<div align="center">Mid Tier</div>

Buffalo –

(S33) Tommy Salami – 467 TPE – Off D
(S31) Alexis Metzler – 799 TPE – 2 Way D
(S31) Brynjar Tusk – 675 TPE – Def D
(S26) Mikelis Grundmanis – 426 TPE – 2 Way D

- As much as it may pain me a bit to list Muffalo…I mean Buffalo in the Mid tier rankings after seeing what they were able to do this year (Make the playoffs for the 1st time ever) has me seeing the potential that team has. A core that resembles the current situation in Hamilton, and a chance to be the #1 D man right from the get go. They have a good crop of D with varying builds, and with Tommy Salami in the mix offers a great 1-2 punch for driving the teams Powerplays. The only real factor that makes me a bit wary of this situation is that I have been paired with tusk before, and in those experiences we did not pair well at all. Things might have changed since Junior but it does make me question the potential of that match up.


Hamilton –

(S31) Kornel Kasparek – 555 TPE – 2 Way D
(S30) Danny Foster – 934 TPE – Enf D
(S30) Ben Dover – 951 TPE – Off D
(S21) Patrik Satan? – 652 TPE – 2 Way D

- MID TIER!??! So many may be asking why I would dish out $10 Million to re brand the team and then put them as a middle of the pack team for my FA rankings? Well I’ll spell it out. I will 100% be a top 3 D man on this team for seasons to come, that is a fact. I get good minutes, ideal PP time, and put up decent numbers despite the teams less than stellar records the last 2 years. The issues run a bit deeper. With a team that has so many young prospects we have already lost a few to inactivity which Is hurting the current build up trying to happen. Toss in the fact the team has had some issues drawing FA talent, and the conference being so tight already with the higher tier teams of WKP and NEW pretty much being a lock for 2 of 4 playoff spots some more bold moves I feel need to be made with the team if it’s truly going to move forward and contend long term.


Minnesota –

(S33) Eero Hamalainen – 435 TPE – Off D
(S32) Noctics Caelum – 507 TPE – 2 Way D
(S29) Ilmari Maatta – 391 TPE – 2 Way D
(S21) Alonzo Garbanzo – 1830 TPE – 2 Way D

- A lot of people seem to be down and out at the Chiefs but I don’t get the hate. I have never had any ‘bad’ interactions with any of their players old and new so I never even considered to add them to my no draft list back in the day like many did. Minnesota is trying hard to keep the team moving forward. Having a good core of players forming, and some really great veterans makes them in a sort of limbo zone per say. They are still competitive but lack the great overall depth right now. I would 100% love to pair up with Garbanzo for the next few years and have faith in Minnesotas management its just hitting the right timing overall for my player might not be there.

Texas -

(S31) Adam Kaiser – 753 TPE – Off D
(S26) Cody Black – 1176 TPE – 2 Way D
(S26) Kristopher Ruud – 750 TPE – 2 Way D
(S25) Andris Bukss – 843 TPE – 2 Way D
(S23) Vladimir Lidstrom – 1390 TPE – 2 Way D

- I have a soft spot for both Dangles (my first real ‘mentor’ on the site) and my Whalers buddy Kaisonious so those 2 alone put Texas into the Mid Tier. The team as a whole would be an OK fit for me currently as they have an opening potentially on the top 4 (depending what is done with Bukss) and have the right D partners that I would have some players to play thru my prime with. So they are a bit of an enigma cause the teams seems to have the right parts to work, but get buried in such a strong conference and an really down year.

Portland - :admirals:

(S33) Veli Kaalinpaa – 474 TPE – Def D
(S32) Max Weber – 721 TPE – 2 Way D
(S30) Colin Banning – 831 TPE – 2 Way D
(S30) Kelly Rivet – 974 TPE – 2 Way D

- One thing you can say about the Admirals is they have been giving one hell of an effort to improve themselves as fast as possible all while retaining the majority of their top tier prospects and picks. They have a pretty solid top 4 D men, so at first glance they may not be immediate room for me, but I feel like if I was available to come to Portlandia that they would jump at the opportunity and maybe make it ‘work’. An exciting young team that has been a complete 180 from a few seasons ago and seems to be a top destination for many FA’s right now has even me excited at the opportunity to potentially join them. But like I said currently, there immediately seems to be a lack of space for me.

Winnipeg -

(S26) Scott Robertson – 1139 TPE – Off D
(S23) Connor O’Reiily – 1040 TPE – 2 Way D
(S22) Big Manius – 1390 TPE – 2 Way D
(S22) Rembrant Q Einstein - 1012 TPE – 2 Way D

-Winnipeg is another team that may force me to wait a wee bit before I could step into the top end role (1-2 seasons) but with Legend Zach Evans on the team, as well as a good core of forwards (I mean Nereus alone almost vaults Winni into top tier) they are a team I have always had an eye on. The only issue is that wait time I might have before hitting a top 4 role.