NHL 20 GM Mode Logs & Conversation

[Serac]

2025 Offseason

The draft lottery is here and gone.
Vancouver manages to win the lottery finally, moving up from 6 to 1.
Toronto and Chicago both manage win 2 and 3 respectively and remain where they were. Meaning Vegas drops from 1 to 4.
BCM despite making the playoffs still had a slim chance at the lottery, holding pick #15 from Carolina.

Retirements

Player	Overall	Age	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points
E. Malkin	78	38	MIN	1344	652	920	1572
R. Getzlaf	72	40	DAL	1394	336	820	1156
J. Williams	75	43	FA	1654	408	625	1033
E. Dadonov	83	36	PHI	703	206	352	558

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Other notable retirements: K. Letang, R. Suter, PK. Subban, K. Shattenkirk (all in the 70s overall).

Player	Overall	Age	Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Shutouts
J. Quick	72	39	LAK	775	372	307	55
C. Crawford	74	40	FA	628	326	206	36
A. Raanta	79	36	COL	407	199	145	18

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Spoiler: 2025 Draft

#1: VAN - D. Dunham | LW | 81 | Elite
#2: TOR - P. Blomstrand | LW | 80 | Elite
#3: CHI - E. Aaltonen | D | 79 | Elite
#4: VGK - B. Nieuwendyk | D | 80 | Elite
#5: MIN - H. Mackenzie | D | 80 | Elite

Spoiler: Draft Trades

PHI acquire: B. Guhle (82)
BCM acquire: TOR 2025 2nd (34th)

VAN acquire: DAL 2025 2nd (44th) & J. Carlson (73, Top 9 F)
BCM acquire: MIN 2025 3rd (68th) & VAN 2026 2nd

BCM acquire: D. Hamilton rights (86) & CAR 2026 3rd
CAR acquire: BCM 2025 2nd (51st)

Round	##	Player	Position	Overall	Potential
1	15	S. Karpovtsev	LW	79	Top 6 F
1	19	G. Blunden	RW	64	Top 6 F
2	34	J. Kong*	LW	61	Elite
3	68	J. Foss*	RW	59	Top 6 F
3	78	O. Larsson	D	51	Top 4 D
4	115	H. Danis	D	57	Top 6 D
5	147	M. Backlund	G	53	Fringe Starter
6	179	C. Tamura	RW	57	Bottom 6 F
7	211	A. Wanvig	C	56	Elite

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

* = Scout deemed GEM

As he was a #5 defenseman, and with a prospect in the range I really wanted, I opted to move Guhle as I feel I could replace him easily.
With my team status, I feel I could sign Hamilton, and with no better options for the pick (no prospects who looked appealing), I decided to swing for a decent player. I should be able to fit his cap in.

Spoiler: Contract Negotiations

(Re)Signed
A. Nedeljkovic | G | 81 | 800k x 2

Qualified
A. Hale | LW | 89
A. Holtz | RW | 88
J. Weekes | RW | 87
F. Exelby | G | 79
J. Owens | RW | 77

Released
E. Johnson | D | 76
A. Iafallo | C | 80
J. Siegenthaler | D | 78
D. Hamilton | D | 86

Okay, despite having a strong team, next to nobody wanted to re-sign with me. A little strange, but okay. Now to just hope the AI doesn't offer sheet my players, giving them terrible contracts.

Notable Free Agents
M. Marner | RW | 92
M. Sergechev | D | 91
S. Crosby | C | 90
R. Fabbri | LW | 88
A. Nylander | RW | 88
J. Voracek | RW | 88
D. Batherson | C | 87
C. Mittelstadt | C | 87
A. Ovechkin | LW | 87

Notable Restricted Free Agents
C. McEachern | D | 91 (DET)
A. Hale | LW | 89 (BCM)
A. Räty | LW | 88 (OTT)
A. Lundell | C | 88 (NJD)
A. Holtz | RW | 88 (BCM)
M. Olofsson | C | 87 (CBJ)
J. Weekes | RW | 87 (BCM)
R. Ramo | LW | 87 (MTL)
L. Raymond | RW | 86 (NYR)

Spoiler: Free Agent Frenzy

BCM Signs
A. Hale | LW | 89 | 10m x 7
A. Holtz | RW | 88 | 9.4m x 7
J. Weekes | RW | 87 | 7.2m x 7
F. Exelby | G | 79 | 900k x 3
J. Owens | RW | 77 | 960k x 1 (QO)
J. Zboril | D | 81 | 2.8m x 1
D. Wolf | G | 72 | 775k x 2


Notable Signings
ARI | M. Marner | RW | 92 | 12.690m x 7
PIT | M. Sergechev | D | 91 | 11.2m x 7
CAR | S. Crosby | C | 90 | 7.245m x 1
VGK | R. Fabbri | LW | 88 | 10.260m x 7
WPG | A. Nylander | RW | 88 | 9.475m x 6
DAL | J. Voracek | RW | 88 | 6.135m x 1
MIN | D. Batherson | C | 87 | 8.960m x 5
FLA | C. Mittelstadt | C | 87 | 7.950m x 3
SJS | A. Ovechkin | LW | 87 | 8.710m x 1

