boston can beat out Tampa Bay the way they
are playing" said Matt, "And it was good to unload one of my Calgary
guys in the process". The Rage also moved out Gaudreau and
Johansson along with Marner. As for Chad he is saying things could
change again today. The Leafs have the final Waiver prior to the
Freeze on Monday. "Johansson and Pearson are huge pieces to
someone's puzzle, but they are caught up in the Waiver thing" said Chad
who hopes to find his return puzzle-pieces today. "I can gladly
take out your garbage" the GM said, adding "Both those players are
playing on top NHL teams". Seems reasonable we should expect more
movement today, ending what has already been, a very busy week in the
NHLP.
---
CTR - Andrew Looking Strong
All three of GM Andrews teams are in the top 8 most powerful in the
league including the third and fourth overall strongest teams. The
NHLP's most powerful team is the San Fran Titan (Scott) who are loaded
with the top NHL team's players as well as Marchessault off the top
Western ranked team in Vegas. GM Joel's Vancouver Canucks are not
far behind the Titan for the second strongest overall team. The
top 12 overall teams include three each from the South Division and
Atlantic Division while the best team in the Pacific Division is 17th
overall of the 36 ranked teams. Calgary (Jr) currently has the
36th and final team at the halfway mark of the NHL's season, even though
sitting with Subban and Josi on the roster. This year the CTR is
the most complex and accurate it has ever been, factoring in more
factors then ever before, including for the first time the parity of the
NHL teams. While only 4 teams had no value at the quarter mark,
those same four teams, plus four more were deemed as doomed, destine to
miss the NHL playoffs and players off those teams, including McDavid,
who was drafted first overall, have no value in the NHLP's CTR Power
Ranking. The overall ranking can be found on the bottom of this
page.
---
Couldn't Get a Deal - Wolverines Settle
GM Shawn said he did try to make a few moves, but nothing could get done
by the noon deadline. The New Orleans Wolverines made a productive
two for two, dropping Galchenyuk and Ristolainen, two players with no
value for two Los Angeles Kings, Person and Gaborik. The Kings are one
of the best Western Conference teams and seem set on playing likely Anaheim or
San Jose in the first round based on the current NHL standings. The move puts
Shawn's New Orleans team as the 12th ranked CTR team.
---
"It Only Took 10 Years" - GM Matt
GM Matt viewed his huge 13 point night a little different then the NHLP
Yearbook. The GM was elated to have finally achieved his first
ever 12+ point night, the biggest night in the Quebec Nordiques history.
In Matt's first 10 years as a GM he only ever hit 11 points on a night,
but his 13 is no small accomplishment. The Nords had three point
nights from Niederreiter, Radulov and Hall while Coyle and Giroux had
two points each. W. Karlsson played and did not point while Saad
didn't dress Thursday. In the past 8 NHLP seasons, no GM has had a
better night and only GM's Tyson and Chad have had a 13 point night over
those seasons. In the 28 year history of the league only 7 teams
ever had a better night including New Jersey, Washington and San Jose,
all teams no longer even in the NHLP. GM's Scott, Marcel, Jr,
Andrew and Chad have 115 GM years of combined experience, yet only have
a combined 4 nights better (Jr twice, Andrew and Scott) then Matt's
night last night, about 1 every 30 GM-years. So in fact Matt, the
fact you were able to do it in 10 years is quite the achievement.
Congratulations.
---
Toronto Prepares For Waiver in Six Player Swap
GM Chad sent out a league wide email to the NHLP GM's. soon after
he pulled off his first of what could be many deals prior to the final
Waiver before the Winter Meeting. Out were Carlson, Jarnkrok and
Wennberg and from Memphis (Jr) came 9 points and Bergeron, Leddy and
Galchenyuk. The Maple Leafs decision maker said Matthews and Josi
would only be considered for serious offers and the NHLP's 2016 Cup
winners would rather build their 2018 Cup run around those players.
The offers will be serious for the entire roster. Bergeron,
Pearson and Parayko could all move in the two days. Toronto has
the final Waiver on Sunday, prior to the Minors freezing on Monday.
Under the new NHLP rules the pecking order is posted Monday. In
other NHLP news all is quiet from New Orleans (Shawn) who were expected
to make some moves before their Waiver pick. The NHLP Yearbook has
heard nothing from the Wolverines.
---
They Did It
GM Marcel said it was "A lot of work, effort and time" to take the
Florida Panthers who were almost considered dead, back into the thick of
the NHLP North Division race. "They instantly are a Cinderella
story now" said Muddy Capone, who's Yearbook featured a story last week
about the major changes coming in the North Division. The Panthers
completed a 43 points turn around by dropping 6 players to the Minors
and adding Radulov, R. Smith, Connor, C. Smith, Nash and Ellis. As
per an earlier deal, C. Smith and Ellis were immediately traded to
Philadelphia (Scott) for Karlsson and M. Johnasson. It was nothing
less than remarkable what Marcel pulled off. He took a team that
had 147 points, the lowest number in the entire 36 team league and
arguably only had one asset, Johansen, and totally turned the season
around. In that huge deal for Johansen, he added the NHL's second
leading scorer, Bailey, as well as two more assets, Connor and Radulov.
He traded them both for points, "As they were both in the minors",
gaining 28 more points. After his Waiver pick he has the highest
scoring team in the North Division and solid assets in R. Smith, Connor
and M. Johansson, as well as potentially Bailey, Radulov and Nash.
Marcel stated Bailey had so many points he'd of had to give 11 to the
Minors just to move him, after tying himself into having to select C.
Smith and Ellis. The GM admitted Radulov and Nash might get traded by their NHL teams and
now has the high scoring Karlsson for his points, and even a long-shot
trade from the mess in Ottawa. The team went from 41 points out of
the playoffs to in 3rd place and only 10 points out of first place and
now 19 up on 5th after other Divisional trades. The CTR had
previously stated that the team needed work and doing nothing would
ensure they are doomed. Well, the GM stepped up and put in a
remarkable amount of work. Marcel proved it can be done.
There is still work to be done, but now there is a little something more
than nothing. While some NHLP teams are now "fine-tuning" their
playoff teams, other teams, many of them actually, have yet to make a
single move from their drafted teams. GM Marcel showed that it is
never too late, even if by all accounts some teams may have already left
it too late, but tomorrow is another day.
---
16 Players Moved on the First Day of the Year
By all accounts the NHLP Yearbook was close. Reporting the day
before that as many as 14 players could move on the first day of
January, the actual number ended with 16 players involved in
Transactions. "It was a busy day" said Muddy Capone, "Good thing
Bonnie (Anne Clyde) wasn't running the show" laughed the NHLP's
President of the Yearbook. Of course the NHLP's Secretary, Bonnie
Anne Clyde, has been known to fill in the leagues top position at the
Yearbook on some Transaction filled weekends. Florida (Marcel) is
still hoping to move some scoring for any points, or even picks at this
point. "Moving even points but a closer player to the playoffs is
never a bad idea" Marcel told the NHLP Yearbook. Aho does have 29
points and Carolina is just a point behind the NY Islanders with a game
at hand. Florida has done a remarkable job, starting with one
asset Johansen and now up 42 points in the NHLP standings in the North
Division.
---
The Waiver Wire
Player
NHLP Team
Date Placed On
Waivers by 6PM
Games to
Wait
Claiming Period
Ends at 6 PM on
Replacement
If Any
May Replace
by 6 PM on
Pacioretty (Mtl)
New Orleans (Shawn)
Tuesday, Oct 24th
10
Friday, Nov 10th - 10 Points
Not Claimed
Sunday, Nov 12th to 12 Points
Question: GM Andrew asks, why can't we pluck a player from the
Waiver Wire at any time we want? So once Pacioretty went on
Waivers, with his 2 points, I could jump on him then. Answer:
Maybe this is a great idea, and that could start the Claiming period.
"This player has been claimed, you must better it in 24 hours or Andrew
gets him." Maybe waiting the injury period is too long, and we
could think to shortening it to say 5 to 10 games for everyone, but
would have to think how injured players would factor in if it is done
that way. It is a very interesting thought. Clearly in our
example, Pacioretty got very hot and would be one of the guys that would
likely get plucked off Waivers during his claiming period on the 10th.
Something more to thing about.
Notes: Dvorak was traded by GM Scott to GM Matt. It would be
up to Matt to leave Dvorak on the Waiver Wire and he'd have to
immediately declare he was staying on the Waiver Wire, or he would come
off. As it was, Matt said he would have taken him down, and use
his number at the Winter Meeting, so that is why Dvorak is no longer on
the Waiver Wire.
Rules
-If you have a player you want on the Waiver Wire, email him to the league
-You may trade, or drop with a Waiver, your player on the Waiver Wire at any
time prior to the Day of the Claiming Period, but you can't remove him otherwise
once you place him on the Waiver Wire. Once you put a player on the Waiver
Wire - he is going somewhere.
Claiming Period - On the day of the Claiming Period the GM (based on the Pecking
Order) who offers the most points for this player, gets this player for their
player offered - who now becomes the player dropped the next day. You must
offer Equal or more points by 6 PM.
-If no one Claims the player, that player will be dropped for a replacement the
next day
-Teams can only have one player at a time on the Waiver Wire
-You may use an injured player to Claim a player on the Waiver Wire - who then
gets dropped without penalty? (thinking this through still)
---
Florida Continues to Climb in North Standings
The Florida Panthers (Marcel) have gained 42 points after a deal sending Connor
and Johansson to Philadelphia (Scott). Johansson was an injury pickup for
Schultz. Starting on January 1st the Panthers added the Tuesday Waiver and
16 points from New Orleans (Shawn) before adding 8 more points and Aho and Ryan
from the Flyer. The teams agree that Florida will also use the Waiver to
select C. Smith and Ellis from the Minors, then trade those two players to
Philadelphia in a separate deal involving Karlsson, gaining yet another 12
points. Karlsson's offense will help Florida continue to climb the
standings, coming from far in last to now 8 out of first, plus building a
playoff team with their Waiver pick ahead of the Winter Meeting. "I just
could not turn down 20 points for a guy in the Minors already" said Marcel of
trading Connor. The GM said he is not done dealing and is hoping to unload
Aho or anyone else on the roster ahead of his Waiver pick. GM Scott said
he was happy to add Connor, Smith and Eliis for three non playoff players and
only costing the team 20 points. In another Florida deal they added Boeser
from Quebec (Matt) for Radulov. In two injury picks today, GM's Marcel and
Shawn both dropped Schulltz with Marcel adding Johanson and Shawn adding Kelser
in Halifax.
---
Connor Traded
There is a confirmed deal in place but the GM's have asked the league to hold
off announcing the official deal until after 6 PM tonight. "What we do
know is Florida gained another 20 points and Connor was traded" the source told
the NHLP Yearbook who did confirm the deal is official. Florida who hours
earlier gained 16 points in a deal with New Orleans would now have about 183
points in the North Division, plus their Waiver pick. Marcel said Trading
Connor was easy as he is currently in the NHLP Minors so the 20 points will come
in handy during the pick. Stay tune for the details of this deal at 6 PM
---
Johansen Fetches Remarkable Score
GM Marcel worked it all week. The veteran GM had over half the GM's in the
league submit offers for Johansen and in the end, we are not sure anyone could
have done better. The Panthers completed a three for three today, also
acquiring the Waiver Tuesday from New Orleans (Shawn). The general
consensus across the league was Johansen was a prized possession that was not
going to be cheap. Nashville is after all a very potential Cup favorite.
Marcel traded him along with Voracek and Galchenyuk, two players who were likely
going to the Minors with the Florida Waiver, and got in return, an earlier
Waiver, 16 points and three currently playoff players including Bailey, Radulov
and Connor. The GM wasted no time advising the league those players are
all available for points. "It was just a spectacular move, literally
saving the Panthers season" said Muddy Capone about the GM's hard work in
getting the most out of maybe the lone asset the team had. Florida is also
dropping the injured Schultz today for another tradable asset at 6 PM. As
for New Orleans, they got the man everyone wanted. Was the price too
steep? Not according to their GM. "With Johansen's low number as it
is, I can easily get 16 back anytime I want" the GM said, "Now we have the
player to build our team around." Shawn didn't offer the most points, so
make no mistake, Johansen was a dog fight. What Shawn did offer was the
best package and Marcel realized this and made the right move. With
Florida now saying the auction is on for Connor, once again, let the bidding
begin.
---
New Year Rings With Massive Deals
The NHLP Yearbook sources have been told January first could see as many as 14
players traded. "It seems hard to believe, but this source is credible "
said Muddy Capone. Although the exact details are not known, it is
believed that GM Shawn in New Orleans is set to make some huge moves tomorrow.
GM's Chad and Marcel are also to be involved while GM Matt is rumored to be
making a separate deal. This is a huge amount of action to bring in 2018.
In the first half of this season 54 Transactions were made, one more than the 53
in the same period last season and 11 more than the 43 made before New Years the
year prior. As for the players on the move, one deal does include Bailey
who has 50 points, while Connor and Palat were also involved in deals.
Stay tune right here for more details as the deals are released, but sources say
expect a very busy New Years Day to kick off 2018.
---
Toronto Grabs Matthews For Scheifele
GM Chad wanted his man and GM Scott got what he wanted for his man, so it was
done. "We are extremely happy to get Matthews" said GM Chad who did not
hesitate once negotiations started. "I could see no reason why we would
not make this deal, so we just made it" the Leafs GM stated. Scheifele is
gone 6 to 8 weeks, meaning the deal, one for one, likely would not have occurred
had it not been for the injury. Edmonton who sent out a press release,
asking all interested GM's to get a hold of him, didn't wait long. "He was
traded by the time most guys got the email" he stated. "We were not going
to continue shopping Matthews once we got our price" the GM said. Scott
said he fully understands several GM's will be upset with him. Edmonton
negotiated late into the night Saturday with three GM's, all agreeing with
putting things off for a new day. "The press release went out because we
knew today was his last game" added Scott, "But the minute Scheifele was
available, their was no need for Matthews to play today as an Oil. The
discussions ended right there." The Oil did say the offers they were
receiving were not in the same ball park as what Chad offered, who also gave 9
points to Edmonton in the deal. The Oil GM said he knows the three other
GM's would not have put a player of Scheifele's caliber on the table as those
types of names just were not being offered yesterday. As for Chad he says
he isn't done today. "I want to make a few more deals yet today" said the
GM who is looking hard today to get another "big one" done.
