Boston (AP) - The World Cup organization committee are very busy these days sifting through applications for the 8 teams who will grace the 3 week long tournament that will get underway during the FNHL's offseason.
"I would have to say that I am surprised of the amount of applications as compared to the initial interest put forward after the World Cup was announced. I only have 6 maybe 7 teams filled to date. Thankfully everyone who has applied so far chose a team that was open so basically as of right now every GM who has applied should get their first choice. I am hoping over the next couple of days we will get a couple more applications and have all the teams with general managers." said organizer Jeff Nagle.
Roster lists are also shaping up. With team Canada leading the way with 80+ eligible players, the organizing committee will be narrowing it down to about 50 before the lists go out to the GMs.
"We will be looking to release those lists to the GMs sometime later next week. The GMs will then have the balance of the regular season to make their final team selections." added Mr Nagle.
We also caught word that the FNHL World Cup website should be up and ready to go next week. Supposedly it is already created and populated but they are awaiting the GM selection before officially launching it. All World Cup related news, stats and roster selections will be available on that website.
"We found it would be imperative that we have a website dedicated to the World Cup. It is a league in it's own right. Once we have it launched we will ask the FNHL officials to put an official link on the FNHL website to bring users to the World Cup website. That will drive alot of traffic to the website and give fans a chance to keep up with the progress of the tournament." added Mr Nagle.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
FNHL World Cup to Return
New Jersey (AP) - It has been announced that the FNHL World Cup will return this upcoming offseason. GM Jeff Nagle has taken on the task to be the official tournament organizer for this phenomenal event.
At press time a total of 7 nations will participate in the event, Canada, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and a Unified Team featuring players from many of the former Russian block teams will participate. There are rumors that there might be an 8th team but negotiations have not been reached with the 8th team.
GMs from the FNHL will be allowed to participate in the player selection and game lineups. The managers will be chosen in the coming weeks. Asked if he will be manager of one of the teams GM Nagle said that organization of the tournament will be enough work for him although he would have been honored to participate.
"This will be a great way for the great hockey talent's of the world to showcase their talent on the ice against one another." said GM Nagle. "Alot of the details have yet to be worked out, but we are currently working on a new website to promote the tournament, and in the coming weeks we will be selecting GMs and preparing player lists that will be eligable for the tournament." added Nagle.
The dates of the tournament have yet to be released but it is believe that the tournament will start shortly after the FNHL Entry Draft. The tournament will last aproximately 3 weeks with each team playing one another 2 times then a single game elimination playoff. It is believed that the rosters will be chosen by the conclusion of the FNHL playoffs to enable GMs to prepare their lines and schedule practices before the tournament will begin.
At press time a total of 7 nations will participate in the event, Canada, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and a Unified Team featuring players from many of the former Russian block teams will participate. There are rumors that there might be an 8th team but negotiations have not been reached with the 8th team.
GMs from the FNHL will be allowed to participate in the player selection and game lineups. The managers will be chosen in the coming weeks. Asked if he will be manager of one of the teams GM Nagle said that organization of the tournament will be enough work for him although he would have been honored to participate.
"This will be a great way for the great hockey talent's of the world to showcase their talent on the ice against one another." said GM Nagle. "Alot of the details have yet to be worked out, but we are currently working on a new website to promote the tournament, and in the coming weeks we will be selecting GMs and preparing player lists that will be eligable for the tournament." added Nagle.
The dates of the tournament have yet to be released but it is believe that the tournament will start shortly after the FNHL Entry Draft. The tournament will last aproximately 3 weeks with each team playing one another 2 times then a single game elimination playoff. It is believed that the rosters will be chosen by the conclusion of the FNHL playoffs to enable GMs to prepare their lines and schedule practices before the tournament will begin.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Western Conference UFAs
Anaheim
UFAs: LW Vaclav Prospal, LW Markus Naslund
Situation: With a possible retirement of Markus Naslund the re-signing of Vaclav Prospal will be paramount. As both left wingers are the Ducks' best and there is no clear cut front runner to take their place. It will be a rough ride if the Ducks do not have a plan in place to replace the aging wingers.
Calgary
UFAs: C David Legwand, C Nik Antropov, RW Miroslav Satan, D Chris Therien, D Sami Kapanen
Situation: It is a bit of a change in guard for the Flames. Signing at least one of thier UFA centers will be a priority for them as youngsters Wellwood and Esposito may not be ready to carry the full load of centering the Flames. Miroslav Satan will probably be the fall guy for the Flames to open up salary cap to sign their RFAs. He maybe valuable to the Flames but he is replaceable. The Flames could very well loose their top 2 defenceman to retirement as Kapanen and Theirien are entering their last years in the FNHL. If they can find the room to resign one of them, it would be to their advantage, or they could simply take the cap savings and shop elsewhere.
Chicago
UFAs: D Denis Gauthier
Situation: With the Hawks looking to out with the old and bring in the new, it appears as though Gauthier's time may be limited in Chicago but lack of true veteran defensive depth, the Hawks may very well extend Gauthier a contract if the price is right.
Colorado
UFAs: LW Petr Cajanek, RW Wayne Primeau, G Manny Legace, G Jocelyn Thibault
Situation: With both goalies on the hook for new contracts and no suitable replacements in sight, the Avalanche will be looking to resign Thibault once more to guide them as their starting goalie. Petr Cajanek would be an average player on any other team but with the Avalanche he is the top dog. He will be looking for another contract making about the same as he is now, will Colorado step up? or will they rely on youth to complete their rebuild?
Columbus
UFAs: None at the time of publication.
Dallas
UFAs: LW Matt Pettinger, D Richard Matvichuk
Situation: The Stars are sitting quite well without relying on any aging talent. They are restocking the cupboard with new young players so resigning Matt Pettinger will be the least of their worries. Matvichuk will probably retire but if not, he cannot expect to haul anywhere near the $7.5 million contract he once did. His earning days are near over and with Dallas shedding older talent, they may just decide to part ways with the once nasty defenceman.
