damonster's GM Game #1 Discussion Pt. 2 (1 team open)

[xxOPPNOOBZxx]

2nd round results are in!!!

Capitals-7 vs. Penguins-4
Flyers-5 vs. Devils-6
Avalanche-9 vs. Stars-2
Blues-8 vs. Kings-3


Semi-Finals are:
vs.


vs.

 

[BigHabs]

FORWARDS

Andrew Ladd ($4.400m) / Jarome Iginla ($7.000m) / Kris Versteeg ($4.400m)
Milan Lucic ($4.083m) / Andy McDonald ($4.700m) / Blake Wheeler ($2.550m)
Brooks Laich ($4.500m) / Patrik Berglund ($2.250m) / Scottie Upshall ($3.500m)
Ryan White ($0.688m) / Boyd Gordon ($1.325m) / Zac Rinaldo ($0.544m)
Byron Bitz ($0.867m)

DEFENSEMEN

Dustin Byfuglien ($5.200m) / Alex Pietrangelo ($3.167m)
Braydon Coburn ($4.500m) / Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.300m)
Josh Gorges ($3.900m) / Nicklas Grossmann ($3.500m)
Davis Drewiskie ($0.617m)

GOALTENDERS

Ilya Bryzgalov ($5.667m)
Scott Clemmensen ($1.200m)


The are excited to move on to the Western Conference finals.

Thank You to all who voted for us to move forward to this round.

This is going to be the hardest test by far.

We feel we have the upper hand on offense and defense, where Colorado has the upper hand in net. We have the offense and defense to keep the Colorado avalanche in check. If you look at the comparing of each line and d-pairing we find we are overall better per line. We know it won't be a walk in the park though.

We would like to wish the the best of luck. But we find this is our year and believe still, we are the team to beat in the west and we still believe our squad is a cup champion caliber team.

VOTE VOTE VOTE ​

 

[The Produce Man]

[FIELDSET=Roster & Cap Hit]

FORWARDS

Alexander Semin ($9.000m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / David Jones ($4.000m)
Max Pacioretty ($1.625m) / Ryan O'Reilly ($4.250m) / Milan Hejduk ($2.000m)
Jamie McGinn ($1.750m) / Colin Wilson ($3.000m) / Raffi Torres ($1.750m)
Kyle Clifford ($0.870m) / Vladimir Sobotka ($1.300m) / Cody McCormick ($1.200m)
Brad Richardson ($1.175m) /

DEFENSEMEN


Shea Weber ($7.857m) / Keith Yandle ($5.250m)
Andrej Meszaros ($4.000m) / Barret Jackman ($3.167m)
Ron Hainsey ($4.500m) / Clayton Stoner ($1.050m)

GOALTENDERS

Ryan Miller ($6.250m)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($1.250m)

------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,993,810; BONUSES: $130,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $1,206,190

​

[/FIELDSET]



Good series, Dallas. You have a great team and had an impressive victory over Vancouver!

Huge, huge test coming up now. The new look St. Louis Blues.

The Blues have a very large, very tough top 6 forward group. They have good scoring depth on their bottom 2 lines as well. And they have the best defensive units in the entire NHL. Ilya Bryzgalov had a rough season, but has also had patches of brilliance during his career.

We feel that both squads are very close offensively. In one area where we feel we have a big advantage is at #1C. They have Jarome Iginla in his non-natural position. Having 3 natural centers who are all good 2 way players will make match ups harder for him.

The depth of St. Louis' defense is spectacular. It's a great unit 1-6. We have the best defender in the NHL in Shea Weber paired with another top 10 defender, Keith Yandle. This tandem will log a lot of minutes and they have a good support group of players. We feel like depth might not be an issue.

In net, we still feel like Ryan Miller is our trump card. We feel he's the best goalie left out of the 4 teams and this will hopefully give us an edge here.

It's going to be an awesome series, and good luck St. Louis!

Vote: ​

 

[Blackhawks26]

Let's go Produce man!

I've got Avs and Caps

 

[HankTheTankYoLo]

avs and caps.

