Cologne GM Under Heavy Scrutiny For Off-Season Moves

[Devise 4,475]

The off season got started as quickly as humanly possible. The day Calgary Wranglers eliminated the Cologne Express and won the Continental Cup, Cologne GM Ryan Power and William Shaw GM of the Helsinki Titans made a blockbuster deal that saw long time Cologne Captain Thomas O'Malley and Christoph Klose head to Helsinki in exchange for 3 1st round picks, 2 of which were in the stacked S45 draft.

 

To most, this was a signal of the end of an era of Cologne. League scholars, philosophers, and analysts ruled Cologne as a "rebuilding team" and away the off-season went. But then Power began making moves that analysts questioned. He gave away what some see as a potential lottery pick in exchange for promising middle aged player Gifford Shock, who still has yet to blossom into the player many thought he could become. Power began adding players on the cheap, giving up two 2nd round draft picks for Jackson Miller and Nicklas Karlsson from the Wranglers. Power seemed on a quest to fill his roster with as much depth as he could, adding players like Tyrone Williams and Koji Yamazaki via free agency, and then trading for depth defender Joshua Rubin. 

 

Many analysts remain baffled at Powers move. While he was able to utilize two of the picks obtained in the blockbuster trade with Helsinki to draft promising young prospects Sandro Clegane and Evgeny Nezhmetdinov, the efforts and assets he traded away to obtain a full roster seemed curious, and silly to most around the league. 

 

Most would argue that Europe is easily the most competitive conference in league history. The two rebuilding clubs, Riga and Helsinki acquired players to push them into playoff contention. While Davos and Stockholm have been dealing with the salary cap this off-season, the rosters they do possess still have some of the biggest and best names in the VHL. They remain a playoff threat. Because of this, most assume Cologne is the "limbo" team. A team that doesn't have leverage.

 

Power, disagrees and challenges other GM's to break the trend of the VHL. When asked about his off-season and the criticism, he had the following to say.

 

"League parity is at an all time high right now. Nobody can deny it. Teams have struggled to repeat as Cup champions despite multiple repeat finals appearances, we've had underdog champions, playoff upsets, the list goes on. Too many people in this league, general mangers included believe in an "old" way of building a franchise. That way is littered with the following; suck, draft high, build contender, try to win early and stagger out the age of your players to make you run as long as possible. Then repeat.It's tired. Underdog champions are winning Cups because the diversity of top end talent is so far spread across the league it is nearly impossible for one team to overload."

 

"I'm not saying I'm some genius or that I've figured out some new way to dominate. No. I just have the balls to look a tanky rebuild in the face and laugh. Full on rebuilds are for cowards too afraid to use draft picks as the actual assets they are. I've always maintained a low draft philosophy and it isn't because I dislike drafting. It's because building a team season to season, whether your building for the future or to try and win in that season is always about one thing...team needs. Do you need a depth defender? A star power forward? A goalie? I maintain that I will draft when I see a possibility to acquire the needs of my team. As co GM I drafted Mason Richardson and Thomas O"Malley. The team needed star power players to face lift the franchise. We did that. After Waldron we lacked a quality goalie for our future, so I did what I had to do in an attempt to draft that very player. But the rest of the picks I've dealt? I have no guarantee that they present with what my team needs."

 

"Look at the picks I've dealt. The supposed lotto pick for Gifford Shock. Sure, it could be a lotto pick. But with 5 teams icing rosters in Europe every season, one will eventually blink. Maybe more than one. America isn't going to stay dormant for long with players improving, and the moment the opportunity to strike iron for a rebuild comes. Boom. Just like that one of the many teams that is aging up in Europe could rebuild. Meanwhile after losing O"Malley, Klose and Koenig I needed a long term forward who at least did welfare and could get to 600+ TPE in his career. Depth forwards, especially centers like that are invaluable. Shock provides that for me. There is no deal I made this off-season that wasn't in an effort to address long and short term team needs."

 

"Ultimately, I don't blame people for critiquing my off-season. It was unusual, began with what heralded a rebuild and ended up with a depth team with some underrated star power. However I'm easily worse than I was last season. But that is irrelevant. With the exception of Calgary all of the competitors last season are worse. Stockholm sold due to cap reasons and lost players to retirement, Davos had cap issues as well. The talent that the league did trade? Got spread out. Calgary is the only team that overloaded. Look at Europe, if you don't believe Cologne has a shot at making the playoffs then your forgetting that despite star power forwards, Stockholm, Helsinki, Riga and Davos all have a goalie that is worse than Brock Waldron. That alone gives Cologne a small edge. I'm not saying we are a sure in playoff team, of course not. It's crazy right now in Europe. I'm just saying that predicting who will make it and who won't isn't as easy as it looks. It's going to be a long, battling, crawl for the playoffs this season.

