New York Islanders - Challenge 12 - Discussion Thread

Post by **Calv** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:44 pm

Entry to Challenge 12 New York Islanders will be open soon, make sure you've read the new rule updates here:
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=4290

We are using Lidas' roster v1.1 for this challenge, you are required to download them to participate in the challenge. These can be found here:
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/dl ... ile_id=552

Please make sure you aware of the rules by reading these threads:
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=4290 - the most important one for this challenge
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=3001
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=3002
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=3003
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=3004
http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... php?t=3005

The deadline for all stats is 9th April 2009, this gives you 2 months to complete as much as possible!

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:11 pm

I really do hope that we see a lot of people participating in this challenge. Even if you're new to EHM or the challenges, don't be shy about joining. It's really not all about who wins. It's just a lot of fun to see the differences in how everyone plays the game when we've all started with the same team and the same resources. Talk about your game as much as you want here. The more people share, the more we all learn. I've been playing this game since it's release (and the same with all of the previous version) and I still find myself learning new things about it.

gibson41 · Post by **gibson41** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:51 pm

After reading the rules, I am actually interested in joining this challenge, my first challenge ever. We have holiday next week, so I will have plenty of time to start this thing. The rule that caught me was that you cannot make major changes to your staff in the first year, so I will not waste two hours finding adequate staff in the beginning like I always do, and I will just roll into the season

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:20 pm

Okay, I'm going to kick things off.

First off... staff! We were able to fire 1 assistant coach, 2 scouts, and 1 trainer. I didn't fire a trainer because neither of them were that bad. I did add one, to give me the allowed maximum of 3. I signed Dave Boyer as my 3rd trainer. For assistants, I fired Daniel Lacroix. He really was the weakest of my assistants. Being able to replace only one assistant, I had to look closely at what type of coach I needed to bring in. I decided that I needed the most help with defense, so I hired Brian Wolf. He's got a 17 in coaching defensemen and a 15 in working with youngsters. He's also got 17 in tactics, so that will help fill another need. He's already one of the best on my coaching staff. If I didn't have to keep them, I'd fire all of the existing assistants except for Dunham and maybe Gallant. For scouts I canned Kelly Chelsea and Denny Scanlon. I wouldn't have them scouting for a junior team. They're that bad. If I could I would fire a few more scouts. The Islanders have a bloated scouting staff. They're one shy of the allowed maximum and most aren't very good. So, I was able to bring in 2 to replace the fired ones and 1 more to bring me to the maximum number of scouts. I hired Patrice Gonthier (20JPA/20JPP) and named him my new head scout. I also hired Ville Hurme (18JPA/20JPP) and Jonathan Naslund (18JPA/20JPP).

The staff on my AHL affiliate was practically non-existent. Still, I fired Bernie Cassell, the one assistant there, because he was terrible. I've hired a whole new coaching staff and brought in a couple trainers. Bob Hartley is head coach. He's got an 18 in tactics and and a 17 in motivating. He's got 15's and 16's for most everything else. He's just right for my minor league team! My assistants are Eddie Akerlund (def and cond), Jim Clark(off and def skills), Jiri Holecek (goalies and cond), Ole Andres Nygard (def and cond), Greg Poss (off skills). Jamie Leblanc and Michael Murray are the trainers.

Now for my Young UFA's to fill out my farm team. We were allowed 1 goalie, 1 defenseman, and 1 forward. For a goalie, I signed Gerald Coleman. He's got great positioning, decent physical abilities, and decent goalie skills. He's probably better than my Islanders goalies (except for the injured Dipietro) but he's got to spend the whole season down on the farm. For my defenseman, I went with Nathan Martine. He's only 20 and he's got some room to grow. He might even make it as a bottom pairing NHL defenseman some day. My forward signing was Ryan Garlock. He's a pretty skilled center that will give my farm team a little help scoring.

Speaking of my farm team, I decided to send Kyle Okposo down to Bridgeport. He's not skilled enough yet to really make an impact on the Islanders roster so I figured I'd give him lots of playing time down in the AHL so he could develop his skills. Maybe he'll be my first homegrown?

I still haven't found out who my starting goaltender will be. All through the pre-season, Danis and MacDonald have been alternating. One will do okay and then bad the next, so I switch them out and the same thing happens. I think I'm just going to have to keep switching them back and forth and see if one gets hot.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:24 pm

gibson41 wrote:After reading the rules, I am actually interested in joining this challenge, my first challenge ever. We have holiday next week, so I will have plenty of time to start this thing. The rule that caught me was that you cannot make major changes to your staff in the first year, so I will not waste two hours finding adequate staff in the beginning like I always do, and I will just roll into the season

Glad to hear you're joining in!

