Pod Cast Press Conference (PCPC)

[Victor 11,015]

21 hours ago, Devise said:

1. Pajari finally assisted on a goal of yours, how does that make you feel?

2. Riga has had some near mid-season struggles, do you think it's just a blip or a sign that maybe the rest of the league's competitors have caught up?

3. Rank the standings at the end of this season in your estimation, and then rank the standings on your early guesstimate of next season as well. 

4. What VHL position do you think you could have only one single star at, and no stars but depth players at every other position but still stand a chance to win? Obviously when I say star I mean, best player in the league TPA wise star.

5. What Cup win of all yours stands out to you the most? Which one is the least memorable? 

1. What a monumental occasion. You must link me to the specific game so I can screenshot and include it in my memoirs.

 

2. Just a blip I reckon. I don't think we're an absolute cup favourite, so the lack of outright dominance is completely normal. We'll be in our rightful place by season's end.

 

3. Riga, Seattle, Quebec, Toronto, Helsinki, New York, Calgary, Davos. Next season: Riga, Seattle, Quebec, Helsinki, New York, Calgary, Toronto, ALBUQUERQUE, Davos.

 

4. Would have to say center. But it has to be a solid collection of depth players, like 300-400 TPE at worst. Don't think an elite goalie can pull it off though.

 

5. Most memorable is still my second, S18 Calgary. Still vividly remember going into Game 6 expecting Madrid to have pushed it to 7, and yet we won. HMs here to S30 Calgary and S36 Davos.

 

Least memorable is probably S46 Helsinki, one of my least active seasons with a player, and a repeat as well so no novelty factor.

[Tagger 2,722]

1. What are your thoughts on the trades that have been made thus far in deadline week?

2. What do you think the top four picks would look like in a re-draft of Season 61?

3. Prior to this recent run of good form, there was talk of splitting Cast-Preencarnacion onto two different lines. If such a change were ever to be done, what do you think the result would be?

4. You mentioned in my media article that you didn't like the Davos logo change, is that your least favourite logo change in VHL history?

5. Name one member who you think would be a good addition to the BOG?

6. I noted in my "Hottest Mess" podcast (the one where I gave Boubabi/Kendrick joint winners slot) that I saw more perma-bans this year (Boubabi, BDU, FamishedBlanket) than I'd ever seen in any prior year in the VHL. As you've been in the league longer than myself, I was wondering if that was the same for yourself or if there was a year with more bans prior to my arrival (Anderson counting as one entity)?

[Victor 11,015]

On 1/24/2019 at 1:15 AM, Tagger said:

1. What are your thoughts on the trades that have been made thus far in deadline week?

2. What do you think the top four picks would look like in a re-draft of Season 61?

3. Prior to this recent run of good form, there was talk of splitting Cast-Preencarnacion onto two different lines. If such a change were ever to be done, what do you think the result would be?

4. You mentioned in my media article that you didn't like the Davos logo change, is that your least favourite logo change in VHL history?

5. Name one member who you think would be a good addition to the BOG?

6. I noted in my "Hottest Mess" podcast (the one where I gave Boubabi/Kendrick joint winners slot) that I saw more perma-bans this year (Boubabi, BDU, FamishedBlanket) than I'd ever seen in any prior year in the VHL. As you've been in the league longer than myself, I was wondering if that was the same for yourself or if there was a year with more bans prior to my arrival (Anderson counting as one entity)?

1. I'm surprised Quebec has decided to trade forwards to get better. They're just in a bit of a weird place caught between competing and rebuilding or retooling. That said, player for player trades are very difficult to assess initially, it's very much something to revisit in the future. I like it though, the 3-way trade was very unlike modern VHL.

 

2. Cast, Thompson, Preencarnacion, Sterling in that order, if it was the same teams. Actually, that's also BPA on TPE, I thought Malenko might have snuck up on Sterling but he hasn't.

 

3. I think one would do much better than the other, although don't know which one tbh. More importantly, I don't think it would have changed much in terms of how many wins we'd get as a team.

