Trading

[Drew]

Trading currently opens on May 1st but if league demand is high enough it could open as soon as possible. I would have to get all minor league rosters up to date and evaluated and ensure fantrax is 100% correct.
On fantrax I will also be adding all minor leaguers onto each divisions minor league team to ensure there are no confusion on who is available during free agency. After free agency the teams will be deleted and minor leaguers sent back to the FA thread.
Also waivers currently don't open until July 24th, 2012 @ 8:00am, does anyone think they should be open for any period in May as well? Let me know.

[favo_zomg]

I think that if trading is open, so should waivers... Its not like it is in season, so it is not going to hurt anyone. But not having waivers open limits when the teams can announce their deals. I just do not think it makes sense to not have both open at the same time (where closing trading before waivers does make sense.)

[CBJ61]

I also favor opening trading and waivers at the same time. 

[Tony]

  to open trading ASAP but  opening waivers.

[Drew]

Maybe I need to give my reason for why waivers normally do not open until after free agency has begun.
It is like that so that GMs can not bury players in the minors to increase cap space before free agency. That is currently my worry if we open waivers right away, I like to give teams that prepared for free agency by picking not who to re-sign or by making room via trades the advantage instead of one GM burying 15-20m (minor league cap) in 2012-13 contracts before free agency then calling up the players again in waiver free period if they didn't get the players they were targeting.
For example: Say Chara making $7.0m is sent down and someone targets getting 2 defensemen for around $3.5m but are unsuccessful. They then don't succeed and at waiver free just call Chara back up and push the market in free agency.

Currently this is the set up:
Trading Opens - May 1st, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Closes - May 31st, 2012 @ 11:59pm
Entry Draft (2012) - June 30th, 2012 @ 4:00pm
Offseason Free Agency Begins - July 15th, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Opens - July 22nd, 2012 @ 8:00am
Waivers Open - July 24th, 2012 @ 8:00am

So waivers currently open 9 days after free agency opens, allowing teams that have saved cap to have first strike on free agents because they have planned ahead.

[Tony]

Maybe I need to give my reason for why waivers normally do not open until after free agency has begun.
It is like that so that GMs can not bury players in the minors to increase cap space before free agency. That is currently my worry if we open waivers right away, I like to give teams that prepared for free agency by picking not who to re-sign or by making room via trades the advantage instead of one GM burying 15-20m (minor league cap) in 2012-13 contracts before free agency then calling up the players again in waiver free period if they didn't get the players they were targeting.
For example: Say Chara making $7.0m is sent down and someone targets getting 2 defensemen for around $3.5m but are unsuccessful. They then don't succeed and at waiver free just call Chara back up and push the market in free agency.

Currently this is the set up:
Trading Opens - May 1st, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Closes - May 31st, 2012 @ 11:59pm
Entry Draft (2012) - June 30th, 2012 @ 4:00pm
Offseason Free Agency Begins - July 15th, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Opens - July 22nd, 2012 @ 8:00am
Waivers Open - July 24th, 2012 @ 8:00am

So waivers currently open 9 days after free agency opens, allowing teams that have saved cap to have first strike on free agents because they have planned ahead.

This is why I would not want to see waivers open until after FA but that's just me.

[favo_zomg]

Maybe I need to give my reason for why waivers normally do not open until after free agency has begun.
It is like that so that GMs can not bury players in the minors to increase cap space before free agency. That is currently my worry if we open waivers right away, I like to give teams that prepared for free agency by picking not who to re-sign or by making room via trades the advantage instead of one GM burying 15-20m (minor league cap) in 2012-13 contracts before free agency then calling up the players again in waiver free period if they didn't get the players they were targeting.
For example: Say Chara making $7.0m is sent down and someone targets getting 2 defensemen for around $3.5m but are unsuccessful. They then don't succeed and at waiver free just call Chara back up and push the market in free agency.

Currently this is the set up:
Trading Opens - May 1st, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Closes - May 31st, 2012 @ 11:59pm
Entry Draft (2012) - June 30th, 2012 @ 4:00pm
Offseason Free Agency Begins - July 15th, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Opens - July 22nd, 2012 @ 8:00am
Waivers Open - July 24th, 2012 @ 8:00am

So waivers currently open 9 days after free agency opens, allowing teams that have saved cap to have first strike on free agents because they have planned ahead.

After reading this, I will have to agree... It makes a lot of sense. 

[BeanTown]

I def think Trading should open!!!!!!!!!! Also think waivers should stay closed.

But YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS for trading, im itchin to trade lol

[nelly85]

well im in favor of trading early it wont effect many teams and gms can start biulding there teams now instead of same time as fa so they know there cap they have to work with now with waivers i do see y its open later but there is rules in place to prevent such things like our lower cap space in minors and our last year on contract, also for trading some teams might need the extra cap in main roaster to make a trade work

[Drew]

I am in favour of trading opening right now as it opens in the actual NHL right after playoffs are finished, due to processing in a fantasy, I think it should open 1 week after the playoffs have completed or due to exams that I write once they have calmed down. Which means they are fine to open asap.
I am not in favour of waivers opening due to my previously stated. What I would like to see though is a modified waiver period, you can call up anyone to your team and send down 1 player if wanted. That would allow someone to clear a bit of cap space in case of a trade or call someone out of the minors to their major league team before they bog up that space in FA as well. I remember in my application to the Philadelphia GM, reket23, before the season that his main goal was to call up Iggy during waiver free but he spent most of his cap during free agency and never called him up until nelly85 took over the team and finally got him up.

Here is my purposed:
Trading Opens - April 18th or 19th, 2012 @ 8:00am
Modified Waiver Free Period Opens - April 21st @ 8:00am
Modified Waiver Free Period Closes - April 27th @ 8:00pm
Trading Closes - May 31st, 2012 @ 11:59pm
Entry Draft (2012) - June 30th, 2012 @ 4:00pm
Offseason Free Agency Begins - July 15th, 2012 @ 8:00am
Trading Opens - July 22nd, 2012 @ 8:00am
Waivers Open - July 24th, 2012 @ 8:00am

Modified Waiver Free Period:
One player may be sent down through the normal waiver process.
Experienced minor leaguers may be called up through the waiver free process during the extent of the period.
The purpose of this is for teams to use their cap to call up players before spending it all in free agency.