But are they serious? Analyzing the free agency announcements

[jRuutu 2,307]

Two top-level players have publicly come out and announced their desire to test the free agency waters. The Frenchman of Riga Reign and Yaroslav Bogatyrev Seattle Bears are both heading to free agency - or are they?
I have analyzed the statements given by the two in the hopes of finding out whether they are serious or not.

 

Here are my findings.

 

Starting with The Frenchman.

 

"As people have seen from the graphic I posted this week, I probably will hit free agency (unless Riga wins a cup, then I promised to stay). So what am I looking for?
I have a couple of wishes. "

 

Right away from the start, we can see that the player is negotiating with the audience by trying to soften the blow of the free agency announcement a little by stating what they are announcing has already been said in graphic form earlier. Using words like "probably" and "wishes" shows that the player is still thinking about free agency, they do not have demands - they have wishes.

 

Looking at the wishes next:

"A) I want points. Lots of them.  This year I dropped to barely over a point per game on my "capped" build, a build that got me 100 points the season before while working through that end goal. So it should be possibly, but this season was just dissapointing for me.

 So if you pitch to me, I would like to know what line combinations you expect, and how you think this will help my player.  "

 

Wanting points is being mentioned first shows that winning the cup is not as big of a deal breaker as a lack of points will be. Requesting information about future linemates also suggests that winning comes second to points and production.

 

"B) I want to compete, I want to challenge for that cup. Idaho is my first player here without a cup, so lets avoid having Frenchie as my second player in a row that fails. I will still have another player after this as it's part of the charity purchase Lemorse made, but I hope to break me not winning before its becoming a bigger one. "

 

"I want to challenge for that cup" further shows that the player is open to sacrificing the best possible destination for slightly more points and production. Using a word like "challenge" does not create a sense of urgency, instead, you get more of a: "winning would be nice, but I want points foremost" - a type of sensation.

 

 Name-dropping Idaho, a well-known player, who played almost their whole career in one team is an interesting twist. Openly stating Idaho failed also leads the reader to believe we might not see The Frenchman waiting in one team as long as Idaho did.

 

 C) If I win - I hope to win with a franchise I haven't won yet with. So I still need to win with chi dc la lon pra war one day, so these teams might have a leg up on other ones.
So once Riga is out - feel free to pitch your offers, I will not report you for tampering. "

 

Notice the choice of words, "If I win", "I hope", "one day", and "might have",  lack of urgency and directness is notable. "So once Riga is out" is also harsh and disrespectful towards the organization, but is it all what it seems?

 

Overall: I believe this is a ruse, too many mixed signals. The Frenchman has played in one team for their whole career, this team is doing exactly what the player is hoping - challenging for the cup, and they have gotten solid production on ice.  The choice of words, especially in the last part, leads me to believe this is purely an attempt to get other players around the league to think about their positions, perhaps the goal is to get players to sign for Riga.  Despite Idaho and the history being mentioned, I doubt The Frenchman will leave Riga this off-season.

 

Lets move on to Yaroslav Bogatyrev.

 

" MOSCOW, October 6, 2023 (Shaiba.ru) – The Yaroslav Bogatyrev era is almost certainly over in Seattle. According to sources close to the Nizhnii Tagil native, Bogatyrev informed the team on Wednesday that he would not be signing a new contract and would test free agency for the first time in his career.

S90 was a disappointing end to what has been a mixed bag for the second overall pick in the S86 VHL Entry Draft. Bogatyrev joined the team with high expectations having been drafted one place behind The Frenchman. After two disappointing seasons, Bogatyrev’s game grew significantly in S88, and he finished the last season with 45 goals, the second most in the entire VHL.
However, Bogatyrev was always left frustrated with not getting his hands on the Continental Cup, particularly in S88 when the Bears were one win away from the VHL crown before losing three straight games to the London United in the finals.

It is thought that the Bears failure to rebuild following the departures of key veterans Hulk Hogan 2 and Tavish Degroot, which left the team unable to make it past the Vancouver Wolves in the North American Wild Card, prompted Bogatyrev’s decision to leave the club.

Bogatyrev was named the Seattle Bears captain ahead of S90, but the Bears poor performance throughout the season left fans critical of the decision. In fact, Bogatyrev has never really been fully accepted by the Seattle faithful, many of whom were left frustrated with the supposed stars first two seasons in which he only scored 75 points. ."

 

This piece of media is different as, for the most part, it is not Bogatyrev speaking directly to the audience.  If you read the whole text, the very first thought that comes to mind is the directness and tone of the text. Words such as: "disappointing", "frustrated", and "poor performance" is enough to make anyone think the player is not pleased at the moment.  Past events are commented on directly without sugar-coating anything, and the icing on the cake is the statement at the end where tension inside the organization is mentioned.

 

In the second part, we get to hear directly from the player.

 

" UPDATE (15:50 MSK)

Following the publication of our story earlier today, Yaroslav Bogatyrev confirmed on social media that he will be leaving the Seattle Bears this offseason.
“I’m writing this with a heavy heart but a clear mind. I will become a free agent upon the conclusion of S90 after failing to reach an agreement with the Seattle Bears on a new contract. I have no complaints to the team’s management, who were cordial throughout the entire process. After five seasons here, one as captain, I feel that I have given my all as a Seattle Bear, but that I know feel that is time for us to go in different directions.

I am looking forward to a fresh start, wherever that may be. I want to thank the Seattle fans for their support throughout my entire career to date. It was certainly difficult coming into this league as a rookie, but you showed patience throughout my struggles, and I felt your support when you started to believe in me.

Of course, there were difficult times, and I’m sad that I could never repay your trust in me with a Continental Cup, but if there is one thing that the Bears have proven time and again, it’s that you can never count them out. I’m sure they will be competing again soon, and I will look forward to returning to Seattle for games, this time in the away locker room, in the near future,” Bogatyrev wrote on Instagram.  "

 

No complaints about team management combined with a comment on a fresh start and thanking the Seattle fans is an interesting mix. It is clear that the player is not too eager to stay in Seattle. Bogataryev continues by praising  Seattle as they say Seattle can never be counted out and they are surely going to be competing soon again. That is perhaps the most revealing piece of information in this text, the player is already out of the door, or are they?

 

Overall:  I believe this is yet another clever ploy to get players around the league to consider their positions.  Bogataryev said all the right things to make the reader think Bogataryev is leaving Seattle, but I am not convinced, everything seemed too on the nose.

 

 

 

Spoiler

(They will both sign for Riga)

 

650 words without quotes

[Victor 10,540]

the last beacon of investigative journalism

[Bojovnik 487]

Hi @jRuutu. Usually I am a big supporter of your texts, but the fact that you can't take the effort to spell Bogatyrev correctly means that I have to say, with all respect, that you suck.

[rory 1,759]

Seems like a direct shot against 2 other users.. @moderators?

[JCarson 590]

Article Review:  This article provides a unique analysis of potential offseason changes.  Will they or won't they, does it depend on the remainder of the playoffs.  Free agency seems to be ramping up early, players seem to be driving the boat, and change seems to be the target.  Who will win the free agency game, will it be certain teams, will it be certain players.  How will this impact the balance between the North American and European conferences.  Another intriguing factor is how does the salary cap impact teams ability to go after the higher caliber free agents.  

 

I give this article a 8/10, great job.