Visiting the Office Of...Brandyn Errickson

After one hell of a hiatus, "Visiting the Office Of..." is finally back in business, taking you in-depth with the general managers of the Elite Hockey Experience.

This time around it's a chat with Brandyn Errickson of the Los Angeles Kings.

Enjoy!

So Brandyn, when did you join the Elite Hockey Experience?

I joined the EHE in early December 2017.

Did you have any prior experience with sim hockey?

I did. I started sim hockey around 1998/1999 while I was still in high school. I found an incredible league of devoted guys called the WFHA, World Faceoff Hockey League. The league started sometime in the early/mid 90's amongst mostly friends in Canada. I believe, the initial draft was done in person among the 16 GMs. Originally it was a FaceOff simulator hockey league, but it was transitioning to the newer (at the time), FHL sim when I joined. Admittedly, the team I took over was incredibly stacked and I didn't know what I was doing. I just knew that I liked to watch hockey and enjoyed simming seasons on NHL 1998 on PlayStation.

Being from Tampa, FL we didn't get a lot of NHL coverage down here back then. So, I knew mostly Lightning players and Dallas Stars players since my favorite player at the time, Ed Belfour, played for them. I had some seriously stacked teams, but never could win the big one, even though I made the playoffs every season.

The league was around until 2009 when we all decided that the FHL sim was outdated and the original commissioner decided he no longer could run the league. I actually took over the league and turned it into a STHS league at that time. We were around another few years before life got in the way and I had to shut it down.

Besides that, I've been in numerous "flash in the pan" leagues that died off after a couple seasons and I took a break for a few years before finding the EHE.

What was the state of the Kings franchise when you took over?

On the ice some might say they were in a better position at the time than they are now and I'd be hard press to argue that. The team was in the playoff hunt and wound up making it as the 7th seed, I believe. I actually stole the first game of the series against Vegas but then got pounded in the following 4 games.

There was a definite core of players in Stamkos, Gaudreau, Forsberg, Arvidsson, Werenski, and Parayko, but the draft picks were depleted and for the most part, the prospects were nobodies. I saw deficiencies when I took over the team and tried to make changes in those areas.

How do you look back on your first season in the GM's chair, then?

It was a learning experience for sure. I was quite hesitant to make any trades as I was trying to feel out my fellow GM's and get a grasp on player's value. I did make a couple of small trades before the deadline but nothing too monumental. I was happy to keep the team in the playoff hunt and pretty much got what I expected from Vegas.

Your track record of trades isn't terribly long by EHE standards, and I think you've done an excellent job elsewhere of explaining your mindset on that front. Having said that, you do seem to have a penchant for swinging significant goalie deals.  Is there any particular reason for that?

Thanks for the kind words, Kyle. I do seem to be one of the more hesitant or stingy GM's in the EHE when it comes to trading. I figured my goaltending trades would be brought up as well and it is interesting to look at my trades and see most of the have had goaltenders involved. Most of them have been done out of necessity like the deal for Lehtonen, and both Domingue deals, otherwise it's been done to maximize my assets.

The Lundqvist to NYR deal came about as I knew my team wasn't going to make any damage in the playoffs and Henrik was an UFA at seasons end. I got a former first round pick for him in Slater Koekkoek who might one day do something in the NHL as well as a 2nd round pick, so I felt pretty good about that move.

I signed Bishop at a really fair price that offseason and I thought him and Grubauer would be my tandem for years to come, but my team underperformed last season and at the deadline I floated the idea that either of them could be moved. I figured if I could get a good prospect and a first-round pick then I’d make the move. I got the best offer for Bishop and took it. I really like what I've seen of Hague in the NHL and the first-round pick netted me another young defender in Thomas Harley, so I feel like it was a great move for me again.

My initial plan of having Grubauer as my #1 goalie didn't pan out and after having Voracek on the block for years (literally), Thomas came along and offered up Rask and I thought that was too good to pass up on.

Speaking of which, do you have any early thoughts on how that deal has worked out? Your team is still right in the playoff hunt, and Rask's numbers have been excellent.

