Eastern Atlantic Trade Deadline Needs

Heyo, the Trade Deadline is just around the corner, so I wanted to give out my opinion on who I think will make the playoffs in each division, as well as what I believe each team will need to do at the deadline to make a deeper push into the playoffs.


Without further delay, here we go.


Eastern Atlantic Projections:

1. Springfield Thunderbirds
   
2. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
   
3. Bridgeport Soundtigers
   
4. Charlotte Checkers
   
5. Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins*
   

* Bubble team


Springfield Thunderbirds:

A team that has had a very polarizing season so far, they have bounced up and down from having a few very good weeks (two 7-2 weeks, one 8-1 week), to a few shaky weeks (3 weeks of 4-5). From a team that seemingly built from the defence-out at the start of the season with both unpaid GM spots being occupied by defensemen, the Thunderbirds do seem to be letting in a ton more goals than they should be. From a team that on paper has a top 5 defensive core in the league, it is perplexing to see how they’ve allowed over 3 goals a game, especially when you consider that they have an All-Star caliber goalie in @Baconweave between the pipes. Then you realize that Bacon has been essentially splitting games with @lil_keppy10116, which is a little bit of a headscratcher. Unless it’s an availability issue with Bacon, he should be the clear-cut starter in this situation, and there’s really no excuse as to why he’s not getting 6 games a week. With all due respect to lil_keppy, she simply should not be getting nearly as many games as she has been, and the stats don’t lie here. Baconweave boasts the record of 15-8-0 with nearly an 80% save percentage, while lil_keppy (with a still respectable record of 12-6-2) is almost 7 save percentage points below Bacon, which is far below league average. So, my advice to the Thunderbirds here is to look for an upgrade on lil_keppy to be Bacon’s backup, as well as to make Bacon the clear cut #1 goalie here, and give him the 6 games a week he deserves.

On top of goaltending help, it appears as though their third forward line may need a bit of tinkering. A quick look at the stats show that they have a couple forwards just under the 2 ppg mark, which definitely is not ideal in the AHL. Their top 2 forward lines seem to be getting it done, as @mrtryhard98NHL, @althewall, and @Gwood_Boys, and @Nhltwister look to be tearing it up so far, just to name a few. Of course, a large part of this forward corps is returning from last season’s cup final run, so I have no doubt that come playoff time, players like @M-L-N83 and @StanleysCup will turn it up another notch.

tl'dr: Add more scoring depth, as well as an upgrade on the backup goalie.




Lehigh Valley Phantoms:


Lehigh has been a bit of a surprise to me so far, to be honest. Having a ton of team turnover throughout the season, along with a corrupt owner (that finally got the banhammer a week ago) usually doesn’t amount to a successful team, but lo and behold, the Phantoms are in second place in a pretty competitive division. Looking at their forward corps you can begin to understand how they are having the success they’ve had so far this season. They appear to have three very balanced forward lines that have been clicking well so far, and with the addition of @jgiroux4, their forward group only gets better. Forwards such as @Bretonskyy, @Navyynick, and @Mathqc22 bring a ton of talent to the roster, and there's no reason why the Phantoms won't be able to carry their scoring prowess into the postseason. However, when you look at their defensive core, that’s when things begin to get a bit more dicey.

By losing the legend himself @Mathdouble2 to NHL Ownership, the Phantoms defence loses quite a bit of its strength. With the exclusion of @x-_price-31_-x and @PattyIce14, this defence group looks pretty shaky. @zTaylorHall4z and @Fatjoedashow1984 are a respectable third pairing, but for a team looking to contend, you may want to look for an upgrade here. Of course, your defence is only as good as your goalie in most cases, and by the looks of it @MrPenguin30 has been stealing a ton of games for the Phantoms.

In 4 of the 6 weeks so far, Penguin has had a sub 2.15 GAA, which is remarkably good when you consider the patchwork defence that has been in front of him. The same can’t quite be said for @punisher4124, who has been struggling a bit stat wise (73.5 sv%), so like the Thunderbirds I believe that the Phantoms should go shopping for a backup goalie to help put them over the edge.

tl'dr: Phantoms need better defence, along with an upgrade on their backup goalie.


