Another disappointing season for Wagstrom, and with regression continually chipping away at his 2K TPE stockpile, time is running out to return to the record-setting 40+ goal mark of S53. Wagstrom barely scraped past 20 goals, a sign that his elite days are in the past, and he failed to hit 60 points. It was quite disappointing, especially given that he had a comfortable footing on line 1 with two elite players, yet he just failed to live up to expectations and to produce to the level of such a high TPE player. Players on the second line of their respective teams scored more than him in some instances. Next season, he needs to get his confidence back and start burying all those shots he’s taking; a dismal shooting percentage is what is hindering him. As they say, shots do not count on the scoresheet, and that is a lesson that Wagstrom learned the hard way in S55. He should hope not to let his new team in Manhattan downs again if he wants his contract extended; he is an aging and declining player after all.

While some expect expansion teams to go for younger players and wait for them to develop, I don’t think that’s the plan for tig’s Seattle Argonauts. I do not think this GM will shy away from picking older stars at the peak of their career and going for a Cup out of the gate. It is no big secret that Buffalo’s Cassius Darrow is likely on the move to Seattle, and he signals the start of the plan on expansion draft day. Darrow should make a fine captain, co-GM, or both; he brings a lot of intangibles off the ice and a lot of skill on it. Next, I think they snap up Aleister Cain; an aging goalie that his team decided to expose, but he still has a few good seasons left as one of the higher TPE goalies in the league. There are plenty of good S50 and lower pickings for them to choose from; Boris Poroshenko is a name that catches your eye, even though he would be a rental. Luca Vecceli would be a nice under the radar pick up from Manhattan; I think Seattle will be able to piece together a roster that looks pretty solid.

Absolutely yes, there should be European or even Asian/African/South American/Australian teams. We have plenty of European members in our league, who deserves representation. It would be the actions of a truly international online community and help us to extend our appeal to hockey fans across the globe. More diversity and locations in all sorts of places can only help the league, so I think a European franchise would have a very positive impact on the league and would draw a lot of players to want to play for them. I for one would be thrilled to be able to play for a Swedish hockey club, carrying over my IIHF roots to actual regulation league play.

The Manhattan Rage faced an uphill battle after an ill-timed suspension sent their newly acquired scorer out of the series, at least for most of it. They fought admirably, fighting tooth and nail against the tenacious Hamilton Steelhawks, proving themselves to be a worthy opponent even with their chemistry forced out of alignment and missing a key component of their roster. They just ran out of gas at the end, it added up by game 7 and sadly Hamilton prevailed. They were so close and I think that if things had played out a bit differently in one way or another, it could be a Rage player raising the Challenge Cup here today, or at least Manhattan would have been a strong contender to make the finals.

I'm certainly quite biased here but I think that Sweden is a major dark horse to compete for a medal at least. Of course as always the United States, Czechia, Great Britain, and Canada will be strong powerhouses, but many can forget Sweden as a middle of the pack team, because that is how we have been in the past. But now, with a fully uncapped roster for the first time....well, in my entire career as Fed Head, we will be a force to be reckoned with, without a weak spot for teams to break us down. Finding a way to beat us now will mean outmatching our speed and our strategy, and the other federations will have their hands full trying to do that. Watch out for Sweden, because we will be stronger than ever this year and out for blood. Our window is now and we are bound and determined to hang a medal around our necks.

Trivia Verification: Sad