Hi, hello. I'm back, and this time I'm going to criticize your team building skills. Might I say, some of you are pretty good at it.... some of you not so much. We saw the largest bid in VG history this season, with the Islanders throwing the entire bank at Ethan. 16 million? Are you guys fu**ing nuts? There were some steals as well, and I'll touch on those as we go over every teams performance in bidding. Let it be known VG owners are a fickle bunch, and I'm sure all of you who are listed as your teams worst contract will immediately be traded, waived, and sent to Robidas island. Don't blame me, blame the system. Ok lets begin!
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins
Best Contract
l9lTKJOSl8l ($3.000m)
Worst Contract
Striznizz ($5.500m)
Boston's Pucky and Martzy had a pretty clear plan for bidding: blueline. $15.500m of their cap was spent on 3 players who all can help their defense. Their largest contract went to Curtisx18x ($7.000m), who will definitely be a huge part of their defensive core. Pucky and Martzy get my props for nabbing TKJOS for only 3.000m; a player who is versatile, and will bring offense whether hes playing wing or defense. The 5.500m they spent on Striznizz is a bit confusing however. A career AHL player, who did have a solid S20, is thrown into the big role of covering for Curtis when he isn't available. The Bruins rounded out their bidding with some 500k bid and head into S21 with a roster that I believe will have some ups and down.
Buffalo Sabres
Best Contract
Parihse ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
Blades-l59l ($8.750)
The reigning cup champs return in S21 with their winning lineup nearly intact. I'll start with the oddity of Blades as their worst contract; it's actually not bad at all. This team doesn't have any poor contracts, and Dan is worth every penny of that 8.750. However, the price tag did limit Snakes maneuverability in bidding, but there was also no forward near Blades' caliber available in bidding. Parihse at 500k is just absurd, and is easily one of the best contract in the league. #1 defensemen for the Sabres last season returns for absolute pennies. Not much roster turnover leads to this organization being the early favourite to win the cup and go back to back.
Carolina Hurricanes
Best Contract
Boughss ($3.000m)
Worst Contract
Brxseph-_- ($9.000m)
Vis and Toe are heading into S21 after selecting first overall in this past draft. The #1 pick, centre Boughss, is an elite piece that will elevate the production of the high-scoring wingers the Hurricanes have. His $3.000m cap hit is about $7m too low, and is an absolute no brainer as their best contract. The $9.000m they spent on Brxseph-_- (BROSKI_002) is an extremely large price to pay for a winger, and as talented as he is.. it will cost them defensively. The idea to then spend $5.000m on 2-5 avail LW z-jor-z, instead of adding a strong piece on the blueline is also puzzling. I love this teams offense, but I really hope Vis is capable of carrying a blueline because... yikes.
Detroit Red Wings
Best Contract
Axglu ($1.500m)
Worst Contract
likeaboss131 ($7.000m)
sjackson and maddens did some... whats the word? interesting things? yeah, interesting. First off, $7.000m for a RW who seems to be a primary dman is concerning. Considering I see no #1 C capable of igniting whatever offense the $7m man has, it will likely be up to Maddens to carry this team offensively. Newly drafted Axglu is a promising LW/C for this team, who might get a chance to be this teams #1 centre. His $1.500m cap hit seems like the best value on this roster, and he will be counted upon to bring the offensive prowess he showed last season in the AHL.
Florida Panthers
Best Contract
CLXXK ($4.000m)
Worst Contract
MikeeTeeze ($4.000m)
Peace and Lev have built a deep team, and the most impressive thing is it was mainly through bidding. Florida's #1 C Lev got himself a high scoring winger in CLXXK at a phenomenal price of $4.000m; don't be surprised when this guy wins the rocket getting feeds from Lev and Chyz all season long. The $4.000m on MikeeTeeze is the only anomaly in a well executed bidding for the Panthers, but despite being a "primary C" I expect him to be this teams RD when Chyz is unavailable. That alone makes the price somewhat worth it, all in all leaving me impressed with how these guys handled the offseason. I'm looking forward to the many MTL/FLA matchups this season!
