NHL 20 GM Mode Logs & Conversation

[Mal Reynolds]

I forgot to get the Pennsylvania Wildcats images, i'll get them later

These are awesome! Appreciate the time and effort ~ both to originally make the substitute teams (and to post them)

Enjoyed some of the rowdy color schemes (especially the neon greens haha)

 

[GAMO1992]

These are awesome! Appreciate the time and effort ~ both to originally make the substitute teams (and to post them)

Enjoyed some of the rowdy color schemes (especially the neon greens haha)

haha thanks! I really enjoyed making the teams. To be completely honest, I did my own gm mode of this, not the 1 i posted a couple weeks ago, and it's been the most fun I've ever had in GM mode.
Brand new league with new teams and a fantasy draft on top of that?(also classic draft pick ownership so everyone has their picks)....damn it's so much more fun than just basic gm mode.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

I finished my second season, losing in game 7 in triple OT in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals to the eventual Stanley Cup runner-up, the Philadelphia Flyers. I was decimated by injuries, so finishing the season off that way was a huge victory to the rebuilding Sabres team. Sabres captain Jack Eichel won the Hart and Ted Lindsay Awards, Rasmus Dahlin won the Norris, and Sabres rookie Maxim Volkov won the Calder.

I had a huge draft and off-season for the Sabres, adding three people to an already ridiculously strong team. That's for another post though.

Player stats at the end of the 2020-21 NHL season were as follows:

C	J. Eichel	80	43	56	99	+61	51
RW	V. Olofsson	78	38	45	83	+51	22
D	R. Dahlin	82	18	60	78	+84	24
LW	M. Volkov*	74	38	34	72	+50	90
LW	D. Kahun	82	32	36	68	+30	14
RW	A. Tuch	82	16	42	58	+28	60
C	K. Dach	74	20	36	56	+18	62
D	C. Miller	70	17	34	51	+58	57
C	A. Lowry	80	14	25	39	+17	42
RW	T. Thompson	82	19	19	38	+28	53
C	F. Gauthier	50	12	24	36	+42	34
D	G. Vallati*	58	12	24	36	+39	10
D	H. Jokiharju	78	8	27	35	+36	4
C	P. Stastny	46	15	19	34	+14	8
LW	Z. Girgensons	41	7	23	30	+29	24
RW	I. Mikheyev	77	16	14	30	+20	44
D	J. Edmundson	80	12	15	27	+36	71
D	L. Pilut	54	4	17	21	+23	10
LW	M. Johansson	35	9	11	20	+1	6
D	J. McCabe	45	3	16	19	+24	12
LW	V. Namestnikov	44	4	11	15	+7	4
C	C. Bunnaman*	21	7	4	11	+4	22
LW	C. Twarynski*	22	4	4	8	+6	0
D	G. Brisebois*	18	4	3	7	+8	6
C	Q. Byfield*	7	1	3	4	+7	0
C	B. Gates Jr.*	5	2	1	3	+6	0
D	W. Borgen*	1	1		1	+1	15
RW	A. Loktionov*	3	0	1	1	+2	10
LW	M. Maltsev*	1	0	0	0	+1	0
LW	B. Murray*	1	0	0	0	0	0
C	A. Ruotsalainen*	2	0	0	0	-1	0
	LU,UPL,JJ	LU (4A)	UPL (4A)	JJ (2A)
	L. Ullmark	58GP	30W	27L	5SO	.898	2.67
	U. Luukkonen*	27GP	15W	10L	3SO	.901	2.33
	J. Johansson*	1GP	1W	0L	0SO	.750	8.00

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MarkusKetterer]

It's time for an update about the 2021 NHL Entry draft and 2021 Free Agency period. And it was a banner off-season for the Buffalo Sabres. Not only did they sign Elite MED goalie prospect Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (83 HYB) to a two year, $2M contract extension, they also inked prospects Jamie Drysdale (D, 71 TWD Top 4 MED), Aku Raty (RW, 71 TWF, Bottom 6 F MED), Egor Sokolov (RW 71, PWF AHL Top 6 F High), Phil Nakamura (LW 70, GRN Top 9 High), Alexei Kovalev (C 67, PLY Top 9 MED), Ladislav Zhitnik (C 65, SNP Top 6 LOW), and Nick Malik (G 65, HYB Starter MED) to their first NHL contracts. All of them will play in the AHL next season, except for three. Drysdale will go back to the Erie Otters, and Malik will go back to the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL.

During the Entry Draft, the Sabres had two first round picks. The Florida Panthers selection was the 11th overall pick, while the Sabres own was the 22nd pick. In addition, the Sabres swung a trade with the New York Rangers to obtain the arguable steal of the draft at the end of the 2nd round to select a player that was guaranteed to be gone before the Sabres 3rd round slot (arguable whether it's this pick of the Sabres 4th round selection being the steal. Time will tell).