 

"I just wanted to make that crawl even more competitive. Why? Because in my humble opinion it doesn't matter what teams do, that is the nature of the VHL in this current era. Deserving teams get upset every season in the playoffs, teams that have tried to overload like Stockholm and Quebec have fallen short to underdogs like Seattle, Calgary and Cologne. Building a successful team right now in my eyes isn't about just finding a window with your core of players. It's about building a team that can attempt to make the playoffs as best as possible. You still need star power, you still need depth, you still need to have good age gaps and handle salary cap and all that. But despite all the efforts to do that, and then even overload your roster? You still may get upset. What I'm saying is that in a league filled with parity the only predictable thing you can say is that one team who make the playoffs is going to win a Championship. The only way to ensure you have a shot at that is to ice a roster good enough to make the playoffs. Simple as that." 

 

 

*****Nobody will read all of this and that is fine. But i felt like writing something more personal and this is the best format to do it in. ******

Edited September 8, 2015 by Mr. Power

[sterling 1,997]

tl;dr

[Smarch 3,148]

If i hit delete, would anyone really care?

[CowboyinAmerica 2,881]

To be fair, you sure earned the 1 TPE. (I actually read it. Disagree with the philosophy, but interesting to see the argument nonetheless.)

[Beketov 9,017]

I for one read the entire thing, maybe it’s because I was expecting to be mentioned, who knows. I think you make a valid point that the old “tank, dominate, repeat” model has been broken down a bit in recent years. Teams that have looked amazing on paper have faltered compared to teams with depth but no star power.

 

I’m not 100% convinced on your theory as I read it (which may be wrong) in the sense that this is a trend the VHL is leaning towards. However, I do think it could be accurate right now. As our “team of 2nd liners” proved last season, star power isn’t everything and the gap between a 700 TPE player and a 1000 TPE player isn’t as large as one might think. With that said, the cap not moving with inflation has made it so that having 2-3 “star” 1000 TPE players is near impossible while having 5-6 “average” 500-700 TPE is more than doable. I think that is what’s currently breaking the repeating cycle model that the VHL thrived on for 40 seasons.

 

I think if inflation gets dealt with or the cap goes up, we’ll go back to that cycle. In a way, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. At least it rewards GM’s for having to deal with shit seasons and drafting well. However, in another way I like your viewpoint that maybe this balancing of “good” players is creating a league parity that we haven’t had before. No matter what at least this creates an interesting viewpoint.

 

Fun fact: When I realized how long this post was I considered making it a 590 myself in response to this one. However I fear that could start a trend of people getting free TPE just for responses they would be writing anyway. So instead, enjoy this 300 word response.

[boubabi 4,725]

you were the only one able to get those player cheap because you were the only team willing to improve and who had cap space. So it's good for you, obviously. But the trend won't change with those cap rules still in place. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by boubabi

[Beketov 9,017]

you were the only one able to get those player cheap because you were the only team willing to improve and who had cap space

Isn’t that kinda his point though? Instead of loading up on expensive star players, he managed his cap in such a way to get more “lower tier” but good players. Because of this, he had cap space when no one else did and therefore could get the players that teams needed to dump for cheap.

[boubabi 4,725]

Isn’t that kinda his point though? Instead of loading up on expensive star players, he managed his cap in such a way to get more “lower tier” but good players. Because of this, he had cap space when no one else did and therefore could get the players that teams needed to dump for cheap.

if it was impressive to make the playoff here (like the NHL), yes it would be a decent move. But thinking he is a match against the top tier team isn't realistic. 

 

The only result will be, he won't have any picks and players that nobody can afford. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by boubabi

[Beketov 9,017]

if it was impressive to make the playoff here (like the NHL), yes it would be a decent move. But thinking he is a match against the top tier team isn't realistic. 

 

The only result will be, he won't have any picks and players that nobody can afford. 

 

I never said anything about playoffs. That remains to be seen. All I was stating was that your point of him getting the players because no one else had room for them isn’t entirely against what seems to be stated as his intentions. Instead of filling his cap with 2, 1000 TPE players like everyone else  he chose to get more depth for cheap because no one else had cap space. One could argue that Calgary did the same thing last season and it worked.