Bridgeport Soundtigers

For a team that has a pretty volatile shoutbox presence, you’d kinda expect a bit more of a better result so far in the standings. With all due respect, the Soundtigers look like a very average team, hanging onto a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. They will need a couple very good weeks to make their way into the playoffs, but if they can keep grinding away, I believe they should be able to make the jump into 3rd place in this division.

@GREMLIN_2694 is their top scorer at a modest 43 points through 19 games (2.26 ppg), with their fearless leader and everyone’s favourite shoutbox hero @premierplayer clocking in with 26 points through 18 games. The synopsis I have here from experience playing the Soundtigers is that they play a pretty tough grind-it-out hockey style, which means that they won’t overwhelm you too often with goals, but instead just play an overall defensive game, scoring when they can capitalize on the other team's mistakes. With that said, come playoff time, while this strategy may still work, you’ll definitely need more talent up front to put you over the top, which is why I believe the Soundtigers are one of the teams that need to make a bigger splash this trade deadline, possibly by acquiring a talented forward or two. However, with new additions such as @curlew7 and @Noiseitmon they are definitely on the right track offensively. If they can add just a bit more scoring to their top line, I believe they’re a team that could make a bit of noise in the playoffs as long as Premier can rally the boys and push through the first round.

Their defensive group shares much of the same attributes as their forward corps, as they don’t appear to have too much top talent on the backend. With that said, they do have good depth pieces, so if they can add a talented game 7 esque defenseman to their team I can definitely see them win at least a round in the playoffs. Of course, these types of players don’t grow on trees, so they may need a bit of help from their NHL team to provide them with a draft pick or something to help them land some better talent. Now onto their goalie situation.

In @Brad0703 and @TheMcKapy they have a respectable goaltending tandem, but to get to the next level the Soundtigers will definitely need to add a clear cut starting goalie to the mix.

Of course, being a GM I know as well as anyone that these making moves to acquire top tier talent can be extremely tough to pull off, as teams are not often looking to unload their better players to other playoff teams. With that said, with enough scouting around the league, it can definitely be done.


tl;dr: Add at least 1-2 more top tier players



Charlotte Checkers


I have the Checkers coming from behind and ‘shocking the world’ as @NoSleeves12 would say. With some of the recent moves @EPICxSKILLZY has made, I truly believe that the Checkers will be able to replicate what the legendary Season 4 Checkers did, and come from behind to overtake a playoff spot, just barely sneaking into the dance.

A large part of the reason I hold the belief that the Checkers will be able to grind their way into a playoff spot is that their forward group look very good. Led by the GM himself, the Checkers have a number of forwards who are above the 2.5ppg mark, so as long as their defense can hold up here, they will definitely be able to grab onto a playoff spot in the coming weeks. Only reason I don’t have them third on this list is that I don’t believe they have enough time to overcome Bridgeport in the standings, unless of course the Checkers can string along a couple really good weeks, while Bridgeport falters a bit. So no onto their trade deadline needs…

As I mentioned before, their forward group looks pretty good in my eyes, so I wouldn’t change too much there. The one area of concern for me is their defensive core. Half of their defensemen have played 9 games or less in the AHL so far, and while that may not seem to be that big of a deal if you argue that a couple of them were late callups, lack of chemistry is my main concern here. Not only this, but a lack of talent on the backend may also be the demise of the Checkers here. While @peeace-- and @The-Dominator-95 are both high quality defensemen, the rest of the backend may be a cause for concern. My suggestion here would be to shore up the defensive depth with more experienced defensemen at the AHL level. While you may not want to give up too many of your high quality forwards, that's a sacrifice the Checkers may have to make to ensure they have a blueline that can hold its own.

