hedgehog337

1. Riga currently sits last in the conference. What do you think has been the main contributor to this unfortunate start? Just not lucky and forwards needing better defending skills imo. 2. What’s the key to getting back on track in order to make the playoffs? being more lucky and forwards needing better defending skills imo. 3. Curtis Crumb currently sits Top 10 in rookie scoring. How well is he adjusting to the VHL? he's been fine. can't expect whole world out of him 4. What specifically do you want your player to do more to help this team make the playoffs? defending better 5. The Boston Bruins are the heavy favorite to win the Stanley Cup - do you think they continue the perfect season and if not, who is taking them out? idk too lazy to think. maybe leafs finally shocks whole world 6. BBQ season is upon us - what is your favourite thing to BBQ? the classic. shish kebab

Honestly the vacation completely shifted my mind from the sim leagues. It's been tough to get into the usual rhythm after traveling. And I'm not gonna lie, it remains to be seen if I actually can pull that off. I'm still not in good enough mood to talk much about VHL and stuff. It's just my second day in Riga since traveling as I was on my hometown tomorrow and today so all I can do at this point is yet another uninspired article. Mostly for affilate leagues. Back in the days the current Riga record (especially at the start) would've made me mad. During my absence, however I had a rather a meh reaction instead of a rage. I think we're a good enough team to pull it off anyways even in a ultra competitive Europe conference. Though some problems are still there - trash PK, not so impressive PP and defensive play is just lacking as hell. Add my inability to be often available into the mix as the wifi connection in Montenegro was not great. And I was not willing to pay a shitload for my own connection. So here it is, the product of all of these things. In hindsight, the questionable wifi there was a blessing for me as it gave me more chances to be outside rather than spending my times with my phone. I certainly was having more fun by exploring new places. And spending my time on phone was getting boring real quick because of that. So you know what? Sorry not sorry. Being out of the net made this journey more fun for me. Now that I'm back and still trying to get myself into this. I'm not sure what to tell. Not a good record. Not so much luck at the beginning though it's been a bit better as of late. Still ways to go and now that Tucker should have way better statline I think we will be back in it at some point. Clarke has been a pleasant surprise so far. He decided to take Weaver's bread and be a leader himself. The build change does some wonders I guess. Still waiting when the sim is gonna like Torq finally or maybe more lines changes needed. I don't know and I'm still lazy. Honestly it's been a unwelcoming surprise to see Preo and Weaver not having a good chemistry. Frenchman does still look as the more suitable partner for Weavs....and Clarke. Was thinking about reuniting Frenchman/Weaver/Sadie lineup, but if Clarke still has it why change then. Some trade talks were happening, but I didn't care enough to have any panic movement. We'll see how it goes by the trade deadline and then decide. Vancouver did some changes bit they seem retooling anyways so I was not really surprised. In overall, I still have a free week so maybe I'll use that time to stay outside more again. And then the summer coming....does that mean I'm on the hot seat already? That's it and I'm out.

Sergey Preobrazhensky forward @dlamb

Brian Kowalski defence still @Arce

The team has agreed to keep the same captains rosters as last season. Enough said. C - Daniel Weaver @ThePerfectNut A - The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath A - Henry Tucker Jr. @NSG HC - Sadie St - Louis @sadie Don't forget to congratulate our caps!

