The Hockey Pool Question and Advice Thread (Your thread missing? Likely merged here)

[BM24]

HIRING: The Florida Panthers have announced that M.Gaborik10 will take over the General Manager duties.

I'm thinking a new thread is needed.

New thread has been made.

[BM24]

The Fantasy GM Pool

Welcome to the most realistic and exciting fantasy hockey league around! The Fantasy GM Pool offers you the opportunity to take control of a hockey franchise as General Manager, and build your team from the ground up to compete for the ultimate prize in hockey, the Stanley Cup. This pool will be mirroring the real-life NHL as closely as possible to ensure a realistic experience, so salaries, free agency, waivers, trades, minors, and so on will all be in effect here. This is also a keeper hockey pool, so your roster carries over from year-to-year, as long as your players are signed to contracts. Rest assured, once you get the hang of the intricacies of being a GM, you will find that you will enjoy being a part of the most realistic fantasy hockey league around.

Requirements to Join

The Fantasy GM Pool welcomes all who wish to be a part of the game. However, in order to ensure the league functions well and flourishes, there are a few requirements in order to join. They are the following:

1. You MUST be willing to be an active part of the pool. It's perfectly understandable if you have a busy life and can't spend hours a day working on improving your team or looking for the best players to draft. However, in order to be a part of this game, you need to be able to spend the time to do the basics of a GM hockey pool:

-to be present for the dispersal draft or to have a list prepared if you can't

-to create a basic lineup and/or depth chart for your roster

-to respond to PMs and make at least an occasional effort towards improving your team, through trades, free agency and the draft

-to occasionally check the main thread (here) for any major changes or additions to the rules of the Fantasy GM Pool

If you are unable to be active enough to do the above, then chances are you shouldn't be a part of the Fantasy GM Pool. Activity is crucial to the success of hockey pools, and so this will be the primary concern with any members who choose to join.

2,You must have a reasonably clean record when it comes to abandoning previous pools, inactivity, or being banned in the recent past. Those who have previous transgressions can still be considered for a team, but they will be held at a disadvantage if the demand for teams grows.

3. You must have at least a reasonable comprehension of hockey pools and of the NHL. Obviously being a part of a hockey pool can be a learning process, and we're absolutely willing to consider those who are new to in-depth GM hockey pools such as this, but if a GM shows clear incompetence when building their team (like drafting Derek Boogard ahead of Sidney Crosby, or signing Jonathan Cheechoo for $10 million a season), then they may be fired by the league. We will be fairly lenient, rest assured, but those who are obviously attempting to ruin the realism of the league will be dealt with appropriately.

If you fit these basic requirements (and you most likely will) then there will be no issue for you to be a part of the Fantasy GM Pool. While we don't enjoy having to restrict who can be a part of the league, it must be done to ensure the league remains active, realistic and successful. If you don't meet one or more of these requirements, then PM me and state your case for being a part of this league, and we will see if something can be worked out or an exception made.

Note that co-GMs are not recommended in the Fantasy GM Pool, as they lead to complications and are extremely frustrating to deal with. If a GM absolutely insists on co-GMing a team, I will consider giving it a chance, but should there be any signs that the co-GMs are not working well together and keeping their club running smoothly, I will not hesitate to fire one or both of the co-GMs if I feel the need to do so.

Scoring

This is where the realism of the Fantasy GM Pool is a step above anything else around. This isn't your typical hockey pool scoring system. It's designed specifically with fair comparisons between each type of player in mind. For example, this system has a 100 point forward worth approximately the same as a 65 point defenseman, and a 10 point, 160 penalty minute goon worth about the same as a 45 point forward. In comparison, your typical CDC hockey pool has a 100 point forward worth about the same as a 50 point defenseman, and a 10 point, 160 penalty minute goon worth as much as a 90 point forward - which is just ridiculous.

The whole point of the scoring system that I have devised is to ensure that each player is valued as realistically as possible when compared to their real-life counterparts. In other pools, goons can be worth more then top-line superstars, which is insane considering how little skill and value to a team a goon actually possesses. And high-scoring defensemen are oftentimes the most valued players in a hockey pool, when in reality forwards are really the bread-and-butter of a team's scoring. Rest assured that with this scoring system, you don't have to over-think the value of a goon, goalie or offensive defenseman - the system is designed to keep things as realistic as possible for a fantasy pool. This is the points system that will be used:

Forwards:

Goals: 5 points each

Assists: 4 points each

Shootout-Winning Goals: 2 points

Power Play Points: 1 additional point

Shorthanded Points: 2 additional points

Overtime Points: 2 additional points

Game-Winning Goals: 2 additional points

Penalty Minutes: 1 point per minute

Plus/Minus: 2 points per 1 plus rating

Defensemen:

