EHM The Blue Line

Anthony Stewart won the 2007-2008 Calder Memorial Trophy, then gets waived the following September by the Thrashers at the end of training camp and picked up by Columbus. One week later, he's back on the waiver wire. Now I wish I hadn't gone Tier II this year...

Claimed by the Flyers and then waived immediately.

Aaaaannnnddddd...

Back to the Blue Jackets.

joehelmer wrote: Now you and B72 stop being so good at this game.

I'm not all that good at it anymore. I don't even think I've finished in 1st place (amongst challenge participants) in ages. I'm too distracted these days and I don't micromanage as much as I used to.

CatchUp wrote:So this will be my first season with both Duchene and O'Reilly on the team. What's the general consensus? Are most ppl using Duchene as 2nd line C and PP and O'Reilly as 3rd C and PK?

I tried that setup in the 1st season but sent O'Reilly back to junior after 9 games. I think I'm going to try it again in season 2 and hopefully keep O'Reilly on the big club roster.

cstorring wrote:Well, just finished season 2, and frustration is mounting. I think after this challenge i'm going to have to spend some time with the team going through every possible way of doing things to see what works and what doesn't. I thought I was decent with tactics, but I guess playing as the Flames makes it easy (although i won multiple cups with the Thrashers awhile ago...).

That's what I love about these challenges. They're supposed to really challenge you and make you a better player as a result of it. You learn to do more with less. One of the things I particularly like about this challenge is that it's made me use totally different tactics than I might normally use because these guys are not big and not physical.

CatchUp..nice find. I was sure it said Moron. Maybe that is how I read nuts.

B72-I know, I just cannot do as well as I used to either. I always skip steps in my work, and sometimes I forget to put guys back into practice regime for like a week. Occasionally I forget my scouting routine too.

And...yes this not having any bangers is hurting me big time. I know what my trades or UFAs are going to be, and I could care less what forward position they play. I must have 3 or 4 guys who can hit and will hit. ASAP.

Duchene and O'Reilly both started the year with me. Both were sent down. Both played in the playoffs a bit. Duchene was terrible in his 6 games--all 6's and a 5 rating. O'Reilly was much better...I think he got 5 games and was 1 8, 3 7s and a 6.

I think one of the G is on the way out. Only way to make a decent trade. Also Ryan Wilson wants out...wants more ice time.

Danny wrote:Some guy was DTD about 2 years ago with general body soreness, kuulapaa has general roster soreness

Haha, thank's for the new definition! Btw, we've played two games with no injuries And what's more impressing is that in those two games O'Reilly has two goals and three assists, all on PP. After putting him on my 1st PP line (it is now Liles-Clark, Svatos-O'Reilly-Hejduk) Avs have done 7 PP goals in three games (games 67-69) when in games 61-66 we managed to do 5 PP goals and in games 41-60 Avalanche succeeded 13 times. It's possible I'm getting to - well, somewhere now.

bruins72 wrote:They're supposed to really challenge you and make you a better player as a result of it. You learn to do more with less.

I'd hope these challenges would make me a better person also, but no. As a result of them I'm becoming an alcoholic and if possible also more cranky than batdad.

I re-signed my entire NHL roster and all but a few 24 years or older AHLers. I'm trying to work a 2-2 deal but I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off. I want to land a physical LW and a physical D but I don't know if I'll be able to get it done by July 15th. I'm also thinking of not making any UFA signings (didn't you say you wouldn't be making any UFA signings or waiver claims?) so that I can have the right to make a waiver claim during the season.

I fired Sacco and made an offer to Bobby Carpenter, my AGM, to step into the head coach job. I also fired my 1 assistant I was allowed (LeFebvre) and made an offer to Tortarella to be an assistant. I also fired my 2 scouts I was allowed. I ditched the last two poor scouts (15 or 16 in the scouting attributes) and put in offers for some better guys.

kuulapaa wrote:

bruins72 wrote:They're supposed to really challenge you and make you a better player as a result of it. You learn to do more with less.

