Armchair News Issue 3

 END OF SEASON ISSUE (Covers Trade Deadline Moves+Cup Final)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1-End Of Season Top 10 Mock Draft
2-Trade Deadline Rundown
3-Stanley Cup Playoff Results
4-Profiling The Cup Champion Flyers



END OF SEASON TOP 10 MOCK DRAFT

In our final top 10 mock draft of the season, Logan Brown has over taken Sam Steel and Jacob Chychrun as the player we expect Winnipeg to take 1st overall if they win the draft lottery. The NHL draft is always full of surprises and in a year like this one, any of the top 5 or 6 prospects could easily go number 1. Here's how we have the top 10 potentially shaking out.

1-Winnipeg selects Logan Brown C PWF Windsor Spitfires OHL
The first shock of the draft, Chychrun falling to number 2. The Jets have Ekman-Larsson as their franchise top pairing left side defender but lack a big bodied high end centre to compete with in the Western Conference. Because of this, they take the 6'5" 18 year old and don't look back.
2-Nashville selects Pierre Luc Dubois C TWF QMJHL
Provorov, Josi, Jones, and Ekholm have the Predators set up pretty nicely on the backend. They could take goalie Joey Porter here, but the 22 year old Connor Hellebuyck has already been pencilled in as their future starter. Why Dubois over Steel? Both are highly likely to become first line centres, but Dubois has a more complete game while still possessing high end scoring ability. The Perds' already have an excellent playmaking centre prospect in Strome. Taking Dubois creates a future where the Predators could have Strome-Dubois as one of the best 1-2 punches down the middle for the next decade.

3-Columbus selects Jacob Chychrun L TWD Sarnia Sting OHL
The Bluejackets get a bargain here at #3. They are the first team in the top 5 who is strong down the middle but lacks a true franchise defender. A perfect fit for Chychrun who can make Columbus his team over the next 15 seasons. Johansen already on Columbus means there should be no temptation to take one of the big 3 centers over Chychrun.

4-Florida selects Joey Porter Goalie Hybrid Vancouver Giants WHL
Panthers starting goalie Roberto Luongo is 37 years old and almost certainly dreaming about a retirement in the near future. Maybe the Senators sitting at #5 are hoping that the Panthers jump on Sam Steel as they also need a goalie of the future, but the Panthers snap up the only elite goalie in this draft with the 4th overall pick. Although picking a goalie in the top 5 isn't quite as sexy as getting a future 82 point centre, if Porter pans out the Panthers might benefit the more than any other team in the top 5 with their pick.

5-Ottawa selects Sam Steel C PLY Regina Pats WHL
For the Senators, their two biggest needs seem to be getting a goalie of the future as well as a top pairing LD to play alongside Erik Karlsson. The only goalie who wouldn't be a reach has been taken by Florida, and despite not needing a center with Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad already down the middle, the next best LD would be Sean Day, and he'd be a massive reach over Sam Steel. Sens take the BPA here and maybe set themselves up to trade one of Turris or Zibanejad a few years down the line if Sam Steel pans out as a 1C.

6-Vancouver selects Luke Green ROFD Saint John Seadogs QMJHL
After seeing such a huge shakeup among the top 5 prospects, this one is nice and simple for the Canucks. The 6th pick gets the Canucks the 6th ranked prospect. Armchair Scouting Services has claimed that the first tier of players in this draft is 6 spots deep, which means by hook or by crook the rebuilding Canucks have finished at the last possible spot to get one of the best guys in the draft. The Canucks are one of the few teams who didn't have to reach to meet their biggest need. They get a future top pairing right handed defender here with this pick.

7-Edmonton selects Jake Bean L OFD Calgary Hitmen WHL
The Oilers finish one place ahead of the Canucks by a negligible amount of points, and in this mock draft it screws them out of getting the top pairing RD they've needed for the last 5 years. They still will draft a great player in Jake Bean who has 60 point potential in the NHL and should light it up with McDavid for many years to come. The only downside? Bean is a left handed defender.

