I Make a Dream Team, But With a Twist

[Gustav 6,434]

Hi there, it's been a while...

 

...a while since I've made an in-depth media spot with actual league content, at least. I've written "dream team" articles before, but never one quite like this. In this article, however, I'm not picking players who have never won an award or whatever--rather, I'm going to set some rules for myself, as follows:

 

-My team must be a 6-4-2 lineup and it must conform to the salary cap.

-I can pick only one asset from each team.

-From the teams not in my active lineup, I will select one prospect each, in lieu of selecting draft picks (because that would be boring).

 

As is most unfortunately occasionally necessary when writing articles having to do with TPE numbers, all of these numbers are where they were when I initially saw them. Don't freak out if you're 10 over what I say you are.

 

So, let's get into the team selection!

 

 

FORWARDS

 

Alex Johnston | S78 | RW | 600 TPA | Cap hit: $2.5m |  | @Alex_J32

The goal of picking one player from each team does not necessarily mean picking the highest-TPA player from each team. To fit under the cap, we need a mix of players at different TPE levels, and Johnston represents a very solid young player who's already reached mid-level status. In a world where 800 TPA costs $5 million, 600 for $2.5 million is an absolute bargain, something that this team would be looking for.

 

Julian Nousiainen | S74 | C | 781 TPA | Cap hit: $4m |  | @okochastar

Chicago stuck out to me as a team with quite a few weird choices, and if I chose to invest in draft picks rather than players or prospects (which I almost did), I likely would have gone with a pick. There's a decent share of players with a decent amount of earning, but there's also a decent share of players who--like Nousiainen--are nearing the end of their careers. This shouldn't be taken as a knock against either Chicago or Nousiainen, though, as his last few seasons have been very statistically strong and there's no reason to think that he would play any differently here, as our dream team's #1 center.

 

That Dude | S77 | C | 660 TPA | Cap hit: $3.5m |  | @Cornholio

After wondering why the London emoji is as big as it is, the next logical step is to wonder what prompted this selection. It was difficult to come up with places to pick our centers from--I spent longer than I'd like to admit trying to rationalize forcing myself onto this list from Davos, but that would have taken away from something else...and London didn't have many of the sort of player I'd want on this list. That Dude is our second-line center, and as he's three seasons younger than Nousiainen, he'd have room to grow into the #1 role with time. He's also a relatively low-cost, mostly-developed player, giving us another bargain as we negotiate with the cap.

 

AJ Williams | S79 | RW | 404 TPA | Cap hit: $1.5m |  | @ajwllmsn

And along the lines of bargain players, and up-and-coming young players, we find someone who's both in Williams, one of the league's latest shining stars in the new-guy department. Obviously, this isn't a contribution for now, but down the road, Williams could end up being a major asset for any team, this one included--and it doesn't hurt that he's light on the wallet.

 

Gunnar Odinsson | S76 | RW | 989 TPA | Cap hit: $5.5m |  | @BOOM

This one should come as absolutely no surprise--last season's most talked-about player earned his reputation then and should continue to earn it here. As one of Malmo's most instrumental players en route to a championship win and a serious contender for MVP, Odinsson was the very first player I thought of when I was getting this list together. He's got everything a team should want, so we're very happy to dish out the money to make his place here happen.

 

Duncan Idaho | S77 | RW | 910 TPA | Cap hit: $5.5m |  | @OrbitingDeath

If there's any such thing as an underrated 900-TPA player, it's Idaho, who much to my chagrin was selected in my fantasy group before I got the opportunity. As half of the Idaho-Atreides duo going to the Menace at the top of the S77 entry draft, he's the higher earner and more powerful hitter of the two, and this season will be completing his build at a level no doubt higher than most or all others. An impressively valuable tool for the present and the future, he's our second-ranked forward here and should put up the stats to match.

