TRADE ALERT: DAV/NYA/VAN

[Doomsday 4,143]

@Pengu is a graphical wizard deserving of thanks and praise.

 

 HC Davos Dynamo Receive: 

 

C Hunter Hearst Helmsley

S74 VAN 3rd

 

 New York Americans Receive: 

 

LW Acyd Burn

S74 DAV 2nd

 

 Vancouver Wolves Receive: 

 

RW Dalton Wilcox

S73 NYA 2nd

S74 NYA 1st

 

Analysis

 

Another day, another massive blockbuster trade in the VHL. In a season filled with big trades, we're treated to more of the same as two of the biggest stars of the VHL are on the move, along with a slew of draft picks. Jerry Garcia and the HC Davos Dynamo are sending Acyd Burn to Esso Drunkmann and the New York Americans, with Hunter Hearst Helmsley headed to Davos. Keaton Louth and the Vancouver Wolves get an S74 NYA 1st, S73 NYA 2nd and a reliable veteran in Dalton Wilcox.

 

 

The biggest part of the trade, naturally, is VSN's top-ranked player on the Top 25, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, moving to Davos. General Manager Jerry Garcia's squad is a very different one from Season 71, now looking to contend for a Continental Cup. While a young core still remains in place, there's now a massive wealth of veteran talent that makes the HC Davos Dynamo a true contender this season. As it stands, they won't have much of a draft class next season, and that's ok. If they manage to retain enough of the veterans, this team will only get stronger as players like Roque Davis, SS Hornet and Robin Winters develop. The biggest question mark this season is whether or not veteran goaltender Samuel Ross will be good enough in net for Davos to lift the Cup. Joakim Bruden has the potential to be their guy in the future, but this season, it will be up to Ross. If Ross can elevate his game, the Dynamo's roster is good enough to beat anyone. 

 

 

With Acyd Burn now joining his fifth team in five seasons, it looks as if he might have finally found his forever home with the New York Americans. "After speaking with Acyd and his representation, we felt confident that New York would be an excellent place to finish his career and push for some silverware. Who doesn't love the Big Apple?" stated New York Americans Assistant General Manager Alabaster Slim, with General Manager Esso Drunkmann considerably too inebriated to field questions. "We are a team composed of many veterans and perhaps the young core of Davos just wasn't quite the right fit for him."

 

It's been a rough couple of seasons for New York, but this time, it seems as if the playoffs are finally in reach for the Americans. With the D.C. Dragons struggling and Vancouver unexpectedly committing to a rebuild, New York should make the playoffs by default, but just getting there isn't going to be enough for them. "We weren't looking to the future when making these trades," continued Slim for the incapacitated Drunkmann. "Our aim was to compete now. We didn't feel like starting a rebuild early was plausible and we were confident we only needed a couple of pieces to really take this team to the next level. Furthermore, our top line of (Soren) Jensen, Burn and (Julius) Freeman is likely one of the most dangerous in the league as well."

 

 

With General Manager Keaton Louth unexpectedly committing to a rebuild earlier in the season, it's been a changing of the guard for the Wolves. Franchise mainstays Julius Freeman and Hunter Hearst Helmsley are now gone as Vancouver prepares for a new core to be built. "I think I got great value for two older players," Louth stated in a press conference held after the trade. "It sucks to move them after playing together in Vancouver for so long, but it had to be done."

 

However, Louth has done a tremendous job of getting Vancouver ready for the future. "Vancouver has six first-round picks in the next two drafts and some of them will be fringe-lotto picks," continued Louth. "Grab some fresh new talent to inject into our core and try to sign a couple of big free agents."

 

With two first-round picks in the upcoming Season 73 VHL Entry Draft and four in Season 74, Vancouver certainly does have the tools to build a home-grown core, and they may need to depend on that. After signing free agents Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen and Gritty under the guise of competing for the Continental Cup, then proceeding to start a rebuild, luring free agents to the Wolves may prove to be tougher for Louth than he anticipates. But as lower round picks lose value with the big expansion changing the draft to 16 picks per round, Louth ultimately won't need to rely on outside signings. If he can maximize those picks, and hit on some gambles with the wealth of second-round picks he has, Vancouver may become too good of a destination for free agents to hold the experiences of Werbenjagermanjensen and Gritty against him. 

 

Overall, Davos benefits the most immediately. Adding a player like HHH makes them an immediate threat to any contender, especially when they really didn't pay a whole lot. New York ended up paying more for an extra season of Acyd Burn, who has not had much luck sticking with teams since being moved from Seattle. However, his timeline fits perfectly with the Americans', so it's quite possible he'll stick around here. Vancouver continues to stockpile draft picks, and with clever drafting, they will be right back in the thick of things again. Surprisingly enough, it's Garcia and Davos taking the biggest gamble with this move. They move a second-rounder in S74 and Acyd Burn for essentially half of a season of Helmsley. As a pending UFA, it's ultimately up to HHH where he spends his final season, which means there's a distinct possibility that half a season is all Garcia gets from this trade. Of course, it won't matter if the HC Davos Dynamo win the Continental Cup, but they could also be left empty-handed if they don't win the Cup and Helmsley leaves. Vancouver certainly is the safest bet to get the most value, but if this trade gets Davos or New York a Cup, they'll have gotten what they wanted too. One thing's for sure: this will be a fun trade to revisit down the road.

 

Get-to-Know the Players

 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley

 

Ranked as the top player in the VHL in VSN's annual Top 25, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was certainly playing at that level this season. With 58 points in 46 games, he's already surpassed his career lows and this season could be among his best. At times, Helmsley was on pace to score over 100 points at times, his production slowed with Julius Freeman traded away. Still scoring well above a point per game, HHH will look to prove that his success wasn't dependent on Freeman, his long-time teammate. Joining a very powerful group of forwards in Davos, all eyes will be on HHH to see if his torrid pace from earlier in the season will resume. 

 

Acyd Burn

 

Didn't we just write one of these for Acyd Burn? The two-time Continental Cup winner with the Seattle Bears is now joining his fifth VHL team in the past two seasons as he heads to the New York Americans. Although clearly on a better pace than his last with Malmo/Riga, things still didn't seem quite right in Davos for Burn. As big name after big name marched into Davos, many wondered if he was playing to his full potential. With his move to the Big Apple, we're going to get our answer, one way or the other. 

 

Dalton Wilcox

 

While all the buzz of this trade is on a franchise player leaving the team he's spent  most of his career playing for, it's easy to overlook Dalton Wilcox. The 28th overall pick of the Season 67 VHL Entry Draft by the Malmo Nighthawks, Wilcox has instead been an integral piece for the New York Americans after they acquired him in a trade. The reliable right-winger has never scored less than 20 goals in a season and has been a strong player on the power play, recording 11 power-play goals three separate times during his career. As Vancouver enters a rebuild, Wilcox is a tremendous veteran presence to have around for the young players left on the Wolves.

 

Players Mentioned: @Beaviss, @Acydburn, @Dalton Wilcox, @GustavMattias, @Esso2264, @Josh, @McWolf, @Sonnet, @Brrbisbrr, @PadStack, @Hylands33, @Velevra, @rjfryman, @flyersfan1453, @eaglesfan0366 

 

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