 

[hlaverty06]

YOUR 2012-2013 NEW JERSEY DEVILS

FORWARDS
Ilya Kovalchuk(6.667)/Patrik Elias(6.00)/James Neal(5.00)
Erik Cole(4.5)/David Desharnias(0.850)/Ted Purcell (2.363)
Dainuis Zubrus(3.4)/Kyle Brodziak(2.833)/Matt D'agostini(1.650)
Andrew Brunette(.850)//Marcel Goc(1.4)/Chris Neil(2.0)
Brendan Morrison(.700)


DEFENSEMEN
Bryce Salvador(3.166)/Brian Campbell (7.142)
Anton Volchenkov(4.25)/Marek Zidlicky(4.00)
Andy Sutton(1.75)/Alexi Emelin(2.00)
Jim Vandermeer(.700)

GOALTENDERS
Martin Brodeur(4.5)
Johan Hedberg(1.4)

Captain-Ilya Kovalchuk
Assistant-Patrik Elias
Assistant-Bryce Salvador
Assistant-Dainus Zubrus

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE


We believe that we are facing adversity but we believe that with the leadership of Captain Kovy who was statistically better than Ovy we can prevail.​

 

[Michael Farkas]

Dallas Stars Roster:

L.Eriksson R.Getzlaf J.Jagr
R.Whitney D.Roy N.Horton
D.Clarkson R.Cervanka B.Morrow
R.Jones V.Fiddler B.Eager
Z.Stortini

M.Carle A.Goligoski
J.Wisniewski T.Daley
W.Mitchell M.Fistric

E.Nabokov
D.Dudnky

Thoughts?

Got a request here, so I'll oblige.

First thought is, "this Roman Cervenka gets around or I'm out of the loop". He's a 14th forward on Calgary, a third line center on Dallas. This team added some old wingers for when the GM took over (Whitney and Jagr) and that's ok. Ryan Getzlaf is a big-time playmaker and a big body. I really like him and Derek Roy as a second line center is tough to beat. The third line is a strange mix. It appears to be more offensive because Clarkson is clueless on the rink, Morrow is slow and more defensive oriented at this point and Cervenka is going to be tired from being on two teams at once. I do like that fourth line. Good mix of size, energy, got a faceoff guy, defensive guys. It's well-thought out.

I looked back up at that second line, that's an elite second line, I like that. They'll score, and that's going to be a second power play unit that will score on second PK units or tired first units effectively.

No #1 d-man is always a concern for me, but you didn't start with one and they're hard to acquire. Lots of puck-movers, I'd get Mitchell up in the lineup to babysit a little better. Two defensive defenseman that can hit on the same pairing might look like a shutdown pairing, but both players have tedencies to chase hits at times...they're much better as babysitters. Carle and Goligoski could both use one, but Fistric can't play above the third pairing. But despite their coaching, this is going to be a very offensive team and they can move the puck really well in transition, the team is thoughtfully crafted with playmaking centermen and goal-scoring wingers by and large. This team has a lot of goals in them.

How well can they keep the puck out of the net structurally. Whitney, Jagr, Clarkson and the top-3 d-men aren't really known for their defensive exploits and Nabokov is not an amazing goaltender any more and has never been known as a big-game performer. But they aren't defense-less either. This team is going to have a positive goal differential at the end of the year for sure, they might be a top-5 offensive.

I gotta be honest, I don't know who the backup goalie is. My best guess is Devan Dubnyk, but if it's not him, this might be the only player I've never heard of. This team can score with any team in the league, but in a tough spot can they protect a one goal lead against a good offense?

 

[SabresFan26]

Washington colorado

 

[AccuracyFive]

Got a request here, so I'll oblige.

First thought is, "this Roman Cervenka gets around or I'm out of the loop". He's a 14th forward on Calgary, a third line center on Dallas. This team added some old wingers for when the GM took over (Whitney and Jagr) and that's ok. Ryan Getzlaf is a big-time playmaker and a big body. I really like him and Derek Roy as a second line center is tough to beat. The third line is a strange mix. It appears to be more offensive because Clarkson is clueless on the rink, Morrow is slow and more defensive oriented at this point and Cervenka is going to be tired from being on two teams at once. I do like that fourth line. Good mix of size, energy, got a faceoff guy, defensive guys. It's well-thought out.

