OPINION: Review of each GM in the BLHL Mid-season Year 5

We seem to have a hierarchy in the league, starting with the seemingly unbeatable guy at the top. At the end of the day, everyone’s capable of improving and working on stuff and I am very opinionated, so here’s what I think each GM can work on to improve their standing in the league. Keep in mind, of course, that I only have a limited understanding of everyone and can only judge based on how you play on stream and against me. None of this is personal and can’t be taken as absolute fact. Feel free to skip to your own review if you’d like but you may find other GMs’ weaknesses if you read theirs. If it’s unclear how you can improve, you’ll surely find examples in other team reviews.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

George is as new to the game as he is to the league. His defense transfers over from his time playing NHL20 and keeps him afloat most games but he struggles to get the puck back with this style, in my experience. Offensively, he likes high-slot shots but those aren’t as high-percentage as other plays. He needs a lot of things to go his way for games to work at times but if you can’t solve his defense or maintain possession, he’ll give you a hard time. He needs to expand his arsenal of offensive plays and figure out how to adjust to a strong forecheck. A new player like this is the most likely to break out of habits and so I expect improvement from a team already on the playoff bubble. That’ll be scary, considering the team he has to work with.

ARIZONA COYOTES

The Coyotes are extremely mediocre. That being said, the player behind the team is one of the best and no one will argue that, with 3 straight cup final appearances. He’s kept his OK team competitive by retooling but has used prospects to enable that. Prospects that he’s run out of. It’ll be interesting to see how Chacha approaches the coming seasons. A rebuild may be necessary because if this team keeps dropping off, he’s gonna find it harder to make the finals than it has been for him so far. As far as gameplay goes, he has many options he switches between offensively and has a very balanced defensive strategy. You just need to play very well or get lucky to beat him. There aren’t many openings here. You’ll find patterns on what he likes to go for and it isn’t impossible to cover all his options but he doesn’t make it easy.

BOSTON BRUINS

The Bruins like to hold the puck behind them to draw penalties and promote possession. That’s one of the few things he can really accomplish with such an awful team though. He’s going to be on the playoff bubble this year but should improve in the coming seasons. With Cactus dropping out of the league, Tanguay has a shot but everything is an uphill battle for this poor soul. Like I said, he plays extremely possessive offensively and will be looking for one-timers in the slot or pullbacks. That’s about all you can do with a team like that, realistically. He will struggle mightily to manage a comeback if you play tight defensively. A more dynamic approach will mix up his opponents but there’s only so much I can suggest he try with a team like that. The future is brighter.

BUFFALO SABRES

David is mad at me, I think. That and the new controller would probably be the best explanation for this incredible run of over 20 wins in a row. David’s eyes are on Cyber this season and he is fully intent on taking me out in the playoffs. I’m not super confident because this guy is patient. He will wait for you and your AI to commit to something and he will find the opening. I believe you’re best off collapsing because he handles aggression so well. Defensively, he mostly collapses and so back-passes work quite well but he mixes it up. He has a deadly team but his goalie is a small weakness to exploit. He’s going to give mostly everyone trouble. Only Cyber has any right feeling confident and even then, who knows. David just needs to stop going for dumb gimmicks and keep focused and he can probably do it.

CALGARY FLAMES

This is a counterattack team. If you have ever watched his stream, you know that he mostly just scores off the rush. Teams need to play safer hockey and make sure Brad doesn’t get opportunities to capitalize on like that, and Brad needs to improve his awful offensive zone pressure. They usually end in point shots and the other team heading into his zone. He needs to mix up his offense and threaten more options. His powerplay is impotent and he knows it but just gets up to play another game the same way. Play simple and passive and you should beat him until he mixes things up.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

Unfortunately, this is a new GM that I can’t comment on just yet. It seems that he’s struggling a bit early on but we’ll have to wait and see how things shape up for Tejota with a larger sample size.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Abe has been left behind. He has the worst roster in the league and would be last if not for the goblin running Edmonton. His breakouts are actually solid but he’s brutal at scoring. His wraparounds are hardly threatening and very predictable. There may be too much to work on before relegation and his team isn’t particularly capable of helping him out.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

