Davos Moving and Shaking (1/2)

[Smarch 2,952]

Dynamo looking to make noise

This past off-season it seemed that the teams in the European Conference were on the same mission as the trio of Helsinki, Riga, and Davos went looking to upgrade their rosters in hope of finding success come playoff time. The Dynamo were the last of the European teams to finally make their mark in the trade market, but once Dynamo General Manager Conner Low started the ball rolling on the trades, he acted like a boy eating Pringles and just couldn’t stop. The Dynamo were involved in three separate trades since the off-season began just over a week ago, while also drawing ink on a contact for a free agent defenseman. Today we’ll take a closer look into the moves the Dynamo did to enter a more competitive stage.

 

Stockholm/Helsinki/Davos- July 31:

The first trade that Low pulled off happened to be a three way trade that was forced in a way upon Helsinki. Hudson Abbott needed to find a home in Stockholm due to the league’s General Manager rule, so when Davos was pulled into the conversation to help move some pieces, Low saw a great opportunity to bring in a familiar face to him in defenseman Lee King Snatch. Low brought Snatch into the VHL back in Season Fifty-Two as the agent for the Flin Flon, Saskatchewan native. Snatch played the past four seasons with the Stockholm Vikings, a time he enjoyed but something that never produced any real success. Now in Davos as one of the eldest players on the roster, Snatch will be heavily relied upon to carry the load for the defensive core this season.

 

New York/Davos- August 1:

A day after pulling off his first major trade in the VHL, Low was again working the phones to see who was available. The talks between New York and Davos actually got underway a few days prior to the trade being announced, but with the trade hinging on players signing extensions it took a few days for the league office to approve the paperwork that would then allow the trade talks to ramp up again. This time around the Dynamo sent more picks the other way in exchange for two top end forwards, including last season’s point leader Diana Maxwell and tough guy Motherfucker Sharpe. With a young core of forwards already in place, the Dynamo need to bring in some veteran forwards to help the younger guys round out their games, and with Maxwell and Sharpe they found two really solid veterans with a great presence on and off the ice. With the team now rounding into form heading into Season Fifty-Six, many around the league expected this to be the end of the dealings regarding Davos, but little do they know.

 

Stockholm/Davos- August 7:

Six days after sending in the paperwork on his latest trade, Davos General Manager Conner Low picked up the phone and tried the General Manager of the Stockholm Vikings, Tyler Barabash. The conversation was a quick one, possibly not even lasting five minutes, but in that short-time the two GMs agreed on a deal that would shake the VHL to its core. I mean not really but honestly it’s the most conversation this league has seen in months, and is even been talked about regularly three days later. Davos would receive last season’s MVP and goaltender of the year in Rhett DeGrath in a swap of goaltenders between the two clubs. With a less than spectacular defense for the Dynamo as the begin Season Fifty-Six, Low made the bold move to pick up DeGrath to help stabilize the biggest deficiency on the club in the defense. Now with a cupboard full of some of the best talent in the VHL it has been to considered a Continental Cup or bust this season for the Swiss based club. 

 

*For Trombone*

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

REVIEW:

 

Davos was definitely wheeling and dealing this off-season. The franchise has been somewhat unlucky the past couple of seasons, so it's nice to see them get back on track. That thread on the second Stockholm/Davos trade was certainly interesting...I first opened it when it was only page 7 and was expecting some high quality discussion on a controversial trade...but then I was reminded this is the VHL :