EHM The Blue Line

Does anybody else out there take division and conference into account when making trades?

Myself, playing a team in the West Conference, always look to make my trades with an East Conference team. I will make a trade with a West Conference team, if it is a player I think I really need or if the Eastern teams aren't offering me anything and I get an exceptional offer from the West.

But, generally my trading preferences are: 1) Any East Conference team. 2) A bottom dwelling West Conference team. 3) A West Conference team with an exceptional offer. 4) Only if absolutely necessary, a team in my Division.

I just can't stand the thought of a former player or prospect coming back and dinging me for a goal or two each time we play, or shutting down my top line regularly with great defensive play.

I know y'all probably do this as well, but I thought it might give us something to talk about.

I usually look to trade with the other conference if I'm trying to unload a talented player (due to finances). If I'm dumping a guy for prospects and/or pick, I definitely looking to deal with the other conference. On the other hand, if I'm trying to build my team up, I'll trade with whoever has the players that I want.

I often trade players in my division..then I can make sure I have teams with my guys..that way I get 8 games against them to help justify the trade I made, andf make the palyer(s) I dumped look real bad.


No..really I rarely trade with teams in my own division.

Have you had anyone come back and haunt you after a trade yet?

I had Oleg Kvasha, of all players, come back and almost kill me in one playoff series. A year and half earlier I had made a West Conference trade with San Jose and "dumped" Kvasha on them, so I thought. Fast forward a year and who am I playing in the Conference Final... San Jose.

Well, I had them down three games to one, when who comes to life but Kvasha (still with them for whatever reason)! I think he had a game winner in one and two goals in another game to tie the series at three. I did manage to beat them in game seven, but it was a bit of a scare.

I just remember thinking; Man, THIS IS realistic (no sarcasm). A player I dumped because I thought he was a bum and here he comes to knock me out of the playoffs!

I tell you, I won't be making any more trades with San Jose any time soon!

Snowmon wrote:Have you had anyone come back and haunt you after a trade yet?!

Playing Rangers, I had P.Marleau as a captain and my leading scorer. So 3 year earlier I made a trade with Coyotes and "dumped" his $6m request "due to financial reasons" and to make a room for a highly regarded prospect. Needless to say, every year he's a main competitor of my best player (Ovechking) to win Art Ross and Maurice Richard Trophies. And I was facing Yotes in Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row.

I play with the Islanders and I carry my personal bias over into the game in one key area. Namely, I will not trade with the Rangers. If I offer a player out to the league to gauge interest, or possibly deal, if the Rangers come back with an offer i reject it out of hand. Probably silly, but there hasn't been an instance where it was even worth considering.

Aside from that, I just try to identify underperforming players whose salaries are taking up valuable space on my roster and ship them out for picks or a prospect. I just started a new game with updated rosters and the Isles' pipeline is rather thin so I'm trying to re-stock.

I tend to trade for either draft picks for my oldies, or young players. i love planning for the future, and the team builds together over a period of time, it means they suffer short term, but perform so good in the long term

mac-the-mouth wrote:I play with the Islanders and I carry my personal bias over into the game in one key area. Namely, I will not trade with the Rangers. If I offer a player out to the league to gauge interest, or possibly deal, if the Rangers come back with an offer i reject it out of hand. Probably silly, but there hasn't been an instance where it was even worth considering.

I can totally relate! When I'm playing as the Bruins I absolutely NEVER deal with Montreal!

bruins72 wrote:

mac-the-mouth wrote:Namely, I will not trade with the Rangers. If I offer a player out to the league to gauge interest, or possibly deal, if the Rangers come back with an offer i reject it out of hand.

I can totally relate! When I'm playing as the Bruins I absolutely NEVER deal with Montreal!

I can see your point and I do the same with Isles while playing Rangers. However, if the Isles come back with an offer I don't reject, but instead I counterpart with an offer based on draft picks. In my game, Isles are rated much lower, so sometimes I can earn better picks for the next year by this technique. Counerparted picks are much more likely to be accepted.

I never trade with rivals(Rangers, Toronto, and New Jersey especially); almost never trade with division-mates; and sometimes trade with Conference-mates(except any team who's close to me in points).

So, teams in the opposite conference are always my first targets.

CrockerNHL wrote: I can see your point and I do the same with Isles while playing Rangers. However, if the Isles come back with an offer I don't reject, but instead I counterpart with an offer based on draft picks. In my game, Isles are rated much lower, so sometimes I can earn better picks for the next year by this technique. Counerparted picks are much more likely to be accepted.

Oh I usually do the same, just not with the Rangers. I'm sure if a scenario ever came up that I felt I would seriously benefit from a deal, I'd probably do it. But that hasn't arisen yet, so I haven't had to compromise my morals!

I don't really have a strategy but I am definitely trigger happy.

