Rayzor_7

@KaleebtheMightythat was heart wrenching to read. My girlfriend is at 16 weeks today and I can't imagine having to go through that. I'm incredibly sorry for your loss.
 
@Jack Johnson your view points on this suck.
 
Reminder: I need to make a filter that changes pro-life to anti-choice / anti-women.

I’ll pop in here to give an example of an abortion, and why deeming it wrong completely is wrong in and of itself.
 
My wife and I lost a baby in term at 17 weeks. It was absolutely gut wrenching for us both, and spun us into an awful mental spiral. When we received that news, it was the hardest I ever cried in my life.
 
At that point, we had only two options with how to proceed. The first option was a D&C. For those of you who are unaware of what that is, the doctor opens up the cervix of a woman with a tool and then either uses suction or a scraping tool to remove the fetus from the womb. It can be extremely painful. While the option of sedation is used, having to put a woman through that pain and trauma just after being told her baby died is unthinkable. It is soul crushing, pure and simple.
 
Our other option was to induce labor with a drug to deliver my son, so that we could have a chance to see him before we had to let him go. No tools would be used to remove him in pieces. And afterwards, when he would arrive, we could hold him and tell him how much we love him, even though we would only get one chance to see him. 
 
We chose the second option. And in that dark and stormy time in our lives, I got to hold my son, tiny and frail as he was. But you know what? He came out and had the best smile on his face, even though he had passed. I got to hold him close and tell him how much I loved him. And I will never forget, even in the moments of tears and weeping between my wife and I, the special moments we had with our son before we had to let him go.
 
That second option was an abortion. We had to have an abortion to be able to see my son. And because it was an abortion, our insurance didn’t want to cover it. So we had to pay that bill completely, which here in the US, was a big bill. Each month, we had to be reminded of what we went through until it was paid off.
 
And now it’s illegal where I live. While most people think of the simple cases where this can affect them. Now women and families where it’s illegal don’t have the option like we did to see their child in a similar situation.
 
That realization to me is just as soul crushing as that night was for me. There shouldn’t be a blanket ruling that makes all abortions illegal, it is inhumane.

I mean why are we forcing pro life beliefs on an entire country? Majority of people who are "pro-life" are "pro-life" for religious reasons. The united states is a place where you are supposed to be able to practice any religion and all these people are doing are pushing a so called religious beliefs onto other people. 
 
 
They aren't pro life they are pro having power over other people. They are pro life until that baby is born and the mother doesn't get paid leave, or until that baby is sick and the mother has to decide weather to put food on the table for herself or pay for the bills and medication, they are pro life until that child is in school in a lockdown and instead of going into help children are dying for an hour, they are pro life until that is a person of any minority. They aren't pro life they are people in power who decided they also want to control millions of other people's bodies.
 
 
Being pro choice isn't pro kill fetus. It's letting other people decide weather they can/want to carry a baby for 9 months and then care for it for at least 18 years.

Just for the sake of comparison with the US’ closest neighbor; here is how Canada looks at abortion:
 

 
Yes, that says all stages. Know why? Because as @JardyB10 pointed out it’s far too easy to blanket ban something and inadvertently harm people. So what was the Canadian government’s solution? Make it as available as possible and stay the hell out of it because the government should have no jurisdiction over that.
 
Does this mean people are getting to 36 weeks and deciding “you know what, maybe this parenting thing isn’t for me”…. Not really. They CAN but finding a doctor who will do the procedure at that point as a choice is rare. What it does allow for us a situation where maybe development has stalled at 20 weeks and they don’t find out until 30 that, despite brain function, the pregnancy isn’t viable. It also allows for a situation where a complication threatens both mother and child and makes an emergency C-section impossible.
 
Yes, you could get those things by putting a “medically necessary” clause on it but why put something in that will just lead to arguments about what’s “necessary” and isn’t? That’s not the government’s place to decide. THIS is how a first world country handles abortion laws. Bringing religion into the argument and having governments  involved in deciding what women can and can’t do with their bodies is not how a first world country operates. America has invaded countries for doing the things they are currently doing.
 
A last point: upholding Roe was supported by 70% of Americans. While that number SHOULD be higher the fact remains it’s still a vast majority. That means that a group of 9 people just decided to ignore the will of the vast majority of Americans.

