S24 Bidding Contract Analysis

Summer season is usually the most dreaded bidding class as we have a number of new owners and a lot of people take off the summer season. It is inevitable that we will see some overpriced players like every off season in bidding when theres not a roster reset, its just the way it is. We saw quite a few owners take the strategy of resigning players and trading for as many resigns as they could combined with earning players RFA rights to avoid the dreaded summer bidding class. It seems to have paid dividends for a number of teams. Overall, this bidding season was a little better than expected, we saw a few high contracts but nothing too crazy and there were even a good number of steals. I got together with a number of respected LG players and managers and we came up with this list.


Highest Contracts

Forwards - probably the 3 best FWDs in this bidding class so no problem with any of these bids although i would of been nice if they were a little cheaper or we had a max contract of 9 or 10M.

@Oo TheMvp oO - 10.25M
@ImNakedKissMe - 9.5M
@officialmark07 - 7.75M

Defense - The defensive class was not as touted and is usually where we see the most inflated contracts come bidding. The top contracts on here were not too bad with Dork leading the way. He was a little pricey for my liking but probably the best of the bunch combined with a few surprise overpays in backlund slammerama and melrose mullet making his return after a few seasons off.

@Dork x22 - 7.75M
@Flow Sauce Chew - 6.5M
@BacKLuND x 22 - 6.5M
@Melroses Mullet - 6.5M
@slammerama - 6.5M

Goalies - I am most impressed with the Goalie contracts this bidding as it seems people are finally understanding you do not need to spend too much money on Gs because it is hard for them to separate themselves and teams can make a goalie good if they play good team D. Konz and Bakes are the clear cut Gs of this class and i would have went no higher than 2 but both those teams had the cap for them so no real issue there.

@KingKonz- 3M
@bakesssss - 2.75M
@goldbud24 - 1.25M
@IGarbsI - 1.25M
@xX Z3NO Xx - 1.25M


Contract STUDS and contract DUDs
Determined by these factors
1.) Skill
2.) The value they usually go for
3.) MGMT experience
4.) Normal Position
5.) Last time they played LG
6.) Fit for their team

STUDS
@Okie Dokie Alky - 1M (ARZ) - old player returning who dominated the AHL last season
@Kopy - 1.5M (ARZ) - One of the most dominant NHL Gs the last few years, Kopy returns to the NHL as a dman with a reasonable salary for his knowledge of the game and prior mgmt experience. He is also with a lot of his usual crew so should fit right in
@drew13btv -1M (ARZ) - Drew has been around a long time and has had very good seasons, average season and bad seasons. His contracts change like crazy and his dedication to the game seems to have fallen off with his skill level and he continually seems to end up on non playoff teams. I think this is the season he turns back the clock and at this salary he can be a huge steal and even if he doesnt return to his great form a 1M salary for him as a 3rd liner is huge.

@QuietFawn229890 1M (BOS) - HoldMaDDD with one of the best contracts in the league, he is a very successful former owner who can play D and FWD. He is known as a Dman but is an offensive Dman and has played a season at FWD and put up pretty solid numbers as well. His skill and mgmt experience make him one of the best steals in the league especially for a BOS team with a 1st time owner

@Fewchy 3M (BUF) - Fewch is one of the better puck carrying dman in the league and that is the style this BUF team like to play. He is an underrated Dman and has a very fitting salary of 3M as the 3rd highest paid Dman on their team.

@ChrisTastik 3M (CGY) - Known as a fwd in LG has been playing a lot of club as a Dman and was pretty impressive and has been playing D for Versatility in Pro Series and hasnt been doing too bad. He is a very good FWD on the ps4 side so 3M could be a good gamble on him if he doesnt quit, like he has been known to do in the past.

