What went wrong for Stockholm?

[Advantage 2,899]

Let's be honest, Stockholm were the favourites for the Continental Cup.  They ran over everyone in their way to the second greatest record in league history (and the best since season one) and did so dominating New York, Quebec City and Helsinki to a combined 20-3-1 record.  They should have won the cup; they should have at least made it to the finals, but they didn't.  Instead, they become another statistic and the answer to a trivia question.  I'd be lying that as the GM I wasn't pretty bummed.  Things go through your head, especially when you are dealing with real life shit on top of that.  Sometimes, as silly as it sounds, the VHL does really indeed bring your spirits up.  This was not one of those cases.  So what went wrong? Lets take a look.

 

Rhett DeGrath - Shaw Trophy Favourite Struggles to Playoff Worst Save%

Being honest, it is fun to poke fun at Astrid Moon because the reactions can be fairly enjoyable.  However, while Moon is having a Kanou-esque playoff run, Rhett DeGrath is sitting at home wondering if he is the true reason they lost.  On paper, he was likely the player who struggled the most, and given Stockholm outscored Helsinki for the majority of the series, you would have expected some closer games.  Of course, this reason could alternately be about Astrid Moon stepping up and playing like the elite level goaltender that he showcased throughout much of the season.  The truth is, one goalie stepped up and one struggled.  At the end of the day, STZ is my boy and DeGrath is still off to a tremendous start to his career.  Next year, I expect DeGrath to step it up as Moon did this year, and I look forward to seeing it.  The sim is a fickle beast sometimes, and it took it out on Rhett this playoffs.

 

The Sim

Seems lame to blame the sim.  Although, it is crazy how wildly consistently inconsistent it can be.  I guess the actual NHL can be that way too, but sometimes not to the extreme that STHS can be.  I do think it is lame to blame the sim.  Likely, just as lame as it is to blaming any of the hard-working guys on my team who had killer seasons and maybe fell a little short of expectations in the playoffs (Dragonslayer included).  That is part of the unpredictability though and generally it's a welcomed thing when you are not on the short end of it.  Perhaps it will favour us in reverse in the future and then I'll sing its praises.

 

The GM Stood Pat

This is the ultimate reason I think.  I had every reason to stand pat.  To not change anything.  Yet, I didn't make moves when presented at the deadline and I didn't change the lines after Helsinki tied the series at 2.  Ultimately, these are things that while I don't necessarily regret, I do wonder if things would have been different had I went in a different direction.  I think my case for GM of the Year is very good (as is Frank's I might add).  I did a lot of solid moves and the team helped me out by being active and making me look good.  With that being said, I do have some things that in hindsight, I feel I could have done better...and perhaps standing pat is one of them.  Like I said, I had no reason to change anything...until I had reason to change everything.