VHL Expansion: A Review

[StamkosFan 72]

VHL Expansion: A Review

The VHL's newest franchise hails from the heart of Russia.

 

It was hotly debated whether or not VHL should have expansion at all, seeing as how few teams not named Riga have enough players to ice a third line, but the VHL pressed on anyways, insisting a recent influx of new members would take care of the numerical discrepancies. VHL has not expanded from the eight team format in over thirty seasons, so it is no surprise that the news was not met with all positive reception. Its ninth team would be the Moscow Menace, with the continued goal of turning the VHL into a truly international league. Russia has terse relations and a difficult history with its Western counterparts, namely the United States, so there could definitely be an immediate rivalry between this new club, and Seattle and New York. Some players have already griped in the past about the lengthy flights across oceans, especially from Seattle to Helsinki and vice versa, so this new franchise should make the already lengthy flight times longer. VHL has not had a Russian franchise since Season 10, and there must've been valid and logistical reasons for this.

 

The general manager of the Moscow Menace will be Victor, a storied figure in VHL history who has held management roles in the past, but has not GMed a club in over 25 seasons. Victor's first task as general manager will be making selections in the expansion draft, which will occur before the S65 Entry Draft. The teams he will be selecting from may protect seven players in addition to their GM's player. Moscow will be able to select one player from each franchise that is left unprotected, so GMs are at risk of losing valid assets for nothing. The only way to avoid having a player snatched away from a club is if a team protects seven players and has no active players under contract for the upcoming season available, Moscow will select an inactive and receive a 3rd round pick in any of the next three draft along with their selection. 

 

The next task will be the entry draft, in which a random lottery will determine where Moscow picks; anywhere between the 4th pick and the 9th pick is a possibility. And after that, it's off to the regular season, where Moscow will test its mettle against the other VHL clubs. It remains to be seen how they will fare against the competition, but they will have an uphill battle; the playoff format will not be changed in spite of the new team, so the odds to make the playoffs are even narrower than they were before. It may be a few seasons before Moscow can give the powerhouse franchises a run for their money.

 

It will certainly be a busy offseason, with a lot of players worried about being on the protection lists and being carted off to a new destination. Being selected in an expansion draft will certainly drop the draftees morale, as they may feel as though their previous clubs did not value them, so Moscow will also have the unenviable task of soothing bruised egos and assembling the new roster behind the team identity.