Who are you or any other person to decide what is right or wrong for what someone does to their body? It doesn't effect you. Don't like it? fine don't get one. But don't stop other people with very valid reasons from getting one.

A fetus is not a baby. It is unable to survive outside the womb before at least 22 weeks and even at that point it's incredibly unlikely it will survive. An organism that requires a host is not a baby, it's a parasite.
 
Now that's not saying that fetus' are parasites, that's obviously a stretch, but it's no more of a stretch than saying they are babies. They cannot survive at that stage and frankly do not deserve extra protection to do so especially in situations where they were not wanted or are not viable. Making it out that arguing for women's rights = arguing for murder doesn't help anything.

the right to an abortion is a human right, not just a woman's right

hi vhl,
 
i really want to talk about the overturning of roe v wade and gen chat is not the place for it. so here i am
 
roe v wade was a case that legalized the right to abortion in the united states. the supreme court has overturned this ruling, which means that states are now allowed to ban abortions
 
i ... don't even know how to describe what i'm feeling. i'm angry and really, really scared. the ruling effectively said that they're going to try to go after other rulings of similar import (e.g., legalizing same-sex marriages and relationships, contraceptives, etc.).
 
as a queer person with a uterus it's so scary to watch as the people who are supposed to protecting me are actively stripping me of rights right now, and people are.. happy about it? i'm 23 years old, and i feel like there's no hope for me to gain any rights in this country, let alone even maintain them. it's horrifying
 
i saw the ruling this morning and i had no idea what to do with myself. i can't call my parents, who are both anti-abortion and certainly not avid supporters same-sex marriages and relationships or contraceptives. my friends are at work, my partner on vacation, and i just felt so trapped. it's terrible
 
so yeah, i'm opening up this space for other people to be pissed and scared

Please take a step back and consider your position in the community and the kind of speech that you are implicitly allowing. 

You know that I have as much reason to dislike jRuutu as just about anyone, and I agree with your position on this issue in pretty much every possible way. 
 
But if you are resorting to the point at which your crass joke is considered "unrestricted warfare against an enemy combatant" then why is he just not banned already. I understand that you are trying to protect members of this community who are feeling deeply vulnerable, scared, and otherwise in a bad place right now with regards to the ruling, and I agree that it is my duty and the duty of any and all allies of marginalized people to stand up now, but literally making a "your mom wishes she could have aborted you" retort is making light of a decision that is deeply personal and incredibly sensitive.
 
Abortion, miscarriages, and any adjacent discussions are not something to joke about. It's very fucking serious. If you are going to call him out, then attack his direct comment, tell him he's a piece of shit, say anything directly at him. But don't make a joke about abortion. If you care about protecting community members, what about protecting potential members who have had to make the difficult decision to have/not to have an abortion? Because your comment is directly violent against them. 

For the record, fuck jRuutu for deciding that this is the right time for a "lol Americans kill babies" bit, and fuck the illegitimate Supreme Court that flies in the face of democratic values, and most importantly fuck the fact that my entire adult life has been spent watching my country and people I care about continuously slide back into regressive policies that look like they belong more to 1922 then 2022. But please be more cognizant of all implications of your comments when you are discussing a subject like this. 

Next up will be @Rayzor_7after a season of me. 

On the 18th of June my fiancee had our baby boy. So just wondering when I can get him on the tpe grind.

Thank you to all who voted for me, both on the boards and for the Shaw! Was not expecting to do nearly this well this early in my career, and especially when adding in @DollarAndADream 's play the young guns are making waves.