Offer Sheets
BOS | M. Olofsson | C | 87 | 10.580m x 3
CBJ receive: 2026 1st, 2027 1st, 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd

CHI | L. Raymond | RW | 86 | 6.655m x 4
NYR receive: 2026 1st & 2026 3rd

Spoiler: Trades

CGY acquire: E. Svechnikov (85) & CBJ 2027 4th
CBJ acquire: C. Miller (83), CGY 2026 6th, CGY 2027 4th

BCM acquire: S. Brust (78, Top 4 D)
VAN acquire: O. Larsson (51, Top 4 D) & TOR 2026 3rd

A pretty busy free agency period. Very rich in players, yet with only 2 successful offer sheets (there was another that was matched). Chicago got an absolute steal though, as NYR didn't have the cap to match the offer, and they got an elite player for cheap.
A. Hale is officially the first player I have signed in any recent NHL game for 10+ million dollars. Worth it, dude is awesome.

Spoiler: Extensions

J. Comrie | G | 83 | 5m x 2
A. Stranges | LW | 87 | 8m x 5
J. Cikhart | LW | 78 | 800k x 3
C. McClennon | LW | 76 | 800k x 3
T. Rochette | C | 81 | 1.2m x 2
R. Korczak | C | 77 | 800k x 6
J. Foudy | C | 75 | 800k x 5

Spoiler: 2025/2026 Roster

A. Hale (89)	Y. Nikitin (90)	A. Holtz (88)
A. Stranges (87)	C. Reaves (88)	J. Weekes (87)
T. Rochette (81)	P. Witt (87)	J. Gauthier (82)
D. Caggiula (81)	D. Manlow (80)	J. Owens (79)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

V. Koltsov (86)	M. Rodgers (89)
J. Slavin (85)	B. Clarke (82)
J. Zboril (81)	A. Andersson (77)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

J. Comrie (83)

A. Nedeljkovic (81)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

OFF: 96
DEF: 89
GOA: 82

I have 7 fantastic forwards, which makes lineups awkward. I don't want to pull an Ottawa and waste Witt on the 3rd line. Might need to trade a piece in the future.
My prospects on D didn't progress like I hoped, so I have a hole at RD #3. Will be a target this season perhaps.
J. Comrie fell from 85 to 83 from getting spanked in the playoffs last season and made no progression this offseason unfortunately. I was hoping the 2 year extension could be a steal, as it is lower than his current contract, but not yet...

One potential change this off season:
Y. Nikitin has gone from Elite to Franchise.
What a steal that trade wound up being.

 

[OB5]

New owner, new GM and a new start !

June 1st 2020

Just before the draft finally some positive news have come the Eagles way, today the NHL announced that it will sell the Eagles to billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for 350 million. This promises to bring stability to the Eagles after it had been revealed that previous owner Kaizer Soze was not only using the team to launder drug money but bribing refs, forcing GM Mike Milbury to draft high salaried players in order to launder more money and doing the same in Tacoma while hiring shady staff members at exorbitant salaries. Soze was arrested and is awaiting trial while the now disgraced Milbury is also on trial for being a bad GM.. just kidding he sold cocaine to fans outside the rink after morning skates.

The widely exposed corruption ring ran deal with all members of both teams hockey ops being involved, many lifetime bans were given out like Santa giving gifts at Christmas. Seattle and Tacoma now have a barebones staff that is slowly being filled out. Commissioner Bettman said he was thrilled that a deal could be reached and is excited to not only get his own home Alexa but also have them become a part of league functions.

Bezos who was flying to the moon as we spoke, sorry wait he was flying to his 154th home in Seattle as we reached him, said that he is excited to be an owner and promises the team will enter a new era and that success is coming. He spend to the cap every year because he's too rich not too and he will do everything to win games with this team.

Seattle immediately announce the hire of Martin Ward, an unknown in the NHL world but a phenom GM in the Swedish Allsvenkan he took legendary program Leksands to the Elite league, and then won the elite league with them the following campaign. Some pundits say he's a rising start, but they feel the situation in Seattle requires a veteran presence who knows the league inside out. One thing is clear... Seattle's roster is a disaster with many aging vets, bad big money contracts, and lengthy unmovable deals. There is some hope as some players like Martin Hanzal are UFA's July first and that will free up cap space and roster space for Ward to reshape his team. The challenge is certainly daunting but so was building Amazon out of the basement says owner Jeff Bezos. Ward's first order of business will likely be the draft and then he will have to hire 2 head coaches, one in the AHL and one in the NHL...

