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Molholt · 07-31-2015, 12:45 PM

Ready for Grade

If you take anything here offensive or too seriously I won't let you score next season. Here are my rankings headed into free agency. Please forgive things that I don't know (like if someone is not on the team anymore or is headed into free agency). Feel free to let me know things that are wrong though, I can correct them (if they aren't subjective). I'm operating solely on roster pages. I used to have the budget, but I've lost access to that as well.

14. Hamilton Steelhawks -

I'm obviously not gonna go play for the team that just beat us in the finals. I'm not exactly happy with the fact that we destroyed them the whole series, beating them handily in games and yet we lost to them four times in overtime. Not once or twice, all four of their wins were in overtime (I think, now I'm second guessing myself). Anyway, they have a goalie under contract, Jakob Tanner, who I think is also their GM. So in short, he isn't going anywhere so they don't have space for me. Even if he was, the Steelhawks can die. They don't need me, I don't need them. I'm too irritated right now to consider playing for them, maybe on my third player or something. Doubt it though. (I started writing this before the playoffs and you guys weren't on the first 4 or so I'd written, I had to pencil you bastards in, bastards.)

13. Manhattan Rage - Rage

The Rage are near the bottom of my list because they also don't have a place for me on their roster. They have C.J. James under contract for at least another season and also have Kyle Prince locked up for a multi-year deal as he develops in the SMJHL. James was who Weekes came up behind in Los Angeles, before the Panthers let him walk into free agency to allow Weekes the starting job. Since they are comparable, it doesn't make sense to feature them on the same team. The Rage are also the team that beat Los Angeles in last season's Cup Finals, which puts them as somewhat of a rival for Jackson. In terms of team familiarity, Clyde Arrowny is a guy who Jackson knows, but doesn't seem to be the most active. The team also has question marks in free agency, such as one of the league's top defenseman Chuck Goody, who is unrestricted this season like Jackson and may choose not to return to the Rage.

12. Winnipeg Jets - Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have the lamest team identity in the league, which really turns me away from them. They also have Lauris Prikulis, who has been their goalie for as long as I can remember and likely isn't going anywhere. The Jets have him signed through Season 28 and he is still talented enough to be a high-end goalie in this league for a long time. The team is also pretty barren in terms of players I am familiar with. Onoprienko I know from being involved with how the games are broadcast, but I don't have a real relationship with him or anyone else on the team. I suppose that they could be looking to move Prikulis, either to another team or a back-up role, or perhaps just outright retirement from Lauris, which boosts them above the previous two listings just because there is a better chance of Winnipeg needing a goalie.

11. Texas Renegades -

The Renegades are near the end of my list, largely because they don't have a spot for me on their team. The Renegades have Jordin FourFour, one of the few goalies in the league that is unequivocally, in terms of TPE earned and applied, better than Jackson Weekes. That means that they wouldn't even be upgrading if they added Weekes and have no use for him. FourFour is signed through Season 30, so I don't think he is going anywhere anytime soon. I'm also not certain, but I believe he has been with Texas for at least as long as I have been in the league, perhaps for his entire career. In my eyes, Jordin FourFour is synonymous with the Renegades and as such, they'll never have a need for Jackson Weekes. They also don't really feature anyone that I'm too familiar with.

10. Edmonton Blizzard -

I'm probably starting to sound like, and will keep sounding like, a broken record. At this point in the rankings, I've lost access to the team's budgets. So, if a team's goalie is going to be a free agent this year or soon, I might not know that, so feel free to correct me. However, as of now, it looks like Edmonton still has Jakob Aittokallio, who they'd likely keep over bringing me in. From a talent standpoint, what would be the benefit? There isn't one. From a team and chemistry fit, I'm the new guy and he has been there, so again, what would be the benefit? There probably isn't one. They do have some names I'm familiar with at least. Jonathan Kane was a teammate of mine in St. Louis when we were in the SMJHL, so he's alright if he's still around. I recognize some other names, like Miles Berger, but this is not really a team full of people I know very well or have much of a relationship with. In fact, that will likely hold pretty true here. Ever since I got out of the SMJHL, after controversy surrounding just about every media article I posted, I retreated to the locker room and I haven't really been outside very often. I decided to not attempt to be a part of the community. For one, I don't fit in very much. Secondly, I can't keep up with it as much stuff as goes on here. Third, the Season 20 class came in and had this unbreakable bond (it seemed) and they were all the rage and hype and the few Season 19 guys that were left were soon forgotten (at least in my eyes). Mostly, all of the SHL's problems can be blamed by players younger than me - I'm an old man on a porch. So anyway, sorry Edmonton, but you've got a goalie already!

