Chicago Going All-In With Major Trade Deadline Acquisition

[fromtheinside 1,290]

Chicago Phoenix fans have lots to be excited for these days. Over the past two and a half seasons, the franchise has gone through all the stages of the rebuilding process. Season 82 the team was at the lowest of lows. The team that was once a contender had gone into a full blown rebuild and during that season, the players, coaches and fanbase all felt the repercussions of that. Those years are never fun. But the silver lining was that they enlisted two of the best young prospects in VHL when they drafted The Board Game Clue on Skates, and then traded for Bo Johansson. But those guys were not quite ready for the big leagues at that point. After the long and painful season in 82,  the Phoenix secured the number one pick in the S83 VHL Entry Draft and took Scotty Sundin to help supplement their future core moving forward. They also nabbed Seymour Butts.

 

In Season 83 all four of these young guns debuted and Chicago's young nucleus was on full display. Though it was clearly an unfinished and unpolished product, the hope had been restored in the fanbase. The team really overachieved all things considered. They managed to sneak into the Wild-Card playoff round and even pulled off the upset, but then they ran into the eventual champs in the Seattle Bears in the Conference Semi-Finals. Despite being eliminated, the year was looked at as a huge net positive, and the team would look to carry that momentum into Season 84.

 

This past offseason saw Chicago management be aggressive in bolstering the roster. They found a reliable trade partner in Prague, who was coincidentally looking to offload talent to start their own rebuild. The Phoenix landed the two Bobs (Bob Beach and Baby Bob), and they also secured their netminder in Red Gaming. Things were definitely taking shape and Chicago looked to be a lock to make the playoffs for a second straight year. And as the season got rolling, the Phoenix proved their were going to be a legit team this season. That brings us to this week. With the trade deadline just hours away, Chicago has went out and landed a top tier defenseman to help their back end. The deal saw Chicago deal a package of picks to the Vancouver Wolves for Aurelien Moreau. Moreau is a veteran defender in this league who has already announced he will be retiring come seasons end. He really will help bolster the blueline of the Phoenix, which admittedly lacked some depth. 

 

This trade really shows that Chicago is all-in for this season. While the future still will be burning bright for many seasons to come in Chicago, to go out and pick up a rental player really shows the confidence the management team has in this roster for Season 84. They started off at a crawl when the rebuild started. Then as they drafted elite prospects they got on their feet and walked. Last season they showed they could compete once again and were running. But this season, with these moves, the Phoenix are in a full sprint towards the Cup, and it's an exhilarating time to be a fan of the franchise!