@v.2
 
 
  1 LOS ANGELES STARS     Art Vandelay @Gustav                         G TPE: 361                                     SEASON GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 48 17 7 0.924 1.88 11 138 1822     Season 82 - Regular Season 4 4 0 0 0.875 2.94 0 12 96     Season 83 - Playoffs 6 2 1 3 0.938 2.04 0 13 208     Season 82 - Playoffs 1 0 0 0 0.87 5.32 0 3 23     Art Vandelay would fit in perfectly in Los Angeles, and would be an incredible franchise goalie for the team. The backbone of a resurgent Miami Maureders team last season, Vandelay looks to make the jump straight to the VHL. With Los Angeles already having several young forwards, this pick would allow for Los Angeles to build from the net out and guarantee them the future top goalie in the VHL.                                             2 HC DAVOS DYNAMO     Napoleon Dynamite @thadthrasher                         C TPE: 382                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 18 27 45 7 243 34 96 15     Season 82 - Regular Season 14 1 1 2 -2 24 4 7 1     Season 83 - Playoffs 12 4 6 10 0 52 6 17 4     Season 82 - Playoffs 19 6 5 11 0 36 10 5 10     For Davos, picking Napoleon Dynamite is a no-brainer. Dynamite would be the ideal 2nd line center this season and a vital part of what has quickly become one of the top teams in the European Conference. Dynamite is coming off of a solid season for Bratislava which saw them capture their second consecutive league championship in which they scored 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 12 games. Additionally, Dynamite is a winner having not lost a single playoff series in their career, which is exactly what Davos needs.                                             3 LOS ANGELES STARS     Callum Murray @Berocka                         D TPE: 385                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 12 23 35 0 146 26 81 84     Season 82 - Regular Season 12 0 3 3 1 17 14 10 15     Season 83 - Playoffs 4 1 2 3 0 9 4 5 13     Season 82 - Playoffs 11 2 3 5 9 18 0 1 25     Similarly to Vandelay, Murray fills a massive gap in Los Angeles's roster as their only roster defensemen right now is Barron Kruulenstien. Murray would step right in to LA's roster and provide some much needed support. LAst season Murray was a staple on Cologne's blueline as he would average around half a point per game, however in the playoffs Murray would hit another level, recording 3 points in 4 games and maintaining a 0 +/- which is very impressive as his team got swept.                                             4 HELSINKI TITANS     Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple                         C TPE: 324                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 29 53 82 60 351 36 110 14     Season 82 - Regular Season 10 4 0 4 4 11 0 9 2     Season 83 - Playoffs 16 8 8 16 1 58 12 25 2     Season 82 - Playoffs 6 1 0 1 -4 6 2 5 2     The 7th best team in the VHL last season, Helsinki will be looking for their future #1 center, already having a complete roster for this season picking Dogwood Maple at 4th overall makes perfect sense for them and will give them either a inexpensive player to bring onto their roster this season, or a very good center that would be joining the team in S85. Although given their cap situation I would not be surprised if we see Maple in a Helsinki uniform this season.                                             5 NEW YORK AMERICANS     Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito                         D TPE: 375                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 21 51 72 0 240 54 73 151     Season 82 - Regular Season 14 0 8 8 1 18 4 13 14                             Season 82 - Playoffs 19 7 11 18 0 46 12 35 24     Now having a top forward and a a goalie in Vasile Lamb and Augustus Kennedy, Pierre Emile Bouchard will serve as New York's future franchise defensemen. This coming season Bouchard will get all the opportunities possible alongside Jerome Reinhart. Additionally, Bouchard has proved that they are ready for the VHL last season, averaging a point per game in the VHLE last season as a defensemen none the less, furthermore Bouchard was a huge part of Saskatoon's S82 Founder's Cup with 18 points in 19 games played.                                             