One could say Bezos is a bigger monster than Soze

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

One could say Bezos is a bigger monster than Soze

I called him owning something in Seattle ahahahah.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Currently at the all-star "break" of the 2020-21 season, and some of these stats are boosted because of the rash of injuries the Sabres have occurred, therefore needing to play a bunch of rookies to see how much they've developed in the AHL, (and I play any game I have a new rookie in just to get a feel on how they are and if I actually wanna keep them or jettison them), the Sabres sit 2nd in the league, 3 points behind Boston. The Sabres have a 29-12-6 record, scoring 210 goals and allowing 115.

Sabres captain Jack Eichel was lost for two weeks with a concussion. Sabres 3rd line left wing Marcus Johansson was lost for 3 months with a separated shoulder. Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark was lost for a month with a hamstring tear. Sabres super rookie Maxim Volkov was lost for three weeks with a broken nose. And Sabres defenceman Colin Miller was lost for two weeks due to a concussion. In his first game for the Sabres, prospect LW Brett Murray (74 PWF) was lost for a month with an elbow injury.

The Johansson injury forced the Sabres to acquire C Paul Stastny (83 PLY) from Vegas to fill his spot on the 3rd line, and then move him up to the 2C spot (with Kirby Dach moving up to 1C) with Eichel's injury. Centre prospect Braydon Wozniewski (61 PLY) went to Vegas as the return. As well, the Sabres finally were able to trade disgruntled associate captain Jake McCabe to the Vancouver Canucks for two 2nd round draft picks (2021 and 2022). A side aspect to that trade, the Canucks sent D prospect Guilliaume Brisebois (78 TWD) to the Sabres in exchange for Buffalo's 2021 4th round pick.

In other league trade news, Pittsburgh acquired LW Brandon Pirri from Vegas for a 2022 2nd.

C	J. Eichel	45	27	32	59	+40	24
LW	M. Volkov*	43	25	22	47	+34	39
RW	V. Olofsson	43	17	25	42	+32	12
D	R. Dahlin	47	11	31	42	+51	14
LW	D. Kahun	47	19	21	40	+19	8
RW	A. Tuch	47	8	27	35	+19	28
D	C. Miller	41	12	21	33	+36	24
C	F. Gauthier	42	10	20	31	+34	29
C	K. Dach	42	8	21	29	+12	38
LW	M. Johansson	35	9	11	20	+1	6
D	G. Vallati*	35	6	13	19	+24	6
D	J. McCabe	45	3	16	19	+24	12
D	H. Jokiharju	46	5	13	18	+18	4
RW	T. Thompson	47	10	7	17	+18	23
C	A. Lowry	45	5	12	17	+2	38
RW	I. Mikheyev	42	8	8	16	+17	16
LW	Z. Girgensons	20	5	10	15	+9	18
LW	V. Namestnikov	44	4	11	15	+7	4
D	J. Edmundson	45	7	6	13	+22	41
D	L. Pilut	21	4	8	12	+15	4
C	P. Stastny**	11 (34)	4 (7)	6 (16)	10 (23)	+7 (-10)	2 (12)
C	Q. Byfield*	7	1	3	4	+7	0
C	B. Gates Jr.*	2	2	0	2	+2	0
RW	A. Loktionov*	3	0	1	1	+2	10
LW	M. Maltsev*	1	0	0	0	+1	0
LW	B. Murray*	1	0	0	0	0	0
G	LU, UPL, JJ	LU 4A	UPL 2A	JJ 2A
	L. Ullmark	31	19	11	.916	2.18	3
	U. Luukkonen*	16	9	7	.898	2.44	1
	J. Johansson*	1	1	0	.750	8.00	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Well, I reckon it's time I finally try my hand at making some posts about a team. Just on my phone so it may not be as detailed or fancy as some

Now (a few years early) presenting.... the SEATTLE EAGLES!!

(I swear was using that name before you, Mr I Have No Creativity ....probably one of the better custom logos, and a somewhat believable name)

Couple of details and one confession before I begin.

One, my rosters have been heavily edited (though not so much the prospects... maybe one day...) They are pre-trade deadline, though you'll probably figure that out

Two, I basically quickly jotted down my own protected and unprotected lists, trying to factor in NMCs and also what teams themselves might've done if there were an expansion draft *yesterday*

As such, I'm trying to recreate some sense of realism, though I'm definitely not holding too hard and fast to that with an EA video game haha

And last but not least, I confess I save scummed because going into a draft half blind and with zero idea how guys will fit in your scheme drives me bonkers (No real NHL expansion team should ever be at such a disadvantage....)