8-Toronto selects Brett Howden C TWF Moose Jaw Warriors WHL
With Matthews not existing in this game, the Leafs are still looking for their number 1 center. At certain points throughout the year the Leafs were a bottom 3 team who looked destined to luck into getting one of the big three centers in this draft Dubois, Steel, or Brown. A late surge cost the team their spot, and now they'll be stuck picking at 8 where they'll get a very good player but outside of getting lucky with their development are a bit too far down the draft list to get a true elite prospect. The biggest knock on Howden is his lanky build, but despite that he has potential to be a top 6 center who can play a solid two way game and contribute offensively. There's a slight glimmer of hope that he could become a true number 1 guy, something the Leafs haven't had since Sundin.

9-Colorado selects Max Lajoie L TWD Swift Current Broncos WHL
The Avalanche pass on Tyler Benson the sniper from the Vancouver Giants in order to take Lajoie who has all the tools to become a smooth skating top 4 defender in the NHL. With Johnson and Barrie on the right side and Zadorov penned into the left side, Lajoie should complete the Avalanche's backend within the next few seasons.

10-Boston selects Ralph Jarratt L TWD Victoria Royals WHL
With Chara nearing retirement and being traded to Colorado, the Bruins need a future top pairing defender. Some scouts think Jarratt is a gem around the 10th spot. He certainly won't be a Chara clone but he has all the tools to pan out as a solid middle pairing defender. If all goes right, he might be a top pairing guy in the NHL.

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ALL THE TRADES FROM THE LAST WEEK IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Despite Jagr-Watch 2016 ending anti-climatically with Jagr staying put in Florida, ASL2's first trade deadline did not disappoint. There weren't any ground breaking blockbusters, but we saw multiple name players like Alex Edler, Jack Johnson, and Clarke MacArthur moved.

In EA games, UFAs effectively don't walk away from teams, so there is an entirely different dynamic to the regular season trade deadline. The "real" trade deadline in ASL2 tends to come after the season right before the Draft/Re-sign phase of GM connected. That is where most blockbusters tend to happen, or most players on cap strapped teams get sold off. Usually the dynamic is different from real life where contenders will buy up UFAs. Instead, teams trying to get better with cap space will usually try and obtain players at bargain prices from teams who are set to lose them for nothing in free agency.
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BUFFALO AND PHILADELPHIA

BUFFALO ACQUIRES
Luke Schenn (83oa RDFD 26yo UFA)

PHILADELPHIA ACQUIRES
David Legwand (83oa 35yo UFA)
Carl Colaiacovo (Depth defender 80oa 33yo UFA)
BUF 2017 4th Round Pick
BUF 2017 5th Round Pick

This is a solid thrifty move by the Sabres. They improve their blueline without giving up a whole lot. Schenn is a solid physical stay at home defender, and at the age of 26 still has many years left in him. It seems like the Flyers didn't feel he fit their team, and with his contract coming up at the end of the year they may have decided that it was better off getting a few draft picks for him rather than losing him for nothing. The Flyers also get Legwand, a player who'll likely retire at the end of the season but can contribute to their playoff run. Colaiacovo will give them some added depth after losing Schenn.
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COLUMBUS AND ARIZONA

ARIZONA ACQUIRES
Boone Jenner (85oa 4GR* TWF C 22yo)
2017 CBJ 3rd Round Pick

COLUMBUS ACQUIRESE
Eric Selleck (AHL contract thrown in)
2016 ARZ 1st Round Pick

I am a HUGE fan of this move for Arizona. Jenner is a very very solid young centre. It would take an absolute disaster on Arizona's part like them missing the playoffs for the 1st round pick they gave up to produce a player as good as Jenner. Still, maybe Columbus felt that Jenner wasn't going to play a big enough role in their team with both Johansen and Dubinsky already occupying the 1 and 2 spots down the middle so they valued a 1st round pick instead of keeping a guy who might not overtake either one of those players in the depth chart. Arizona's big missing piece was a 1st line centre. Jenner isn't there yet, but he has the potential to be that guy. Great trade.
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VANCOUVER AND NEW JERSEY

