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***boom*** · 06-19-2022, 10:39 PM

[788 words, ready for grading]

I was quite surprised to see all the trades go down with Edmonton, and something didn't sit right with me in my mind. I knew I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure how it was going to come across. Let's just go with this and see how things go.

My first reaction to seeing the trade news was shock - these were people that I had gotten to know throughout my time as GM of Edmonton (and for some people starting even earlier in Vancouver) and they would now be dispersed across the league. Granted, I was traded earlier, but these are still great people and I know the teams they're going to are getting great players and users. My next reaction, and I think the more persistent one, was frustration. Not frustration that the core had been broken up, those things can happen, but seeing the trades felt like the death blow to my entire tenure as GM there. Starting as an advisor in the olde days of 2020, and then working my way up to co-GM right after Keygan's great S59 draft class, I saw the team go from a Challenge Cup contender to a team that was good but in need of a retooling. Keygan stepped down to recreate and I oversaw the interim period. The expected bottoming-out period while the prospects matured was delayed by an aggressive offseason in S61 which gave us an unexpected division title. Afterwards, things fell back to where we expected to be while navigating the awkward transition period between the vets aging out and the prospects being good enough to carry the load. The Blizzard had a couple subpar seasons in S62 and S63 (we're just not going to talk about the disastrous Talls experiment), but in S64 we rebounded back to 28 wins and it felt like the team was getting somewhere, especially after taking two games off the eventual finalist Panthers in the first round. Unfortunately, I had to step down due to ongoing real-life matters, but it felt like the core Bfine, myself and Hordle were building was good enough to become a Challenge Cup contender by staying the course and adding complementary pieces. Overall, I was probably on the GM team for roughly a year and by my last season, about half the team were people that had been added during my tenure on the GM team, including several core pieces. I believe with all my heart that the team was on the right track when I left it.

It's not even just the trades that hurt, it's who got moved. Leon Athanasios was a low-risk move made by Bfine and I during the aggressive S61 offseason that turned out to be a great depth winger who broke out in S64 with a 52-point season, punching above his weight in TPE. Sven Svechnikov, Makrus Jager and Lev Lebedev were all players that I drafted or signed in Vancouver and were key pieces of the Blizzard. Kaapo Kampainen was the 1C for most of my tenure as head GM, and consistently one of our best players. Seeing all of them get moved hurt not just because they were pieces of the Edmonton core, but because as the former GM, seeing them get traded feels like everything I did while GM was immediately punted for a "roll again and see the results in seven seasons" kind of move. I know this is going to sound like sour grapes, and I'm on another team now, but seeing the team get blown up makes it feel like my work in the last year was all for nothing.

Ultimately, this is probably just a philosophical disagreement at its heart. I know that I've generally been one of the more conservative GMs in the league and have a bit of an aversion to big splashy moves myself, but I would not have blown up the team like this. They're still very young and I think had this core been kept together they could have done some great things. As well, I fundamentally try to do whatever I can for my players and put in every effort. I don't like tanking in general, but if the team was old with little future I can acknowledge when it needs to be done. This wasn't that - Edmonton had a young, hungry core on a team that was visibly getting better. What happened in Edmonton feels a bit like rerolling a team that didn't need it for the sake of building a roster under the image of a new GM, and I'm not sure I agree with that. Feel free to yell at me in the comments, but that's my take on it.

Muerto · 06-19-2022, 10:54 PM

It's tough to see the team you built up get broken down and all the great people traded away. But sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to go in and take what you've given them and watch them turn it into the next big thing (WPG in my case) - sometimes stepping down means letting go, as hard as it can be.

***boom*** · 06-19-2022, 10:56 PM

06-19-2022, 10:54 PMMuerto Wrote: It's tough to see the team you built up get broken down and all the great people traded away. But sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to go in and take what you've given them and watch them turn it into the next big thing (WPG in my case) - sometimes stepping down means letting go, as hard as it can be.

