A look at the current S73 trades by the Yukon Rush

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The trades that happen in the VHL and VHLM have interested me for some time. Seeing as how growth in these leagues can be fast and unpredictable, trades for 5th or 6th round picks could turn into steals or complete duds within a year or two. So I thought it'd be fun to look at some trades by the team I'm on and judge how they could turn out.

 

• The trade: YUK's S75 6th and 7th for Nolan McNalley. The draft picks will be coming after a year where Yukon has a massive amount of picks so the 75 picks shouldn't be very important picks for those rounds. Nolan McNalley has had two average seasons in his time in the VHLM with MIS and MEX. His updates are infrequent but he has been going to practice regularly so he is routinely earning TPE, just not as much as possible. He looks to be a first pairing D on the Rush along side Fat Palloon. Overall, this trade looks to be a win for Yukon though the picks could turn into stars.
• The trade: YUK's S75 5th and 4th for MIN's S74 5th and LVA's S74 4th. This trade is more one to one as all the picks being traded look to be late picks in their respective rounds so it more comes down to luck than anything else.
• The trade: YUK's S75 3rd for Alek Andreshnikov and YUK's S75 6th. Yukon gets a pick back in this trade though it's late draft status makes it less useful than the 3rd. Alek looks to be a first line center for Yukon this year and his scoring will help the team greatly. Yukon also got their 6th back so the overall exchange of the Mex trades is a late 3rd and 7th for two first liners, so overall the trades are a big win
• The trade: Jared Willis for Bobbie Cheechoo and MIA's S75 2nd. Jared Willis was a strong RW for Yukon last season with 48 points in 72 games. His abscence in Yukon will be noticed as a strong RW prescence would've helped the team though considering the amount of draft picks aquired a tank may be the plan. Bobbie Cheechoo had an admirable season for MIA with 38 points in 72 games as well as 111 hits. This physical side will compliment a defensive core made up of defensive defensemen. This should make Yukon one of the most physical teams in years to come. The Second will likely be pretty late in the round though it being a second round pick will give the Rush more chances to draft a more immediate star. Overall this trade is looking pretty good for both teams although depending on how each player grows it could be more lopsided.
• The trade: YUK's S74 4th for Vlad Imir. This trade seems less fortuitous for Yukon as the 4th they're giving away will be a pretty high one so they're losing more with this draft pick than some others. However, Vlad Imir definitley improves this deal for Yukon. He had a lasckluster season in Miami with 2 points in 72 games but his consistent update rate will make him a valuable player in the middle and end of the season. Overall I like the look of this trade and what it has to offer for both teams though I think that Yukon wins this one. 
• The trades: MIN's S74 5th for Calvin Harrey and Calvin Harrey for S74 OTT's 4th. Calvin Harrey is a solid goaltender and would've helped Yukon greatly if they were going to go for a playoff run. While he had a very poor previous season with only 10 wins, his current skills cold make him an amazing starting goalie on a team with a solid defensive core. Now while Harrey would've helped Yukon, they seem to be focusing more on a tanking scenario with the large amount of picks they've picked up. So if we focus more on the picks at hand we can see that the trades Yukon made really boil down to receiving a 4th for a 5th which is a really good trade-off.

Looking over all these trades it appears that Yukon is clearly attempting a tank for next season so they can generate a lot of top picks in the draft. This should come as no surprise as their previous season was lackluster and they didn't enough picks to have an instant rebuild. I might do more of these as the season goes on but for now this will be the only one.

 

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