 

4. No, there was a really bad one Toronto made in like S12 - David Knight then reversed it back to their better known logo (which is similar to the one they have now). It was kind of like the one Helsinki has now, but it didn't really work. That is quite niche though. The VHL logo change is actually up there for me, the red one was perfect.

 

5. Oof that's a tough one. I feel a lot of the newer members are getting close - if I had to pick one I'd say Enorama but probably because I see him the most.

 

6. I think you're right. I didn't think about it until I heard you say that but I'd struggle to name three others bans in total (other than Anderson). Eldred was one just before the DDOS attack. One of my personal faves is Slobo permabanning a semi-active who PMd one of Slobo's multis who was meant to be a girl asking for a nude. But yeah, slim pickings apart from that.

[Advantage 2,899]

1. Returning to GM'ing eh? How long this time?

2. If not Moscow, where would you have moved the team to?

3. Can we start the campaign for me as the newest BOG member yet? 

4. Have you played for every team at this point? I'm trying to remember but you have to be close right? (Sadly, i think I'm not even close)

5. If you had to retract a team? Who would it be?

[Victor 11,015]

22 hours ago, Advantage said:

1. Returning to GM'ing eh? How long this time?

2. If not Moscow, where would you have moved the team to?

3. Can we start the campaign for me as the newest BOG member yet? 

4. Have you played for every team at this point? I'm trying to remember but you have to be close right? (Sadly, i think I'm not even close)

5. If you had to retract a team? Who would it be?

1. I want to win a cup with Moscow and that might take some time. I think I shouldn't burn myself out this time as the expectations are a bit lower so I reckon around 10 seasons is probably likely.

 

2. If it wasn't Europe I wouldn't have bothered applying, and in Europe the other options for me were Prague or London. Think I went with the most popular choice though.

 

3. Haha, I'm sure you'll be on the shortlist when we have vacancies but you know how it is, need to hit a lull or have some deadweight before shaking things up a bit. Pretty healthy atm.

 

4. I hadn't played for Riga and Seattle before Cast so glad Riga drafted me. Just Seattle left now.... and I guess Moscow but that will obviously be addressed quite soon.

 

5. Oof, tough one. Probably Seattle, partially because of the answer to q4, but especially cuz they're basically the American Vasteras at this point - their glory days are ancient.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

I remember you said Kallis could become relevant once I hit 500 TPE. 620 TPE and counting and he's still wack. What's up with STHS?

Can we win the championship again with this questionable goaltending?

Can Seattle be considered as one of favorites?

Can QUE pull the wildcard series with a CPU goalie?

Are you going to make offers to FA for Moscow?

Can NY compete next year?

How's MU doing so well lately? Is it just Solskjaer relaxing his players?

Do you watch football? (American, to be exact)

Can Riga compete for a long time with constant drafting instead of selling picks?

Which team can compete for a long time, if not Riga?

 

[Victor 11,015]

9 hours ago, hedgehog337 said:

I remember you said Kallis could become relevant once I hit 500 TPE. 620 TPE and counting and he's still wack. What's up with STHS?

Can we win the championship again with this questionable goaltending?

Can Seattle be considered as one of favorites?

Can QUE pull the wildcard series with a CPU goalie?

Are you going to make offers to FA for Moscow?

Can NY compete next year?

How's MU doing so well lately? Is it just Solskjaer relaxing his players?

Do you watch football? (American, to be exact)

Can Riga compete for a long time with constant drafting instead of selling picks?

Which team can compete for a long time, if not Riga?

 

Holy motherhedging questions hogman

 

1. Yeah, dunno, I mean 500 TPE was based on my outdated knowledge of TPE, but I looked at your build, everything looks fine. Your wins and GAA and shutouts will help career stats though if you stick out all 8, just need to improve on save% but who knows when that will happen.

 

2. Of course, we won last year. Plus Kallis could always turn into Astrid Moon in the playoffs.

 

3. Definitely, they've always been one of the favourites and offense wins championships. They have the slightly easier path to the finals and anything else can happen there.

 

4. Probably not. Honestly, would have been close with Iseult but without him... Ironside-Arroyo is too much. And Quebec picked up scoring a bit but it's Stopko. RIP Meute.