For sure. I think the difficult part for me is that I thought I was leaving the next GM with a solid core to build around and they opted to not go that route, I wasn't sure whether to make this post because I didn't want to seem overbearing but I guess there's always that attachment there.

steveoiscool · 06-19-2022, 10:56 PM

For what it's worth, I think I can take a lot of heat for spurring on the rebuild. There were a lot of small things (and not so small things) that indicated to me that our window had closed before it ever really opened, so I requested a trade out. You're partially right, and we may have been able to salvage it but everything I saw indicated that we were just going to waste multiple player's prime seasons struggling to be anything above mediocre so it seemed like the best move for everyone involved.

***luke*** · 06-19-2022, 11:04 PM

Atleast EDM got a good experienced co/gm in waters from the trade a couple months ago when you got traded

Muerto · 06-19-2022, 11:06 PM

06-19-2022, 10:56 PMboom Wrote:
06-19-2022, 10:54 PMMuerto Wrote: It's tough to see the team you built up get broken down and all the great people traded away. But sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to go in and take what you've given them and watch them turn it into the next big thing (WPG in my case) - sometimes stepping down means letting go, as hard as it can be.
For sure. I think the difficult part for me is that I thought I was leaving the next GM with a solid core to build around and they opted to not go that route, I wasn't sure whether to make this post because I didn't want to seem overbearing but I guess there's always that attachment there.

Something to take solace in, is when you see the return that is coming back for the people you brought in, then you can see the value that they have and that they aren't just good players, but great people who other teams are willing to give up a decent price in return - so obviously you did something right in bringing those people in and keeping them engaged!

Going full rebuild can be scary, but I think we are seeing that teams that do it right will see the dividends pay off, if you can convince everyone to be patient and stay committed!

Rotti · 06-19-2022, 11:10 PM

HFFO just flipped 5 players into 5 1sts and 4 2nds. Unless a majority of those picks never sniff the league, he's setting himself up to be the next Hamilton/Buffalo/Chicago. Aggressive moves are what lead to winning teams in the league, its just how its going to always be really.

***luke*** · 06-19-2022, 11:11 PM

06-19-2022, 11:10 PMRotticusScott Wrote: HFFO just flipped 5 players into 5 1sts and 4 2nds. Unless a majority of those picks never sniff the league, he's setting himself up to be the next Hamilton/Buffalo/Chicago. Aggressive moves are what lead to winning teams in the league, its just how its going to always be really.

Sniff check?

Rotti · 06-19-2022, 11:13 PM

06-19-2022, 11:11 PMluke Wrote:
06-19-2022, 11:10 PMRotticusScott Wrote: HFFO just flipped 5 players into 5 1sts and 4 2nds. Unless a majority of those picks never sniff the league, he's setting himself up to be the next Hamilton/Buffalo/Chicago. Aggressive moves are what lead to winning teams in the league, its just how its going to always be really.

Sniff check?

smells like glunting smuck mixed with a little bit of sunshine!

Bfine · 06-19-2022, 11:23 PM

Oh boy do I have a lot of thoughts here. Obviously as your co for 3 seasons I think we built something special, and brought in a lot of great names like Spartan, Gabe, Wozy, and Ty, plus I drafted the guy who would become my best friend in Jimmy. I also have to keep telling myself it’s not my fault EDM hit a rebuild since I was the firsts 59 to leave after I asked to go to SFP. So yes it’s hard to see it all change but we stepped down for a reason, and it’s HFFO’s time to lead. I wouldn’t be too upset at the Spartan trade since I basically did the same thing to get him to SFP lol. And I think Sven was right, this wasn’t a team that was going to be a cup contender without major changes, and it seems like so far everyone is happy with their new homes. I know personally leaving EDM was hard but I’m so glad I did it because SFP really is amazing #Simp4Toast. I know a lot of the talk is around “legacies being destroyed” but you can’t let someone take over the team then get mad they’re doing what they think is best. I’m always open to talk if you’d like, and I certainly understand your feelings. At the same time, HFFO is just doing what’s best for EDM, as sad as it can be on the emotional side.