[Devise 4,475]

I for one read the entire thing, maybe it’s because I was expecting to be mentioned, who knows. I think you make a valid point that the old “tank, dominate, repeat” model has been broken down a bit in recent years. Teams that have looked amazing on paper have faltered compared to teams with depth but no star power.

 

I’m not 100% convinced on your theory as I read it (which may be wrong) in the sense that this is a trend the VHL is leaning towards. However, I do think it could be accurate right now. As our “team of 2nd liners” proved last season, star power isn’t everything and the gap between a 700 TPE player and a 1000 TPE player isn’t as large as one might think. With that said, the cap not moving with inflation has made it so that having 2-3 “star” 1000 TPE players is near impossible while having 5-6 “average” 500-700 TPE is more than doable. I think that is what’s currently breaking the repeating cycle model that the VHL thrived on for 40 seasons.

 

I think if inflation gets dealt with or the cap goes up, we’ll go back to that cycle. In a way, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. At least it rewards GM’s for having to deal with shit seasons and drafting well. However, in another way I like your viewpoint that maybe this balancing of “good” players is creating a league parity that we haven’t had before. No matter what at least this creates an interesting viewpoint.

 

Fun fact: When I realized how long this post was I considered making it a 590 myself in response to this one. However I fear that could start a trend of people getting free TPE just for responses they would be writing anyway. So instead, enjoy this 300 word response.

 

 

you were the only one able to get those player cheap because you were the only team willing to improve and who had cap space

 

Not completely accurate Boubabi. To Beketovs point about the trend leaning in that direction, it's involuntarily happening. Teams want to compete. Teams have a roster ready to make that next push. But teams don't have the cap to overload. So they want a big star power player like say Koenig in free agency. Okay they have to make room. So they decide, shit I need to deal this player the question no longer becomes "where is the value for him" it becomes "who can I deal him said player to that doesn't improve my closest competitors?"

 

This isn't about just Miller either. Koenig was a top target free agent that had offers from very few teams. Some if was cap related, but even if teams had the cap, the fact that underdogs with depth has won Cups has changed in a way how some teams look at building teams. Suddenly questions like, is 5 forwards and 3 defenders really enough? Sure you can have another star power forward, but you lose a 400 TPE depth guy in the process and run with less players for the season. In the old VHL that would be fine. We saw it all the time. But now, the team your competing with that is icing a full roster also has one or two star power players to your 3 or 4. Suddenly, you get upset because they have the perfect combo of depth, star power, and age and your sitting there kicking yourself. Calgary did that exact thing to the league last season. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by Mr. Power

[boubabi 4,725]

I never said anything about playoffs. That remains to be seen. All I was stating was that your point of him getting the players because no one else had room for them isn’t entirely against what seems to be stated as his intentions. Instead of filling his cap with 2, 1000 TPE players like everyone else  he chose to get more depth for cheap because no one else had cap space. One could argue that Calgary did the same thing last season and it worked.

My point is, he was victim of a good market to sell good players (O'malley/Klose) and in a good market to buy decent players. If Helsinki would have stayed with a more conservative approach (so is Riga) nothing of that could have happened. Personally, being one of the GM who had to sell, there was no market for decent/mediocre player because nobody had space. Congrats to Davos getting 2 1st more mediocre players, because I think it doesn't reflect the actual market. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by boubabi

[boubabi 4,725]

and I'm not blaming him to do so, CGY just won a cup taking advantage of a weak market. It's an interesting approach, sure. The sim is somewhat random so we'll see what happen, but I feel this league is more "Home Run" oriented than anything else. Therefore, just trying to compete with average players is cool, sure, but I wouldn't want be part of that as a player. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by boubabi

[Devise 4,475]

Also, Boubabi where did I say I was a "match" against top tier teams? If you want my honest opinion there is only one top tier team in the league next season and it's Calgary. Europe is filled with a complete mess of teams that all have different strengths in different areas but ALL of them have flaws. Stockholm, Davos, Cologne, Helsinki and Riga could all lose nearly all of their season series to a team like New York just because Mikealson decided to play lights out. Just as likely as O'Malley could light it up for Helsinki and dominate goalie after goalie. Just as likely as Waldron could go on a tear and shut out teams. Just as likely as Lord Karnage and 3 Moons could pile up the point, just as likely as Thomassen could give Riga a huge boost in a game. The list goes on. 

