Hey all, this is my first ACGM I'm posting, so let me know how I did!
I had 2 main goals in mind when I started this ACGM, as well as a secondary goal:
1. Clear cap space
2. Acquire draft capital
Secondary Goal: Weaponize created cap space
Here's the explanation of all the moves I've made
Trades:
Miller Trade - Lots of moving parts in this deal. It roughly breaks down as Miller for Marino, Legare, and the 2023 1st; the 2024 3rd for retention; and Hallander for taking on Zucker. Canucks then play as the 'middle man' and move Zucker 50% retained to another team (doesn't have to be Seattle) for a late pick. That team takes Zucker on with the hopes of moving him to a contender at the dealine with another 50% retained in exchange for an upgraded pick (probably something like a 3rd when they gave up a 4th for him). For Vancouer, they get a top 4 D-man, a 1st in what they consider to be a deep draft, and a few solid prospects for Miller. From Pittsburgh's side of things, they are only losing Marino from their current roster in exchange for getting a premium forward in Miller. It's an all-in move for a last run with their core with the Crosby/Malkin/Letang era coming to an end within the next 3-4 years. For Pittsburgh, I would only consider moving Marino if they can pick up one of Manson/Zadorov/Lyubushkin to replace him as their 2nd pair shutdown RHD.
Myers Trade - This trade is NOT specific to Dallas. Just to any team willing to give up assets for Myers. Canucks see him as a positive asset, and they have a price that they want in return for his services. I think he probably ends up getting moved to a team that strikes out in free agency and pivots to him as a backup plan. I picked the Stars here since it looks like they will be losing Klingberg and will need to fill his spot in the lineup. Again, this trade is not specific to Dallas and could be for any team, I just picked them for the sake of it and since I see them in the market for a top 4 RHD.
DiPietro Trade - For the Canucks goaltending depth, Demko is the starter and Martin will be the backup. New management seems really high on Silovs and it seems they want him to start in the AHL, which leaves DiPietro as the odd man out. I think there's a chance he fetches a 3rd, but it may be more realistic for the trade to be for a 4th.
Free Agent Signings:
I filled out the empty spots in this team by looking to free agency. I tried to target grittier, tough, 'sandpaper' players, which is what the Canucks really lack and one of the things that I think hold them back. Lazar is a local product and a great defensive centre who can PK and fill in the 4C role while chipping in offensively once in a while. Deslauriers is a pure tough guy meant to be put out on the ice when you need to deal with somebody who's pushing around our smaller guys (Hughes, Petey, etc.). Every team that wants to contend needs a few of these kind of players, and the Canucks don't really have any beyond Luke Schenn and Kyle Burroughs. Lastly, Ritchie was picked up as a tough, big-bodied (6'4"/220) 13th forward who can fill in where needed and can also be inserted into the lineup for Lockwood for games you think you need the extra physicality.
Lineup Explanation:
Before complaining about how high/low some players are, don't think of this as lines 1-2-3. I think the Canucks would be best to spread out their depth next year, and play their top 9 more as lines 1a-1b-1c rather than play them as lines 1-2-3.
Hoglander - Horvat - Garland
Hoglander and Garland are both two smaller, but very hard-working forwards with great offensive who forecheck ferociously and play a very in your face style of hockey. Nothing is going to come easy when playing that kind of player, so I paired them up with Horvat to create a line centred around hard-nosed defense that I think will create lots of great offensive opportunities on the forecheck/counterattack.
Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Podkolzin
I like the idea of pairing up Kuzmenko with his fellow Russian Podkolzin. I picked Pettersson to centre them mainly because I wanted Horvat for the 1st line and didn't think Dickinson would work with Kuzmenko/Podkolzin. I think this line would be great offensively, but may struggle defensively as well as physically, possibly being pushed around and outmuscled pretty easily.
Pearson - Dickinson - Boeser
This line was made with the remaining players after creating the top 6. I would have liked to have Boeser higher up, but I really liked the way the first 2 lines rounded out and couldn't really find a spot for him. I think Dickinson has it in him to have a bounce back year, and I'm hoping for the best with him. Pearson is one of those guys who I think other teams fanbases undervalue while the Canucks fanbase overvalues. I personally think he's a very solid 3rd line winger, on pace for 41, 29, and 53 points in a full 82 games over the past 3 seasons.
Deslauriers - Lazar - Lockwood/Ritchie
This is an energy type of line. Send them out there to gain momentum and get the rest of your guys going by playing a very physical brand of hockey. Not much else to elaborate on here.
Hughes - Schenn
While I think it would be great to play Marino with Hughes, I think Schenn would be a better partner. Schenn and Hughes worked very well together this past season, with Schenn taking the role of the stay-at-home defenseman that Hughes has needed ever since Tanev left. Schenn also tied his career high in goals this past season, while putting up the most assists since 2016 and most points since 2012. He also set a career high in +/-.
OEL - Marino
Personally, I think that Marino would be a better partner for OEL than Schenn, which is the main reason I paired Schenn with Hughes. I think this would be a great shutdown 2nd pair to send out against the oppositions top line all night. OEL isn't the same as he used to be offensively, but he's still a very solid defensemen in his own end. Marino is also a much more reliable player in his own end, and I think OEL may be able to see a bit of a bounce back in his offensive numbers playing with a guy like Marino as opposed to Tyler Myers.
Rathbone - Dermott
I think Rathbone proved he deserves another shot with his play in the AHL this season. I would rather pair him with a more defensively minded partner like Burroughs, but Dermott was the first acquisition by new management and I don't see them bringing him in just to ship him out a few months later.
Now lets look back at the main goals that I had heading into this ACGM:
1. Clear cap space
I moved out Tyler Myers creating 6 mil in cap space. I'd also look to move out Tucker Poolman, but it sounds like he may be on LTIR for the foreseeable future, so I chose not to move him as I didn't see it necessary. This team projects to have roughly $30 mil in cap space next offseason, with Horvat, Hoglander, Kuzmenko, and Schenn as the main guys needing to be brought back. I can't see those guys costing more than about $12-$14 mil, leaving us with $15 mil+ to improve on the foundation that's set in here.
2. Acquire draft capital
I acquired 5 draft picks through trades, those picks being a 2023 1st, 3rd, and 4th, and two 2024 3rds. Mission accomplished.
Side Goal: Weaponize cap space
I retained on J.T. Miller to get the extra pick out of Pittsburgh, then weaponized the extra cap space from moving Myers to work Zucker into the deal, gaining more assets by taking him on then retaining to get a small return for him as well.
All in all, I have a feeling after how the draft went that the new Canucks management is going to start putting their mark on this team, but I don't think it's going to be as big as people were first expecting. I have a feeling they're going to make moves to retool over the next 2-3 seasons before becoming real contenders, but I hope new management can prove me wrong!
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
CapFriendly
CapFriendly