The Rollercoaster, The Aftermath, Your Thoughts...

[mattyIceman 1,031]

Wow, FOUR new teams...

This curveball was thrown out somewhere around trade deadline during season 72.  Obviously it was discussed by the Board of Governors, and when the news was disclosed, it seemed to be well received by most of the community.  The new cities that were granted franchises, their logos and the general managers were all revealed and, much to my personal chagrin, there was still no Montreal team.  I mean, it would have been cool to eventually play a road game close to home or have a chance to play there in some future or even be a new player's agent, post-retirement.

I only want to discuss from my experience and perspective, then if you choose to chime in, feel free to do so.

So I played in Mexico in season 71, then got drafted to VHL Helsinki and VHLM Halifax.  Around the 15 game mark, all us draft picks get moved out for assets to Halifax.  Sonnet had planned to set up Houston for a winning season in s73, I mean they were last place with a near empty roster, save Riley Knight Gee, who had asked for a trade from Philadelphia to return to Houston.  Then came waiver claims Patty Laine, Jiggly Gumballs and Drew Minott and there was this tight chemistry that prevailed.  We still sucked hard but the locker room was enjoyable, finishing the season with like ten wins or something.

Fast forward to the offseason...

Speaking with Jubo from Helsinki briefly, we were told there was a short protection list, and at the time I hadn't done the math for myself.  Helsinki had four retirees and a good prospect pool ready for VHL promotion, I still believed I was protected, since I did plan to stay for a third season in the minors and there would be no salary cap implications to the roster.

Boy, was I wrong...

James Rose was selected in the expansion draft by GM Sir McWolf of the London United.  Man was I shocked, but neither in a bad or good way.  I mean, my first thoughts were, "Now I understand why Jubo couldn't protect me, and now I have an opportunity to play in the VHL NOW!".

Meanwhile, Sonnet got the promotion to be the Commisioner of the VHLM, and rjfryman was anointed Houston GM.  So, in the span of one day, I got just bombarded with questions from Houston and London, plus a thorough conversation with Jubo about his Helsinki situation, plus the rollercoaster of everyone going everywhere was such a wild ride.

I was still on the fence about graduating up, since I had told rjfryman that I wanted to stick with Riley Knight Gee and attempt VHLM domination, pre-draft.  He told me that it's my choice ultimately, and he did say it's his job to prepare us for the big show.  I had the same conversation with McWolf and it was the same message.

I did decide to pack my bags and make the move to London, since I would get valuable experience and play with, and against, the best, logging solid top minutes and probably get humiliated by the likes of stars like Julius Freeman, Jet Jaguar and such.

I do already miss Houston though, although now I'm slightly above that weight class.  My own personal journey is just beginning, having attended training camp on the VHLs' 13th birthday.

Sonnet made the move to get me, assuming he was setting up for a great s73 in Houston and leaving rjfryman with little to worry about with a potential top defensive pairing.

Now it's your turn to chime in if you please:

How hard has the expansion hit you and your squad?  How far did you speculate into the future of the franchise you're running?  Did you make a move you regret?  Or are you laughing your ass off because you made moves that benefitted your franchise?  Have you lost players you didnt think you would?  Did you draft the best available player, or for need?

Too lazy to make a word count, but I'm sure it's over 1k

 

Peeple Menshins:

@Sonnet @rjfryman @Jubo07 @PatrikLaine @KnightRiley @JigglyGumballs @DreMin15 @gorlab @McWolf

Edited July 21, 2020 by MattyIce

[Gustav 6,092]

8 minutes ago, MattyIce said:

How hard has the expansion hit you and your squad?  How far did you speculate into the future of the franchise you're running?  Did you make a move you regret?  Or are you laughing your ass off because you made moves that benefitted your franchise?  Have you lost players you didnt think you would?  Did you draft the best available player, or for need?

 

From a purely roster-room-ish standpoint, losing Bridges may have actively helped us. That opened up a hole I was able to fill by renting Paddywagon, and once he retires after this season, I've got a hole opened up for Chance Rust to come up to the big leagues. I love Alex and hated to see him go but things could have gone worse.

[mattyIceman 1,031]

So you benefitted by losing out... theres an interesting predicament.  I mean its def possible since the VHL is structured to be an 11 player team