I'd hope these challenges would make me a better person also, but no. As a result of them I'm becoming an alcoholic and if possible also more cranky than batdad.

LOL! Yeah, this team will do that to you.

bruins72 wrote:

kuulapaa wrote:

bruins72 wrote:They're supposed to really challenge you and make you a better player as a result of it. You learn to do more with less.

I'd hope these challenges would make me a better person also, but no. As a result of them I'm becoming an alcoholic and if possible also more cranky than batdad.

LOL! Yeah, this team will do that to you.

Not possible kiilappa. That is all.

Argh...phone, fat fingers. Kuulapaa not kiilappa.

batdad wrote:

bruins72 wrote:

kuulapaa wrote: I'd hope these challenges would make me a better person also, but no. As a result of them I'm becoming an alcoholic and if possible also more cranky than batdad.

LOL! Yeah, this team will do that to you.

Not possible kiilappa. That is all.

OK, I revise: ...and if possible also more cranky than I can ever imagine batdad is. Happy? No, wait. Little less unhappy?

Well no trades during the July 1st - July 14th window for me. I couldn't manage to get a deal done for any of the players I really wanted. I was close on one deal, a 2 for 2 deal, but my trading partner just wanted a little bit more added to sweeten the pot and I couldn't do it.

Still no UFA signings either. I didn't see any LWs that I was interested in and I can get by with my defense for now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes in October.

Just completed the draft. I selected 29th...so you all know I got nothing.

Hmmm... I got a message from Foote saying he would retire at the end of the season. Since it was mid-July, I figured I would have him through the 07-08 season. Nope. It's July 21st and I just got a message saying that he retired. Oh well! He was my 7th defenseman.

Yep. If you get that in july they are gone. Happened to me with Mattias Ohlund in a Canucks game.

Hmmm. Interesting. Oh well! I don't mind losing him. I only re-signed him in case I had to trade one of my starting six defensemen.

Heh. Same kind of goes for me. I hardly used him in playoffs.

Okay so it is July 1. Interesting guys out there. I have decided to go after a decent LW and a decent Dman. I have plans if they work out to add a LW through trade and Dman from FA. However, I can also do it the other way if nothing works out with my first choice. Or I can stuff it all, and wait for waivers.

Heading to August.

I have

1. Fired Lefevbre and brought in Andy O'Brien as my new conditioning coach.
2. Fired the two useless scouts and hired two newbies.
3. Bob McCammon retired from scouting-so I hired his replacement.
4. Made offers (lowball) to Klesla and to Wallin. Both went elsewhere.
5. Made my only trade...Darcy Tucker and John-Michael Liles big useless salaries for Tuomo Ruutu and Andrew Alberts.

Yes I know Alberts is not a big deal, and I know Ruutu is just okay. THat is what I wanted...real trade. And this would be a real type trade, or at least close to it. I also was going to go after Vanek instead..but I just could not get it done. I am much more comfy with my team right now, and since I could not get the dmen I targeted as UFA's ./// I will go waiver wire.

I half expected to do waiver wire anyway. Hopefully my PRes Trophy won't screw me too bad if anything comes up.

And Adam Foote retired for me as well. Another useless salary gone!! YAY!!

Speaking of what samebody said earlier...

batdad wrote:
if I do play...I guarantee this: I WILL MAKE 0 COACHING CHANGES through the first three years, save to add in however many assistants it takes to get to full allotment. And I will only hire scouts, and let contracts expire. No firing for me.

So CatchUp's not the only one who forgets things

I'm not judging, but...

Nice find, eternium85! I remembered him saying that. I also thought he said something about no UFA signings or waivers too. Still, nice find!

Nice eternium. I completely forgot about that.

My preseason ranking made a significant jump from season 1 to season 2 without making any UFA signing nor any trades. In season 1 we were ranked either #29 or #30. In season 2 we're ranked #14. Not bad!