 

5. Of course, doesn't hurt to try.

 

6. There'll be a space as Toronto falls off imo and I don't think Calgary or Davos will be ready. Actually competing for the cup though... dunno, depends how bad Riga looks after the cap.

 

7. A bit of that, a bit of a very kind fixture list... they did beat Arsenal as well and Spurs just about, but let's see how they do against PSG and Chelsea. Basically, they just started winning the games they always should have been.

 

8. Absolutely not, one of the worst sports.

 

9. I mean, that's the best way to compete right? I think it's time to start targeting the playoff streak record.

 

10. Probably Vancouver. I think combined with Quebec they'll have a very long playoff streak too, because they always have a pretty young team and did a bit of a retool now. Will they become a serious cup contender though is the question. That depends on how the post-Dragomir generation turns out... and of course they'll need a goalie fairly soon, but there's loads of those.

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

1. How well do you think Ryuu will do in the playoffs without Gow and Shephard to carry help him?

2. Mr. Cast, what tips do you have for young players?

3. If you weren't on Riga, what team would you like to be on?

4. What is your second favourite sport?

5. If you could sign with an NHL team, what team would you sign with?

[Victor 11,015]

On 2/6/2019 at 2:21 PM, SlapshotDragon said:

1. How well do you think Ryuu will do in the playoffs without Gow and Shephard to carry help him?

2. Mr. Cast, what tips do you have for young players?

3. If you weren't on Riga, what team would you like to be on?

4. What is your second favourite sport?

5. If you could sign with an NHL team, what team would you sign with?

1. Mate, you carried those old farts more than anything. I mean at this point we all need to pull our finger out and slap Helsinki but you should be doing just fine.

 

2. Don't stop working. You have to be very unlucky to hit high TPE levels and not have some memorable achievements to take away from your career. Obviously everyone would love to get the HOF call, but that's impossible - but it's still perfectly reasonable to expect a great season or two and a cup.

 

3. Either of my two main VHL loves: Calgary and Davos. They were in the midst of contending cycles when I was drafted so there was never a chance but I'm sure I will make it back one day.

 

4. Bold assumption there that you know my favourite (it's not hockey ). Second is a bit of a left-field choice; biathlon.

 

5. Ottawa, gotta be a fanboy for this one.

[Devise 4,475]

1. How many more players do you think you have in you?

2. How soon until Moscow wins a Championship in your estimation?

3. What VHL franchise (current/active) do you hate most, why?

4. Do you think expansion will solve some of our STHS consistency woes?

5. On that topic, has STHS just been inconsistent due to the larger player count, or do you think something else explains this seasons parity? 

6. Will we ever see a season offensively similar to the one Cast posted a while back, or has the goalie pool caught up?

[Victor 11,015]

18 minutes ago, Devise said:

1. How many more players do you think you have in you?

2. How soon until Moscow wins a Championship in your estimation?

3. What VHL franchise (current/active) do you hate most, why?

4. Do you think expansion will solve some of our STHS consistency woes?

5. On that topic, has STHS just been inconsistent due to the larger player count, or do you think something else explains this seasons parity? 

6. Will we ever see a season offensively similar to the one Cast posted a while back, or has the goalie pool caught up?

1. Honestly, I didn't even think I had this one in me haha. Obviously there's a Moscow player coming but I think I'll go back to 1 player once Cast retires so I don't burn out. After that, we'll see how it goes. I recently made a list of names I liked but I've done that many times over the years and not used most of them... so that's not really saying much.

 

2. Based on the age of players I'll likely get through expansion and other drafts, we'll definitely be trying for a cup in S68 or so, maybe earlier, depending on how the pieces fall. Whether that works or not is not up for me to say, but will be the reason for the answer being either 5 or 10 seasons.

 

3. Hate is a strong word, but Seattle is the one I have no reason to like. Never played there, been on a few rivalries against them (including now in a slightly watered down way), and think they've been pretty crap for a good 30 seasons now.

 

4. I don't think there are any STHS consistency woes, playoffs aside, this season hasn't been any weirder than any other. Playoffs are a different matter and as we saw in a 10-team VHL, that will no change. That's somewhat the perk of STHS, else it'd be pretty boring.

