Season in Review: The Bladerunners

The Bladerunners finished the season in second place, a great season but one that leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the defending Predator Cup and Challenge Cup champions. The final week of the season was a +/- disaster and cost them almost over 25pts, not enough to change the final rankings but the difference between being an 1100pt team or not. The good news is that a chance for redemption begins in October.

FPs: The season began with the Bladerunners sporting two high-end FPs in right winger M.Hossa (100pts) and goaltender R.Luongo (128.33pts). Hossa had a great season in Atlanta and was the number two ranked right winger in the league, only 2pts back of M.St.Louis. Luongo was even better, with a performance that made him not only the number two ranked goaltender in the league but the number two ranked player, regardless of position, behind M.Brodeur (142.13pt) . With FPs like this, its little wonder the Bladerunners were able to lead the league for a combined 9 weeks, a third of the season.

Draft: The Bladerunners had an excellent team coming out of the draft. Their Omnivore baseline of 1050.83pts was fourth best in the pool and only 16pts behind the Highlanders. With two solid FPs and three prospects who would end up making the Omnivore baseline, the team's strength could be anticipated but what was really surprising was how strong the team was in light of some let down in the entry draft itself. The Bladerunners' first four selections: S.Gagne (68pts), S.Zubov (54pts), S.Sullivan (60pts) and Justin Williams (67pts) all ended up with fewer points in 2006/07 than in the season before and yet overall, the team had remarkable success.

K.Jonsson (22pts) was the only defenseman in the top six to record less than 25pts. B.Campbell (48pts) improved on his career season the year before. Up front, the strength of the Bladerunner prospects meant that even though the first two centers drafted by the team, S.Rucchin (21pts) and M.Handzus (8pts), were horrible flops they never missed a beat. The best pick-up was probably S.Avery matched in the 5th round. Avery had 48pts on offense and another 43.5pts for being offensive.

Moving forward: The Bladerunners need to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and go make another run. The core of the team is still surprisingly strong given the assets traded off to make their run and good drafting could, again, make the Bladerunners one of the top teams next season.

FPs: The Bladerunners enter the off season with one returning FP, Hossa, and one newcomer in J.Iginla (94pts). Hossa and Iginla provide a potent combination on right wing with Hossa the #2 ranked right winger last season and Iginla the #4. Had Iginla not lost any time to injury, his pace would have had him getting 110 pts! Both of these players are young, at the top of their game and among the best in the league regardless of position, there is no need to trade either of them unless management has any concerns about overweighting one position - and they shouldn't. I would say that the Bladerunner FPs are set for years to come except that they believe they have a prospect that they may want to promote soon, E.Staal (70pts), which may necessitate a trade to create an opening.

Prospects: As mentioned, the Bladerunners have p4 c E.Staal (70pts) as part of the picture not only for next season, where he should be drafted onto the squad as an RFA, but also, potentially, as a new Bladerunner FP next season. Eric is only one season removed from his 100pt breakout year and should be capable of returning to similar heights down the road. If so, an eventual FP promotion is not unreasonable for the team to consider but regardless, no decision on that point has to be made now. Eric's "little" brother, Jordan Staal (42pts), is a p2 c and was an absolute revelation for everyone. There was no doubt that he had the talent (and the genes) but that he would be able to put them on display so quickly given his age and the number of young Penguins already in the system speaks to his potential. This season only scratched the surface and the Bladerunners are eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Last season's prospect draft also produced a trio of other players who, though not all originally Bladerunner property, form the basis of the Bladerunner's future. On left there is p2 J.Skille in Chicago who will be with the Blackhawks next year. The Islanders can't wait for right winger p2 K.Okposo's power game, and neither can the Bladerunners while between the pipes p2 goalie J.Howard should also soon get a chance to show his wares at the NHL level. All three will be held on to by the Bladerunners and will likely figure in their plans either to fill slots on the roster or as the key futures in trades to get back on top.

Two p2s who probably will not figure in the Bladerunner plans are A.Kaigorodov (1pt) and I.Griegorenko (0pts). Perhaps Kaigorodov will get a shot in Phoenix but he may have soured on the whole North American experiment just as NHL GMs are beginning to sour on his attitude. A different problem awaits Griegorenko and that is the issue of whether his horrific car crash has broken his relentless drives for the net in the same way it broke his legs. I don't think that the Bladerunners will keep both and may make their decision based on how they are performing in September - and whether they are performing in Russia or here. The other question marks on the prospect front is what to do with L.Krajicek (16pts) p4 defensman in Vancouver. Unfortunately his offensive production has really underwhelmed but defenseman take more time to develop and you would hate to drop a promising prospect just on the cusp of his breakout year. It's a tough call but I expect the Bladerunners to take a gamble on him as a final round rfa promotion and see if he can impress as a number 8 defenseman.

