Not sure I like how this seasons blitz draft is..

[hokkeefan]

The original way was alot better ,all you needed to do was shorten draft time limits,i know this is the way it is this season but next season id prefer original way

[IceStorm70]

I think new way is awesome. Much more of a thinkers draft, plus it will speed up overall draft.

[LA Robbie]

This is my first draft so can't comment on how it was previously, but I think this is pretty awesome. Only thing I will agree on is that I don't see the problem with putting like 8 or 10 hour checkpoints in. Seems long enough to make a pick really. The SNES draft league seems to have shot through a season & a draft in no time at all. The pauses in the draft waiting for someone does kinda drain the excitement

[Guest Houli]

The original way was alot better ,all you needed to do was shorten draft time limits,i know this is the way it is this season but next season id prefer original way

i'm agree, so now we can pick a player who is usually taken 9th round in the 3rd round because everybody is already protected

[Guest Houli]

I think new way is awesome. Much more of a thinkers draft, plus it will speed up overall draft.

you are happy because you have a good team. Steve Smith and Brendan Shanahan in 4th round is crazy and a steal. Smith is defenitly a 2nd or 3rd round pick max.

[hokkeefan]

I think new way is awesome. Much more of a thinkers draft, plus it will speed up overall draft.

yeah more of thinking draft because no one is left after protection,so everyone that is stacked will keep there team over n over and no one will get a chance at good players except rd 1

Edited March 31, 2012 by hokkeefan

[IceStorm70]

Why should someone be punished that built a good team? I would wait and see before you assume there will be nothing but 9th rounders in the 3rd round.

You guys are criticizng the draft before we get halfway through it.

[IceStorm70]

everyone that is stacked will keep there team over n over

That my friend is called trade Karma right there. Can't count the number of times you had a very good team, even great before you thoroughly dismantled it.

Most recent case in point - Dynasty.

[smozoma]

You realize that the protection picks are spaced out based on previous draft results, so there are just as many players as normal to draft.

The one complaint I'd expect, though, is that towards the end of rounds 3/5/7, the choices are a bit limited because players are already protected, but no one will be taking a 9th rounder in the 3rd round. At worst a guy near the end of the 3rd will take a good 5th round player rather than a 3rd round calibre player who doesn't fit their team. (Round 1 is the same as in blitz 3 and 5)

However, this draft style removes the tendency in previous drafts that if you build a good team, it gets decimated the next season by people picking multiple players from your team in a single round. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you put together a bad team, it's harder to recover.

Anyway, we'll try it out this season and maybe go back to the old way next season.

[IceStorm70]

if you build a good team, it gets decimated the next season by people picking multiple players from your team in a single round.

Exactly why Hokkee doesn't like it. He never builds a good team, errr never ends up with a good team.

[LA Robbie]

You realize that the protection picks are spaced out based on previous draft results, so there are just as many players as normal to draft.

I think some of us are a little confused by something: Are our 4th round protected players already protected, or just after the 3rd round is over? Can a guy i'm protecting in the 4th round still be taken in round 3 or is my squad set already? Could I in theory offer my 6th & 8th round protect picks for trades safe in the knowledge that they're not going to be taken from me in rounds 5 and 7?

Like guys have said, it kind of stops guys like me who inherited a dire team from advancing them much (i.e. I'm currently seriously having to consider trading Mogilny because other wise it's going to be virtually a one-man team once the season starts)

[IceStorm70]

Smo has provided a list of players in rounds 2,4,6,8 and 10. From that list you choose one player from each 'round'. Those are now your players.

once this part of the draft is complete we move on to the normal picking part of the draft for the remainder of the draft (now called rounds 3,5,7,9,11).

I think part of the confusion is calling the prtection groups 'rounds' as opposed to something different.

Example, if I were Detroit (eeek) Here's who I would keep from each group (highlighted in bold)

DET 2 (F) Jimmy Carson , (F) Benoit Hogue , (F) Pat Verbeek

DET 4 (G) John Blue , (D) Eric Desjardins

DET 6 (D) Eric Weinrich , (F) Bobby Holik

DET 8 (D) Dana Murzyn , (F) Dale Hunter

DET 10 (F) Michal Pivonka , (G) Frank Pietrngelo , (D) Ken Daneyko

Detroit also selected Mogilny in the first round. SO now when we start the picking part of the draft here is who Detroit has alreadyon their team for season 8:

Mogilny, Carson, Desjardins, Weinrich, Hunter and Pivonka.

The rest of the players are now in the draft picking part.

[smozoma]

I think some of us are a little confused by something: Are our 4th round protected players already protected, or just after the 3rd round is over? Can a guy i'm protecting in the 4th round still be taken in round 3 or is my squad set already? Could I in theory offer my 6th & 8th round protect picks for trades safe in the knowledge that they're not going to be taken from me in rounds 5 and 7?