I looked back up at that second line, that's an elite second line, I like that. They'll score, and that's going to be a second power play unit that will score on second PK units or tired first units effectively.

No #1 d-man is always a concern for me, but you didn't start with one and they're hard to acquire. Lots of puck-movers, I'd get Mitchell up in the lineup to babysit a little better. Two defensive defenseman that can hit on the same pairing might look like a shutdown pairing, but both players have tedencies to chase hits at times...they're much better as babysitters. Carle and Goligoski could both use one, but Fistric can't play above the third pairing. But despite their coaching, this is going to be a very offensive team and they can move the puck really well in transition, the team is thoughtfully crafted with playmaking centermen and goal-scoring wingers by and large. This team has a lot of goals in them.

How well can they keep the puck out of the net structurally. Whitney, Jagr, Clarkson and the top-3 d-men aren't really known for their defensive exploits and Nabokov is not an amazing goaltender any more and has never been known as a big-game performer. But they aren't defense-less either. This team is going to have a positive goal differential at the end of the year for sure, they might be a top-5 offensive.

I gotta be honest, I don't know who the backup goalie is. My best guess is Devan Dubnyk, but if it's not him, this might be the only player I've never heard of. This team can score with any team in the league, but in a tough spot can they protect a one goal lead against a good offense?

Love the way you analyze the rosters.

 

[Michael Farkas]

[FIELDSET=Roster & Cap Hit]

FORWARDS

Alexander Semin ($9.000m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / David Jones ($4.000m)
Max Pacioretty ($1.625m) / Ryan O'Reilly ($4.250m) / Milan Hejduk ($2.000m)
Jamie McGinn ($1.750m) / Colin Wilson ($3.000m) / Raffi Torres ($1.750m)
Kyle Clifford ($0.870m) / Vladimir Sobotka ($1.300m) / Cody McCormick ($1.200m)
Brad Richardson ($1.175m) /

DEFENSEMEN


Shea Weber ($7.857m) / Keith Yandle ($5.250m)
Andrej Meszaros ($4.000m) / Barret Jackman ($3.167m)
Ron Hainsey ($4.500m) / Clayton Stoner ($1.050m)

GOALTENDERS

Ryan Miller ($6.250m)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($1.250m)

------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,993,810; BONUSES: $130,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $1,206,190​

This is a well-constructed team. It's not over the top, but it's built for success. I really dislike David Jones, but he's going to have no choice but to score with those linemates. That second line is solid, really like MaxPac, only a matter of time before he takes Jones' spot on the top line I think. There's a lot of offensive skill and defensive conscience throughout. Colin Wilson can play anywhere in the lineup and if they can make him an elite third liner, they're set. If not, Brad Richardson isn't bad either as an extra. That's an elite fourth line. They can even produce some, but they're tough. Kyle Clifford is one tough hombre. Check out the board work that can be done by some of these guys. There's guys that can play all over the lineup too in a pinch, which is valuable because of injuries and what not.

Two #1 PMDs, outstanding. Weber has always had a babysitter and he hasn't fully matured defensively yet, not sure how he'll work with a bit of a wanderer in Yandle, but I'd be sold on Weber wising up given the new circumstances. I'd trust the balance of that second pairing also. That's well constructed. Meszaros isn't subjected to top pairings and has Jackman to back him up. A little bit wonky of a third pairing considering the money invested in it. But I'd like to see how it works. Hainsey attacking weaker competition might get him back on track. Stoner is at best a #6, but I'd be willing to see it out. A #6 is easily replaceable worst case scenario.

Ryan Miller is an elite NHL goaltender and he's gonna need to bail out this defense a tiny bit at times because they're an attacking/transitional squad, but he can handle it. This is a really, really good team. They could certainly challenge any team I've seen so far. Well thought out, when your weakest spot is your third pairing, you've done a fine job.​

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Don't have time to do a big write-up this time (headed to my cousin's wedding), but just wanted to say the are the best in the east. Let's prove it!

Mike Farkas - whenever you have time, I'd love to hear your opinion of the Caps.

