The VHLM changes

[JCarson 744]

The offseason between season 95 and 96 is progressing quickly.  The VHL draft is complete, we sit less than 24 hours from the VHLM draft and free agency has started, or at least discussions have. With all of this going on it is hard not to get excited about the beginning of season 96. 

This season however is different as the season 95 offseason started with a huge announcement. The VHLE finally is being shut down, the evil stepsister within the VHL framework is no more.  So, what does that mean for the GM in the VHLM. 

 

The obvious first details that the GM must deal with is the redistribution of the VHLE players that do not have high enough TPE to move to the VHL.  The ability to have and use players between 200tpe and 400tpe will now create a completely different framework for building lines in the VHLM.  The fact that most players will spend at least 2 seasons in the VHLM even if they are strong earners could completely change the strength of teams over time.  General Managers will now have the requirement to manage players over several seasons, keeping them active, growing, and productive.   

 

Outside of the obvious addition of 200 to 400TPE players there are a few more subtle things that General Managers will need to be aware of.  In a one season and done mentality draft picks tend to have more value than strong earning player.  That now changes.  Players values regarding other players and draft picks will now change within the trading landscape. Couple that with the continuation of a 3-season rights period and there may be a situation where you see lower earning players trade value decline as they progress in the VHLM but don’t move to the VHL. 

 

Next concept that General Managers will need to deal with is that teams will potentially have full rosters.  Bot’s may be an outdated concept in the VHLM.  With players staying longer it will allow GMs to hold a larger roster, potentially having a full 6-4-1 framework, maybe more depending on how long each player stays on a team.  In a league that has not had the draft classes, or recruitment to manage a full roster it has resulted in lop sided team strength. That is set to disappear in this new league structure. 

 

Recruitment and free agency use to be especially important when it came to building a playoff contending team.  Adding one or two depth pieces on to a team had the tendency to allow it to better position its’ lines and allowed it to do better throughout the postseason.  Now that teams should have close to full rosters the impact of a waiver player should be minimal.  Oddly enough there is some thought that a later season waiver may actually hurt a strong team. 

 

Well, those are my initial thoughts on how the changes that have occurred between season 95 and season 96 will impact the VHLM general manager position this season and over time. What we do know is that the VHLM changes effective season 96, and I expect the better GMs will be able to take advantage of the changes