One of the biggest selling points for me signing with Anchorage was the vision of their Gm, Gabe. I think Gabe is in his first season as a GM and is inheriting a championship team that has been hit by many call-ups. The future of the team is in the hands of many S58 and S59 creates. This core of players should be ready to dominate once they mature. In particular, their backline should be extremely dominant. (I am pretty sure backline means defensemen, but not sure entirely. Limited hockey knowledge for me) I am writing this deep dive to see how my player, Valdis Vejonis fits in the Armada’s defense as well as the group as a whole.

Valdis joins Gregory Good, Jean-Locke Zidane, Bean Beanman, and Jay Sink. They form the backbone of the Armada Backline and are all max earners. Good, Beanman, and Zidane are all S58 and all over 400 TPE. Sink is an S59 create that is closing in on 250 tpe. Zindane was recently traded for, costing a 1st round pick and a capped defenseman in his last season. At this pace, Goode, Zidane and Beanman will be at the 425 cap for the next 3 seasons. Sink is on pace to be at both the 350 cap next season and the 425 cap for his last three barring an early call-up. The 1st and 2nd line are solid for the foreseeable future.

The only question mark for the Armada on defense is their 3rd line. This past offseason they signed Jorg Fuch to fill one-half of the 3rd line pairing . Jorg is an S58 create and won’t amount much past depth for Anchorage. Valdis will join Fuchs in the defensive pairing on the 3rd line. Valdis as an undrafted free agent has an uphill climb. Due to when he signed he will always be behind the top earners of his class. Despite those limitations, Valdis is a high upside player that the Armada did not have to spend a draft pick on. His signing paired with the Zidane trade gives the Armada an absolutely stacked group of defenders. The Armada is one defender away from being a complete powerhouse on that side of the puck (Do people say that?). Valdis will play behind some great players early in his career but should be playing in the 1st line with Sink in a few seasons.

I will not go into the same depth when analyzing the Armadas forwards. From a glance, There are an impressive number of S59 and S58 creates. 8 of the 12 forwards on the roster are from the S58 or S59 regression class. The forwards do not have the same monster earners as the on the defensive side, but as a collective, they form a formidable force.

The future looks bright for the Armada. It is clear that they are building towards a specific window and have a plan in place. The keystone for their success will be the earning of their S58 and S59 players. If they can hit on enough of those players we should see them back hoisting the cup.

Approved! +5 TPE @BoloBill