NEW JERSEY ACQUIRES
Alexander Burrows (83oa 34yo UFA)
Nicklas Grossmann (82oa 31yo UFA)
Marek Zidlicky (83oa 39yo UFA)
Brandon Prust (82oa 31yo UFA)
Arizona 5th Round Pick

VANCOUVER ACQUIRES
DET 2016 3rd Round Pick
AHL Contracts

The Canucks send the Devils a huge bundle of players who should make New Jersey better. The cost to the Devils is minimal, and with Vancouver owning the 1st round picks of two teams the Devils are fighting for a playoff spot with, one has to wonder if the added benefit of making the Devils stronger was considered with Vancouver's minimal return.

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LOS ANGELES AND MONTREAL
LA ACQUIRES
Lars Eller (26yo 3.5GR* 83oa C TWF 3.5Mx3)
2016 MTL 4th Round Pick
2016 MTL 5th Round Pick

MTL ACQUIRES
Adrian Kempe (19yo 3* LW PWF)
Valentin Zykov (20yo 4* RW SNP)

The Kings get a good complimentary piece in Eller. Strong two way forwards are important pieces for any championship bottom 6, and at only 26 Eller should be a part of this Kings squad for nearly the next decade.

Zykov might be the better player than Ellers in a few years, but that's still questionable, and LA isn't giving up someone with elite potential here. Rather someone with potential to maybe be slightly more valuable than Eller if everything goes right. Both sides get what they want here. MTL gets younger while shedding cap, LA makes their team better and walks away with 2 prospects from the ultra deep 2016 draft. Kempe is a strange prospect, a former 1st round pick who is only rated at 3* potential despite only being 19. He almost certainly won't be a star, and may not even be better than what one of those 4th or 5th round picks would have produced but his overall is high for his age so maybe he forges a career as a solid 4th liner for the Canadiens.

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PITTSBURGH AND OTTAWA

PITTSBURGH ACQUIRES
Viktor Fasth (84oa G 32yo UFA)

OTTAWA ACQUIRES
Matt Murray (3GR* 79oa 22yo G)
2016 PIT 6th Round Pick

Unfortunately for the Senators, Matt Murray in this game doesn't quite have the potential that he does in real life. The Sens move a UFA they weren't likely to re-sign to another team for a late round pick and a mid level prospect while the Penguins get an upgrade on their backup goalie in order to provide them with added insurance if Fleury goes down during the playoffs where they are by far the favourites to win the Stanley Cup.

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PITTSBURGH AND DETROIT

PITTSBURGH ACQUIRES
Michael Hutchinson

DETROIT ACQUIRES
PIT 2017 3rd Round Pick

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PHILADELPHIA AND VANCOUVER

PHILADELPHIA ACQUIRES
Alex Edler (87oa LTWD 29yo 5Mx4)
Janik Hansen (84oa RW GRN 30yo 2.5x3)
2016 ARZ 2nd Round Pick

VANCOUVER ACQUIRES
Robert Hagg (21yo 4GR* 77oa LTWD)
David Legwand (83oa 35yo UFA)
Matt Read (83oa RW SNP 28yo 3x3.33)

The bulk of this trade appears to be built around swapping Edler for Hagg with multiple smaller pieces added in. With this trade, the Flyers add a near top pairing defender not only for their playoff run but to possibly help lead their blueline for the next 5 years. Despite playing on a subpar Vancouver squad, Edler has produced offensively with solid defensive stats to back it up.

With this trade, Vancouver gets a big two way defender who at only 21 is a great piece for what looks to be a complete rebuild. The only two original veterans left on the Vancouver roster after this trade are Christopher Tanev and Brandon Sutter.

