http://vhlforum.com/topic/47052-torsea-s58-off-season/

[scoop 3,286]

Looking at the standings, I think it's safe to say that Toronto's first round pick in the upcoming draft will, at the very least, be top two. The Legion are by far the worst team in the VHL right now. Unfortunately for them, they don't hold their first round pick. (However, they do have New York's, a pick which could very well end up being 8th overall.) Toronto's first round pick is actually held by the team that I predicted to win the Victory Cup and make it to the finals: the Seattle Bears. While the Bears are currently 3rd in the standings, they are certainly a competitive team and could still end up winning a second straight Continental Cup. And then possibly follow that up by picking first overall?

 

They acquired the pick during the off-season leading up to S59 in this trade. I think it's fair to say, looking back, that this deal was a massive win for the Bears. Toronto had Jokinen and Yu for one season, and after winning the Victory Cup, they were knocked out of the playoffs by Seattle. The Bears proceeded to beat the Titans in the finals. Neither of the two players that Seattle acquired in the deal are still on the roster. Warlock was traded during that same off-season along with S61 SEA 1st and 2nd to acquire Mats Johnsson, a very good young defenseman. Lane was a part of the Bears championship team before being traded this past off-season as part of a deal to upgrade at goalie to Markus King.

 

I don't know if Toronto was anticipating being the worst team in S60, so maybe trading their S61 1st didn't seem like a bad idea at the time. Granted, it could have turned into a Continental Cup, but we know now that it didn't. I can't fault them too much for that, as it required a rather massive upset (the Legion were 35 points ahead of the Bears in the S59 regular season). But because of that upset and the ensuing victory against the Titans, the Bears came away with a great haul. With the S61 draft looking to have three incredible players at the top (Podrick Cast, Matt Thompson, and Samuel Gate), having the option to add one of those to an already competitive roster seems great. It also gives the Bears some option in this upcoming off-season; they could either trade some of their older players and start a retooling around that top pick, or they could trade that top pick to acquire some more firepower and try to stay on top.

[Victor 10,642]

Legion dun goofed