6 PRAGUE PHANTOMS     Malum Maellard @frescoelmo                         D TPE: 310                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 15 63 78 31 168 74 127 50     Season 82 - Regular Season 16 1 6 7 6 7 8 14 12     Season 83 - Playoffs 18 4 5 9 -4 49 16 32 25     Season 82 - Playoffs 19 0 5 5 -8 3 6 9 7     This pick is a really interesting one for Prague and really depends on their plans for the S85 draft, however having recently acquired Red Gaming, a defensemen is the likely pick here. Malum Maellard makes perfect sense for Prague as they already have a solid forward group for this season, and while they do have 4 defensemen, Maellard would be a significant step up from all their young defensemen and would slot into their roster immediately.                                             7 VANCOUVER WOLVES     Noodles Marconi @Eynhallow                         RW TPE: 345                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 4 7 11 9 84 12 39 3     Season 82 - Regular Season 12 5 3 8 2 28 4 2 2     Season 83 - Playoffs 7 1 1 2 0 6 4 8 1     Season 82 - Playoffs 11 2 6 8 3 31 2 13 7     Vancouver has their work cut out for them going forward, and will likely take the best forward available seeing as they already have a solid future defensemen and goalie. For that reason we have them taking Noodles Marconi, Marconi will slot into their first line right away and as a result of that we could see Marconi's production drastically increase, seeing how they only had 11 points in 72 games with Istanbul last season. For Marconi this will provide them with the opportunity to prove themselves and show that they are ready for the VHL.                                             8 CALGARY WRANGLERS     Scoish Velociraptor Maloish @youloser1337                         D TPE: 361                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 71 8 33 41 -28 124 134 210 149     Season 82 - Regular Season 16 0 2 2 2 3 14 41 17     Season 83 - Playoffs 12 3 6 9 6 18 24 13 6     Season 82 - Playoffs 19 0 2 2 -8 11 18 47 16     Having drafted AirRig GoodBrandSun last season, Scoish Velocirapto Maloish will complete Calgary's top pair for some time to come. Maloish is coming off of a solid season in the VHLE with Rome and Bratislava where they played a key role for both franchises and produced well during Bratislava's cup run with 9 points in 12 games. Calgary is currently trending up in a hurry and Maloish will be a big part of their future.                                             9 TORONTO LEGION     Cobalt Burns @Ledge                         LW TPE: 345                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 23 28 51 -17 249 87 221 65     Season 82 - Regular Season 14 1 2 3 1 19 6 16 2                             Season 82 - Playoffs 7 4 1 5 5 9 4 8 0     Seeing how Toronto is currently in cap hell, and drafting a VHL ready winger would be a step in the right direction. Additionally, Cobalt Burns fits Toronto's needs exactly as they will be losing Paul Atreides to retirement, Burns will likely step straight into the lineup. Toronto has a bright future and drafting Burns will be a step in the right direction.                                             10 LONDON UNITED     Clueless Wallob @DMaximus                         G TPE: 346                                     SEASON GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 83 - Regular Season 52 40 9 2 0.907 1.69 9 85 913     Season 82 - Regular Season 15 2 9 1 0.879 5.89 0 69 568     Season 83 - Playoffs 15 7 6 1 0.886 2.68 1 34 298                             London has a few directions they could go with this pick, however with Cole Pearce being a UFA after this season, it may be worth it for London to cash in on their value and draft Clueless Wallob here. Wallob would be a solid starting goalie for the duration of their VHL career. Wallob has shown some considerable improvement over their career going from a 0.879 SV% in S82 to a 0.907 SV% last season. Wallob will likely be a steal for any team that takes him, and it looks like London could be the winner here.                                             11 PRAGUE PHANTOMS     Velociraptor Greg @samx                         D TPE: 300                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 23 62 85 52 236 44 116 97     Season 82 - Regular Season 16 0 0 0 10 6 10 11 8     Season 83 - Playoffs 16 7 10 17 3 62 10 12 23     Season 82 - Playoffs 13 2 3 5 2 8 12 13 9     The VHLM's top undrafted defensemen last season, Velociraptor Greg comes into the draft Greg could prove to be a steal as they are a great locker room presence and have a very high potential. Last season Greg had 23 goals and 62 assists (2nd in VHLM) for a total of 85 points. Prague is currently entering a new era for the team as their GM has been trading away players for future assets, Greg