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SAN JOSE AND OTTAWA

SAN JOSE ACQUIRES
Clarke MacArthur (30yo LW TWF 2nd liner/85 oa/4.65x4)

OTTAWA ACQUIRES
Tommy Wingels (27yo RW TWF 3rd SCR/84oa/2.65Mx2)
Alexis Vanier (3.5R* 20yo LTWD)
3 Late 2016 Draft Picks

Wingels has had a great year playing on San Jose's 2nd line, but at the end of the day he is better suited as a strong 3rd liner while the cup contending Sharks will benefit from upgrading to MacArthur who despite having a similar overall to Wingels is a true 2nd liner due to his higher offensive attributes. A few other pieces go Ottawa's way in this trade like former 4th round pick Alexis Vanier and a few late picks in the upcoming NHL draft.
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PHILADELPHIA AND COLUMBUS

PHILADELPHIA ACQUIRES
Jack Johnson (87oa 29yo LTWD 2.18Mx3)
2017 CBJ 2nd Round Pick

COLUMBUS ACQUIRES
Samuel Morin (69oa 20yo 4* LDFD)
Sam Gagner (83oa 26yo C 4* 3M UFA)
2017 PHI 1st Round Pick

This season, the Bluejackets are a bottom 5 team while the Flyers are one of the stronger teams in the East. By exchanging 2017 draft picks, if both teams have similar seasons next year, it's safe to bet that the Flyers essentially traded down 10 or so spots in the draft to orchestrate this trade. The Flyers also give up Morin who is a solid prospect but not likely to be a game changing talent, and a very good offensive 3rd liner/PP specialist in Sam Gagner.

The Blue Jackets retain salary here. If the Flyers somehow miss the playoffs next season, they'll pick up a very good prospect with the 2017 first but the Flyers missing out with Pekka Rinne in net isn't a bet I'd take.

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PLAYOFF REPORT
The grand daddy of them all, the Stanley Cup playoffs. Everything has built towards this.

Western Conference

ROUND 1:


San Jose VS Calgary
San Jose dominated the West all season, finishing first in their division. Their biggest moment of the year came when they acquired starting goalie Craig Anderson from the Senators. Since then, they've been nearly unstoppable. Calgary took a different road, making no big trades and just barely squeezing into the playoffs. Still, in 6 games the Flames were able to upset the heavy favourite San Jose.
CALGARY WINS 4-2

Arizona VS Los Angeles
Arizona had one of the more interesting paths to the playoffs. They made a multitude of major trades and were easily the most aggressive team when it came to acquiring talent. The Kings were more conservative, their biggest trade saw them acquire Lars Eller from the Canadiens. That trade paid off big, as Eller was one of the big surprises of the post season as one of the top goal scorers. Bettman's dream will have to wait as the Kings turned the Coyotes into road kill.
LOS ANGELES WINS 4-1

St.Louis VS Dallas
St.Louis has been one of the most dominant teams in the league and is a heavy favourite in the West. The Stars are a solid team with two huge stars in Benn and Seguin. St.Louis gives Dallas the Blues here as they trample through the Stars.
ST.LOUIS WINS 4-0

Minnesota VS Chicago
Ovechkin and the Blackhawks....that sounds weird to say doesn't it? The Blackhawks were a heavy favourite with a ton of fire power up front, but the defensive trap style of the Wild shut them down this series. Back to the drawing board for Ovie who is looking for his first Stanley Cup. The Wild advance.
MINNESOTA WINS 4-1
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ROUND 2:


Los Angeles VS Calgary
Battle of the upset artists. The Flames had a great series against SJ but the clock strikes midnight. Lucic is too much for them. Might as well rename LA the Fire Extinguishers because they put the Flames out here.....
LOS ANGELES WINS 4-1

St.Louis VS Minnesota
St.Louis' season ends abruptly here. The Wild pull together and absolute dominate the heavily favourites St.Louis Blues. Jaden Schwartz career year ends here.
MINNESOTA WINS 4-0

CONFERENCE FINAL

Los Angeles VS Minnesota
Who was the one to give the speech in the locker room that turned the series around for the Kings? Was it the brute Milan Lucic, or maybe Anze Kopitar. Somehow the Kings snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. After going down 3-2, the Kings won both games 6 and 7 in overtime to win the series and advance to the Stanley Cup final.
LOS ANGELES WINS 4-3

