DRAFT LOTTERY 2009/10

What draft slot do you want? Better respond to this post ASAP as the Crown Royal Slot Selection of Death will be held on the 26th or 27th of June!

The Shadowmen want the highest possible position...like 1...

Other Gms please respond to this post for your preferences...

GMs - Please Make Your Lists

Hello All,

The final act of the last DC set the Shutout standard at 3.75. That will be standard for this coming year 2008/09 ED. GMs - Please make your lists.

As well known, there is a vacancy on the DC for which nominations are open and will be settled at the ED at Collin's home.

There is need potentially for a new statskeeper as Doug wishes to set down.

There is also a vacancy as FUNHL treasurer which I will temporarily volunteer for [having collected the Lost Boys entry fee] until a more suitable candidate is found.

Any Rule Proposals for FUNHL changes should posted to the Blog on a different posting ASAP, perhaps by end of next week as a deadline so the league can consider each proposal.

Please abide the Covanent's Last Rule - Have Fun!

Changes From Pages of the THN "Bible" Yearbook

Hello Hungry GMs awaiting major roster changes...

1st Throw out your rosters from the THN Ultimate pool guide. They are totally without merit.

2nd Here I'll try and summarize noteable changes

Ana - no major changes from last yr [i.e. nada]
Atll - nada except jason williams is now a C
Bst - nada except kessel is now R
Buf - nada except Stafford = R
Cal - Cammalleri and Rene Bourque =L
Car - nada
Chi - Sharp, Byfuglien =L, Havlat =R
Col - nada
CLB- Huselius and Torres =R
Dal - nada [yes, Avery still on L]
Det -Datsyuk, Hudler= L, Zetterberg=C
EDM- nada, Cole=L, Cogliano=R
FLA-nada, Stillman=L and Horton still R
LA -O'Sullivan=L and Frolov=R
Min -Bouchard=R
Mtl - Higgins=R and A.Kostitsyn=L
Nsh -Erat and Dumont now on LW
NJ- Zajac=L, Rolston=C, Zubrus=R
NYI-nada
NYR-Prucha=R
OTT-nada
PHI-nada
PHX-Mueller=L
PIT-Staal=C, Satan, Sykora=R
SJ=NADA BUT J.R. IS NOW RW!!!!
STL=nada
TBL- Prospal, Malone=L, Vrbata=R
TOR - Steen=L, Pony=R
VAN - Raymond=L, Demitra,Kesler=C, Bernier,Wellwood=RM
WSH-nada


Now I only covered the obvious changes and didn't include all players and prospects - that's every GMs job...

This was just a courtesy...


Enjoy the "Bible" when you get it also the Sport's Forecaster is out...

WD1 & ED2008 Lottery

Hello all,

Bob tells me that the WD has been moved deeper into December. I did not see an easy way of accomodating it on my schedule when it was December 1, and December 8 puts it into the "not going to happen" range. I have a very busy month coming up, and I will likely be out of town.

The good news is I am mildly obsessive about statistics and spreadsheets, and more than happy to put one together to let the league-robot draft for me. Do we have a designated league-robot, so I can discuss what is going to be most reasonable and readable? (Bob has volunteered to verify the accuracy of the league-robot on my behalf.)

Also, when will I know who is waiving whom?

Finally--because it's not worth beating a horse unless it's dead--I would like to retool our algorithm for the ED lottery in 2008 so it reflects how many points a team finished behind first place, rather than what slot they happened to fill in the points table.

Ideally this will encourage everyone to play as best they can right up to the end of the season, and, much like the "tie" points in the Challenge cup--which the league approved in September--it will reflect occasions when two teams are extraordinary close.

I would appreciate it if this could at least be discussed by the league so I can get a feeling for what reception is like out there. My proposed formula to generate chips--I'm open to discussing it--is:

Chips = [('Team's finishing points' - 'Herbivore finishing points') / 25] + 1 , round down.

and the herbivore winner's would be: Predator winner's chips + 1.

Is there anyone strongly opposed?
Is more lobbying necessary?
Are there any other options?

Please discuss.

Richard
GM, Lost Boys.
~~The Lemmings Demand Blood~~

Things before the ED

Things I'd like to discuss:

- Can we file lineups for this coming year on the Blog?
- Can we review and if needed come up with a better system for the ED Lottery? (Doesn't need to be solved then and there, just before the next ED Lottery.)

Clarify: When does a GM have to announce prospect drops? FP drops?

And, Lundqvist for FP is hardly easy trading material. Bob doesn't get FPs for their investment appreciation.

Calgary

What is the weather like this week? (What kind of coat should I bring?)

And what are known cash expenses? (Bob speculates $30 pool fee, $20 meal fee, and $10 poker buy in)

Lost Boys finish draft list!

Three words everyone:

Kiefer... Is... Watching.

I am now ready for 2007/08.

The pred-cup is airplane ready, right?

Am I a cool kid yet?

