PROPOSED: MiLR Expanding to 20 Spots in 2013-14

[PigsRule]

I think this could have a very negative effect on the league.

it might... but after:
looking over the setup
4 draft picks annually,
only 13 current MiLR spots/team
usually only the top 5 players from the first 10 picks at the NHL entry make the NHL quickly
most other draftees linger for 3-5yrs before getting called up
i think there's room to expand Minor league rosters (MiLR)

Look at which teams are currently signing up the young talent or future NHLers.  Its the bottom dwellers like myself because it is currently one of the only avenues left to rebuild a team.

that's the name of the game in a uber deep 30-team league isn't it...
you're the last guy in, so you get the scraps.
been there, done that when i joined July 2011.

guess what, then i packed off the prospects + vets and got more assets.
kept trading til i got a serviceable team.
then i finished behind drew's for the 2011-12 season... my 1st in the league.

I actually think you should move in the opposite direction which is limit MiLR to 10 ,  reduce draft picks to 3 rounds and start allowing teams to sign and place players to their MiLR instead of forcing them to store them on their pro roster.
...

we could but the problem with that is... all the prospects that are very close to the NHL will face being cut right after the next draft for most teams.

why?
because your 4 new draft picks might also be amazing.
so now you have to cut newly drafted players.

oh oh.
doesn't that de-value your draft picks???

oh oh, then maybe we should cut the # of draft rounds from 4 to 1 or 2???

that's what we're facing... and it leads to shallow league play that's not as challenging not as advanced as a 30-team league should be.

bottomline: increasing MiLR spots will lead to more strategic, competitive league play where resources are valuable, not devalued.

[PigsRule]

...BUT Snugerud... your comments are noted!

to your pt, we do need to ensure teams don't mortgage the farm literally to make a push for the post-season.

and that's something any league commissioner(s) + trade committee members need to be mindful of while monitoring trades and owner movement.

[snugerud]

Point taken, but I will add that I am sure your rebuild would have been slowed had you not been able to sign the likes of Craig Smith, Carl Haglien, orlov.  There is probably others I just dont have the time to look. 

Dont pretend like you got there all with your amazing trade raping skills.

[PigsRule]

lol

actually, it was easier than that... just stock up on filler players that get you some pts nightly and you can overtake star studded teams that aren't filled.

anyway, remember how you said you can't win... uh, did i notice your winning its WEEK 2 matchup?

[snugerud]

I didnt say I cant win,  I didnt want to win but dont want to ethically so, I am still putting the best team together that I can to compete but frankly hope each week that I lose horribly and get a good pick for whomever is taking over next year. 

I still disagree with the MILR increase.  Your better bet would be to no longer allow free agent signing of players that would still be considered Minors eligible so basically anyone under 40 games played can't be signed via FA. 

Then open your drafts to all players under 40 games that are still FA's so not only current draft but all previous drafts. 

That way teams can draft players that are closer to making the NHL instead of having to invest 3-4 years in advance.

You have to admit that after 2nd round guys are usually just drafting a name because the NHL Scouts did. where is the strategy or the knowledge with that. Large MiLR's are just that a hoarding place where GM's hardly know anything more than the guys name for about 75% of them. 

You also pointed out that gms may have to drop guys and to me that is where the skill comes in, making the tough choices of who has the talent to actually make it. It doesn't devalue picks at all for savvy GMs that research their minors. 

it also forces a choice of build for 2-3 yrs from now with a guy that maybe higher skill or higher potential or do you draft that guy that is a step away from a regular gig but probably a 3rd 4th liner. 

[dickiedunn]

I'm not a fan of drafting draftees from prior years.  It's too easy to cherry pick prospects that have already matured through two levels of the minors.

One of the reasons I find Franchise NHL challenging is because you not only have to assemble a competitive ML team but also develop a strong pipeline of prospects to eventually feed your parent club. That's the cool factor for me in this league.

[PigsRule]

we'll move fwd with an increase to 20 MiLR spots starting in 2013-14.

enough leagues on profsl already offer drafts with players eligible from prior yrs so there's no need to mimic that here.

rules will be updated.
plan accordingly.