Prospect Draft: The Bladerunners do not have a first round selection in the prospect draft, a casualty of their run for the cup, but they do have the Personal Vendetta and Wolves' 2nd round picks (17th and 18th overall) as well as the Vendetta, Great White and their own 3rd round picks. Not a top-end selection but a solid draft. Depending on which prospects they chose to keep they may feel the need to use most of these picks though preferabley, if they feel like keeping all of their returning p2s (6 of them) then they may package the picks together in the hopes of moving up for the selections that they do want to make.

RFAs: The Bladerunners enter the off-season with three rfas. The two defensemen, A.Zhitnik (38pts + 23 tg pts) and S.Salo (37pts) are both solid, if low-end, offensive contributers. Zhitnik's production really took off in Atlanta and he may be undervalued by some GMs should he remain with the Thrashers and while his toughness is not the best available, its a nice bonuns to add to the package if the price is right. Salo is also a little undervalued having lost some time to injury and projects out to being a 45pt defenseman. Neither is going to win you the pool but both could make significant contributions if you can get them for the right price.

The real rfa "prize" on the Bladerunners is Calgary port-sider, K.Huselius (77pts). In his fifth season, Huselius simply exploded. His previous career best was the 47pts he had the previous season - a 30pt increase. At 29 he is still in his prime but this late bloomer may even have more to offer as he had an awful October (as everyone in Calgary did) and was pacing over a ppg until he tapperd off a bit in the last few weeks. The real question is how early will he have to match another GMs' bid for his services - given that with over half the pool still centered in Flames Country its unlikely the Swede went unnoticed.

Overall: The Bladerunners are a fantastic team that made a valiant attempt to win it all this season and make history by winning back-to-back championships. The run for the hardware exacted a high price, p3 E.Malkin (85pts), and the aftershocks of trading the big Russian will be felt for years to come but ultimately the Bladerunners felt they had no choice but to go for it when the prize was so close - a situation 10 other GMs would have loved to have been in. They made their call and right or wrong, its done. The good news is that with Hossa, Iginla and the Staal brothers, the future still looks pretty good for the team. Do not be surprised to see them in the thick of things in the final weeks next season.

FUNHL News and Notes

Massive trade occurred this weekend between the Wolves and Bladerunners - in what is another deal that could have decade long effects:

---> Bladerunners: Iginla-R Cgy FP, Huselius-L Cgy RFA, Visnovsky-D LA, Giguere-G Ana, Kobasew-R Bos P2 (inj), Legwand-C Nsh, Shadowmen 1st PRD, Bladerunners 3rd.

---> Wolves: Luongo-G Vcr FP, Parise-L NJ P3, Stastny-C Col P1, Cheechoo-R SJ, Martinek-D NYI (inj)

Lots of ramifications here. When I heard this deal had gone down, the following thoughts shotgunned through my consciousness;

- Luongo's fate was effectively sealed with the Kiprusoff trade. Nobody can afford to invest a franchise contract to their backup goaltender for long.

- The Bladerunner's have now collected all the best available Flames (Iginla, Kiprusoff, Huselius), except one, Dion Phaneuf-D Wolves (ok, two - Tanguay FP for the Scourge) As a cup drive strategy, this is intriguing. Is Calgary heading for an offensive explosion that I wasn't aware of?

- In Luongo, I believe the Wolves have now got one of the best 4-5 FP's in the league. And he's only getting better. Vancouver is building their team ala the New Jersey model - from their franchise goaltender out (seriously - watch for the search for Niedermayer/Stevens clones to begin for the blue-line). Luongo is going to be handed 70+ starts a season, a rock-N-roll defense corps (as I say, that's coming) and a team focussed on playing defense first (take a look at Naslund's stats - he's back-checking now). He's going to win hardware. Iggy on the other hand, is arguably not even one of the best 4 RW in the FUNHL (off the top of my head; St Louis, Jagr, Gaborik, Selanne, Hossa, are all playing better. Hejduk though, is definitely playing worse.), and he plays the kind of complete power/checking/defense/offense game that guarantees his points don't remain competitive with the goal sucks and puck hogs. If I were an NHL GM I'd love to build a team around Iggy, but as a FUNHL GM he's a declining asset.