Goals: 9 points each

Assists: 7 points each

Shootout-Winning Goals: 2 points

Power Play Points: 1 additional point

Shorthanded Points: 2 additional points

Overtime Points: 2 additional points

Game-Winning Goals: 2 additional points

Penalty Minutes: 1 point per minute

Plus/Minus: 2 points per 1 plus rating

Goaltenders:

Win: 12 points each

Shutouts: 15 additional points

Overtime / Shootout Losses: 5 points each

Losses: 0 points

Goals: 100 points each

Assists: 10 points each

Penalty Minutes: 0 points

These stats will all be tracked at http://www.pickuphockey.com. The login information is as follows:

Pool Name: The Fantasy GM Game Pool

Password: canucks

The Playoffs

Similar to the real NHL, the top 6 teams from each Conference qualify for the playoffs. Teams are seeded identically to the real NHL, so the 1st place team in each conference will face the 6th place team, the 2nd team versus the 5th, and the 3rd team versus the 4th. During each round of the NHL playoffs, we will hold our own round, where each team in every matchup will compete for pool points. The team that finishes with the most pool points at the end of each round in each matchup will advance to the next round, similar to the NHL, until there is only one team left. The last team left standing will be crowned the Fantasy GM Pool champion, and be awarded with our very own (imaginary) Stanley Cup, as well as a ton of bragging rights.

Rosters

Teams are required to have no more then 23 players on their active roster at any time. Each team must have exactly 2 goaltenders, and a maximum of 15 forwards and 9 defensemen at all times. There is no minimum number of forwards or defensemen needed, but it is highly recommended that each team use all of its available roster spots to keep their team as competitive as possible.

Each team will also have a minor league affiliate, which has 10 roster spots available, as well as a $10 million salary cap. Teams are free to move players that are not eligible for waivers to and from their minor league roster and their active roster as they please, as long as they do not surpass the roster limits for either roster at any point in doing so.

Waivers

Any player that is over the age of 24 or has played in 150 NHL games or more is eligible for waivers. Any player that is placed on waivers will be subject to waiver claims for 24 hours. If unclaimed, the player may be assigned to your minor league affiliate or have his contract bought out, should you choose to do so. If multiple claims are made for a single player while he is on waivers, the team with the least amount of pool points will receive that player.

Players that are under the age of 25 and have played in fewer then 150 NHL games are not eligible for waivers, and may be freely assigned to the team's active roster or their minor league affiliate at any time, provided that player is signed to a contract. Teams that attempt to send a player to the minors without placing him on waivers when the player is, in fact, waiver eligible, will have that transfer revoked, and may be fined (in draft picks) should such transgressions continue.

NTCs and NMCs

NTCs, or No Trade Clauses, and NMCs, or No Movement Clauses, behave identically to the real NHL in the Fantasy GM Pool. Players that possess a NTC or NMC in the NHL (and are still signed to their same NHL contract) will also possess a NTC or NMC in the Fantasy GM Pool. Should a team attempt to trade a player that has a NTC or NMC, that team's GM must first contact a league agent and request that the player waive his clause before the trade be deemed official. There is always a chance that the agent will determine that the player does not wish to waive his clause, in which case the trade will be deemed void and cancelled. Should a team attempt to go through with a trade with a player that possesses a NTC or NMC without asking that the clause be waived beforehand, the trade will be deemed void and the team will not be given a chance to ask the player waive his clause for 7 days. Should this transgression be repeated multiple times by the same GM, the team may be subject to a fine.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs)

Any player that is not signed to a contract and is at least 27 years old or has played in at least 7 NHL seasons is considered an Unrestricted Free Agent, or UFA. Any player that has played in at least 25 NHL games or is over the age of 22 and was not selected in the dispersal or prospect drafts is also considered a UFA. This also means that players under the age of 23 and that have not played in at least 25 NHL games can only be acquired via the dispersal or prospect drafts.

Teams that wish to sign UFAs must PM myself, Canuckk, or any other official league agent, with their offer. This offer must include the contract details, including total salary, years included, yearly cap hit (the average salary per year) and any clauses (NTCs or NMCs), as well as a pitch detailing why the player should choose your offer above any others and sign with your team. The pitch can be as long and as detailed as you wish, but keep in mind longer, more elaborate and better-written pitches will go a long way towards ensuring the player likes your offer and picks it above others, even those with higher dollar figures.

Restricted Free Agents (RFAs)

Any player that is not signed to a contract, is less then 27 years old and has played in less than 7 NHL seasons is considered a Restricted Free Agent, or RFA. Exceptions here are made to players that were not selected in either the dispersal or prospect drafts - they are considered UFAs, as long as they meet the requirements listed above (in the UFA section). Teams retain the rights to RFAs, but other teams are capable of making offer sheets for unsigned RFAs. Should an offer sheet be made for an RFA, the team owning that player's rights will have 7 days to match the offer sheet and retain the player by signing him to the identical contract offered in the offer sheet. Should the team owning the player's rights choose not to match the offer sheet, they will receive the following compensation based on the offer's average cap hit:

$750,000 or less - None

$750,001 - $1,500,000 - 3rd round pick

$1,500,001 - $2,500,000 - 2nd round pick

$2,500,001 - $3,500,000 - 1st and 3rd round pick

$3,500,001 - $4,500,000 - 1st and 2nd round pick

$4,500,001 or higher - 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick

These picks are based in the yearly entry draft.

