Seattle Riot


After an impressive season, there alot of questions regarding the future of the Riot

After the departure of general manager Alexander Santos and captain Liam O’Callaghan, there are many questions about the future of Seattle. The team currently has holes on defense due to the departure of O’Callaghan, and the futures of pending free agents; sniper Demaricus Smyth, center playmaker Alexander Zajac and last seasons starter Johnny Yuma are currently unknown as they are reportedly no where near making a decision. Sources say that Zajac and Smyth are both waiting to hear who the new boss of the Seattle, and will likely base their decision on that. Either way, the new general manager will be facing a tough decision;  to either continue to compete or retool/rebuild. The hole Liam O’Callaghan has left on defense is very significant, and the depth at forward isn’t exactly the best. If they do choose the rebuild route, look for the Riot to build around Demaricus Smyth, Romaulds Loks, Herb Robert and goaltender Benjamin Bleu, while older players in their prime may be looking at the real estate market in potential new homes.


Jonathan Lundberg


Veteran center Jonathan Lundberg still a free agent.

Following the Minnesota Chiefs disappointing playoff run, veteran power forward center Jonathan Lundberg has once again been looking towards his options in free agency. It appears he will be making his decision soon, however not exactly clear where he will sign. Sources say that he has been approached by the Toronto North Stars, Calgary Dragons, Edmonton Blizzard, Minnesota Chiefs and the Texas Renegades. A former general manager has said that “the Dragons appear to be a team that Jonathan has always shown interest in playing for.” The Calgary Dragons, lacking forward depth should appear to be a team that would love to sign the center, but it seems unclear if they have the cap space to bring Lundberg to Calgary. The Toronto North Stars also appear to be a team that seems likely to sign the center, with a reported 15 million in cap space and the urge to qualify for the post season, it is likely that the Stars made a significant offer for Jonathan Lundberg.


Spitfire


Following an unpleasant departure from New England, Spitfire is looking towards a new team.

After a fallout with the Wolfpacks new management, it wasn’t soon until Spitfire’s rights were shipped off to the Edmonton Blizzard. Despite the move Spitfire’s intentions to see the free agency market out had not changed, and reports say that he is not at all close to a decision, and has offers from around 7 teams, including the Stars, Blizzard and Chiefs. It’s unclear who the other teams are, however they are very much in the race for the prime top 4 defenseman. Based off opinions around the league, Spitfire is likely to return to the Blizzard, who are willing to play the defenseman in the top 4, however the Stars have a clear opening in the top 4. It’s assumed that Bob Bergen would be willing to play less time to allow for Spitfire to play on the North Stars.


Retiring Players

It appears that the Wolfpack are looking to find some return for retiring player Cameron Dubois, and potentially Dieter Dominique, however it seems that Dominique’s intentions are to retire with the team he’s played his entire career with. This also goes for SFP forward Kelly Rivet, and soon to be hall of famer Kristian Eriksson with the North Stars. Multiple teams have been knocking on Hamilton’s door regarding Ronnie Westbrook who is also retiring, and it’s very possible that he is dealt sometime in the season, depending on the performance of the Steelhawks throughout the season. Many contenders would love to add Westbrook as a rental to the locker room, but the Steelhawks being a contending team will likely keep the defenseman in Hamilton to finish his career. Mikko Linna is also in the same situation with the Dragons, however the Dragons are more likely to keep the forward as they lack depth at forward, and not having Linna around this season would be a great deal of a loss for the roster this season.