 

[Michael Farkas]

CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER
My Custom Lineup
FORWARDS
Alex Ovechkin ($9.538m) / Nicklas Backstrom ($6.700m) / Tomas Fleischmann ($4.500m)
Troy Brouwer ($2.350m) / Stephen Weiss ($3.100m) / Wayne Simmonds ($1.750m)
Petr Sykora ($1.500m) / Chris Kelly ($3.000m) / Brandon Dubinsky ($4.200m)
Derek Dorsett ($1.633m) / Jay Beagle ($0.900m) / Mathieu Perreault ($1.050m)
Dale Weise ($0.615m) /
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($4.500m) / Karl Alzner ($1.285m)
Rob Scuderi ($3.400m) / Kimmo Timonen ($6.333m)
Mark Stuart ($1.700m) / John Erskine ($1.500m)
GOALTENDERS
Miikka Kiprusoff ($5.833m)
Dwayne Roloson ($0.600m)
BUYOUTS
Tyler Sloan ($0.233m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $66,221,795; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $3,778,205​

I like but not love the top-six. Backstrom and Ovechkin is a great duo and Flash can keep up with most offensive minds in the game. They'll produce just fine. Weiss is a top-notch second line center, he's a first liner on a lot of teams in the league. I like Brouwer, I really like Simmonds and have since his junior days, but I just wonder about that line's high offensive upside. They are responsible and they won't lose a board battle. If they're a cycling line, I love it. Those guys could grind out a cycle and manufacture offense. But the Capitals have never been much of a grinding team given their history...

Dubinsky and Kelly (provided Dubinsky moves back to the left, not way out of position on the right side. Why would a guy that grinds along the boards have to do all of his battling on his backhand? What a decided disadvantage). Anyway, Dubinsky and Kelly make up two-thirds of an elite third line that could shutdown a lot of good units. Petr Sykora is a miss there, but if you think you can get a lot of mileage out of Sykora, swap him with Brouwer or Simmonds...fourth line is fine, I like Perreault a lot, it's a shame he's stuck on the fourth line where he won't be able to produce, this might be a poor enough situation to get him out of the league...which is disappointing to me, but neither here nor there...

Really good defense. Balanced, defensive-minded, responsible. Carlson can move it, Timonen has just enough left in the tank to take on top-4 minutes on a contender...Stuart and Erskine is a really mean third pairing, a little slow and might have trouble getting out of their own zone to generate offense...but if they can limit quality opportunities by going out with that 3rd, 4th, hell, even 2nd line, it won't be an issue because you just need to get it to the center line to dump it anyway and the forwards to take care of the rest....

Miikka Kiprusoff is a terrific goalie, he's one of the few good decisions the Flames made since the Gilmour trade, so he's as good as gold...I can't believe that in a flooded goalie market, the GM couldn't find a living, breathing goaltender to serve as backup. Roloson was noticeably finished last season...honestly, why not just recall Sabourin? But that's relative immaterial...

I like the balance, there's fewer players playing out of position with no hope to get back into it on this team than most teams I've seen which is promising because it shows some thought. The only glaring thing was Sykora/Dubinsky being swapped which can be chalked up to oversight and is quickly fixable. This team has some PKing ability, but what happens if that first power play unit with Ovechkin doesn't score? I guess this is where Perreault and Sykora step in?

It's a really solid team, really solid. I like the balance, I like the defensive responsibility throughout, the starter is top-notch. This team - with or without Alex Ovechkin - will keep pucks out of the net with some acumen. Quality team, seemed like there was at least some cognizant thought in place when building.

 

[hlaverty06]

Could I get one? Pwetty pwetty pwease

 

[Michael Farkas]

Taking a little break from what I'm doing, going to throw some comments out there if I may...don't be offended, it's not personal, I'm just scrolling through the roster thread and posting thoughts in the order I see them and think of them as time permits...I will note, it will mostly be negative, because the positives are more obvious and known by the team builders...

Chicago: You really have to wonder about this team's bottom six and their ability to give relief to their big time guys. (Can it be spun as a positive that the first negative I found was with the depth lines? Maybe.) Bolland can kill penalties with acumen, but the rest of that group is a veritable toss-up. They have a strong right-side to augment - or off-set - an otherwise horribly weak left side. Frolik and Stalberg can be interchangeable in a pinch, but it's just re-arranging flowers at a funeral. The expectation to have Steve Montador playing major minutes on a contender is troubling, then you find out he's paired with an extremely expensive Johnny Oduya and it makes things a lot worse. Nick Leddy will grow but is Sheldon Brookbank an adequate enough babysitter to allow him to fully take advantage of those sheltered minutes? I like that the goaltending was improved with the addition of Jonathan Bernier because Corey Crawford is not a good goalie. Keeping three goaltenders on an NHL roster went out with Cooperalls though...Emery is a fringe NHLer at best and should have been waived or Crawford should have been moved to the highest (err, only) bidder.