It was no secret that I had been looking to move Voracek. Nothing ever materialized for a younger forward or significant drat capital and Grubauer’s numbers as my main goalie weren’t great so I decided to change up what I was looking for in return. Thomas reached out with Rask as the main piece coming back and I was intrigued. Rask was underperforming for Chicago and Voracek was doing the same for us (6 points -11 in 17 games) and we were able to get a deal done over a couple days.

Again, I’m stingy and probably not the easiest GM to talk trades with, so it took a bit longer than it probably should’ve. I think the trade has worked out for both of us. Voracek has scored a lot more for Thomas and Rask has really played well for us.

The Kings are a big part of the league presence on Twitter, with @ehe_lakings posting regular game updates--and the occasional trash talk. Are you still having fun with it over in that corner of the internet?

*Sigh* Ugh…somewhat. 

I started off writing mini game articles the day after the games were done and I enjoyed it. But after bringing up the possibility of getting rewarded (with the hope that more GM’s would do it if there was a reward) for doing it was basically turned down I decided that it was way too much work.

More recently I’ve just gone to more stats-based review tweets. I remember back in my first league I had a team website, I created a logo, jersey, the whole nine, but I also had a lot more time on my hands. I like making the league seem a bit more real and taking it outside of just the EHE website and forum.

I hope to continue the twitter account, but we’ll see what happens.

Which GM do you think would make the best addition to the EHE Twitterverse?

There’s a few of us out there that make pretty good use of it.

Thomas makes good use of it with his trade rumors and other announcements. Ian does a great job of posting his team lines and other team related info. Doug is a master when it comes to digital art and his all-star jersey tweets were great. Of course, you do a good job with the Sharks twitter and I enjoy going back and forth with you in gif form.

If I could pick one GM, I’d probably go with Cisco in Detroit. I mean he won the league last year and has made some great trades this year. I think it would be interesting to see what he could come up with on twitter for his team.

I would’ve said Adam in Boston, but he does enough with the EHE podcast already.

Under your watch, the Kings' AHL affiliate has come a long way (both literally and figuratively) returning to California after a season in Alaska, while moving up the standings year after year.  Is it a priority for you to have a competitive farm team?

Moving the team was a no brainer. From my understanding, it was a pain on Kevin to make the schedule work with them being in Alaska.

As far as making them competitive, that’s just a by product of some of the moves I’ve made. Admittedly, I don’t pay anywhere near the attention to it as you do, but I have some decently rated players down in San Diego and I’m happy they’ve played better the last season and a half.

Over your time in the league, is there one decision you've made that you're especially happy with? This could be something specific, such as making (or not making) a particular trade. Or it could be broader strategy choice, such your overall draft philosophy, or just the style of team you've tried to put together.

I guess I’m happy with how I’ve stuck to not trading my 1st round picks. When I took over the team hadn’t made a pick in the 1st round since 2015 and didn’t have their own 1st round pick for 2018 or 2019. That really factored into making the Bishop deal as I finally would be able to conceivably get a top round prospect in my system. While you can find a hidden gem or two in the late rounds, most of the top end talent is coming from that first round and not having that pick over multiple years will show its ugly face down the road.

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

Read the CBA. Take a break and read the CBA again. I’ve gone over it countless times and I still make mistakes.

I’d also say to ask questions from some of the guys that have been around a while. They usually will steer you in the right direction.

Grab your crystal ball and look at the state of the Kings franchise three years down the road. What do you see?

Hopefully we’re challenging for tops in the West with Dallas and Vegas or Calgary/Vancouver and their crazy young guns or maybe Colorado is back up there or whoever it might be by then. Most of our core is in their mid-20’s and should be in their primes by then, if they aren’t already, and maybe Stamkos sticks around for another contract in LA?

I’ll definitely still be stingy and a pain in the ass to trade with, that’s for sure.

Previous entries in the series;

Harald Geissler, Minnesota Wild (May 2019)

Jameson Fletcher, Ottawa Senators (May 2019)

Doug Waite, Vegas Golden Knights (April 2019)

Gilbert Dubois, Edmonton Oilers (March 2019)

Justin Hill, Tampa Bay Lightning (March 2019)

Travis Fleming, Vancouver Canucks (February 2019)

Duran Size, Montreal Canadiens (January 2019)

Cisco Valle, Detroit Red Wings (January 2019)

Shaun Stephens, St. Louis Blues (December 2018)