Visiting the Office Of...Cisco Valle

Welcome to the second edition of "Visiting the Office Of...", an interview series brought to you by the Elite Hockey Experience.

This time around, we sat down with Detroit Red Wings GM Cisco Valle.

Enjoy!

So Cisco, when did you join the Elite Hockey Experience? 
 
I have been here since the very beginning when Kevin was thinking about creating a league, see I have known Kevin (The Commish/The Head Hancho/The Big Cheese/The Big Kahuna/The Bigwig) since middle school!

Have you been in, or are you still in, any sim hockey leagues? If so, which ones? 
 
I am currently in two others, one being the very first one I ever joined and that one I swear has been going on for about 10 years. I am an OG in that league as I was one of the original 3, though not exactly sure what's going on in that league anymore, if its dead or not. Then they branched out from that league and made another new league with some of the same GM's but not sure what's going on there at the moment either lol.

Names of the leagues are TUFHL and TUFHL2 haha
 
What do you remember about the EHE inaugural draft? You had a middle pick (19th) in what was a snake-style draft, which must have had some real pros and cons. 
 
Yea it was really hard to know exactly what route I would take when it came to my pick in the draft. At the time I knew I wasn't going to be able to draft a franchise player like a Crosby/Malkin/Kane/Tavares etc or a stud defender to build around like a E.Karlsson and build from the backend.

I have always loved Russian players ever since I was little, my favorite player growing up was Fedorov and also loved Pavel Bure. When I was up to pick and saw Tarasenko was there it was a no brainer to go with a Sniper like him to build my offense around.
 
Overall, how did things go during your first season in the GM's chair?
 
First season was horrible as I had one of the youngest teams if not the youngest in the league, and I decided to build for the future and had some growing pains because of it the first few seasons. First season I went 10-23-4 and ended up 3rd last just behind Minnesota and Boston. 

What sucks is that at the Draft I was hoping to have a top 3 pick to draft either McDavid/Eichel or Ekblad. But Nashville won the lottery and moved up all the way to 1st overall, bumping me down to 4th overall. I used that on Strome because of his potential, figured he could be my #1 center for years next to Tarasenko. But I was never really sold on him, and shortly after I was able to flip him in a deal for Draisaitl which has helped turn my franchise around. He has been my top center the last few seasons and has created awesome chemistry with Kucherov and Tarasenko.

It's obvious you value the entry draft considering the Red Wings have made 36 picks in just four seasons. Would you say building a great team requires making a lot of picks? Or do you think it's possible to construct a winner in the EHE just through trades and free agency?
 
I have always been a believer that you build a strong team through the draft. (If you draft wisely of course.) The more picks you have the bigger chance you have of drafting a stud, even if its in the lower rounds. But draft picks in this league are usually gold when it comes to draft day, as certain teams see a player that has fallen and will trade you future picks that are in higher rounders for your current pick which could be a few rounds lower. I have been able to get a few high picks that way, like a future 2nd rounder for say a 4th and 5th or something. 

This is just my philosophy but there are GMs who want success right away and may not have the patience to see their picks pay dividends, and that is fine. But that's also because they are good in making trades to get those players they need to help them win now and have succeeded that way.

In my original league that I was in (or still am if the league is still alive?) I did the same exact philosophy and I ended up using my picks/minor trades and a few major ones over all those years to turn my team into a great franchise. My team in that league has been one of the top teams the last few seasons, winning the cup this past season and 2 seasons before that. So 2 Cups, and was going into the 2nd round of the playoffs before the league went into hibernation.

See if I join a league I am in it for the long haul and have the patience for my draft picks to pay off. I'm okay with going through growing pains if it means it could pay off down the road for a very long time.

Speaking of patience, you've made just 27 trades in four seasons, and held onto Kucherov, Tarasenko, Trocheck, Boeser, and Draisaitl for their entire EHE careers so far. Was it always your plan to build the Wings with such an emphasis on stability? 

I just don't believe in making trades to just make them for the hell of it, if there is no need to trade a good player then why trade them? 

A thing I have learned from being in sims for a long time now is that I get really attached to certain of my players, especially younger players who I think will turn out to be good. I am always more willing to move a older player who may be good than a younger player with potential. But that's just me. I never really go into full rebuild mode, but more of a retool. At least, I've never been in the situation where I have had to go into full rebuild. For me to pull a trade I have to see some kind of benefit for my franchise now and in the long run, unless its a trade that's simply for a playoff push. 

I also think a part of me having completed very few trades in this league is because I already have that core group I should be building around, especially since they are all still young and have so much more left to give. I'm also hoping to win a cup with that core.
 
Back in 2016-17 the Wings made their only playoff appearance, losing in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Senators. At the time it looked like you had a team on the rise, but unfortunately they missed the postseason in 2017-18. That had to be disappointing.

Making the playoffs in 16/17 was a bit of surprise for me, especially since my goalie was Cam Ward and aside from Krug and Vatanen I had no defense at the time haha. Not making the playoffs the season after wasn't disappointing because I felt like we just weren't there yet to be considered a playoff team, or at least a playoff team to do any kind of damage. It was Hellebuyck's first year too with the starting job so we didn't want to put so much pressure on his shoulders. But after that season of experience we feel he's ready to carry our team.

