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Keygan · 08-04-2021, 02:21 PM

08-03-2021, 10:14 PMtrella Wrote: You’re one of the more underrated GMs out there. Loved my time playing on your team. EDM was a special place.

Appreciate that, I tried to always make the place a people enjoyed spending time. A lot of people lose the fact that nothing about this is serious and we are all here just to enjoy ourselves, myself included sometimes.

08-03-2021, 10:14 PMtrella Wrote: What are your best memories from managing MTL and EDM?

Obviously my two challenge cups in Edmonton will always be among my best memories, but I would have to say that in my time on the site I have met so many people that I consider dear friends now, and although they harass me for not having planned the wedding yet, I will be sending out a ton of invitations to people I have met over the four years here for my wedding.

08-03-2021, 10:14 PMtrella Wrote: Any regrets?

I think to say I have any huge regrets would be disingenuous, I mean of course there is draft picks or trades that I wish I could have had back now in hindsight, but most of my picks I felt really good about at the time, and I think over the years I have done a fairly good job in terms of scouting.

I guess to answer the questions, no I do not have any regrets that haunt me or anything like that. I feel fairly good about my tenure overall.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 02:34 PM

08-03-2021, 10:18 PMACapitalChicago Wrote: What made you feel the need for a change of pace, if you feel comfortable sharing?

I have been internally debating the change for a long time, but I think I finally came to terms with the fact that I had become lackadaisical in terms of testing required to be an elite team. I have had moments before in which I felt unsure about whether or not I wanted to continue in management and the feeling had eventually passed, but this time felt different. I think the changeover from @TommySalami to @boom was kind of my sign that maybe it's time to start preparing successors whether it be someone like Boom, or even @Minnesotafine or @Mazatt and I am now comfortable in seeing who the potential successors are enough to leave the team in good hands.

08-03-2021, 10:18 PMACapitalChicago Wrote: You've been a consisted pillar of the team as well as the community as a whole, what's next for you?

I think it is time for me to just be a regular site member, a lot of the older members know this, but I have been a manager of a team since my ninth day on the site. I took over as Montreal co-GM a little over a week after joining the site and then moved from Montreal to Edmonton when @Ace left for New England. I have never been able to be a part of the site without any real responsibilities. Maybe one day in the future I join management in some way again, but for now it is time for a break.

08-03-2021, 10:18 PMACapitalChicago Wrote: Best branding that isn't the Blizzard?

Los Angeles, I have always been a fan of teal and orange in a colour scheme and I think they do it well. I did personally prefer the previous version of the logo, but I still enjoy the new one.

08-03-2021, 10:18 PMACapitalChicago Wrote: How do you feel about the future of the League, is it bright or are you worried?

Recruitment has been doing well, retention is at an all-time high. I think the future is bright, the only part of the league that I worry about is management positions being filled as it feels to me over the years that less and less people have been interested in management and I worry that we begin hiring people because they are the only applicants and not because they are the best applicants.

08-03-2021, 10:18 PMACapitalChicago Wrote: Thanks for being such a good GM, it's been a fun rivalry between CGY & EDM. Take care with whatever's next!

Appreciate the kind words, and I will do my best to enjoy the "vacation" I am putting myself on.

***Wally*** · 08-04-2021, 02:36 PM

08-04-2021, 02:14 PMKeygan Wrote:
08-03-2021, 10:14 PMluketd Wrote: who are you?

Well, I'm Keygan, I've been manager of the Edmonton Blizzard since season 43, and previous to that I was manager of the Montreal Militia from season 36 until season 41.

Also, a fighter in the SFC.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 02:56 PM

08-03-2021, 11:42 PMkarlssens Wrote: It was a pleasure working with you and playing for you

1. fondest memory?

Appreciate you buddy, still have the tin from the cookies you sent me way back when, it was awesome working with you and glad we could win a couple trophies together during our couple seasons together.

My fondest memory like I said to Trella was the cups in both 45 and 49. The first was definitely special, and then the path in which we eliminated only rivals on our way to the cup in season 49 was just fun. We got to eliminate Los Angeles, Calgary, New Orleans and New England and it just felt like the perfect storm of an underperforming cinderella run against rivals.

08-03-2021, 11:42 PMkarlssens Wrote: 2. if you could do it all over again would you change anything? perhaps a draft pick, trade or FA?

