Limbo [Final 6/6]

[Will 4,660]

In Limbo

 

Much to the surprise of the fans, the players, and the league in general, management of the Helsinki Titans elected to liquidate their assets in the off-season prior to Season 43. Moving the big names of James Faraday, Jake Wylde, Patrick Demko, and Jackson Miller, Helsinki quickly secured a plethora of future draft picks and it became apparent that they were entering a rebuilding phase.

 

Not many people predicted Helsinki to make the moves they made this off-season. Their core was still young and they had yet to see any success, so naturally most people assumed they would continue trying despite their aging goaltender. Obviously, this wasn't the case. Deals were made, players were moved, and the ship for that era of Titans has sailed. Many factors contributed to the decision to rebuild. The retirement of Naomi Young and Robert Gow III, the age of Szatkowski Jr., the offers that were on the table, cap structure, and future opportunities all played a part in what Helsinki management ultimately decided was the best course of action for the franchise. 

 

Helsinki GM Shaw as he announced the James Faraday deal.

 

While Helsinki was able to move most of its major assets, a few still remain. Veteran goaltender Mike Szatkowski Jr., who is now in his final season, is still on the roster. Tyson Stokes, a Season 39 centerman, has also been left behind by his former teammates. The young Oskars Harumpf is still wearing teal and, last but not least, defenseman Don Draper has yet to be moved. Helsinki's failure to completely liquidate calls into question the decision to rebuild at this time. If they held out until next season, would the result have been any better? Some argue that deciding to sell-off after New York had already eliminated much of the market was a poor decision. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Only after next off-season will we know the answer to that. 

 

A more important question, though, is what happens in the immediate future for the players who are stuck in limbo? Clearly, players like Stokes, Szatkowski, and Draper are too old to remain as part of the Titans for the next generation. They need to be moved sooner rather than later in order to retain at least some value. Rumours have been swirling that all three of the aforementioned players may already be sold, but again, only time will tell. In any event, the fate for this era of Titans has already been decided but the future looks bright for the franchise and with some calculated moves and prudent drafting, we should see the Titans back to competitiveness in no time.

 

We can speculate about how or why the decision was made all we want, but here is what actually happened according to Helsinki General Manager Shaw:

 

"Well, the morning that I pulled the trigger on moving Faraday, Wylde, and Demko, I woke up and made myself a coffee. In my typical fashion, I decided to browse the VHL whilst I drank my coffee, catching up on anything I missed during my slumber.

 

As I was patrolling the off-topic discussion (possibly the Official Sex Discussion, I can't say for sure) I was approached by my good buddy and Davos counterpart Jack Reilly. He asked me a couple questions about selling, and I just thought to myself: Let's blow this bitch up. Interestingly, I ended up making no deals with Davos despite Reilly being the one stimulate my thoughts on rebuilding, although it was something that was floating around in my head since early S42. Regardless, what's done is done and we now look to the future."

 

 

[Frank 5,058]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LprzxFAoH9w

[Will 4,660]

tbh i googled 'johnny tortz' at first but too much barry trotz came up 

[Kesler 1,514]

waiting 4 gme 40 eh

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Content: 3/3 - It was definitely an interesting off-season. I'm glad Demko and Wylde made their way to QC. They've been great teammates so far.

Grammar: 2/2 -

 

"despite Reilly being the one stimulate my thoughts" - the one to stimulate

Appearance: 1/1 - Torts!

Overall: 6/6