---
Matthews Officially Traded
Many NHLP GM's are shaking their heads at the news today. Mere minutes
after a league wide press release by Edmonton stated Matthews would likely play
his last game today, the NHLP Yearbook has been notified of an official deal.
Muddy Capone stated, "Matthews was traded already today and the Oil have asked
for the Official Press Release on the deal before breaking the news, which we
respect." GM Scott stated the Oil aren't the type of team to lead other
GM's on and when a player goes on the market, he quickly goes out the door.
In communications with the Yearbook this morning GM Scott did say, "We were
shocked ourselves how quickly the deal came to be, but Matthews is just an elite
player, so it makes sense his demand was even higher than the Oil anticipated."
The Oil have called a press conference for today at 2 PM to announce the deal.
The Yearbook can confirm he was traded to the Central Conference.
---
New Orleans Adds 10 Before Waiver
All seven players added at least a point in a 10 point Friday for GM Shawn, just
days before the teams Tuesday Waiver. For Shawn it was his second 10 point
night of the season, with one previously in Halifax. Connor, Ristolainen
and Radulov each added two points on the night while each of the other four
roster players had a point each. It is rare to have all seven players
score on the same night. As for the Waiver GM Shawn is in discussions with
one rumor that of a "Blockbuster deal". The Wolverines have no shortage of
points to give and the timing may be right for a move that sets this team up for
a long run come April.
---
Injuries Rock NHLP Teams
The holiday break was not good to a number of NHLP teams. Key injuries to
big name players Scheifele, Wennberg, Atkinson, and Kreider will have affects on
NHLP teams in Toronto, Montreal, Dallas, Halifax, Portland and Indianapolis.
No team was hit harder then GM Chad's Toronto Maple Leafs who lost both
Scheifele (6 to 8 weeks) and Wennberg (4 to 6 weeks). The Leafs are
currently tied for the final playoff spot in the North Division. There has
been no player as good as Scheifele hurt this long so far this season, but
Toronto is one of the few teams that should be able to handle these injuries.
"Unlike some of the terrible teams in the North Division, Chad is loaded with
talent" said Muddy Capone. While a playoff player can barely be found in
Buffalo (Joel) and Florida (Marcel) Chad has 7 assets. The team can trade
any player on the roster for points. Wennberg with only 16 points will be
a massive deal when Chad makes the move to trade him and Scheifele, could now be
the blockbuster of the season if moved. Scheifele's low point total come
March, maybe in his 40's if gone the full 8 weeks will make him an easy deal.
GM Chad knows his player values, setting him apart. Chad will have
options. Maybe the Division will help him out like most Divisions do when
the points start to seriously fly and Toronto is the 5th place dropping point
with a healthy Scheifele and Wennberg for the stretch run. Not many teams
could handle these two injuries, but we think Toronto will be just fine at
seasons end.
---
Big Changes Coming to the North
With 5 of the next 6 NHLP Waiver coming from the North Division, we can expect
some big changes. There is more than just an NHLP rumor flying around,
that GM Marcel is set to trade Johansen from Florida, who has a January 4th
Waiver and is 20 points out of fourth. Johansen has a very tradable 23
points and his 0.70 PPG, maybe quite low for the player who had 13 points in 14
playoff games before he got hurt last season during Nashville's run to the
Stanley Cup Final. For the Panthers, who else has any true value?
There should be a frenzy for Johansen, no price too high. Do you see
another Nashville player this good for sale? Marcel is about to get a
pretty number, likely followed by a full 7 player dump to the Minors.
Buffalo (Joel) is in a different boat but not far up the same river as Florida.
A Waiver, but after the NHLP Winter Meeting, meaning a picked clean Minors when
Joel selects. The Sabres do have 24 points to give, but they clearly don't
have a Johansen in their mix. What is an asset in Buffalo? Well if
you think Klingberg or Rakell are playoff players, there is some value.
Those teams values might go up when they prove to the NHLP GM's they are
definitely playoff teams, but the standings are working against Joel right now.
New Orleans (Shawn) has the next Waiver and must make a call to move forward
with Klingberg and Radulov, who's scoring is really getting hard to replace in
the Minors, or cut the ties now and move their points out with Ristolainen.
Toronto (Chad) has a Waiver before the Winter Meeting, always more valuable then
one right after, but is loaded with both assets and injured players. The
North is very interesting and about to get even more so. The Division has
the lone three prior Waivers before the leagues huge meeting and some big named
players either hurt, available or both? Just how big is the Johansen deal
going to be? Enjoy!
---
Lucky 13
GM Shawn is looking forward to hosting the NHLP Winter Meeting in Seattle.
The date is Saturday, January 13th at 11 AM. The league has 8 GM's with a
yes on that date, beating all other dates, with a possible 10. GM's
Charlie and Matt will currently not be attending this date with Charlie's
schedule only having one official Yes anyhow. The winter Meeting just sits
in the midst of an 11 day hiatus between Waivers with GM Chad on the 7th and
Shawn on the 18th. There are a lot of points to give in the NHLP Standings
and a lot of teams sitting with players who must be exchanged out to the Minors
before the serious deals can occur. The Winter Meeting allows for the
setting of teams which often leads to the blockbuster deals.
---
85 NHLP Players Out of Playoffs
As you can see in the chart bellow, there are 85 current NHLP players that
are out of a playoff spot. The highest scoring play player in the Minors
has 29 points for Dallas. The Winter Meeting, as well as the three Waivers
prior will take most of these players out, adding them into the NHLP, where they
often now get traded to playoff teams. There are 9 NHL teams within 5
points of a playoff spot, making for very tough choices by NHLP GM's on who to
drop and who to take the chance comes back in the second half of the NHL season.
Most teams will play their 41st game about the 10th of January, prior to the
Winter Meeting.
GM Joel is running away with the sides, at +11 while GM Matt is not doing quite
as well at minus 10. Only one side is officially over, as Vegas has topped
the 46 points for the season, although may others can likely be called.
There are some big sides that are very close and could go either way, or any way
as many are multiple GM races. Of course some sides are subjective, like
Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup, but they are in first overall in the NHL
standings, which is what we go with. For all the under over's, what the
player is currently on pace for is on the side under the notes section.
You will notice a plus or minus number beside your name and that is the running
total of the sides you are currently winning and losing, as the page goes
towards the bottom the final number is what you are at as of the Christmas
Break.
---
---
Just the Host
The NHLP would like to call a meeting and is only missing the schedule
of the Host, GM Shawn. We will call a meeting date on the 24th,
allowing Shawn two more days to get his schedule into the league.
---
Strip Trade Subban and Oshie
After a long day of shopping the league, GM Vinnie traded Subban and
Oshie, gaining 12 points from Memphis (Jr). "It was the best
anyone offered for those guys" said Vinnie who then dropped the two
players he received from the Machine, Radulov and Rantanen to the Minors
for D. Brown and D. Brown. The move essentially works as Subban
and Oshie for Brown twice and up ten. "We gained 10 in the
standings, but most importantly have two high scoring Kings players that
will be in ultra high demand later in the season" the GM added.
The Kings have the potential to come out of the Pacific and the Western
conference in the NHL, as they are the first overall seed. The
Kings have more points then the next top teams Nashville, Winnipeg, St
Louis and the Golden Knights. Vegas may actually get weaker after
the trading deadline, meaning the Kings route to the Western Conference
Finals will still likely be Anaheim or San Jose, but Edmonton is coming
on. There is no script to follow when building a team, just a
whole lot of skill. Vin's approach can certainly pay off if the
Kings run.
---
Rangers Add Three Playoff Players
GM Charlie thought serious about it, but in the end did not start unloading his
playoff players. Charlie said he was offered "Double-digit" points for
some of his players, "So I know I can fall back on those if ever needed" said
the Rangers GM who has Couture, Pavelski, Pietrangelo and Oshie and also added
more playoff players with the Waiver. The newest Big Apple additions are
Perron, Myers and Bozak. There is no reason to believe this team won't
easily be able to trade in at any time, sitting only 23 out of first place in
the East Division and with a Minors that continues to take it's annual
pre-Christmas shit kicking.
---
Vegas Keeps Waiver
Chicago (Andrew) had the team option of using the December 21st Waiver
but has declined, leaving GM Vinnie in Las Vegas with the Waiver on
Thursday. This is the final Waiver of 2017. GM Vinnie has
yet to make a Transaction this season.
---
46
Well they did it. The Vegas Golden Knights hit the 46 points mark
on the NHL season, in just their 33rd game of the season. In the
sides at the Draft the over under on their first season was set at 46
with two GM's going under and two over. The fact the number was so
low, basically just winning about one in every four games, shows you how
bad everyone thought Vegas would be. On their win resume is wins
over Tampa Bay, Nashville, Winnipeg, St Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh
and Chicago. Can't say any other team has beat all those teams
this season. Gallant said prior to last nights game, "We are fast.
They are the fastest team in the league. Let's see how we stack
up." After watching these two teams just freewheel all night,
Vegas deserved to win the game. They were faster, passed better
and just out-worked Tampa Bay who came to play and gave Vegas everything
they had. It was a true mid-season playoff game and Vegas deserved
to win it, flat out. It is hard to take them serious because they
are an expansion team, which means they aren't suppose to win. But
outside what we have created in our minds as to what they should be,
they very much aren't that in any way. They are good.
---
Negotiations Heading to Deadline
GM Charlie is hard at it as the noon EST deadline for this Waiver
approaches. The GM uses every available minute manning the phones,
sending and answering emails and talking live in texts. "It is
always crazy on the Waiver day" said Charlie who is driven to maximize
what he can get, "And I love Facetime now". Many times over the
years he has traded the Waiver as late as 11:55 AM in the morning.
"if you don't put the time in, you only cheat yourself" Charlie once
said. Charlie is currently willing to give a draft pick for two
points for Silfverberg, Gostisbehere or Nyquist. He is always
looking, trying to get the maximum he can for his players and the
Waiver. Charlie did say he had some 'serious offers' and was
maximizing his time to ensure the best move is made. As of this
morning the GM said things can still go either way. The Rangers
may still be using the Waiver but just in case, the GM is refreshing his
email or hoping someone Facetimes him. "If someone adds a little
more to their offer, it might tip it in their favor" said Charlie.
There may be no GM in history as cool under the gun as the deadline
approaches. Charlie should be in the NHL war rooms on Trading
Deadline day because he is a rock. Once the team says that is our
final offer, Charlie will be like, "Give us a second and it is yours".
He just doesn't Waiver when the pressure is on and the minutes are
counting. The GM is always determined to make the other teams cave
and it often works, where they throw more and more Charlie's way.
Today will be no different. If you haven't upped your offer yet,
you still have time, 11:55 is still a few hours away.
---
Three Teams - Five Cups - Zero 12+ Nights
GM Andrew had an incredible opportunity to have his first 12+ point
night in 22 years from one of his current three teams. "It is just
such a feat, it is so hard" said the GM as he watch things unfold in
Chicago. The GM has done it all, including winning SIX NHLP Cups
in his 22 years as an NHLP GM. What he hasn't done is have a 12+
point night from any of his three current teams, Hartford, Chicago or
Los Angeles. Based on 180 hockey nights a year GM Andrew is about
3960 hockey nights into his NHLP career and still sits with just one 12+
point night. The only NHLP Champion that is not in the league
currently, the Washington Capitals, had a 14 point night on December 23,
2009 and remain the lone time Andrew has had 12+. Everything
seemed to align yesterday for the feat to finally occur again, after
Marner started the night with a 4 point afternoon. Staal
then had 3 quick ones and later Ehlers 2 and Wheeler 1 and another with
0.7 seconds left into an empty net for the 11th. Palat was still
playing but failed to register a point leaving the total at 11 on the
night. Turris never got a point and Steen did not play. The
feat still has only been accomplished 37 times in 28 years, so less then
1.5 times a season. "It is fun to hit the double digits" said
Andrew who's Blackhawks are first overall in the league with a 44 point
bulge over 5th in the South Division, "But last night could have been a
memorable night". If last night wasn't, GM Andrew seems destine to
have a memorable season as he treads towards an unprecedented 7th NHLP
Cup.
---
Rangers - "Make Us Better Now"
GM Charlie is working the phones hard today, trying to find a deal to improve
the Rangers this season. The Rangers have a nice start, a great Sharks
built team of Couture and Pavelski with Pietrangelo and Oshie off top teams in
St Louis and Washington. The team's moveable parts are Gostisbehere,
Nyguist and Silfverberg, although the GM is listening to offers for everyone.
"I would trade a Shark, but the deal has to help us this season, not looking for
2025" the GM stated in a league wide press release. With this group of
players, some big offers might be coming Charlie's way and he knows it. "My
roster can win it all with the right additions, or someone here can help you win
it all" the GM told Muddy Capone, "But I am not giving guys like Pavelski away.
Step up and make an offer and you can also have the Waiver" said Charlie.
---
Kings Looking For Deals
It was a busy 12 hours for GM Andrew after acquiring the Waiver and making three
deals before his 4 for 4 Waiver. "I love having guys who might get traded
at the NHL Trading Deadline" said Andrew, "I think I just picked up three of
them." The GM also noted he was nervous not to screw this Waiver up as it
was his first Waiver since the previous incident which lead to a recent fine.
No issues were to be found and after trading Ryan, Marner and Saad, the Kings
added E. Kane, Neal, Neal and Kesler who is due back soon. Andrew hopes
Kane gets traded out of Buffalo and although Vegas can over-take the NHL's
Kings, two points back with three games at hand, the GM feels some players are
going to get traded. The question is how the Vegas Golden Knights play the
Trading Deadline. The team has played so well but is sitting with half a
dozen UFA. Neal is one of those free agents, and although he became the
instant face of the franchise (with Fleury) there is more long term value in
moving him for future assets. Other Knights in the same boat are Perron,
Marchessault, Sbisa, Stoner and Engelland. How many will go? The
Knights run a fine line as they must not sell their future for this year but
surely can't move everyone, as the team would be easy pickins. It makes
sense to sign a couple of those guys, if they will sign, and trade who is going
to test the market. bottom line, GM Andrew has three players who will make
for another interesting NHL Trading Dealdine.
---
Alaska Swaps With Los Angeles
GM Andrew traded straight up and has the Waiver tonight. "All
options are on the table" said Andrew, "We will be making some deals
tonight". The Kings have points to give and most certainly some
decent players can be had. It's a Waiver night.