 

5. Well I suppose I'll struggle to answer that based on the above lol. This season's parity was the result of the worst team probably being good enough to finish 5th or 6th in many previous seasons, and the fact that most big teams (including Riga and Helsinki) went for depth over star power. The one team that built the traditional VHL way was Seattle and had pretty sensible results. Of course, Seattle wasn't an all-time great team, hence the playoffs went as they did, but STHS is not to blame for any of this.

 

6. It is entirely possible it'll happen again, it's all about timing. Generally these seasons happen when there's more young/CPU goalies and that is hard to predict, but it is likelier with more teams. A guess Cast was the perfect storm of circumstances but a high scoring season pretty much happens every 10 seasons anyway so I'm sure there'll be some 150-point performances, at least, to come.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1. Is there any surprise in protection lists? Like, are you surprised a particular player wasn't or was protected instead of other?

2. Your reaction on Peace-Randoms swap.

3. Do you think the S66 draft will be better than 65?

4. Which teams could compete for the next seasons cup?

5. How many times you attended to the draft before, given the timezone differences?

6. The first Moscow trade! Was that an easy one for you to make?

7. Do you think Cast can put up greater numbers next season?

8. Do you think we could have another expansion following S65?

9. Is S64 Toronto the worst championship team ever?

10. Are you glad Stopko is retired?

[Victor 11,015]

On 2/15/2019 at 8:36 PM, hedgehog337 said:

1. Is there any surprise in protection lists? Like, are you surprised a particular player wasn't or was protected instead of other?

2. Your reaction on Peace-Randoms swap.

3. Do you think the S66 draft will be better than 65?

4. Which teams could compete for the next seasons cup?

5. How many times you attended to the draft before, given the timezone differences?

6. The first Moscow trade! Was that an easy one for you to make?

7. Do you think Cast can put up greater numbers next season?

8. Do you think we could have another expansion following S65?

9. Is S64 Toronto the worst championship team ever?

10. Are you glad Stopko is retired?

1. At the time, I was surprised Materazo was protected last minute - assumed Zabby was going to become less active but still decided he was worth getting as a depth player. Obviously hasn't worked out all that well. I was also surprised Bronstein was unprotected, while Lavar Ball was by Toronto.

 

2. Makes sense for us cap-wise as you can control your own player better than trying to get Peace to not earn more TPE which wouldn't be fair. Sad to see Peace go because he was a key LR contributor but then players are gonna have to leave anyway sadly.

 

3. Yeah, based on what I've seen so far, I think there'll be more instant VHLers and should be just as deep.

 

4. Riga and Helsinki will be back again for sure. Seattle and Vancouver will be a bit weaker but can't be written off and will definitely be in the playoffs where as Toronto proved anything could happen. Don't expect anyone else to step up and become a serious cup contender just yet though.

 

5. I don't think I've been to a live draft since coming back as they've all been at night. I do remember I managed to make quite a few consecutively back in the day, especially when I was commish - I think we had a majority east coast + me population so time zones were less of an issue. But I can't give you an exact number.

 

6. Pretty easy yeah, minimal negotiations. I think the players I was looking at for 6th overall will probably match Gebauer over their careers but I'll be very unlucky for them to be better than him so it's a more sure thing than I'd have by keeping the 1st. Plus he was very keen on joining Moscow.

 

7. I hope so, depends is offense league-wide goes up. I'll be disappointed if I fall out of the top 5 performers given the TPE but how good that is is out of my control.

 

8. I know for a fact another expansion is in the short-term plans but the specific season is TBC. I doubt it'll be the very next season but we'll crunch the numbers during S65 and see if it would make sense or not.

 

9. Great question - I don't know. If you look at probable Hall of Famers, you've got Stopko, Ironside is on the right track, Arroyo still has time too, while there are other cup winners in the past with no HOFers. If you look at regular season performance, again some lower ranked teams have won it before. If you look at TPE, it's harder to compare but there's been some surprising winners before. Toronto will be near the bottom but where exactly... might be a future MS.