Teams that wish to retain the rights of their pending RFAs must submit qualifying offers before July 1st. Qualifying offers must be at least 110% of the player's average salary over his previous contract. Teams that fail to submit qualifying offers for their RFAs before the deadline will cause their RFAs to become Unrestricted Free Agents, and will lose the rights to their player(s).

Entry Level Contracts (ELCs)

Players that are drafted in the prospects draft or the entry draft who have not yet signed a contract in the NHL are considered unsigned prospects, and teams will have to negotiate an Entry Level Contract, or ELC, with the player in order to add him to the active roster or the team's minor league affiliate. ELCs have a maximum base salary of $900,000 per season; however, teams may add rookie bonuses to the contract if they wish, to increase the cap hit to a maximum of $3.75 million per season. These bonuses do count against the salary cap, as well as all rookie bonuses included in real-life NHL contracts. ELCs are all 3-year contracts; this is standard and non-negotiable.

Should a player be signed to an ELC in the Fantasy GM Pool, the team will have the option of returning the player to their respective junior league team (or college or European league team) should the same occur in the NHL (though it is not required that it happen in the NHL for teams to do so here). In doing so, the player will no longer be a part of your active roster or your minor league affiliate roster for the remainder of the season and will not count against your salary cap; however, the player may not be recalled again at any point throughout the season should you do so. He will return to your club upon the conclusion of both the regular season and the playoffs. The advantage to doing this is that, like the real NHL, the player's ELC will be extended by one year, at the same cap hit.

Teams will have until October 31st to determine whether or not to return their prospects signed to ELCs to their junior league team. After this date, the player may still be sent to their junior league team (useful for cap relief); however, the same restrictions above all apply, and the team will also not receive the extension of the player's ELC.

Contract Extensions

Teams may negotiate contract extensions at any time after July 1st if the player's contract is on its final year. However, in order to keep things interesting throughout the year, and especially after the trade deadline, most players will be reluctant to renegotiate contracts early on in the season. Star players will be willing to negotiate extensions earlier in the year, as they are considered key players, but all other players will have to wait until a later date (likely after the trade deadline) to negotiate extensions. Keep in mind that some players will choose to go to unrestricted free agency; this is not a slight against your club, it is simply done to keep things realistic and to ensure that there is a healthy crop of players available to be signed on July 1st, when free agency begins. Teams looking to negotiate contract extensions may PM myself, Bryan McCabe.24, or any other official league agent with their offer. Read the above UFA section for details on what to include in your offer.

Contract Buyouts

Teams wishing to rid themselves of a player but can't afford to have them sitting in their minor league roster may buy out a player's contract if they wish. After placing a player on waivers, if the player goes unclaimed, the team may then negotiate a contract buyout. Should you choose to do so, your team will pay out 33% of the salary on the contract for every year remaining on that contract; this will count against the salary cap as well. Unlike the real NHL, however, teams may negotiate contract buyouts at any time (this keeps things simpler and easier to manage for GMs).

Note that should a player signed to a contract in the Fantasy GM Pool leave the NHL in real life for a European league or the KHL, the team is permitted to deem the contract void, as the player is not reporting to their team, and have him released as a free agent, without penalty.

Player Expectations

Like the real NHL, players in the Fantasy GM Pool need to be kept more or less content while on your team, or they may request or demand a trade. It's not hard to keep players happy, but there are a few basic rules you will need to follow, or your reputation as a GM will take a hit and players will become reluctant to sign with your franchise or waive their NTCs to join your team.

First, you must give your top players sufficient ice time. If you have Sidney Crosby playing on your third line, or Roberto Luongo playing as your backup goalie, they won't be happy about it. Players are flexible, of course, and are often willing to take slightly less minutes if it means playing for a top team competing for the Stanley Cup. But be wary of placing star players on your third or fourth lines - they may demand a trade should you do so. Obviously, should we find ourselves with less than 30 teams, this will be taken into account and players will become more lenient with ice time and trade requests. But it is still something to keep in mind.

Second, avoid trading players you recently signed or traded for, especially if they have NTCs or NMCs. Players don't like being on the move all the time, and if you sign a player only to trade him a week later, chances are the next time you offer a free agent a contract, he'll be wary of joining your team for fear of being traded soon afterwards. Now this isn't real life, so if you allow a month or more after acquiring a new player before trading him, your reputation will likely remain intact. But again, it is something to think about, and the league will be taking note of these transgressions.