We figured the limitations of staff firing would hinder us a little bit and help make it so we're not all winning the Stanley Cup in our first season. Glad you liked that bit.

gibson41 · Post by **gibson41** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:48 pm

bruins72 wrote:
gibson41 wrote:After reading the rules, I am actually interested in joining this challenge, my first challenge ever. We have holiday next week, so I will have plenty of time to start this thing. The rule that caught me was that you cannot make major changes to your staff in the first year, so I will not waste two hours finding adequate staff in the beginning like I always do, and I will just roll into the season
Glad to hear you're joining in!

We figured the limitations of staff firing would hinder us a little bit and help make it so we're not all winning the Stanley Cup in our first season. Glad you liked that bit.

Well that was not my case anyway, I struggle to win even with elite coaching staff. I think I am gonna be the weakest guy in this competition, I am not a tactics-skilled guy, but what the hell...at least I am gonna enjoy some fun for the next two months. Looking forward to start Friday or Saturday.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:05 pm

Don't be afraid to read through the tactics thread and the practice thread. Those two threads will help you a whole heck of a lot.

thunderbug · Post by **thunderbug** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:30 pm

I'm in for this challenge. Amazingly the scouting session I did would fit within the rules as I set it up like normal and just used it to sign a couple rfas from college and look at my prospects.

thunderbug · Post by **thunderbug** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:32 pm

I do plan on using a new game though simply because I wasted quite a few days simming so I could sign the college kids, and scouting.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:37 pm

Probably a good idea. You want to get your bids in early for the few staff that you can.

Make sure you follow the game setup stuff from the new rules. There were a couple settings ('fog of war' and 'experience') that we didn't specify in past challenges and I'm sure some people did them differently in the past.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:35 pm

Andy Sutton has been a pleasant surprise through the first 6 regular season games. I've never paid any attention to him because he wasn't fast enough for what I usually look for in a defenseman. He also seems to be all defense with no offensive skills. Somehow, he's got 6 points (2G 4A) and a +4 in those first 6 games. His average rating is 8.33! I did not expect this from him at all.

On the other hand, I expected a whole lot more out of Campoli. He's just got 2 assists and a +1 with a 7.17 rating. Campoli is getting PP time while Sutton is not. Go figure!

mustardstew · Post by **mustardstew** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:07 am

Wow - very similar moves - Coleman, Garlock (although I wanted Aleksandrov (sp?), Hartley... we fired the same staff... lol

I went for Doug O'Brien on D - had him in an experimental ECHL game, he was contracted to Rochester - good stats, good workrate and determination... probably a bust, but you never know...

Still waiting on some responses, but... I most worried about Garlock - why no NHL team has him, I don't know...

And darn, but the Islanders have a ton of unsigned prospects

and - hopefully this challenge will put to rest some of my horrid memories of the 82-83 Conference Finals - I was 9, and couldn't figure out why that stupid horn would only go off for the Islanders, lol - I was heartbroken

my first playoff experience...

mustardstew · Post by **mustardstew** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:11 am

oh, and bravo! on the staff rules - I dig that a lot!

thunderbug · Post by **thunderbug** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:11 am

The Devils will be easy pickings in my game now that they are permanently without Brodeur. He retired due to the injury in my game.

Post by **Manimal** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:28 am

This is gonna be fun! I really like the new rules. Now on to the game and I never expected to ever say this but; Go Isles!

Post by **Lidas** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:47 pm

Just finished my pre-season. man, the staff is naff!

I signed Coleman, Martine and Vince Rocco for the Tigers.
Signed John Tortorella as head coach for the Tigers.

Also started my first blog. Hopefully I've got time to keep it updated.

I'm afraid Brodeur and/or Gonchar will retire due to injuries in a couple of games. This has all been fixed for Lidas1.2 though.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:38 pm

Manimal wrote:This is gonna be fun! I really like the new rules. Now on to the game and I never expected to ever say this but; Go Isles!

Did you just die a little on the inside saying that? It was the same way for me back when we did a Montreal Canadiens challenge.

Lidas wrote:Just finished my pre-season. man, the staff is naff!

I signed Coleman, Martine and Vince Rocco for the Tigers.
Signed John Tortorella as head coach for the Tigers.

Also started my first blog. Hopefully I've got time to keep it updated.

I'm afraid Brodeur and/or Gonchar will retire due to injuries in a couple of games. This has all been fixed for Lidas1.2 though.

Yeah, I think we're all going to see Brodeur and Gonchar retire due to the length of their injuries and their age. Still, it makes things interesting! I'm just glad we were able to use your rosters in a challenge.