Montreal Canadiens
Best Contract
SiDD_05 ($0.500)
Worst Contract
hypey- ($8.000m)
Accueillons nos Canadiens! After a days long back and forth with Fluri, I convinced him to let me finally don the bleu, blanc, et rouge. I then immediately told him my new work schedule would make me 2/8 and had him contemplating murder. After some strong initiative by yours truly I am now 8/8 and no longer on Fluri's list! Anyways, Bean did most of the bidding because Greg's a lost cause. 2 pieces I want to point out are the additions of imo the best goalie available in Chad, and sneaky good depth forward SiDD_05 at $0.500m. My contract stinks and after an insufferable arbitration, the remainder of my contract will be paid in full with Tims Rewards Points. Allez Montreal.
New Jersey Devils
Best Contract
SAK-KA ($2.000m)
Worst Contract
T_n_T91 ($8.000m)
Owen and Sherm were busy in bidding, shelling out $16.500m on four players. Their best contract however came from the draft, with #2 draft pick SAK-KA at $2.000m. If he can produce at just half the rate he did in the AHL last season he'll be a menace in the Metro division. The $8.000 price tag on T_n_T91 is insane, especially if they are expecting him to be their #1 D. There are at least 5 other dmen who are less expensive that I believe would have been a better option for the Devils. I don't want to rip on tnt, it's not his fault; just a poor decision in my opinion. On the bright side, the $5.500m C perfectskillz_qc likely plays on -2 ping and will help this team in a huge way. So, you guys have that.
New York Islanders
Best Contract
Kash-647 ($2.000m)
Worst Contract
Ethancy-_- (SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLARS $$$$$$)
I couldn't have been the only one watching Ethans bid clock. I mean, come on, 16? Andrew and Heedless started their offseason strong, selecting Kash-647 5th overall; adding a fantastic piece that can play both forward and defense at a high level. NOW ONTO THE BIDDING PART. They put $2.500m on Bizzness, $3.000m on OneHitPony, $16.000m on Ethancy, $0.500m on Limetoots211, $0.5-.... $16.000m on Ethancy. Ethan is an awesome kid who I've seen go from an SP youngin' to one of the most dynamic forwards in the entire game on both consoles. Sixteen million on him is so insane that the more I type it out the more it makes sense. He will undoubtedly win this team games, and challenge for the Art Ross. The hard part is building a competent team around a price tag that large, and I really hope for NY's sake that the guys they managed to pickup to surround Ethan can keep up.
New York Rangers
Best Contract
pizzasready ($1.500m)
Worst Contract
B-U-R-E_x_10 ($4.500m)
Scalz and Shadow. On one hand I'm terrified to criticize this team for fear of being discord banned, and on the other hand I'm terrified of being sent Danny Devito nudes from Shadow.. long story. Nevertheless, these are the consequences of unbiased journalism; this team looks kiiiiinda rough. 6th overall draft pick Pizzasready is a steal at $1.500m and will be a huge part of this teams offence. The supporting cast however looks like they threw names up on a dartboard, and holy f**k does Scalz have bad aim. 2 centres at $4.500m in SaucyEh and Burex10 (im not typing that full tag out EVER) is questionable, and leaves me wondering who exactly they plan to give the #1 C job to. Defensively, $4.500m on GODISNOWHERE is slightly high but you have to pay for Dmen in this league. The Rangers will be relying on rookie Pizza to come as advertised and help this team score goals. And that sums up my Rangers evaluation, time to send my apologies to Scalz and close my eyes when Shadow DMs me.