- Does this trade actually improve the Bladerunners anywhere obviously? Defense with the addition of Visnovsky. Cheechoo vs Iginla at RW? Sure, I guess Iggy is marginally more reliable (if less explosive in potential - see Cheechoo's Richard trophy from last year). Luongo to Giguere? A wash - if only because both are backups. Huselius RFA vs Parise P3? Colour me biased, but despite Huselius' hot streak, I prefer Parise. Stastny P1 vs Legwand? Even if Stastny had NO status, I'd prefer him.

- All in all IMO the deal opens up some flexibility for the Bladerunners by unlocking the goaltending position, but doesn't put them over the top. For the Wolves, it's a win, win, win. They add a LW with upside in Parise, a 2nd line centre playing at a ppg to compliment Kopitar, and they secure a franchise goaltender as FP.

Big, I mean BIG, day for the Wolves.

In other news;

-Did anyone else see the goal by Malkin the other night where he drops the hammer and picks the short-side corner from the boards? Oh. My. Goodness. I got so excited by the replay I had to change my pants.

- Crosby's touch for scoring goals seems to have disappeared - which is bad news for the Bladerunners. Why? Because the Highlanders are nose to nose with him and Crosby will undoubtedly eventually recover.

- Recchi is making a mockery of the Severed Heads Omnivore. He's had two of his biggest games since the trade, including a 5 point night today. Ugh.

- Has anyone been hotter than Lecavalier of late? Given he's almost a goal per game - Nope. So, it can't last.

- How many times will Richards and Sakic be traded for each other this season? 4? Can we see it happen twice in a week?

- My reaction on the Forsberg to Nashville deal? Hand this round to the Flyers, cuz Nashville WAY overpaid. The first and third round picks, I can understand. Scottie Upshall I can understand. Ryan Parent? No chance. Yes, Forsberg gives them a chance to win it all, right now. But a first, a third, Upshall and Parent is simply too much for a guy who is breaking down physically, and an unrestricted free agent at the end of the playoffs.

- What's even sadder? The Predators could well be the best team in the league, and they still wouldn't sell out their Nashville arena. It's like seeing the NJ Devil's put together Cup winning seasons in front of half filled houses. It just makes you say 'what a waste', and wonder why they don't just move NJ to Hartford where at least they would be appreciated. Nashville, Florida, Atlanta, and Anaheim should be moved to Hartford, Quebec, Winnipeg, and Kitchener respectively. If we could get Carolina to relocate back to Hartford and then convince Nashville to play in Regina, we should.

-When the analysis of how the Severed Heads season came apart is completed one of the areas we are sure to reccomend improvements is with team toughness. In most weeks the contribution of goon minutes has been all but non-existent, and the result is the Heads have been pushed around. The Coach recently had words with the GM, and with the playoffs for the Challenge Cup approaching, finding some toughness for the stretch drive is still a possibility.

- As far as the NHL goes it's Lidstrom's Norris to lose. As far as the FUNHL goes, Sheldon Souray has all but locked it up. His play as goon as has been occasionally sporadic, but also devastating.

- My short list for FPs in the next ED looks something like this;

1. Spezza-C Ott

I give him top spot for; being younger, having more play-making abilit, and for having a better gunner as his side-kick in Heatley than Big Vinny.

2. Lecavalier-C TBay

All is going according to prophecy. As per my endless simulations on the X-Box, Lecavalier will now go on to record a 65-65-130pt season and win the scoring title next year.

3. Gaborik-R Min

One of the purest gunners in the league along with Kovalchuk and Ovechkin. Just entering his prime, and his GM seems intent on giving him offensive support.

4. Havlat-L Chi

Havlat has all the tools, warp speed, an imposing shot, and phenomenal stick handling ability. Only concerns are his durability and team mates. In many ways, he's like a youngish version of Elias, or a more consistently offensive Kovalev.

5. Bouwmeester-D Fla

The only defender FP on the horizon as far as I can tell. Blessed with massive frame, terrific skating and all-purpose offensive skills, it's just a matter of time before he is unstoppable, and like Pronger, picking up points just by breathing.

6. Nash-L Clb (Great Whites have right to match)

Was a better candidate two years ago, and has seen his stock slip a little. Mostly, he has just been going through the growing pains of a team in transition. Will eventually take a run at 50 goals in 50 games once the team finds him an elite playmaker.