---
GM Scouting in Juneau
The Alaska Attack GM said he would not be arriving until 5 PM tonight
and to text all offers for the Waiver. "We are doing our annual
Juneau pre-Christmas trip" the GM said. When asked if they have
cell phone reception the GM laughed, "Yes we do. We even have
motor vehicles here now as well." Marcel said he was spending the
night in Sitka, just south of Juneau, an area owned by the Russians as
late as 1867, the year Canada was born. So, if you want the
Waiver, text him by 5 PM and he will respond from..."You are staying in
a motel correct?" Marcel texted us a picture of where he is
staying.
---
Who Wants to Swap?
GM Marcel said he is looking at swapping Waivers in Alaska. The GM used
the phrase swap, but GM's without a Waiver might be able to make an attractive
enough package where to convince GM Marcel he can use that package to acquire a
pick if he needs one this year. "There are so many teams that can still do
what GM Joel just did" Marcel added, "There are good players going fast."
The Winter Meeting is likely looking to be almost a month away and many NHLP
teams have yet to do anything on the season. The sooner a GM can scoop up
tonight's Waiver, the more they can do in advance of the drop.
---
NHLP First on Historical Night in Buffalo
We have never seen this before. GM Joel had the first ever 12+ point night
in Buffalo and accomplished the feat in a most bizarre way. The Sabres got
4 from Eichel, 3 from both D. Sedin and Boyle and the final two from Williams
for 12 on the night. Klingberg played and never got a point while Rakell
and team point leader Barkov never played. What makes the night so
bizarre? Buffalo got 12 points on a night when only 24 points were scored
amongst the other 35 teams. The closest team in points on the night was 3
points. "I never recall a team getting twelve with the next team at
three points, surely that did not happen" stated Muddy Capone who's memory of
the NHLP's first 28 years is mostly spot on. Almost always a 12 is hit
when there is a full slate of games, but only 5 NHL games were on the schedule.
This is Joel's second straight 12+, his first two coming this year. His
first 12 was even more bizarre as he had 11 and a point change the next day to
Stamkos was the 12th. This was the first time in league history Buffalo
hit the 12+ mark. The NHLP started six teams reaching 10+ in the first 30
days of the season, but in the six weeks since this was the first team to score
over 10 in a night. Joel now has 2 all-time career 12+ nights, tying 20
year GM Chad and GM Glen who was an original member of the NHLP's inaugural
season and 10 year veteran of the league.
---
Golden Knights Find Home in Vancouver
GM Joel really likes what he did. The Canucks GM made three deals prior to
a 5 for 5, keeping both Marchand and Eberle while adding two high scoring Vegas
players W. Karlsson and Perron. "They are either playoff players or going
to be traded to a playoff team" stated Joel who is now on the Vegas roulette
wheel. The Canucks also added Kane, Fiala and Krejci, overall some serious
scoring for the West Division first place team. The team started yesterday
with Hall and Marner but threw the hand away and drew 5 fresh cards. There
are serious rumors Buffalo will be moving Kane while Perron is as good as gone
in Vegas where the team won't let some early success change what the owner said
was a "Six year plan". Vegas is well ahead of that mark and has 13 first
three round picks in the next three years and surely, after players like Perron,
Neal, Sbisa, and others, get traded this Deadline, will have a huge amount of
young talent to go along with their three first round selections, all in the top
14, of the draft that just went by. Can you imagine how good (and young)
this team could be by the time that six year projection arrives? For Joel
he is hoping the right NHL moves occur and this Waiver gives him some top
players on top seeded playoff teams. We think he did amazing, but time
will make the definitive call on this Waiver.
---
Deals Galore - Canucks Tear it All Down
It isn't often what you started with as much as what you now have.
GM Joel took that approach, cleaning house with at least three reported
deals ahead of the unknown Waiver. "You can get some deals on the
Waiver nights that you would not normally get" said Muddy Capone, "This
isn't new, or a surprise, but how the league works." Some GM's,
like GM Andrew builds his Cup winning teams piece by piece on Waiver
nights. The list of players he already acquired this year is so
long, we won't list them, but we can add Marner to that list.
Chicago (Andrew) added Marner for Stone in a 6 point deal. The
deal may not have been done on another night, but those 6 points to the
Minors made it attractive for Vancouver. Joel did state he was
moving out Hall, true to his word he did. Quebec (Matt) got a
great value player for MacKinnon and a 4th rounder for Hall, another
deal only made during the Waiver nights. GM Scott got in the
action in another Waiver night strategy many GM's overlook.
Werenski was in the NHLP Minors, so Scott offered even points and a pick
and sure enough, why wouldn't Joel take a free pick and Nash.
Seeing as the players have the same points, the Canucks, if they really
wanted Werenski, can just drop Nash and add the Werenski in the Minors.
Three GM's upgraded tonight with smart Waiver night only deals.
What GM Joel is about to do, is likely a full 6 player drop keeping
Marchand. Will he better his team? "I think I will have a
full group of playoff players that I can use all my points to trade
playoff for playoff players" said the GM but not giving away who is
coming up to the parent club. As advertised right here, a number
of trades preceded the Waiver.
---
Hall Of a Player in Play?
Rumors swirled around the league today that GM Joel is onto a big move.
The GM denies he has anything on the table other than now is looking to
trade Hall prior to the use of the Waiver. "I am still waiting on
something that I can't refuse" said Joel. Hall has a point a game
and alittle leg bruise that should not keep
him out of the lineup long. With such a quality guy in play there
seems little doubt the league will seem some serious action during the
Vancouver Waiver tonight.
---
Namestnikov Assist Added?
GM Scott said he is still bitter with the NHL for the New Jersey goal
that ultimately he could have nothing done about, on the surface.
What the GM is much better at is getting assists added. "I have
watched three to five occasions this season where obvious assists should
have been added" said the GM, "But they did not involved my player,
until last night." The GM said
Kucherov's goal which can be viewed here,
in the third period of last nights game was "Clearly" assisted by both
Sergachev and Namestnikov. The GM said it is two points and will
get it added. "I don't let my own slide" said the GM.
Although this replay provided by the NHL does not show the entire play
Namestnikov batted a pass out of the air in the neutral zone that was
picked up by Kucherov, who passed it to Sergachev and it came back to
Kucherov. "I see these all the time and I waited overnight to see
if the changes would be made" the GM said about the goal, "So I
contacted Steve this morning, now two weeks in a row, but I am confident
upon review another change will be forthcoming." The GM's NHL
contact Steve said he was unable to help last week as his department can
review, change and alter goals and assist, but cannot add a goal which
can only be done by the on-ice officials. Although GM Scott
understood this, he insists the game officials errored in not allowing
the final shot of the game to count. (Update: Still no email
back yet but I have found a
view that clearly shows it here.
The
nice thing with SportsNet is you can pause it and place your mouse on
the timer line and move it back and forth. The puck is batted down
out of the air by Namestnikov and bounces on the ice and is picked up by
Kucherov giving the impression he knocked it down. I don't know
why they can't get these right during the game, but it
isn't a home goal so St Louis, Boston, Detroit...don't care)
---
Vancouver Willing to Move Waiver
GM Joel has been relatively quiet on the season, something not unusual
for the GM who seems to be quite active the second half of the NHLP season. By
Thursday he will make his second Transaction of the season, either using the
Waiver or trading it in a deal with either or both Mantha and Giordano. The
Canucks GM said that everyone was available and he is awaiting offers. Joel has
been a very active GM over the years, usually finishing in the middle of the
pack as far as Transactions, last season his standard 23. The GM is one of
three GM's (Ryan 4, Shawn 1) to have had teams in the NHLP Finals the past ten
years, but to have never won. Joel has had 4 teams in the Finals, three in his
first two season and again with Vancouver in 2015. That is a great feat for the
GM entering year 11, but still without a Cup. The four NHLP Final trips ties
Tyson, Chad, Marcel, Ryan and Scott over that span, with all those GM's except
Ryan winning at least a Cup. GM Andrew leads the NHLP with 5 Cup appearances
over the past 10 years while Jr and Shawn have appeared once and Matt, Charlie
and Vinnie being no shows. So GM Joel has been close, but his teams haven't
been strong even in the end to win it all. With the NHL teams now playing game
30 of an 82 game schedule and two of GM Joel's teams still sitting as drafted,
you have to wonder if that second half strategy is working? "The issue is the
top teams in the standings now, Tampa Bay, St Louis, Winnipeg", their players
are being picked now from the Minors, not in the second half" said Muddy Capone,
"So those who wait to participate, are they going to be second best with the
next tier of players?" You may not believe players off top teams in the NHL
standings equate to more NHLP Cup wins, but maybe that is why you don't win
often - or ever. Fact is, since 1998, the last 19 NHL Champions, only 3 of them
had under 100 points in the standings at the end of the season (Chicago '13, Los
Angeles '12 and Pittsburgh '09 - who ended with 99 points). Of course Chicago
in 2013 had 77 points and finished first in NHL, beating Boston who finished 2nd
overall cause of the strike shortened season. The Kings beat the Devils who had
102 points and the Pens beat the Wings with 112 in 2009. Tops seeded teams have
been in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals each of those last 19 seasons. There are
many ways to win. Having points in the second half rules, but teams moving
early usually don't have those, but have the players off the top teams. GM Matt
is usually a leader in the Transaction department but he has not had a Cup
appearance, while GM's Scott and Andrew have 4 Cups the past decade. GM Tyson
has 3 Cups over that span and is always behind Joel in transactions. "It
appears it comes down to the quality of the Transaction, and Joel seems a player
away, off a good team, every time" added Capone. So, Joel is about to start
making the Canucks team by Thursday and a quality move could really help the
first place Canucks as we near the seasons half-way point.
---
Four Kings
GM Charlie said he can't see anyone stopping the Kings in their
Division. "They might walk to the Conference Finals" said Charlie
who added Toffoli and Gaborik to a roster with Kopitar and Carter.
The GM also added high scoring Barzal in a three for three dropping
Zetterberg, Larkin and Maroon. The Coyotes now have a nice scoring
team with four Kings, including Toews, similar to the NHLP Champions in
2014 with Four Kings and Toews. "I think we even have a stronger team
than that one" the GM added about what he has put together in Phoenix. Charlie
said he likely has one too many, but will easily be able to put together
workable packages with the Kings unstoppable right now, just winning their 8th
straight last night. The Coyotes have weathered the Carter injury, well in a
playoff position heading into the New Year where they hope to have Carter back
for February 1st.
---
Together Again
"It was one hell of a team" said GM Scott about the 2014 NHLP Cup
winning San Fran Titan. The team was led by NHL stars Kopitar and
Toews. That same duo, were drafted on the same team this season by
GM Charlie in Phoenix, who also has the Waiver Saturday night.
Both players had their NHLP stalk drop, Toews after a slow playoffs and
Kopy after a slow season. Back in 2014, these two on the same team
was remarkable. Kopitar had 70 points and 26 (in 26) more in the
playoffs while Toews had 68 and 17 in 19 in the Titan second Cup run.
Kopitar is back in 2017/18, on pace for 100 points after 36 in his first
30 games while Toews, going for his third NHLP Cup, is on pace for 60.
Charlie has stated he will be using the Waiver, unless someone can "get
creative". The GM has visions of adding to his top three, which
includes Carter, who the Coyotes have carried since his injury and now
are within 50 days of getting him back. Larkin and Zetterberg, if
you like Detroit, are quite the package while Bozak's low number means,
although Toronto is securely in a playoff spot, he must be sacrificed to
the Minors. Maroon is the fourth player available, the GM stated
in a league wide press-release. With Carter at 3 points and the
Kings looking like the team they once were, it seems at any time in the
New Year Phoenix can easily gain 15 points at will. That means
this team, with these two top notch players, will easily compete for a
playoff spot in the Pacific where they are a mere 8 out of first place.
The Coyotes maybe even keeping both stars
for another Cup run together, something Charlie dreams often about.
"The supporting cast in '14 wasn't too shabby" added GM Scott who also
had Keith, Doughty, Doughty, Voynov and Coyle. For Charlie his
bottom four might not be far off if the GM can pull off a huge Waiver
and an even bigger trade later in the season. We will sit back
Saturday and see what he does, but it shouldn't take too much to make
this team a threat in this Division this season.
---
Ex-Chief Makes NHLP
Not that the cat was really in the bag, but the cat is definitely out of the bag
now. Barzal is finally in the NHLP!!! "I have enjoyed watching him
play" said GM Tyson who just added Barzal in the Waiver. "Always fun to be
the one (to) give a kid his first break into our prestige's league" added Tyson.
The 20 year old Coquitlam kid can score. A number of GM's have been
watching him close since the Islanders drafted him 16th overall in 2015.
After scoring 3 points a game (51 GP - 153 Points) for Burnaby he did it again,
at a higher level for the Vancouver North East Chiefs where he scored an
amazing 103 points in 34 games. How good was that all-time for the Chiefs?
We all remember Adam Rockwood (another Coquitlam boy - thumbs
up from VP of NHLP Affairs, Reginal Cherry, no relation to Donald S. Cherry),
the Chiefs all-time career scoring leader in the BCMML,
who had 121 points in his Chiefs career, playing 80 games. Barzal scored
18 less points, but played 46 less games. Had Barzal played the two full
seasons he would have scored 240 points. Oh ya, Doughty, C. Smith and
Sobotka were also added for Huberdeau, Brassard, Brassard and Zetterberg, some
serious scoring going down. The Blues went from fifth to first in the
West. Maybe the only thing the Blues did wrong on the night was not grab
Barzal twice. Three points a game in the BCMML, unheard of. When you
own three NHLP Cups, you just find these gems, a sure fire NHLP household name
for years to come. Makes you wonder who else the Chiefs have in their
Coquitlam pipeline (or who the hell is doing their scouting there)?
---
How Winners Built Teams
While some GM's are enjoying the Christmas lights, others are going about their
work in building winning teams, and no one has done it better than GM Andrew.
Chicago has made a few moves this season, but here is tracking just one player
tree. The Black Hawks moved Lindholm and E. Kane early on for Aho and
Huberdeau, updated points is 45-38, a 7 point gain in that deal. In
separate deals Aho turned into Ehlers and Huberdeau last night into Palat, who
have an updated total of 38. So Andrew turned Lindholm and Kane 38 into
Ehlers and Palat, 38, but both playing on top seeded teams in the NHL, huge
assets he can again later trade sideways for what he wants.