Detroit
UFAs: LW Tyler Arnason, RW Niklas Sundstrom, D Tomas Kloucek, D Kenny Jonsson
Situation: More than likely Aranson will be resigned but of course it will take a slim raise to get him back to the fold. If the price is right defenceman Kenny Jonsson will most likely be re-signed. As for the rest of the Wing's free agents, they will probably look to promote from within or resign them for a bargain price.
Edmonton
UFAs: C Jason Arnott, C Steve Begin, D Chris Pronger, D Aaron Ward, D J-F Fortin
Situation: With the club's best center and defenseman up for contract renewal it will be a big offseason for the Oil. Pronger is the league's best defenceman and has been forever, his current $10 million price tag almost still seeems to cheap for him. He will look for Jagr money and he will get it. But will it be from Edmonton? In Arnott the Oilers will have to make a tough decision on their top forward, but more than likely GM Burns will deal him off for more rebuilding tools. As for the rest of the Oilers free agents, they are a dime-a-dozen and will be signed only if there is a need an the price is right.
Los Angeles
UFAs: LW Serge Aubin, D Barret Jackman, D Branislav Mezei, G Derek Gustafson
Situation: The Kings have set themselves up so well that their UFAs are simply pluggers and fillers and unless the GM has a spot for them in his heart, most if not all of them will be replaced or re-signed at a bargain price. Derek Gustafson could find himself the odd man out if youngster goalie Riku Helenius develops the way management thinks he can.
Minnesota
UFAs: D Sean Brown
Situation: Although Minnesota isn't the deepest team in terms of defense. They can do without Sean Brown. Unless he comes cheap, the Wild will most likely find outside help to cover for Brown's absense.
Nashville
UFAs: C Boyd Devereaux, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Maxim Kuznetsov, G Andrew Raycroft
Situation: Devereaux and Kuznetsov are expendable and are probably playing their last games this season in Nashville. Jaromir Jagr on the other hand is proabably playing his last games of his career. At the age of 39, it would appear as though the Pred's best player will be retiring at season's end, thus giving the Preds a whole lot of cap room. As for Raycroft, it is highly doubtful that he will be resigned with the emergence of Cam Ward as his replacement.
Phoenix
UFAs: C Dave Scatchard, LW Josh Green, RW Martin Havlat
Situation: Phoenix will be looking to resign veteran winger Martin Havlat. His contributions to the team are too much to really put a price tag on so with that being said, the Coyotes will be looking towards a considerable payraise for the star winger. As for Scatchard and Green, their re-signing will hinge on the development of farm talent that could easily replace the two forwards.
San Jose
UFAs: C Brian Rolston, C Brendan Morrison, LW Mike York
Situation: The Sharks are a re-tooling team and will be looking at the performance of their UFAs this year to see if it will be worth resigning them next year. Brian Rolston will probably look at retirement but could be an affordable resigning for another year if he decides to play again. Brendan Morrison will be looking at a significant pay cut to stay with the Sharks, but his abilities make him a prime candidate of an overpriced offer from another team. Mike York will probably resign at around the same rate with the Sharks as he is their best left winger.
St Louis
UFAs: C Artem Chubarov, LW Bates Battaglia, D Philippe Boucher, D Adrian Aucoin, D Mathieu Dandenault, D Brian Rafalski
Situation: The Blues have been the doormat team of the FNHL for some time. The current GM seems intent on bringing them up from the ashes, he will have his work cut out for him. The Blues will have alot of problems on defence if most of their defencemen retire or walk away. Currently the Blues top 3 defenceman are 38 years old and are overpriced and will probably retire. This departure of defenceman will leave the Blues with alot of capspace and perhaps they will use it to look for help elsewhere. Let's hope.
Vancouver
UFAs: D Scott Neidermayer
Situation: With the emergence of young defencemen Cam Barker and Jack Johnson, the Canucks will probably let Neidermayer walk unless he signs a more affordable deal. At the age of 38, Neidermayer is more than expected to retire thus freeing up some valuable cap space the Canucks can use to resign restricted free agent Rich Nash.
UFAs: LW Vaclav Prospal, LW Markus Naslund
Situation: With a possible retirement of Markus Naslund the re-signing of Vaclav Prospal will be paramount. As both left wingers are the Ducks' best and there is no clear cut front runner to take their place. It will be a rough ride if the Ducks do not have a plan in place to replace the aging wingers.
Calgary
UFAs: C David Legwand, C Nik Antropov, RW Miroslav Satan, D Chris Therien, D Sami Kapanen
Situation: It is a bit of a change in guard for the Flames. Signing at least one of thier UFA centers will be a priority for them as youngsters Wellwood and Esposito may not be ready to carry the full load of centering the Flames. Miroslav Satan will probably be the fall guy for the Flames to open up salary cap to sign their RFAs. He maybe valuable to the Flames but he is replaceable. The Flames could very well loose their top 2 defenceman to retirement as Kapanen and Theirien are entering their last years in the FNHL. If they can find the room to resign one of them, it would be to their advantage, or they could simply take the cap savings and shop elsewhere.
Chicago
UFAs: D Denis Gauthier
Situation: With the Hawks looking to out with the old and bring in the new, it appears as though Gauthier's time may be limited in Chicago but lack of true veteran defensive depth, the Hawks may very well extend Gauthier a contract if the price is right.
Colorado
UFAs: LW Petr Cajanek, RW Wayne Primeau, G Manny Legace, G Jocelyn Thibault
Situation: With both goalies on the hook for new contracts and no suitable replacements in sight, the Avalanche will be looking to resign Thibault once more to guide them as their starting goalie. Petr Cajanek would be an average player on any other team but with the Avalanche he is the top dog. He will be looking for another contract making about the same as he is now, will Colorado step up? or will they rely on youth to complete their rebuild?