I fear the butterfly effect in which if I do not make a certain move that other moves get made or do not get made and it messes with the entire timeline. I do not think I had many terrible first round busts other than @CleverPin so I guess if you put a gun to my head and told me to change one thing I did then it would be that draft pick, but I can not really complain about it much because like I said earlier, who knows what level of chain reactions there is if I do not pick him, and he was the best player available at the time with the knowledge I had.

08-03-2021, 11:42 PMkarlssens Wrote: 3. top 3 favourite players you managed? not points or tpe specific, but just an all around pleasure to have on the team, or perhaps timely performances in the sim.

@Mack was a guy I knew I had to have when he was available in his draft year, he told me the potential was there for him to sporadically leave the site but he had so many intangibles as just a kind hearted person, I would draft him again and again and again, he was genuinely just a kind kind man.

@Muford is someone I knew before he was acquired by Edmonton in a trade with Toronto, but I think we developed a closer friendship over the years in Edmonton together. I can not wait to finally meet him in person, whether it be when I travel to Illinois to visit on a vacation, or when he comes to my wedding, whenever that may be.

@tommysalami I could not have picked a more perfect person to have managed all those seasons with. Tommy was the ying to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly. I would not trade those seasons together for anything in the world, much love to you my brother.

08-03-2021, 11:42 PMkarlssens Wrote: 4. what team did you dread matching up with in the playoffs?

best of luck in the future my dude!
[/quote]

I never felt dread facing a team until season 51 when we played the shot heavy Hamilton Steelhawks, and from then on out I knew everytime I matched up in the playoffs with the dreaded Steelhawks it was going to be a long round of the playoffs. They are an incredibly built team backed by a long analytics team, built for success, no doubt about it.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 02:57 PM

08-03-2021, 11:44 PMMinnesotafine Wrote: Was I the one who made someone quit GM’ing after 4 years? :(

You and you alone are the reason I have quit after dedicating too many years of my life to a fake hockey team.

But no, in reality, it is something that has been a long time coming and I think this is what is best for the franchise as a whole.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 03:01 PM

08-03-2021, 11:50 PMJT3 Wrote: You think we win the cup if we pulled it off against Hamilton in S55?

I think if I beat Hamilton ever in my life that I could have won the cup, they have been an incredible team the better half of 15 seasons now and make no mistake it does not seem like they're slowing down anytime soon.

08-03-2021, 11:50 PMJT3 Wrote: HOF GM btw

I really hope so, but ultimately that will be decided by the Hall of Fame committee, I think I have a strong case but I guess we will see in a couple of seasons down the road.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 03:02 PM

08-04-2021, 10:45 AMGeekusoid Wrote: Cheers and best of luck Keygan. Only question is: What legendary thing is next?

Finally being just a normal member of the site, I have been in management for 99.8% of my existence here in the SHL, and I think it is time for me to finally just enjoy the site for what it is as a casual member, man oh man will I miss the $6,000,000 per season though.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 03:11 PM

08-04-2021, 11:17 AMjRuutu Wrote: Generally speaking, how highly GM's value future draft picks in SHL?

As the old adage goes "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" I think this very accurately describes how managers feel about future draft picks. If I can trade two unknown commodities for a known commodity it feels like good value to me. If I have someone like say @steveoiscool on the trade block, how many first round picks is he worth? Steveo now has a huge bank, has been max earning for 3 seasons, and is almost already a valuable SHL level commodity. He must be worth at least 3 future firsts, if not more.

I guess to answer your question I would say that managers do not place a huge value on future assets, solely because current known assets are so highly valued.

08-04-2021, 11:17 AMjRuutu Wrote: Has your valuation of draft picks changed over the years?

For a long long time I used to treat "Reddit picks" like gold, they were the ultimate commodity and over the years I have actually begun to trade them more frequently because everyone else values them so highly too. When I look at "Reddit Drafts" I think of the second-round picks and even third-round picks as the real gold.

Keygan · 08-04-2021, 03:14 PM

08-04-2021, 11:20 AMtakethehorizon Wrote: What's the best piece of advice you can give to a new GM?

The best piece of advice I can give to any management is to make friends, relationships are what build dynasties.

If you look at any of these dynasty teams Calgary, Buffalo, Hamilton and even Chicago now to an extent. They are cores built around friendships and relationships, they draw in free agents from other teams by being a group of friends. Everyone wants to play with their friends. In terms of Edmonton, the final piece to our core in our 44/45/46/47/48/49 runs was Tommy Tuck, who was acquired VIA trade after he talked about going to free agency and Toronto feeling like he would walk for free to us because we were a huge group of his friends.