will be the first piece and potential face of the franchise for this new Prague Phantoms team.                                             12 WARSAW PREDATORS     Faith Hope Love @MMFLEX                         D TPE: 326                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 12 31 43 28 161 60 141 59     Season 82 - Regular Season 10 0 2 2 7 8 8 10 3     Season 83 - Playoffs 18 0 3 3 -2 13 24 35 23     Season 82 - Playoffs 4 0 3 3 -5 5 0 6 4     Warsaw's biggest need going into this draft is a defensemen that could potentially play in the VHL this season. They get that and more with Faith Hope Love, who should be able to crack the opening night roster and will improve consistently throughout the season to be a solid defensive option come the playoffs. Although not the most offensive defensemen having only recorded 43 points last season, Love's defensive play was spectacular and their offensive output was likely reduced to being on a top team in the VHLM. At this point in the draft I would consider this an absolute steal for Warsaw.                                             13 MOSCOW MENACE     Molly The Cat @JCarson                         LW TPE: 252                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 32 27 59 30 226 36 107 8                             Season 83 - Playoffs 18 9 11 20 3 83 14 37 3                             Molly The Cat took the league by storm this season and could easily end up being drafted in the top 10. For Moscow this pick makes a lot of sense as their window to win is closing after making the finals 4 seasons in a row and having traded some big names in recent seasons. Molly The Cat would serve alongside Tomas Sogaard as the first 2 pieces of this new age Moscow team. Molly Produced well last season for San Diego and was even above a point per game in the playoffs with 20 points, 9 of which were goals in 18 games. If they make it this far in the draft don't be surprised if you see Moscow draft them in a heartbeat.                                             14 CALGARY WRANGLERS     AK92 Wit Da Hoodie @hedgehog337                         D TPE: 337                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 22 42 64 40 183 50 116 89     Season 82 - Regular Season 15 3 12 15 7 32 10 16 22     Season 83 - Playoffs 18 4 10 14 -1 61 18 31 20     Season 82 - Playoffs 11 3 6 9 -7 29 4 20 22     With Calgary already having a very solid forward core we can expect them to take their second defensemen of this draft in AK 92 Wit Da Hoodie. This season they would likely be in the VHLE and come up to replace Asher Reinhart for season 85. Last season they were a solid high producing defensemen for San Diego with 57 points in 66 games with the team. Lastly, they are no slouch defensively having over 100 hits and 88 blocked shots. AK92 Wit Da Hoodie will be a great fit on just about any team and would fit Calgary's needs perfectly at this point of the draft.                                             15 MOSCOW MENACE     Fraser Wallace @Hoopydog                         C TPE: 296                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 23 28 51 33 210 61 132 11     Season 82 - Regular Season 16 2 1 3 -9 7 4 10 2     Season 83 - Playoffs 18 2 6 8 -5 43 10 34 1     Season 82 - Playoffs 7 0 0 0 -1 5 0 4 2     Similarly to Molly The Cat, Fraser Wallace fits Moscow's needs perfectly as they should by all means develop into a solid first line center for the team in a season or 2. Last season they were a solid two-way center for San Diego as they would finish the season with 51 points, a + 33, and 132 hits, all of which were very respectable. The sky is the limit for Fraser Wallace and he would be a great future center for Moscow or any other team.                                             16 SEATTLE BEARS     Tyler Busser @lll                         C TPE: 309                                     SEASON GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 83 - Regular Season 72 31 50 81 26 341 51 158 10     Season 82 - Regular Season 12 0 2 2 -1 10 10 11 1     Season 83 - Playoffs 18 6 12 18 -1 59 12 51 2     Season 82 - Playoffs 4 0 1 1 -1 5 4 4 0     The final pick of the first round, we will see Seattle likely take the best player available as they will be up in the VHLsooner and can then contribute to the Bears. Last season Busser contributed on both sides of the puck in the VHLM and could see themselves in the running for the top two-way player award with 81 points, a +26, and 158 hits. We will likely see Busser in the Bears lineup as soon as Season 85.                  