Columbus
UFAs: None at the time of publication.
Dallas
UFAs: LW Matt Pettinger, D Richard Matvichuk
Situation: The Stars are sitting quite well without relying on any aging talent. They are restocking the cupboard with new young players so resigning Matt Pettinger will be the least of their worries. Matvichuk will probably retire but if not, he cannot expect to haul anywhere near the $7.5 million contract he once did. His earning days are near over and with Dallas shedding older talent, they may just decide to part ways with the once nasty defenceman.
Detroit
UFAs: LW Tyler Arnason, RW Niklas Sundstrom, D Tomas Kloucek, D Kenny Jonsson
Situation: More than likely Aranson will be resigned but of course it will take a slim raise to get him back to the fold. If the price is right defenceman Kenny Jonsson will most likely be re-signed. As for the rest of the Wing's free agents, they will probably look to promote from within or resign them for a bargain price.
Edmonton
UFAs: C Jason Arnott, C Steve Begin, D Chris Pronger, D Aaron Ward, D J-F Fortin
Situation: With the club's best center and defenseman up for contract renewal it will be a big offseason for the Oil. Pronger is the league's best defenceman and has been forever, his current $10 million price tag almost still seeems to cheap for him. He will look for Jagr money and he will get it. But will it be from Edmonton? In Arnott the Oilers will have to make a tough decision on their top forward, but more than likely GM Burns will deal him off for more rebuilding tools. As for the rest of the Oilers free agents, they are a dime-a-dozen and will be signed only if there is a need an the price is right.
Los Angeles
UFAs: LW Serge Aubin, D Barret Jackman, D Branislav Mezei, G Derek Gustafson
Situation: The Kings have set themselves up so well that their UFAs are simply pluggers and fillers and unless the GM has a spot for them in his heart, most if not all of them will be replaced or re-signed at a bargain price. Derek Gustafson could find himself the odd man out if youngster goalie Riku Helenius develops the way management thinks he can.
Minnesota
UFAs: D Sean Brown
Situation: Although Minnesota isn't the deepest team in terms of defense. They can do without Sean Brown. Unless he comes cheap, the Wild will most likely find outside help to cover for Brown's absense.
Nashville
UFAs: C Boyd Devereaux, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Maxim Kuznetsov, G Andrew Raycroft
Situation: Devereaux and Kuznetsov are expendable and are probably playing their last games this season in Nashville. Jaromir Jagr on the other hand is proabably playing his last games of his career. At the age of 39, it would appear as though the Pred's best player will be retiring at season's end, thus giving the Preds a whole lot of cap room. As for Raycroft, it is highly doubtful that he will be resigned with the emergence of Cam Ward as his replacement.
Phoenix
UFAs: C Dave Scatchard, LW Josh Green, RW Martin Havlat
Situation: Phoenix will be looking to resign veteran winger Martin Havlat. His contributions to the team are too much to really put a price tag on so with that being said, the Coyotes will be looking towards a considerable payraise for the star winger. As for Scatchard and Green, their re-signing will hinge on the development of farm talent that could easily replace the two forwards.
San Jose
UFAs: C Brian Rolston, C Brendan Morrison, LW Mike York
Situation: The Sharks are a re-tooling team and will be looking at the performance of their UFAs this year to see if it will be worth resigning them next year. Brian Rolston will probably look at retirement but could be an affordable resigning for another year if he decides to play again. Brendan Morrison will be looking at a significant pay cut to stay with the Sharks, but his abilities make him a prime candidate of an overpriced offer from another team. Mike York will probably resign at around the same rate with the Sharks as he is their best left winger.
St Louis
UFAs: C Artem Chubarov, LW Bates Battaglia, D Philippe Boucher, D Adrian Aucoin, D Mathieu Dandenault, D Brian Rafalski
Situation: The Blues have been the doormat team of the FNHL for some time. The current GM seems intent on bringing them up from the ashes, he will have his work cut out for him. The Blues will have alot of problems on defence if most of their defencemen retire or walk away. Currently the Blues top 3 defenceman are 38 years old and are overpriced and will probably retire. This departure of defenceman will leave the Blues with alot of capspace and perhaps they will use it to look for help elsewhere. Let's hope.
Vancouver
UFAs: D Scott Neidermayer
Situation: With the emergence of young defencemen Cam Barker and Jack Johnson, the Canucks will probably let Neidermayer walk unless he signs a more affordable deal. At the age of 38, Neidermayer is more than expected to retire thus freeing up some valuable cap space the Canucks can use to resign restricted free agent Rich Nash.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Rookie's Perspective
As my first full season of the FNHL draws near to an end and unfortunately my team was nowhere near playoff contention I am very pleased to give the league an annual report card on what my experiences have been thus far. As a veteran of fantasy hockey leagues I must say this is by far the best league I have ever been apart of that I have not ran myself. To be honest, the level of participation put in by all GMs in the FNHL rivals my best ran league and sticking to my motto that the best part of a fantasy hockey league is the GM's then this league does take the cake. But back to the topic of grades, I am going grade this league based on areas that are crucial to having a successful fantasy hockey league. These areas include GM Participation, Commissioner Participation, League Website, League History and Team Balance.
Lets begin!
GM Participation - Grade: A-
With 15 out of the 30 GMs netting half or more than half of their GM points for the season that shows a great amount of participation with such a large league (30 teams). With 4 of the GMs netting their full GM points and 2 others only missing a point or 2 this league is in great shape. GM participation is truly contageous and if those 6 GMs all of a sudden died off, the FNHL would quickly become a ghost town. You can never expect all 30 GMs to be fully "on board" but in my experience with the league thus far even the quiet GMs will still respond to email and that is a good sign.