@Lt Jim Dangle 9 - 3.25M (CAR) - The legend himself is back for another season of LG after his return to competitive leagues last season since VHL. He had a rather disappointing season last year and was traded around a few times and didnt have the greatest recorded and was knocked for leaking out early and not playing much defense but still put up 64 points and has a very solid contract, i expect him to be traded at some point

@Ezreal - 3.75M (CBJ) - Sani with another GT change for bidding pays off with a nice 3.75M contract. He is a very solid player and went to a team where he will be a good fit and is with some familiar faces

@P3nzz - 2M (DAL) - very skilled forward who was rumored to not be playing and decided to sign back up and went for the same steal of a contract he was on last season.

@Strizzy x06 - 3.75M (DET) - Strizzy makes his return to NHL for the first time since NHL15. He was always a very good player who could play top lines and always put up very good numbers besides his last season in LG. NHL can burn you out after awhile in these recent iterations, hopefully he is back and back for good and can return to form

@Odieeeeee - 7M (EDM) - One of the best known players in the game, Odie makes the switch to Center the most important position in the game where he will be expected to play a big two way game by producing offensively as well as play great defense to help out EDMs D core on which should be one of if not the best teams in the league
@Yurinal - 1M (EDM) - Yuri makes the switch to D as well and he is known more as on OFD and is playing wing so the transition should be pretty easy for him especially at a 3rd line price tag of only 1M

@OnDaFly91 - 1.5M (FLA) - French player who dominates in the IOHL with the all french team and has had a really good season in the AHL and only played 1 season in the NHL where he did alright on an average team. I think now that he will be with guys he is comfortable with and has chemistry with he will have a big season for them this year

@Keapps - 3.5M (FLA) - Keapps is a very unorthodox player with his weird shots and grinder like play style but he is a very good player in my opinion and is use to big game competition and at 3.5M he is a on a very good contract.

@Jay Rulez - 1M (MTL) - JayRules getting another great contract of 1M. He is on a 3rd liner contract which is fantastic and he can help bring some skill and mgmt experience to help out MTL new mgmt.

@CrazzyCanuck - 1.5M (NSH) - This is a guy i haven't seen play but i have heard good things and he had very good numbers in the AHL and his NSH boys back him and gave him a 2 year contract. He could be one of the steals of the draft playing on what should be a pretty good Nashville team

@Mav 6ix -3.75M (NJD) - after have a great year for my team when we won the East Mav received a terrible.25M contract and then was traded before even playing a game. Mav is a great 2nd line dman who is good on both ends but can get into it with teammates from time to time but he is a good player and worth the contract.

@dcshoe - 750K (NYI) - DCshoe was a pretty good Dman on the rise in LG a few seasons ago and then changed positions and went to the AHL. He returned to D last season and had a very good season and is now making his return to the NHL and is on a hell of a contract.

@The Guy QC - 3M (NYR) - Death Studio makes his long awaited return to the NHL after taking a few seasons off and then taking the dreaded AHL MGMT last season. He is playing C and is on a great 3M 3 season contract and is one of the best steals in bidding

@Manship x 91 -2M (OTT) - Another underrated player and very good scorer who is good with the puck by himself, manship snuck under the radar with a great 2M contract which is one of the top steals of bidding

@o WjD O - 3.5M - DeCruz returns to LG after quitting as an owner in S22 the first of NHL 16 bc of the headache of being an owner and dealing with captain delay. He is one a fantastic contract and looks to be a 1st liner for PHI and is a huge steal on that contract
@All in the Hip - 4.75M - Hip is one of the more skilled players i have ever played against and is DeCruz partner in crime. Paired together they are a deadly first line and coming in at a combined 8.25M they are on fantastic contracts especially for 1st liners. My only concern is they are missing their long time lineman @Mike Fig

@Thee Mr Master 500K (STL) - very underrated player getting the league minimum. He is a guy who people seem to enjoy playing with and on that contract he is a steal and can plug and play on the 2nd and 3rd line

@Selke - 4.75M (TOR) - Thawties with his 10th GT change coming off a fantastic season in SJS goes for 4.75M to a very good team. He has proven he can play 1st line D and has been on two of A1Freaks President winner and runner up teams. It will be interesting to see how he does with a new owner but i do not think he should have a problem as he is a very good player