9. West Kendall Platoon - Platoon

First off, we all know I have a fake rivalry with Colin Schmidt. (Can't be a rivalry if only one of us is good, AMIRITE?) But Colin is actually a decent enough goalie that it would make no sense for me to go to West Kendall. Yes, I would be making Schmidt my backup (seriously, I'm better), but what good would it really do to the team? It would be an upgrade, but we aren't talking about going from an incompetent goalie to Jackson Weekes, so realistically it isn't a valuable move for the team. Plus, I don't wanna play with Schmidt. I have to maintain this reputation for hating him, what else would I do with my SHL time? Otherwise, the team isn't bad. They have Zallerras, another St. Louis Scarecrow alum that was also in my draft class. I mean, I only stopped communicating with him because I can't spell his email. Crazy name. Ivo Willems always seemed like a decent enough guy, but I don't know how active he is anymore. Plus, the team is run by that Bojo guy and he has one of the ugliest people I've ever seen in his signature. I would have to turn off signatures to be in that locker room, geez. Anyway, all of those super serious reasons are why West Kendall is in the bottom half. Probs ain't happenin'.

8. Toronto North Stars - Stars

It is getting harder to distinguish these teams. Honestly, I'm putting them in as soon as I find them, so I may need to reorder these later. For now, eighth seems good for Toronto. As far as I can tell, Toronto has their long-term option in goalie already with Mark Harter. He is three seasons younger than me, and while he is behind in training time, he should be because of the age gap. He's on pace to be a really good goalie, so I don't see why they would move away from him unless he just wasn't a good team fit. I haven't seen anything to indicate that (but I'm also not very plugged in). There are a lot of SHL names that I recognize on this team, but not very many names that I recognize from having a personal connection with. I think, if I recall correctly, JNH was very involved with the Montreal Impact when I was in the SMJHL and they seemed like they would be a fun team to play for. He did some like, team end of season awards and stuff and they seemed like they had a pretty good culture. So if Toronto is operating the same, I think it would be a fine environment to be in. I just don't see it being a fit with them already having a long-term option in net that is well on his way to being a top end goalie. -- I see now that Harter is also a free agent. I don't think he'll leave, the consensus seems to be that he'll stay in Toronto, but if he did leave, Toronto would likely jump Calgary and New England into 6th or so and I'd be pretty interested.

7. Calgary Dragons - Dragons

Right ahead of the North Stars are the Calgary Dragons and mostly for the same reason. The only reason they jumped Toronto is that they have a goalie who is very comparable to Harter, except he is only two years younger than me instead of three. This won't make a huge difference for the team in all likelihood, but in terms of ranking, it makes them more likely (if only slightly) to be interested in the goalie position. Hunter Wong is the man in net, and he is very comparable to Harter in terms of talent. The team has lots of people that I recognize and think might be interesting to be on a team with, like Michael Boychuk and Steven Jalopski, who seem like the polar opposite personalities on any given scale. When I came into the league, Calgary (if I recall correctly) had only had like two or three goalies all-time. They seemed to have this storied goalie history where when you took over, you took over for a long time. If I had been drafted there, I probably never would've left. I just think that would've been cool to take the torch from Verminski and then man the post (or posts, I guess) for the next decade or more. Being a part of something that would've been such a small group would've been nice. If I went there now, that would be a pretty quick turnover in net, so my joining might ruin that, if it is still a thing or if it ever was. There is a good chance I just made it up.