The reason I gave the GM participation grade a lower "A" grade is that close to a third of the GM's have under 1/5 of the total GM participation points that they could of had.
The whole system of GM participation points is a great air-tight way of showing who is up for the task as a FNHL GM but I do believe a slight tweak in adding points for trades could go a long way, especially for GM's who do not like writing articles but love to be an active FNHL GM. My example would be Toronto's John van Teunenbroek. He basically got his near league worse 26 points by sending in lines. There was barely a week that didn't go by without him sending in lines which shows great participation but his points do not reflect it. If he were to gain 5 points for ever trade he had made, he would have garnered another 40 points this season. That would give him a decent 66 points for the season.
Overall I am very impressed by the amount of league participation being put forth by all GMs. It is very special when you have this many dedicated GMs.
Commissioner Participation - Grade: A
The heart of any league is it's GMs, the brains of any league is it's commissioner. Just like the body, without a good brain, the heart will slowly die and without a good heart the brain will die. I must commend Dave and his relentless simming and his excellent communication skills. Whenever there is active conversation in the league he always takes the neutral side of things and puts a calming approach to the the conversation, this is what a great commissioner will do. He must always be the voice of reason and so far Dave has shown this thru and thru.
Dave is always open to new ideas to make his league better and that is a great quality to have especially in a league so large. A league with a closed minded commissioner will NEVER survive as things will become a dictatorship and there aren't too many GMs out there that will put up with that.
Sometimes it almost seems as though Dave isn't even a commissioner. You couldn't ask for anymore than that as a GM.
Overall this league will continue to be successful as long as Dave Broche is at the helm.
League Website - Grade: C
This is the lowest grade of my report card and it's not because I am criticizing the work that our great commissioner has done but moreso that I am very picky with web etiquette. With the history that this league has built up over the years this website deserves to show that off and display all the stats that have accumulated throughout the years. I have already approached Dave about the website and as usual he was very open to the idea of a new website concept. Once I get more time I will be finishing the concept I had created and together we will bring this grade up a notch or two.
By no means is the league site the worse I have ever saw, I just believe that it deserves more for the league that it is. To be honest when I first signed up I didn't give the league high hopes because I wasn't sure what the league had. Well after I got to know the GMs and the commissioner I was absolutely shocked. We just have to put more effort in displaying our history and our GM participation.
Overall the league website does the job but could be given an overhaul and this is one area in which I have expertise and will be moving forward on.
League History - Grade: A-
Wow is all I can say about the history of the FNHL. With over half of the GMs being here since day 1 the history that surrounds this league is phenomenal. Currently sitting in season 10 and all previous seasons stats still readily available complete with draft lists and such, it really brings the feeling of being apart of something bigger than your own team. When I inherited my Bruins I quickly jumped over to the seasons past to see what former players I had and how they did. Who did the Bruins draft.. etc etc. This is amazing as now I feel like I inherited a franchise that needed a new direction and can look back on some of the greatness that it once had.
A league that has only played a couple of seasons does not have the same nostalgia that a league that has survived 10 seasons have. Being only apart of this league for one season has already given me great pride that I was able to join something so great.
Overall I would have given the league's history an A+ but I don't believe we are displaying it the way we should and again I will be working together with the commissioner on fixing that.
Team Balance - Grade: B
What I mean by team balance is the talent gap that exists between the worse team and the best team and how hard it would be to narrow that gap. It is a well known fact that a team with little talent or future talent is a reflection of the work put into it by the GM. When a GM is either not cut out for his job or is just downright no good as his job, his team will suffer. I do find a pretty big gap between the heavy hitters of the league and the bottom feeders. This gap is mostly due to the terrific job done by the heavy hitters and the horrible job (or lack thereof) by the bottom feeders. A gap is fine, but how hard is it to narrow that gap?
In the FNHL the talent turnover seems to be mostly done through smart trading and not with free agency so any new GM taking over a bottom feeding team must keep that in mind. Mind you being a rookie I haven't been apart of the free agency period so I cannot definitively say that but I can say that through a season of observation. That being said if a team has no valuable talent to trade and any draft picks, that GM will be in for a long challenging build. This is why I give team balance a grade of "B". It is not necessarily a bad thing to have the systems we do as it it most mimics a real sports league but for new GM's coming in, it could be very frustrating if they are expecting a quick turnover. I will be the first to say that I took over a decent team in the Bruins but I know with all the systems in place (salary cap, slow player development and shallow drafts) I have to be in it for the long haul.
Overall this league is not a beginner GM league. It is definitely meant for someone who has prior FHL simulator league experience. That being said, the help from fellow GMs is absolutely amazing in this league so whenever a new GM with the right attitude comes to the league they will find themselves enjoying the challenge and still enjoy the league even if their team isn't playoff bound.
Conclusion
In conclusion I have immensely enjoyed my first season as an FNHL GM. Honestly, I had come out of "retirement" from fantasy hockey leagues hoping to have a couple of months of enjoyment before A) the league folded or B) I would quit. But after 5 months of being apart of this great league I am now dedicated as much as I was when I was a commissioner, and for that I am thankful to Prez Broche and the amazing GM's that make up this fantastic league. I always ran my own leagues because I could never stand being just a GM because of the idiocies of the commissioner, in the FNHL I am fully content just being one of the GMs as the league is in more than good hands.
So here is to next season and the fun that it will bring because as far as I am concerned, the Boston Bruins have hired their final GM. This guy is in it for the long haul and will continue to be one of the most active GMs this league has ever seen.
Jeff Nagle
Boston Bruins GM
Lets begin!
