Chicago Phoenix staying put and the race for the post season

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Chicago Phoenix staying put and the race for the post season

 

 

Chicago Phoenix make no moves amid busy trade deadline

 

The Chicago Phoenix currently sit at a 21-21-10 record in the NA conference, with a GD of -20, yet they have themselves in a wildcard spot and would currently be eyeing post season action. There were a lot of moves at the trade deadline, where teams were selling and buying, thinking about the future of their team. However, the Phoenix decided their best course of action would be to stay put, and not make any trades at the trade deadline, as the market for the players they wanted just weren't there. The biggest buyer at the deadline was the Seattle Bears, who are currently second in NA with a 31-17-4 record and a +20 GD, and seem to be poised to make a run in the playoffs. We interviewed the Chicago's GM and asked him about the deadline, to which he said, "There were potentially deals in place, but to only slightly upgrade our team would not be worth it. We are still a very young team and are getting better and better each day. Even if we were to add at the deadline, and add some superstar players, we still lack playoff experience and that could come back to haunt our team in the long run." The Phoenix have a good chance at getting the final wildcard, but would currently play the New York Americans, who would most likely end up making quick work of the team. There really is no ideal opponent for Chicago, as the gap between the top 4 and bottom 4 is pretty substantial. On top of that, you have teams like Vancouver and Calgary who are not out of the race just yet, so Chicago can for sure feel the pressure. Every game is a playoff game currently for Chicago, and they'll be battling it out till the end.

 

The race for the final wildcard in NA

 

There are currently 3 teams in the race for the final wildcard, Chicago, Vancouver, and Calgary. The Phoenix currently hold a 6 point lead on the next closest team, the Vancouver Wolves. However, the Wolves have decided to sell, as they've shipped away Sunglasses Joyo and a 4th for Zyn Westwood and a 2nd. A downgrade for the Wolves for sure, but continuing to build on the young core they have in the future. I would pretty much say that Vancouver is out of the running, however, with how bad these NA teams are, and the wildcard spot only being 52 points currently, they could still make it in. Calgary is currently sitting 9 points out of the wildcard spot, and a 3 game loss streak to boot is not ideal. On top of that, a tough loss to HC Davos Dynamo have them questioning what is happening. Calgary on paper is a good team, and I expect them to make a late season surge back to contesting a playoff spot. Chicago is not an amazing team, so they will drop games. Calgary needs to capitalize on the losses and make up ground, which they can do with about 20 games remaining for each team. It's not too late in NA and any team can find themselves in the final wildcard position come season end.