VSN Presents: Season 76 Off-Season Trade Reviews

[Doomsday 4,130]

 

Hello, VHL! We're in the midst of an off-season that feels like an eternity, but the 77th season of the Victory Hockey League is right around the corner! But before we get to the swan song of the class of Season 70, let's take advantage of the lull in the action and take a look back at some of the big trades over the off-season. Some were major, some of them had us scratching our heads, but they all got the league talking, one way or another. 

 

It's a new season, but VSN is continuing to deliver the best media coverage in the sim sports world! Before the new season begins, take one last look at the Top 75 VHL Players in @animal74's wrap-up taking you By the Numbers! Another competitive season of VHLM hockey is ahead of us, and @fromtheinside breaks down who the top contenders are with his power rankings! @MattyIce broke down what players to look out for in the VHLM in Season 76, and what better time to look back on it than now? Lastly, @Berocka and @dasboot are back at again, reunited once again on another episode of One and a Half Aussies on VSN Australia!

 

The Top 75 VHL Players: By the Numbers | S77 VHLM Power Rankings | Season 76 Future Watch | VSN Australia

 

 

 Vancouver Wolves receive:  

 

S78 WAR 2nd

S78 SEA 3rd

S78 WAR 3rd

S79 WAR 2nd

 

 Warsaw Predators receive:

 

Venus Thightrap

 

This was the first big ripple of the off-season, and for good reason. Vancouver center Venus Thightrap, the second-highest scorer on the Wolves with 86 points, was heading to free agency, and quite possibly everyone in the VHL knew it. For whatever reason, Thightrap just didn't want to stay in Vancouver beyond her rookie contract, leading to one of, if not, the final transactions of Keaton Louth's tenure. The trade immediately became a big topic, with many VHL pundits shocked at the price Warsaw general manager Damien Walec was willing to pay just to acquire negotiating rights with the young center. Speculation was that it was for pending free agent Aloe Dear, who very quickly re-signed with the Predators, along with Lexi Glass. Warsaw's locker room seemed happy with the move, but would management be?

 

Ultimately, we all know what happened: Thightrap went to free agency, and signed with the Helsinki Titans, a rival European Conference team. Thightrap will be playing in-conference games against Warsaw, with the Predators left holding the bag after what amounted to an expensive failed opportunity to sign her. Earning an extra 2nd and 3rd round pick in both the Season 78 and 79 VHL Draft is a big win for Vancouver, regardless of what Thightrap ultimately decided to do. This era of the VHL features talent available deep into drafts, and this trade brings four picks capable of being fantastic building pieces for the currently-unannounced new Vancouver general manager. Warsaw may have ended up re-signing Dear and Glass thanks to this trade, but they lost out on the biggest prize in Venus Thightrap, with quite a price paid for it. This was definitely one last victory for Louth.

 

 

 Moscow Menace receive:

 

S77 DCD 1st

S78 DCD 2nd

S79 DCD 2nd

 

 D.C. Dragons receive: 

 

Alex Letang

 

The rebuild in Moscow kicks off, and frankly, get used to seeing their work here, as they turned out to be major players in the Season 76 off-season trade market. The D.C. Dragons have had a tradition of sorts the past few seasons of replacing a retiring high-end defenseman by trading for another, and the trend continues with their trade for Alex Letang. The Dragons have a roster capable of Cup contention, but they lacked a top defenseman, which they rectified through this trade. Letang has three seasons left before retirement, and he is under contract for two of them. Whether he decides to re-sign for one more go or chase a Cup elsewhere in his final season, D.C. has given themselves a window of competition with Letang, and won't need to worry about immediately replacing him next off-season. 

 

It's a fantastic start to the Menace's rebuild, as Alex Letang fetches them a trio of draft picks, including 10th overall in the Season 77 VHL Entry Draft. This pick would be moved in a later deal, which brought further riches to Moscow. Even then, having extra second round picks in an era of increasingly deep VHL drafts is never a bad thing. This gives Moscow two for the upcoming Season 78 draft, and three for Season 79. Whether they're used to select more prospects or as trade chips, like the Season 77 DCD 1st was, this was a quality start to the rebuild in the Motherland. 

 

D.C. pays a big price here for sure, but this is a pretty good deal for both teams. Eno Rama knows that the Dragons' window won't be open much longer, and elects to use his draft capital to add a top blue liner for their potential Cup runs. For Moscow, this is exactly what they needed to jump-start a rebuild, and they were far from done. Very fair deal for both sides here.

 

 Moscow Menace receive:

 

Bob Tristan

S77 LAS 1st (Paul Atreides)

S78 LAS 3rd

 

 Los Angeles receives:  

Roque Davis

S78 CHI 2nd

 

While Chicago, Warsaw, and London have all made the playoffs so far, Los Angeles remains the only one of the four new expansion teams to have not made the playoffs, something that general manager Josh Da Silva looks to change immediately. With the first overall pick as a major bargaining chip, Da Silva rolls the dice and decides to add a major piece in reigning Sterling Labatte Trophy winner Roque Davis to compete now with his current core. The Stars are certainly trading away a future top player, but ultimately not one that would likely be a difference-maker right away to win with their current core. Los Angeles most certainly would have gotten more value from Reylynn Reinhart, the most VHL-ready defensive prospect who the Stars could have gotten first overall, and certainly become good enough to compete before the time the current core retired. If Los Angeles can't win a Cup before Roque Davis retires following Season 78, this is very likely a move Da Silva could come to regret. 