 

10. Not particularly - I'm actually quite glad he finally performed like his TPE levels. And it wasn't against us so it didn't affect me personally. Early on in S64 I was looking at his stats and thought he might struggle to get into the HOF which would have been very unfortunate, but he's pretty much guaranteed now. Of course, in terms of there being one less good opponent for us, it's good, but I wasn't waiting for it to happen.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1. how's vacation?

2. Who you prefer to draft? old school members or first gens?

3. Which team is surprising you so far? 

4. Have you decided already about the position of your recreate?

5. Do you think we need to get rid of regional (like Western Europe, Scandinavia e.t.c) teams for WC? 

6. Are you confident Cast will break 900 point mark?

7. Your reaction on Advantage becoming a GM again?

8. Do you like their logo?

9. Vancouver...just wtf?

10. Codrick Past ---> Moscow?

[Victor 11,015]

On 4/1/2019 at 12:07 PM, hedgehog337 said:

1. how's vacation?

2. Who you prefer to draft? old school members or first gens?

3. Which team is surprising you so far? 

4. Have you decided already about the position of your recreate?

5. Do you think we need to get rid of regional (like Western Europe, Scandinavia e.t.c) teams for WC? 

6. Are you confident Cast will break 900 point mark?

7. Your reaction on Advantage becoming a GM again?

8. Do you like their logo?

9. Vancouver...just wtf?

10. Codrick Past ---> Moscow?

1. Chilled and relaxed, visiting some beautiful Spanish lands. Shame need to go back to work on Thursday.

 

2. Unless it's a surefire recreate, of which there aren't many left, first gens - just more enthusiasm and upside.

 

3. Toronto, again, not sure why they're doing so well, especially without Stopko now. Arroyo for MVP I guess.

 

4. Yeah, I did basically as soon as it became clear I'd get a goalie one way or  another. Don't care about defence, and center is most important forward position.

 

5. Eh? We need some divide otherwise it's all a bit pointless. Most countries don't have enough players to have a regular place, except maybe Sweden/Russia.

 

6. Not anymore haha... Still, three seasons to turn it around and no one will be ahead in TPE so reckon its 50/50 ATM.

 

7. Felt kinda bad when everyone remembered he should have bad the first expansion team so well deserved. Always nice to see a familiar face and someone I dealt with as a GM before.

 

8. Yeah its cool and I agree with bringing back green. Not sure it fits the name exactly but it's still good.

 

9. I don't think they've ever been cup favourites on paper but they certainly have underperformed for three seasons now. This collapse makes no sense and is a bit sad to see. But it has made things more interesting to end the season - I still think they'll make the playoffs, otherwise I have lots of their draft picks to make use of.

 

10. Haha, maybe, too early to tell who goes where.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1. can overpowered roster being the reason why our playoff collapse happened?

2. Kallis is 820 TPE. He still sucks. wtf?

3. do you think Chase can become Moscow's franchise goalie?

4. in VHL, first two seeds lost in semis. in NHL, first seed in each conf lost in first round while only winning one game combined. correlation crazy?

5. how does it feel to be the only GM who won't lose a player in the expansion draft?

6. do you hope our second line won't be that strong like this season? cause it might be benefical for Cast.

[Victor 11,015]

11 hours ago, hedgehog337 said:

1. can overpowered roster being the reason why our playoff collapse happened?

2. Kallis is 820 TPE. He still sucks. wtf?

3. do you think Chase can become Moscow's franchise goalie?

4. in VHL, first two seeds lost in semis. in NHL, first seed in each conf lost in first round while only winning one game combined. correlation crazy?

5. how does it feel to be the only GM who won't lose a player in the expansion draft?

6. do you hope our second line won't be that strong like this season? cause it might be benefical for Cast.

1. Don't think our roster was overpowered this season, no extra depth players, just should have done better. I don't often fail to have an explanation for the sim but this season is one of those situations.

 

2. See above tbh. Doesn't make sense. The only logical argument I've seen is @Advantage's about the update scale hurting goalies more than forwards now, which we should probably do something about.

 

3. Fingers crossed, but I'll probably be looking for an insurance policy after Cole fell off the grid. I just need a good VHL goalie, not necessarily a great one.