So with the Big Four still in place—and Kucherov the defending Hart and Art Ross trophy winner—is it playoffs or bust in Motown this season?

I feel like if we don't make the playoffs this season it will for sure be a let down especially with Hell in net, the 3 good forward lines and depth we have on offense.

Also our defense is playing really well for us, especially for not having a #1 or #2 defender, but they are all playing hard and we are actually tied for the 2nd fewest goals allowed in the whole league with 44. Especially since they said that would be my weakest link, and who knows it may still be, so we will definitely be looking at help in that area as we continue our push for playoff glory.

I think adding Boeser to our core 4 along with Dadonov making our top 6 dangerous will help us this year. Adding those 2 guys has helped coach Yeo push down players to the 3rd line like Drouin/Tuch and Dvorak, which has helped balance out our offense. 

If we don't make playoffs this year its for sure a huge letdown and feel like a complete bust.

Your farm affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, have the second-most wins in the AHL over the last three seasons (142). How have you maintained that level of excellence? Is it simply a matter of filling the organization with quality talent through strong drafting, or do you seek out specific AHL players to bolster the team?

I have always felt that having a great AHL team is a positive thing. Having all those draft picks these past few seasons has definitely helped push talent through our pipeline, and we feel that giving them that experience and chance to lead the Griffins with a major role helps them get step up for success when they eventually join the Wings.

It also helps when you have such a great scouting team that we have had since day one. Guys that we have retained over the years that other teams have tried to take from us like Jack Mehoff, Semore Butz, Holden Makok, Harry Bush, Hugh Johnson and Stu Padaso they have been able to bring in such great talent to our organization.

Reid Boucher, who we have had since day one, is #1 in some AHL career categories such as points (215), plus-minus (+94), game winning goals (23), and shots (896). Also he is currently 2 goals away from taking over in goals, and 11 helpers from taking over in that category. 

I have been able to sign 1 or 2 small free agents who usually play a big role in my AHL plans, but our goal is to bring up prospects every season and give them important roles to play in helping our team be successful.

Despite all the regular season success, the Griffins still haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs. Do you think there's a particular reason for this?

Honestly I think we have just hit hot teams at the wrong time and from looking over past seasons our offense just seems to disappear when it matters most. I'm hoping having some injection of youth these kids will be hungry to bring a championship for the first time to the Griffins.

Over your time in the league, which trade have you pulled off that you're most proud of?

There are a few that come to mind, but I think time will tell which one will turn out to be the most important one for this franchise. 

- Krug for Boeser and Bowey (It gave us a top line winger and a young defender who we hope in time will step into our top 6.)

-Strome for Draisaitl (We gave up a potential top line center at the time for one that was showing signs of becoming one and luckily for us he did.)

- Mrazek for Adam Fox and a 1st (1st ended up being Erik Brannstrom.)

Any trades you wish you could take back?

Yea one that comes to mind is moving William Karlsson to Minnesota for their 1st round pick. At the time Karlsson wasn't showing signs that he could be a top 6 forward but more of a bottom 6 with chances to contribute from time to time. We thought we could use another 1st rounder to help stock up our defensive cupboard, and we ended up drafting Jake Bean who may still turn out to a be a good one (he currently sits with 23 points in 37 AHL games). But could you imagine if I had Karlsson down the middle still?  Draisaitl/Trocheck and Karlsson!

What advice would you give to a GM just starting out in the EHE?

Be patient for sure! If there is someone on your trade block your looking to move, don't just move him on the 1st offer you get from someone. Shop him around especially if its a piece that could bring in some great assets to your organization. Example being when I shopped Krug I had a few offers and it wasn't till Nashville came calling and we worked out a deal for Boeser and Bowey that I knew it was too good of an offer to pass up. 

Also don't be afraid to reach out to another fellow GM and see what they think of your trade offer that you have on the table. Sometimes a second set a of eyes is good to notice things you may be blinded by simply cause the deal sounds good. I have a few GMs I talk to or they reach out to me and ask me for advice. I think its always great to talk trade and help a fellow GM out on what could be a snoozer of a trade, or something to good too pass up on.

Grab your crystal ball and look at the state of the Red Wings three years from now. What do you see?

Honestly if we can get in two top 2 defenders this could be a very dangerous team for a few years. I'm hoping to at least have achieved a conference final visit and to drink out of the cup!

And since we're looking into the future, how about a prediction: Will anyone ever beat Nikita Kucherov's record of 117 points in a single season?

I sure hope not, we would like to keep Kuch in the record books haha I mean, we have had in previous seasons players like Benn and Kane get close to the 110 mark, but Kucherov was just on fire last season. And it helped that he was on the #1 line in the league with Tarasenko and Draisaitl. I say yes eventually someone may, but we are keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't haha

Well, that's all the time we have for now, Cisco. Thanks so much for the insights, and good luck this season! 

Kyle, its been a pleasure bud as always! Thank you for letting me the next GM in your segment of "Visiting the office" its been fun!

Previous entries in the series;

Shaun Stephens, St. Louis Blues (December 2018)