Finally, refrain from frequently asking players to waive their NTCs or NMCs, especially if you're the one who gave them that clause in the first place. When a player is given a clause like that, he expects that he not be traded for at least the foreseeable future, as it is a No Trade clause after all. Should you excessively deal players with NTCs or NMCs, players will take note and become less willing to waive their clauses to join your team or to sign with your team. You are absolutely permitted to ask that players waive their clauses, but it would be advisable not to do so frequently unless you have a justifiable reason for doing so.

Should a player request a trade, you do not have to comply with it. However, if a player is very upset with their situation on your team, they may demand the trade and may not report to your team at all should you deny that demand, meaning you will no longer earn pool points for that player until he is traded.

If you adhere to those fairly simple guidelines, your players will likely be more then happy on your team and will not request trades. Keep in mind though that the teams with the best reputations with player treatment will have an advantage over teams that have multiple transgressions over their player treatment when it comes to signing free agents. There are other factors involved as well, of course, but it is something players will take note of.

Injured Reserve (IR)

Any player that is injured and placed on the real-life NHL Injured Reserve list may be placed on Injured Reserve in the Fantasy GM Pool by the player's respective team at any time. The player's contract will not count against the salary cap, but should the player return to action in the NHL and he remain on Injured Reserve in the Fantasy GM Pool, the player will not earn any pool points until he is added back to the team's active roster. In order for a player to be placed on Injured Reserve, a request must be sent to myself, Canuckk, to be approved beforehand. If you would like to see if your player is on the real-life NHL IR, you may check here (http://tsn.ca/nhl/injuries/), as this is the resource the league will also check before approving the move.

Once a player is on Injured Reserve, his roster spot is made open and can be replaced by a call-up from your team's minor league affiliate. Keep in mind, however, that at no time may your team go over the salary cap or the 23-player roster limit (a player on IR does not count towards this roster limit). As such, when you wish to return a player from the Injured Reserve and back on to your active roster, you must make room for him in your roster beforehand.

Trades

There is no limit on the number of trades that a team may make; however, there are a few formalities that must be followed when making trades. Failure to follow these regulations will result in the trade being rejected by the league.

When a trade has been agreed upon, the GM of each team must contact myself, Canuckk, or any other official league agent, via PM or MSN. Each player, prospect and/or draft pick involved must be listed and clearly labeled when announcing the trade to this agent - this is especially important for draft picks, as a team may have picks from multiple teams, in which case it must be stated which team's pick is included in the deal, or the trade may be voided. In addition, if any player involved in the trade has an NTC or NMC, that player's team's GM must first request that the clause be waived (see NTCs and NMCs section above) before announcing the trade to a league official; failure to do so will result in the trade being voided.

Once the trade has been announced to a league official, it may not be immediately confirmed, as the official may have to investigate the trade to ensure that there are no problems with it. Should the trade be confirmed by the league official, only then may it go through and be deemed official. Trades may only be announced by league officials; should a team's GM post the trade in the thread before the league having done so, the trade will be deemed void. GMs may, however, post rumors and speculation in the main thread on trades as long as it is vague and does not name any specific players or prospects involved in the deal.

Players traded during the course of the regular season will not have their previously earned pool points transferred to their new team. For example, should Henrik Sedin have 100 pool points with Team A, should he be traded to Team B, he will join Team B with 0 pool points but will earn pool points from that time onward; Team A will retain the pool points earned by Henrik Sedin prior to the trade.

Salary Cap

The salary cap ceiling is now $71.4 million, and the salary cap floor at $43.4 million. Teams will not be able to go over the cap ceiling or under the cap floor at any time between October 1st and June 30th. Any team that does not comply with this for more then 24 hours will have their team suspended and will not collect any pool points until they correct this issue. Should this continue to be an issue, the team's GM will be fired and a suitable replacement found. Any trade done during this time that puts a team over the cap ceiling or under the cap floor will be immediately rejected by the league. During the off-season, however (July 1st to September 30th), teams may go over or under the salary cap ceiling or floor as they please, so long as their roster is salary cap compliant by October 1st. All rookie bonuses will also count against the salary cap, as explained in the ELCs section above.

The salary cap will be retroactively adjusted based on how many GMs and teams are available to participate. The cap floor will remain static, but the cap ceiling will be calculated by ratio depending on how many teams we begin with. This means that no matter how many teams we have for the Fantasy GM Pool (within reason of course), the league will still be able to run smoothly.