So is anyone else seeing a lot of injuries and condition issues so far? I had a lot of guys get injured in the preseason and in the first handful of games. I think I've had maybe 1 or 2 regular season games with a full team. I've been playing with 18 or 19 guys most nights rather than bringing anyone up from the farm. I've also had injuries on my AHL team. All of these injuries have been 10 days up to 3 weeks. It's been a struggle! I just can't wait to get Witt back and maybe Martinek. Of course, getting Dipietro will be the biggest boost.

jbsnadb · Post by **jbsnadb** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:41 pm

I always hate how long it takes to move on one day! Doesn't help when you're GM'ing 2 teams.

Love the personnel restrictions, but it still leaves us with a lot of chaffe. Which of the naff scouts to let go? Brad Bowen was an easy choice (JP and JA each below 10!) and Denny Scanlan also got the boot. Daniel Lacroix has been relieved as assistant coach, and it was eeny-meeny-miney-mo to oust Nates Goto as trainer.

The bids are out for both squads, hopefully I'll get who I want.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:25 pm

8 games in and we're not doing as badly as I expected. We're 6-2-0 and Weight leads the league in points with 16. Bergenheim is in third with 14. I still haven't decided on a starting goalie. They've each played 4 and have similar stats. On the farm, they're struggling with a record of 2-4-0. Coleman has been in net for all 4 losses. Mannino has actually been better. My farm team can't score at all though. If they could get their PP clicking, they'd be doing much better.

Salming · Post by **Salming** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:32 pm

i am in

i am so bored. gonna read rules and start later tonight.

tksolway · Post by **tksolway** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:36 pm

Well All i can say is, I think I will be in the running for Tavares this year

This team sucks.

Salming · Post by **Salming** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:39 pm

i like these rules alot

* There will be no trades of any kind allowed on draft day, in any season.

* You may not trade your 1st round pick or receive another team's 1st round pick. You can not "trade up" your first round pick. You must draft where you finished the season.

* Only 1 draft pick may be traded per season, in or out

thunderbug · Post by **thunderbug** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:18 pm

bruins72 wrote:
Manimal wrote:This is gonna be fun! I really like the new rules. Now on to the game and I never expected to ever say this but; Go Isles!
Did you just die a little on the inside saying that? It was the same way for me back when we did a Montreal Canadiens challenge.

Lidas wrote:Just finished my pre-season. man, the staff is naff!

I signed Coleman, Martine and Vince Rocco for the Tigers.
Signed John Tortorella as head coach for the Tigers.

Also started my first blog. Hopefully I've got time to keep it updated.

I'm afraid Brodeur and/or Gonchar will retire due to injuries in a couple of games. This has all been fixed for Lidas1.2 though.
Yeah, I think we're all going to see Brodeur and Gonchar retire due to the length of their injuries and their age. Still, it makes things interesting! I'm just glad we were able to use your rosters in a challenge.

So is anyone else seeing a lot of injuries and condition issues so far? I had a lot of guys get injured in the preseason and in the first handful of games. I think I've had maybe 1 or 2 regular season games with a full team. I've been playing with 18 or 19 guys most nights rather than bringing anyone up from the farm. I've also had injuries on my AHL team. All of these injuries have been 10 days up to 3 weeks. It's been a struggle! I just can't wait to get Witt back and maybe Martinek. Of course, getting Dipietro will be the biggest boost.

I'm only 3 games in, but so far no injuries other than the others already. The guys are really clicking too. We are 3-0. My AHL team is playing well too. Come the 15th I'm going to try for Mike Smith. Tampa sent him down and he has been AWOL since. Tampa signed Thibault and that is why he was sent down. My scouts indicate him to be better than my current duo. If he comes cheap I'll be all over that.

Post by **batdad** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:03 pm

Note to self:

Ryan Garlock is the Patrick Marleau of challenges in the AHL. Ban him next time.

Gerard Coleman is the Antero Nittywhatevermaki of the AHL for challenges. BAn him next time!!!

Oh and BTW I won't take those guys...

gibson41 · Post by **gibson41** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:15 pm

Two questions:

-Where do we declare and keep track of our homegrowns? I see there's this tab in the Stats Tracker, but according to this:

Season 2 : 1 HG
Season 3 : 2 HG
Season 4 : 1 HG
Season 5 : 2 HG
Season 6 : 1 HG
Season 7 : 2 HG

, I don't think there's enough place to fill them in. Or am I just missing something? In each season there's yellow space for one HG only, where do I put the second one?

-

A player signed as a Young UFA may not play for your NHL club in the season that you signed him. If you sign a player as a UFA in season 1, he cannot play with your NHL team until season 2. This also means that this player would not be eligible to be declared as a homegrown player until season 3.

According to rules, HG has to spend one full season in my system, so why he can't be declared as HG until season 3, which makes 2 full seasons in my system?