Vancouver Wolves S90 Preview

[Frank 5,212]

 

 

S89 Finals and Off-Season

 

Vancouver vs. Davos Finals 

The Wolves had their second trip to the Continental Cup finals in the last four season. Unfortunately in Season 89 they came up short. Jake Thunder @Thunder won the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP after leading the Dynamo offensively throughout the post season and helping end Davos' long cup drought. Lachlan Summers @kirbithan might have been the sole reason the series didn't reach seven games, absolutely shutting down Vancouver's offense in the final 3 games of their season. Vancouver heavily out shot Davos in those 3 games so we have to tip our hat to Summers and their inspired performance between the pipes. It was a well earned victory for Davos and a long time coming for the franchise. Davos GM @Alex after putting together a strong team season after season finally saw the fruits of his labour in Season 89. On the Vancouver side, things ended disappointingly. The Wolves did see internal growth from their young players and are optimistic about the team's trajectory in future seasons. Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ led the league in playoff scoring in both points and goals. It was truly a coming out party for Kerr and hopefully a sign of things to come for the feisty Czech. After being selected 9th overall in the Season 86 VHL draft Kerr has been playing in the shadow of Dogwood Maple for the start of his career. His showing in the Season 89 playoffs may be a sign that Kerr will over take the grizzled vet Maple as the number one center in Vancouver. A player who has become a fixture on the ice and off the ice in Vancouver, he has really molded himself into a leader within the locker room and on the ice. Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito was playing behind Payne for most of the season but really took off in the second half as he does quite often. Bouchard lead the Wolves in points on the back end during the playoffs and lead the league in assists. He now enters his seasons of harsh depreciation, but has shown that won't slow him down and he has plenty of game left in the tank. After a tough loss in the finals Vancouver would have to make some decisions in the coming weeks. 

 

This One Stings

Nico Pearce @Spartan  became the all-time TPE leader in VHL history during Season 89 and had one wish, to finish his career with a cup. Something that alluded him throughout his career. During Season 86 Vancouver traded Pearce for Preobrazhensky and went on to win the cup. In season 89 Vancouver fell to Davos in six games. A dejected Pearce looked on after the final buzzer of game 6 in Vancouver as fans began chanting his name out of respect for an all-time great. 

 

Off-Season Moves 

After the loss to Davos, Vancouver management decided the attempt at maximizing TPA over player depth was what likely cost them against a deep Davos team in the playoffs. The Season 84 Warsaw Predators are the only team in the hybrid era to win with 3 defensemen. Despite the hybrid era only having a small sample size of seven seasons, six of those seasons the champion sported a complete roster of 11 players including their goalie. Thus the decision was made to free up cap space and allow the team to maximize their roster flexibility. Unfortunately Vancouver would move long time player and former 1st overall pick Henry Eagles @Greg_Di, to the dismay and anger of many fans. After a strong showing in the Season 89 playoffs for Eagles and a player with a lot of game left in him and many seasons yet to be played. "Difficult decisions need to be made in the a cap world, unfortunately moving Eagles was the best scenario for Vancouver to re-coup assets and cap space. I really didn't want to move Eagles but he garnered a lot of interest around the league and Malmo made us an offer that we couldn't pass up. Henry has been a consummate professional throughout his time in Vancouver and we wish him the best in Malmo. We also want to thank him for his contributions on and off the ice, helping Vancouver capture a Continental Cup in Season 86. He will be dearly missed in the locker room as well." - GM Frank Chadwick.

 During the off-season Vancouver would look to maximize players on their rookie contracts and players in their final season to get full value for players with their TPA. 

 

Signings

Brian Payne - D 

S90: $6,000,000 (NTC)

After being acquired by Vancouver in the Season 88 Off-Season. Payne @Scurvy has solidified Vancouver's blue line alongside Bouchard and it will be a group to be feared in Season 90. Payne has been a fixture in Vancouver's locker room and players are rallying around him, saying win it for Payne in his final season. This being his final season means he no longer has to bank and can maximize his TPA.

 

FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist - RW

S91: $1,500,000 (NTC)

S92: $1,500,000 (NTC)

S93: $1,500,000 (NTC)

S94: $1,500,000 (NTC)

S95: $1,500,000 (NTC)
Option: Player

Analfist was selected 2nd overall in Season 88 by Vancouver who traded a haul of picks to Helsinki to acquire the 2nd pick. @STZ has a long relationship with Vancouver GM Frank and  locking him up was top priority for the team going into the Season 89 Off-Season. Analfist enters his third season still on his rookie contract with the hopes of breaking out and becoming the face of the Wolves franchise going forward. The team is betting on the player and the player is betting on the franchise. Vancouver fans were thrilled to see the young winger locked up long term and jersey sales have spiked since the announcement. 

 

Trades

To Vancouver :

Girts Galvins - LW @Girts

 

To Warsaw :

S92 Van 2nd

 

Galvins is a player Vancouver has long coveted and with Warsaw entering their rebuild Vancouver couldn't pass up the price paid. Girts has been a top line scorer throughout his career and is now re-united with Payne for one last run at the cup. At the time of writing this Galvins has had a slow start to the season but Vancouver management and fans aren't worried. The work ethic has been there and we all know the skill will take over. 