Henry Eagles forward @dlamb

Honestly, my mind isn't really focused on sim leagues as of now. The vacation is coming up with all of this preparation and stuff. So this article is very skippable, I'd say. Also, with the vacation coming in I'm not even sure if I'll even send lines. The index may be posted too late so I will have to ask someone. Worry not, I guess. Kelvie or Alex to the rescue! By the way, it looks funky - a Davos GM helping a Riga GM...oh yeah Skor is playing in my team so it all checks out. Nothing else is about to happen in offseason in Riga so here's the final roster for the season opener. Looks fine for me. People would argue our forward lineup isn't super elite...yeah I wouldn't argue much with this. We're having a balanced team with pretty much no weaknesses. And signing Crumb was a nice touch imo. The chances are signing a higher TPE def would just mess up with the roster's balance. Having a lower TPE player is nice and Crumb is still going to do some background job at defence and I'm fine with that. Two bigger moves happened before the draft though. Now that Riga actually managed to make the playoffs last season; it was a signal that it's time to make moves. The statline wasn't so pretty as our actual performance and staying put would put us in danger of missing this time. The first one was Preobrazhensky. I was already being teammates with him in Moscow so it's a nice touch here. Also I didn't even have to spend much. Just a 5 spot drop in draft. And we still managed to claim a quality draftee in Wheeler. Bulduray also signed with us for the rest 2 seasons of Sergey's career. All in all, I like everything about this deal. Now, with Torq. We already had a good defensive lineup, but I felt like we would fall short without a legit star at the blue line. Couple of searches later and my eyes were on the main Malmo's defenseman. Some back and forth with Kaleeb and the deal is done. It did suck to move Knievel though. In fact, I had more second thoughts about him rather than picks. Quite frankly, I don't really care about S89 picks. Even if the draft ends up as a decent one, I was still not feeling at that moment. So I was real fine to move these S89 picks out as long as I have S90 intact. Anyways, we needed more big time players and I pulled the trigger. That's the whole story. Not in details of course, but I'm not having much mood to do so. My only mood is the vacation so deal with it. I'm also hoping for a good start as I don't want to spend my time trying to figure out lines while I'm in Montenegro getting lai....no that's a bit harsh. While I'm chilling there, that's what I wanted to tell. That's it and I'm out.

1. Riga added Max Torq from free agency - how about a nice welcome for the stud defensemen? It was already mentioned, but yes he came in via trade. But also, HELL YE the defence is now a big deal! 2. Have you contacted any of the new draftees? Yes. It's my job actually. 3. What's your favorite thing about the offseason? trades and free agency. drafts less since these always happening at nights 4. How was the first day of Training Camp as we get back into the season? AK is still salty about not getting PPG season yet 5. Are you still invested in the NHL season given how close it is to the playoffs? on casual level at best. 6. Rank from best to worst: Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast pancakes, toast, waffles

Mo Probert defence @Baby Boomer

Brendan Marner forward @dlamb

Safe to say I can make some conclusions about this free agency. It was pretty mid, but some notable things did happen. So here's my thoughts about it. WINNERS DC Dragons Mostly because they signed Matt Avens. He is still a reliable second liner that could be sent in trade deadline for some more assets. Or just make DC less bad, that's a decent thing to do. Not that they were horrible to begin with, but with some luck they even could mess up with other contenders for the wildcard spot. Though I'm not sure if they really want that so I expect Avens to be on the block at some point. Doesn't takes away my grade though. New York Americans The one moment of our lives when we don't have to make fun of their mediocrity. They were very quiet this offseason, but could make up with this free agency. The bigger fish Vinny Detroit plus a fine player in Bridgers went to the Big Apple. Which is definitely a win in my books. I know the reason of Detroit signing wasn't really about contending for the chip and more about racking up hits. Still, a fine addition to the forward lineup which became somewhat decent. They still have ways to go before becoming the actual contender, but I think these signings can surely put them into the wildcard spot. And that alone is something to talk about. Their last playoff trip dated in...S78! Matter of fact, a wildcard round appearance as they lost there. And I don't even remember the last time they made it further than wildcard. S73? So yes, this FA has been a success for the team that is desperate of any sort of success. There have been more teams that were signing lower TPE players, notably Malmo and DC. Either for rounding up the roster or giving players a chance to play in pros. Good on all of them. However, there is one team that is having a disappointing offseason so far outside of drafting. LOSERS Chicago Phoenix The reasons were mentioned in my last article. But even with that I think they could've done more in this free agency. With Detroit or decent second line options being on the market. Yet the first offer came in just 6 hours ago when all of them were signed by other teams. For inactive Cobalt Burns. For a team that only had (and still has) 3 forwards on roster you would expect at least an offer for these players. There are some words going on that Chicago wants to make a trade, but for now they're burnt out. Yes, I did repeat myself from last article. Deal with it. Nothing much to say about other teams. I think Helsinki also could've done more, but with the EU conference being a dogfight most of times; I think Rayz just didn't want to get his team in too early. Although was there any reason to trade for rentals in the first place? Not sure exactly. That's it and I'm out.

