Appreciate the responses. It's frustrating for me to take the Bruins and watch them get crushed by teams that are ranked much worse in the simulation. I see a lot of inconsistencies in my GM mode (ex. scouts ignore the assignments; wild fluctuations in player growth). It seems like maybe I need to spend a little more time on the management side of things rather than simply hoping the roster out there will win?
Is there a place I can find a comprehensive sort of guide on how to set up and run my GM mode to get accurate sim results?
I think the first problem is the Bruins - for whatever reason, they just don't simulate at all realistically in this game. That's been the case in EA games for a while now; I've even gone and adjusted some of their individual players (made Rask an elite goaltender, given players like Lucic, Bergeron, and Krejci overall increases), and they still struggle.
I wonder whether it's got something to with the fact that they are a big team, but a slow team? Maybe speed plays a huge part in the simulation?
As for your question regarding a comprehensive guide on how to do well in GM - there isn't one that I know, but there are videos by 2BCProductions2BC on YouTube; he basically picks a team, simulates every single game, and tries to create a dynasty with a team for 10 years. You can pick up a lot from the way he does things.
Some simple tips I would suggest:
1 - In your GM tracker, you are given a list of "Top Offensive players" and "Top Defensive players". Try and utilize that list for setting up your special teams. Keep in mind that those lists aren't 100% accurate (a player with a 99 slap shot power might translate into someone with a high 'offense', even though he has terrible accuracy. Phaneuf comes to mind - you'd probably want someone like Franson and Gardiner on the PP).
2 - Try and compliment your lines. LW-C-RW is pretty important, but if you are going to play someone out of position try and make sure it's a center playing at wing. A center at wing tends to function a lot better than an LW @ RW and vice-versa.
3 - Compliment your player roles as well. I always try and setup my top 2 lines with things like: SNIPER - PLAYMAKER - SNIPER, and my bottom 2 lines as TWF-PLAY-TWF, or grinders. Defensively, having an OFD-DFD or OFD-TWD always works well. DFD-DFD always works well. OFD-OFD always seems to be a disaster.
4 - Simulate a month at a time, and then analyze how you are doing. What I like to do is go to the Team Standings, and keep an eye on things like GFPG (I prefer my teams to be close to 3.00), GAPG (somewhere around 2.00), PP% (20%) and PK% (85%). If you find that your team's stats aren't good enough, try making adjustments (for example - if your PP is struggling, try changing some players around. Maybe that 2nd line winger that is leading your team in goals can be upgraded to your 1st PP unit etc?).
Keep breaking your simulation down month by month and see whether or not your team is progressing. For example, if your PP is only operating at 15%, and you make a change, and notice that the next month is now operating at 12%, maybe go back to the way it was before or make brand new changes. Or, in more extreme conditions, try and make a trade and acquire someone that could help ? (OFDs really help the PP).
5 - Do the same with your player stats as well on a month-to-month basis. Have reasonable expectations based on your team. As GM of the NYI, my 1st line was Kucherov - Tavarez - Patrick Kane. Kucherov and JT were both producing at a point-per-game, but Kane was struggling to put up points. So, for the next month, I moved Kane down and put Okposo on the first line in his spot because he's leading my team in goals. The end result was big improvement for my team.
On the blueline, keep an eye on + / - rather than points. + / - is a useless stat in real hockey, but in simulating it tells you a good amount of information about how your D is doing. On the ice for more goals against than for? Try changing things up. Maybe alter your D-pairings, or see if the + / - if your D relates to the +/- if your forwards (maybe your top 3 lines are all + lines, but your 4th line is the one really hurting your team. Therefore, try making changes to your 4th line).
Finally on goaltenders on the month-by-month, same deal. GAA close to 2.00, and a Save Percentage of around 92% or above are great stats.
I know that's a lot, but breaking the sim down to a month-to-month and analyzing how your team is doing, is a really good way of figuring out what things your team is doing well and not so well, and lets you make more adjustments - rather than just sending your roster out and hoping they sort things out on their own.
6 - Just let it happen!
That's one of the other things about Be a GM. You know you have a good team. The game knows you have a good team. But you just aren't playing as a good team? If this is the case, sometimes being patient is a really good approach - see if they can turn it around on their own. I've been in some cases where my team gets off to an awful start, but given my cap situation there's not a whole lot I can do. Leave it status-quo for the first two months, and then they just miraculously turn it around on their own and win the division.
Very strange, but it definitely seems like there are some sort of momentum-based mechanics built into the sim engine that are very hard to explain. It's almost impossible, regardless of how good your team is, to go an entire season without going through some sort of losing streak, even if it's just 3-4 games.
GM Mode? 
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