6. Minnesota Chiefs - Chiefs

The Chiefs are finally a team that you might say would see a noticeable upgrade if they signed me. They have fellow Season 19 draftee Dymo Ranjan as their main goalie, and while he is respectable, he isn't blowing anyone away with his work ethic (neither am I anymore, but I put in the work earlier). Ranjan is just a hair below the talent of Wong and Harter, who are two and three seasons younger, respectively. So, they could have a goalie of the same age but with way more talent (training) if they wanted to go after me. I don't know that they would, but it is a start. This is the first team that I think might have some slight interest. While I don't really know them, Garbanzo and Sarantez seem to be really great players already and both are incredibly young, so that is a good start for a team. They have another Season 19 alum besides Ranjan, Ryan Sullivan, who went first overall (lol) and who I am familiar with, but he seems mostly complacent nowadays. Chico Salmon is a plus, that way I always have someone to blame stuff on and no one can do anything about it. Seems the team is led by Josh. I don't know Josh, so that isn't very helpful! Overall, Minnesota is intriguing but I'm not exactly hard yet. What? Moving on. -- Well, well, well. It seems that Ranjan is also a free agent. The fact that I wouldn't be taking someone's position makes this an even better destination. This solidifies Minnesota as at least 5th, as referenced in the New England ranking. -- Another addition. Minnesota has since traded for the retiring Jordin FourFour and has committed to Dymo Ranjan being the future of the franchise. This will push them to the bottom of the rankings. So long Minnesota, so long.

5. New England Wolfpack -

This team is rough. I'm not sure what is going on here, but from the looks of the roster, they need help. I put the Chiefs at six, but I think the Wolfpack actually belong there and Minnesota should be bumped to five. I also think that I'm too lazy to do that, but now there is a little nugget for those of you who actually read this and don't just look at the rankings. New England is officially sixth. Spoiler. This team needs a goalie. Plain and simple, that is why I had them so high. Their goalie is Arton Laxk, a year younger than me and less than half of the on the ice talent. They have a prospect, Demko, who may or may not be reliable, but if they want to compete at all in the next couple of seasons, they'll need someone in net to help out. They have some really good younger guys (though not as young as Minnesota's that I mentioned) in Reid, Russell and Sherrill. That's a pretty good trio it seems. Their young prospects aren't blowing me away right now, but I may be being too harsh. They have another Season 19 alum, Kaspars Tsizling. I think that guy beat us in the SMJHL Finals, so piss on him, right? He's probably fine, one of the few Season 19 guys who seems to have put in effort after the draft (still lol Sullivan). Other than that, not a lot of people I know and not a lot that I see to be super excited about besides that trio of younger guys.

4. Portland Admirals - :admirals:

The Admirals are something of a dark horse in this "race." I knew going in that I would probably have the two expansion teams at or near the top of my rankings. There are a couple of reasons for this, one of them being money. I'd like to make a ton of money but not cripple a team and an expansion team affords me that opportunity. The team is already crippled and will be growing, so they don't need money right now. If Portland gave me everything left in their cap space, how could I not at least consider that as an option? That would be great. I also would like to be part of getting one of these teams on track. I don't really agree with the expansion draft process. I understand that these teams aren't meant to be good right off the bat, but I feel like they purposefully stacked the deck against them to make this a long and torturous building process. The expansion teams are like third-class citizens. I'd like to help get a team like that on track, be the first big star on one of them as well. I also have experience with the GM, as JP was my GM in the SMJHL with the St. Louis Scarecrows. However, the big problem here is that he has created a goalie, and I assume that means he isn't looking to add a goalie to the team. He'll be counting on himself to fill that role. So, while Portland was initially an area of great interest, that has definitely taken them down a notch.

3. Buffalo Stampede -

Buffalo was ranked ahead of Portland because I think Brandon is going to be a really great GM. No disrespect to JP, I liked my time in St. Louis, but Brandon seems really, really fired up about this position and building this team. That gets me fired up about it. The team has a cooler identity, in my opinion. The same positives for Portland also apply to Buffalo though. They have the ability to offer me a ton of money, and I would love to have a ton of money. It would allow me to be really lazy, as I have been for 4-5 seasons now. It would also allow me to get back into buying equipment, not because I need to, but because I can. I like buying TPE. I also could be a big part in turning Buffalo into a legitimate team. They have the Thomaz brothers, but I'd be the highest TPE guy on the team. It could be fun to see what a scrub team with the three of us could do, probably not much, but it would be interesting. The major downside to this team? It is obvious isn't it? They have Jamie Shitler. Seriously, they used one of their expansion draft picks on Jamie Shitler. The worst backup of all-time. He is hated in Los Angeles, and everywhere else. I can't believe they picked him. No goalie at all is a better option than Jamie. So to have him as a backup again might make me puke.