Los Angeles: The Kings sacrificed a #1 center, which is always a cause for concern. They seem to have four #2 centers though, I'm not sure how much I like that, especially when two of them are as enigmatic as Jeff Carter and Nikolai Antropov. Carter's talents are better used on the wing to be honest and Antropov is a better pivot. But that's immaterial. Overall, I enjoy the team's forward depth a lot. But honestly, it might have been better to pair it up and sell it off for one elite player in that group. Easier said than done though. I really wonder about Hartnell's and Brown's ability to be big time scorers without an elite playmaking center at their disposal. I think that will really hurt the team's scoring ability on their top line. The defense is outstanding and has a good blend of size, speed, skating (Bouwmeester and Russell, two former Medicine Hat Tigers are two of the best skaters in the league in terms of fluidity), puck movement and youth. Keeping Quick is great, Gustavsson should be a good enough backup now that he doesn't have to be a butterfly goalie behind that defense. I wouldn't guess that team would give up even 180 goals this year. I'm not sure they can get far past 200 goals for though even though the depth would say otherwise. When they're in a tough spot, who is the gamebreaker?

Vancouver: I like this team's depth and it fits well to their role. I'm not sure that Artem Anisimov is much of a traditional third line center, but I think this is a team that could benefit from a first line, a 2A line and a 2B line and the players wouldn't look out of place. And then that energy fourth line is good and fits the team very well. So well. I'm not sure about Leino getting paid more than his buyout value (by like $2 million!) that's a poor move. Too many natural centers to keep players in natural positions is going to under-utilize some of the expensive talent acquired, which is bred from poor planning and execution. The defense is deep and rich and plentiful. It's a defense that will not get pushed around by big Western Conference foes not one iota but still have the ability to generate transition and offense. It's rather brilliant. The goaltending is good enough, it's not like Luongo is bad. It's a curious choice in the end, but there's nothing obscenely wrong with it. Getting Anisimov for Malhotra was highway robbery.

Islanders: I'm mentally adjusting for what this GM had to work with from the start and I'm still not very impressed. Breaking up a sure 30-goal combo of Matt Moulson and John Tavares was an unneeded move and just when I thought, "well, at least Okposo showed chemistry with Tavares at times last year when that loser Parenteau wasn't with him" I find that Okposo was plundered in the same deal. There's a lot of kids being thrown into the fire at once and there's no backup plan in place in case it doesn't work. There's a reason why there are some veterans brought in by rebuilding teams - it's so they don't kill their own prospects by force-feeding them. It's young, it's hopeful, it's borderline audacious. It's hard to believe Brad Boyes couldn't crack this lineup. It's so easy on the wallet that I have a hard time believing this club reached the Lower Limit (cap floor). Furthering this is the vastly incorrect salary of Jonathan Blum (I would know), he was signed to Nashville for one year, $2.2 million but far exceeds that on the page. Which further leads me to believe that this 26-man (illegal) roster is any where near cap compliance (illegal). I don't mind that defense, it's young and it has a lot of upside. Roman Josi is a stud and soon everyone will know it, thank God Hamonic wasn't moved...I wish there was some sort of veteran presence to show these kids the ropes but out of the astonishing 9 d-men on the active roster, do any of them even have 200 NHL games under their belt? I'd be surprised if one of them did. They certainly don't have the goaltending the bail them out. It's going to be a bumpy ride and it might end up costing them a couple of decent goalie prospects just on pure shellshocking alone. I haven't seen all the teams yet, but I would expect this to be a lottery team. And hopefully there's a future here if the kids aren't ruined by the 22-win season forthcoming. It's clearly a rebuild job, but it's not fair to the team, the players and the fans to ice a near-AHL caliber roster. The 2004 Penguins basically tried this and we were so bad the league shutdown...I'll say this, if there's a lockout (I don't think there will be, but if) this team would be a whole lot better...a whole lot.