@PizzaSlayer x52 - 750K - (WSH) - Drew was a good player just a few years ago and he still claims to be now. Anytime i have played with him he has been pretty good but he has seemed to cause some problems wherever he goes and always seems to be complaining about not getting the credit he deserves. Well he should have no problem living up to the expectations of a 750K contract with his skill level, lets see if he can live up to his own expectations of him being a top player in LG.
@BLicK12 - 3.75M (WSH) - Another returning owner Blick comes in on a steal of 3.75M. He has always been a good Center who can play both ends of the ice and compete against all 3 lines. He also brings some MGMT skill which until his abysmal Phunadelphia days had always been pretty solid.
@urnewstepd4d - 1.5M (WSH) - Washington continues their trend of good steals in bidding with @Zero Choice finally leaving the AHL and reeling in the big fish himself @Pandaleupagus who can build a team with the best of them but can never seem to maintain them through a whole season. StepDad was a very good 3rd line FWD who put up some great 1st and 2nd line numbers on Big Jay and Connors teams before switching to Goalie. He could be a great steal at 1.5M if he is able to return to form.

@GolSki40 - 2M (WPG) - Golski making the switch back to defense after a not so successful run at Goalie. He is reunited with former NYI partner @Foote x 3 where they were able to make some magic happen and somehow help foote win a norris. If he was able to help foote win a norris he is one of the best steals in bidding at 2M but they will be relied upon as WPGs top Dpair with a fwd group not known for back checking which could spell trouble


DUDS
@jewbawkka - 6.25M (ANA) - worst contract in all of bidding bc he dicked his teammates and the league by quit
@Williams x12x -5.25M (ANA) - pretty good player just a little too high for him
@jackD00P -5.5M (ANA) - doesnt play the game much outside of LG a little pricey
@P4NDAPANDAPANDA - 5M (ANA) - solid 2nd line dman, getting 1st line money

@BacKLuND x 22 - 6.5M (BOS) - hell of a season last year, fit in well with those guys will be interesting to see this season
@Rageeez - 4.25M (BOS) - high end 3rd line low end 2nd line dman getting low end 1st high end 2nd money

@Hine x 23 - 6.75M (CAR) - worst contact in bidding, hasnt played in a few seasons and when he was he was solid but not 1st line highest paid player money

@Youngn the pop - 5.75M (COL) - poor youngN always seems to be one of the last FWDs left in bidding and almost get won early for cheap and has everyone jump on him and over pay for him seemingly every time hes in bidding. Good player, plays the game a lot but getting 1st line money for a good 2nd line player

@Achilles Strife 4.75M (CJB) - Cosmic makes his return to NHL, he was always a good player who could plug in on all 3 lines and do well but is a little high for our liking, especially after not playing for a few seasons.

@AJ Hendricks - 5M (FLA) - pretty underrated player hasnt been on too many good teams but he went for 1st line dman price in bidding and was one of the 7 highest D contracts in bidding which is a bit too pricey.

@ziggy0005 4.75M (LA) - another product of being one of the last known people left in bidding and @jewbawkka quitting on ANA during bidding. He is a very good two way FWD so i don't see him having trouble making the transition and hes on a great team, but he will be their highest priced Dman and they have 3 dman on the roster making less money who are arguably better than him.

@KillerCanadian8 3.25M (MIN) - Killer makes his return back to the NHL after a season in the AHL where he performed well, it will be interesting to see how he performs without longtime lineman @BoltsnRays1109 his contact is a little pricey for a former 3rd line stud turned 1st line AHL player

@kpy86 -4M (MON) - last time Kipper was on a high contract and on a potential outlook bad team, we saw him complaining in the chatbox every single day even though hes a staff member. He is one to always stick it out but is very offensive minded and a team that loaded up on overpriced Dman and questionable FWD contracts, it should be interesting to see how much D he actually plays and how much drama he causes.
@slammerama - 6.5M (MON) Slam is one of the most underrated players in the league in my opinion, he never gets much credit and always seems to put up good numbers and can play FWD and D. He usually excels when he is with his buddy @a1xFREAKx13 so it will be interesting to see if he can fulfill his overpriced 1st line contract on a project not so good team

