Where Could Del Rocco Go?

[Victor 11,338]

It appears inevitable that at the end of his 5th VHL season, Gianfranco Del Rocco will be heading into free agency. What is often an afterthought of the league's off-season could be one of the leading events this time around with Del Rocco's teammate Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard also heading into FA and other high-profile pending free agents in the league including George Richmond @badcolethetitan, Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY, Wayne Gretzky @MubbleFubbles, and last season's top goaltender Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish, although some will likely commit to sign-and-trade deals as has become common practice in recent years.

 

Nonetheless, a deeper than usual confirmed free agent pool, a few teams considering their options between rebuilding and contending, and a difficult salary cap environment mean that the free agents could throw in a surprise into this off-season. Let's see what Del Rocco's options are and how realistic or unhinged each one may be.

 

Calgary

The defending champions have just lost their best defenceman and forward to retirement, and traded one of their other leading forwards (the aforementioned Reingaard). A subsequent trade for Mina fills the hole on defence but leaves the gaping hole up front which needs to be filled for a realistic attempt at defending their crown. The cap situation will likely be tight and the Wranglers can probably only afford to sign one big name which means they are far from a safe bet for free agents looking to secure a championship. That retired forward, Adi Dassler, also had similar complaints to Del Rocco about personal production. However, the significant enforced roster overhaul could lead to new dynamics which might make Calgary an interesting proposition from an individual performance perspective, even if they will be an underdog for back-to-back championships.

 

D.C.

An interesting proposition here for 2 reasons – a franchise Del Rocco's agency has never played for in the past, and also a team on the playoff bubble which could benefit from a deep free agent pool by being able to attract and afford multiple big names. The Dragons on paper look a step behind the main contenders and would probably be advised not to make a splashy trade yet. But if the talent arrives for free then they will surely welcome it. D.C.'s pitch will have to be on individual performance – it's unlikely they can convince Del Rocco or others that they will be a cup favourite even with a big FA boost, but they could turn heads by promising career seasons to those less concerned with cup-chasing.

 

Davos

It appears unlikely that Del Rocco could go to free agency and still expect an offer from his current team at that point, as cap constraints mean the Dynamo can not afford to wait until FA for their off-season moves. The locker room environment has been excellent in the two seasons Del Rocco has spent in Davos, but individual production has stalled and indeed regressed, suggesting a parting ways could be mutually beneficial to both sides. That said, the off-season works in unpredictable ways and by all accounts the Dynamo remain a strong option for Del Rocco if they are still around as one when FA opens.

 

Helsinki

A team that infamously went all in last off-season for 1-2 seasons of contention is now at risk of that window being reduced to just one successful season as the pending FA status of Ironhide and Lovstrom risks undoing management's plans. If Lovstrom in particular stays though, they remain a European contender and Del Rocco may fancy his chances of improving their S98 performance by offering something different to Ironhide. It would be a gamble but the Titans have put themselves in this position with a high risk gamble already, so it would be par for the course.

 

London

A young team that's decided it was ready to start competing with a high-profile move to acquire some talent from Seattle to start the off-season. Will they have cap space by the time free agency rolls around? It's unclear but this is precisely the type of destination which might have been hoping for a small playoff run in S99 but might get an unexpected boost if they can attract a high level talent for free. As another team that Del Rocco's agency has not played for before and an interesting project where a leading TPE player might thrive, they are certainly in contention if the finances work.

 

Los Angeles

Potentially a team that is banking on getting some free agents to turbo boost their rebuild. There's a sense of drift and drought in LA but a core to build around is there, but very few pieces to help it build. Like London and like D.C., you wouldn't think of LA as a cup contender now or even with the addition of 2 big names, but they'd probably leap into playoff contention if that did happen and would certainly potentially boost any free agent's stats who did join. Another one in the bucket of unexpected but could be a surprise option if the pitch is right.

 

Moscow

Several key retirements leave holes in the roster, especially up front, but the star power is still there and with more roster space comes more cap space. We have become used to the Menace being a perennial contender as well as a big collector of individual awards so on paper they are as attractive destination as any even if a fall from grace might be expected given the names they lost. Key questions will be how much can they afford and will the final roster, even if boosted by free agents, be as competitive as last year's?

 

New York

A squad in transition may struggle with cap space but with a more youthful look than we are used to seeing, perhaps the Americans will also be in the market for a free agent to keep them among North America's contenders. In that sense of course they are not hugely different to the rest of the S98 contenders with perhaps fewer gaping holes, but the stand-out attraction about New York is of course very obvious. At some point that historic and record-breaking cup and finals drought will come to an end. Who wouldn't want to be the final piece of the puzzle that gets them over the line?

 

Prague

The Phantoms went in early but not as hard as the Titans, but in the end find themselves in more or less the same position as both Helsinki and London. Neither is favoured based on current rosters but if any of them has the cap flexibility and the sales pitch to win over some key free agents, then the outlook could change dramatically. For Prague, everything they do will hinge on the eternal debate in the VHL - how much does goaltending matter? The success of their free agency pitch and their season will depend on the answer to that question and also how much people believe it.

 

Riga

One last hurrah? Had a GM change happened sooner it's entirely possible that Riga wouldn't be on the list due to being deep in a rebuild alongside Chicago, Warsaw, and Malmo but instead they're still at a crossroads. Are there now too few pieces to try for another cup and it's time to get the assets they can? Or can they appeal to enough free agents to go again and deal with the consequences later? It would be short-termist and risky but could be the winning combination.

 

Seattle

After two seasons could Del Rocco come back to where it started? The Bears have chosen to retool again but there is a strong suspicion they won't commit to a rebuild in the hope that they can get enough talent in free agency to make another unexpected run at the cup. It's something the team has done time and time again and surely that will be the sales pitch to Del Rocco and others – trust the management whose track record speaks for itself.

 

Toronto

Slightly surprised to still be there and in a similar position to Riga – one more shot at it or time to blow it all up? However, cap space may be a lot tighter for the Legion to rule them out of the running unless they get creative with it. And the same is probably true of Vancouver who are probably forced to run with the roster they have so are excluded from the list entirely unless they come up with an outrageous plan between now and the start of free agency.

 

With that said then, and without being able to see the full picture of team's finances until next week when salary brackets are applied, there are 11 teams which could be interested in Del Rocco and interesting to Del Rocco. Of course, that position could change and is also true for any other top tier forward that hits free agency but hopefully it makes it a more exciting part of the off-season than it has been in recent years. We can't discount the possibility that Del Rocco turns around and re-signs with Davos tomorrow but at the moment it seems the free agent path is open and is more likely than not be taken – but where will it lead?

[Frank 5,524]

VHLM bound

[Victor 11,338]

Week 2 of 3

[Victor 11,338]

Apparently a team not even on the list looooool

 

Week 3 of 3