 

Nowhere in this did I say "Cologne is making the playoffs because none of you guys are good enough in Europe." All I said was Calgary is the only team that is nearly flawless. Davos has two defenders, and not even a 500 TPE goalie yet. Riga is exceptionally young. Stockholm has a goalie that is under 450 TPE and only has 4 forwards. Helsinki is a lot younger than people realize, their goalie TPE wise is worse than Sinclair and Campbell at the present. Cologne has no star power defenders, and only one fringe star power forward in Miller. But for all those weaknesses each Europe team has a strength. Davos has the best defender in the league ready to break out, as well as star power players James Faraday to lead the offense with other players waiting to break out like McJustice. Riga has one of the top 5 forwards in the league to go with some of the best forward depth in the conference. Stockholm has two 700 TPE defenders to go with 2 stud forwards in 3 Moons and Karnage. Helsinki has O'Malley, Klose, still has Stropko hanging around to make the most formidable first line in the conference, and despite their youth has a full roster. Cologne has the best goalie in the conference on paper, and also has the leverage of sound defensive depth and a full roster.

 

It's going to be one hell of a playoff battle that is for sure. 

[boubabi 4,725]

I'm not saying you said so, it's just a fact. The EU isn't filled with powerhouse, and even if there was a powerhouse, the sim showed us that the powerhouse never wins. 

 

And do I look like I wanted to have a roster with 4 forwards and 3 D ? No. The market wasn't allowing me to do so. I had some trades in place to help my situation, but those couldn't be done for certain reasons. The mentality isn't to have only superstars, of course we all want a good mix of superstars and depth. But the market/the rules couldn't allow that to happen to many teams. I'm just saying so.

[Devise 4,475]

I'm not saying you said so, it's just a fact. The EU isn't filled with powerhouse, and even if there was a powerhouse, the sim showed us that the powerhouse never wins. 

 

And do I look like I wanted to have a roster with 4 forwards and 3 D ? No. The market wasn't allowing me to do so. I had some trades in place to help my situation, but those couldn't be done for certain reasons. The mentality isn't to have only superstars, of course we all want a good mix of superstars and depth. But the market/the rules couldn't allow that to happen to many teams. I'm just saying so.

 

Yeah I'm not implying that you wouldn't of done something if you could have and are happy with what you have. 

 

I'm just arguing that with league parity at an all time high, instead of focusing on the "traditional" method of building teams GM's should give other options a try. Not just because it can work, but because it honestly creates a better league atmosphere for everyone involved. (in my opinion) 

 

Sure there is more disappointment, and that sucks. But the amount of attention the Cup wins over the last several seasons have received from the league is in large part due to the parity. Our salary cap with the evolving league helps keep that parity in tact. Winning means more when more people are gunning to win. You say making the playoffs is irrelevant. I disagree not just due to not having your own picks. But also because of what could happen in the playoffs. Not just winning a Cup.

 

For my own franchise, I view making the finals 3 straight years as an accomplishment, one Cup sure, but still an accomplishment. Why? Not because of some grandiose vision of Cologne being great. But because in order to do it, they had to topple a very talented very strong Stockholm team. The competition made the series more interesting, and it made the win more meaningful. Parity does that. 

 

I highly doubt we see a salary cap change, which is why I predict as we move forward more teams may adjust the way they build. Hell look at Helsinki and Riga jumping the gun. They didn't have to, as you said it may have made more sense not to. But they did anyways. It may not always be the way I'm building, but I just wanted to make an argument that the changes in building teams is a good thing for the league, as is the parity that we currently have. At season end I may be sitting on the outside of the playoffs, having no picks for the upcoming draft and still a full roster. But I"m more invested in the season, and because of that, the league. That matters imo. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by Mr. Power

[boubabi 4,725]

Helsinki were able to jumped the gun because other gms made shit decisions in giving them all their picks. Draper did what he should have done which is keeping his top picks and still be able to trade for O'Malley and Klose. The only won one really jumped the gun (imo) is Riga by giving up 3rd oa.

Edited September 8, 2015 by boubabi

[Victor 10,926]

Helsinki is the best.

[Kendrick 4,741]

If i hit delete, would anyone really care?

I almost beat you to the punch.

[Kesler 1,514]

Lets face it, QC for S45 cup. Because my team is full of second liners.

[Phil 5,119]

I still can't believe it's not butter!

[Kendrick 4,741]

[STZ 5,355]

Why didn't you use this as an Editorial?

[Doomsday 4,126]

Reasons.

[Devise 4,475]

Felt too personal for that STZ.

[STZ 5,355]

Felt too personal for that STZ.

 

tbh would have been perfect..