Seattle Bears: Offseason "to do" list

[Matt_O 897]

 

The Bears recently decided to blow it up and start from scratch. What can they do this year to build for the future?

 

*This article was written before the Joel Ylonen trade*

 

 

Last season, the Bears won the Victory Cup for the second year in a row. They had a team filled to the brim with talent, as guys such as Matt Thompson, Veran Dragomir, and Robert Malenko headlined a roster that was more than capable of winning a championship. In similar fashion to S64, the Bears blew it, losing to the wildcard team in both years. It was a disaster. For a team that was as good as Seattle, anything short of a cup was disappointing. Now, they find themselves as a rebuilding team, as they are loaded with picks for this upcoming draft. What does Seattle need to do this season to return to relevancy?

 

Draft

What does Seattle need to get in the draft? Well, simply put, absolutely anything they can get. Their forward and defense cores are filled with inactives, and Shane Mars and Valeri Morozov can only be considered semi-active. They are guaranteed the first or second pick, and they should look towards a center with that pick. While taking ACL Tear may be tempting, I suggest going with a scoring center like Phil Marleau, or Aston Martin.  They can compliment Mars very nicely on the first line, while a power forward on the wing alongside Mars wouldn't give him much help. They also have Thomas Kennedy coming from the VHLM, so a one two punch between Martin/Marleau and Kennedy could be great. The Bears also own the Americans' first round pick this year. They could possibly take Marleau or Martin with that pick, and then take a defensemen such as Hulk Hogan with their first or second pick (lottery hasn't been done yet) Their defense core is also weak, and the new GM player Ambrose Stark could pair alongside Hogan or perhaps Boone Jenton very nicely. They also own Calgary's first rounder, where players like Michael Scott or Acyd Burn could be available. Take one of those guys, and that's your future first line, hoping @Spade18 returns to the site.

Mars-Martin/Marleau-Acyd/Scott. Thats a good lineup.

 

Of course, they also have many other picks in this draft, including four second round picks. As mentioned above, they could go out and get Acyd Burn as well as Michael Scott in the draft if things went their way. They could add another defenseman in the second round, with Lincoln Tate and Derek England on the board. If everything goes their way, this is what I could see the Bears coming out of the draft with:

 

Round one picks: Hulk Hogan, Aston Martin, Michael Scott

Round two picks: Acyd Burn, Lincoln Tate, Derek England, Henrik Zoiderberg

Round three picks: Alex Pearson

Round four picks: Danny DeYeeto

Include GM player Ambrose Stark (Defenseman)

That could be a franchise altering draft class for the Bears. While I'm sure things will go differently, this is something that could happen if things go their way. What a way to start a rebuild. 

 

Trade Lando Baxter

Baxter is a consistent defenseman for the Bears, who is active and puts up good numbers. For the last three seasons, he has point totals in the 55-60 range, and hit a new career high with 18 goals. He also is coming off of his best defensive year, with 189 blocked shots, the most of any player in the league. He is active, and isn't super old either. He is an S62 player, so he doesn't even hit regression until S68. 

 

The Bears are not in a win now position. Keeping Baxter on the team is unnecessary, unless he is the team leader behind the scenes. One team that could be interested is Helsinki. They only have three defenseman, and if they look to contend next year, Baxter could be right up their alley. They own four picks in the upcoming draft (two thirds and two fourths) Those picks can give some value, with guys such as Hugh Chan and Dalton Wilcox, that will almost certainly be around by the third round. I'm still new to the scene of GMing, so I still have to find the proper value of picks, but perhaps a third and a fourth? Maybe two fourths? Either way, that is a solid return for a player that the Bears don't really need at the moment.

 

Potential S67 Bears lineup:

 

Scott-Martin-Mars

Burn-Kennedy-Morozov

 

Stark-Hogan

Tate-England

 

Clayton Park in net

 

I don't know about you, but that is a damn good future to look forward too. This could be too good to be true. But, if a little bit of luck bounces their way, then the Seattle Bears could be looking scary in two seasons from now.

 

Other Offseason "To Do" Lists:

Malmo Nighthawks

Moscow Menace (not published)

Toronto Legion (not published)

Edited July 2, 2019 by Matt_O