A very simple style similar to Brad. He’s solid defensively but Felix’s execution may trail Brad by just a bit. He manages big wins at times but struggles against some of the non-playoff teams. That and his frequent hiatuses really seem to hurt his standing in the league. He just needs to continue working on offensive plays because his options feel limited and too careful. Don’t let him out on a 2 on 1 and you should be alright more often than not but he’s still capable in the offensive zone.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

I’ve played Raph once since his return and he seemed to play quite different from how I remember. I expect a strong performance out of Columbus for many years but don’t have much to comment on regarding his style just yet. Just make sure to take him seriously for now. I believe he likes to cut across and take a far side slapshot. That’s about all I can say.

DALLAS STARS

He always beats Barcs and always loses to Felix. Pooey is an enigma. Like most of the league, he really does need to win faceoffs but he’s successful on the counterattack so he gets along fine even with next to no possession. He’s very good at beating you down the wing and doesn’t need an odd-man rush to convert quickly. He wastes no time in the offensive zone which gives him the chance to convert more often than most. His defense is fairly aggressive and exploitable at times but still very effective. I think that if he’s better at picking up loose pucks and maintaining possession in the offensive zone after his quick attacks, and he improves his faceoff win percentage, the guy can climb the standings pretty quickly. Because his plays need to be a quick counterattack, he will rarely slow down when transitioning to offense. Capitalize on that by stopping him in his tracks.

DETROIT RED WINGS

The Red Wings play a fairly balanced style but don’t take many high-percentage shots. Misfortune will often cost them games until they mix in deadlier wristshots. Pears has taken a large step back this season but when comparing his performance in the playoffs to my games with him this season, I hardly recognize the guy. This is a good opportunity for metamorphosis and experimentation to see what works.

EDMONTON OILERS

I feel like it’s clear that this guy isn’t taking this season too seriously. Nadda’s very good offensively and competent defensively when he wants to be. I feel like defense isn’t the pace he wants the game to be at and so he’s awfully aggressive when he doesn’t care, which is most of the time. It’s hard for me to effectively comment on him when he almost never actively participates in his games (massacres) with me but his offense forces you to keep up. Don’t overcommit but make sure to cut off options. He’s trying to make space. He has the best team in the league by a mile so it’s frustrating not seeing him trying to adjust defensively and get the results, but I expect him to take a big step forward in 2 seasons, if not next season. For now, enjoy the free wins over him.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

You see the guy’s record and you think “ah he’s OK” but he’s much better than OK and a clear top 10 player in the league. His dynamic style is threatening and he is a great example of a guy that mixes things up. Everything is perfectly balanced in his game but he needs to improve execution just a bit when competing with the top top guys. If you have a game with him, make sure to take him seriously and cover everything. It’s always a clean game with Habby and if he’s on his game, you need to make sure you are too. He’s in the middle of a retool but very much in the hunt. If he misses the playoffs, it’ll be due to the infamously high number of games he doesn’t show up for. I’m sure he’ll step up if he’s forced to.

LOS ANGELES KINGS

With a dynamic offense similar to Habby’s and my own, Bolt can score in a few different ways and plays cleanly. He’s solid in faceoffs and has a balanced defense. He likely struggles to get through tight D and prefers for you to come at him so that he can make his way around you. Keep close but not too close and he’ll be struggling. I think he needs all-around improvement in his movement to get people to move out of his way and needs to employ strategies to make it so opponents can’t just collapse on him. He’s great but needs to take another step forward.