Bob tells me he has confirmed his move back to the city to happen in late October. Cameron has relocated provinces, Doug is in a new house, and I think Corey sent out a change of address as well.

I too have a new place now, (more downtown, and bigger... for much more money is the trade, but no room-mates) so... two more teams on the list and this becomes moving season for the FUNHL (or... is this just something the Out-of-Calgary conference does?)

Anyway, with me and Bob having 2 bedrooms in Toronto, I'd like to submit a bid for our hosting a waiver draft in 2008. (I figure that's a lot less initial work... show that we're up for hosting ED 2010) Should we book a weekend? :-)

Richard.

(I promise I'll start working on my list soon... Bob can confirm that I've been procrastinating--but talking about it--for a month now, so any day...)

Entry Draft - Saturday, September 29, 2007

Well, its official - Richard, GM of the Lost Boys, and bob's AlterEgo Moriarty, GM of the Shadowmen have their booked their flights to attend this year's entry draft at Collin's.

bob is also going to try give gifts to each particular GM...surprise!

I thought I should confirm this with the league...though it was confirmed by Dan on an earlier post which disappeared [cam's apologies to dan] on that combined post...after the draft lottery.

See you in September!

Wide Open: The 2007-08 Entry Draft lacks consensus

With our FUNHL season rapping up (with kudos, congratulations, etc. ever more likely owed to Doug) our eyes turn towards the next big NHL event of mega-importance.

No, not the playoffs (cuz really, who cares?), no I'm talking about the NHL Entry Draft!

This draft has long been suggested to lack a 'franchise' talent (more on that later), but that it does have some very talented players available.

But just how lacking in obvious talent is this draft? I reviewed the following sources;

TSN (International Scouting Services)

1. Cherepanov
2. Kane
3. Turris
4. Van Riemsdyk
5. Voracek
6. Alzner
7. Couture
8. Gagner
9. Ellerby
10. Mayorov

The Hockey News has it;

1. Kane
2. Van Riemsdyk
3. Alzner
4. Turris
5. Gagner
6. Esposito
7. Cherepanov
8. Voracek
9. Sutter
10. Ellerby

(turns out the Hockey Prospects list is currently the same as ISS)

As you probably know, the Great Whites currently hold the contract rights for Angelo Esposito, and the Severed Heads currently have the rights to Logan Couture.

Let me add that not only has no player risen to the top to be the clear talent, but the words used by scouts everywhere were 'uninspiring'.

The Cameron Theory of Franchise Players Alert!

Under my theory, the first forward taken in any given NHL ED year will be 'Franchise Player' calibre 75% of the time (there are two corollaries, avoid the first forward chosen in any draft where the first two players picked are defensemen, or goaltenders, and use caution in drafts scouts consider 'weak').

This is now officially a 'weak' draft. You've been warned.

My FUNHL bets are;

1. Cherepanov
2. Esposito
3. Kane
4. Van Riemsdyk
5. Couture

Proposal to consider for ED 2008

I read Steven Brunt's column in the Globe this morning, about how the new salary-cap economics are being used by some teams, but no-one in management seems to have mastered the art of the calculator quite yet. That's where this thought is coming from.

My impression is that the FUNHL attempts to mimic the NHL to the greatest extent possible. (see: RFAs, waivers, IRs, and prospects.) Has there been any consideration of introducing a mimic of the salary-cap system to our entry draft?

My father's baseball pool uses a bidding system on each player. The league-fees for them are $20, so they all have a salary pool of 20$, with which to go after their 24 players. As each player is drafted, every team gets a chance to bid on them. Every player on the roster gets a salary of at least a dime, so it's possible to take yourself out of bidding early by reducing yourself to a dime for the remaining slots on your roster. (Nothing sadder than having 3$ left, and no outfielders and just 1 pitcher as I recall from the one draft I participated in.)

What might it look like in the FUNHL?

Trading for players then recieves an extra-dimension, as you begin to consider their worth not only for points but also their impact on your bottom line. Prospects, at a dime apiece for 5 years become wildly valuable. RFA contracts also become interesting, if, for example, I can renew Brindamour for another year at $0.60, or whatever he would have been drafted for, might make him much more valuable.

To accomodate WDs, and give Bob/Brian/Dan and the other monster-traders some flexibility, I'd suggest that the cap grow through the season. So, going into the ED your total salary cap might be $20.80 (including 8 prospects); after the ED through to WD1 total salary cap goes to 23$; after WD1 through to the end of the season you'd get a 25$ salary-cap.

Bidding on just waived-players means you'd have to match their contract in a WD. This would make WDs a chance to slough over-priced deadweight from your roster.

I suspect FPs would have to go. You want Brodeur, you bid for Brodeur; he's not magically in the same equivalent class as Jovanovski "just 'cause."

An immediate downside is that this makes the FUNHL very much a spreadsheet & number crunching league... that may not appeal to a lot of GMs. But, it does get that touch of realism.

Anyway, throwing it out there for thoughts... because I like my number-crunching and spreadsheets.

Richard.