Oh, I also set draft picks on classic, because I'd rather reset picks than have some teams at an advantage in the 2019 special draft in game

Ok, enough jibber jabber.... without further ado, here's the "list"

ANH: Derek Grant (C) 79
ARI: Derek Stepan (C) 81*
BST: Danton Heinen (W) 80
BUF: Zemgus Girgensons (LW/C) 79
CGY: Derek Ryan (C) 80*
CRL: James Reimer (G) 81**
CHI: Erik Gustafsson (D) 81
COL: Valeri Nichushkin (W) 79
CBJ: Boone Jenner (C/LW) 80**
DAL: Jamie Oleksiak (D) 78**
DET: Chris Terry (RW) 76
EDM: Alex Chiasson (RW) 78
FLA: Mackenzie Weegar (D) 81
LA: Trevor Lewis (RW/C) 78
MIN: James Brodin (D) 84**
MTL: Dale Weise (RW) 77**
NSH: Juuse Saros (G) 83
NJ: Andy Greene (D) 80
NYI: Nick Leddy (D) 84
NYR: Boo Nieves (C) 76
OTT: Tyler Ennis (LW) 79
PHI: Shayne Gostisbehere (D) 83
PIT: Zach Trotman (D) 76*
SJ: Brenden Dillon (D) 82**
STL: Alex Steen (LW) 79*
TB: Alex Killorn (LW) 82
TOR: Cody Ceci (D) 78*
VAN: Nikolay Goldobin (W) 78*
WSH: Richard Panik (RW) 81
WPG: Laurent Brossoit (G) 82*

Side deals (*) first.....

Arizona sends '20 2nd rounder for not picking D/G.... Stepan's ratings are nerfed to the point where he's mostly a cap dump, albeit a moveable one

Flames trade recent first rounder LW Jakob Pelletier (Top 6 Med) for not taking Calgary dmen mostly

Canes trade 21 2nd rounder and D Gustav Forsling (Top 6 Low) for not taking dmen (and sort've for taking on Reimer's contract)

Habs trade 19 4th rounder for taking on cap dump (albeit a small one) Dale Weise. Also protects their army of middling dmen/depth players

Pittsburgh trades C Filip Hallander (Top 6 Med) mostly for not taking Jarry (who's edited to be a starter)

St Louis pays an arm and a leg to keep their team together, and also to clear space for Pietrangelo. Cutting ties with a heart and soul guy like Steen is savage, esp after a Cup, but yea. This is also largely about protecting a guy like Dunn. Anyway, blah blah, yatta yatta, Blues cough up RW Klim Kostin (Elite Low), RW Alexey Toropchenko (Top 9 Med) and a 20 1st to kill their cap problem and protect their key guys with one stone

Tempting as it was to take a Leafs forward, they send their 19 1st and C Riley Stotts (Top 9 Med) to clear Ceci's 4.5M salary and keep their key guys

Vancouver sends LW Nils Hoglander (Top 6 Med) and a 20 2nd rounder for not taking Demko

Jets send a 20 3rd for not taking Copp or Lowry

Some teams don't do side deals, either because they're rebuilding or because they'll lose a good player no matter what (and methinks a few teams will learn from outfoxing themselves with Vegas)

Other deals (**)....

Reimer (half retained) flipped to Toronto for a 2020 4th ~ upgrade on Hutchinson

Oleksiak to Caps w/a 3rd for a 2nd; teams also swap 4ths ~ toughness & depth for Caps

Brodin to Blackhawks for F Dylan Strome (82 Top Six Med), LW/C Zack Smith (78) and rights to RW Victor Ejdsell (73 Top 6 Med). Could see something similar happening in real life ~ Seattle shores up C and Hawks get a steady dman (bearing in mind they also lost Gustafsson).... Smith is in there for cap purposes and Ejdsell is a highish upside gamble who's running out of road

Weise goes to Blues as part of Steen deal. Type of player they could find useful and his contract expires when they need it to

Jenner will likely also be moved out

Think I'll do the draft and Cole's notes version of my offseason signings of 26 and a half AHLers later, that's enough for now

Thanks for reading! (even if you didn't )

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Just a quick update involving some trades before the TDL, and some re-signings I've done.

Columbus trades a 2022 2nd and D M. Stone (79 TWD) to Florida for 2021 FLA 4th and C N. Acciari (81 TWF). I'm not sure if Florida is tanking or not, but they also have Dadonov on the block. But seeing I own their 1st round pick this year, tank away!

Boston trades RW Z. Senyshen (77 SNP) to Nashville for NSH 2021 3rd, PIT 2021 3rd and D A. Petrovic (78 DFD).

The Islanders have put C M. Barzal on the block.