 

 

DEFENSE

 

Kristof Welch | S76 | D | 857 TPA | Cap hit: $5m |  | @Juice

Welch is a player who just recently broke into premium territory, with a 102-point effort in S79 to match his rapid build development. Though 850-something isn't top-top-end, it's certainly close enough to count and Welch already has a good amount banked for depreciation. With a 5-millon-dollar cap hit, he also manages to save the team just a little bit for other purposes while contributing just as much as anyone else.

 

Zeedayno Chara | S77 | D | 771 TPA | Cap hit: $4m |  | @Jubis

These days, Calgary's former GM is a main contributor for New York, and is set to make a move into premium territory himself over the next season. Though he hasn't been overly impressive so far on the stat sheet, he's in a decent environment for improvement and could see himself follow a Welch-like career arc this season. In fact, hot take: Chara WILL break out this season. If that assumption holds true, he'd end up being easily the best choice possible from New York, who had only a small handful of players I'd consider good for both now and for a few seasons to come.

 

Nathan Powers | S78 | D | 538 TPA | Cap hit: $2.5m |  | @JB123

Much like AJ Williams listed above, Powers is an up-and-comer with tons of potential both as a player and as a member. With two very good players selected on defense, my first instinct was to try and see if I could force in Prague's Battre Sandstrom, but obviously the cap happens to exist, and the Phantoms have a very solid asset in Powers anyway. With a low cap hit and a high earning rate, he's mostly a future consideration, but could end up being a solid player now as well as he's almost at the point around 600 or so when many players start to become truly good.

 

Corey Kitson | S80 | D | 366 TPA | Cap hit: $1.5m |  | @Nykonax

This one is all about two things: the future and the cap. Kitson is one of a few rookies playing up in the VHL this season, which should speak to both his earning and his potential. Nyko is an accomplished creator of both Chicago favorite Kyl Oferson and someone else whose name I definitely know but which I'm too lazy to look up, and Kitson should fit right in with the others. While not costing much, he'll fit right in and would likely be this team's #1 defender down the road.

 

 

GOALERS

 

Kunibuni UnGuri | S75 | G | 775 TPA | Cap hit: $4m |  | @Berocka

Davos, for the first time in a long time, has a very wide array of possibilities for this list. I could go on about that, but the one I've chosen to put in here is UnGuri, for a couple reasons. A solid goaltender in their prime is actually more difficult to find than you might think, especially on this list where I've already picked many players from elsewhere and eliminated quite a few possibilities from those teams. UnGuri has a few seasons left and hasn't broken the 800-TPA point where he'd cost $1 million more, leaving us with a player in net who's very good and doesn't break the bank.

 

Ajay Krishna | S73 | G | 326 TPA | Cap hit: $0 (due to backup goalie rule) |  | @Hooperorama

Krishna is long inactive, and retiring this season, but he's still a cup-winner in Warsaw and leaves our team with a usable backup for one season. What's nice is that he doesn't count against our cap at all, and on top of that leaves us with room for an upcoming star in the prospect department...

 

 

PROSPECTS

 

Xavier Booberry | S80 | G | 385 TPA |  | @CowboyinAmerica

You may recognize this name if you've been around the league for more than 5 minutes--Cowboy is a well-known builder across multiple sim leagues and has not disappointed in the slightest in our own, most recently creating defenseman Lance Flowers and here representing one of the league's strongest prospects in Booberry. With Krishna out next season, Booberry has room to move up, and the eventual departure of UnGuri will make way for him to start long-term.

 

Hari Singh Nalwa | S80 | D | 340 TPA |  | @Dil

Though we've already got Kitson on the roster, prospects need to come from somewhere, and Riga has a very strong option in Nalwa. With this team's defensive core at a very high level, a decision would have to be made next season as to what to do--whether that's retooling or moving the hot prospect out for current success--but either way, this team would be well set up with Nalwa in the minors.

