TIER 2 – TASK 8 (5 TPE)
Well, Arik Eller was a bit of a free agent gun for hire the last few seasons while on the hunt for some salary gains. This season’s free agency found him returning to the team that drafted him, the Chicago Butchers on yet another one-year deal. It’s been confirmed that he left money on the table from one of the expansion franchises. With this exciting change, it seems like Eller is ready to dig his heels in and make a career out of it, perhaps wearing Chicago’s crimson red for the remainder of his career.
The Butchers are in an exciting spot. When I was drafted here, we were clearly in a bad spot, but had one way to go – that was up. I think that Bayley and Muford have done an admirable job of swiftly rebounding this franchise. Like a phoenix, the Butchers rose from the ashes of disappointment and were actually a relevant franchise this season. Their drafting was impeccable, and the culture of the locker room seems to have taken a 180 as well.
Unfortunately, the financial situation isn’t optimal, as they barely had enough money to bring me back and I had to leave money on the table. With the current budget cap of $85,000,000, it looks like we do have some tangible budget still ready to be allocated and perhaps I was swindled by the front office, but it’s to be determined how exactly that can be used.
Luckily the Butchers are still equipped decently enough regarding our draft capital. We sit pretty with our own natural 1st round pick, and we own the Baltimore and Honolulu third round selections. The remainder of the draft we own all of our natural picks, plus the Sabercats’ fifth round selection. For S26 and S27 we’re sitting with all of our natural selections from round one through round 10. It will be interesting to see how management navigates these drafts.
After a quick gander at our roster, it looks like the defense will be where we need the most help and where Eller will have to step it up and prove that he was worth the gamble Chicago took when they took the New Hampshire native.
I don’t think that the Butchers will be knocking on the door of contention this season, but in the next two seasons I can see the meme that folks were referring to when I asked them about Chicago fading. Look out, it’s time for some butchery. (415 words)
TIER 2 – TASK 12 (5 TPE)
Expansion. It’s a fantastic time in any sim league, and in real life sports franchises. The thought of seeing a crisp new logo and brand on the broadcast for the first time against historic staples is super intriguing no matter the situation.
The Berlin Fire Salamanders is probably one of the most creative names for a franchise I’ve ever heard too, it’s got a real Pokemon vibe. Dude’s are gonna use Fire Blast at their opponents. It’ll be Super Effective. I had some intriguing conversations with the new management staff of the Fire Salamanders, and I think with how proactive they were being towards the construction of their roster, they’ll be equipped quite well for this upcoming season and the future. I also like the fact that they broke the mold and are a European franchise. Now, about the New York Silverbacks? That’s a name that inspires strength and familial bonds. I don’t know much about them, or their management staff, but it certainly is a cool brand and concept.
I took a quick gander at the draft pick tracker. It looks like these two franchises have significantly different strategies of how they’re going about the draft and transactions in general. The New York Silverbacks do not own their own natural pick until the 5th round of the S25 draft, but have amassed a collection of picks from other franchises. These picks include the Colorado 1st, Yellowknife 2nd, Colorado 3rd, Orange County 4th and the San Jose 4th. I assume they went out big game hunting right off the bat to field a more competitive roster.
Berlin on the other hand, are going with the traditional draft and develop plan for their expansion franchise. The only thing I see missing is their natural 2nd round selection and an additional 6th round selection from Arizona. They haven’t been nearly as active in the pick trading as the Silverbacks. I assume they really were working the phones and trying to supplement their team via free agency. It’s always nice if you can add and build your franchise without losing assets. Who ever wants to help anyone else out if you don’t have to!?
It’s hard to say one strategy is better than the other. The only thing that will truly and fairly judge these two franchises in their efficiency and execution of their initial strategies is going to be time. After all, time waits for no man. (405 words)
Well, Arik Eller was a bit of a free agent gun for hire the last few seasons while on the hunt for some salary gains. This season’s free agency found him returning to the team that drafted him, the Chicago Butchers on yet another one-year deal. It’s been confirmed that he left money on the table from one of the expansion franchises. With this exciting change, it seems like Eller is ready to dig his heels in and make a career out of it, perhaps wearing Chicago’s crimson red for the remainder of his career.
The Butchers are in an exciting spot. When I was drafted here, we were clearly in a bad spot, but had one way to go – that was up. I think that Bayley and Muford have done an admirable job of swiftly rebounding this franchise. Like a phoenix, the Butchers rose from the ashes of disappointment and were actually a relevant franchise this season. Their drafting was impeccable, and the culture of the locker room seems to have taken a 180 as well.
Unfortunately, the financial situation isn’t optimal, as they barely had enough money to bring me back and I had to leave money on the table. With the current budget cap of $85,000,000, it looks like we do have some tangible budget still ready to be allocated and perhaps I was swindled by the front office, but it’s to be determined how exactly that can be used.
Luckily the Butchers are still equipped decently enough regarding our draft capital. We sit pretty with our own natural 1st round pick, and we own the Baltimore and Honolulu third round selections. The remainder of the draft we own all of our natural picks, plus the Sabercats’ fifth round selection. For S26 and S27 we’re sitting with all of our natural selections from round one through round 10. It will be interesting to see how management navigates these drafts.
After a quick gander at our roster, it looks like the defense will be where we need the most help and where Eller will have to step it up and prove that he was worth the gamble Chicago took when they took the New Hampshire native.
I don’t think that the Butchers will be knocking on the door of contention this season, but in the next two seasons I can see the meme that folks were referring to when I asked them about Chicago fading. Look out, it’s time for some butchery. (415 words)
TIER 2 – TASK 12 (5 TPE)
Expansion. It’s a fantastic time in any sim league, and in real life sports franchises. The thought of seeing a crisp new logo and brand on the broadcast for the first time against historic staples is super intriguing no matter the situation.
The Berlin Fire Salamanders is probably one of the most creative names for a franchise I’ve ever heard too, it’s got a real Pokemon vibe. Dude’s are gonna use Fire Blast at their opponents. It’ll be Super Effective. I had some intriguing conversations with the new management staff of the Fire Salamanders, and I think with how proactive they were being towards the construction of their roster, they’ll be equipped quite well for this upcoming season and the future. I also like the fact that they broke the mold and are a European franchise. Now, about the New York Silverbacks? That’s a name that inspires strength and familial bonds. I don’t know much about them, or their management staff, but it certainly is a cool brand and concept.
I took a quick gander at the draft pick tracker. It looks like these two franchises have significantly different strategies of how they’re going about the draft and transactions in general. The New York Silverbacks do not own their own natural pick until the 5th round of the S25 draft, but have amassed a collection of picks from other franchises. These picks include the Colorado 1st, Yellowknife 2nd, Colorado 3rd, Orange County 4th and the San Jose 4th. I assume they went out big game hunting right off the bat to field a more competitive roster.
Berlin on the other hand, are going with the traditional draft and develop plan for their expansion franchise. The only thing I see missing is their natural 2nd round selection and an additional 6th round selection from Arizona. They haven’t been nearly as active in the pick trading as the Silverbacks. I assume they really were working the phones and trying to supplement their team via free agency. It’s always nice if you can add and build your franchise without losing assets. Who ever wants to help anyone else out if you don’t have to!?
It’s hard to say one strategy is better than the other. The only thing that will truly and fairly judge these two franchises in their efficiency and execution of their initial strategies is going to be time. After all, time waits for no man. (405 words)