Buffalo re-signs (new contract 1st, old contract in brackets):

C A. Lowry (80 TWF) - 2yrs/$1,900,000 AAV ($2,915,000)
C P. Stastny (83 PLY) - 1yrs/$3,400,000 AAV ($6,405,000)
D R. Dahlin (88 TWD) - 8yrs/$12,200,000 AAV ($925,000)
D H. Jokiharju (82 TWD) - 4yrs/$3,525,000 AAV ($925,000)
D G. Brisebois (77 TWD) - 8yrs/$825,000 AAV ($770,000)
G L. Ullmark (83 HYB) - 3yrs/$3,675,000 AAV ($4,075,000)
D W. Borgen (70 TWD) - 3yrs/$700,000 AAV ($865,000)
D C. Fitzgerald (73 OFD) - 2yrs/$700,000 AAV ($860,000)
RW C. Lazar (79 TWF) - 2yrs/$725,000 AAV ($775,000)
LW R. Asplund (77 TWF) - 3yrs/$700,000 AAV ($845,000)
LW M. Maltsev (75 PWF) - 3yrs/$725,000 AAV ($810,000)
C M. Granlund (77 TWF) - 1yr/$700,000 AAV ($750,000)

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Quick TDL update:

02-12-21: BUF trades LW M. Johansson (82 PLY, $1M retained) & C F. Gauthier (77 PWF) to PHI for LW C. Twarynski (78 GRN), C C. Bunnaman (77 GRN) & D W. Wylie (77 TWD)

02-16-21: ARI trades RW A. Raty (64 PLY) to BUF for C G. Haas (78 TWF)

02-16-21: OTT trades C A. Kovalev (64 PLY) to BUF for LW V. Namestnikov (80 TWF), D K. Hatcher (65 DFD) & D A. Bryzgalov (51 DFD)

02-16-21: BUF trades C H. Fowler (57 PLY) & PHI 2021 4th to MON for LW P. Nakamura (71 SNP)

02-17-21: OTT trades D M. Reilly (78 TWD) & OTT 2022 5th for C O. Steen (68 GRN) & BOS 2021 4th

02-18-21: TOR trades TOR 2021 1st & RW M. Abramov (67 PLY) to CHI for D C. Tanev (83 DFD), D S. Koekkoek (80 TWD) & CHI 2022 4th

02-22-21: MIN trades MIN 2022 5th & 6th to VGK for LW W. Carrier (78 PWF) & BUF 2022 5th

02-23-21: VGK trades D A. Martinez (83 TWD), WPG 2021 4th, VGK 2022 5th & MIN 2022 5th to BOS for D J. Moore (80 DFD), PIT 2021 3rd & BOS 2022 2nd

02-23-21: BUF claims D J. Johannes off waivers from OTT. Trades him back to OTT for C M. Kastelic (67 PWF) & MIN 2021 4th

02-23-21: EDM claims LW Z. Senyshen (77 SNP) off waivers from NSH. So basically NSH gave away a bunch of picks and a guy to BOS for nothing

02-25-21: C C. Bunnaman re-signs with BUF to a 7 year, 1.225M AAV contract. LW C. Twarynski re-signs with BUF to a 7 year, $1M AAV contract.

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

Been busy but here's a quick recap:


The Eagles sit at 31-22-9 heading into the 2022 trade deadline, their off-season acquisitions have paid dividends. Joining the fold were:

C Ivan Barbashev 82 ovr 26, 1yr 2.75M
LW Brandon Saad 82 ovr 29, 1yr 3M
D Dougie Hamilton 85 ovr 28, 3yr 6M
D Jeff Petry 83 ovr, 34, 1yr, 5.2M
D Jonas Brodin, 83 ovr, 28, 3yr, 5.25M
D Mike Green 80 ovr, 1yr, 36, 4.6M
G Hendrik Lundqvist 85 ovr, 39, 1yr 3.5M

RW Michal Frolik 82 ovr, 34, rejoined the team on a 1yr 3M deal.

Rookie phenom Derek Giroux has powered the team he has a whopping 59 goals in 62 games, Craig Button has called him a generational talent who is a mix of Alex Ovechkin and Connor McDavid.

The Eagles have also benefited from solid goaltending and the play of Josh Ho-Sang who has posted a career high in points playing with Giroux.

It remains to be seen what the Eagles have in store at the deadline, some expect a big acquisition while others are saying GM Ward could make minor additions or stand pat.

Seattle pre-deadline:

Giroux (81)-Granlund (84)-Ho-Sang (85)
Saad (82)-Barbashev (82)-Okposo (82)
Tanev (82)-Zajac (80)-Frolik (82)
Brown (80)-(Nieves)-Simmonds(82)

Hamilton(85)-Petry(83)
Brodin(83)-Green(80)
Miller(79)-Ouellet(79)

Lundqvist(85)
Askarov(82)

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

NEW LOOK NHL IS UNDER WAY

With the 'New' NHL Fantasy draft done, here's a look at YOUR 2019-2020 Hamilton Tiger Cats

Home Jersey

FORWARDS
Jonathan Huberdeau(A) - Auston Matthews(C) - Alex Tuch
Sven Baertschi - Tyler Johnson - Tyler Toffoli
Conor Sheary - Philip Danault - Connor Brown
Brandon Tanev - Jason Spezza - Luke Glendening

Away Jersey

DEFENSE
Brady Skjei - John Klingberg(A)
Cam Fowler - Michael Matheson
Niklas Kronwall - Matt Grzelcyk

Alternate Jerseys

GOALIES
Robin Lehner
Alex Stalock

From an outsiders perspective this team is young and hungry, with some grizzled vets mixed in. This team is surely to be a contender in the 'New' NHL.

