Trade Deadline!

[Rob]

February 7, 2018 at 11:59PM EDT

Time to commit or sell out.  What's it going to be??

[Rob]

That's it for this year.  Good luck making your playoff runs!

[snugerud]

Suggestion for future seasons. I would like to see a later trade deadline.  I think you would see more activity, if 1 it was closer to our playoffs and 2 if it was closer to the NHL's trade deadline. 

I find teams/GMs get more into that trading spirit when they see the actual NHL trades happening.  I know I do.  There is something to be said for moves in the NHL increasing/decreasing some players value.

[Rob]

Suggestion for future seasons. I would like to see a later trade deadline.  I think you would see more activity, if 1 it was closer to our playoffs and 2 if it was closer to the NHL's trade deadline. 

I find teams/GMs get more into that trading spirit when they see the actual NHL trades happening.  I know I do.  There is something to be said for moves in the NHL increasing/decreasing some players value.

I think we discussed this last year.  Not sure if we decided to change things - I kinda forgot all about it.  If we went with the NHL trade deadline it would fall about a week before our playoffs start.  Does that make sense?

[snugerud]

I think we discussed this last year.  Not sure if we decided to change things - I kinda forgot all about it.  If we went with the NHL trade deadline it would fall about a week before our playoffs start.  Does that make sense?

I dont remember, but for me , I am ok with it being a week before our playoffs.  contenders are more willing to throw their "ass"ets on the line when they have a more solidified playoff spot.  NHL trade deadline has theirs pushed back from their playoffs because teams want a chance to gel etc.  We dont need that for fantasy purposes.  This isnt a yearly league either so there isnt really a concern with collusion or "buddy trades"  which is another reason why the trade deadline is sometimes several weeks before playoffs start in a fantasy league. 

others may have a different take on this.  That is just my 2 cents.

[izaman3]

I dont remember, but for me , I am ok with it being a week before our playoffs.  contenders are more willing to throw their "ass"ets on the line when they have a more solidified playoff spot.  NHL trade deadline has theirs pushed back from their playoffs because teams want a chance to gel etc.  We dont need that for fantasy purposes.  This isnt a yearly league either so there isnt really a concern with collusion or "buddy trades"  which is another reason why the trade deadline is sometimes several weeks before playoffs start in a fantasy league. 

others may have a different take on this.  That is just my 2 cents.

I agree with Snug. Though it did seem like a lot more sellers than buyers last year. Maybe too many people are afraid of the Peg & Blues

[SlackJack]

Snug's reasoning is sound but I doubt that moving the deadline will have any appreciable effect. Unlike the NHL, there is no parity in Dynasty. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just that there is clear separation. St. Louis scores roughly 30% more than the bottom half of play-off bound teams!

Almost from the outset there really isn't any uncertainty of who the top and the bottom teams are. Have a look at our pre-season rankings to confirm this. We might not get the order right, but we've got a solid idea of who will be at both top and bottom. By Christmas any illusions to the contrary have already been exposed, and by mid January the contenders have finished making improvements. 

There may be a race or two for 9th and 10th place but that only involves a handful of teams, and it will not shake out until the very last day of the season.

[SlackJack]

Also, if your team consistently crushes the opposition (Winnipeg/St. Louis), why bother making roster changes or sacrificing future assets?

If your team is ranked anywhere from say 5th through 12th, a similar logic applies. If you make the play-offs that's great, anything can happen and maybe you'll get lucky. But really it's still pretty clear that no amount of deadline deals are going to close a 30% gap, so there is no point in burning picks and prospects.

Trust me I know the trade stance of GM's in this league all too well! GM's of teams the mid-range are more likely to be interested in adding picks than dealing for an older impact player (let alone the plumbers that most sellers have on offer).

[Rob]

Good points.  Although I will say that the top heavy teams are a more recent phenomena.  In the past we've had 5-6 teams every year that were legit contenders.  Having 2 teams that seem OP compared to everyone else isn't really consistent with what we've seen in the past. 

The reality is that trade enthusiasm is directly tied to the fantasy enthusiasm of the league members.  There's no other motivation (since we're not a money league).  The more fun and engaging a league is, the more motivated people are to trade (wherever they are in the standings).  If I stood to make some money out of this and thought I'd have a shot, you better believe I would be trading future assets away for a cup run. 

[SlackJack]

Although I will say that the top heavy teams are a more recent phenomena.  In the past we've had 5-6 teams every year that were legit contenders.  Having 2 teams that seem OP compared to everyone else isn't really consistent with what we've seen in the past.

Well, it is called Dynasty NHL after all.

The reality is that trade enthusiasm is directly tied to the fantasy enthusiasm of the league members.

Brings to mind Martin and Tyler. Both important (though lately absent) GM's. They account for 10% of the league and are currently inactive in the forums.

There's no other motivation (since we're not a money league). The more fun and engaging a league is, the more motivated people are to trade (wherever they are in the standings).  If I stood to make some money out of this and thought I'd have a shot, you better believe I would be trading future assets away for a cup run.

I don't expect to compete for a number of years but I would support a move towards being a friendly money league. I was thinking the other day that a modest buy-in might cover premium Fantrax features and leave a small pot for the winner/runner-up (and maybe the most improved player). Is this worth talking about?