GM Participation - Grade: A-
With 15 out of the 30 GMs netting half or more than half of their GM points for the season that shows a great amount of participation with such a large league (30 teams). With 4 of the GMs netting their full GM points and 2 others only missing a point or 2 this league is in great shape. GM participation is truly contageous and if those 6 GMs all of a sudden died off, the FNHL would quickly become a ghost town. You can never expect all 30 GMs to be fully "on board" but in my experience with the league thus far even the quiet GMs will still respond to email and that is a good sign.
The reason I gave the GM participation grade a lower "A" grade is that close to a third of the GM's have under 1/5 of the total GM participation points that they could of had.
The whole system of GM participation points is a great air-tight way of showing who is up for the task as a FNHL GM but I do believe a slight tweak in adding points for trades could go a long way, especially for GM's who do not like writing articles but love to be an active FNHL GM. My example would be Toronto's John van Teunenbroek. He basically got his near league worse 26 points by sending in lines. There was barely a week that didn't go by without him sending in lines which shows great participation but his points do not reflect it. If he were to gain 5 points for ever trade he had made, he would have garnered another 40 points this season. That would give him a decent 66 points for the season.
Overall I am very impressed by the amount of league participation being put forth by all GMs. It is very special when you have this many dedicated GMs.
Commissioner Participation - Grade: A
The heart of any league is it's GMs, the brains of any league is it's commissioner. Just like the body, without a good brain, the heart will slowly die and without a good heart the brain will die. I must commend Dave and his relentless simming and his excellent communication skills. Whenever there is active conversation in the league he always takes the neutral side of things and puts a calming approach to the the conversation, this is what a great commissioner will do. He must always be the voice of reason and so far Dave has shown this thru and thru.
Dave is always open to new ideas to make his league better and that is a great quality to have especially in a league so large. A league with a closed minded commissioner will NEVER survive as things will become a dictatorship and there aren't too many GMs out there that will put up with that.
Sometimes it almost seems as though Dave isn't even a commissioner. You couldn't ask for anymore than that as a GM.
Overall this league will continue to be successful as long as Dave Broche is at the helm.
League Website - Grade: C
This is the lowest grade of my report card and it's not because I am criticizing the work that our great commissioner has done but moreso that I am very picky with web etiquette. With the history that this league has built up over the years this website deserves to show that off and display all the stats that have accumulated throughout the years. I have already approached Dave about the website and as usual he was very open to the idea of a new website concept. Once I get more time I will be finishing the concept I had created and together we will bring this grade up a notch or two.
By no means is the league site the worse I have ever saw, I just believe that it deserves more for the league that it is. To be honest when I first signed up I didn't give the league high hopes because I wasn't sure what the league had. Well after I got to know the GMs and the commissioner I was absolutely shocked. We just have to put more effort in displaying our history and our GM participation.
Overall the league website does the job but could be given an overhaul and this is one area in which I have expertise and will be moving forward on.
League History - Grade: A-
Wow is all I can say about the history of the FNHL. With over half of the GMs being here since day 1 the history that surrounds this league is phenomenal. Currently sitting in season 10 and all previous seasons stats still readily available complete with draft lists and such, it really brings the feeling of being apart of something bigger than your own team. When I inherited my Bruins I quickly jumped over to the seasons past to see what former players I had and how they did. Who did the Bruins draft.. etc etc. This is amazing as now I feel like I inherited a franchise that needed a new direction and can look back on some of the greatness that it once had.
A league that has only played a couple of seasons does not have the same nostalgia that a league that has survived 10 seasons have. Being only apart of this league for one season has already given me great pride that I was able to join something so great.
Overall I would have given the league's history an A+ but I don't believe we are displaying it the way we should and again I will be working together with the commissioner on fixing that.
Team Balance - Grade: B
What I mean by team balance is the talent gap that exists between the worse team and the best team and how hard it would be to narrow that gap. It is a well known fact that a team with little talent or future talent is a reflection of the work put into it by the GM. When a GM is either not cut out for his job or is just downright no good as his job, his team will suffer. I do find a pretty big gap between the heavy hitters of the league and the bottom feeders. This gap is mostly due to the terrific job done by the heavy hitters and the horrible job (or lack thereof) by the bottom feeders. A gap is fine, but how hard is it to narrow that gap?
In the FNHL the talent turnover seems to be mostly done through smart trading and not with free agency so any new GM taking over a bottom feeding team must keep that in mind. Mind you being a rookie I haven't been apart of the free agency period so I cannot definitively say that but I can say that through a season of observation. That being said if a team has no valuable talent to trade and any draft picks, that GM will be in for a long challenging build. This is why I give team balance a grade of "B". It is not necessarily a bad thing to have the systems we do as it it most mimics a real sports league but for new GM's coming in, it could be very frustrating if they are expecting a quick turnover. I will be the first to say that I took over a decent team in the Bruins but I know with all the systems in place (salary cap, slow player development and shallow drafts) I have to be in it for the long haul.
Overall this league is not a beginner GM league. It is definitely meant for someone who has prior FHL simulator league experience. That being said, the help from fellow GMs is absolutely amazing in this league so whenever a new GM with the right attitude comes to the league they will find themselves enjoying the challenge and still enjoy the league even if their team isn't playoff bound.
Conclusion
In conclusion I have immensely enjoyed my first season as an FNHL GM. Honestly, I had come out of "retirement" from fantasy hockey leagues hoping to have a couple of months of enjoyment before A) the league folded or B) I would quit. But after 5 months of being apart of this great league I am now dedicated as much as I was when I was a commissioner, and for that I am thankful to Prez Broche and the amazing GM's that make up this fantastic league. I always ran my own leagues because I could never stand being just a GM because of the idiocies of the commissioner, in the FNHL I am fully content just being one of the GMs as the league is in more than good hands.