Season write up next
​

how were you able to screenshot the jerseys and upload here ?

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

Pausing the Seattle save, going to start up with my Favourite team. Have never done one with them.

 

[ArrogantSave]

Devils Tap Conway for GM Post
8.1.19

NEWARK, NJ – The New Jersey Devils have named, as their new GM, long-time scout and former NHL defenseman Dan Conway. In a press conference at the Prudential Center, shortly after Conway arrived from Anaheim where he served three years as the Ducks’ head of scouting and associate director of franchise operations, the new Devils GM spoke about the state of the franchise he is taking over.

“First, I’d like to thank the Berkowitz family for giving me this amazing opportunity. I had lunch last week with Marvin Berkowitz and his son Noah. They are so passionate about New Jersey and Devils hockey, and they 110 percent committed to bringing the cup back to the Garden State, which is where I was raised. I’m equally committed to this goal.

“I’m walking into a great situation. While we are not yet where we want to be on the ice, we are extremely well-positioned from a rebuilding standpoint. We have one of the game’s top defenseman in P.K. Subban, one of my favorite players in the entire league. He's just a class act in every sense. We also have veteran leadership in Kyle, Travis and Nikita.

"Nico is still scratching the surface of his potential, and Jackie Hughes has a chance to become an all-time great, but we have to quickly identify the best way for him to develop into the player he’ll eventually become. There's a good nucleus as long as these guys continue to work and improve.

“Usually, I spend the first two weeks of August essentially unplugging at my family vacation home in the Berkshires, but not this year. We will use this entire month taking a close look at the coaching staff as well as our scouting operation, which will be critical.

“Our salary cap situation couldn’t be better. We have a great deal of flexibility to make any type of move at any time.

“We are incredibly young. When you’re referring t0 27-year-old guys like Kyle and Nikita as “veteran leaders” it tells you all you need to know. But as young as we are, we need to fill the pipeline with better talent so we can eventually have more depth on our backend lines and pairings. Accumulating draft picks will be a central part of our near-term plan.

“Part of my job will be managing other operations such as arena maintenance, marketing, and sales. Marvin and Noah have already come forward with the resources I need. The Rock is already one of the best venues in the NHL. But we have to stay on top of the maintenance. Bathrooms need to remain clean at all times, the team store and concession stands need to be fully stocked, our promos must be on point, we need to add some parking, and we need to eventually upgrade our club seating and luxury box experience.

“I’m looking forward to training camp so I can work with the coaches on creating an identity for the current roster and a development plan for every player in the organization, including Bingampton and our draftees in junior hockey. I also look forward to getting to know our scouts as I prepare to deploy them in search of the best talent out there.

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

Going away saturday, lost the seattle save but when i get back i'll start either a detroit or minnesota be A Gm, which should i do ?

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Going away saturday, lost the seattle save but when i get back i'll start either a detroit or minnesota be A Gm, which should i do ?

Minnesota. Just because it’ll be harder to do.

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

Minnesota. Just because it’ll be harder to do.

Considering them. They are my favourite team, they’ve got pieces but they’re aging.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

As promised, a quick update on Mal's Seattle Eagles expansion sim....

For the 2019 "special draft"

1-5 D Bobrovsky RW (Elite Med)
1-17 I Likhachev RW (Top 6 Med)
2-47 S Walford D (Top 6 Med)
2-58 C Nelson RW (Top 6 Med)
4-112 C Spiller RW (Top 6 Low)
4-122 A Semyonov G (Fringe Starter Med)
6-183 L Hawel C (Top 9 Med)
7-195 T Tavares LW (Bottom 6 Med)

Bobrovsky starts at an 83 ~ the most NHL ready of all the guys in this draft. He'll hopefully step right into my top 6 and provide some scoring punch right off the hop.

Solid first draft, a bit heavy on the wings but definitely have to go BPA when you have holes everywhere. Can always cut deals down the line.

Filled out my AHL team with one or two medium upside guys (top 9 F/top 6 D types), quality veterans, locker room guys, etc etc.... not much to see there

***

Through the first quarter, the Eagles are a pleasant surprise with a 14-6-1 record, while averaging over 3 goals for per game, and a tidy 2.33 GAA. There are points of concern, however, such as a tepid powerplay (10.6%) and a much more "expansionesque" 5-4-1 record in our last ten games. A few players are riding obscenely high shooting percentages and may tail off ~ it is, after all, a long season

All in all though, I'm happy with how competitive my Eagles have been. Planning to extend Strome while his demands are reasonable, but beyond that, we shall see.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Through the first half...

26-14-1 record, good for tops in the Pacific
13-7-1 at home, 13-7 on the road, 4-6 in last ten
3.10 GFPG, 2.44GAPG
PP: 12.7% PK: 83.8%

Same old signs of trouble... absolutely abysmal power play, although they at least haven't surrendered a shorty. So-so record in the last ten, though that's deceptive as we've won 4 of 6. Bottom line is we keep chugging along, powered by strong team defense and goaltending (5th best in the league) and timely scoring.