MINNESOTA WILD

Thurman is solid defensively but offensively, he seems to struggle. This is one of the GMs I have the least experience playing but I find aggression usually gets me the puck back. If a lot of guys are on him, he doesn’t have much of an answer most of the time. I think he needs to work on his movement most as I find he usually comes in slowly and with few angles.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

I’m working on mixing things up more than anything. At the end of the day, you need to see what your opponent is doing and react accordingly. I am best at being aggressive so if you give me space, I’m happy. Back-passes are a go-to for me and mix guys up beautifully. I think one of the scariest things you can do is threaten one option and quickly move to another option. It makes it hard for opponents to adjust and forces quick reactions. You don’t want them to know what you’re going to do. If you ever feel someone has the edge, it’s likely because they try to threaten more options than you do and you’re having trouble keeping up. You can’t go down the ice the same way for a 5th time and expect it to work. I’m not the best at many of the things I do but I do many different things and that’s what matters most. My faceoff percentage is also key. I very frequently have a large faceoff edge and that gives me possession that you should be trying for. If you want help with your faceoffs, there’s a rock-paper-scissors trick to it that not everyone seems to know so if you don’t, ask me about it. Make sure to mix up your faceoff options, if nothing else, and you’ll start with the puck more often against me and most others.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Another new guy that I only have so much to say on. I feel he outclasses the rest of the central besides Dallas and St. Louis and fully expect him to make the playoffs this season. I haven’t caught on to habits yet but Ronich seems to play fairly standard with good execution. Take him seriously.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Imagine me giving Cyber advice… The guy’s nuts and honestly, he usually doesn’t go all out. Offensively, you need to get him to stutter up if you wanna get in the zone but his pokes are super accurate so he’ll cut off most options. I find success with back-passes and I stay on him defensively. You can’t give him too much space by collapsing but he will laugh if you skate right at him. This guy is the perfect example of a guy with a ton of options. You look at your fellow GMs and see a distinct “style” but this guy has a massive decision tree and goes out of his way to keep you guessing. Strive to improve on different offensive plays if you even dream of catching up to this guy.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Plays based on how he wakes up that morning and lately, he’s been a threat. When he’s going, he’s dynamic and deadly offensively. For the past, what, 2 seasons (?), he’s been going for random slapshots and hardly participating in his games. At his peak, he will be very creative in the offensive zone with dekes and different shots and has given me plenty of trouble in the past. He needs to keep that up if he wants to make the playoffs. I have faith in this guy and wouldn’t be surprised if he took a game off me this season after scoring 0 goals in 3 games against me last season. Welcome back, Rosario. Keep it up.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Brennan’s fairly good at a few things but a step below his competition right now, I think, though he may be better than I’m giving him credit for. Has the core elements you need to compete but should take this season to pick up on what others are doing and implement it into his game. He’s doing quite well for someone transferring over from the modern games and just needs to avoid bad habits and see what works and what doesn’t. Experiment and you’ll be competing for a spot next season but it’s probably out of the question this season after inheriting a metro team with such a bad record. He’s been around .500 since joining so he’s up there. I’ve only played him a couple times but he seems to play a clean, all-around game, as one should.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Phil’s solid but probably needs to come in with more speed. I also feel like he hardly stick handles and that makes his offense easier to deal with. Defensively, he’s strong with the poke. I don’t think this is a year. Hone a few more skills and next year may very well be the year of the Phil. He’s right around the Rangers but likely has more bad habits. Needs to be open to adding stuff to his game because this won’t be enough on its own.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

I really can’t say a whole lot here. He seemed to do alright against me so I think he may be under-performing here but he’ll need to improve a lot if he wants to compete. Thankfully, that Giroux trade will definitely make the rebuild a bit quicker. The east and especially the metro is super tough though so he’ll have to take improvement seriously.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Although I hate the style, the man threatens MANY options. Nordet’s very good with the breakout passes, holds his stick back to make defenders flat-footed, when running out of options he shoots low to find deflections and rebounds, and is solid with his wristshots. Defensively, he plays a balanced style and is an all-around good player with a strong team.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

Twa has a strong defense coupled with good execution on one-timers. As he walks along the boards, he sometimes cuts to the slot for a wrister. He’s very much in and out and won’t hang around your zone. With how little he hesitates offensively, he usually hasn’t set up a whole lot and you’ll have a rush the other way. If you keep things fast, he’ll often bend. Twa needs to be able to play a little slower and threaten with cycles because a clogged middle gets him pretty good.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