***aleks*** · 06-19-2022, 11:30 PM

applied

***Vandy*** · 06-19-2022, 11:32 PM

I know when I wrote my media piece I felt the same as you did, Boom. I know I went to HFFO and demanded a trade out of Edmonton because I felt like things were just turning into bad times in Edmonton 2.0 but after things calmed down and we talked, I feel like its less rebuilding for rebuilding's sake and more of a vision disagreement. I don't see a barely .500 season and a barely below .500 season as lighting the world on fire and I don't fault them for selling high, that's just the nature of taking over as a GM.

***boom*** · 06-19-2022, 11:43 PM

06-19-2022, 11:23 PMBfine Wrote: Oh boy do I have a lot of thoughts here. Obviously as your co for 3 seasons I think we built something special, and brought in a lot of great names like Spartan, Gabe, Wozy, and Ty, plus I drafted the guy who would become my best friend in Jimmy. I also have to keep telling myself it’s not my fault EDM hit a rebuild since I was the firsts 59 to leave after I asked to go to SFP. So yes it’s hard to see it all change but we stepped down for a reason, and it’s HFFO’s time to lead. I wouldn’t be too upset at the Spartan trade since I basically did the same thing to get him to SFP lol. And I think Sven was right, this wasn’t a team that was going to be a cup contender without major changes, and it seems like so far everyone is happy with their new homes. I know personally leaving EDM was hard but I’m so glad I did it because SFP really is amazing #Simp4Toast. I know a lot of the talk is around “legacies being destroyed” but you can’t let someone take over the team then get mad they’re doing what they think is best. I’m always open to talk if you’d like, and I certainly understand your feelings. At the same time, HFFO is just doing what’s best for EDM, as sad as it can be on the emotional side.

I will admit that I probably err on the side of wanting to keep the progress that was made building up a community especially after the S59 draft, and I think that's the perspective that I've always had. I've always tried to push hard with the teams I've had and go as far as possible.

I wouldn't say I'm mad at HFFO at all. The guy definitely has a plan and is executing it and getting value.

With regards to legacy, I'm in a weird spot. I left GMing because of serious circumstances that were outside of my control, so there's always going to be the uncertainty there of wondering what I could have led had I been able to stay, but that could also just be wishful thinking. My brain was in a bit of a weird spot and this was me getting it out.

CementHands · 06-19-2022, 11:43 PM

06-19-2022, 11:10 PMRotticusScott Wrote: HFFO just flipped 5 players into 5 1sts and 4 2nds. Unless a majority of those picks never sniff the league, he's setting himself up to be the next Hamilton/Buffalo/Chicago. Aggressive moves are what lead to winning teams in the league, its just how its going to always be really.

Because Hamilton saw success through aggressive trades, and absolutely didn’t exploit a sim engine and force the league to change

Rolleyes

***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 06-19-2022, 11:50 PM

I saw teams like LAP and SFP in the current and future with Winnipeg coming up and didn't see the core we had competing with those cores legitimately. We'd be hoping on FHM to FHM, and given Edmonton's recent playoff history, that seems a poor gamble, f

The main thing I take affront to is you pretending I wasn't looking out for my players or listening to their thoughts. If you ask any of the players I've dealt or talked to this offseason, I think they'd tell you I did as much as I possible could to be transparent and look out for their wishes. Steveo asked me where I saw our team's direction and I told him upfront, we likely weren't contending in the next couple seasons because, frankly we weren't. And he asked for a trade, which essentially meant I needed to tear it down and reset the team.

This article feels insulting, ill informed and just absurd. I have a fair amount of respect for you and I've always been direct with everybody I've talked to as GM. To pretend the moves I made were anything less than necessary is wrong and I think you'll be hard pressed to find somebody else who looked at the team and truly considered it a contender moving forward. Definitely did not expect this kind of thing to come from you, let alone publicly posted and put on blast.

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