---
Blues Trade Two Bolts
GM Tyson did what he said he would do, trading his valued Bolts for more
scoring. A flurry of trades prior to the Waiver included adding 8 points
and Huberdeau in a deal with Chicago (Andrew) for Palat. "I really didn't
want to move my Tampa players, but the scoring had to improve" stated Tyson.
Indianapolis (Matt) gave one Brassard for Schmaltz and San Fran (Scott) gave the
other Brassard for KIllorn, adding the fourth bolt to the titan roster.
The Blues added double digit points in the moves going from 5th to likely first
after the drop which should be a big one.
---
Blues Looking To Deal
The St Louis Blues (Tyson) are working the phones, hoping to get a deal done
prior to using the Waiver. The GM said Schmaltz, Killorn and Zetterberg
likely will get traded today. "If I do get something incredible, I would
trade the Waiver, but I am most likely going to use it" said Tyson. With a
Tampa Bay player officially on the table tonight, there is reason to believe
Tyson should get some serious offers. The NHLP Minors are bare of all
Bolts, meaning when one is available, their should be some demand.
---
No Winners in Transaction 909A
Two weeks after GM's Shawn and Andrew came together on a Transaction that is no
more, there are no winners in the final outcome. What had occurred:
A late pre-waiver deal sent Weber to GM Andrew for Zetterberg. Andrew had
asked Shawn if Weber had 13 points to the Minors and Shawn did state yes he did.
After Andrew sent in his Waiver he was notified by the
league that the numbers did not add up, as Weber only had 12 to the Minors.
That deal was nixed and Andrew went ahead and made another deal with Chad.
Andrew was told he would be fined for wrong numbers in his Waiver. Andrew
wanted to see the penalty of 15 spots in the third round waved because of the
very usual circumstances. "This is something that had never occurred
before" stated Muddy Capone. It was also Andrew's stance that Shawn played
a part in the penalty occurring.
We cannot say all what was said in this situation as there was a lot said. In
the end, after a lot of time and effort by the BOG, an official ruling was
made. Andrew's full penalty does stand and Shawn (who agreed to some
responsibility) has been recognized for also sharing in what had occurred.
Shawn has agreed to compensate Andrew a future pick that the two GM's will agree
on. What needs to be reminded to all GM's is the onus to get a Waiver in on
time, with the correct numbers and the correct players is 100% the GM with the
Waiver. It is his responsibility every time, NO MATTER WHAT. Moving forward,
no matter what you are told, it is up to you to ensure your own Waiver is
correct, or you will be fined 15 spots in the third round as per the rule and
you will not be compensated for another's mistake. The longer you leave your
Waiver the more likely an innocent mistake can be made and that is 100% on the
GM with the Waiver.
---
St. Patrick's Day
For the diehard Montreal fan, last night must have brought back some
memories. December 2nd, 2017, 22 years to the day of December 2nd,
1995, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal hooked up in a lopsided hockey
game. Last night was 10-1 Montreal and to our knowledge no Detroit
goalie asked to be traded. However, within four days of the 11-1
trouncing in 1995, Patrick Roy would be a Colorado Avalanche player.
Often lost is Montreal also traded their Captain, Mike Keane, in the
deal. So their best goal and their team leader in the same package
for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinski, and Jocelyn Thibault. So
every year on December 2nd Montreal Canadiens fans gather around the TV
and tell their kids about the "St Patrick's Day Curse", one of the
greatest remaining of all sports curses. In recent years the
Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs won World Series titles, removing "The
Curse of the Bambino" and the "Curse of the Billy Goat". Sports
historians now generally agree the "St Patrick's Day Curse", seeing that
the Montreal Canadiens fans who have won more Cups then any other in
league history are forever cursed and will never in any of our lifetimes
ever win another. Seems fair. They were in fact the reason
Patrick Roy asked for a trade, by mocking him on that fateful day.
It got us thinking about famous curses in the NHLP. There are some
great ones, but that is a story for another day.
---
Attempt to Change Outcome - FRUITLESS
GM Scott himself admitted it is impossible to do. "The NHL will
not change the score of a hockey game after the on ice officials sign
the official score sheet on the game, but it doesn't make it right."
Of course the NHL can never put themselves in a position to start
changing the score of games, for then where do you draw the line?
What about a goal that should have counted in the first period, why not
add it then? So although the GM knows he cannot get a goal added,
one that should of counted, maybe he can get the NHL to admit the goal
should of counted. At issue is a final second shot from center ice
in the New Jersey Devils versus Colorado Avalanche game. "The play
was not offside and the puck did go into the goal within the final tenth
(or even hundredth) of a second before time expired" stated Scott, "The
goal was meaningless, a 2-1 or 3-1 final, but the outcome is not
altered." The on ice officials just skated off the ice and the
game was over. They did not review the call. They did not
wave off the goal nor call it a goal. Like the play never even
occurred. So although the NHL will not change the score of the
game, to it's rightful final score of 3-1, quite possibly Scott said he
can at the very least push it far enough that they remind themselves of
the importance of meaningless points. "Hundreds of thousands of
dollars are won and lost each night based on one goal in an NHL hockey
game and the NHL themselves support, sponsor and profit from fantasy
sports, such as FanDuel and Draft Kings to name just a few.
Subscription packages are sold because of the marketing put in by these
companies to sell their services, creating millions of dollars in revenue. A
goal simply cannot be overlooked because it was inconsequential and meaningless,
because there is no such thing." So although the final score of the game will
forever be 2-1 the GM said he plans to create enough "shit" to at the very least
have this goal brought up in an office meeting he'll never hear about. If they
state the error publically, better still.
---
Six Waivers to New Year
The month of December is upon us. The NHLP has 6 Waivers in
December, before the Holiday break, leaving 21 in the new year. GM
Charlie has two in the month and GM Andrew has the option to take GM
Vinnie's Waiver, meaning GM Vinnie may not make a transaction in
December, heading into 2018. GM's are force to participate with
the Waivers. Charlie has not made a transaction on the season, but
will by the 9th with a Waiver and again on the 19th. "There are
numerous different strategies" said Muddy Capone, "Some GM's go very
hard after the early Waivers, while some GM's wait to things unfold in
the NHL standings before starting to move." GM Scott who loves the
early Waivers said he is always trading away his draft picks, something
he may not have to do next year. "I automatically get the first
Waiver next season" said GM Scott who has the 1st overall and 36th
overall draft picks, "Well, unless I trade the next years Waiver."
The value of the NHLP Waivers cannot be under-estimated. Already
Tampa Bay and St Louis players have been almost completely drained from
the Minors. Now if those teams crash and burn, the advantage of
waiting pays off. Heading into December usually starts to see some
of the numbers moving off the top teams in the NHLP Standings. The
NHLP Winter Meeting, hosted by GM Shawn is about just over a month away
with a Schedule of potential dates now in the Schedules page. This
years Trading Deadline is Hosted by GM Jr.
---
Stars Get Much Stronger
GM Jr said he likes Montreal's chances, "They have no where to go but up now
with a healthy Price." Pacioretty was the current, least valued, of his
new four, also adding Zuccarello, Kreider and Gourde, again, taking all four
players out of the Minors completely. "The Rangers are playing great
hockey and are better than a few teams ahead of them" Jr added, "So we will
see." All in all it was a potentially strong pick. Not lost is the
third Bolt added to the already strong Tampa Bay presence on Jr's Stars Roster.
Gourde fits in nicely with Point and Hedman. Everything about this team is
coming together. If the Rangers are a playoff team, the assets added in
this deal can make this team much stronger down the road, going any direction
the GM feels he wants to go. As for Tampa Bay players in the Minors they
may have officially completely dried up. Ten different bolts are all gone
twice (or Elite status), meaning the teams top 10 scorers are all in the NHLP.
This leaves Chris Kunitz as the next highest player available on the roster, who
has 6 points in 24 games. "We are sure the next top team will go just as
quick" said Muddy Capone, "Get what is left while you can."
---
Dallas Gains Five in Deal
GM Jr made his first move of the NHLP season, leaving only GM's Vinnie and
Charlie without making a Transaction. The Stars added 5 points with Keller
and Barrie who came from Indianapolis (Matt) for Brassard and Thornton.
This is a certain sign the Stars will be using the Waiver, likely making a four
for four, trying to add to a solid top three if Pittsburgh (Letang) is a playoff
team.
---
Unstoppable Force Led By Star Defensemen
It was almost 10 years ago that GM Jr won his last NHLP Championship.
That team was mostly unstoppable, with Four Detroit players who all went
to the Cup Finals. Lidstrom, Franzen, Cleary and Kronwall
dominated the NHLP playoffs. Dallas won the first round 27-11 over
the Minnesota Gull (Scott), Round #2 21-14 over Miami(Charlie), the
Semi-Finals over Hartford (Andrew) 13-3 and a closer then expected
Finals 10-6-4-4 over Philadelphia (Scott), Edmonton (Scott) and Las
Vegas (Joel). All told the Stars outscored their opponents 71-42
in route to the Stars second Cup. The GM hasn't been close since,
but the 2017/18 Stars have the makings of the 2009 Champs. The
team has the 'top team in the leagues star defensemen', a formulae for
success in the NHLP. Hedman and Point are the two-man Tampa Bay
team while support looks like it could come from Letang, another top
D-man when healthy. Jr is saying the Waiver can be had and is
hoping to trade players off the roster that are not named Hedman, Point
or Letang. "When you have a nucleolus like this to start" said
Muddy Capone, "You aren't far away from completing a potential winner
team." Completing the potential winners isn't something coming
easy anymore for Jr, seemingly not doing enough early in the season to
make the unstoppable teams, something that made him a once-feared GM.
"From 2000 to 2009 there was no more feared GM in the NHLP, Jr was that
guy" said Capone, "But GM's go through cycles, and the current cycle for
Jr isn't what it once was." For the rest of the NHLP GM's, that is
likely a great thing. "No one wanted to compete against Jr then"
added Capone. They might not like to see the old GM Jr back, as he
made it hard on everyone to win. This season just has the feeling
of something good in Dallas. The first part of the team is already
there. The GM seems to be investing more time into team building,
like he use to do one a annual basis.
Will it happen this year? It has almost been a decade but the
Star's do seem aligned for something special, like the domination of
2009 to occur again, for a GM Jr built team.
---
Pens Put Minors on Ropes
GM Chad isn't scared. The GM hit the Minors hard, with a Bieksa
style jaw-breaker. The 6 for 6 called up some huge
playoff-potential players into the NHLP, all for a second time,
eliminating all 6 from Minors. Lee, Leddy, Hischier, Marleau,
Backlund and Hornqvist join Laine on the new team in Pittsburgh.
"The minors are taking some hard hits" said Muddy Capone, "GM's have
shown they are aggressive this year in gut-punching the Minors each
opportunity they get." Like many others this team can score,
already 17 points up on 5th in the Atlantic Division. Pittsburgh
has easily moved well up the CTR with some other Divisional heavyweights
in Harford (Andrew) and Philadelphia (Scott). Many GM's are very
frightened to part with any high scoring player before March, but Chad
did not hesitate dropping Teravainen who had 15 points in November.
"You have to grab them when you can" said Chad who seemed a little giddy
with this Waiver pick knockout. Clearly Pittsburgh got a lot
stronger and certainly are in play when we now mention the potential
belt-holders in the NHLP this season.
---
Pittsburgh Goes Big - Gets Waiver
GM Chad didn't like the make-up of his Pittsburgh Penguins and instead
of waiting for his December 5th Waiver, he made things happen now.
The Pens traded Zetterberg and Schmaltz, along with the December 5th
Waiver and a first, third and six round pick to fellow 3-time NHLP
Champion GM Tyson, for Teravainen, Fowler and Saturday's Waiver which as
of 8 AM Sunday morning had not been used yet. It is expect Chad
will use this opportunity to devour the Minors or at least 5 players,
likely 6. "I had a number of offers" said GM Tyson, "But none were
as competitive as Chad's."
---
Gourde Gets First Shot in NHLP
GM Tyson admitted that Tampa Bay players will be hot commodities as the
NHLP season unfolds, "You can keep them or trade them for anything you
want" the GM stated after adding former NHLP Cup Winner Killorn (2015 -
Hartford) and NHLP-newbie Gourde. The 25 year old Gourde had 8
points in 20 games last season and 14 in 22 so far this season for the
Lightning. Gourde once scored 124 in a QMJHL season with
Victoriaville. Cleveland also added Carlson, Fiala and Coyle.
The GM now has Saturday's second half of the back to back Waivers, this
time in St Louis. "I am open to deal in St Louis" said GM Tyson, "Teravainen
is lighting it up, and his number may move with Fowler if someone
doesn't step up and offer a mind-changer." The Blues are
another NHLP team with two Bolts players, Palat and Killorn.
Teravainen is fresh off player of the week and may be the hottest NHL
player with 15 points this month. His 21 points will work with
Fowler, but it seems if Fowler can find a home, the GM could keep things
as is and move the Waiver.
---
Cleveland Acquires the Waiver in Early Deal
"Sometimes all you have to do is inquire first" said Muddy Capone about
the early move by New Orleans (Shawn), basically giving the Waiver to
inter-divisional rivals Cleveland (Tyson) for what appears to be nothing
at all. The teams swapped Waivers and the Fury through in 6 spots
in the 3rd and 9 more in the 5th to secure the Waiver. The CTR
rated the defending NHLP Champs the worst team in the entire NHLP at the
quarter mark and GM Tyson has decided he is ready to tackle that issue.
Who will go? There is Arvidsson, Zuccarello and Burns, all
potential high scoring players on their teams while a couple Oilers may end up
on the move after a shocking slow start in Edmonton. The Fury are only 11
points out of a playoff spot in the North so all indications are a team can be
set to easily be able to compete for a spot.
---
From 19 Out to 13 Up on 5th
GM Matt used Quebec's Waiver to added a number of points, ending with a
5 for 5 Waiver and 32 point swing on the night. "We you are down
and out, a Waiver can become a huge turning point for any team" said
Muddy Capone. there is no doubt this new Nordiques team can score
and the GM said he kept a low number for making future trade options
work. "This was about gaining points" said Matt, "Some guys just
keep low scoring teams until they are dead, I don't get that."
Matt said he can now go out at any time and pick up another Waiver and
set a team, "But now we have points to work with." New Orleans
(Shawn) has a Friday Waiver while GM Tyson in St Louis has a Saturday
Waiver. The GM's have not indicated if the Waivers will be used or
if they are available at this time.
