Jack Shephard Last Big Name FA Left

[Devise 4,475]

With the completion of the finals the off-season always brings some notably events. And after a relatively smoothly run and quick drafts in both the VHL and VHLM, the rest of the off-season shenanigans have finally hit full swing. Training camps are active, the World Cup is underway, and generally one of the more notably aspects of the league, free agency had begun. While you will still certainly see swings of very dull free agencies, or seasons where no big name players are available, in general I'd say free agency is one of the more consistent aspects to VHL team building. It seems like once every 2-3 seasons your seeing something out of free agency that is either crazy, or a big momentum building shift for a teams narrative. Of course that should always be the case, what with teams getting players without having to lose assets. 

 

But free agency has often shaped the dynamic of trades for even seasons to come in some instances. Thus far free agency this season has been alright, with some notable names already signing contracts. David Kiaskov signed with Seattle, Sergie Komarov signed with Quebec, and both Joseph Bassolino and Jeff Gow signed with Riga. However there is still one notable name left to sign. That of Jack Shephard. Reports are that Shephard only has contract offers from two teams at the moment, with Riga and Helsinki being considered the frontrunners for those two teams. 

 

Regardless of where Jack signs, free agency has seen less of a shake up and more of a pushing down the path. Quebec Seattle and Riga all figure to be heavy in the race for the Cup this season, joining last seasons Cup winning Calgary Wranglers as your likely top 4 teams. There will still be question marks surrounding Davos this season, however they are the likely favorites to meet the 5th spot. While New York, Helsinki and Toronto are still likely to all sit outside the playoff spots, anything can still happen. New York is the only one of those three teams that has it's own S64 1st. So it benefits neither Toronto or Helsinki to settle for the higher lotto percentage. With lots many of the contenders already loaded with players, something could give heading to the deadline to see a push for the 5th spot from one of the outside teams. 

 

All this with Shephards decisions still looming, a decision that is undoubtedly to have an impact on several of these open narratives.