Boston: It was kind of a roller coaster ride reading this roster. I was impresed at times, depressed at others and utterly confused at still others. The top line is well assembled. It's skill, it's grit, it's mean, it scores, it hates you, it's responsible. The second line has a potentially really weak link on it in Wolski who is a shell of his former self. If he can get it together, you got something, but that's a big if. Then Eric Tangradi doesn't provide all that much depth and whoever got him that ridiculous contract is an absolute genius naughty. The fourth line is truculent and hard working. I worry about the Bruins size down the middle. Faceoffs, their forecheck, their backcheck, it's a lot of wear and tear on some relatively thin guys. Oshie and Horton have played some center in their careers as I recall, but it's hard to twist that lineup around and still be ok. It's solid group but I don't think it could handle the defensive structure that the Bruins are known for under Julien, not enough hockey smarts for my liking and I'm not sure that the team is much faster...in fact, I'm rather sure it's slower. The Phaneuf trade was terrific and that gives the Bruins two #1 d-men. Then they have two #3's. Which is really good. I don't like Matt Carle, but with a good partner, it could work itself out. The main issue I have is that the top two pairings may have to play 48 or 50 minutes per night, which will add up. Colin White is a fringe NHLer at this point and Mike Weaver is a steady eddy but if he has to step into the lineup due to injury and play major minutes, there might be some issues. There's three #6's by my count. It'd be nice if there was one more halfway decent anchor in the #5 hole just in case. I like Krug's upside, but like Weaver, he is demonstrably smaller than other NHLers of his ilk. It's hard to fathom getting robbed so badly when you acquire a former Hart Trophy winner and a starting goalie, but Boston found a way. Plundering such wonderful youth in Brad Marchand, Dougie Hamilton (there's your #5 right there, with potential to be a #1), Jared Knight and for crying out loud, Tuukka Rask...not to mention, Ryan Spooner, a 1st and a good prospect in Filip Forsberg. The Ducks traded an average or above average starter and a top line winger for a solid chunk of a contending team in a few years...what a great trade for Anaheim even if my reservations about Forsberg are accurate. That deal smacks of unneeded desperation. I'll assume Langenbrunner (acquired) for Dubinsky and Kelly was a cap dump otherwise, it's a horrendous trade also as Boston gives up the two best players in the deal. On top of all that, Jordan Caron was waived which is just poor asset management. This is what happens when you feel the need to make moves and not build a roster necessarily. Players come and go in 24 hours and you make more of a mess of things. But I don't mean to be harsh, it's a game and you want to have fun and make moves, I respect that. The roster isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, they're a playoff team, but after the dust settled, you have to wonder "how badly would the 2011 team beat the 2013 team" the spread is 1.5 for me.

New Jersey: My first instinct was, "ok, the players are different...decidedly different" and then I got confused because I didn't understand the plan really. Was there a goal in mind? It's difficult to tell. That top line will score as long as Elias can hold up, though he's in his fading days. I was going to sugarcoat the second line, but really, it's a big question mark at best...can Purcell produce without elite players feeding him the puck, is Desharnais someone that can be a #2 center on a contender? Those are valid questions, I feel. The third line is good, but I wouldn't mind D'Agostini being replaced with someone who fits that mold a little better (off the top of my head, Wayne Simmonds would have been great there). That can be a sizeable, mean, defensive third line but then D'Agostini gets stuck on it and I lost interest in it. No qualms with the fourth line, but Brunette seems out of place. I'd say the defense isn't great, but the Devils make it work with little in the way of household names but with Larry Robinson out of the organization, how well will they hold up? Salvador is going to log top-pairing minutes at his advanced age for 80+ games? Volchenkov si slowing down and Zidlicky just goes out there and flies by the seat of his pants...my favorite parts are Campbell and Emelin. That's going to be one ugly power play unit when Campbell has to come off (minor exception to Zidlicky). I wonder about this team's transition ability. How will they get out of the zone when Campbell and Zidlicky aren't out there? The only forward that can do it is Kovalchuk. I can't figure out how they'll move the puck forward when they retrieve it. GM must think highly of Scott Wedgewood.