@Ricer13 Thanks for hanging out with us and trying to compete. Sorry we fell short, not what I wanted to happen but STHS gonna STHS. 
 
Good luck in Helsinki I hope you get a cup.

One season in Prague!  I loved it and would love to come back with future players. @Acydburnyoure doing the right thing. Time to re-tool and restock those cupboards!
 
@Rayzor_7Thanks for having faith in my player. Let’s kick some ass this season #Titanup

Not a trade I love. Not a trade I liked doing. After 35 seasons at the helm of the Bears, still hard to trade great people. Cap issues. Knew it last off-season btu kept the gang together because NA was weak and I liked our odds at winning. These guys deserved their first cups. "Parity". Vultures feeding on the remains once the lion is done his feast. 
 
@Alex Thanks for the talks.
 
@Jubis @dasboot Thanks to you both for your time in Seattle. Hope you enjoyed. Glad you both finally won a cup. Enjoy your final season Jubby and hope you get those hits youre after boot.  
 

Welcome to Moscow @jhatty8! Excited to have you join our defense for the future.
 
Cheers on the easy talks @Rayzor_7 🍻

A few days prior, a particularly invasive article written by @Arce was published to the VHL community - presumably revealing all of the behind of scenes "tensions" occurring in Helsinki. The piece claimed to have inside knowledge on Helsinki's operations, as well as the fate of multiple players in the organization - Nico Pearce, Nezuko, Erlantz Jokinen (@jRuutu), Flynn Remy and Gustislav Nasherov. "Sources" seemed to claim that negotiations between Pearce/Nezuko and Helsinki were going poorly, a claim that is bizarrely incorrect.
 
Just yesterday, Nezuko re-signed with the organization - one domino has already fallen. While Jokinen seems to have fallen out of favor with Helsinki management after his mid-season outburst, prospects Hammar Voss and Deron Nesbitt have already been called up - with Voss being considered as the consensus top prospect by VSN. The movement in Helsinki is not necessarily a bad thing, as a repeat of last season's disappointment would be insanity. The team is excited to see how they can compete in the EU next season.
 
As for Nico Pearce, contract negotiations are not going nearly as poorly as the piece seemed to infer. On the day of the post itself, other (legitimate) sources confirmed that Helsinki had revised their initial offer to Pearce, and the sides were much closer to a deal. With Nezuko's re-signing, chances are trending in the right direction that the 4th year winger will remain in Helsinki. 

Draft Lottery Results
 
Los Angeles   Davos  Los Angeles (via VAN)   Helsinki  New York  Davos (Via MAL)   
 

Game 7:
Seattle Bears vs. Moscow Menace
 
Go to Playoff Tree
 

I suppose I should start in the beginning. A lot has happened to me since I was last super active on this forum! I kind of let Jolly Greene Giant's career peter out and I haven't really committed to Chip Stone like I should. That is something I desperately want to change. The biggest and most recent change in my life has been that I left my job. I couldn't stand being there anymore as it was a super weight on my psyche every single day. I quit, I'm on unemployment while I look for another job, and I couldn't be happier. I'm focusing on my school and classes are going well! I should have my degree by the end of next year. This has left me with a modicum of additional time, and it's given me some ideas:
 
1. Bring back my podcast. I'll probably be doing it alone at first. It would be a great way to refamiliarize myself and work on my speaking skills while I'm not in a public facing job. It's still my favorite way to make TPE and I should have more time to do it now. Unless @DarkSpyro has the time again. 👀 I really enjoyed my podcast with him, and I hope he's doing super well! I have no idea how we'd react to the league now! Are any of the old heads still around?
2. Do a VHL Alumni game/exhibition game and either broadcast it live on Twitch or record it and post it as a video. This is an idea that me and @DarkSpyro had years ago and I'd finally have the time to make it happen. I think it would be fun to see some of the players in the league actually competing against each other and calling it. Especially with how much better NHL 22 is with customization options, players could submit exactly what they want their player type, stats, abilities and everything to be well-represented.
4. Well, you tell me! Is there anything that the site is lacking as far as immersive elements are concerned? Is there any kind of content that doesn't exist here that you'd like to see more of? I'm game. I really enjoy making content and I do find myself with plenty of time to do so even if I do lack the motivation.
 
I'm glad that there isn't really a consistent meta. The old TPE system led to way too many of the same build type, and I feel like this is the perfect time to get back into it. Chip Stone seems like he might actually have something, so I'm going to keep trying to develop him. I'm hoping I can make this a consistent thing. Seeing Seattle win the cup today has actually reinvigorated my desire to be active on here again. Who knows? Maybe Chip may even end up in Seattle? I would really like to play there or Davos, but I'll play anywhere as long as the culture is strong and fun! Let's see if it sticks!
 
