Helsinki is Underrated

[Erik Summers 451]

Helsinki is Underrated

 

I wasn't expecting this to be a hot take, but in a recent VHL poll, users voted the Helsinki Titans as the most likely to miss the playoffs in the European Conference (assuming HC Davos would be the other team to do so). If all you did was look at the TPA of the top 5-6 players of each team, then I get it, Helsinki doesn't have a single player over 800 TPA. But, aside from Brick Wahl who has historically under-performed, neither does Prague. After Wahl, Ylonen is their highest TPA player and the league showed exactly what they thought of him this off-season, toss him around as a deal-sweetener and nothing more. The Phantoms are my pick to miss the playoffs this season, but I think the came case could be made for Riga and Malmo as well. Riga has the best defensive top pairing in the league and a top five goalie. It is going to be hard to score on them. However, who is shooting the puck? Their highest TPA player score 11 goals last season. They could easily find themselves unable to keep up with teams that are score 2-3 goals a game. Finally, there is Malmo. Everyone is high on the Nighthawks right now, and I get it. They have an exciting GM and the Acyd Burn trade really solidified their offense. However, they are extremely lacking in depth. They have two lines of forward and to defensive pairs and that is it. They don't have much in the way of a backup goalie either. That means there are going to be a lot of sim-generated players getting ice time again in Malmo and that has consistently worked against them.

 

So, with all that being said, I understand why some people are skeptical of the Titans this season, but I think there are teams with much bigger holes to fill this year if they want a shot at the post-season.