Individual Stats (GP-G-A-PTS-+/-)

D Stepan 39-14-25-39 +23
D Bobrovsky 41-18-14-32 +17
N Leddy 41-7-24-31 +11
R Panik 41-13-15-28 +22
S Gostisbehere 41-6-22-28 +7
D Strome 37-8-17-25 0
A Steen 41-7-13-20 +8
M Weegar 41-6-12-18 +12
A Killorn 40-7-10-17 -10
D Ryan 41-6-11-17 -3
D Heinen 36-8-8-16 -3
A Chiasson 37-4-10-14 -6
D Grant 38-7-6-13 +6
E Gustafsson 40-4-8-12 +8
T Lewis 41-1-10-11 +8
T Ennis 16-4-3-7 +6
Z Girgensons 29-4-3-7 +1
A Greene 26-1-3-4 +1
C Wolanin 20-2-1-3 +3
w/SEA 9-0-0-0 0
C Ceci 11-0-3-3 +3
M Pysyk 37-0-3-3 +9

Saros - 24 GP, 15-9, .919, 2.28
Brossoit - 18 GP, 11-6-1, .916, 2.49, 1SO

First off, I've been remarkably healthy... Andy Greene is the only guy who's missed any stretch of significance.

Stepan, Seattle's first captain, has also been probably it's steadiest player. He's anchored the second line with rookie phenom Dmitri Bobrovsky, the Eagle's leading goalscorer. Lately, Alex Killorn has skated on their line, to positive affect. Panik has also been a stalwart in the top 6, and has been a reliable contributor. Strome has anchored the top line with a variety of linemates, cooling off after a 16pt first quarter. Heinen, often a staple with Strome, has likewise tailed off after a strong first quarter and has found himself a healthy scratch. Ennis, who has struggled to get into the lineup due to the Eagles being so healthy, has gotten a look in the top six of late.

Steen's statline is more flattering than reality, as he too tailed off after a hot start. Still, he's been a steady contributor, and a valued member of a respectable (but middle of the pack PK). Ryan has probably been the best of the bottom six, moving up when Stepan and/or Strome were hurt. Chiasson and Grant have been steady, and are valued PKers. Lewis has only the one goal, but is a valued PK specialist and defensive cog. Girgensons hasn't always drawn in, but has been steady and reliable when called upon. Nichushkin was moved out to Ottawa earlier in the season, largely because he wasn't always getting much opportunity here. He had a pair of goals & assists in 15 games of action

On defense, Leddy has been a very pleasant surprise. Gostisbehere, his regular partner, has also been quite good. Weegar seems like he'll be a top 4 fixture moving forward, while his regular partner Gustafsson hasn't wowed offensively but has been a reliable minute muncher. The bottom pair has been a hodge podge of Pysyk, Greene, Ceci and Wolanin, who was claimed off waivers from Ottawa due to his upside. They've been steady but unspectacular.

In goal, both Saros and Brossoit have taken the ball and run with it at times. Saros has been the more consistent of the two, while Brossoit has tightened up his play and seen more action of late.

***

Transactions

Gave C Dylan Strome a 6yr, $36M extension
Gave C Derek Grant a 2yr, $2.8M extension
Claimed D Christian Wolanin (76, Top 4 Low) off waivers from Ottawa
Traded W Valeri Nichushkin to Ottawa for LW Rudolfs Balcers (74, Top 9 Med) and a 2020 3rd round pick

Gave Strome his monster extension after his monster first quarter. Hoping he grows into the contract, but nowadays that isn't awful money for a top 6 guy.

I tend to value center depth, so when Grant was interested in an extension, this was a no brainer. He's a quality role player who can play up in the lineup if needed. This extension will see his salary double.

Bit surprised Wolanin dropped through the waiver wire all the way to me... but I'll take the gamble. At any rate, he's cheap depth, and under contract for another year at a very reasonable $900k

As mentioned, moving Nuke was more about giving him a shot at playing somewhere else. Balcers should help my middling farm team, has some upside and the third should be fairly high.

One last bit to add to this novel.... plans change but at this point I don't foresee many of my depth players being brought back. Hoping to lock up Weegar before long, and Brossoit is making a case to be kept as well. While I don't think I'll be a buyer in the traditional sense, I don't think I'll really be selling either. Danton Heinen would probably be the biggest name that could be trade bait, and he ain't exactly a household name lol.... but still very much in wait and see mode. Is all this success a mirage, with the proverbial bottom falling out any moment? Or are the Eagles for real?

