Navigating to the Northwest - Seattle Navigators Expansion NHL 18 - Dsimp13's Blog

Dsimp13's Blog

Navigating to the Northwest - Seattle Navigators Expansion NHL 18

Posted on March 16, 2018 at 05:12 PM.

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Seattle Navigators - 4 Months In
(note: I'm trying to speed my way through the inaugural season and get to the TRUE start of an expansion dynasty in my opinion...the offseason into year two. So I'll probably do 4 months, trade deadline, and end of season maybe? Who knows. Thanks for reading anyway!)
So much has happened in the first 4 months of competitive Navigator hockey. Let's see what's been going on in Seattle.

Standings

Western Conference

Spoiler

Eastern Conference

Spoiler

The Seattle Navigators are 24-24-2 through the first 50 games. Those 50 points are good for 6th in the division, 4 points out of a playoff spot. The team started hot, taking 7 of a possible 12 points in the first 6 games, then faded as the games drew on. While the team was playing middle of the road hockey, GM Dan Simpson kept his eye on the future with transactions, one of which was pretty big.

Transactions

TRADES

SEA trades Scott Laughton
FLA trades Jyrki Jokipakka, 2018 4th

D-man Kevan Miller went down with a bruised knee, and GMDS seeing the lack of NHL caliber defensemen went out and snagged a solid 7th defender Jokipakka. Not a beautiful trade, but the 4th helps and Jokipakka, Miller, and Stephen Johns look to hold down the back end of the D corps.

SEA trades Jonas Brodin, 2018 4th rounder
TOR trades 2018 1st, 2018 2nd

Brodin had been struggling at the blue line for the Navs. Not that he was the only one (as you can see in the stats, every single defensemen is a minus after 50 games), but was the player not named Sami Vatanen & Justin Schultz with the most trade value. Prior to the season, the ownership sat GMDS down and went over goals, and the primary one was to have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2018 draft, and this trade accomplishes that goal.

They should both be late round picks, as Toronto leads the Atlantic Division at the 50 game mark, but 1st rounders are 1st rounders (2nd rounders aren't too shabby, either). There is still the chance of using picks as trade bait, especially after this next trade:

SEA trades Philipp Grubauer, Aleksi Saarela, 2018 4th
DAL trades Esa Landell, Max Lagace, 2018 2nd

This trade gives the Navs two 1st rounders and three 2nd rounders, satisfying the ownership's goal while giving GMDS some ammo for a prospective trade. Lindell has been struggling, but has top 4 upside and will play alongside Calvin de Haan in that second pairing. He will have the ability to showcase his skills with Liljegren, Joseph, and Ricci in the pipeline for the near future.

WAIVER PICKUPS

RW Pontus Aberg, from Nashville
An RFA at the beginning of the season, GMDS offered a contract but the Predators matched. Having a disappointing year, but Simpson likes the upside and he will play top minutes in CT for the AHL club.

D Scott Harrington, from Columbus
Defense depth, nothing more.

STATS

Spoiler

At the end of the day, with a plethora of picks going into what should be a pretty good draft, the Navs are on a decent path. The team also has some possibilities (Mark Letestu is a great example) of having forward depth to offer contenders at the deadline.

ALSO:
League Leaders

Spoiler