Devise 4,475 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Express Trip Out of Rebuild? After making one last attempt to keep a run going in Season 45, a run that saw them finish well outside the playoffs despite several successful individual seasons for several key contributors most notably Miller, Shock, and Karlsson; Cologne went through a relatively smooth GM transition and what many heralded a potential long rebuild. While the team has been officially on rebuild for two full seasons now, many thought given the "fuck draft picks" mentality of the clubs former GM that it would be a lot longer. However the new man on the job Greg Harbison has done a subtle, savvy job at rebuilding the teams core. It all started with the Season 47 rookie of the year, Joel Jarvi. His arrival as defender who could pack the points offensively, posting nearly a point per game as a rookie defender, which is traditionally rather unheard of. Even more so when defender scoring has been at near all time lows league wide. But Jarvi is only one piece, to what now is a very solid puzzle. In the Season 47 entry draft Cologne was able to select underrated netminder Artom Zhumbayev. Zhumbayev comes from a player manager who has a history of making underrated but consistent players. He takes center stage and looks well on pace to be a capable starter in the VHL in a few seasons. Harbisonon also traded for Season 47 draftee David Hamilton. Hamilton has two other brothers in the league, and comes from the highly respectable Knight organization. While Hamilton had lost some of his aura, his renewed motivation was a noted pick up for the Express. The last big step in developing a future core in Cologne came this past off-season, when Cologne as able to draft Tyson Kohler with 4th overall. The only real "threat" Cologne is missing from it's young core is a center, however Jarvi, Zhumbayev and Kohler make up a very talented young group of players. All similarly aged as well, which is almost always fundamental when piecing parts of your core together. The youth influx, should be a big reason you see the Express make a push for a playoff in Season 48, and begin what often feels like a long trek back into playoff and eventually Continental Cup contention. Another key reason Cologne should find themselves within the pack is timing. Which is to say, exactly how a smart GM should be planning his events. Making good trades, picking up key free agents and drafting well are all integral parts to building a winner. However when you choose to strike is also very important. In Season 48, Cologne has begun to see a window. Davos has gone through several bouts of GM turmoil and are really only starting a rebuild now. The Riga Reign have begun a huge overhaul and rebuild after being frustrated in another post-season filled with disappointment. That is already two of the five teams who are really just beginning stages of rebuild. Given the rosters currently it is likely that Cologne see's themselves getting back into the playoffs in Season 48. But timing even for the future is in Colognes favor. While Stockholm and Helsinki battle it out for the conferences best team, the Vikings age very high. Sure they have a young goalie, but every other player on that roster is S43 or younger. Season 48 also marks the final year for playoff heroes Gifford Shock and Brady Stropko, who helped the Vikings reach the finals just last season. There is no denying the Titans are still pretty youthful. But even their core only goes as young as Season 45. Which means in only a few seasons time if they want to keep pushing, they begin asking questions about depreciation, and salary cap. Given that the Titans did win back to back with the majority of this core, and there have been rumblings about a GM switch, don't be surprised to see both a Titan and Viking rebuild in the near future. Which is exactly where the Express come in. By Season 50, if Harbinson can continue to guide the Express on the right path, Cologne could very well be the top dog team in a European conference filled with rebuilding and re-tooling teams. fever95 and Knight 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STZ 5,339 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 That's right, they must be trippin Will 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 nah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Admin Will 4,660 Posted March 11, 2016 Senior Admin Share Posted March 11, 2016 1 hour ago, STZ said: That's right, they must be trippin thats a pretty accurate display of how i picture greg tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregreg 930 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Very nice article. Been a while since I've seen my name that many times though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 4 hours ago, Dewie said: nah You wouldn't know the first thing about success as a GM anyways, I mean unless Frank holds your hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 9 minutes ago, Kendrick said: You wouldn't know the first thing about success as a GM anyways, I mean unless Frank holds your hand. You got me Kendrick, good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 19 minutes ago, Dewie said: You got me Kendrick, good one. Yup just on a tear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,844 Posted March 11, 2016 Admin Share Posted March 11, 2016 Yeah this draft has made things look a lot better for sure. There's definitely a gap in North America and it would be nice to see Cologne take it and run with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,595 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 31 minutes ago, Victor said: Yeah this draft has made things look a lot better for sure. There's definitely a gap in North America and it would be nice to see Cologne take it and run with it. Victor thinks cologne is in NA lol JardyB10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,844 Posted March 11, 2016 Admin Share Posted March 11, 2016 6 minutes ago, eaglesfan036 said: Victor thinks cologne is in NA lol No I just think Cologne shouldn't limit its opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Next time Cologne makes the playoffs is the same time Quebec will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregreg 930 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I could make the playoffs this season but that be foolish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Next time Quebec makes the playoffs we should all hold a party so brovy can be recognized for being just a tad lower than Corco on the successful GM's list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 9 hours ago, Kendrick said: Next time Quebec makes the playoffs we should all hold a party so brovy can be recognized for being just a tad lower than Corco on the successful GM's list. Pretty sure my team right fucking now my team has more elite members on it then any team you assembled in Cologne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 1 hour ago, Dewie said: Pretty sure my team right fucking now my team has more elite members on it then any team you assembled in Cologne. And hows that worked for your success? That is hardly a measure of success at all, considering you've done shit so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 1 minute ago, Kendrick said: And hows that worked for your success? That is hardly a measure of success at all, considering you've done shit so far. Kendrick did you even ever have 6 actives in your organization at once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,844 Posted March 12, 2016 Admin Share Posted March 12, 2016 Cologne vs Quebec R5 am I right @JardyB10 JardyB10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 2 hours ago, Dewie said: Kendrick did you even ever have 6 actives in your organization at once? I sure did, won a cup with them too. In fact I've had 6 actives on my teams every time I have GM'd. Activity was one of the things we had. But hey one off-season and you talk like it was all you haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evrydayimbyfuglien 600 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Really good insight into this rebuild. We'll have to see how things shake out for you guys. No grammar issues and it read very well. Keep up the good work. Maybe we'll see you in the post season very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JardyB10 4,865 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 On 3/12/2016 at 0:46 PM, Victor said: Cologne vs Quebec R5 am I right @JardyB10 A tale as old as time. If only there was some kind of setting in STHS that could reflect in game how little the players of these teams think of each other... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,741 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLastOlympian07 2,388 Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Review What could have been: The Cologne story. For a while now it seems like cologne has been struggling. In fact they always have been struggling since day 1. They seem like the new Vasteras which is unfortunate because they have one of the coolest logos in the VHL. Hopefully the new GM can turn it around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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