In my St. Michael's Majors dynasty, I spotted a guy on a division rival who had scored 21 points in his first 9 games. He was a 19-year-old centre on loan from the LA Kings. I put together a package of two solid players and a draft pick, and surprisingly, the other GM made the deal!

In the first game I played against the team I'd traded with, one of the guys I'd given up scored a natural hat trick. The other had two assists and was +3. We lost the game 8-1.

The centre I obtained, however, went on to lead the OHL in scoring (34-76-110) and propel the Majors to the OHL's best record. We lost in the league finals, but I don't think we'd have made it that far without the stud centre.

The guy who got the hat trick against us ended up having a good year: 32-39-71, +11 for the year. His teammate didn't do much that year, but turned into a star a year later. My centre made the Kings roster at age 20 the next season and played well: 11-29-40, +3 on a mediocre team.

I play as the Calgary Flames, and I'll try to swing deals with Eastern Conference teams first if I can, and anyone but division rivals next. I have made quite a few trades within my division however, because I've got a good deal. I won't pass up a good deal. I recently traded Hamrlik, Krahn and Alex Steen to Vancouver for a couple of first round picks, and a prospect.

The only team I WILL NOT trade with is Edmonton, to carry on the long standing tradition of those 2 teams never making a trade.

Trade em all! If I have players on my team don't want, they go. Simple as that. If there is someone out there attainable who I want, I get them. I usually end up with about 15 or more new guys, chemistry schmemistry! I don't pay attention to who I'm trading with, if they are interested in my player or have someone I want I do a deal, division rival or not. I am definitely trigger happy, for me trading and making new line combinations is what this game is all about.

I agree with you all stay away from division rivals for trades. Unless you really want one of their players or no one else will take what you offer.

Playing Red Deer in WHL I trade for as many top players as I can get. I offer mostly cash and a weaker player and maybe picks for a good player until my reserve list hits 50. Before the drafts I then start trading the weakest among my new team, you know, after I can tell who is the best. This is when I start making better deals to reduce the number of players on reserve.

All in all I still make a profit, have all my picks for the draft and a cup.

edit: Laskey16 I am a very aggressive trader like you.

well usually i play as the Coyotes so i dont have any rivals according to EHM, yay! haha but usually i trade for the palyers i want no matter where they are. Just happens i've never traded with the Kings or the Stars yet (the two teams i consider to be the coyote rivals)

i trade for what i want. i don't care who it is, if they have what i want i get it. no realy. i mostly trade for young players or drafts and i normally play with maple leafs.. we are back to back to back to back stanley cup champions.. see toronto has cups now... normally after after playing for 2 seasons year 3 is when my team starts coming into it's own.

Well as most of you I try not to trade with teams in the same conference, but sometimes it's just impossible to resist... for example Scott Gomez for Braydon Coburn when im in need of dumping his 7$ mil salary.

I never make deals with Devils or Islanders, except for sending Colton Orr to Islanders for a 3rd rounder when no-one else was interested.

also, forgot this, I sometimes look at the Swedish Elitserien to check in my team Djurgården and sometimes sign players from rival teams, then place them on waivers and let them rot in ECHL ^^,

If I am moving a player(s) for financial reasons, I keep them out of my own conference to lessen any impact they may have against me in future games. If I am just dumping scrubs to get them off my roster, I typically don't get the best offers from my rivals so it never tends to be a concern of mine. Worst case is when I don't get someone re-signed, or I have to put someone through waivers, and they wind up on a hated rival

Hi, I really need help with a trade offer.

I've just finished with my first season the Coyotes and really need a top LW so I enquired with the Sabres to see what they wanted in return for Tomas Vanek (107pts this season).

They said they wanted in return:

C Meuller
GK Gistedt
LD Yandle

Meuller is the only player I have concerns over letting. I have alot of depth at Centre and they are easy enough to pick up.
Gistedt is a 22yr old Netminder but I have Montoya who is 24 and looks better.
Yandle is a decent prospect at LD but again, I have lots of depth there.

HELP!!!

My line up which finished last season was:

Hanzal - Jokinen - Lisin
Carcillo - Reinprecht - Doan
Fedoruk - Garlock - Parker
Roy - Meuller - Wilson

I'd do it. Then again I am very trigger-happy

Lakrisal wrote:also, forgot this, I sometimes look at the Swedish Elitserien to check in my team Djurgården and sometimes sign players from rival teams, then place them on waivers and let them rot in ECHL ^^,

actually i've been able to dig some pretty good players out of european league mostly russian and swedish. grrr at you for liking Djurgarden, i'm more of a MODO Hockey fan and my overall favorite team is Färjestads.... i'm still not sure if i want jonas frogren here with my leafs or with Färjestads tho..

If you really think that Buffalo would let Vanek go, then you should be ready to pay a price for it, and if you want him badly, you should be able to give up prospect like Meuller. Nothing is for free.

But then again, I would never trade for Vanek as he's signed to a long-term contract, and is a base of Buffalo's offense.