Crónicas de los Reyes: Draft and Free Agency

[VattghernCZ 1,079]

 

First thing to take care of soon after my Mexico tenure started was the VHLM Dispersal Draft. After discussing draft strategy with Agito, we came to the conclusion we should draft a goaltender in the first round, a forward in the second round, and use the rest on defensemen. With this in mind, the interviews were started.

 

However, there was a slight oversight on my side. Our only two defensemen as well as the twi highest TPE players on the roster had to be dropped to free agency. Considering it was past the period a GM could talk extensions with their players, but before the FA discussions opened, we had no guarantee whether or not would they come back.

 

This inevitably changed our draft strategy. Our top priority was still a goaltender, considering we had none, but focusing on a defenseman in the second. The start to the D-men interview process was quite frantic, and I didn't hear back from a lot od them, which made our draft board not as long as we would like.

 

Things are always bound to change, comes the draft day. My first selection was Pepe Silvia. And it was definitely not an easy choice between him and Toby Bob. I had my eyes set on a particular defenseman in the 2nd round with our 15th overall pick. But he was gone by then, and the drop off between him and the next D-man was too big to justify skipping Agustin Martinez, who I believe will be a massive steal, and has the potential to build a first-gen hall of fame player. I thought I'd take a defenseman in the third eound, there was a certain player I hoped would fall to us. Sadly, he didn't. By the time we were picking in the 3rd round, all active defensemen were gone.

 

That's how we ended up with drafting another bunch of forwards. I was really happy with the forward selections, as they were all players on out draft board - meaning players who responded to draft interviews.

 

Immediately after the draft, I went to talk to the two defenders leaving prior to the draft, and this is where our fortune turned around a bit, as both were happy to re-join the Kings, which I'm super grateful for. I pursued another defender, however he chose to join another team. And the defender I'm pursuing now is looking like going IA before joining any team.

 

Overall, I think we made some strides, but ultimately, it's up to Simon to decide.

Edited December 22, 2024 by VattghernCZ