---
Quebec Active - Biggest Deal of the Season to Date - Gain of 23
Three official deals have been made so far tonight. Quebec (Matt)
traded Palat and Guentzel to New Orleans (Shawn) for Giroux and
Pacioretty in a move that saw double digit points move for the first
time thins season. "Clearly GM's are awaking to the fact the
season has started" said Muddy Capone. A second deal just in saw
Matt trade almost 120 years worth of players, Thornton, Saad and Marleau
to GM Andrew for O'Reilly, Vanek and Marchessault. The Nords then
sent Marchessault to Philadelphia (Scott) for Horvat, gaining another 4.
All told Quebec has gained 23 and the night is still young. "I
have some guys having hot nights, so contact me" said Matt who expects
more deals soon. Quebec has now overcame their 18 point deficit
from last and is now in 3rd place after the three deals.
---
Palat - "Imagine His Demand"
Quebec GM Matt made it very clear that he just won't give away his
players ahead of tonight's Waiver. "Imagine the demand at our
Trading Deadline for a guy like Palat" the GM said in a text to Muddy
Capone, "I will trade these guys, but won't just give them away."
Other very hot commodities include first line Chicago Blackhawk forward
Saad and Guentzel who although off to a slow start, was almost the
playoffs scoring leader during the Pens back to back Stanley Cup last
playoffs. "All the Pens are doing bad" said Matt, "Look at Crosby,
Minus 15. That will change and they will get over their Cup Hanger
is all, then watch them fly." How can you argue with what Matt is
saying? It is only the quarter mark and the Pens, by all accounts,
have been horrible yet they are a single point from being the first
place team in the Metropolitan. Once they heat up, they should be
the first seed. Unlike the Oilers slow start, the Penguins have
actually won most of their games, while Edmonton has fallen almost 10
points out. These are guys you can steal on a Waiver night and any
other night wouldn't be available. There should be some action
tonight.
Sometimes we lay dreaming in the middle of the night and wonder, "Who has the
best team in the NHLP this year?" Then we do the CTR and tell you exactly
who is for real who sucks ass. We thought this year that maybe in the last
few years we have been a little harsh on some GM's and maybe it was a time to be
somewhat nicer. Then really quickly we rethought that idea about being
nice. Hey, we are the CTR. This is the NHLP!!! Can't take the
heat? Build a better fucking team!
Here is the unedited version of the CTR. This thing takes so long to
write, who has time to edit this shit.
---
Time to Reload
GM Matt said it is time to make some changes in Quebec. The Nords have all
kinds of desirables and having fallen 16 points out with the Waiver in hand, it
is definitely time to make a change. The question for the Nordiques is who
all will survive. Connor, Marleau, Palat, Saad and Guentzel are all worthy
opportunities for GM's to make a small change while adding a potential big time
asset.
---
Rumors Circulating About Motives
No sooner had all hell broke loose today the NHLP Yearbook is hearing
rumors throughout the league. One GM with knowledge of the
situation said "GM Shawn is pissed Andrew has four Blues in Hartford,
five in total" said the GM who asked not to be named, "I wouldn't put it
by him to intentionally try and sabotage Andrews Waiver or seek some
kind of revenge." With Hartford's fine of 15 spots in the third
round, from #93 and #108, ironically enough GM Shawn moves up on two
teams due to this mishap. You have to wonder how innocent all this was
and if it was outright planned? "Wow, you intentionally screw a
guy over and benefit from it" said another GM from his hunting camp in
Wisconsin. An investigation is underway and the league has already
received texts provided by GM Andrew. The veteran GM said the fine
should not be his but that of the Halifax Destroyers hockey club.
Shawn is quite quiet on the entire ordeal but did send one text to the
head office reading in it's entirety, "LOL". Another GM stated
this was better than "Rocket Man and Trump". As of now the site
and office pools is updated, however, we are still waiting on an update
to the Transaction GM Andrew made with GM Chad. "Apparently
Hartford traded their same 7th round pick to both Green Bay and
Pittsburgh" said Muddy Capone, "We haven't seen discombobulation
like this from Hartford ever." We are not sure if Andrew was so excited to just
be getting 4 Blues on one team or what the hell is going on inside the Whalers
organization. You can rest assured this is a long ways from over and we will be
hearing about this fiasco at meetings for years to come.
---
Hartford Fined For Wrong Numbers?
The league is sorting out what is happening at this moment, but it
appears a fine will be in order for Hartford (Andrew). We know GM
Andrew had a deal in place with GM Chad, for the one single point Andrew
was searching for, however, draft picks were heading Chad's way.
Instead a deal with Halifax (Shawn), Weber for Zetterberg was sent into
the league. This gave Hartford their point, saving the draft picks
to Chad. However, Weber got a point last night. After
updating the transactions, we are aware now the numbers to do jive.
"We will be fining Hartford the standard wrong number penalty" said
Muddy Capone. This likely means the deal will Shawn will be
rescinded, and Hartford will now not only have to pay Chad the picks,
but a fine on top of all this. We are now waiting for GM Andrew to
get his shit together and sort out this mess and repick.
Updates:
GM Andrew is saying he wants GM Shawn to come good for the fine of 15
spots in the third round. "I am pissed" said Andrew, "I take great pride in
getting these right. Shawn told me he (Weber) had 13 to the Minors." GM Andrew
has taken back the deal and GM Chad has agreed to move forward with their first
deal for Zetterberg. Hartford gave a ton of picks for the Waiver, more to move
Zetterberg and now the fine of 15 spots in the third round. "I would fire
someone for this" said Andrew. While a third party has never paid the fine
before, there is nothing saying it can't be done that way. "The fine is in
place so guys pay attention and get things in on time" said Muddy Capone, "We
wasted time updating this that we have to go back and carefully change to now
ensure things are correct, so it sucks to pay, but 15 spots in the third round
is the first penalty. Lets hope for Andrew's sake the deal with Chad makes the
numbers work, or it doubles again." Updates to the site and office pools are
not in progress.
---
Green Bay Gets Haul - Hartford Goes Big
After a fierce bidding war GM Andrew paid a Waiver and three late picks
to Green Bay (Ryan) for the Waiver Thursday. The Knights were also
able to move out Ritchie, adding Yandle in an upgrade. Shipachyov
will likely see his last days in the NHLP forever come next Monday when
he is dropped for a 5 point player. "I hate having early Waivers
during Hunting season" said GM Ryan on a serious note, "I wish the
league could, but I don't see how, but do something about the
situation." GM Ryan may be onto something that league can look at,
and at the very least minimize the Waivers during this spell, if it is
possible to do. As for Hartford (Andrew) they did not want to give
what they did, "But you have to compete" the GM said. Andrew is
still trying as of this morning to acquire a point for any of four
players including Zetterberg who seems attractive enough with Detroit's
hot play of late. The GM does have a conditional offer on the
table if he can't get a point, for a trade of Zetterberg, but is hoping
a better deal can be found. Andrew also has the next NHLP Waiver
and is expected to take 9 players from the Minors between the two
Waivers. "I can't sit by and let GM Scott do whatever he wants"
said Andrew. GM Scott said they offered a Waiver next year, 28
spots in the 2nd and conditionally 28 more in the 7th and it just wasn't
enough. "It is painful to lose out" said Scott, "But I got bested
by the best. After Andrew does what I know he will do, I will
certainly regret not going harder still, but I have to live with the
fact we can't buy the bakeshop for a piece of one pie."
---
Krejci & Carter Could Make Busy Day
With the breaking NHLP news that Carter will not be back to February, GM Charlie
is "Willing to listen to offers" from those GM's who can take this potential
playoff player. The Kings play 32 games before February 1st and even a 0.5
PPG player should get 16 over that stretch, making trading Carter now very
difficult. He could have the most value today in an injury pick if some GM
likes something in the Minors better. GM Vinnie is in the same boat with
Carter, having decided last week to hold onto him and now in a worse spot then
before. GM Jr starts the days potential 5 injury picks with a 6 point
player for Krejci, who has 6 points in just 6 games and is likely to return any
day as he was close enough last night to be a game time decision. GM
Andrew will also be making the decision today on Krejci. After all these injury
picks, a Waiver that can very much be had according to GM Ryan will be
in play "After supper sometime". Ryan is hunting so the menu is likely
can beans as one GM called him "The worst hunter of the leagues
hunter-crazed GM's". It appears only the gentle, kind hearted, loving,
caring GM's Andrew and Scott are the lone non-killers of the group.
After supper we will see who has the Waiver and how the night plays
out.
---
Bidding War Erupts For Waiver
These are just rumors now. Apparently GM Ryan has been told by a
few GM's how badly they want Thursday's Waiver. What will GM Ryan
do, we have no idea. "It is uncertain what he really wants to do,
we are in limbo" stated Muddy Capone. Chicago (Andrew) was just as
vague with his Saturday waiver stating he is "Open to anything" followed
by he may use it or he may keep his team cause they are scoring so much.
That part is true, but the vagueness of GM's saying they are open to
anything, leaves us with no idea what they want to do. "Every GM
with a Waiver the last 10 years was open to anything" stated Capone,
"Without specific players, it is just a waste of time writing about it
when the GM himself has no idea what he wants to do." We are
assuming that both Waivers may be had, but they may be used and the GM's
may move a player, or they might hold onto their rosters. Ryan
himself did say three players had to go, but we are unsure if he plans
to keep Shipachyov for four more days and turn his one into a five, or
if he is looking to move him. We can likely assume Ryan wants to
definitely move Ritchie in any deal, as holding him must be painful.
We do expect Ryan to trade the Waiver and players, but Chicago's on
Saturday, "Open to anything" isn't letting much info out other then he
has no idea what he is doing with the Waiver just yet. Las Vegas
(Vinnie) can drop Perreault today before 6 PM for a player up to 5
points.
---
Matt - Andrew - Shawn
The top six scoring NHLP teams belong to just three GM's. Each of
GM's Matt, Andrew and Shawn have two teams in the top six while GM
Andrew's third team is 8th, with all his teams having 92 or more points.
Six NHLP GM's don't have a team with at least 92. Andrew's three
teams are 85 more points then defending NHLP Champion GM Tyson.
Not only are these three GM's scoring, their first place teams have
whopping amounts of points to give. Cincinnati (Matt) is already
37 points clear of 5th while Matt's Indianapolis Icemen are 29 points
ahead. "We are not at the quarter point yet" said Muddy Capone.
Five NHLP teams have not reached 70 points while the NY Islanders (Ryan)
have a stomach-turning 55 points on the season. How bad are things
on the Island? The team is already 28 points back of 4th place in
the Atlantic. "Can you imagine the blockbuster deal coming there"
said Muddy Capone, "Here is a team with Crosby, Keith, Johnson and
Hornqvist." With so many NHLP teams sitting so high in the
standings, the writing may be on the wall for one of the bigger trades
the NHLP has seen in years. "Here is a GM who once got 58 points
in a deal, so Ryan knows how to maximize his return" Capone added.
---
Ship-it-off
GM Ryan said Thursday's Waiver can be had. The GM who is off in
the Wisconsin wilderness hunting (shooting dead) anything that moves
said he has full services and will respond to any offers for his Green
Bay Waiver. Shipachyov has one point and is a minus one, or a zero
if dropped during the Waiver. Green Bay thinks they may be best
served to trade or even move back Waivers and turn Shipachyov into a 5
point player on the 20th. "If someone wants to acquire him as
well, even holding him on their roster for the few extra days, that can
work" said Ryan. The Knights GM did not specifically name players
who he is looking to move or unload, only saying "There are three there
who have to go". We can assume the other is Ritchie, but after
that the roster is pretty respectable. If Ryan does move the
Waiver, the price should not be cheap. "There is a lot of talent
in the Minors for guys wanting to set their teams early" Ryan said, "Shipachyov
just is a bad situation." A creative GM would be able to take
Shipachyov and move him elsewhere for points and make a successful dump,
but you have to think outside the box sometimes. Certainly Ryan
should receive some offers for the Knights Thursday Waiver.
---
"Much Improved"
GM Marcel loved what he did in Florida after a huge deal to acquire
Voracek from Philadelphia. "We could not gain the three points we
need to acquire Namestkinov, who was one of our targets" said Marcel,
"But yet we are extremely happy to add the sixth overall scoring player
in the league." The Panthers basically ended with Voracek, Duchene
and Galchenyuk for Lee, MacKinnon and Bennett, what appears to be a huge
upgrade to the team who is now better scoring and only 4 points out of a
playoff spot. GM's Marcel and Scott got down to business after no
one offered Marcel any points. "This is the next best thing"
Marcel had said before the deal. A sticker to the deal to acquire
Voracek for basically Namestkinov was Marcel keep Schultz. GM
Scott had to accept less, and take Ho-Sang, not the way he said he "Drew
it up" but how bad did he want Namestkinov was the question. The
deal came together nicely in the end and both GM's were extremely happy.
---
"If I Had the Waiver, I'd Drop Voracek For Namestkinov"
GM Scott can never be said to be "Uncreative". Scott posed a
simple question to himself. "If I had tonight's Waiver, who would
I go after. I would drop Voarcek and add Namestkinov, so I knew
what I wanted to do" said the GM, "So we went and did it." While
GM Scott is likely the only GM in the league to make such an aggressive
move this early, the GM said he doesn't live in game 17. "I don't
care how early it is in the season" the Flyer GM said, " We identify and
we go after. Most other GM's would keep Voracek for his scoring,
but I scratch my head as to why. He is a fringe player, who might
make the playoffs, might not, certainly someone good teams can't carry
with them into battle as such. We are at the quarter season mark
and he has 3 more points then Namestkinov. What will he end up,
15, 20 more? I'd trade him at the deadline for those 15 to 20
more, but what if then I can't trade him cause Philly is non-playoffs?
So grab the assets when you can. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
We just see things differently then most GM's. We aren't done.
Not by a long shot. But you can only get so many guys each Waiver.
Tomorrow is another day, but today we added a huge asset. I will
say now he is the type of asset that come June that one guy who we
picked up for a player we really didn't want, but were grateful for his
scoring, but that one guy who can then truly make the difference.
Trust me. I will have him in June. He ain't going no-where.
That is how much I value him. I just have to work harder to ensure his team is
still playing along his side. That is the goal, to work harder to make our team
better."