 

With the S83 season winding down, we are down to the final few games of the final. It is almost that time for off-season, which comes with the drama and speculation of what will happen. What a whirlwind of a season it was for the Helsinki Titans. Entering the S83 season, the Titans were highly favored to be a top tier contending team in the European Conference to compete with the Moscow Menace and Riga Reign. By the trade deadline, the Titans found themselves well outside of playoff contention and the locker room started to unravel. Players were calling out management, which resulted in the Titan's AGM, the beloved Mr_Hatter to step down. Rumors were swirling about what the team would do. Would they try to stick it out? Would they try to sell some assets? The deadline came and went very quietly, and the Titans chose to hold the ship, and almost got into the playoffs. It came down to the last set of games, and Helsinki fell just a point short to London for the final spot in the European Conference. With the disappointing season at the end, GM Frank Funk finds himself having quite the offseason ahead. His three star forwards are set to be UFA, as well as his two defensive standouts. Will they be able to maintain most of these deals? What is the latest?
 
Negotiations with Nico Pearce Have Begun

 
Close sources indicate that GM Frank Funk has been in touch with his star center Nico Pearce, and has begun negotiations. Apparently these negotiations have started off on a very sour note, as both camps are very far apart from making progress on a potential deal. Helsinki's initial offer allegedly was not taken well by the Nico Pearce camp. One member close to Peace said he found the offer insulting, and it has left a sour taste in his mouth. This has caused early tensions in one of the most important negotiations, if not the most important negotiation the team will have to draw. Remember Helsinki gave up two important role players to acquire Pearce in S82, so losing Pearce would be detrimental for Helsinki. To make matters worse, it is said that Pearce has high interest in testing the free agency market. He has a list of teams in his back pocket that he has interest in. News the Titans did NOT want to hear, as they were hoping to prevent any of their big 3 from even being able to talk to other teams. It is no secret that Pearce was not happy with the team in S83, and made a vocal effort to try to right the ship. The last thing that was needed here was a weak offer to turn Pearce off from the team. It appears barring some miracle, Nico Pearce will be at least talking to other teams this off-season. The massive bridge between the two parties will have to be taken down in order to prevent this. After the opening meeting at the Helsinki facilities, Pearce flew home to Greece to be with his family to think things through. Now that Pearce isn't even available country side, this is not looking good for a future relationship in the early going.
 
Ripple Effect on Nezuko Negotiations?

 
To add a little salt in the wound, the tensions between Helsinki and the Nico Pearce camp have also had an effect on the early negotiations with Nezuko per source. This is an unfortunate ripple effect as Nezuko has expressed playing with Pearce would be incentive for him to stay. This seems to be a mutual feeling, as without the other Peace and Nezuko's production would suffer as well as Helsinki's chances at being competitive. The Nezuko camp has reportedly been keeping close tabs on what is going on with the Pearce negotiations, and keeping it in mind with their own. This could result in Nezuko testing the market, as there is no indication of a deal with the two parties coming together anytime soon. It also doesn't help that Helsinki is trying to give both team friendly deals so they can secure all their important assets under the salary cap and have some flexibility to make other moves. it makes complete sense from the team perspective, but the player camps are not happy. Many teams find themselves at a crossroads when having to pick between two stars, but what does one do if both could be an all or none stay?
 
Could it Trickle Down Further?

 
The Titans also have Gustislav Nasherov heading for free agency for his final season. It is unknown if he will re-sign with the Titans for his final season. This has to beg the question, could what happens with Pearce and Nezuko trickle down to what happens with Nasherov? It absolutely could if Nasherov is chasing hardware for his final season in the league. Nasherov may play the waiting game and see what the Titans plans are if they are able to get both or one of Pearce or Nezuko, or see what the backup plan could be if both walk. It is almost certain defenseman Erlantz Jokinen is going to walk right? He called out management and blew up the locker room mid season. To this point, there have been no reports of contact between Funk and Jokinen, so it is unknown at this time if the two parties will even attempt negotiations. It would be a surprise with all things considered that Jokinen would want to come back to Helsinki, or even if Helsinki would want him back. It is also unknown if the team will bring back defenseman Flynn Remy, as the team was not overly impressed by his work ethic this past season. After training camp, Remy was very quiet and was not seen at the facilities for practices during the season. He is set to enter free agency, and we have not heard any reports of negotiations between the two parties. The team has star goaltender Xaiver Booberry locked up through S86, so the Titans will always have him to build around which is the one pro we have so far for them. It is amazing how far down the ripple can go just from negotiations with one player. It is still early, and things could take a turn once again. What will the Titans fate be in S84? Updates to follow this off-season!
 
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