As for the goaltending situation with the Checkers, unlike the Soundtigers or Penguins, the Checkers seem to have found a very capable starting goaltender in @godofamerica13. Sporting over an 80 save percentage is an impressive task when you consider the patchwork defensive core in front of him, and it seems as though godofamerica is heating up at the right time, going 8-2-2 in his past 12 games. While backup goalie @Hotsauce_114 has decent numbers, the wins haven’t come quite yet, so if the Checkers expect to make the playoffs, he will definitely have to improve in that category. However, I don’t think there needs to be a change in the backup role, as HotSauce been put up against some of the toughest teams in the league during his time on the Checkers.

Tl;dr: Checkers need to upgrade their defensive depth



Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins


If the Penguins want to hold onto a playoff spot in this division, their top forward line will have to carry the squad here. It will be a tall task, but with the top heavy forward group that the Penguins have it’s definitely possible.


With the top line of @Jmichh-Qc / @lxl-Toffoli-lxl / @cammaller_13, they may be able to carry the squad to an upset if they are able to win their games come playoff time. We’ve seen it happen in previous seasons as one line is able to get hot at the right time and dismantle the other team, so if the Penguins wish to have any chance coming out of the first round, they will need this talented top line to come up big. With that said, the rest of their forwards look a little suspect, as none of the other forwards average over 2 ppg. So, one thing the Penguins will need to do is beef up their second line a bit, so they can at least have 2 lines able to win games in the playoffs. If they can add a player or two to help out @SliestGibbon659 on the second line, that will definitely give them a much better chance at competing against the Thunderbirds in the playoffs.


The Penguins defensive corps is much like their forwards in that they too are top heavy. Their top pairing of @Seedoftavares and @beernpickles definitely has the ability to shut down opposing top lines, so it will be up to the depth defensemen here to pull through come playoff time. Defensemen such at @The_Real_Teal and @Renaudturbo04 should provide a good second pairing for the Penguins, so it will be up to the management group to fill out a better third pairing to ensure they have the best chance at an upset.


Goaltending has been a weird topic for the Penguins, as they currently only have one goalie on the roster, @DrNash8. Nash seems to be an adequate backup, but the Penguins should really look for a better goalie to come in and be the starter for them as they head into the playoffs. Needless to say, good starting goalies are extremely tough to find in the AHL, so it will be up to the Penguins management to find a bit of a diamond in the rough without giving up too much of their top-level talent.



tldr; Add a starting goalie, a 2nd line forward or 2, and upgrade the third pairing.



Next up: Western Central




P.s. Please tell me why I'm wrong in the comments, I'd love to hear what you guys have to say. It's my first time doing something like this so any feedback/criticism would be greatly appreciated

 

I like it!!!! Cant wait to see what you come up for the other divisions!

 

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Dolphin needs to , and @joestud18 needs to play 9 games a week.


tl;dr: DOLPHIN

 

Thanks! I'm hoping to come out with the other divisions before too many trades are done. Hoping to have the Western Central one out later tonight

To be fair, thats pretty accurate as to what I would've written about you guys. You also need to add more spins to your game too

 

Have you watched me play?

 

Yeah of course, and while you do spin, I'm thinking you need to spin more. If you do it often enough it creates a vortex that sucks in the other team. Basically gives your team free breakaways

 

Well writen article. Eastern Atlantic as a whole is alot better this year
. Should be fun down the stretch.

 

Good Write up @Ducksfanwaterloo

 

i call shenanigans, my lg numbers say otherwise. @Ducksfanwaterloo

 

Well I was on my anniversary vacation last week so I had 0 games. I'm also not usually available Sundays because that's when I play real hockey. Tuesdays are hard too because we are super busy at work and it's hard for me to get home in time (PST). Plus I just had a bad week this week. The wolves put up 7 last night and in my other game, the lobo line found a way to pay EA to put 3 goals literally through my body.

 

By losing the legend himself @Mathdouble2 to NHL Ownership............ the drunken legend mofo haha

good write up my man,hope youll do more of that.

 

ayee

 

Decent write up. I liked the detail and depth, good article. But tbh, pens don't need another starting G, they got me. Not trying to toot my own horn, but the previous 3 weeks vs first 2 weeks, WAY better. With that being said; it's not how you start, but how you finish.