---
GM Charlie - "Carter is To Valuable"
GM Vinnie - " "
GM's Charlie and Vinnie both agreed, well kind of, that Carter was too
valuable to be dropped to the Minors. Carter can now be dropped
any day by 6 PM for up to 5 points. Carter will likely be back
after Christmas, so should miss about 20 more games prior to his return.
Both NHLP teams, Phoenix and Atlantic City are doing quite well and are
well in playoffs spots and have not been hurt by Carter's injury so far.
"He'd be gone in a second in a Waiver" said GM Charlie, "Carter is to
Valuable playing on the first place Kings." Both GM's will get
maximum bang for their player if they decide to move him later, with his
second half low number. GM Vinnie clearly echoed everything
Charlie said and went on to add " ". When you have McDavid on your
teams roster, really what else is there to say!
---
Panthers - Add Shultz - Look to Deal
Right after Toronto (Chad) added Parayko, Florida (Marcel) added Shultz for the
injured Coyle who is now in the Minors twice. "I hope I can make some
moves" said GM Marcel, "I need three points and Schultz had almost 60 points
last year, he might be the steal and a huge deal for points for someone later."
The GM said he has his Waiver targets in sight and is hoping GM's are interested
in high scorers Lee or MacKinnon, but admits the slower starting players may be
the most attractive in the Lineup. Jenner is another great pick up as he
is playing well, tons of minutes per game, and Columbus might actually be taking
that next step this year. Friday sees two injury picks, first by GM Vinnie
in Atlantic City and then Charlie in Phoenix, where both GM's may replace Carter
up to 5 point.
---
Will Pacioretty Get Claimed Today?
Today is the day our first test subject would have to clear Waivers. The
NHLP is just evaluating the interest and possibly procedures involved in a
Waiver Wire type rule. This rule could alleviate over a dozen drops
at the meetings which could give us more time for trade talk during the
meetings, instead of deal after deal on the board, as it is now. Back on
October 24th New Orleans (Shawn) put Pacioretty on Waivers (but really Shawn
didn't, but lets pretend he did). He had two points at the time and has
since picked it up in a big way, as have his Habs. Today Pacioretty would
have to Clear Waivers. He has 10 points. This means any GM could
submit a player they would like to use to claim Pacioretty off the Waiver Wire,
who has 10 points or more. It could even be an injured player. The
GM who submitted the most points, like a meetings deal to the Minors, could
Claim Pacioretty off the Waiver Wire for the player they offered, with the
Pecking Order today breaking any ties. Now on Sunday, Shawn would drop
that player and his point total and select from the Minors a replacement player.
If Pacioretty goes unclaimed, he would be the player dropped. Pacioretty
is on fire and although it is believed most players would just clear Waivers,
Pacioretty is likely one who would get claimed today. If you are
interested in claiming him today for a 10 point or more player, send it in and
lets see what happens. Of course, you won't really get Pacioretty (hope
people have that part down by now) as we are still evaluating how this could
actually work. After this little experiment we are going to put another
player on the Waiver Wire, but using the recently suggested method by GM Andrew,
where that play can be selected any day, by any GM (by 6 PM), and when that
occurs, that player would have to pass immediately through the Claiming Period
on the next day, when all GM's would have one final a crack at him. More
on that later, but would anyone take Pacioretty today?
---
Panthers Set to Use Waiver
The Florida Panthers (Marcel) are in their 10th anniversary of their only NHLP
Cup. That team was already the second of back to back Cups for Getzlaf
(see next article) but one of the best NHLP teams in our leagues history.
It is safe to say, the 2017/18 Florida team ain't that good at all. GM
Marcel knows his team needs help. "It just keeps getting worse" said
Marcel after the Drouin injury last night. Coyle is a needed five point
injury pick on Thursday who will be used to help the team restock. The GM
said he will be taking Duchene and Galchenyuk which will be at least 16 points,
dropping Lee, Coyle's 5 point replacement and 0 Point Per Game producing Bennett
who is without a cheap second assist in 15 games. "Least if they healthy
scratch him things can't get any worst" commented Marcel about his situation.
The GM said someone might want Lee with how good the Islanders have been
playing, or a two for two with Coyle's replacement, letting them select who they
want from the Minors for up to 5 points. "I can pick a guy and trade him"
Marcel stated, "But we have to get a deal done by 6 PM tomorrow, if I make a
pick tomorrow." One thing seems certain, the Waiver is not for sale as the
team needs to replace Bennett. The Panthers are open for business ahead of
Saturday's second Waiver of the season.
---
Getzlaf Huge Loss For Flames
Getzlaf has been an unstoppable force recently in the NHLP, with a point a game
this year, last playoffs with 19 in 17 games and last season in 74 games.
He just keeps putting up the numbers. GM Jr jumped on him 18th overall
this past draft, the pick before GM Chad took Scheifele. Getzlaf proved he
was every bit worth the pick when he played, but struggled with his lower body
injury out of the gate until a fluke injury now has him gone two months.
On October 29th he was hit in the face by the puck which required surgery on his
cheek bone. For Calgary, this is a devastating injury to their season.
It wasn't like Getzlaf had 20 points out of the gate where a replacement would
be a solid NHL player. With just 7 points GM Jr must now make a tough call
that will impact his season. The Flames may replace Getzlaf, a two-time
NHLP Champion, on November 21, after he misses 9 games. Odds are that
won't happen, as Getzlaf is expected back in January, projected to miss 30
games. How many points will a 7 point replacement get in 21 games, likely
10, meaning when Getzlaf is set to return he would only be 10 points behind any
replacement, with 40 games to play. It also means Calgary sat 30 games
without a point from Getzlaf, who should be their leading scorer, so how far
back will they be then? With his second half low point total, as long as
Anaheim is in the playoff picture, he could potentially big one of the biggest
second half trades, points wise, where a team 50+ points up would think nothing
of dropping 25+ on Getzlaf by himself. The issue is that without Getzlaf
playing, and keeping him, the Flames are going to fall way back, already 6
points out and in last place in the Pacific. If Anaheim is not a playoff
team, even his second half scoring won't be enough to score the team in, and
Getzlaf won't be worth 25 in a trade if the Ducks quack isn't echoing, and
that's where the Flames season might burn out. Of course, if Getzlaf is in
the Minors, you know a top team will make him their 7th player on the first
possible Waiver. Another GM who has an injured
player, joining other GM's who collectively have 14 players waiting for pickup
on the Injury Calendar, although none may be this big in terms of huge NHLP
injuries.
---
Four Injury Picks
The NHLP Injury Calendar has four injury picks this week, two Thursday and two
Friday. As of today Marcel is 9 points ahead of Chad in the Pecking Order,
meaning Chad would have the first pick and Marcel would have to have a backup,
if his choice is only in the Minors once. The following day Charlie is
currently 16 points ahead of Vinnie so Charlie would have to have two picks in
by 6 PM if he wants to ensure he gets a pick that night, if his option is only
in the Minors once. Of course, the Pecking Order is as of the day of the
picks, and the next few days could change the Pecking Order. Krejci was
added for Jr and Andrew on the 16th. Niederreiter came off for Tyson.
If you have a player who should be up there but isn't, let me know.
---
Transaction Page Faster
The Transaction page was getting a little slow, with over 900 Transactions on
there. So I created a page, at the top of the Transaction page to view
those and just this seasons is on the Transaction page, to speed up the loading
time.
---
Titan GM Aggressive With Waiver
Right after another GM stated their was "Nothing in the Minors he liked" GM
Scott saw things a little different. "This is just the first seven of 21 I
want to pull out of there, but I need two more Waivers first" said Scott after
his first 7 for 7. Scott stated that when you have players like Huberdeau
and O'Reilly, there scoring is fun but rather useless. "You can hold on to
these guys until they have 30, 40, 50, 75 points, but when you try and trade
them, you don't always get what you hope in return. I just ensured that I
got what I'd want later, now, for free." Not lost on the GM is that Tampa
Bay hasn't played game 17 yet this year. "Last season I had Stamkos, he
lead the league in scoring and in game 17 is gone for the season, Tampa falls
apart and misses the playoffs, so there is that risk, that they might not be who
I think they are, but I'd still take that risk over a Florida or Buffalo player.
If they are who I think they are, I have the start, just the start of a
potential dream season." If there was nothing to like in the Minors, there
is a little less to like for GM Marcel who has the next Waiver, next Saturday in
Florida, one he must certainly use and another 7 for 7 from him might be his
best move after falling 28 points clear of the Titan in the North Division.
---
Saturday Night's Alright For Scoring
Officially three NHLP teams reached double digit points Saturday night and GM
Andrew's Chicago team did it after acquiring two players in a trade.
Philadelphia (Scott) hit 11 points on the night and the GM watched hoping
Hartnell could add one more for what could have been. "It is hard to
believe after 28 years in this league I still only have hit 12 points 5 times"
the GM said who was denied his sixth which would have put him in the all-time
lead with the most ever, currently tied with the legend in the making, GM Tyson
who has 5 in just 8 short NHLP seasons. Although several NHLP GM's had 20
points on the night, GM Tyson only had 4 between his three teams. Halifax
(Shawn) and Cincinnati (Matt) both reached 10 point nights, having three teams
flirting with a dozen. "Not often do you see that many teams score like
that" said Muddy Capone, "Clearly it was one of the bigger scoring nights the
league has seen." Six NHL games ended 5-4 and another 6-4.
---
Quebec Grabs Assets - Elite Player Traded
GM Matt said he was a little disappointed more GM's weren't involved but
others said there was "Nothing attractive in the Minors." Matt
said it came down to GM's Chad and Scott and San Fran ended with the
Waiver in a player trade, Waiver swap and picks deal. Connor,
picked up yesterday by the Titan was moved to Quebec, along with the
November 22nd Waiver, two seconds, a third and fourth round pick.
For Quebec they now have a Waiver 4 Waivers from now to add even more
assets. "I think I did well" said Matt. For GM Scott it is
no surprise is scoops up the first Waiver, but he seldom trades an Elite
player so quickly. The Titan moved Nylander to Colorado (Chad) for
Zibanajad in a deal that had more than one Gm shaking their head.
One GM stated they were upset that the Scott didn't shop Nylander and
said he could have gotten so much more. Scott said he agreed but,
"Things move quickly and sometimes all you really have to do is ask"
said the GM. "I had no interest in Toronto players, or Florida or
Buffalo, but Waiver three Bolts and a couple Sens in my face, now that
excited me." Clearly, the games have begun.
---
Connor Gone
Connor is no longer in the Minors as he was GM Shawn's injury pick for Kesler in
New Orleans. "I think he has a lot of upside if he stays with Scheifele"
the GM said.
---
Quebec Takes Dvorak
GM Matt stated, "Dvorak is going to get 50 this year", very excited to pluck the
high-scoring player from Edmonton's (Scott) roster. The Oil now have
Parise who is an injury pick up to 5 points tomorrow. Quebec can now also
move Dvorak with the Waiver. The Nordiques GM said there is "Great
interest" in tonight's Waiver and is taking offers as we type this.
---
IT'S WAIVER SEASON!!!
The official kick off to the NHLP trading season is here. The Waivers,
allowing GM's to unload their dead-weight and build Championship teams at the
same time. The Waivers are very impactful. A GM with the Waiver has
an uncontested pick of the entire minors. The hardest thing, as always is
the case, is making the numbers work. Strategy can be for scoring, or
grabbing top players available on top teams, knowing those players will
eventually be in high demand. Quebec has an 8 PM deadline tonight and
today has the pick of either Reinhart, Dvorak or Konecny in a deal for Parise.
Any of those players may be involved in an offer said the Quebec GM. Prior
to the Waiver, the NHLP expects GM Shawn will make an injury pick for Kesler,
who was drafted injured in hopes of grabbing a skilled player from the pick
better than maybe Shawn would have gotten otherwise. The five point
players in the NHL are current 240 players deep. Start us off Matt!
---
Mistake or Meant To Be?
GM Scott said it was painful watching the Winnipeg Jets game Thursday night,
knowing his targeted injury replacement player only needed a single point and he
would no longer be an option. "The Kid misses a breakaway, gets a penalty
shot and losses control of the puck, misses a wide open empty net with the
goalie pulled and then has a two on one with the goalie pulled, empty net with
Scheifele, and of course, this time Scheifele doesn't pass him the puck, but
takes the shot for his Hat Trick goal" said the Titan GM, "I knew right then,
this is either a huge mistake or is meant to be." San Fran said they left
much better NHL players in the Minors for Strome's replacement but Scott
admitted he will always take the higher upside over the sure thing. "We
don't play things safe" said the veteran GM, "We always go for it, go big, that
chance to hit a game-winning extra base hit over the bunt him to second with no
out out approach." Scott said he is aware of what comes next, when
Perreault returns to the Jets lineup mid month, either Ehlers, Connor or
Perreault will have to go to the third line. "I am willing to bet it
becomes Perreault's new home" the GM said, then adding, "But it would be far
from the first time I have struck out, if Connor goes back to the AHL."
The NHLP weekend ahead sees two injury picks, Kesler and
Parise, a player moved to complete the Parise deal as well as a Quebec (Matt)
Waiver that has an 8 PM deadline Saturday for offers.
---
Who Else Is Under Contract?
Imagine being a professional sports team and you don't have any players left
under contract to fill a position. It happens. But imagine that
position is likely the most valuable in sports, an NHL goalie. The Vegas
Golden Knights lost, to injury, their first three signed goalies. The
team, like most NHL teams, only have four goalies under contract in total.
With Legace their fourth goalie, they needed a fifth that they simply did not
have. What do you do? A goalie signed to an entry level contract
playing for Kamloops Blazers, Dylan Ferguson gets called up on an emergency
basis from the WHL. His stats in Kamloops: 4-9, 4.05 GAA, .879 SP.
Within the teams first ten games they are playing a fourth goalie in Legace and
potentially a WHL goalie who had to realize a month ago their was no way in this
world he would ever play in the NHL this season. Well, never say never.
Let's just not hope Legace gets injured. The next option is currently
playing pick up hockey in Vladivostok, Russia.
