Claimed: Stockholm Syndrome [1/2]

[Quik 4,113]

Stockholm Syndrome

What the hell is going on in Stockholm?

 

 

Stockholm, Sweden - The VHL's 57th season has come to its unofficial midway point, with every team having played exactly 35 games. At this point in the season, there is usually a clear picture of how things are going to shake out; you have an idea of who are the buyers, who are the sellers, who's competing for the Victory Cup, and who's going to be in the basement. For the hometown Stockholm Vikings, the only thing that is clear is that they are the league's punching bag! Through the halfway point of the season, two individuals (Riga's John Locke - 42 - and Fredinamijs Krigars - 37) have scored more goals than the Vikings have as a team (29). They have mustered just a single win, all the way back in their 4th game of the season against another cellar dweller in The HC Davos Dynamo. Quite frankly, this team has the look of one incapable of winning another game all season, having been shutout 15 times already, while surrendering nearly 48 shots a night and managing less than 15 shots for.

 

When looking at a team having quite possibly the worst season in VHL history, one would expect them to be a seller, firing off assets at breakneck speeds in order to acquire more youth to help in the future. That would usually be the case, however with these Vikings, there is only one veteran piece of potential value, winger Daryl Dortch, who could possibly be a decent depth piece for a team looking to make a run. Other than that, the team is peppered with computer players, surrounding 3 rookies, goaltender Norris Stopko, and defenceman Boner and Mats Johnsson.

 

 

Things aren't completely hopeless for the incredibly awful Vikings, whose attendance has dipped to below 2,000 as the season drags on. They already hold the rights to top Center prospect, Jasper Canmore, a hulking center who is currently second amongst his position in scoring in the VHLM. They also hold their own pick, likely to have the highest odds at 1st overall, along with that of the Quebec Meute. The Meute's pick is where things get interesting, as the North American conference is in the midst of one of the tigher races of recent memory, with only 7 points separating 1st (a 3-way tie between Calgary, Seattle and Toronto) and 5th (47 and 40, respectively), with Quebec sitting in 4th with 46 points. Depending on how things play out, Quebec missing the playoffs would lead to a second lottery ticket for Stockholm, and a chance at grabbing two of S58s exciting top prospects, all backed by established VHL agents with tremendous pedigree. However, the chances of that happening are still slim, as there is perhaps a greater chance that Quebec wins the conference than there is for them to miss the dance completely.

 

With the current bleak outlook in Stockholm, it has also lead to dissension and rumours of star prospect Mats Johnsson wanting out of his native Sweden. Johnsson, who is currently leading the team in points (14) and assists (10), while also averaging a team-high ice-time of 26:50 per night, has been growing more and more frustrated with the team's direction, and has been very vocal about his displeasure. Among some of the comments he has made, Johnsson has talked about the team's lack of scoring, a lack of surprise in being beaten handily by even the other terrible teams in the league, and a not-so-vague quoting of NBA player Eric Bledsoe's tweet that has seen the basketball star suspended by his team until they can find him a new home, far away from his current Phoenix Suns.

 

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To make things more interesting for VHL fans in this Johnsson saga, the defenceman is heading into the off-season as a pending Restricted Free Agent! After falling in the draft to 12th overall, the defenceman decided to bet on himself, signing for just a single season, rather than the three years of security most players take after being drafted! Positioning himself to receive an offer-sheet this off-season, it is possible that Johnsson could receive an offer up to the league's veteran maximum of $7-million, an offer that the Vikings cannot, by rule of the CBA, extend to Johnsson themselves. Many see this as a decision from Johnsson to flee at his earliest opportunity, while some view it as a way for him to exctract as much money out of a situation that is less than ideal.

 

Indeed, Johnsson can receive an offer up to the maximum $7M, however there are several problems for him there. One, is that it would require another team having the cap space to incorporate him into their lineup, meaning it would likely be a rebuilding team making any kind of substantial offer to the defender. Another is the draft pick compensation that comes with signing an RFA. To sign Johnsson to the type of money that he would be looking for, teams would be required to surrender at least one first round draft pick, and as many as two, both being the team's own picks, which makes it unlikely that a rebuilding team would risk putting an offer in in the first place. The final problem being that, as the Vikings hold his rights so long as they make a qualifying offer of $1.5M this off-season, they retain the right of first refusal, meaning that they can match any offer that Johnsson accepts from opposing teams.

 

 

Given all the restrictions on signing an RFA, there are only 5 teams in the league that currently hold the picks necessary to file an offer sheet for Johnsson, and of those, two are full out rebuilders in Davos and Cologne, while another is a deep Helsinki team that might not have the cap space for a high-priced defender to be added to their ranks. In other words, while fans may be scared of an offer sheet, and Johnsson may be hoping for one, it is very possible one does not come his way, and if it does, it may not be as lucrative as he may expect.

 

For the weeks of Oct. 30 - Nov. 05 and Nov. 06-12

[Gudnason 607]

RIP @Bushito Vasteras. Even I did a better job in Cologne lol

[Quik 4,113]

13 hours ago, Gudnason said:

RIP @Bushito Vasteras. Even I did a better job in Cologne lol

...No.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

Stockholm has always been an interesting team to me, especially since relocating to Stockholm. I still remember the great times they had when they had players like Jody 3 Moons, which was Gorlab, or Lord Karnage not too long ago. Francis York Morgan I think as well, plus many others. I hope they get good sooner than later.