Ottawa Senators
Best Contract
AAbulletdodgerAA ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
x_jack24bauer_x ($5.000m)
Kaxo and Zinczy have built a formidable squad up in the Nations capital. The two will be flanked by high-scoring winger KarlssonIsGod, and supported with some solid pieces on the blueline. One of those pieces is AAbulletdodgerAA, who someone went for only $0.500m despite being a consistent shutdown dman who had a good year with the Islanders in S20. The Senators will gladly take that contract, and barring success he will be the first one offered an extension. Where things get iffy is the $5.000m they spent on jack24bauer. This team has $8.500m tied up in two 5-8/8 LD's, and I'm having a hard time figuring out the need to fork out that much for 2 eerily similar players. The could have used that cap chase one of the top goalies available in bidding, but hindsight is 20/20. I hope this team has success this season.
Philadelphia Flyers
Best Contract
Ellustrious ($1.000m)
Worst Contract
DeadlyKush204 ($4.000m)
Philly wasn't shy of spending in bidding, forking out $25.500m. RD Ellustrious is an interesting pickup, as I've heard he is actually quite good and will be a pretty solid steal for the Flyers. The $7.000m on ucantcme was close to being the worst contract, but his career .806 sv%, paired with a GAA that's been higher than 2.67 only once in fives seasons with 20 or more games makes it pricey, but worth it. The $4.000m on DeadlyKush is a lot, despite kush once being a very good piece a while ago. An 8 season hiatus from s12-s19 was broken in S20, with Kush returning to put up some slightly disappointing numbers. I fail to see the direction the Flyers are going with Kush, ad I hope they aren't looking to throw him to the wolves as their number 1 centre from the hop.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Best Contract
xDatsy ($7.000m)
Worst Contract
The_Falcon__ ($5.000m)
We have some new faces in the city of Pittsburgh, and they were busy building a competitive team. Extending their #1 C xDatsy was a priority, and a $7.000m price tag is a fair price for a play-driving centre who will be the backbone of the Penguins offense. The questionable decision lies with extending TheFalcon for $5m, another centre who only has 2-5/8 availability. 15% of your cap on a player who is a backup, with poor avail is shotty asset management and I'd expect the Pens management would be shopping the player. The Penguins however still have 4.250m in cap space, leaving themselves room to take on contracts in trades to improve their roster. I don't hate this teams build, but they are likely praying Gren plays 5/8 on a weekly basis.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Best Contract
il_bambino96 ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
Cerkus11 ($4.500m)
Budz and VincentVael were busy in bidding, and some of the decisions are questionable to say the least. Despite some interesting contracts, the Leafs managed to get an absolute steal for 500k with goaltender il_bambino96. I fully expect bambino to establish himself as a top goaltender this season, and ultimately be one of the biggest steals from this seasons bidding. The aforementioned questionable decisions are topped with Cerkus11 at $4.500m. Unless I am completely unaware of this being a second tag, 4.5m on a dman who has played just 3 games in the PHL in his career is insane. For the Leafs sake I hope this guy is an undercover chel god. Aali's 2-5 avail stings, and the 9m price tag stings just as bad; but he is a very good player who will help this team immensely whenever he is in the lineup.
Washington Capitals
Best Contract
Dxrk9ness ($3.500m)
Worst Contract
One of the million 500k AHLers
Murph and Cory take over Washington where they seemingly bid on all of their friends, and will head into the season with.. *checks notes* $10.170m in cap space. What in the actual f**k. Dark at 3.5m is a steal if he ends up being the Caps #1 G, as he is a very good goaltender who will give them a chance to win every single game. The 500k army they've assembled would make sense if they were cap-strapped... but they've got over 10m sitting there. Why wasn't that spent on some of the top Dmen in bidding? I like the top end guys the Capitals have, but I'm just severely confused about their gameplan for bidding. Spend that dough, fellas.