2. Seattle Riot - Riot

I don't know why Seattle is so high, because I don't think they are a legitimate option. Not for me - I'd consider it, but I don't think they would consider me too much. The reason? Valdemorts Karlensons, a Season 22 goalie with over 700 TPE. I imagine he is the future of this team, he's three years younger than me and on his way to being a great goalie. However, they have one of the most intriguing groups of players in the league, including Valdemorts' backup, Phil Osgoode. I like Phil. I think he's sexy. I'd love for him to be my backup. What? I'm gonna stop. They also have other names that I recognize, Howard and Leonidas, Carter and Winter. They could be an interesting group of guys. I just don't know that they would actually be interested in me. Plus, even if they were, would I be okay with shutting out one of those goalies from playing time? That would be rather rude of me to do! I guess we'll see how things start to play out and unravel when free agency opens.

1. Los Angeles Panthers -

Did you really think anyone else was gonna top my list? I'm 100% open to leaving Los Angeles in free agency, but I'm not gonna pretend that this hasn't been a great place for me to be and that it won't be hard for me to leave. Someone is really going to have to convince me otherwise. The Panthers traded up in the draft to make sure that they could select me back in Season 19. They made way for me to be the starter very early in my career. They surrounded me with talented players that helped me have one of the best seasons that a goalie has ever had. We've been to back to back Cup finals (We've also lost both of them, which might be a negative). The team is full of guys that I'm familiar with, because, if you couldn't tell, I'm on the team and around them all of the time. This is Los Angeles' free agency to lose. I will go back to Los Angeles unless something blows me away. It will be hard to beat. Good roster, good group of players, good management, etc. However, I'm open to it (Sorry LAP) and I'll listen to any and all offers, discussions, etc. I want to hear why I should leave. What do other teams have to offer? What are the other situations around the league and how do I fit in? Anyway, I'm ready for free agency.

Final Order (Official):

Panthers

:admirals:
Stars

Retirement
Platoon

-- Edit | 7.31 | 1:29p | Made additions to Toronto and Minnesota sections due to me finding a listing of free agents.

-- Edit | 8.3 | 10:57a | Added the Top 4.

-- Edit | 8.4 | 9:30a | Moved WKP Down. Way to go Bojo.

-- Edit | 8.5 | 5:57p | Dropped Minny with the addition of FourFour.

701 aka YUNG GUAP GOD · 07-31-2015, 12:48 PM

But...

Kesler17 · 07-31-2015, 01:08 PM

portland and buffalo in top 4? damn boi.

Joker5123 · 07-31-2015, 01:18 PM

#1 tbh

grimmsterj · 07-31-2015, 02:15 PM

Damn, I'm liking these rankings a lot :D Riot

Molholt · 07-31-2015, 02:29 PM

Made small edits to Toronto and Minnesota.

ArGarBarGar · 07-31-2015, 02:41 PM

New England also has Ciarelli, who they will be banking to be their starter in the future.

Alonzo Garbanzo Final Tallies (Among Defensemen):
2nd in Goals (208), All-Time Assists Leader (765)*, All-Time Points Leader (973), 3rd in Hits (2587), All-Time Blocked Shots Leader (1882)*
*All-Time Leader Among All Skaters
Player Profile | Update Thread
[Image: IeEV7Iv.png]

GCool · 07-31-2015, 02:46 PM

:admirals: :D

TheNextGreatOne · 07-31-2015, 03:05 PM

Quote:Originally posted by ArGarBarGar@Jul 31 2015, 02:41 PM
New England also has Ciarelli, who they will be banking to be their starter in the future.

i wouldn't say we are banking on him to be our starter. :ph34r:

Molholt · 07-31-2015, 03:10 PM

Quote:Originally posted by ArGarBarGar@Jul 31 2015, 12:41 PM
New England also has Ciarelli, who they will be banking to be their starter in the future.

I forgot to check prospects! Good point.

Dammit, I'm gonna have to go in and actually drop New England. My laziness has gone on too long.