I'll do more later. I hope that roster thread is updated, I'm not searching for moves, I'm just going to read and comment.

New Jersey is at the bottom of this previous post. Though it's all from the rosters thread. (New Jersey didn't change from their recent post vs. the roster thread, so those are accurate thoughts).

 

[hlaverty06]

Thanks !

 

[xxOPPNOOBZxx]

as of right now, I have 7 votes, including the ones posted in here, send in your votes guys

 

[Spacecorn]

Got a request here, so I'll oblige.

First thought is, "this Roman Cervenka gets around or I'm out of the loop". He's a 14th forward on Calgary, a third line center on Dallas. This team added some old wingers for when the GM took over (Whitney and Jagr) and that's ok. Ryan Getzlaf is a big-time playmaker and a big body. I really like him and Derek Roy as a second line center is tough to beat. The third line is a strange mix. It appears to be more offensive because Clarkson is clueless on the rink, Morrow is slow and more defensive oriented at this point and Cervenka is going to be tired from being on two teams at once. I do like that fourth line. Good mix of size, energy, got a faceoff guy, defensive guys. It's well-thought out.

I looked back up at that second line, that's an elite second line, I like that. They'll score, and that's going to be a second power play unit that will score on second PK units or tired first units effectively.

No #1 d-man is always a concern for me, but you didn't start with one and they're hard to acquire. Lots of puck-movers, I'd get Mitchell up in the lineup to babysit a little better. Two defensive defenseman that can hit on the same pairing might look like a shutdown pairing, but both players have tedencies to chase hits at times...they're much better as babysitters. Carle and Goligoski could both use one, but Fistric can't play above the third pairing. But despite their coaching, this is going to be a very offensive team and they can move the puck really well in transition, the team is thoughtfully crafted with playmaking centermen and goal-scoring wingers by and large. This team has a lot of goals in them.

How well can they keep the puck out of the net structurally. Whitney, Jagr, Clarkson and the top-3 d-men aren't really known for their defensive exploits and Nabokov is not an amazing goaltender any more and has never been known as a big-game performer. But they aren't defense-less either. This team is going to have a positive goal differential at the end of the year for sure, they might be a top-5 offensive.

I gotta be honest, I don't know who the backup goalie is. My best guess is Devan Dubnyk, but if it's not him, this might be the only player I've never heard of. This team can score with any team in the league, but in a tough spot can they protect a one goal lead against a good offense?

Thanks. Makes the game fun for me when people post there thoughts on my team.

 

[The Produce Man]

This is a well-constructed team. It's not over the top, but it's built for success. I really dislike David Jones, but he's going to have no choice but to score with those linemates. That second line is solid, really like MaxPac, only a matter of time before he takes Jones' spot on the top line I think. There's a lot of offensive skill and defensive conscience throughout. Colin Wilson can play anywhere in the lineup and if they can make him an elite third liner, they're set. If not, Brad Richardson isn't bad either as an extra. That's an elite fourth line. They can even produce some, but they're tough. Kyle Clifford is one tough hombre. Check out the board work that can be done by some of these guys. There's guys that can play all over the lineup too in a pinch, which is valuable because of injuries and what not.

Two #1 PMDs, outstanding. Weber has always had a babysitter and he hasn't fully matured defensively yet, not sure how he'll work with a bit of a wanderer in Yandle, but I'd be sold on Weber wising up given the new circumstances. I'd trust the balance of that second pairing also. That's well constructed. Meszaros isn't subjected to top pairings and has Jackman to back him up. A little bit wonky of a third pairing considering the money invested in it. But I'd like to see how it works. Hainsey attacking weaker competition might get him back on track. Stoner is at best a #6, but I'd be willing to see it out. A #6 is easily replaceable worst case scenario.

Ryan Miller is an elite NHL goaltender and he's gonna need to bail out this defense a tiny bit at times because they're an attacking/transitional squad, but he can handle it. This is a really, really good team. They could certainly challenge any team I've seen so far. Well thought out, when your weakest spot is your third pairing, you've done a fine job.

