Swede Dreams: Draft Picks?

[LucyXpher 1,588]

Okay, before anyone gets the wrong idea about me being flippant about draft picks-- drafting has been one of the most fun parts of GMing for me.  It pains me not to have had any picks for Malmo in the S97 draft, especially with a class that I was very familiar with after scouting every player before the S96 VHLM draft.  I very much want draft picks and love the scouting process.  When we made that trade with Helsinki a couple weeks ago, there was a good bit of chatter around the forum and discord.  Some thought the deal was bad for Malmo, others thought it was fine and good, and others still thought it was somehow bad for both teams.  Here's the trade if you need a refresher.

 

Helsinki receives:

S97 MAL 3rd

S97 MAL 4th

S98 RIG 2nd

S98 MAL 3rd

S98 MAL 4th

S99 MAL 1st

S99 MAL 2nd

S99 MAL 3rd

S99 MAL 4th

 

Malmo receives:

Bret Weier @Quanack

Narnia Shaw @Dabnad

Ty Duke @TheDuke

Xhekajs middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle

 

I'm not going to talk about the Helsinki side as they have their own plans and objectives.  From the Malmo side, the focus was much more on the players we got in return than on the future picks we gave up.  Sure, we could have done something with the 1st and 2nds especially, but the 1st was two seasons out and we have 3 players retiring after this season.  That would effectively mean full tanking next season with no S98 1st, which was also traded away this offseason with the S97 1st to bring in an immediate replacement for the retired Jacob Stone @scoop.  

 

Riga receives:

S97 MAL 1st

S98 MAL 1st

 

Malmo receives:

Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher

S98 RIG 2nd

 

I can understand the thought process that some had of going the opposite direction and blowing up the team before making these trades and beginning the Malmo rebuild immediately.  We chose not to go that route for multiple reasons, but the biggest of those reasons is the fact that our players wanted to stay in Malmo-- especially those retiring players who wanted one last chance to win.  If I was playing sim hockey without real people, I'd probably go the scorched earth route, but that's not what this is. Some have said that to be successful in the VHL you need to be willing to make those tough decisions and trade the players you like at the right time, even if they want to stay.  Tempting as it was, that hasn't been my style.  No, I haven't had success in the VHL yet as a GM, and the VHLM is certainly different, so what do I know?  Well, I do know the players we received in both trades pretty well and I'm confident in their continued development and ability to fill key roles when we lose players to retirement.  I'm not here to justify the trade to anyone, but I don't have any regrets about it and I'm hopeful that we can look back on it in a few seasons as a win.  

 

Lastly, one thing I've noticed as an M GM and so far in the VHL is that there's an alarming number of players that seem to fall off after graduating from the M-- previously to the E, but now to the VHL.  I'm hoping that one less step between the M and VHL will help alleviate this, but I suspect it sometimes has to do with a lack of continuity and familiarity-- especially for first gen players.  Not everyone is going to be a max earner, but a player earning welfare, practice, trivia, and press conferences consistently throughout an entire career can be successful in the VHL and an important part of a team.  I think we lose players with this potential to inactivity too often, and we're okay with it because the VHL allows IA players to be contracted, so there's less incentive for VHL GMs to continue the work of M GMs in player development.  Thinking back, there were some excellent earners in my S93 draft class that have dropped off, and some have even gone inactive.  Sure, that's going to happen sometimes, but I really don't see it as a foregone conclusion.  Anyone can be retained if they have a reason to stay, and alot of that has to do with team environment, relationships, and player success.  While VHLM GMs are the first to work with new players, I think there is an equal onus on VHL GMs to continue player development and retention, especially as it gets more challenging for first gen dreamers to achieve their sim hockey goals.  One of my goals with this trade is to continue to work with the players I know, who are not necessarily max earners, and help them reach their VHL potential and have successful careers!  Having interacted with them before, the idea is that we can pick up where we left off and make that transition to the VHL easier and hopefully more exciting.  

 

Also, I was busy on draft night with a Christmas party, so there's that...

 

༺☽𖤍☾༻

LucyXpher
12/26/2024 - 800+ words

[N0HBDY 1,132]

Not again

[AJW 2,200]

I still stand on loving the trade so much no matter what any VHL critics’ opinions are. We got two players called up for this season - one already being 400+ TPE and the other just shy of 400 TPE - Duke will be ready for S98, and Xhelajs will be ready for S99. All four player ready to play in the VHL before the S99 1st is ready to join a VHL team. We need players NOW and we got them, very happy with our new prospects and the work they’ve put in already. (Makes me extremely happy to see them all responding to my pressers)

[Daniel Janser 2,217]

 

Thanks Lucy, now this song is on loop in my head.... (not a bad song, in fact it is a very, VERY good song... but on an infinite loop, everything gets stale)

 

[Gaikoku-hito 2,135]

Manson did it much better!! LOL!!

[Alex 3,253]

Personally, I do think that it was a very good trade for right now. However, where it benefits Helsinki is with half of the Malmo forward core retiring this season, a minimal forward market, no notable prospects coming up to replace them, and near zero trade assets to bring in other forwards could leave Malmo outside of the playoffs in S98, making that 1st suddenly a lottery pick, if not likely in the 7-10 range would could deliver a better player than every asset received in the trade (maybe with the exemption of Shaw, if their earning recovers considerably).