@Pizzi - 4M (NJD) - Pizzi makes his return to LG after a brief late sign up return in S22. He did not fare too well in that season but i was told had poor availability and was passed around a few times when he got called up. He was a beast before that and in VHL so could be a steal at 4M if he can return to form

@Ravaqz - 6M (OTT) - Rav has always been a pretty underrated player who goes for cheap because he has a weird play style. He is a good player but 6M is 1st line money and the 2nd highest contract on his team.

@bigleaguebala - 4.75M (PIT) - Bala has been around forever, he had an ok year for CBJ last year and has always been a solid 2nd line player who can play 1st line as well. Pitt spent all their money in bidding on him and the rest on 500K contracts so they must of wanted him lets see if he can live up to the contract

@Bknottz92 - 5.5M (STL) - Another underrated player getting his highest contract ever in NHL bidding by a lot. He is STL highest paid player and FWD so a lot is expect of him. It is a pretty pricey pay tag and he has a lot of expectations to fill at that salary.
@mfrichardson - 4.75M (STL) - If Frich was playing FWD this would be a fantastic contract. It will be interesting to see how he transitions, he is STL highest paid fwd and is getting 1st line dman money, can he live up to the expectations.

@therealmooresy 3.75M (WPG traded to VAN) - One of the best 3rd liners in the league and former two time owner. He was another product of being one of the known guys being left in bidding. Can he show he is first line talent like he says he is and carry VAN to the playoffs or last long enough to get traded

@BoltsnRays1109 - 4.25M (VAN) - Former 3rd line stud who took his talents to the AHL and put up good numbers last season and decided to return to the NHL. He is VAN most expensive fwd and most expensive player so he is getting 1st line and top player money, can he live up to that
@Keith x l 2 l - 3.5M (VAN) - Dominated the CHL as a FWD, switched to D after that season for some reason. He was won in bidding at 3M played a couple games got sent down to the AHL and had a pretty solid season. His contract isn't too bad but he is VAN highest paid Dman and will be expected to play 1st line NHL D after one season of D in the AHL.



TLDR - don't care, suck my bag

 

mFREEKA is a monster and will be a Norris contender

 

I want to get mentioned at least once. No love/hate for the Ps4 guys :/

 

Mikol and Bard are the homies. @mfrichardson @Bknottz92

 

lmao, I cause drama and always in the chatbox complaining. @SweeT 9 LoU 84, that right there proved you don't even have a clue. But I'll take contract dud as I agree with you

 

@Pizzi is worth the 4 mil as long as he's not going enforcer or hitting the slopes

 

just relaying what i see you typing, didnt question your talent or you as a person just an observation of you in the CB all last season on CAR. Obviously @Handz had something to do with it as he usually gets into it with a lot of his players but you made it priority to air it out in the chatbox and complain and talk about wanting out and how you and garoo had to do everything. It wasn't meant to offend you just needed some content for the write up

 

It was more of a joke/truth thing. Cause me and @Gary Garoo literally had to do everything. And then he was traded. Which to this day I'm still sad.

 

That was two seasons ago i had KPY, he was a class act always showed up for games. Tradeded him to MIN to be in the playoffs as CAR was obviously shit.

 

@Okie Dokie Alky is a stud. He single-handedly contributed like 80% of my wins last year in net with the Shitwolves

 

RIP Phunadelphia

 

You're nuts, playing D with me. Hes FUCKED

 

Good read well done

 

Fewch is pretty good at skating into people and turning over the puck not much of any thing else

 

LA doesnt have a single contract stud eh?

Good write up though! Good to see someone taking time to put these together.

 

@brandonbramanti

 

Analheim and Losapeg dominating with their contract duds

 

Boy louuuuu @SweeT 9 LoU 84

 

That may have been the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.

 

swot lu y due u h8 me