 

For Moscow, however, it's a phenomenal development for their rebuild. They get absolute top dollar for Roque Davis with the first overall pick of the Season 77 VHL Entry Draft, which they used on center Paul Atreides. Considering that @Mr_Hatter's previous player, goaltender Raymond Bernard, spent his entire career with the Menace, it's as much of a home run as you could possibly get with the pick. You're getting a future stud at center that is practically a lock to play with Moscow for the duration of his career, which is huge. Anything that Moscow gets from Bob Tristan or the Season 78 LAS 3rd is just a bonus at this point. Unless Los Angeles manages to win a Continental Cup with Roque Davis, and even then, realistically, this is a big win for Moscow. 

 

 Riga Reign receive:

 

James Rose

S77 LDN 4th

S79 LDN 3rd

 

 London United receive: 

 

S78 RIG 1st

 

Although this trade is bigger for the future ramifications made possible for it, it was a big acquisition for a Riga team looking to accelerate their competitive window in Season 77. After grabbing General Zod from Calgary for just a third round pick, the addition of James Rose suddenly gives the Reign two veteran defensemen capable of lifting up their younger blue liners, including Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy finalist Linus Zetterstrom. For a S78 1st (which they really didn't need with their roster) and a S77 3rd, that's a very efficient strengthening of the defensive core by Benjamin Zeptenberg.

 

For Roger McWolf and London, however, this trade was simply setting the stage for later. An earlier trade saw London send Keith Krestanovich and Nathan Perry to Calgary for a 2nd round pick in Season 79. The United were shedding salary and acquiring future assets, which made the biggest trade of the off-season possible: 

 

 Moscow Menace receive:

 

Bahram Kamkar

Kevin Malone

Maksim Yakolevsky

Philip Stein

S77 TOR 1st (Duncan Idaho)

S78 LDN 3rd

 

 London United receive:

 

Jacob Tonn

Mikko Lahtinen

S77 DCD 1st (That Dude)

 

The big one, a trade with massive ramifications for the European Conference and the VHL as a whole. After a tight race in the European Conference last season, Warsaw, Helsinki, Prague, and Riga all got even better over the off-season, while Moscow headed into a rebuild. With big names remaining to be shipped out and contention for the last playoff spot in the conference left wide open, London began shedding contracts, culminating in opening enough cap space to pull off the biggest trade of the off-season. 

 

The destination of Mikko Lahtinen for his final season had big implications for the power structure of the league, and McWolf has decided that not only is London going for that last playoff spot in the European Conference, but they're going for the Continental Cup as well. It took a steep price, but London certainly has the roster to contend right now. Lahtinen might just be here for one season, but they also acquired the Season 76 Aidan Shaw and Greg Clegane Trophy winner, Jacob Tonn, in net for his prime. At the time of print, London's depth on the blue line is suspect, so adding the consensus pick as the VHL's top goaltender is a fantastic way to address that hole in the line-up. The United also drop from the third overall pick in the Season 77 VHL Entry Draft to tenth overall as a result of the trade, but they still acquired a big center in That Dude, who has been progressing very nicely and will be on London's roster already in his first season of eligibility. He'll make a very nice fit for London's future. 

 

The big get for Moscow, obviously, is the third overall pick of the Season 77 VHL Entry Draft, which became Duncan Idaho. Hot off of his previous player, legendary Malmo Nighthawks defenseman Condor Adrienne, being enshrined in the VHL Hall of Fame, @OrbitingDeath 's latest player goes to Moscow along with first overall pick Paul Atreides, giving the Menace the top two forwards prospects of the draft class. Quite the start to the Menace's rebuild, with new general manager Euron Leonidas wasting no time in putting his mark on his team. An interesting storyline with this trade will be that of goaltender Kevin Malone, who they acquired in the trade. Malone was noticably irritated about being flipped by London after re-signing with them in the off-season, and you naturally have to wonder how he fits into Moscow's future plans. He's obviously no Jacob Tonn yet, but he does have one more season left to his career than Tonn does, which could factor nicely into Leonidas' future plans. One thing is for sure: any future contracts Malone signs will likely come standard with a no trade clause. 

 

 

The dynamic of the VHL certainly changed with several of these off-season moves, and the stage is set for Season 77 to begin on Monday! Moscow has all but removed themselves from the playoff picture this season as they look to the future, with two of their star players, Mikko Lahtinen and Jacob Tonn, looking to propel their new home, the London United, into the hunt for the Continental Cup. The Riga Reign decided to accelerate their rebuild last season, adding some veteran presences, and it was something they doubled down on over the off-season, adding two veterans on the blue line in James Rose and General Zod. The Moscow Menace also shipped two stellar defensemen to new homes, with Alex Letang heading to the D.C. Dragons and Roque Davis moving to the Los Angeles Stars after they paid a massive tab to try to bring themselves into playoff contention. Only one thing is for certain, though: the trades aren't close to being done! As the season rolls on, dreams will either be ripped away or on the cusp of realization, with further retools required. It's a long season, and anything can happen!

 

Thanks for reading, and best of luck to you and your teams this season!

 

Players Mentioned: @BladeMaiden, @Beaviss, @.sniffuM,  @Renomitsu ,  @AW13,  @Spartan, @Enorama,  @Josh, @Ricer13, @Mr_Hatter, @N0HBDY, @Matt_O, @MattyIce, @Ledge_and_Dairy, @hedgehog337, @McWolf, @Boragina, @tinafrombobsburgers, @Beketov, @MexicanCow123, @Cornholio, @OrbitingDeath , @WentzKneeFan036

 

[mattyIceman 1,213]

It's been something, taking part in two of the biggest deals

[Spartan 4,402]

Moscow Moscow Moscow!

 

Oh and go DC!

 

[N0HBDY 1,119]

If Moscow is trying to rebuild I’m the best player to have to tank!

[Spence King 387]

Seriously I'm not a big enough name to make the Offseason trade alert