7. Zetterberg-L Det

He had a horrible start to the year that has been redeemed by an absolutely mental second half. He's the safe late FP gamble when the exciting picks are off the board.

Crosby-Malkin will eventually both be FPs - just not this year.

Ten Worst FP decisions

The Highlander's comments about regretting some trade decisions for a decade got me thinking about what the worst Franchise Player decisions we've had in the pool would be. What follows is my own quick take of the top ten worst moves, but I freely admit that I may have left some bad ones out. Please feel free to contribute to the list in the comments section.



10. Zigmund Palffy - Ramapithicines. Nobody doubted the Zigs talent level, but his inability to stay healthy for a full season made the decision to make him an FP a nightmare. He would keep anticipation high all off-season with periodic displays of jaw-dropping talent, only to float through the regular season on a bubble of indifference until he would be subject to some random devestating injury. All of this inconsistency was made that much more painful because he was the guy asked to replace Mario as Knuckledragger FP. Possibly the most frustrating points tease outside of Zhamnov in the history of the pool.


9. Alexei Yashin - Shadowmen. In the year after they made a blockbuster deal for Jagr only to then deal him away, the Shadowmen had to replace their FP with a pick in the 4th rnd. Yashin looked like a godsend at the time, but after a few seasons it became apparent that he was a dog complete with fleas and an immovable contract. Few players have gone from franchise heartthrob to public enemy #1 faster or with more venom than Yashin. His immense suckitude so bedazzled the Islanders they gave him a comparably absurd franchise contract as well. In the FUNHL, this is but a memory, but in the NHL, the bust that is Yashin as franchise cornerstone, busts onward.


8. Bryan Berard - Personal Vendetta. After his Calder year everybody was jealous of the Personal Vendetta for their expiring prospect asset of Bryan Berard - perfect for making an FP. A puck rushing defender with a booming shot and more than a little physical edge, he had the leagues GMs drooling at the highlights and deeply envious of the Personal Vendetta. Unfortunately his rookie season was actually his best, and a steady regression by Berard would eventually see him unceremoniously released. Berard upset at being dumped by the Personal Vendetta, would later almost lose an eye, and get disqualified from the Olympics for using steroids. Funny, but I actually like him better now than when he was 'the next Brian Leetch'.


7. Janne Niinimaa - The Collective (now The Lost Boys). Easily the worst case of a GM falling in love with a player outside of any rational assessment of their abilities. Niinimaa rarely played at the level of a #1 defenseman, and never cracked the top 10 in D-man scoring, but was an FP for over 2 and half years. That said, his contributions, while marginal for an FP were still better than the guy at #6.


6. Valeri Bure - The Barbarians (now the Scourge). Deceptive break-out year was to be the clear peak of Bure's abilities, and his over a ppg stats unfortunately convinced the nascent Barbarian franchise to offer him an FP contract. This disastrous FP selection was to rip a massive hole in the team's talent base for years.


5. Jim Carey - The Severed Heads and the Shadowmen. Having the 12-13 picks to take my FPs meant that Jagr, Kariya, Forsberg, etc. were already gone when I picked. I went for the best goalie on my board under 25 (the other was Brodeur, but sadly, somebody else took him). This epically bad pick was mitigated by the near immediate trade of Carey to the Shadowmen for Paul Kariya. Carey was eventually released at the end of his first year, and for all intents and purposes vanished from the multi-verse thereafter.


4. Brendan Shanahan unexpectedly released to take Jason Allison - The Knights Templar. Its interesting to look back and think that maybe this was one of those moments where a different choice might have made all the difference for a franchise. To the shock of many, the Templar GM kicked consistent power winger FP Shanahan to the curb in favour of pokey playmaker Jason Allison. You know the rest of the story, Allison had a good year and a half or so before injuries eventually destroyed his ability to contribute to a team at an elite level. Last seen Allison was a glacially paced skater who would have trouble tracking down Brett Hull without a head start. Meanwhile, Shanahan just seems to get better, having a 40+ season last year, and having climbed among the leagues top gunners for most of the this year as well.


3. Brian 'Waterboy' Boucher - The Shadowmen. In an era when the trading of your early Entry Draft picks was common, the Shadowmen were forced to reach deep into the draft to find a new FP. As you can see if you check out Boucher's career numbers, they missed.