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

ROUND 1:


Detroit VS Buffalo
The Sabres made a huge trade to start the season off. They brought in the Sedins and Ryan Miller from Buffalo. Although they had a rough start to the season they persevered and climbed back into the playoffs. The end result, they've knocked out the regular season Atlantic Division champion Detroit Red Wings in a gripping 7 game series.
BUFFALO WINS 4-3

Montreal VS Tampa Bay
Will Carey Price be the next Vincent Vanier? A great regular season goalie who chokes when it comes to winning it all? Or will he lead MTL to greatness. So far so good for Price who with his strong play helps carry MTL over the offensively potent TB Lightning.
MONTREAL WINS 4-2

Pittsburgh VS NY Islanders
Tavares VS Crosby! The East is proving to be more competitive than the West. We get our second tight first round series. Crosby pulls through in 7 games and the Presidents Cup winning Penguins move on.
PITTSBURGH WINS 4-3

Washington vs Philadelphia
THE BRADEN HOLTBY CONTROVERSY! Is there trouble in Washington? Holtby sat out this series. The result? The Flyers trample the Capitals.
PHILADELPHIA WINS 4-1

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ROUND 2:

Montreal VS Buffalo
The Sabres made the playoffs by only a few points but with a surprising defeat of the Canadiens, they move on to the Conference final. Price will have to wait another year to win his cup.
BUFFALO WINS 4-2

Pittsburgh VS Philadelphia
A tight intense series between two rival teams. It goes all the way to 7 games. The Flyers move on in a tight series.
PHILADELPHIA WINS 4-3
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CONFERENCE FINAL:

Philadelphia VS Buffalo
The team resting on the shoulders of three 35 year old players finally runs out of gas. The Sedin twins see their best shot at the cup destroyed by Shea Weber and a violent Flyers squad. Will they contemplate retirement? Or come back next year to give it another shot. The Flyers move on to the cup final for the first time since 2010.

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STANLEY CUP FINAL

Phialdelphia VS Los Angeles
The Kings had a tough route to the Cup Final. They had to fight their way through the gruelling Western Conference and their reward is having to try and take down one of the most physically imposing players in the NHL Shea Weber's Flyers. The Flyers dominate the series, win 4-1, and collect their first cup in roughly 30 years.
PHILADELPHIA WINS 4-1
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SEASON RETROSPECTIVE: A look back at the Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers team that hoisted the cup earlier this week looks radically different than the one that started the year. Flyers GM Open24hours made some huge trades to bring in top level talent like Shea Weber, Pekka Rinne, James Neal, Colin Wilson, Alex Edler, and Jack Johnson.

At the time of the trades, the Flyers moves were polarizing among their fan base. In order to bring in the level of talent they did, they had to give up on some of their top prospects like Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Robert Hagg. These are players who Flyers fans might have imagined would carry their team in the future where as guys like Weber, Edler, and Rinne are all over 30 years old and might only have a handful of years left in them.

Flyers management had their moves vindicated the moment their fans saw them hoist the cup after a dominating 4-1 Cup Final win over the LA Kings. Many GMs go decades without winning a cup in ASL, many have been in the league for multiple iterations of the EA NHL series and have yet to win one. With this cup Open24hours puts himself in the discussion as one of the top modern day ASL General Managers.

We'll let him enjoy his cup before we ask the big questions like does this Flyers team have potential to be a dynasty, or are they just one and done? Or whose head will hit the chopping block in order to make cap room long term.

The Conn Smythe trophy was awarded to a surprising name, Mark Streit. The 38 year old Swiss defender is rumoured to be contemplating retirement. If he retires now, without a doubt he'll be leaving the NHL on top as the MVP of a Cup winning team. Despite only playing 24 games all season, Streit put up an astounding 20 points in 22 playoff games while being a +17.

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IN THE NEXT ISSUE....
-Awards
-End Of Season Standings/Stats Leaders
-Draft Rundown
-End Of Season Stats
-Pre-Draft Trades
-2016-2017 Predictions