---
Waiver Available in Quebec
It isn't GM Matt's style to pass on an early Waiver. He is usually one of
the GM's who drive the price to acquire one, very high. The GM said if he
gets a decent package, likely a Waiver and Picks, although certain players are
very much available, he will move it indeed. The GM's logic is he likes
making a splash with the Waiver and he is only 8 out of 4th, with playoff
players he refuses to send to the minors so soon, or give up on completely by
trading them away. "I have all my slow starters on one team" the GM said,
"These are guys who I believe will score me in, so the Waiver is just on my
wrong team is all." Parise is officially gone, likely for Konecny, but the
Nords have a three player option on Saturday. Early Waivers can set up a
team for the season, but not every GM is willing to pay the steep prices to
play. The aggressive GM's, Scott, Andrew, Shawn and Matt are constantly
going hard while a second group of GM's including Chad, Marcel and Joel, often
bid on the Waivers. In the past three seasons GM's Charlie, Jr, Ryan,
Tyson and Vinnie have only sold Waivers. "There are a variety of team
building methods" states Muddy Capone, "Some GM's place more weight on acquiring
Waivers, especially early Waivers while others like to acquire assets that help
them in other ways." The first Waiver of the season available can only
mean the Nords should receive a nice package on Saturday.
---
The Waiver Wire
Player
NHLP Team
Date Placed On
Waivers by 6PM
Games to
Wait
Claiming Period
Ends at 6 PM on
Replacement
If Any
May Replace
by 6 PM on
Pacioretty (Mtl)
New Orleans (Shawn)
Tuesday, Oct 24th
10
Saturday, Nov 10th
Sunday, Nov 11th
Dvorak (Arz)
Edmonton (Scott)
Thursday, Oct 26th
12
Thursday, Nov 16th
Friday, Nov 17th
Rules
-If you have a player you want on the Waiver Wire, email him to the league
-You may trade, or drop with a Waiver, your player on the Waiver Wire at any
time prior to the Day of the Claiming Period, but you can't remove him otherwise
once you place him on the Waiver Wire. Once you put a player on the Waiver
Wire - he is going somewhere.
Claiming Period - On the day of the Claiming Period the GM (based on the Pecking
Order) who offers the most points for this player, gets this player for their
player offered - who now becomes the player dropped the next day. You must
offer Equal or more points by 6 PM.
-If no one Claims the player, that player will be dropped for a replacement the
next day
-Teams can only have one player at a time on the Waiver Wire
-You may use an injured player to Claim a player on the Waiver Wire - who then
gets dropped without penalty? (thinking this through still)
Examples:
Edmonton (Scott) just put Dvorak up today. He has 3 points. The Oil
must now wait 12 games to actually replace either Dvorak or his replacement if
he gets Claimed on Nov 16th. Any points Dvorak gets during those 12 games
are used in Edmonton's dump. So if he gets 4 more, he will have 7 and
Scott gets to replace him (or his replacement) on Nov 17th with a player in the
Minors with 7 points or less. On the morning of the Claiming Period day,
whatever points Dvorak has are the points you must at least offer to claim him
off the Waiver Wire. It is more than likely most players will just
go unclaimed as good players are not being placed on Waivers.
Questions:
-Can I Claim a player on the Waiver Wire with another player currently on the
Waiver Wire. (My logic says yes, as it is just like you traded him,
however he too can not be in his Claiming Period)
-Can I acquire a player on the Waiver Wire and leave him there, and use him
myself and get a replacement from the Minors (I don't see why not.
If you acquire a player currently on Waivers, you would have the option of
leaving him or removing him if you wanted to keep him)
-My guy has 15 points and was just hurt for three months. Can I use him
and claim a 12 point player off Waivers. Would I be giving three points?
(I think if we do this, yes, it is just like being at a meeting and all players
regardless of anything are in play)
-What if I put a healthy guy up on Waivers and he gets hurt and misses his last
5 games before I can replace him. Is there a Penalty? (I say no, for
you must wait the exact amount of games as if he was injured anyways, so if he
gets hurt during his time on the Waiver Wire, so be it. However, you
wouldn't be getting any points to use for the games he missed anyhow.)
-If my player goes out three months, can I put him on the Waiver Wire instead of
the Injury Chart. (My answer is yes. You have to wait the same
games, however you would not get up to 5 points if he had under 5. Also,
remember, someone else can take him, and you may or may not want that.)
NHL teams have now played 10 games. Is that a lot? Well it is 12
percent of the season and in another 10 games, a full quarter of the season, so
it is an OK sample sizes. On the Sides page, highlighted in GREEN
background is the current leader of the side based on the current statistics.
Ottawa is looking like a playoff team while Carolina is right there, but
technically not in. Kucherov is on pace for 89 goals and to just reach 50
he will need 38 more in his last 71 games. Let's not say what Vegas is on
pace for, that is silly, but what they have to play the rest of the way to win
this side. Vegas needs to reach 46 or more and has 16, 30 points away with
73 games to go. Vegas would have to go 2-8 every 10 game segment the rest
of the way to reach 46 or more. Tavares is on pace for 82 points.
Benn & Seguin can't get 180 points can they? They are currently on pace
for 179. I said they are currently on pace for 179 points! Matt
knows this fucking shit boys! Matthews is 7 points behind Stamkos with a
game at hand. It isn't looking good, but with 5 to 1 odds, I don't think
it is looking horrible either. Matthews is up on Draisaitl 14-6 and Eichel
is up on McDavid 26-10. Montreal is only behind Toronto by 9 points.
Matthews is on pace to get more than the 76, currently on pace for 114.
Cup Winner? Well,. highlighted is the top team in each Conference.
Wow. Erin has Las Vegas. *gulping* Toronto to win a round?
Well currently they would start the playoffs on the road, so you have to say no.
Will Stammer get more than 66 points? He is 45 away with 71 to play and is
on pace for 157. Dvorak is on pace for 33, not 50. Jumob Joe is on
pace for 64, 13 more than 51. Nylander is on pace for 74.
---
Chicago Adds Steen
GM Andrew admitted he was surprised that Steen stayed available, especially
after his 4 point game a few games back. The Chicago GM had to reach 210+
plus players back on the NHL Stats page to find a 5 point player for the
Drafted-injured Fabbri. "I think you can say it worked out well for us"
said Andrew, "But the five point players are few and far between." On the
injury page the NHLP is tracking this seasons first injury picks so it can see
if the current five point rule is fair. By making the choice to draft an
injured player Andrew admitted he threw away hope of picking a "Gostisbehere",
one of a half dozen 7th round picks with 10 to 15 points. Those players
can be massive drops in an early Waiver, off-setting the GM's strategy of
assuring a 5 point decent pick early, which he achieved. "There are many
schools of thought" the GM said who admits the strategy might not be the best
play. "I would hate to have to pick all three 7th rounder's from the 5 or
less options right now and compete with another GM doing the same" stated
Andrew, "There simply is not the quality of player, this year anyhow." Two
more injury picks are slated by the time of Quebec's (Matt) first Waiver of the
season which occurs on Saturday.
---
Injury Ravaged League
There are now 16 long term injuries on the Injury Chart and all but one is an up to 5
point player. In fact in the next three weeks their are 15 injury picks
and 4 Waivers. "It would be almost impossible for all these guys to have
to pick a five or less point player of any quality, and some don't pick until
after four Waivers" said Muddy Capone, "But if they drop their player, that is
what they will be up against doing." GM Andrew has the first Injury Pick
of the season on Tuesday for Fabbri, a player Andrew drafted with the intentions
of doing this exact thing. The eyes of the league are watching to see just
how well GM's benefit from drafting injured players. A recent look at the
list leaves a lot of doubt more than a few GM's could benefit from the strategy,
but all indications are the first several GM's to pick will find a suitable
player with under five who is available. GM's who have used this strategy
are assured a five point player, but they also gave up all hope of having a 10+
point 7th rounder (and if you look there are many) which could be even more
deadly in a Waiver pick, points which some of the 7th round picks now have.
---
# of 5 Point or Less
Players on Roster
# NHLP Teams
Total NHLP
Players
0
1
0
1
4
4
2
10
20
3
14
42
4
7
28
5,6,7
0
0
Totals
36
94
How To Read This Chart
This chart was done of all NHLP players drafted as of October 27th. The
first column shows how many players are currently on each NHLP team with 5 or
less points and the second Column shows how many NHLP teams have either 0, 1, 2,
3, or 4 players on their current roster with 5 points or less. For
example, if your team has 3 players with 5 or less points, your team would be
tallied in the 3 column and totaled under the NHLP teams in that column.
The final column is the total number of players with 5 or less points, of the
252 players drafted. Only one current NHLP team did not have a single
player with 5 or less points, Alaska (Marcel). Of all players drafted, 37%
are still at 5 points or less.
BOG To Close Loophole?
A trend in the NHLP is for GM's to draft long term injured players, knowing
under the current collective bargaining agreement they can replace a 7th rounder
13 games into the NHLP season for a player with 5 points. The Board of
Governors has agreed this was never the intention of the Draft and this is a bit
of a loophole that needs closing. GM Jr does not want to over-regulate,
which could hurt teams all season while GM Scott does not want teams to benefit,
creating even more teams who want to draft retired players. Both GM's
agree it is a loophole of sorts that needs the Boards attention. GM
Andrew, who drafted Fabbri is set to replace him with a 5 point player in four
days, and before any Waiver takes place. GM Shawn will do the same for
Kesler before the first NHLP Waiver. "Here you have a team like Florida,
who drafted healthy players and is sitting with two players without a single
point, Jenner and Bennett said GM Scott, "But GM Marcel can't do a damn thing."
In total 31 of the NHLP's 36 teams have at least 2 players under 5 points with
the majority of teams having 3 players in that range. Of all players
drafted, 94 still have not gotten their 6th point, some 37% of all drafted
players. With only 14% of all drafted players in the 7th round, it is clear that
players from all rounds still don't have 6 points. An issue is the BOG
agrees 5 points isn't a lot and you can't get a 5 point player come January, so
the 5 points is a fair number later, but this early, is it too much to soon?
Drafted players aside, we have players like Strome, drafted by GM Scott in San
Fran. He played two games and went to the AHL. If he is not called
up, in one week, and before the first Waiver, his 0 will be a 5 for San Fran.
GM Scott himself agrees he will bonus, an injury that seemingly not only did not
hurt the team, but helped the team, totally not the intention of the NHLP rules.
"We don't want to kill a teams season with an injury" said the GM, "But you
should be hurt, not benefit when your guy misses games." The BOG has
solutions in place, just still some tweaking and agreement as a whole yet to
occur, but it is clear next year, there will be some changes made in these
areas.
---
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - All The Scoring
If you love hockey, surely you have heard of the city. The home of the Soo
Greyhounds, the 1993 Memorial Cup Champions. We are reminded, "AGAIN" of
the Soo with Jumbo Joe Thornton, a former Greyhound, scoring into the top 20
all-time NHL scorers. Way to go Joe! We love ya. What isn't
lost on us is Sault Ste. Marie. There is NO city in the entire world,
Toronto, New York, Tokyo. Not a city, anywhere, with as many ties to the
top 20 all-time NHL scorers as the Soo has. Number one on the all time
list, Wayne Gretzky of course played for the Hounds and his 99 hangs in the
rafters, as it should in every arena in the NHL for that matter. Fifth in
all-time scoring is a Sault Ste. Marie boy, Ron Francis and still another Soo
born kid is 10th all-time, Phil Esposito. At 13th on the list is former
Greyhound Paul Coffey. Although Coffey was born in Edmonton and Gretzky
and Messier played there, with Thornton replacing the 4th tie on the list to
Edmonton, Kurri who was 20th, now the Soo has 5 ties
(Gretzky-Francis-Esposito-Coffey and Thornton) to the top 20 all-time scoring
players in history of the game, and the Oilers only now have 3. The city
of Sault Ste. Marie needs to update the sign coming into town or change the
cities motto to "The Home of the Scoring". It is. Well, did I
mention Soo-born Tony Esposito is 8th in all-time wins. "The Home of the
Scoring, and Tony".
---
That's The Spirit
heather who has been following the Cup Holder says "Joel hasn't lost yet...TILL
NOW." Saturday night she will get her first crack at the Cup Holder.
If you look at NEXT YEARS rules, further
down the Cup Holder page, I have laid them out. This will make
every game critical all season, as four losses will eliminate your team and the
person who beat you now would own your team while a fourth win, moves you to the
next round and starts your record over. Check it out.
---
Something Has To Give
The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a very decent start with 13 point in 10
games, only 5 teams in the NHL have more points. The issue is they are
6-3-1 and have allowed 8 more goals then they have scored. In fact,
Pittsburgh's 40 goals allowed is the leagues worst. Yes, behind Arizona,
who is 0-8-1. What does allowing 8 more goals mean? Well, there are
only 5 teams worst in the NHL and their combined record is 9-30-7. Now
Pittsburgh has lost Schultz (Halifax, Shawn) to a concussion. There is no
way Pittsburgh can continue to win at that rate, without correcting this issue.
It is impossible and NEVER happens where a team allows the most goals in the
league and wins twice the games they lose. So, either the Pens are going
to start allowing a few less goals, or they are going to start losing a lot more
hockey games. I mean their scoring isn't that good. After even
games, over 10 NHL teams will have scored more, including Vegas. Now, we
are talking about the team that hasn't stop playing hockey for two straight
years, winning back to back Cups. Their NHLP owners don't care where they
finish, and as long as they are in the playoffs, you won't want to face them as
a first round opponent. Lots of teams start slow and get it going.
They have started fast, and they aren't going. So, if they start going,
correcting the back end, maybe we all better watch out for the Pens as then they
would never lose. Right now, there is a serious problem and something has
to give. Lets see which it is.
---
Seasons First Players Traded
The Quebec Nordiques (Matt) and the Edmonton Oil (Scott) got a little creative
with their first player move of the NHLP season. The GM's had previously
been talking and GM Scott wanted to acquire Parise and with the news of the day
that he is gone long term after having Surgery, the deal came together much
quicker. Edmonton now has the rights to Parise, while GM Matt has his
option of either Reinhart, Konecny or Dvorak, and has until November the 4th to
decide which player he wants. The Nordiques have the Waiver, the first of
the season, on the 4th, and now will have at least a 3 point player in place of
Parise's zero, and if all goes well, maybe 5 or 6 points. For Edmonton,
they will have their choice of the Minors, selecting any player in the Minors up
to 5 points the day after the Nordiques have the Waiver. Matt was happy to
have the additional points and Scott was happy to be able to pick any player in
the Minors under 5 points on that day, with several targets already in mind.
This is the first deal of the young season with the first Waiver now 10 days
away.