 

4. We are clearly the trend setting league.

 

5. Pretty good although I think I could protect my whole team under current rules. But makes sense since we could have joined the league in the same off season.

 

6. Ehhhh let's see what happens haha. I don't know what matters to being good anymore.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1. do you hope Moscow could become a contender next season?

2. will Malmo fall in standings after mid season?

3. will Pavlov move to wing since Moscow already has two centers?

4. does Riga have a chance to win it all with 9 forwards? iirc a full three line team never won a thing. 

5. do you blame a three line setup on Cast's so-so start?

6. will Toronto stay in the bottom for a long time?

7. will the S67 draft be even more deep than the last one?

8. do you think we need one more expansion this off season? (multiple teams though)

9. or do we need raise the cap even further?

10. do you feel pity for Paolo Nano?

 

@Victor

[Victor 11,015]

On 5/12/2019 at 9:59 AM, hedgehog337 said:

1. do you hope Moscow could become a contender next season?

2. will Malmo fall in standings after mid season?

3. will Pavlov move to wing since Moscow already has two centers?

4. does Riga have a chance to win it all with 9 forwards? iirc a full three line team never won a thing. 

5. do you blame a three line setup on Cast's so-so start?

6. will Toronto stay in the bottom for a long time?

7. will the S67 draft be even more deep than the last one?

8. do you think we need one more expansion this off season? (multiple teams though)

9. or do we need raise the cap even further?

10. do you feel pity for Paolo Nano?

 

@Victor

1. I think we're already showing promising signs, currently the highest goalscorers in the league! I will certainly be looking for opportunities to add to the team in the off-season but even this core on its own I believe is capable of taking a big step up in S67.

 

2. Logically, they should, but nothing is logical anymore. I think that yes, they've got their big wins early on but are not truly a playoff team. However, the advantage (heh) they now have might just carry them into the postseason.

 

3. Currently I am not adding to face offs with Pavlov so yes, that is the plan. We have 3 in fact with McDavid as well, so there is no need for Pavlov to be a center.

 

4. There have been a few instances, going as far back as S11 Davos, but more importantly now so many teams have unconventional rosters by VHL standards that anything is possible.

 

5. Partially yes, but I don't think the minutes are that much lower to explain it. I should just be doing better and I'm glad I have another team's results to pay attention to otherwise I'd be quite frustrated.

 

6. Well they're not bottom now and I didn't expect them to be long. Having the second worst goalie in the league is a risky strategy though and the playoffs are under serious threat.

 

7. I'm going to be honest, I haven't paid much attention to it and might not as I just have my first two picks. If it's not deeper than S66, I do think it looks deeper than any other pre S66 draft so still pretty amazing.

 

8. Again, I'd need to have a closer look but I don't think anything is in the works at the moment. There is just about enough space I believe as a few teams are carrying players who can be discarded.

 

9. Well that's the alternative. I prefer expansion to raising the cap, but also want at least a couple seasons of no change lol. That is usually out of our hands though.

 

10. I did feel sorry for Nano so now I brought him to where he truly belongs. And now I feel even more sorry for him because if he never left last season or signed straight back in Moscow in the off-season he'd have unreal stats over the past two seasons. Already nearly our top scorer lol. Nano + Moscow is just a perfect combination.

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1. how disappointed are you with Cast's S66 performance?

2. how did Edwin manage to have such a fire second half of the season?

3. can we except Moscow doing big moves in a following offseason?

4. rate Kallis chances to choke the playoffs again.

5. in S65 draft, Vanvouver stole an active (at that time) goalie Joe Nixon from you. Then you drafted Owen May in the S66 draft who already passed Nixon in TPE. Are you laughing at them now?

6. how tragic is the story of Kyson Blake - from RoTY to a player that nobody needs in one season?

7. what happened with Tannahill? (that gregreg guy, not Vasteras)

8. could he be the biggest S66 bust for Moscow?

9. how much do you hope I will go back to 6 forward setup?

10. is there any chance that even 1 VHL team will only have 6 forward in next season?

[Victor 11,015]

On 6/17/2019 at 8:52 AM, hedgehog337 said:

1. how disappointed are you with Cast's S66 performance?