This guy is so good. The problem is that he certainly has a style and doesn’t like to rush a play. He wants a play he can be confident in and won’t take many risks to get things moving quicker. This often makes it so he corners himself and runs out of options once he’s set up. Given that he plays this way and is very good, his specialty is in reading your plays and reacting accordingly. He is incredible at cycling and can find good one-timers while mixing in deflections. His biggest problem is his lack of comeback potential and his simplifying of the game. He adds a lot of variance to his game but forces the game to be played in a way that he’s comfortable with. Barcs will be deadlier as soon as he becomes better at finding spots where he should take more risks and go for a quick offensive push. Once he does that, he might be able to win the league.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

I have never lost to this man. Not once in about 40 games. And it’s simple why, really. Rick is actually quite good offensively but he is brutal defensively. He defends very aggressively and cannot stop a rush whatsoever. He needs to learn how to cut off angles and mitigate rushes and as soon as he does that, guys will be dropping games to him left and right. Think about how often he scores 3 or 4 on you and tell me I’m wrong. He also needs to improve his faceoffs. If you’re struggling against him, you need to improve your execution on rushes because he doesn’t do anything to make it hard on you.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

He’s certainly doing better and defends quite well but his offense still feels inconsistent and messy. It feels like he just gets to spots and takes shots. Nothing feels methodical, as though there’s no intention behind the plays. I think Reaper needs to be a little more proactive and perhaps mix up his breakouts and zone entries. I don’t see him making it this year. He’s had a couple of rough sims and the east won’t let him get away with it unless he gets going in a big way. I’d love to see that timeline though.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

EZ feels like playing an AI. Infinitely better than the in-game AI, of course, but it’s still very robotic. He cuts in fairly predictably and it’s not hard to trap him in the corner he’ll inevitably find himself in. You can usually cut off his options with an effectively distanced pokecheck. Defensively, there isn’t a whole lot to exploit and he keeps things reactive, as one should. As reactive as he is defensively, he needs to be more reactive offensively as well. He seems to have a plan every time and you can’t really play like that if you’re going to succeed at the top level, the barrier he’s trying to break. At this rate, he’s a candidate to be knocked out by Anaheim if he doesn’t improve on these issues, in my opinion. He is still favored though until people adjust to his style and as long as he’s as good at what he does as he is.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Talk about making a splash. Rebuilding and sitting 4th in the league. Cobra’s unreal and plays the reactive style you need to have in the BLHL. He seems to have a large decision tree and takes shots from many spots. He keeps you guessing, as far as I can tell in my minimal experience with him. He’s a top guy and certainly for real. Another guy that keeps things honest. He’s going to find out what works and play that way. He has everything a top player needs….except a good team.

WINNIPEG JETS

Similar to Rick, Chellpro is quite bad defensively while running a solid offense. His defense is incredibly easy to exploit as he just runs at you aimlessly. This, along with his faceoffs are massive flaws that will keep him near the bottom until they improve and that’s not up for debate. It’ll be a tough habit to break but it needs a COMPLETE revamp. All you need to do is pay attention to what other guys are doing and try your best to pick up on it and your results will improve substantially. Until that happens, I think this team is in relegation territory.

PERSONAL POWER RANKINGS (Considers roster strength)

DEVILS
CANADIENS
SABRES
CAPITALS
COYOTES
BLUES
PANTHERS
PENGUINS
KINGS
BLUE JACKETS
STARS
OILERS (if he weren’t tanking)
SHARKS
ISLANDERS
CANUCKS
FLAMES
BRUINS
PREDATORS
RED WINGS
RANGERS
DUCKS
MAPLE LEAFS
SENATORS
AVALANCHE
LIGHTNING
FLYERS
WILD
JETS
BLACKHAWKS

HURRICANES CAN’T YET BE RANKED