1. How do you feel about Riga trades this off-season (Sergey and Max Torq)? I do feel very good about it. We needed more offense and I didn't even have to pay the whole world for that. 2. Who is your favorite teammate and why is it Daniel Weaver? funny thing is he is not even my teammate as AK is still dreaming about a PPG in Moscow 3. What did you improve to help the team this off-season? making trades. and Curtis Crumb 4. Do you think Riga is now a contender this season? for sure. last season has shown the chemistry here is impeccable 5. Who do you think will be the best player for Riga in the upcoming season? likely any higher end player who was put in the first line (Torq/Preo/Weaver) 6. Who will with the Stanley Cup this season if you watch hockey? Colum....no. let's say Leafs having a happy ending this year

ayo this shit exists forgot about it long time ago. Anyways, new Riga high res logo here please

btw I see DeGroot magic works on GM awards too. an interesting way to break the 29 season gmoty drought. Thanks I guess.

they really put 2 LA players into MVP ballot and Frost winning it makes having Vandelay in it even more ridiculous. but what I'm really struggling understand, WHERE IN THE BLUE HELL IS TUCKER JR????? How's that not at least the MVP ballot worthy performance? May people tell me the reason on not mentioning him there? Cause I clearly dont understand.

No

you've been Malmo stan all this time, we exposed you!!!

boi if you dont do anything in free agency make new york great again smh

1. Do you expect Riga to be very busy with trades this offseason? can't say I was busy but I did stuff. 2. Are there any specific prospects you're hoping for Riga to take this season? probably not, pretty much trying to see more promising talents rather than positional needs 3. How's your health this offseason - were you dealing with any nagging injuries that are healing? AK is not worried about bruises or injuries. he's still salty he can't get over PPG 4. Who do you think should be captain next season or is it too early to say? The same caps maybe? the team didn't change a lot to make some drastic switches 5. Did you watch the WBC (World Baseball Classic)? Is it big where you live? what's that? and definitely no, we're not really into baseball 6. What's a superpower you'd love to have? to be able to teleport

Instead of scrambling for words on Sunday evening I will scramble for words on Saturday lunch time. I'm not doing intro here cause the title says it anyways. - managing to keep it's bigger top stars with the cost of splitting Janser brothers. The unfortunate side of business, but you gotta stay in the best shape if you wanna a back 2 back. - looks like they got burnt out. And there is no signs of them rising from ashes either. Shindigs was the real clue glue of activity there and his sudden departure really blowed them out. At least they did keep their bigger players in. - rumors are they actually will be active in FA. I'm honestly not sure if they need to do that unless they can bring all the biggest available players there. S89 draft is so mid; if they don't get the best it's better to stay in lotto zone. - is Detroit actually heading to FA? Looks like Miglasķēms taking some of his hits got up to him. In overall, they might do bit worse this season though not by much. - uhhhh.....are they gonna do anything besides drafting? Some of players on the trade block were pretty cheap so I feel like their management could've at least tried. It's been a looooooooong while since they made it to playoffs. And no, bringing 89 back isn't gonna do much for them. - still bit surprising to see them let their younger Left Alone go. Looks like they're not planning long term as of now and just trying to get the best while having Rory and Lamb in. - continuing to build the team. They still have ways to go so patience is the needed trait here. - not gonna lie, the Puk trade slightly confused me. Is Frank so confident he can bring a free agent here? Or a trade is lined up already? All I can do is sit and watch. - trades trades trades. Though Alex did less this time I think. But also, the offseason isn't over yet so stay tuned for more! Also bringing Puk is was a good touch. - I've heard they were trying to make a big splash in the trade market. Well, their deal Malmo wasn't as big, but also didn't cost them much either. Looks like their time at the bottom is slowly coming to an end. - Jacob decided to part ways with middle of the road players and bring in some heavyweights. Sure they did have to pay a price, but making this team more appealing to masses is a good decision. - after some thoughts the retool became the full blown rebuild. It was no secret the roster was not screaming long term at all so at some point the firesale was inevitable. Fine decision by Kaleeb here. - they decided to sacrifice the star power for more balanced approach. That leads to perhaps see Nico in the FA which is big. Also, perhaps the last chance for AK to show something in Moscow. - time will tell if Acyd overreacted by bringing in more grit and sand to defense lineup. Greg is still the lone D responible for making the offense work. In overall, another team that went balance over starpower offense. - I bought players. I feel like it didn't cost me much to bring Preobrazhensky. And while I did give multiple assets for Torq, but he was the best available def on market at that moment. The only thing left is extending Weaver. - the last hoorah for Marner and Kisslinger. At least as of now. The status of the team is still up in the air and it depends on FA and if Nohbody can get Cole in. That's enough for today. That's it and I'm out.