Entry Draft

The Fantasy GM Pool Entry Draft is a yearly draft that will take place in June (date TBD) and contain the top prospects available. Specifically, any player eligible for the NHL Entry Draft, or any player that is under the age of 23 and has played in less then 25 NHL games. This differs slightly from the real NHL, but it also means there will be more high-quality prospects available, which in turn increases the value of a team's draft picks. The draft will last 5 rounds, and as such, each team will have 5 draft picks they can trade at any time before the draft, or even during the draft, provided the team has not yet selected. These players, regardless of whether or not they have a real-life NHL contract, are considered unsigned prospects, and teams will hold their rights for 2 years after the player has been drafted. They can then sign that player to an Entry Level Contract at any time after the Entry Draft. The same rules with ELCs (listed above in the ELCs section) also apply to players selected in the Entry Draft and signed to an ELC.

Unlike the dispersal and prospect drafts, the Entry Draft is not a snake draft and is based entirely on teams' performance during the regular season and the playoffs. The team that wins the Stanley Cup will select last in the Entry Draft and the runner-up will select second-to-last. For all other teams, their picks are based in part on a lottery system, which will be described and explained in-depth as the Entry Draft approaches. Essentially, though, the team that finishes last in the league will have the greatest chance of selecting first overall, though they are not guaranteed to do so. This system will function identically to the real NHL as well.

League Formalities

In order to keep things running smoothly during the course of the game, it is strongly recommended that all GMs follow these relatively easy formalities:

-When announcing the placement of a player on waivers, a waiver claim, a rumor, a question, and so on, it is a tremendous help to us all if you properly label your announcement and make it clear what you are doing (in proper English), like so:

WAIVERS: The [Team Name] would like to place [Player Name] on waivers.

CLAIM: The [Team Name] would like to submit a waiver claim for [Player Name].

RUMOR: Could the [Team Name] be looking for a [Team Need]? (obviously you can be creative with rumors and speculation, but make it clear that it's a rumor with the proper label)

QUESTION: [insert question here] Simple and easy to do, and makes reading through pages upon pages of a game thread infinitely easier.

-Friendly discussion and chatting is encouraged, but do your best to keep the topic focused on hockey, and avoid spamming the thread with annoying things such as excessive use of pictures or useless, spam-like posts. And keep things friendly - heated arguments are very unnecessary and can ruin the fun in what is supposed to be an enjoyable game, not something to get angry over. GMs that show excessive immature or intolerable behavior will be fined, suspended or potentially fired.

-All GMs will be required to submit depth charts (active lines optional) for their teams shortly after the dispersal and are strongly recommended to update it somewhat frequently to ensure it remains up-to-date and accurate. A depth chart is simply an ordered list in each position of which players you as a GM value most and will give the most playing time to. This is used by the league to keep track of player happiness, for both players on your team and players you wish to sign or trade for (if they have a NTC or NMC). It is also immensely useful for other GMs, as it provides them with each player's position and their importance to your team. Rest assured, should your team not submit a depth chart, it will be placed at a disadvantage for player signings, the waiving of NTCs and NMCs, and so on. So get your depth chart done!

If everybody can adhere to these simple formalities, it'll make the experience much more enjoyable for all.

League Officials

Commissioner / Agent / Trade Tracker: Bryan McCabe.24, Brunners, Canuckk

Agent: Mike Vanderhoek

Agent:

Agents are responsible for player signings and the waiving of NTCs and NMCs, and can also approve and announce trades if needed. Anyone interested in this position may apply, and your case will be considered. I will be looking for upper-tier members who have experience with these types of pools, show clear understanding of hockey and GM pools, and are also mature and competent. PM me (Bryan McCabe.24) if you wish to apply.

Teams

Anaheim Ducks - NightHawkSniper - jeremy66-93@hotmail.com

Atlanta Thrashers - Bryan McCabe.24 - canucks123@hotmail.com

Buffalo Sabres - NF91

Chicago Blackhawks - McLean: Lord of the Pucks - bergalisious@hotmail.com

Colorado Avalanche - Cal and Gary's Phlegms - matt.cooke.24@hotmail.com

Columbus Blue Jackets - OurTimeToShine

Detroit Red Wings - AbbyNucksFan - atg68@hotmail.com

Florida Panthers - M.Gaborik10

Los Angeles Kings - Alexander 89 Mogilny / Ehrhoff5 - ehrhoff_5@hotmail.com

Nashville Predators - Brunners - insanity_rocks@mtlworld.com / Kovlachuk - capitals_gm@hotmail.com

New Jersey Devils - Mike Vanderhoek - m-vanderhoek@live.com

San Jose Sharks - SidneyRaymond

St. Louis Blues - EPluribusUnum

Tampa Bay Lightning - Canuckk - canuckk.gm@hotmail.com

Vancouver Canucks - Spectacular

Winnipeg Jets - Ohlund_Forever

GMs that wish to relocate their teams may do so within reason. Should your team be in a struggling financial market (ie. Phoenix, Nashville, etc) and you wish to relocate it to a market that is at least capable of succeeding (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec, etc are viable, but don't try to relocate to Anchorage or Kelowna). Teams that are successful or have strong heritage (ie Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, etc) will not be considered for relocation. If your proposal is reasonable and makes at least some sense realistically, then it will likely be approved.