 

Sven Eightnine | S80 | D | 280 TPA |  | @BarzalGoat

With the above being said, it's unlikely that Eightnine would be able to fit onto this team's roster. He is, however, an active league veteran and a very strong prospect and one which many teams would be happy to have. A likely trade would leave our dream team with a very solid pick in some draft.

 

Kyle Peace | S80 | LW | 350 TPA |  | @Peace

Moving out of forward land, we come across Toronto, who last season made the decision to rebuild after their sim luck turned. Peace is a very solid prospect who projects to be a valuable long-term contributor in the right environment--much like in the case of Nalwa, this team would need to decide which player to ship out next season to make things happen, but if Peace stays, he would be well-placed on this team.

 

 

So, our final lineup, organized in a clearer manner and this time arranged by TPA:

 

Gunnar Odinsson  - Julian Nousiainen  - Duncan Idaho 

Alex Johnston  - That Dude  - AJ Williams 

 

Kristof Welch  - Zeedayno Chara 

Nathan Powers  - Corey Kitson 

 

Kunibuni UnGuri  - Ajay Krishna 

 

Prospects:

Xavier Booberry  - Kyle Peace  - Hari Singh Nalwa  - Sven Eightnine 

 

TOTAL CAP HIT: $39.5 MILLION ($0.5m under cap)

 

 

Of course, this team would dominate! I'm curious to see if anyone else is interested in trying this out, because I had quite a bit of fun with it--if you do, let me know!

 

1,866 words | 3 weeks

[AJW 2,161]

6 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

Williams could end up being a major asset for any team

 

Williams will be a major asset for any team*

 

This team is fire though. Me and @Alex_J32 on a line 

[hylands 845]

24 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

Of course, this team would dominate! I'm curious to see if anyone else is interested in trying this out, because I had quite a bit of fun with it--if you do, let me know!

 

i had fun doing this. i tried to make it different to what you chose, but you made some excellent choices! here's what i came up with:

 

Nathan Perry - Taro Tsujimoto - The Terrible Trivium

Gustislav Nasherov - Aloe Dear - Henri le Massif

 

Matty Socks - Nathan Powers

Zeedayno Chara - Tui Sova

 

Markus Emerson Jr

Papa Emeritus

 

Prospects

Hari Singh Nalwa - Sven Eightnine - Kyle Peace - Zach Kisslinger

 

this comes in right at $40m if i did the math correct and didn't look at the wrong line for finances. i chose not to go with a goalie prospect since Emeritus is the future starter of course.

[BOOM 8,769]

Let's put this team together and run it alongside the vhl. Would be awesome to see how it went. 

[Jubis 1,349]

I like this idea , ì might have to try and make a team

[Nykonax 1,564]

2 hours ago, GustavMattias said:

Nyko is an accomplished creator of both Chicago favorite Kyl Oferson and someone else whose name I definitely know but which I'm too lazy to look up

dahlberg smh

[Esso2264 774]

40 minutes ago, Nykonax said:

dahlberg smh

dahlberg sucks

[Gustav 6,434]

44 minutes ago, Nykonax said:

dahlberg smh

 

Ah yeah that's it

 

I think I'm getting old

[CowboyinAmerica 2,899]

Read this one anyway, so let's review it!

 

Review: 10/10

 

I really enjoyed the conceit of this one, and as others said it's something that immediately encourages others to think up their own teams. (I have an idea or two where I'd adjust things, probably start from the goalie on the worst team out since there's so many around the same S75 TPE range, but don't know what that'd reveal.) The descriptions for each of the selections was excellent, as was the presentation where you included not only the teams and TPE figures, but the salaries as well which was a nice touch. There's not much else I'd think to add here, maybe a "just missed" or "other selections" bucket at the end if you were feeling like an overachiever? But all in all an excellent article, and would love to read this as an every season installment if you're up for it.

[Gustav 6,434]

13 hours ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

I really enjoyed the conceit of this one

 

Fair 

[Gustav 6,434]

Week 2

[okochastar 97]

[Gustav 6,434]

Week 3