 

To Vancouver :

Hockley Mann - LW @Sen

Clark - G @cl4rk

S92 Mal 1st

S91 Sea 2nd

S90 Mal 3rd

 

To Malmo :

Henry Eagles - RW @Greg_Di

 

This was probably the most difficult trade GM Frank had to make right in line with moving @Lemorse7 to New York after their cup win. Which likely extended Vancouver window beyond their Season 89 finals appearance. As I mentioned earlier Eagles was fixture in Vancouver and will be dearly missed much like Leduc was. In the trade the Wolves brought in Mann who is entering his final season but has shown a great enthusiasm for doing everything he can to go out on top. Mann has been the saving grace of the Eagles trade and has taken some sting away from losing Eagles. From Vancouver's perspective they replace Eagles with a cheaper winger to help complete a full roster and acquire a much needed goaltending prospect in Clark who could be the dark horse in this trade. The picks are currency to a team in Vancouver's position. 

 

To Vancouver :

Sigma Freud - D @CODENAMEJIMMY

 

To Moscow:

S92 Van 3rd

 

Another important move to complete a full roster for Vancouver. Freud enters his rookie season thus he'll carry the cheapest cap hit in the league at 1.5M while having over 400 TPA. Freud is a valuable piece for a Vancouver team looking to contend. The addition of both Slater and Freud at a combined 3.5M will allow Vancouver to run a formidable defense corps. 

 

To Vancouver :

Liv Slater - D @Subject056

S92 Chi 2nd

 

To Chicago :

Reinhard von Kongming - D @Kylrad

S91 Van 1st

S92 Mal 1st

S90 Mal 3rd

 

The true blockbuster of the off-season as two 1st round picks are moved for one player. Vancouver paid a high price to acquire one of the top young defenders in the league. With a retiring Payne and an aging Bouchard. Acquiring Slater for futures was a no brainer for the Wolves. Slater provides increased value this season since they're still on their rookie contract and are earning at maximum capacity. The player value wasn't the only important aspect of this trade. @Subject056 is also a great member who has a good rapport with Vancouver's GM. The young core in Vancouver is growing stronger with Wann Kerr, $nubbed Analfist, Oreo McFleury and now Liv Slater. All that's missing is a replacement for Fuhr in the coming seasons.  

 

 

Season 90 Preview and Outlook

 

Depth Chart

Forwards:

Girts Galvins - Dogwood Maple - $nubbed Analfist

Hockley Mann - Wann Kerr - Oreo McFleury

 

Defense:

Pierre Emile Bouchard - Liv Slater

Brian Payne - Sigma Freud

 

Goaltending:

Brandt Fuhr

 

Break-Out Candidates

Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - We have to start off by mentioning the Wolves Funk nominee and leading playoff scorer as our top break out candidate for Season 90. Kerr proved a lot of doubters wrong in Season 89 and will look to do even greater things in Season 90. 

$nubbed Analfist @STZ - After a flaming hot start in Season 89, Analfist plateaued a bit and while finishing with more points than his rookie season has still higher expectations for himself and the team in Season 90. 

Oreo McFleury @JB123 - McFleury was a little bit more consistent than Analfist in Season 89 but still finished around the same mark as him points wise. He's another player looking to break out and pass the point per game barrier in his third season. With the Eagles trade and departure of Pearce there will be plenty of opportunity for both Analfist and Oreo to show off their offensive flare. 

Liv Slater @Subject056 - Playing behind both Bouchard and Payne might make it difficult for Slater to have a break out season. Season 91 might be the season Slater rocks the VHL world. Learning from both Bouchard and Payne this season will do wonders for the youngster. 

 

Swang Song for Three 

This is it for Payne @Scurvy, Galvins @Girts and Mann @Sen. All three enter their final seasons with the hope of finish out on top. "All three players are extremely motivated in closing out their careers as champions, they've been training hard all off-season and are hoping the strides they made will bare fruit this season. I can't speak enough about the character of each one of these players and the impact they have on their teammates." GM Frank stated. Girts Galvins and Hockley Mann will look to add to their trophy case while Payne hopes to cement himself in the HOF. 

 

Wolves Legends and Future HOFers?

Brandt Fuhr @Tate - After capturing both the all-time regular season wins and playoff wins as a Wolf last season he looks to continue his legacy this season. Will father time finally catch up with Fuhr after a few seasons of depreciation? Or will having one of the strongest bluelines in front of him help him carry the load. 

Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito - The current Captain of the Wolves proved his worth yet again last season. Leading the league in defensemen playoff scoring and cracking the top 10 in all-time points among Wolves player. What will he do for an encore this season? 

 

Message to the Fans

"After a disappointing end to Season 89, we won't be satisfied with anything less than a championship in Season 90. We've made changes this off-season that we hope pay off on the ice this season and in future seasons. Though we saw the departure of a fan favourite we want to assure the fans that the team is not re-tooling and is one hundred percent committed to bringing more championships to Vancouver and it's great fans." 

 

1988 words

[Gaikoku-hito 2,087]

Great read @Frank

 

 

 

 

[Scurvy 1,494]

Great post.  Payne will earn hard in his final season with hopes to bring a cup to Vancouver!  I love this team!!

[Subject056 1,205]

Great article! Enjoyed reading this and seeing the thoughts behind the trades. 

 

Slater is excited to be part of the team

[Frank 5,212]

Claiming Week 2 of 3

[Frank 5,212]

Claiming Week 3 of 3