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Yet another (quick) update... finished with a 52-26-4 record, good for 1st in the West/Pacific & tied for 3rd overall w/BUF
29-9-3 home/23-17-1 away (7-2-1 in last ten)
3.01 GFPG (8th)/2.37GAPG (2nd)
PP 39/263 (14.8%, 25th)/PK 186/216 (86.1%, 7th)

Didn't realize my offense would actually be considered fairly potent. Improvement in both special teams, but popgun powerplay is still a concern.

Will face a 37-39-6 Blackhawk squad in the first round

Extensions

Mackenzie Weegar 3yrs, $12M
Trevor Lewis 1yr, $1.75M
Laurent Brossoit 1yr, $2M
Nikolay Goldobin 2yrs, $2.6M

Weegar earned a 150% raise on the strength of a standout 2 way performance that solidified him in the top 4. Finished the year on the top pair w/Leddy

Trevor Lewis scored 20 pts in the second half (!) forming an effective partnership with Derek Grant to earn an extension. He was willing to shave $250K off his salary, and brings a valuable element of experience, versatility, defensive/PK ability and apparently surprising scoring ability

Laurent Brossoit continued to display some inconsistency, but ultimately put up respectable numbers with a fairly impressive 3 shutouts. He'll duke it out with Saros for another year (albeit taking a backseat to start the playoffs)

Nikolay Goldobin led the farm team in scoring with a 19 goal, 68 point effort. He earned a 2 year contract that walks him straight to UFA status, and will be given every opportunity to carve out a role on a scoring line with the big club next season

Trades

Sent D Mark Pysyk (79), RW Martins Dzierkals (63, Top 9 Low), RW Clint Nelson (54, Top 6 Med) and Seattle's 2020 first round pick to Nashville for D Mattias Ekholm (85) and C Frederick Gaudreau (75)

Deadline move. Lots of interesting names on the market ~ Kyle Connor, Matt Barzal, Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, amongst others, but I didn't want to mortgage too much in the way of futures given my depth (and I'm still not sold on my team, despite the pleasantly surprising season)

Allowed myself a medium sized splash on Ekholm. Nashville is rebuilding for some reason so he was on the block all year. His sweet contract ($3.75M AAV) was too hard to pass up. Solidifies my defense in the short term, and gives me options moving forward. As an added bonus, he's a good locker room guy

Pysyk and Dzierkals weren't really in my plans moving forward, and while giving up Nelson (my 2nd rounder last summer) and a first hurts, I decided to take the plunge. Turned out to be a smart buy as the team played quite well (especially defensively) down the stretch

***

Already thinking about the summer. Nick Leddy had a monster year, and could see a nice jump in both trade value & rating. He's a nice vet to insulate the kids but he could be a trade chip to move up in the draft. As good as Vegas has been, I feel they've made the critical mistake of being too much too soon, forfeiting the chance to bring in elite talent in the draft

I also have a number of extra picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds which could be used to move up. We'll see what happens with the lottery, perhaps there'll be a deal to be made.

Free agency figures to be fairly ho hum as I'll only really need to fill out my roster with a couple depth forwards and defensemen

***

Will post regular season totals and playoff results down the road

 

[BigRig4]

How come I can snipe with righties but not lefties?

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Lost my post but Cole's Notes version of my Seattle 19/20 sim

Made the Finals, losing handily in 5 to a surprising Ottawa Senators club (46-30-6) who finished 9th in the NHL. Defeated 8th place Chicago (37-39-6) in 5, 7th place Vegas (33-33-16) in 7 and 6th place St Louis (39-33-10) in 5. Wtf West, all the other top 4 seeds went home early....

Saw my status change to "Contender" (albeit briefly, but more on that in a moment) and guys like Saros (89), Leddy (87), Panik (85) & Stepan (84) grow significantly in rating and trade value.

Had a successful draft, managed to target and snag a pair of elite centers in the first round. Taking Cole Perfetti at 6th took some significant maneuvering, as I first sacrificed Leddy to Florida (and took on Yandle's contract) in exchange for #7, then took on Abdelkader from the Wings to move up. It was kinda all for naught as I snagged a 61 elite center at 29th with the Blues pick from the Steen deal. That was a pleasant surprise ~ my scouts had him as elite but only with 2 bars.

Otherwise, I tended to take BPA or target dmen, with the latter yielding middling results.

Free agency was... quiet, as I just added some depth pieces.

Wound up as "Hopeful" headed into the next season

Will do final regular season/playoff stats (and get into more offseason specifics) when I can

 

[GAMO1992]

how were you able to screenshot the jerseys and upload here ?

It was kind of jank, but I did the screenshot on my PS4, sent them all to a friend(that wanted to see them all anyways), logged onto my PS account online, and just saved the pictures from the messages I sent the friend.
...okay pretty janky, but it worked! I have all the other ones saved. I'll probably upload them all tomorrow

 

[GAMO1992]

Alberta Bulls

 

[GAMO1992]

Anchorage Knights

 

[GAMO1992]

Atlanta Battalion

 

[GAMO1992]

British Colombia Bears

 

[GAMO1992]

Charlotte Cougars