Salary cap sheets for each team can be found HERE.

If you have any questions, concerns, thoughts or comments, please don't hesitate to post them in the thread here or PM me personally, and I'll do my best to address them.

Credit to Canuckk

[Spectacular]

Gah so I take it there are no more teams to choose from? That's unfortunate.

EDIT:

Whoa, didn't see Vancouver. If it's okay with you, can I grab Vancouver?

[Kanye West]

Email is ym-cdc.money@hotmail.com, but you already knew that.

[Brunners]

Gah so I take it there are no more teams to choose from? That's unfortunate.

EDIT:

Whoa, didn't see Vancouver. If it's okay with you, can I grab Vancouver?

You can indeed.

I think the cap sheets will be up ASAP as well; so you can start working on making any changes to the roster that you want. If you really want to know who's on your roster before then PM me and I'll let you know.

Also Game related:

The Nashville Predators would like to take F Kyle Okposo off the IR. (I know it's late, but who knew this game was even going to still be going now!)

[Brunners]

Because the cap charts are currently incomplete (hopefully not for long, me and BM will get cracking on those) I've decided just to make sure we can get up and running and start trades and the like I'll just make a note of everyones active roster in this post here, as a temp chart.

Anaheim Ducks

Patrick Sharp - Vincent Lecavalier - Danny Briere

Ryan Smyth - Andy McDonald - Teemu Selanne

Brian Bickell - Gilbert Brule - Lee Stempniak

Raffi Torres - Mikael Backlund - Mike Knuble

Eric Nystrom - Ryan Carter - Matt Bradley

Sergei Gonchar - Dan Hamhuis

Brett Clark - Randy Jones

Zybnek Michalek - Andrew Alberts

Ilya Bryzgalov

Cory Schneider

Minors: Jeremy Morin, Patrice Cormier, Jared Staal, David Toews, Krill Petrov, Cody Hodgson, Patrick Kaleta

CAP SPACE: $2.7m

Atlanta Thrashers

Milan Hejduk - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry

Ray Whitney - Tuomo Ruutu - Marian Hossa

Tomas Holmstrom - Antoine Vermette - Tomas Kopecky

Dan Carcillo - Artem Anisimov - Jarkko Ruutu

Kris Letang - Marc Staal

Bryan McCabe - Brad Stuart

Niklas Hjalmarsson - Keith Ballard

Kyle Quincey

Marc Andre Fleury

?

Minors: Quinton Howden, Patrick O'Sullivan, Patrick Elias, Jared Tinordi, Derek Forbort

CAP SPACE: $2.8m

Buffalo Sabres

Loui Eriksson - Jeff Carter - Bobby Ryan

Dustin Penner - Rich Peverley - Taylor Hall

Andrew Brunette - Saku Koivu - Travis Zajac

Magnus Paajarvi - Derek Stepan - Tyler Seguin

James Wisniewski - Stephane Robidas

P.K Subban - Anton Babchuk

Andrej Meszaros - Ryan Wilson

Zach Bogosian - Jack Hillen

Cam Ward

Jonathan Bernier

Minors: Nazem Kadri, Kyle Beach, Scott Glennie, Luke Adam, Thomas Hickey, Calvin De Haan, Colby Cohen, Travis Harmonic,

CAP SPACE: $8.6m

Chicago Blackhawks

RJ Umberger - Henrik Sedin - Pascal Dupuis

Rene Bourque - Mike Richards - Patric Hornqvist

Drew Stafford - Jarret Stoll - Jason Pominville

? - Tomas Fleischmann - Colton Orr

Kevin Bieksa - Steve Montador

Jay Bouwmeester - Marek Zidlicky

Tim Gleason - Karl Alzner

Cam Barker - Carl Gunnarsson

Henrik Lundqvist

Martin Biron

Minors: Nick Bjugstad, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tom Poti, Jhonas Enroth

CAP SPACE: $1.5m

Colorado Avalanche

Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - Claude Giroux

Jamie Benn - Matt Duchene - Jakub Voracek

Teddy Purcell - Jeff Skinner - David Jones

Martin Hanzal - Patrik Berglund - Jordan Eberle

Nikita Filatov - Tyler Bozak

Keith Yandle - Erik Karlsson

John Carlson - Kevin Shattenkirk

Alex Pietrangelo - Jamie McBain

Matt Taormina

Tomas Vokoun

Michal Neuvirth

Minors: Evgeny Grachev, Tomas Tatar, Eric Tangradi, Zach Kassian, Brett Connolly, John Moore, Maxim Goncharov, Ian Cole, Jacob Markstrom, Jack Campbell

CAP SPACE: $20.2m

Columbus Blue Jackets

Henrik Zetterberg - Matt Cullen - Johan Franzen

Nikolai Kulemin - Colin Wilson - Troy Brouwer

James Van Riemsdyk - Brandon Sutter - David Booth

Viktor Stalberg - TJ Galiardi - ?