So here is to next season and the fun that it will bring because as far as I am concerned, the Boston Bruins have hired their final GM. This guy is in it for the long haul and will continue to be one of the most active GMs this league has ever seen.
Jeff Nagle
Boston Bruins GM
Monday, March 10, 2008
One Wild Line
The fans of Minnesota are gifted with one of the top lines of the FNHL, make that "THE" top line of the FNHL. Patrick Elias, Marian Gaborik and Ales Hemsky make up the PAM line and boy do they make opposition teams slid off the frying pan!With a combined point total of 113 and the top two league scorers in Gaborik and Elias the deadly trio make Minnesota one of the hardest teams to play against. It is one thing to shut down one player on an opposing team but to shut down an entire line of superstars hell bent on lighting the lamp, well you better bring your "A" game.
To put things into perspective each player is on pace to score 42 goals each this season. Has any other top line in the history of the FNHL ever score 40 or more goals each? I'll bet you can't think of it every happening before and it is because it hasn't. The Chicago Blackhawks in 2003 came close with Eric Daze (46), Theo Fleury (42) and Steve Sullivan (38) and again the Hawks in 2009 had Daze with 46 goals, Marian Hossa with 41 and Oli Jokinen with 30.
With a killer game deciding line like this in the FNHL it is no wonder why the Wild are considered strong favorites for the FNHL championship. As long as their three pistons keep firing, their engine will race pretty fast to the finish line with ease.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Bruins GM Multiplies
Boston (AP) - On Monday morning March 3rd, Bruins GM Jeff Nagle got his very own little prospect as he and his wife had a bouncing baby boy. Chase Nagle was welcomed into the world at 9am and weighed an impressive 9lbs 2oz. Both baby and mother are doing great.
"It was an awesome experience, definitely something I have never experienced before. He is a great kid so far and both me and my wife are thrilled with having him." said the GM.
Sleepless nights are going to be had for the rookie parent but don't expect that to hinder the GM's professional side of things. "I will be on alot of caffeine over the next few weeks. I expect I will resume my full duties as GM of the club next week. We have alot of adjustments to make but once we get in a routine, everything will be fine." added the GM.
"I was very touched by all the well wishes from the other GMs. Alot of them have experienced this and wanted to pass on their delight."
"It was an awesome experience, definitely something I have never experienced before. He is a great kid so far and both me and my wife are thrilled with having him." said the GM.
Sleepless nights are going to be had for the rookie parent but don't expect that to hinder the GM's professional side of things. "I will be on alot of caffeine over the next few weeks. I expect I will resume my full duties as GM of the club next week. We have alot of adjustments to make but once we get in a routine, everything will be fine." added the GM.
"I was very touched by all the well wishes from the other GMs. Alot of them have experienced this and wanted to pass on their delight."
Friday, February 29, 2008
The cost of winning
Every FNHL GM wants to win, why would you have the job if your sole idea was to make money? Yes every business needs to make a profit in order to succeed but to a GM of a FNHL team dollars mean much more. It means getting the right talent, building on that talent and then keeping that talent for as long as possible. The biggest question every GM and owner has on his mind, how much do I need to spend in order to win? Well we broke it down. We looked at each FNHL team and found out how much each team is paying to win.First off I would like to make it known that I am not professing that each team has to be cheap in order to win a championship. It takes money and alot of it to make it to the championship dance. But it does take the right GM to balance his budget so that the money he is spending today is being spent in the most efficient manor.
The average FNHL payroll hovers around $49.5 million. There are 11 teams out of 30 who are below that figure. One FNHL team (Pittsburgh Penguins) is actually sitting on the league imposed salary cap of $60 million. Some may say its crazy but Pittsburgh's cost per win is actually cheaper than the league average of $1.4 million. How did I determine this cost per win? Well I took the teams current games played, wins, total salary and came up with the following caluculation:
Total Salary / ((82/Games Played) x Current Wins)
Basically it takes the teams current salary and divides it by the projected wins of the team.
With that calculation we have determined that the Atlanta Thrashers are the league's "cheapest" teams with a average cost per win at $829,703. Now if you compare that to the league's most costly team the San Jose Sharks with an average cost per win at $3.292 million, you will draw an immediate conclusion to both teams. Atlanta is a team in rebuild and in doing so should have the league's lowest cost per win. The San Jose Sharks on the other hand are the total opposite side of the spectrum and are underachieving. Their $3.292 million per win is way too much and management should either look at reducing costs or find a way to get the team winning.
With our calculations we have determined that the New York Islanders are currently sitting as the league's best bang for the buck. With their 45 projected wins, they are spending a measly $874,900 per win. Arguably the better bang for your buck would be the New Jersey Devils who are projected to win 49 games and are only paying their players $960,365 per win.
Here is the breakdown of the entire league:
Atlanta $829,703.83
Islanders $874,900.22
Boston $885,975.61
Phoenix $950,457.32
New Jersey $960,365.85
Minnesota $985,647.28
Nashville $991,707.32
Los Angeles $1,011,890.24
Edmonton $1,084,427.77
Carolina $1,273,441.73
St Louis $1,292,334.49
Montreal $1,296,768.29
Washington $1,298,848.24
Florida $1,302,893.57
Calgary $1,309,378.05
Pittsburgh $1,330,376.94
Columbus $1,405,962.04
Toronto $1,457,195.12
Vancouver $1,468,902.44
Colorado $1,539,329.27
Buffalo $1,543,902.44
Dallas $1,574,525.75
Ottawa $1,630,335.37
Rangers $1,633,449.48
Philly $1,747,713.41
Detroit $1,809,059.23
Chicago $1,809,420.73
Tampa Bay $2,107,723.58
Anaheim $2,472,560.98
San Jose $3,292,530.49
Whether or not you are sitting on the high end of that list or the bottom end of that list. It is up to every GM to run his team as he may. The Chicago Blackhawks whom have an amazingly talented team and have their rink filled every night have the 4th highest cost per win. But unlike many FNHL teams they are actually cutting a small profit whereas the Boston Bruins whom are one of the cheaper cost per win teams are cutting a small loss. So not all teams need to keep a low payroll, they just need the right combination of player contracts and player talent. That is the balance that all GMs struggle with everyday.