2. how did Edwin manage to have such a fire second half of the season?

3. can we except Moscow doing big moves in a following offseason?

4. rate Kallis chances to choke the playoffs again.

5. in S65 draft, Vanvouver stole an active (at that time) goalie Joe Nixon from you. Then you drafted Owen May in the S66 draft who already passed Nixon in TPE. Are you laughing at them now?

6. how tragic is the story of Kyson Blake - from RoTY to a player that nobody needs in one season?

7. what happened with Tannahill? (that gregreg guy, not Vasteras)

8. could he be the biggest S66 bust for Moscow?

9. how much do you hope I will go back to 6 forward setup?

10. is there any chance that even 1 VHL team will only have 6 forward in next season?

1. I think I've also had a shit season with my players so I guess this was it. It was stupid and would have been a major turn off, good thing I had Moscow to keep me going.

 

2. No clue and his final stats were where Cast should have been. Given we're on the same line and I am the better player, it's a bit demoralising.

 

3. I'm always open to all possibilities, that's all I'll say.

 

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, probably 8.

 

5. Haha, it's good when things like that go your way. I would have drafted him with the very next pick although the guy I drafted, Mitch Matthews, isn't active anymore either. But it's good that it forced me to not take chances in S66 and I got my franchise goalie at the second attempt.

 

6. I mean, he was a pretty lucky rookie of the year but yeah it's a shame. I purposefully picked him from Riga in the expansion draft because I knew his build would make sure he was good. It still is - Jaguar and Volosenkov exploded once I put him on the 2nd line with them, but sadly there's no space for him going forward.

 

7. He was a bit of a gamble as all returning members are. I would love to see him back at full strength but at the same time people going inactive/semiactive makes cap decisions easier in the future.

 

8. At the moment probably, although Buefordsson is also a slight concern. I made up for it with some great picks later on so you win some, you lose some.

 

9. I think it would be best for the team and for Cast but I don't know if it's feasible with the cap and still having a good set of forwards. I would recommend it though.

 

10. I've not done the math for everyone but someone like Seattle or Toronto maybe. Certainly Toronto has a chance although they'll be collecting a lot of cap dumps I reckon.

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

1) When do you think you can get Moscow to become legit cup contenders?

2) If you were currently the #1 Big Man on Campus is there anything you would do differently in running the VHL?

3) Was your meeting with me in London the turning point for you coming back?

4) If the answer to #3 is yes, should I get tpe for recruiting you?

5) Have you ever missed any real life commitments to do something on VHL?

6) Compare a VHL franchise to the plastic Chelsea franchise

7) You can revive one fallen VHL member - who?

8) Do you think @JardyB10 will ever return?

9) Can I GM the next expansion team?

10) What is the best trade you ever made?

[Victor 11,015]

On 6/25/2019 at 1:12 PM, Positivefan036 said:

1) When do you think you can get Moscow to become legit cup contenders?

2) If you were currently the #1 Big Man on Campus is there anything you would do differently in running the VHL?

3) Was your meeting with me in London the turning point for you coming back?

4) If the answer to #3 is yes, should I get tpe for recruiting you?

5) Have you ever missed any real life commitments to do something on VHL?

6) Compare a VHL franchise to the plastic Chelsea franchise

7) You can revive one fallen VHL member - who?

Do you think @JardyB10 will ever return?

9) Can I GM the next expansion team?

10) What is the best trade you ever made?

1.  I've pulled the trigger now even though I think it's a season too soon but the opportunity arose. It was always my intention to look to start contending by S68 and that is still probably our more realistic shot.

 

2. Not to take the easy route out, but no, I don't think so. My main attribute was getting shit done quickly which wasn't always the case previously, and I think the current guys get through what they need to in good time. There's some behind the scenes stuff I'd improve, especially documentation around the portal, which concerns me a bit but I'm not involved enough to do anything about it.

 

3. That's an interesting question, I think I wondered that to myself a couple times. I don't know to be honest, it probably planted the idea in my head, but most importantly I never truly left, I kept lurking and I was more waiting for the league to get back to its old levels than anything else.