2. Patrick Roy - Nobody. Easily the most criminal omission from the pantheon of FUNHL franchise players (ahead of both Dominik Hasek and Mike Modano in this regard), is the ultimate goaltending weapon - Patrick Roy. The NHL moved into full blown trap hockey just as Roy exited the prime years of his athleticism (as well as entering the era of oversized pads), and the result is his numbers actually continued to improve as he got older. He has been the goaltender on more Predator Cup winning teams than any other, yet never got any love from anyone as FP. Osgood, Carey, and Boucher all got nods to be franchise goaltenders ahead of him.

1. There is an old saying in the FUNHL, that every once in a while you are going to make a trade that has the potential to 'make you sick for a very long time' should it go bad.

When the Highlanders Traded Jagr to the Shadowmen for Petr Nedved and the Shadowmen's top three entry draft picks the following year, we have the signature case of that occurring.

Having been awarded the pick that secured the next decades top talent in the league's first ever Franchise player draft, the Highlanders selected a highlight reel dominating, offensively gifted stud in Jaromir Jagr - only to turn around and trade him away.

However, the true torture for the Highlanders franchise wouldn't begin until the Shadowmen deal Jagr to the Highlanders arch-rival Severed Heads.

The Severed Heads would cheerfully ride Jagr's gaudy offensive totals to a Triple Crown victory and back to back Predator Cup wins. Nedved would have to be traded at a loss and eventually replaced. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

The explosive points machine with the bad mullet and legendary indifference to back-checking would never hit the open market again, and the Highlanders, with their Cup drought now extending past ten years, have been mutilating their self-esteem as a franchise ever since, coldly eating their hearts out as Jagr piles highlight onto highlight in his now surely hall of fame bound career, every 'Fear My Wingspan' move another dagger to the chest...

...Well, I'm sure you get the picture...

Questions for the Severed Heads GM on the acquisition of Malkin

- Have you been after Malkin a long time?

Literally for years. We tried initially to trade for the pick used to select him, and have never stopped pursuing him in trade. We were looking at a deal this summer that would have used an existing FP and or Spezza to bring him over along with Staal, but obviously that fell through.

- Was it an easy trade to make?

Yes. Mgt had been really high on both Parise and Stastny, as they both represented solid victories for our scouting department in finding quality prospects later in the prospect draft.



Having a high calibre team means that you don't often get to pick early in the prospect draft, so finding gems others miss is a key for us and our scouts take pride in every player they unearth. Stastny in particular was a guy we really liked, but knew wouldn't be on many lists because he was a 2nd rnd pick who had spent an extra two years at college. But the opportunity to land an FP quality player while they are still under contract as a prospect made the decision easy. We like Parise and Stastny a great deal, but in our eyes Malkin will be a future cornerstone of the Severed Heads franchise. Worth noting that the fact Malkin is an FP talent was never a question for the Bladerunners, as they knew they were giving up a huge player to us.

- Did the Bladerunners get enough for their asset?

Its hard for me to say without appearing to be disingenuous. The facts are that they got back an elite (if not THE elite) goaltender, a #1 centreman, our teams best all-round defenseman, a ppg RW and two above average prospects. If that isn't fair value for a FP player or elite prospect trade, I don't know what is. The problem as the Highlanders describe it is that this is the kind of deal that you could feel sick about for a decade (ask the Highlanders GM - he knows this feeling well).

- If you were in the Bladerunners shoes was that the deal you would have made?

What is interesting to me is that so much of the value in the trade was in Kirprusoff, when Kipper isn't even a sure thing to dress for him. For sure their GM made a calculation about not just what players he needed for his own team, but what players he needed to keep his opponents from acquiring for themselves. I think it also leaves the Bladerunners open to an FP deal that sends Luongo on for help elsewhere allowing Kiprusoff to be the Man in net. If so, he's got a deeper perspective than I probably gave him credit for.

- Is Malkin the prototype Severed Heads FP?

Big, fast, young, unbelievably talented, 'Fear My Wingspan', above a ppg as a rookie, and he wears the black and gold. So, yes, without a doubt he's got what it takes to be our FP moving forward. Once upon a time the franchise built itself around guys like Rick Tocchet, Tim Kerr and Cam Neely. Power wingers who could fight as well as score goals. The Lemieux's etc. were seen as the necessary evil of needing to add skill players to my favourites in order compete. Looking back now though, that phase of the Severed Heads didn't last very long. With the advent of FPs we moved towards a different franchise model, and so far that is one that Malkin fits comfortably into.

- Can you describe that model?

Yes, but then I would have to kill you.