There are so many ways to look at your payroll, I find it much easier to look at my payroll and think "what have you done for me lately?". Much like a kid getting an allowance and not earning it, look over your roster and make sure you are putting your money in the best places cause if you are not, you could be costing yourself alot of wasted developmental dollars and that my friends is not good FNHL business.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Where are all the fans?
With salaries at an all time high it appears as though business is good. Look further go to any one of the FNHL's rinks and you will notice and awful lot of empty seats. Infact only 72.5% of the total seats in the FNHL are filled so far this season.Going to an Colorado Avalanche game is like going to KD Lang concert at Madison Square Garden. Only an average of 8,632 fans show up per game. With a maximum capacity of 21,029 this an amazingly bad 41% fill rate.
Good thing the league has endorsement deals, advertisements and a solid tv deal to top bank accounts up as each team would be bankrupt in a season if they had to rely on their gate receipts alone. At last count each team would stand to loose an average of 5.7 million if the season ended today, this is not good business practice. Too many GMs are spending every cent on salary and this is driving up a fake market that is bound to crumble if owners do not control the spending of their team especially if endorsemens fall.
Here is the current percentage capacities of each team with the New York Islanders leading the pack with 94.3% fill rate and the Colorado Avalanche whose fill rate is sitting at 41%
New York Islanders 94.3%
Pittsburgh Penguins 92.4%
Tampa Bay Lightning 89.4%
Chicago Blackhawks 87.7%
Dallas Stars 86.5%
Edmonton Oilers 86.4%
Los Angeles Kings 84.3%
Nashville Predators 83.6%
Philadelphia Flyers 80.9%
Phoenix Coyotes 80.8%
Vancouver Canucks 79.5%
New Jersey Devils 79.1%
Florida Panthers 78.3%
Boston Bruins 78.3%
Detroit Red Wings 75.3%
Carolina Hurricanes 75.2%
St Louis Blues 74.4%
New York Rangers 73.2%
Calgary Flames 73%
Montreal Canadiens 69.6%
Toronto Maple Leafs 69.6%
Anaheim Ducks 69.4%
Minnesota Wild 69.2%
Atlanta Thrashers 67.8%
San Jose Sharks 64.8%
Buffalo Sabres 61.2%
Columbus Blue Jackets 60.6%
Ottawa Senators 49.5%
Colorado Avalanche 41%
In order for the FNHL to be a more successful professional hockey league more consideration has to be given to getting more fans into the building. One way to start that is to decrease salaries and in doing that decrease ticket prices.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
How to build a contender (Part 2)
Last week we looked at all the abilities that made up a solid FNHL hockey player and how to combine them so that you get a well balanced team. We held back the last 6 stats to create this article, puck control, defence, passing, scoring, experience and leadership.
It is will known that in order to have a good offence you need a good defence. That is true in the FNHL world. Players that have a high defence rating should play more defensive than those who do not. But sometimes it has alot to do with who their linemates are and their other abilities such as intensity and strength. Those three stats make up a solid defensive player especially in defenceman. I personally like players to be either defensive or offensive and not both.
Puck control is one of those stats that are good for all types of players. In defencemen having good puck control enables the player to carry out his defensive duties as well as helps him deliver good first passes out of the zone. Puck control in forwards and offensive players helps them create plays and gives them better ability to shoot and thus score. In goaltenders puck control is even more important as it allows them to control the puck in their crease and reduce rebounds.
Passing and scoring are obvious in their definition as to what they bring to a FNHL player. Of course you want alot of these kind of players but having too many will dilute your lines and not focusing on other types of players will not give you a good diverse roster that is ready to take on different types of teams. I like my centers to pass my left wingers to score and my right wingers to pass. It has been a successful formula for me over the years. As for my defenceman, I usually like to have one defenceman that has the passing skills and the others focus on their defensive skills. Scoring in defencemen isn't a big deal to me as I would rather they focus on moving the puck to my forwards and keeping the puck away from my goaltender.
I am sure alot of you experienced GMs may thing that my blabbering about FNHL player abilities as old school and common knowledge but if anyone out there can take anything from it then I have done my job.
Next week we will focus on the lackluster gate receipts of FNHL teams. Is the sport dying? Are ticket prices too high? or are the players not exciting enough to sell out FNHL arenas across the league.
It is will known that in order to have a good offence you need a good defence. That is true in the FNHL world. Players that have a high defence rating should play more defensive than those who do not. But sometimes it has alot to do with who their linemates are and their other abilities such as intensity and strength. Those three stats make up a solid defensive player especially in defenceman. I personally like players to be either defensive or offensive and not both.
Puck control is one of those stats that are good for all types of players. In defencemen having good puck control enables the player to carry out his defensive duties as well as helps him deliver good first passes out of the zone. Puck control in forwards and offensive players helps them create plays and gives them better ability to shoot and thus score. In goaltenders puck control is even more important as it allows them to control the puck in their crease and reduce rebounds.
Passing and scoring are obvious in their definition as to what they bring to a FNHL player. Of course you want alot of these kind of players but having too many will dilute your lines and not focusing on other types of players will not give you a good diverse roster that is ready to take on different types of teams. I like my centers to pass my left wingers to score and my right wingers to pass. It has been a successful formula for me over the years. As for my defenceman, I usually like to have one defenceman that has the passing skills and the others focus on their defensive skills. Scoring in defencemen isn't a big deal to me as I would rather they focus on moving the puck to my forwards and keeping the puck away from my goaltender.
