03-24-2018, 01:56 PM
Last season, I did an article on Buffalo’s pre-S39 offseason, which can be found here. For those too lazy, I reviewed 2 trades and a free agency signing, but wasn’t overly sure what to make of them. Sounds like a fucking great article, doesn’t it? It wasn’t bad.
Well, Buffalo is now another year into rebuild (which I defined as having begun in S38 with their load of draft picks). Let’s start by looking at how they did in S39. First off, they improved on their previous mark of 16 wins, jumping significantly to 19, which was enough to easily avoid being considered one of the bottom teams of the league. They were one of two teams (along with Seattle) to play 4 or more rookies (Seattle had 6), and they got the most points in the league from that rookie class (79 from the combination of Kevin Marks, T.J. Bayley, Kevin Hamilton, and Ryan Richter, only 63 for all 6 of Seattle’s). 3 of those four rookies are still going to be on the roster for S40, which, as you’ll soon see, is definitely a positive sign.
Now, let’s look at the decisions <a href='index.php?showuser=1163' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-13'>WannabeFinn</a> has made since then.
Trade #1: BUF received Kian Hamilton with 2m dollars of salary retained; MAN received Cikgnar Konstantinov and a S40 WKP 2nd round pick. I was not a fan of this trade at all. Hamilton the Elder, as I called him, definitely provided an upgrade at the time, but with retirement already announced, this was flat out selling the future for a chance to contend. Given that we finished with 19 wins AFTER that trade, I think that shows how ridiculous the premise was. In my last Buffalo article, I mentioned that Finn had pulled what seemed like a “win now” move in acquiring Pellegrino, who won’t be on the roster in S42 (likely sooner). But this trade was easily the more foolish one.
Trade 2: BUF received TEX S40 and S41 3rd, TEX received UFA rights to Theo Kane (who extended with them, fulfilling the conditional pick clause). This was a much-needed step in the right direction. Kane was a free agency acquisition in the S39 offseason, but seemed unlikely to re-sign. Personally, even if Kane had stayed in Buffalo, he would have ceased to be relevant by the time Buffalo was ready to contend, so I think both sides (BUF and Kane) made the right decision. As for TEX, I don’t see their S40 situation being much better than BUF’s S39. The Renegades are only a borderline playoff team, and I just can’t see them winning it all. Prepared to eat those words.
Trade 3: BUF received 3.5 million in cap space, TEX received a WKP S42 3rd. Honestly, this trade was kinda meaningless. Unless the Platoon blow up before then, the pick will be unlikely to yield much, and 3.5 million will mean little long term. I was surprised that Buffalo even needed cap space, though a large contract extension for current SMJHL player Dermot Lavelle likely factored into that.
Based on these trades, you would think that Buffalo is sitting pretty much the same, possibly even worse than last year, and you would be right were it not for one other factor: WannabeFinn’s draft picks have been fire. I already mentioned that S39 rookies TJ Bayley, Kevin Hamilton, and Kevin Marks are all still on the roster for S40, which means little out of context. However, this year another SIX rookies are joining the team. S38 draftees Nico Gross, Tatu Makela, and Quick Mafs will be coming up along with S39 draftees Frederich Koenig, Victor Marius, and Konstantin Kostoyevskiy. That’s a lot of players to make room for, and yet only one S39 rookie had to be expelled. Just to add to it, next season there are at least two more coming up who will be SHL-ready.
Prediction: I would set the over/under for Buffalo at about 21 games for S40, finishing 5th in the conference (and 10th overall). The roster is very weak on the top line and is pretty meh on the second as well, but impressive depth leads to a 3rd line already on par with most teams. However, so many of those players are actively improving, meaning that they will gain ground quickly. If WannabeFinn can avoid the temptation to make any more win now trades, this team should be looking very good for an S41 playoff berth.
Well, Buffalo is now another year into rebuild (which I defined as having begun in S38 with their load of draft picks). Let’s start by looking at how they did in S39. First off, they improved on their previous mark of 16 wins, jumping significantly to 19, which was enough to easily avoid being considered one of the bottom teams of the league. They were one of two teams (along with Seattle) to play 4 or more rookies (Seattle had 6), and they got the most points in the league from that rookie class (79 from the combination of Kevin Marks, T.J. Bayley, Kevin Hamilton, and Ryan Richter, only 63 for all 6 of Seattle’s). 3 of those four rookies are still going to be on the roster for S40, which, as you’ll soon see, is definitely a positive sign.
Now, let’s look at the decisions <a href='index.php?showuser=1163' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-13'>WannabeFinn</a> has made since then.
Trade #1: BUF received Kian Hamilton with 2m dollars of salary retained; MAN received Cikgnar Konstantinov and a S40 WKP 2nd round pick. I was not a fan of this trade at all. Hamilton the Elder, as I called him, definitely provided an upgrade at the time, but with retirement already announced, this was flat out selling the future for a chance to contend. Given that we finished with 19 wins AFTER that trade, I think that shows how ridiculous the premise was. In my last Buffalo article, I mentioned that Finn had pulled what seemed like a “win now” move in acquiring Pellegrino, who won’t be on the roster in S42 (likely sooner). But this trade was easily the more foolish one.
Trade 2: BUF received TEX S40 and S41 3rd, TEX received UFA rights to Theo Kane (who extended with them, fulfilling the conditional pick clause). This was a much-needed step in the right direction. Kane was a free agency acquisition in the S39 offseason, but seemed unlikely to re-sign. Personally, even if Kane had stayed in Buffalo, he would have ceased to be relevant by the time Buffalo was ready to contend, so I think both sides (BUF and Kane) made the right decision. As for TEX, I don’t see their S40 situation being much better than BUF’s S39. The Renegades are only a borderline playoff team, and I just can’t see them winning it all. Prepared to eat those words.
Trade 3: BUF received 3.5 million in cap space, TEX received a WKP S42 3rd. Honestly, this trade was kinda meaningless. Unless the Platoon blow up before then, the pick will be unlikely to yield much, and 3.5 million will mean little long term. I was surprised that Buffalo even needed cap space, though a large contract extension for current SMJHL player Dermot Lavelle likely factored into that.
Based on these trades, you would think that Buffalo is sitting pretty much the same, possibly even worse than last year, and you would be right were it not for one other factor: WannabeFinn’s draft picks have been fire. I already mentioned that S39 rookies TJ Bayley, Kevin Hamilton, and Kevin Marks are all still on the roster for S40, which means little out of context. However, this year another SIX rookies are joining the team. S38 draftees Nico Gross, Tatu Makela, and Quick Mafs will be coming up along with S39 draftees Frederich Koenig, Victor Marius, and Konstantin Kostoyevskiy. That’s a lot of players to make room for, and yet only one S39 rookie had to be expelled. Just to add to it, next season there are at least two more coming up who will be SHL-ready.
Prediction: I would set the over/under for Buffalo at about 21 games for S40, finishing 5th in the conference (and 10th overall). The roster is very weak on the top line and is pretty meh on the second as well, but impressive depth leads to a 3rd line already on par with most teams. However, so many of those players are actively improving, meaning that they will gain ground quickly. If WannabeFinn can avoid the temptation to make any more win now trades, this team should be looking very good for an S41 playoff berth.
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