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks
Best Contract
Semple19 ($3.000m)
Worst Contract
cujokilla99 ($3.000m)
Cam and Canoe spent a lot of money, and I'm honestly not a fan of how it was spent. Semple at 3m is a fantastic deal, but thats only if he can play 5/8 a week, at 2/8 its a little high. Either way he will contribute offensively for this team, and will lead the way with overkill2020. The Ducks spent $6.250m on Parky, and I believe he is worth that contract. Parky will be a fantastic number 1 goalie for the Ducks, and will 100% steal games for this team. The idea to then trade for cujokilla at 3m has them spending 9.250m on goalies alone, when they could have used that cap to improve their suspect offense. Expect low scoring games from this team, and expect parky to be standing on his head all season long.
Calgary Flames
Best Contract
Whiteyy31 ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
DrWally ($6.500m)
Binny and Loach come up from the AHL to take over Calgary, and with bidding coming to a close they still have $8.500m left in cap space. I feel like that could have been used to bring in a very good defensemen with full availability, but instead it will sit in the bank gathering dust alongside my bowflex. Remember bowflex? crazy. Whiteyy31 at 500k is a very good contract, and will help this team offensively from the blueline or from up front when needed. The 6.500m on both DrWally and Brxndamour, for 2-5/8 avail, is definitely questionable. Brindy can bring a lot of offense when hes available; but $6.5m for a 2-5/8 defensemen who brings more hits than offense is worrying. The bright side is they have lots of cap space, and can take on other bad contracts to move someone. I wish these boys the best of luck in their first season as NHL management!
Chicago Blackhawks
Best Contract
ChobanLacot ($3.500m)
Worst Contract
Eastern_Trooper ($5.000m)
Shayne and Kid take the reigns in Chicago, and will have a hard time replacing the offense LeCupidon brought to the organization in S20. Chicago will need Reapz to repeat his 70 goal 91 assist production from last season if they have hopes of battling valiantly in the west. Nabbing forward ChobanLacot for $3.5m is a great addition to help generate offense for this club. Meanwhile, 5m on a 2-5/8 defensemen in EasternTrooper doesn't make much sense, given the 4 million in cap space that could've been combined to bring in a true #1 dman with good availability. Their holes aside, this team has depth and will be a nuisance for everybody this season.
Colorado Avalanche
Best Contract
NoBlood777 ($3.500m)
Worst Contract
the-statistician ($9.000m)
Gonzo and 3eleven take over my old Avs, and boy were they busy in bidding. $19.500m later, and they have what looks like a pretty average squad. Their best, and most expensive player statistician is 2-5/8, and while he's extremely talented.. $9m for 2-5 games stings and makes little sense. NoBlood777 is a great pickup however, with him only costing them $3.5m for likely 8/8 he will be a main piece of this team going forward. jonnyross is a formidable defensemen in his own right, and was a fantastic pick by the Avs. I'm curious what Colorado's plans are moving forward, because as of now this doesn't look like a roster that's ready to challenge in the west for a stanley cup finals berth.
Dallas Stars
Best Contract
TheEllsProject ($0.937m)
Worst Contract
x_Jedi_x420 ($4.000m)
Castro returns with his Captain AndradeK, looking to make another cinderella run to the finals. The Stars lost their number one Dman Big_gren to free agency, and spent $6.5m in bidding trying to fill the whole. Ironically, if they saved money on their backup LW position and passed on the replacement Ds in bidding.. they could've brought Gren back; as he only went for $7m to Pittsburgh. I'm sure his availability was an issue, and I won't tell Castro how to GM considering he knocked my team out of the playoffs last season... so yeah. TheEllsProject at $0.937m is a steal and makes Jedi's $4m contract sting a little less. All in all, I expect this team to carry their energy from S20 over into S21 and be a force in the western conference.