Thanks Mike! I appreciate all the input you have given and for the work you have done this game. I'd like to see you try your hand as GM next game.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Awesome job Mike! Glad you like my team. When I took over for the Caps, I knew I needed to get gritty forwards, but I agree that bringing in Dubi and Simmonds, plus Brouwer, might have been a tad much. That said, I think you can never have too much of a good thing. We are going to be impossible to play against.

As for the backup goalie thing, I literally couldn't have cared less. Just signed the first guy that popped into my head.

 

[xxOPPNOOBZxx]

Semi-Finals Reults Are In!!!!!

Capitals-7 vs. Devils-3
Avalanche-8 vs. Blues-2




So Finals Are:
vs.

Please try to send votes to me and not on the topic, makes it easier for me a more secretive

 

[The Produce Man]

[FIELDSET=Roster & Cap Hit]

FORWARDS

Alexander Semin ($9.000m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / David Jones ($4.000m)
Max Pacioretty ($1.625m) / Ryan O'Reilly ($4.250m) / Milan Hejduk ($2.000m)
Jamie McGinn ($1.750m) / Colin Wilson ($3.000m) / Raffi Torres ($1.750m)
Kyle Clifford ($0.870m) / Vladimir Sobotka ($1.300m) / Cody McCormick ($1.200m)
Brad Richardson ($1.175m) /

DEFENSEMEN


Shea Weber ($7.857m) / Keith Yandle ($5.250m)
Andrej Meszaros ($4.000m) / Barret Jackman ($3.167m)
Ron Hainsey ($4.500m) / Clayton Stoner ($1.050m)

GOALTENDERS

Ryan Miller ($6.250m)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($1.250m)

------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,993,810; BONUSES: $130,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $1,206,190

​

[/FIELDSET]



Wow! First and foremost, congrats to St. Louis, they have a hell of a team and deserved a lot more respect. Unbelievable defense and a very well run team.

And if St. Louis wasn't good enough, now it's time to face the beast from the East, the Washington Capitals!

Washington boasts a very deep forward corps, highlighted by Russian super star, Alex Ovechkin. They have depth and scoring on the top 3 lines, and a gritty hard 4th line. On defense they have young studs like Karl Alzner and Jon Carlsson who are back by vets Rob Scuderi and Kimmo Timonen. A good mix of youth, skill, and leadership. In net, they have greatly improved with the addition of Miikka Kiprusoff.

It will be a very hard test. We hope that our strong scoring depth, ultra aggressive bottom 6, high powered defense and star goalie Ryan Miller will help us in defeating Washington and bringing Lord Stanley back to the Mile High City!

Best of luck to the Caps, and congrats on winning the President's trophy and Eastern conference.

Vote ​

 

[hlaverty06]

Good job Caps

 

[BigHabs]

Good Luck Give em Hell!

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

had an awesome team. Honored to beat them, but props to their GM.

My first SCF, and, of course, I meet up against Produce, IMO the best GM in these games. His team is stacked up and down, and had my vote in every series they've played in.

That said, I really do think I have the superior team. I gave the Caps exactly what they needed in gritty forwards with heart (Dubi, Simmonds, Brouwer) without losing my scoring touch (Backstrom, Ovi, Flash, Weiss). We have the best 3rd line the league. Kimmo and Scuds will be a perfect combination of youth and experience on D. Kipper is a great, great goale, especially with this team in front of him.

Props to Produce on turning the Avs into an instant competitor, but this is the year. Hope you guys agree and will bring me my first cup!

 

[The Produce Man]

had an awesome team. Honored to beat them, but props to their GM.

My first SCF, and, of course, I meet up against Produce, IMO the best GM in these games. His team is stacked up and down, and had my vote in every series they've played in.

That said, I really do think I have the superior team. I gave the Caps exactly what they needed in gritty forwards with heart (Dubi, Simmonds, Brouwer) without losing my scoring touch (Backstrom, Ovi, Flash, Weiss). We have the best 3rd line the league. Kimmo and Scuds will be a perfect combination of youth and experience on D. Kipper is a great, great goale, especially with this team in front of him.

Props to Produce on turning the Avs into an instant competitor, but this is the year. Hope you guys agree and will bring me my first cup!

Thanks man! I admire what you have turned the Caps into and think you are already an upper echelon GM. Best of luck!