Like guys have said, it kind of stops guys like me who inherited a dire team from advancing them much (i.e. I'm currently seriously having to consider trading Mogilny because other wise it's going to be virtually a one-man team once the season starts)

At 5pm tonight, all the protections will be put in the database and you don't have to think about protecting anymore. When we're doing the 3rd round, the 4th round protections will already be taken out of the draft pool and will belong to your team (and you can trade them).

It does unfortunately make it a bit harder to turn a bad team around, but it also makes it harder for a well-built team to be picked apart.

[smozoma]

Mogilny, Carson, Desjardins, Weinrich, Hunter and Pivonka.

That is actually a pretty solid team base, I would say.

Yes, Icestorm is correct, giving the protection picks and draft rounds names of 4,6,8,10, and 3,5,7,9,11,12 is a bit confusing. the idea is that you will get a player of that round CALIBRE with that pick or protection.

[Guest Houli]

It does unfortunately make it a bit harder to turn a bad team around, but it also makes it harder for a well-built team to be picked apart.

yes! very hard to turn a bad team around, specially for the new coaches in the A lg.

[smozoma]

as for this poll, i'd rather redo it after the draft is actually finished.

[LA Robbie]

OK, so I can offer, for example, Pivonka as part of my trades right now, because he's confirmed as protected despite us not having reached round 10

[LA Robbie]

That is actually a pretty solid team base, I would say.

I don't think you'll find another coach in Blitz who'd be prepared to swap squads with me! lol

[smozoma]

OK, so I can offer, for example, Pivonka as part of my trades right now, because he's confirmed as protected despite us not having reached round 10

you can

I don't think you'll find another coach in Blitz who'd be prepared to swap squads with me! lol

I think there'd be a couple, actually

not saying the team is great, but it's not that bad. a top-5 forward with breakaway speed and a dangerous one-timer shot, carson's big shot (late 2nd round calibre player), and 2 respectable D. a goalie in the 3rd, and an unfortunately weak forward in the 5th.

[Carse]

I've had my good teams picked apart over the 6 seasons up to now where my team is sh*t.. and now I am forced to protect borderline 6th rounders in the 4th round

[mav]

I've had my good teams picked apart over the 6 seasons up to now where my team is sh*t.. and now I am forced to protect borderline 6th rounders in the 4th round

i know how u feel

[IceStorm70]

I've had my good teams picked apart over the 6 seasons up to now where my team is sh*t.. and now I am forced to protect borderline 6th rounders in the 4th round

Wtf u crying about, russ courtnall is sitting out there for u to take, oooops u traded down Housely bondra list of talented F 's go n and on, plus u chose to take Iafrate in First instead of a F.

Smo grouped them based on average draft positions in past drafts, so not sure how ur saying 4th rounders are marginal 6 th rounders

[LA Robbie]

Been havin a look through the player list in anticipation of my 3.21 pick when it comes round in 4 or 5 days. lol. There are actually some really useful players left in there that are going to pass over into the 5th & 7th rounds for sure. I think there seems to be a good spread of talent afters rounds 1 & 2, & the clever pickers & traders are going to end up ok at the end i'm sure. Great job Smozoma!.............(Ahem. Checkpoints please. Cough cough). lol

[dcicon5148]

I've had my good teams picked apart over the 6 seasons up to now where my team is sh*t.. and now I am forced to protect borderline 6th rounders in the 4th round

Agreed.

[Carse]

I think it'd be good to give guys a few more trades this season due to the new format. People are forced to protect players they may not want, or trade that protection pick away. Either way, that is at least 1 or 2 trades lost right off the bat. It might make more sense to have a rule like "each team gets 5 transactions" instead of 7 total items moved.

Thoughts?

[dcicon5148]

sounds reasonable to me

[LA Robbie]

All I know is I started with a big pile of average after last season. Got the opportunity to add Mogilny in RD1 but still had no depth. I've made 2 trades that have benefited me no end despite having to lose both Carson & Mogilny. This trade method has worked very well for me. I can see how it would hurt the squads that are stacked to begin with because you're forced to kiss goodbye to some guys you really wanna keep, but surely that's good for competition each season right?

You're still able to keep the base of a good team and then add to that in the draft.

[smozoma]

I think it'd be good to give guys a few more trades this season due to the new format. People are forced to protect players they may not want, or trade that protection pick away. Either way, that is at least 1 or 2 trades lost right off the bat. It might make more sense to have a rule like "each team gets 5 transactions" instead of 7 total items moved.

Thoughts?

no can do

part of the problem before was guys could take the depth out of their team one season, and then let the draft even things out the next season (and the opposite, strong teams got picked apart because other than round 1, you can lose multiple guys per round)

[smozoma]

I thought about this some more after posting it, and decided, I'll do away with the 7 total maximum, the restriction is simply, 5 protections/players and 5 picks.

[RedWingDevil]

There are some interesting scenarios played with this draft system and some people can do some crazy things in order to shape their teams. I'd say it's like parity with a twist or two here and there.

It won't be so bad if it survives for more than just one season.