Edmonton Oilers
Best Contract
Ma082ma ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
Mesmerize-_- ($8.000m)
Jewofcanada and wasteaway take over Edmonton, and build a team that would absolutely murder you in NHL 12. Unfortunately, it is 2021 and NHL 12 is sitting somewhere in my closet covered in weed residue from my stoner stage of 2013. The Oilers started their offseason selecting Ma082ma in the draft, and will have his services this season for just $0.500m. That fantastic contract slightly makes up for the atrocity that ensued in bidding. I'm sure Mes had a good laugh seeing himself at $8m. There's no cure for stupid, and that's exactly what this price tag is. Mes is an awesome team presence, and if he's given linemates with brains instead of mashed potatoes in the head.. he will be a highly productive forward. The price tag is just too high, and the $$ made surrounding him with competent linemates difficult. Mes will do his best to live up to this contract, but I feel it will be a tough year for the Oilers. I'm always happy when teams prove me wrong, just look at how hard I neglected Dallas last season. Good luck, Edmonton!
Los Angeles Kings
Best Contract
Johnnyrocco613 ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
zSpiers ($6.000m)
Patrick and Darknight roll into LA and leave $6.750m of capspace after bidding.. for some reason? I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this team is lacking heavily. The leftover cap couldve been used to bring in offensive help, and $6m on a goalie who's never played in the NHL is a risky thing to do. Locking up johnnyrocco for 500k was a lone bright moment for the Kings this offseason, but they will need him to be next level insane all season long to have a shot in the west. This roster is screaming for some high-skill talent, and I would expect the management duo will quickly realize this is an area they severely lack in. I'm wishing them the best of luck in a season I predict will be long and grueling.
Minnesota Wild
Best Contract
xDoughty8x ($4.000m)
Worst Contract
Insane_Hellfire ($8.000m)
Laddy and Chico take over Minny and their first order of business was drafting CobraDan12 19th overall. Dan will bring some much needed offense to the Wild, an area I believe will continue to be a problem. Minnesota managed to nab Doughty8 for only $4m, likely due to his availability. Despite his avail, he is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, and will be a humongous help to the Wild in generating offense from the blueline. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The Wild went out and spent $4m on raleigh, a dman who's never played in the NHL (although he does have respectable number in the A), and then a whopping $8m on Insane_Hellfire. Now Hellfire is a tremendous 2 way centreman, who will bring great value with his defensive play and strong faceoff abilities. This just feels to me like a missed opportunity to ball out on a play-driving, creative forward. You would lose out on Hellfire's defensive prowess, but this team needs offense badly.. and I feel like they should have pursued it harder.
Nashville Predators
Best Contract
DigitalSplashh ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
Lxppy-- ($5.500m)
My baby Avs are all grown up. After being the only part of the Colorado organization to not be a disappointment, Dud and Stam are bringing their management talents to the NHL. Fresh off a Calder Cup victory, Dud and Stam were right back at it bringing in former Eagles goaltender DigitalSpalshh with the 32nd pick in the S20 VGNHL draft. Digital will make just $0.500m this season, and a quick glance at his stats from last season will show that's an absolute steal. The only contract that's even remotely bad is Lxppy at 5.5m for 2-5/8 avail. Lxppy is a fantastic player, so even at this price with suspect avail.. it's still kinda worth it. I really like how this team is built, that's with my love for dud and stam not being a bias. They will be a problem for everybody in the west, and will be looking to go for back to back championships.
San Jose Sharks
Best Contract
ItsYoungBoog ($2.000m)
Worst Contract
Scredd91 ($8.500m)
Capitalsfan and Burnsfornorris create one of the most talented management duos in the NHL, and give San Jose a terrifyingly cheap #1 C and #1 D. All the Sharks management had to do was insulate themselves with competent players, and due to saving so much on themselves they were able to do that. LW ItsYoungBoog returns for just $2m, holding one of the best value contracts in the league. The value they save with his contract made it possible for them to bring in Scredd91 as a ridiculous replacement winger. $8.5m for 2-5/8 would normally make me laugh out loud, but the way in which this team is built.. this is just a slight overpayment to be the deepest offense in the league. The Sharks must have faith in Couture53 being a #1 RD, as no other help was brought in for that side. He is playing with the reigning Norris champ though... so I think he'll be fine. This team will be really good. Thats all I gotta say.