 

4. Hypothetical TPE for a hypothetical question.

 

5. I don't think so, not off the top of my head, granted it has been about 10 years. I've definitely overstayed online doing something silly like trying to finish trade negotiations, but I've never cancelled on actual plans or anything like that.

 

6. I don't think there's any good direct comparison between hockey and football, but at one point it would have definitely been Quebec - not much liked, preferring to buy success. Nowadays, not sure there is a Chelsea in the league.

 

7. Reading this question alongside the next one, my mind immediately goes to Jardy. It's probably him other than the fact he is less fallen now because he briefly reappeared, but nah still Jardy.

 

8. Despite that, I don't think he will. You can't write it off but I think his departure was so gradual, over so many years, that there's no need for him to come back because it just stopped being part of his routine.

 

9. What next expansion team? 

 

10. Ooh, could probably write an article on choosing this. Just gonna do a quick CTRL+F through my Davos trades to see if any stick out. Having had a quick look, I think it's a toss-up between any of the trades that got me Landry, Jones, Baker, and J. Olsen (3 trades in total). All reasonably fair value but all seemed whack at the time because they weren't superstars but helped build up a core of S33-S35 players which then made 4 straight finals. Jones trade probably takes it because I beat Helsinki in a direct bidding war and then beat Helsinki en route to the cup in S36.

[Devise 4,475]

1. Thoughts on the current state of the VHL/VHLM?

2. We've got the portal and it's an ever growing/fixing project, we've got our team numbers and back and even still we are flooded with good recruitment. What the next step for the league, from a broader moving forward perspective?

3. Excited to have some star power in Moscow? How well do you think specifically Sterling and Cast will do as the clear leads on a young team?

4. Which team had the best off-season, and did the off-season adjust your team rankings for Season 67 wildly at all?

5. Pick two players currently playing, one that is going to for sure make the HoF and one that you think will be good, but just miss by a margin?

6. You planning on sticking with two players after Cast or going to reduce it to just the one as GM player? 

[Victor 11,015]

7 hours ago, Devise said:

1. Thoughts on the current state of the VHL/VHLM?

2. We've got the portal and it's an ever growing/fixing project, we've got our team numbers and back and even still we are flooded with good recruitment. What the next step for the league, from a broader moving forward perspective?

3. Excited to have some star power in Moscow? How well do you think specifically Sterling and Cast will do as the clear leads on a young team?

4. Which team had the best off-season, and did the off-season adjust your team rankings for Season 67 wildly at all?

5. Pick two players currently playing, one that is going to for sure make the HoF and one that you think will be good, but just miss by a margin?

6. You planning on sticking with two players after Cast or going to reduce it to just the one as GM player? 

1. Can't speak much for the VHLM although I'm sure it's going well given how many prospects are coming through and the activity it seems to generate (as well as number of teams). VHL though is the best it's ever been. The previous peak was sort of the first 15 seasons of Cologne/Quebec expansion but recruitment never hit up a gear while this time it's relentless. It's great and I didn't expect it even a year ago.

 

2. More expansion is almost certainly on the cards, but the next big step is definitely something I can't think of, probably something portal-related but I don't really know what's feasible and what isn't there.

 

3. Yeah it's a bit of a vanity move this off-season, we'll see if it pays off (or worst case scenario I guess I'll have to win the draft lotto again). Sterling should do better than last season but just needs to be a steady hand, while Cast I'm hoping for better results as Riga just wasn't working anymore but I've still got a deep team and a lot of people to satisfy. At least Cast's destiny is wholly in my own hands now.

 

4. I have to say you did exactly what you needed to with Toronto and probably win it on paper at the moment. Helsinki did well to not lose anyone and Davos might look really good in the future but I don't understand their off-season moves right now. The big adjustment is Vancouver falling for me, unless they've lined up a trade for Kingfisher I think they've taken a step back after their most encouraging season in a while.

 

5. Gonna keep it boring and stick to the players whose careers are largely behind them. Arroyo is going in, while Preencarnacion is not, largely based on their relative award cases (and Edwin will become eligible when HOF classes become deeper again).

 

6. No, just Pavlov once Cast hangs them up. And then possibly no one at all after Pavlov but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.