I am sure alot of you experienced GMs may thing that my blabbering about FNHL player abilities as old school and common knowledge but if anyone out there can take anything from it then I have done my job.
Next week we will focus on the lackluster gate receipts of FNHL teams. Is the sport dying? Are ticket prices too high? or are the players not exciting enough to sell out FNHL arenas across the league.
Monday, February 11, 2008
How to build a contender (Part 1)
Everyone has their own ideas on how to build their hockey team, some work some do not. Some teams look so talented that they are sure shots to win a cup but in the end miss the playoffs entirely. Some teams look so talent lacking that they should be farm teams and they make it to the finals. So how do you build a contender? What is the right mix? My ideals are purely based on my experience and by far are not the only way to build a contending team. In this three part series I will go over all the different attributes that make up a good forward, defenceman and goalie and how to mesh them all together to make a good team.First off I like a team with alot of intensity, but not too much. There is nothing worse than a roster full of wet noodles, they will not hit anybody and in the end don't have that desire to score. But having a team too full of intensity means that everybody is too excited and focused on making the big hit and not interested in puttin the puck in the net. I personally like to have a team with alot of the depth players full of intensity with a decent amount of strength. It is good to have your stay at home defencemen full of intensity. For goaltenders intensity is definitely a nice to have but not a need to have. When it comes to forwards, it is good to have your grinder type players with alot of intensity, but it will never hurt to have your top line guys logging lots of hits.
Skating? Speed? It is nice to have a team that can skate well and can be speedy. But a slower player still has his place if he brings other intangibles to the team. I like to have all my slower guys on the same line and all my fast guys on the same line. This creates a good balance. Players who skate well tend to perform better with players that can keep up with him vice versa for the slow guys. When you break it down to your forwards and skaters it is pretty much the same thing, try and match your speed and skating together. Speed is very important when it comes to your goaltenders. A slow goaltender? Have you ever seen a slow goaltender excel... anywhere? Skating is nice to have with your goaltender, but it is by far not the most important factor with your goaltender.
Next week we will focus on some of the more overrated abilities of a hockey players. They may be very important but passing, puck control, defense and scoring are not the be all end all. Many rookie GMs like to focus on these stats alone and often find themselves building a team of underachievers. That's next week in the Hawkeynut's FNHL Insider Report.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Who is Brad Richards?
I thought I would dedicated my first "real" blog entry about the career of the unsung hero, Brad Richards. The 30 year old forward of the Pittsburgh Penguins had made an incredible news headline by scoring 5 points in back to back games, a feat that up till now has never been accomplished.Little is really known about the silent playmaker from Murray Harbour, PEI. He has always been a consistent point producer at the FNHL level but he has never been a threat to win the scoring championship. Since joining the league back in 2003 he has amassed a respectable 366 points in 581 games. Not exactly hall of fame numbers just yet but if recent games are any indication as to the true talent this veteran has, he may just turn some heads.
Richards initially finished his first season off with the Phoenix Coyotes where had enjoyed decent success by scoring 22 goals and pitching in 42 helpers for a total of 64 points. Unfortunately he fell out of favor with the teams management and was subsequently dealt to the Dallas Stars in 2004. That season he was underused as he was the third line center and his production fell sharply by managing only 9 goals and 17 assists. This lack of use for the up and coming center lead to him asking for a trade. The Stars granted him his wish and dealt him to the Calgary Flames in 2005.
With the Flames Richards enjoyed a renaissance to his career . He pitched in 16 goals and added 27 assists for a total of 43 points. This production wasn't enough for the Flames as they missed the playoffs that season which lead to another trade of the then 25 year old this time to the re-building Anaheim Ducks. Just when he was beginning to wonder if he would spend his career living out of a suitcase he found a home in Anaheim. In Anaheim he started off as the team's number 2 center and worked his way up to it's franchise player by leading the team in scoring two consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately for Richards he would be dealt once again. This time to the eastern conference for the first time in his career.
He would be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team on the rise with alot of promise and more playmakers and goal scorers for him to play with. This infusion of talent around the veteran boosted his personal best season of 23 goals and 48 assists for a total of 71 points. Richards is now showing the offensive prowess that many pegged him to have early on in his career. With the Penguins he is surrounded by the right combination that will only continue to make him flourish. With 10 points in his first 2 games this season he is off to an amazing start to only boost his career totals even further. Will he finally find his home in Pittsburgh? Who knows. But GM Martin would be crazy to trade a gem like Brad Richards who is only hitting the prime of his career right now.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to the inaugural article in Hawkeynut's FNHL Analysis. I will spend this article talking about the purpose of this blog and give you an idea of what to expect.
From time to time I will focus on writing up blurbs about the careers of prolific FNHL veterans, this will be done when trade rumors and other league news as at a minimum. When a blockbuster trade goes down I will be on the case breaking down the deal and how it benefits both teams. I will also be tracking streaks of teams and players and keeping you informed as to when and if it ends.
This site will grow as the season progresses and the offseason nears I will keep an eye out for free agent signings and will comment on the deal on whether it benefits the player, the team or both.
I think you get the jist of how this blog will work. That's all for now!
Keep your head up, and keep your stick on the ice!
Hawkeynut
From time to time I will focus on writing up blurbs about the careers of prolific FNHL veterans, this will be done when trade rumors and other league news as at a minimum. When a blockbuster trade goes down I will be on the case breaking down the deal and how it benefits both teams. I will also be tracking streaks of teams and players and keeping you informed as to when and if it ends.
This site will grow as the season progresses and the offseason nears I will keep an eye out for free agent signings and will comment on the deal on whether it benefits the player, the team or both.
I think you get the jist of how this blog will work. That's all for now!
Keep your head up, and keep your stick on the ice!
Hawkeynut
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