all I had to do is post an article about it

A bit tiring week so here's an uninspired one. The season is about to end very soon. In fact, this next game might be the last one. Though I do believe Davos can take a game or even two. But probably Calgary does feel as a stronger team now. It would be somewhat a monumental success for a franchise. 25 season drought is a bit too much for a team that missed the playoffs like what, 3 or 4 times since they won their last cup? All they could show during that period is two finals appearances under Bushito and then Jubis. Filled with playoff chokes or simply underachieving in between. So it would be a feel good moment for them...if they don't choke this lead. Yes, one more push has to happen. Anyways, in case if they can make the job done. Despite of some of their players doing big numbers (Wolanin in particlular) I think this is definitely the time a goalie is the real MVP here. Most of Calgary's recent post season struggles came from the fact Ben Dahl simply was never good enough. Linbergh in other hand, that's whole different story. By the way, he is another party that had very limited success prior to that. No matter what, Toronto was just too mid or good-but-not-good-enough to compete for real. Perhaps he could find success in other Canadian team. As for Davos, they have even longer drought to break. Last time they won a chip happened in a season before Calgary's last triumph. After that, sadness. Either promising team that never came along. Or mid on mid on mid because mid scoring. And that's despite having better than mid GM Gustav. Now finally 674 trades later (you know, Alex and lots of trades and stuff) Alex found something that can propell this team to the top of the mountain. Even if the can't complete the comeback. At least this is the times Davos fans actually can say there's always next season. You can surely expect them continue to make a push next season. Only question is how many trades their GM is going to make this offseason to have a roster he does like. So 3-1 so far. I did feel Calgary looked bit stronger so had them in 7. So far it looks like my guts were saying right stuff. Even with Calgary being two games up; the last 2 games were one goal. By this logic though, Riga deserved to take 1 game from Davos so oh well. So, may the best team win. And Davos could actually prolong the season because I need to think about trades to make. By the way, where are these 2 new GMs and where are they gonna be announced? Almost two weeks passed, we need answers! Interesting changes in salary. The top of the top are earning more. The lower TPE ones - not so much. I'm wondering what effect this is gonna make and will it stop some members from buying anti regression stuff. Cause not enough money and stuff. Ok enough. That's it and I'm out.

Only after you sweet old man

1. What position team needs the most to be fully contending? 2. Rumors swirling EU will still be 7 team race next season. Are you worried about that? 3. Cologne and Oslo just broke a record of a longest game ever (191 min 44 sec). Would you ever want to be a part of such games? 4. Your plans for the offseason? 5. The team voting is going slow ngl...but still. Who is Riga's most improved player this season? 6. Calgary, Malmo or Davos; which team you wanna see win it all?