Shea Weber - Dan Girardi

Drew Doughty - Nicklas Kronwall

Dmitry Kulikov - Henrik Tallinder

Kyle Cumiskey

Pekka Rinne

Jonas Hiller

Minors: Bill Sweatt, Carl Klingberg, Dylan Olsen, Kevin Connauton,

CAP SPACE: $16.4m

Detroit Red Wings

James Neal - Brad Richards - Dany Heatley

Brenden Morrow - Eric Belanger - Alex Kovalev

Danny Cleary - Jeff Halpern - Devin Setoguchi

Ryan Shannon - Lars Eller - Rick Rypien

Nick Lidstrom - Christian Ehrhoff

Brent Seabrook - Mark Giordano

Shane O'Brien - Jeff Schultz

Ryan Miller

Andrew Raycroft

Minors: Greg Nemisz, Marco Scandela, Lukas Krajicek, Adam Courchaine

CAP SPACE: $10.7m

Florida Panthers

Ryane Clowe - Anze Kopitar - Nathan Horton

Sean Avery - David Backes - Blake Comeau

David Perron - Stephen Weiss - Daniel Alfredsson

Guillaume Latendresse - David Krejci - Nick Bergfors

Frans Nielsen - Matthew Lombardi

Duncan Keith - Dennis Wideman

Joni Pitkanen - Ed Jovanovski

Tom Gilbert - Bryan Rodney

Arturs Kulda

Kari Lehtonen

Craig Anderson

Minors: Chris Kreider, Mattias Tedenby, Jake Gardiner, Chet Pickard

CAP SPACE: $207,372

Los Angeles Kings

Ville Leino - Sidney Crosby - Kris Versteeg

Andrei Kostitsyn - Alexei Ponikarovsky - Ales Hemsky

Sergei Kostitsyn - Mike Modano - Michael Grabner

Alex Frolov - Mike Comrie - Simon Gagne

Lubomir Visnovsky - Alex Edler

Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg

Braydon Coburn - Matt Hunwick

Anssi Salmela

Jonas Gustavsson

Tuukka Rask

Minors: Scott Gomez, Emerson Etem, Angelo Esposito, Dustin Tokarski

Nashville Predators

Martin Havlat - Paul Stastny - Dustin Brown

Tomas Vanek - Joe Pavelski - Kyle Okposo

Manny Malhotra - Michael Frolik - Milan Michalek

Arron Asham - Robbie Schremp - BJ Crombeen

Zac Dalpe

Jack Johnson - Jordan Leopold

Mike Green - Tyler Myers

Erik Johnson - Derek Morris

Matt Niskanen

Semyon Varlamov

Chris Mason

Minors: Jordan Schroeder

New Jersey Devils

Chris Kunitz - Ryan Kesler - Justin Williams

Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Todd Bertuzzi

Valterri Filpulla - Brooks Laich - Dave Bolland

Jason Chimera - Maxime Talbot - Nik Zherdev

Eric Fehr

Dan Boyle - Alex Goligoski

Brian Campbell - Andy Greene

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Johnny Boychuk

Jakub Kindl - Ben Lovejoy

Roberto Luongo

Corey Crawford

Minors: Brendan Smith, Nick Leddy, Vyacheslav Voinov

San Jose Sharks

Milan Lucic - Jonathan Toews - Rick Nash

Mason Raymond - Mike Fisher - Phil Kessel

Mikkel Boedker - Alex Burmistrov - Jamie Langenbrunner

Zach Boychuk - Oscar Moller - Brayden Schenn

Ryan Johansen

Cam Fowler - Brooks Orpik

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Matt Gilroy

Jared Cowen - Sami Salo

Jonathan Quick

Nicklas Backstrom

Minors: Nino Niederreiter, Vladamir Tarasenko, Mikael Granlund, Brandon Gormley, Erik Gudbranson, Nikolai Khabibulin

St. Louis Blues

Mikhail Grabovski - Steven Stamkos - Ryan Malone

Andrew Ladd - Pavel Datsyuk - Brad Boyes

Ilya Kovalchuk - Derick Brassard - Mikael Samuelsson

Curtis Glencross - Tyler Ennis - Chris Stewart

Jack Skille - Jannik Hansen

John-Michael Liles - Brian Rafalski

Joe Corvo - Cody Franson

Michael Del Zotto - Filip Kuba

Jon Blum

Brian Elliot

Marty Turco

Minors: Luca Caputi, Carter Ashton, Andrei Loktionov

Tampa Bay Lightning

Scott Hartnell - Mike Ribeiro - Jarome Iginla

Alexander Semin - Evgeni Malkin - Blake Wheeler

Steve Ott - Olli Jokinen - Scottie Upshall

Alex Tanguay - Josh Bailey - David Clarkson

Brandon Yip - Nathan Gerbe - Mathieu Perrault

Victor Hedman - Jonathan Ericsson

Paul Martin - Ian White

Chris Butler - ?