---
An Open Mind
The NHLP has one of the longer rule books, with built in case book examples of
how it all works. Many rules over the years come and go and have been
changed and altered as the league grows. "I have always been a big
believer in change" said GM Scott who along with GM Jr, and now the Board of
Governors, also consisting of GM's Andrew and Shawn, handle the Rules Department
of the NHLP. "There is a lot of experience in that group" said Muddy
Capone, "And they deliver on the fly when needed, something the league depends
on at key moments." The league's rule book does state that rules are voted
on, and they are, but when the four BOG members come together in agreement and
make a rule for the league, having 7 of the remaining 8 GM's get together and
vote it down has never happened. It is Scott who claims that just because
we do something one way, is that the best way to do it? "You can never be
so content that you avoid something new" said Scott, "New things scare people
until the day they admit they can't recall how they got by without them."
Often the NHLP new rules will sometimes take years before they enter the league
as the BOG thinks them over, test implementing exactly how they work under all
scenarios, and working out those kinks. The what about this and that, is
something they have been doing for 30 years. Weighing how something can
affect other things in the "Butterfly Effect" is important to this group.
When the time is right, we will often give something a try, realizing it may
fail, but you only ever fail trying in the first place. Some of the very
best ever rules the leagues has today, they were willing to fail by trying it
for real, only to find they can't recall how they got by without them in the
first place.
---
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Firstly, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way. It is still
one of my favorite Beach Boy tunes of all time. It
is good enough to be the Beatles. Now, as far as an NHLP GM goes,
wouldn't it be nice to not have drafted some of these guys? Can't go back
now. Every GM has guys they are looking to unload. Hoping sooner
than later to unload them. It isn't fair to pick on one player, for every
single team has a 'couple point' player right now. We could name 30
players right now that are off to terrible starts and will eventually go the way
of Waivers or at the meetings, the Winter Meeting and the Trading Deadline.
So we have these guys we don't want. Wouldn't it be nice if there was
another easy way to replace them? Furthermore, the meetings are still
non-stop. They are still too busy. I am convinced the big
blockbuster deals still don't occur as much as they could because we just cannot
get away from the board. Update this and update that. The clock
never stocks. Over 20 transactions just to the Minors at 10 minutes per.
It seems all you do is update the next move from the Minors, with no time to
truly look at everyone else's teams. Going and talking about a trade is so
much fun. Thank God for the Waivers. They have worked to alleviate
many hours of time that no longer need to go through the meetings.
Wouldn't it be nice to have more time at the meetings to work the league?
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The Waiver Wire
What you are about to read is nothing. Don't be scared. It is not a
new rule. It isn't being implemented in two weeks. What it is though
is something that is now on the table. It is being talked about, worked
over, kink tested, scenario proofed. After that, now we can really talk
about it. We are calling it "The Waiver Wire". It is BIG! It
has the ability to be another game changer. Maybe something we should have
always been doing. Maybe something that we agree we can't recall how we
got by without them. The following is just laying out a rough sketch.
Remember the details, those would come later. Although you will read it
with details, all those may change, or maybe none of this ever occurs anyways.
But here goes....
Starting a week before the first Waiver of the Season (or at some point), the
Waiver Wire could open. It will be combined with the Injury Calendar
(seems to make sense - or will have its own page and calendar) where players
placed on the Waiver Wire will appear. A GM can now place any player they
want, at any time, on the Waiver Wire.
For example (and as I said, there are many) let say that GM's Andrew and Shawn
don't want Pacioretty anymore. The guy has just one point in eight games,
Montreal is hopeless, and Pacioretty already called himself the "Worst player on
the ice." No arguments here so far! Makes sense they don't want him
and anyone else in his place would do just fine. However, Andrew has 6
Cups and knows Pacioretty is going to either turn it on (maybe if he thinks and
hopes and prays, it might come true), or get traded, and Andrew himself can
always just trade him to Marcel, easy thing to do. But Shawn, see, he
don't have any Cups. He likes to rush to judgment on players and puts
Pacioretty on the Waiver Wire. The league gets an email before 6 PM (some
set time) on a given day from Shawn saying "Put Pacioretty on the Waiver Wire."
The league administrators put up Pacioretty on the Waiver Wire Calendar for that
date. Plain and simple - Pacioretty is officially gone. Shawn can't
go back now and the process is now in place.
A Player Goes on the Waiver Wire (Calendar)
In Player Tracking - Pacioretty is a "10" under the Injury Games column.
We would use this number and look at Montreal's schedule and Pacioretty would,
if put on the Waiver Wire today, miss his 10th game and be ready for pick up on
November 12th and would be on the Calendar as such.
So now Shawn must wait, but will get to unload Pacioretty on November 12th.
Unlike an injured player, where Pacioretty will miss the next ten games, have
one point and be able to be replaced for up to 5 points, Pacioretty is still
playing. So he had one point when put on the Waiver Wire and his points
count now if he gets any over those 10 games. Lets say he "Lights it up"
and gets 3 more points, so now Shawn would have a four point player on November
12th in Pacioretty. He drops Pacioretty by 6 PM, just like an injury pick
and picks any player with up to 4 points. With a Waiver Wire you can't get
up to 5 if your player has less then 5 - you only replace with a player equal
points or less.
Now that is simple. But...
Can Another GM Pluck a Player Off The Waiver Wire?
This is a very interesting thought. What I am thinking is after he plays
his "Second to last game" before he can be picked up he is now open to be
plucked off Waivers. So in this case Pacioretty had to miss 10 games.
After his 8th Game, lets say he has 4 points. He is placed front and
center on the NHLP homepage with a time line cutoff of the start of his game 9
as the cutoff. Any GM can give (just like the minors) one player for
Pacioretty and Shawn must take who gives him the most points (if anyone) with
the pecking order in play. Those can be sent to Admin and admin makes the
move after the deadline passes. Now that replacement player must be
dropped by Shawn - But Shawn could get more than 4 points to use now...maybe,
maybe not. If no one plucks Pacioretty off the Waiver Wire - Shawn must
drop Pacioretty after his 10th game and gets a replacement on November 12th.
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Can a Player be Traded if on the Waiver Wire?
If you get the option to move him earlier to a guy with the Waiver, go for it.
However, that must occur before he plays his second to last game and goes on the
NHLP homepage. At that point he needs to Clear Waivers and is essentially
in a bidding war for points. After that, he is either going to the team
that plucks him off the Waiver Wire or to the Minors. Shawn's replacement
will have to be made by 6 PM on November 12th (picking after any Injury pickup
that day) or Pacioretty's points will freeze at 4 and Shawn will keep getting
pushed back day after day until he replaces him - with the frozen number of 4.
So a GM will immediately pick a replacement.
The entire process is actually quick simple. It is like an injured player
and replacement, only you decide who you want to drop and get a replacement for.
More Thoughts?
-Maybe you only have one Waiver Wire per season, per team, like a Waiver
-Maybe you can trade it, like a Waiver, and get a pick back for your Waiver Wire
-Maybe they are unlimited, but each team can only ever have one guy on the
Waiver Wire at a time, or even a GM can only have one player from any of his
teams on the Waiver Wire at a time.
-There is a natural cut off of course, come the Trade Deadline, no players can
be moved after that date.
-If a player is on the Waiver Wire and a meeting arrives, he can be moved freely
during the meeting, but if he is not, after the meeting he would still be on the
Waiver Wire
-Can you trade a player on the Waiver Wire to another GM who then Drops that
player with the Waiver Wire? I don't see why not, but this needs more
thought. Or if a player is traded, his Waiver Wire status is no more?
There may be added value in trading a player on the Waiver Wire for the GM
getting him might have his sights set on a player in the Minors with equal or
less points.
-You could not drop a good player through the Waiver Wire with hopes you are
going to pick him up with a Waiver on another team - firstly, he would never
"Clear Waivers" if he was any good and secondly, we have rules in place where
another team must pick a Waiver before you pick a player you dumped. I
don't see this an issue.
Take a look at your own players right now. I think you have someone you
would place on the Waiver Wire today. I know I do. If we have
another way to unload guys, it might make the Minors less time consuming at the
meetings. The Waiver Wire will never be as huge as a Waiver - for a Waiver
is many players and all kinds of point combinations. This is just always
one for one. The Minors at the meetings are still like that Waiver, but in
the meantime simple one player drops can be done with the Waiver Wire, maybe
shaving off an hour of time at the meetings. More time to sit back and
look for that big trade. If it serves that purpose, and I know it will,
maybe we should give the Waiver Wire some serious thought.
"You know it seems the more we talk about it, it only makes it worse to live
without it"
Wouldn't It Be Nice...
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Random Thoughts
- Ovechkin had 7 goals in his first two games and has already been caught by
Kucherov, who also has 10 goals in 9 games, but has 16 less shots then Ovie.
- I think after last nights game, I don't view Vegas as an expansion team
anymore. They have already now beat some good teams. Beating St
Louis was a real eye opener. Ya, they can't really score with only 23
goals in 7 games (although that ain't bad) but they have only allowed 17 goals.
Pittsburgh has allowed 39. Tampa has the most points in the league with
15, but Vegas has 12 with two less games played.
- Montreal and Arizona have a combined 4 points in 16 games, a goal differential
of minus 36. I could have included the Oilers in here as well.
Pathetic!
- Joel's Carolina team has two of the leagues only three players averaging two
points per game, Stamkos and Bergeron. Who is the other? In three
games Karlsson has 6 points.
-Ovechkin takes a lot of shots on goal, already 50 in 9 games. Evander
Kane has taken 47 in 9 games
- Zuccarello is off to a great start, 7 points in 9 games. Considering he
has 4 power play points, he has been on the ice 5 on 5 for 16 goals, three his
team scored and 13 they allowed. Minus 10. Ouch!
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Week Of 27 Helps Reach 50 First
GM Joel had a massive 27 point week in Carolina ending Saturday tie for the
first team this season to have 50 points. GM charlie in Phoenix also has
50 and with two players playing today should be the first over 50. There
are 18 NHLP teams over 40 points while only 4 teams have yet to hit 30,
including the lowly Florida Panthers (Marcel) who have a miniscule 23. For
Florida they have Coyle out long term and neither Jenner or Bennet have a point
on the season in nine combined games. For Carolina this team is just a
'Little-Scheary' Two players have 2 points per game, with Stamkos now
having 18 points in 9 games while Bergeron has 4 in just 2 games. The rest
of the team has a total between 4 and 7 points, although the team did lose Ryan
last night who is gone for a month with a broken finger. Carolina is in
first place in the East Division and gained 19 points this week on the last
place Nordiques (Matt). For Phoenix they have it equally as good with a 21
point bulge over last place in the Pacific. The team has Carter gone to
mid December, but the way they are scoring they can easily hold him if they
wish, a great position for GM Charlie.
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MAKE IT 12!!!!
It isn't exactly the usual way it is done, but it does count. GM Joel had
a point added to Stamkos, turning what was thought to be an 11 point night, into
a career best and first ever 12 point night. It took Joel into his 11th
season to become the 36th team to reach the 12+ point mark on a night. GM
Andrew who has won 6 NHLP Championships and been a GM 22 years, double Joel's
11, has only ever had one 12+ himself. It remains a hard feat to
accomplish but time is changing. The NHLP Yearbook plans on moving the 12
point night to 13+ once it reaches hit by 50 teams (24 more times).
Currently in our 28th season only 13 teams have ever reached 13+ with the
all-time record set by a playoff team no less, the 2009-10 New Jersey Devils who
was GM'ed by Jr back then and no longer in the NHLP are the Devils. GM's
Vinnie and Matt are now the lone GMs to not have a 12 + on their resumes.
The additional point moved Joel to 23 points on the night, making it the 5th
best total for a GM with his 12-8-3, only 5 points shy of Chad's record setting
28.
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GM Joel Ties Career High
Now with over 2000 hockey nights in his NHLP career as a GM, Joel still has not
reached the ever elusive 12 point night. He did tie his career high, 11,
the highest point night of the early season and now third team in October his
reach double digits in what is clearly looking like a high scoring season ahead.
Bergeron in his first game this season had 4 points, not a bad start for Joel in
Carolina. Hischier scored his first two NHL goals and is well on his way
to an Elite NHLP player in a few years. Skinner added two more while
singles went to Stamkos and Ryan. Stamkos has 13 points and is only one
point off the NHL leader. Neither Sheary or Little played or this would
have been a record night for Joel. The GM also had a 22 point night,
between his 3 teams, just 6 points off the all-time NHLP record of 28 held by GM
Chad. This is a crazy looking team and with Bergeron back and already in
first place in the East Division. Carolina is set to have a fun season for
GM Joel and maybe next time we hear from these guys it will be a 12 point night.
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Carter's Injury Preventable?
If you saw if, the minute you did you said, "Long term". When a player
skates off and the camera focusing in on the back of his skate leg area, above
the boot and you see skin under the sock, why? There is protective
equipment for that area and players continue to think they won't suffer severe
cuts in that area with skates the sharpest they have ever been. Seems like
the players who decide to protect themselves in that area don't and won't get
cut, while those who don't, risk a career ending injury at any moment,of any
game, and for seemingly no reason at all. Special equipment is designed to
protect special areas, but if you don't wear it, it can't protect you.
Carter is a big name, a second rounder, gone now for up to two months off the
Phoenix (Charlie) and Atlantic City (Vinnie) rosters. The GM's will get a
replacement quick enough, already on the injury calendar for November 10th.
Carter had 3 points in 6 games. A 32 year old who has had 66, 62 and 62
each of the last three years. Outstanding numbers. If Charlie and
Vinnie replace him they will get a 5 point player in return, plus 10 or 20 games
from that player (5 to 10 points?), depending on if Carter is December 1st or
20th in a rough 6 to 8 weeks time frame. So a replacement player can
easily have 10 to 15 points, or maybe more with an early selection of
replacements, by the time Carter returns. If they keep him, and he is gone
the 6 to 8 weeks, Carter will have two points when he returns at some point in
December. As long as the Kings, the last team without an NHL regular time
loss, keep playing well, Carter will have huge trade power. If Carter is
in the Minors, those three points he has will be a Waiver steal for whoever
jumps the quickest. These are NHLP decisions that make and break seasons,
either for Phoenix or Atlantic City and potentially for a Waiver team adding
such a huge name to the roster as their 7th, and not where he sits on Charlie's
and Vinnie's rosters, as a second round pick, meaning second team scoring is
required from that position. A bad injury yes. Preventable, in all
likelihood yes again! How the GM's play it from here, that is the unknown.