Trading Duchene ?

[flubber]

We keep all players.. so there is no limit. Up to you whether you want to dish them away at the yearly draft or not. The league is as close as the real deal as you can get I would say... yearly entry fee... with a trophy engraved with winning team name and 100% payout to the winner at the end of year... 2nd gets his entry money back.

Interesting-- keeping EVERYONE gives huge value to finding talent early. Do you ever find that managers when they fall out of the playoff hunt are dropping steady older guys in favor of big youth movements

[Flames89Champs]

No, not really. I mean you see the odd person go for a prospect early after the playoffs.. if the player is in the yahoo players list... but the teams are restricted to no pick-ups when the playoffs start so it doesn't influence the playoffs. But really, it's a dynasty league.. you have to really be sure on dropping that seasoned veteran if you are going to rebuild because the competition is fierce with a 16 team league... and it could be a long while before you make the playoffs again. Spending your entry fee every year on rebuilding could get tiresome and there are a LOT of rivalries going on... and trash talk. So no team is going to just drop a player just to get that prospect unless there is some sort of guarantee of upside. Most teams will wait for the annual draft... or just before the draft starts. Trades during the year are hard to come by... but it usually picks up near the trade deadline.

[flubber]

you have to really be sure on dropping that seasoned veteran if you are going to rebuild because the competition is fierce with a 16 team league....

How large are the rosters?

Spending your entry fee every year on rebuilding could get tiresome .

I wasn't necessarily talking about constant rebuilds but more about the idea that if you have a team that is not competitive one year, you could drop your bottom 5 oldest performers and grab prospects. Imagine if you could have grabbed Landeskogg, RNH, Hall and Seguin, you could be setting yourself up for a true dynasty.

Do you ever see that in this league ? where a party is obviously playing to be really good in later years.

[Flames89Champs]

No, because all those guys you mentioned were not on the yahoo players list at the same time... and when they were added they were all drafted at the annual draft. As far as I can remember anyway... lol. One guy was lucky enough to scoop up Hall and Nuge but that was pretty much the extent of it as far as loading up on prospects. And I'm not saying you couldn't do that but you are really risking the whole year.. to wait it out for the future if you do that. The ideal is to try to balance youth with experience.. that way you get the best of both worlds.. but as far as guys just sacrificing the year or saying half way through the year they dump players for prospects... never happened so far. Also, there is no limit on positions either... so you could have 7 goalies (2 with 5 on bench) if you wanted to do that sort of thing. Goalies are HUGE in this league.. they are really hard to come by and are sought after every year. I was lucky enough to trade Richards (LA) for a first round draft pick (3rd overall) and nabbed Lindberg who is probably slated as a starter in the near future in Tampa (if they don't get Luongo.. lol).

Actually, lol, you could say I have done a little bit of that.. with picking up Lindberg and now Schultz. Just before last years playoffs I also picked up Dougie Hamilton and Sven Baertschi.... lol. AND hahaha.. wow... I'm just starting to realize this now... I also grabbed Brayden Schenn and a first round draft pick (15th overall) for Getzlaf and my first round draft pick (7th overall).

Teams are 6 forwards, 4 defense, 2 goalies and 5 bench.. with 2 IR spots.

[flubber]

Hmmm. That's a far smaller roster than I had contemplated so I can see how it would be a big deal to drop an established player...

But at the same time your team has done the very thing I was talking about. You have a few guys that haven't been impact nhlers yet and based on your roster size there would be no way they would make the team. You have them for their futures

[Flames89Champs]

Yep that is true.. but most of my players will be in the AHL, WHL, or OHL developing their skills during the year. And at a time where the NHL is most likely not going to play this year... it's an opportunity to capitalize on future prospects to develop without losing anything. I personally think this year is just all too simular to the 2004-05 season.. and I don't think there will be NHL hockey at all this year. Next year.... my guys will be ready for the new year and have a year of development under them setting them up for a great opportunity to have a great year in 2013-14. I could be wrong... and the NHL could have a 50 game season.. if that happens then ya.... I'll be lucky to be in the top 10, but I'm banking on a long drawn out lockout.

[Flames89Champs]

Just a sidenote... I just completed a trade to get Perry for Pavelski... and then traded Backstrom (MIN) and Pacioretty for Eric Staal and a first round draft pick (16th overall)... I couldn't pass up a chance at Perry.. I was shocked the guy offered him up... and to get Staal is icing on the cake... so two big trades that are an upgrade from Pavelski and Pacioretty.. to Perry and Staal.