St. Louis Blues
Best Contract
newsy002qc ($2.500m)
Worst Contract
Toslick ($6.000m)
Rich and Vega aren't in Tronna anymore.... is this the upside down? The longtime Leafs management duo have taken their talents to St. Louis, in hopes that a conference change will bring some good fortune. Rich and Vega brought in plenty of familiar faces, some for better prices than others. The addition of #1 G newsy002qc at $2.5m is a fantastic move. Newsy will bring consistently strong goaltender to the Blues, and will routinely keep them in games. Offensively the biggest piece they added was good ol Toslick, for $6m. Now I am not a fan of 6m for a 2-5/8 slick, but he will bring goals and lots of them. Him being the "worst contract" bodes very well for the Blues. Another sneaky good addition was donkeyX for $4.5m, a consistent and offensive dman, who will add another layer of scoring for the Blues off the rush and on the powerplay. I like the build of this team, and I expect Rich and Vega are pretty happy with how the Blues turned out. Wishing these guys the best of luck this season!
Vancouver Canucks
Best Contract
bratqb7 ($0.500m)
Worst Contract
DirtyNewf613 ($8.500m)
Anheuser returns, and brings up Utica Comets goaltender Comeback__Kid to be his Captain. I have just one single word, actually more of a sound, to represent my feelings towards this roster. OOOOOOF. $6.5m left in capspace, $8.5m on a C who has never played more than 20 games in an NHL season, and giving your big $ man no support. Jesus where do I begin? Bratqb7 could end up being a nice pickup for 500k, he has some untapped offense that could help this squad. Other than that.. holy f**k. Boy do I ever feel for Newf, these guys need to bring in some reinforcements for the poor dude. I can't continue ripping on these guys, yall have some work to do. Until then they will be scraping the bottom of the west, with that $6.5m in capspace dragging them down.
Vegas Golden Knights
Best Contract
JHardy-94 ($1.500m)
Worst Contract
Krilla92 ($8.000m)
PNC and Kyle are running the show in Vegas, and for all of our sakes I'm happy it isn't burlesque. PNC will be skipping his way to the net each night with former Norris winner kylej83 suppressing opposing offences from picking his corners. Starting off with one of the best 2way defensemen in the league set up Vegas for what could've been a fantastic bidding. I must say, they didn't disappoint. Bringing in JHardy-94 for just $1.5m has me questioning the sanity of some NHL owners. With so many teams starved for offense.. how did this guy go for so cheap? Krilla at $8m isn't pretty and I'm sure he'd agree, but the value is nearly there, making the price tag only a slight overpayment. Acquiring EliteBeardedTTV wreaks of kyle, and for a 2nd round pick it's an absolute steal. A solid goalie tandem, one of the best defensemen in the league, and some scoring forwards? The Golden Knights will do just fine in the west this season.
Winnipeg Jets
Best Contract
Pennywise8803 ($1.000m)
Worst Contract
SMOKESHOWJOE ($8.500m)
King-Forrest returns to the NHL, alongside captain Lump_Rutherford. The tandem combines for a -380 in their careers, and leave lots to be desired offensively given their roles as wingers. This likely led to the colossal $8.5m bid on SMOKESHOWJOE. Now, Joe is a very strong goal-scoring centre, who will give this team a chance to win every time he's in the lineup. The lack of supporting cast however has me worried, and I am hoping Joe can continue his strong play to help carry this Jets offense. The one positive help he will have only costs the team $1m, and its Pennywise8803. The talented winger will join Joe and be a trusted piece in creating offense for this squad. I'm not very optimistic for this team, but they have the pieces to make something happen, and $3m in capspace when that also doesn't work. Goodluck, jets.
And that concludes my bidding recap! I'm excited to be back for Season 21 to bring you guys more garbage content like this. Please remember, all hate mail MUST be forwarded to xBudz87. Thank you, and stay sweaty VG. <3