Jaroslav Halak

Antero Nittymaki

Minors: Joe Colborne, Brett MacLean, Bobby Sanguinetti,

Vancouver Canucks

Evander Kane - Eric Staal - Marian Gaborik

Wojtek Wolski - Kyle Turris - Steve Downie

Max Pacioretty - Jason Arnott - Wayne Simmonds

Jamie McGinn - Zenon Konopka - Jiri Hudler

Tyler Kennedy - Peter Regin

Matt Carle - Andrei Markov

Matt Carkner - Jason Demers

Carlo Colaiacovo - Kris Russell

Ivan Vishnevskiy

Mikka Kiprusoff

Ondrej Pavelec

Minors: Sergei Shirokov

Winnipeg Jets

Daniel Sedin - Jason Spezza - Bryan Little

Nick Foligno - Sam Gagner - Alex Steen

Kristian Huselius - Nik Antropov - Chris Neil

Tim Connolly - Ryan O'Reilly

Ryan Whitney - Fedor Tyutin

Chris Pronger - Kurtis Foster

Anton Stralman - Ryan Ellis

Steve Mason

Martin Brodeur

Minors: Jaden Schwartz, Joey Hishon,

My hope is this can be used to get trades up and running again; so I declare trading officially on again xD

[Kanye West]

St. Louis Blues Depth Chart

Pavel Datsyuk - Steven Stamkos - Chris Stewart

Ilya Kovalchuk - Mikhail Grabovski - Brad Boyes

Andrew Ladd - Derrick Brassard - Ryan Malone

Curtis Glencross - Tyler Ennis - Mikael Samuelsson

Jack Skille - Jannik Hansen

John-Michael Liles - Brian Rafalski

Joe Corvo - Michael Del Zotto

Cody Franson - Filip Kuba

Marty Turco

Brian Elliot

[Brunners]

The first trade of the new start has been made

To Vancouver:

Matt Carle

Wojtek Wolski

NSH 1st Round Pick

To Nashville:

Mike Green

VAN 2nd Round Pick

[Nail]

i would join

[Brunners]

Question for all GMs

What with there only being 16 teams at the moment, me and BM are bandying about the possibility of an expansion. If such were to happen, would you rather we just finish this season with 16 teams and the higher cap, and then fixed it all up in the off season, or would you prefer we did something about it now? We could try and add 4 more teams and have a nice round 20 if that is peoples wish. I don't know - what do you want?

If BM could make a poll for this in the OP I'd be ever so grateful.

[Zigmund.Palffy]

Question for all GMs

What with there only being 16 teams at the moment, me and BM are bandying about the possibility of an expansion. If such were to happen, would you rather we just finish this season with 16 teams and the higher cap, and then fixed it all up in the off season, or would you prefer we did something about it now? We could try and add 4 more teams and have a nice round 20 if that is peoples wish. I don't know - what do you want?

If BM could make a poll for this in the OP I'd be ever so grateful.

Lets Finish it off wont be fair to other teams to send players for the expansion drafts if most of thier players are in playoff contention.

[Spectacular]

Gaborik, Kiprusoff, Coliavoco and Arnott are on the block

Looking for a second line center, young players, depth on defense and draft picks.

[krezi]

i'd be interested as well

[NightHawkSniper]

Patrick Kaleta, Gilbert Brule, Andy McDonald, Andrew Alberts, and Matt Bradley in the IR please.

[Giroux28]

Question for all GMs

What with there only being 16 teams at the moment, me and BM are bandying about the possibility of an expansion. If such were to happen, would you rather we just finish this season with 16 teams and the higher cap, and then fixed it all up in the off season, or would you prefer we did something about it now? We could try and add 4 more teams and have a nice round 20 if that is peoples wish. I don't know - what do you want?

If BM could make a poll for this in the OP I'd be ever so grateful.

Teams are absolutely stacked at the moment. Expansion should be greatly considered. It is not really that fun to have all teams up tight to the cap, and then having to do deals with equal amounts of cap going both ways (can get very challenging at times). The league could use more teams, and I for one would vote in favor of expansion.

[Joker]

I'm not sure if we could get 30 players in here. Maybe, try around 15'ish teams to start. And if others want to join, they can pick one of the remaining teams.

[Zigmund.Palffy]

I was doing one tooo for Cdc but if you want to take over then all be it

Ill join too

[Kanye West]

Ryan Malone, Brad Boyes both OTB.

[Cal and Gary's Phlegms]

I like my team though...especially my blueline

[RandyLahey]

I would be happy to take part. I call Nashville Predators