The Sabres picks were as follows:

1	11	M. Tan	C TWF	77	Elite MED
1	22	C. Stillman	RW SNP	70	Top 6 F MED
2	43	T. Roy	RW TWF	64	Top 9 F MED
2	55	J. Matier	D TWD	55	Top 6 D MED
2	60	V. Thoresen	G HYB	50	Elite HIGH
4	105	A. Glebov	D DFD	56	Elite LOW
4	122	A. Xhekaj	D DFD	64	AHL Top 2 D HIGH
4	124	J. Hodges	D DFD	59	Top 6 D MED
6	177	K. Steklov	D TWD	61	AHL Top 2 D HIGH
7	208	I. Wood	RW SNP	53	Bottom 6 F MED

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

In Free Agency, the rebuilding Sabres vaulted themselves from "Hopeful" to "Champion". The Sabres walked away with the top 2 free agents of 2021. After that, the Sabres were content to bolster the Rochester Americans D corps while making one single trade to keep one player from (potentially) becoming disgruntled with his lesser role.

07-06-21: BUF signs LW A. Ovechkin (SNP 94 Franchise) to 2 yr./$9,900,000 AAV
07-07-21: BUF signs D D. Byfuglien (TWD 86 Top 4 D) to 1 yr./$5,600,000 AAV
07-09-21: BUF signs D A. Kannok-Leipert (TWD 71, 7th D MED) to 3 yr./$825,000 AAV
07-18-21: BUF trades RW A. Tuch (PWF 83, Top 6 MED) to ARZ for C M. Primeau (PWF 68, Top 9 F MED), ARZ 2022 2nd, & SJS 2022 6th.
07-22-21: BUF signs C M. Tan (TWF 77, Elite MED) to 3 yr./$925,000 AAV
07-22-21: BUF signs D A. Glebov (DFD 56, Elite LOW) to 3 yr./875,000 AAV

Your contending Buffalo Sabres 2021-22 lineup:

89 ENF M. Volkov - 94 PLY J. Eichel - 89 SNP V. Olofsson
94 SNP A. Ovechkin - 84 PWF K. Dach - 86 TWF D. Kahun
81 PLY P. Statsny - 77 TWF M. Tan* - 81 PWF T. Thompson
79 TWF Z. Girgensons - 81 PWF A. Lowry - 80 TWF I. Mikheyev
78 GRN C. Bunnaman - 77 GRN C. Twarynski

86 TWD D. Byfuglien - 91 TWD R. Dahlin
82 DFD - J. Edmundson - 84 TWD C. Miller
82 TWD H. Jokiharju - 81 OFD G. Vallati
81 TWD L. Pilut

83 HYB L. Ullmark - 83 HYB U. Luukkonen

Morgan Tan will get a 9-game trial. Conner Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski will be rookies this upcoming season.

EDIT: Traded D C.Miller (84 TWD) to CAR for D D. Hamilton (86 TWD)

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

2020 NHL Entry draft,

"It sucks ass to suck ass all year long and to be so bad that you can't even win the first overall pick. Are we upset ? Yea of course, but what do you want me to say we had more odds of not picking first than we did of doing so. We'll be busy, but like I said this is going to take, we'll get a good player at 4." -Steve Yzerman (Below) GM Detroit Red Wings, after going 25-51-6 and not winning the lottery.

It was another rough year in Mowtown and probably one of the roughest yet, worse things could be getting worse. Dylan Larkin has asked for a trade and rumours are swirling that Anthony could follow suit. The good news, the Wings will pick 4th, the bad news ? There's 2 franchise players available at the draft... 2 too few for the Wings.

It's not all dark, Filip Zadina led the AHL in scoring and the Gryphons to a Calder Cup victory, he will be in the lineup next year barring any trades. Moritz Seider has progressed well and looks like he could be a good top for defence man but the Wings are lacking talent everywhere and posses many bad contracts that Yzerman will surely try to move.

The top 2 picks look to be set in stone, Lafreniere, Byfield but the Wings are expected to pick 4th.. barring a trade. Who knows what Larkin will fetch or what direction the Wings will head in.

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

2020 off-season

It was a busy off-season for Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings who saw no shortage of movement and drama, in a bitter divorce gone are Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Taro Hirose.

As rumoured, Dylan Larkin did indeed want out of Detroit, and he has found a new home in Vegas. It was a block buster trade at the draft that shook the hockey world and sees the Wings get a massive return.

TO VGK
C Dylan Larkin 90ovr med elite 4yr 6.3M

TO DET
LW Peyton Krebs 74ovr 18yr med top 6
19th overall
2021 1st VGK
2022 1st VGK
Rights to G Robin Lehner 87ovr UFA

"This is a home run return for Detroit, they are getting worse here, make no mistake but you're basically getting 4 firsts and if they can sign Lehner, you're adding a starting goalie for years." -Pierre McGuire

Shortly after the trade was announced, Lehner was inked to a 4yr 21M deal, paying him 5.25M per year.

The Wings weren't done there, they would then trade 19th to Colorado for 31st, 89th and 178th, and they would then trade 31st to Carolina for 38th, Carolina and Florida's 2021 4th's.

Yzerman was quoted as saying: "We wanted to keep Dylan, really we did. He wanted out and was adamant about it, we got a great return, added a starting goaltender and a promising young player in Krebs. It's up to our scouts now to make use of these picks, it's a step backwards, but we'll take 3 forwards in due time. We want to add young assets, i've said before we have to be very patient as this is going to take time. It does not happen over night.

The Wings picked a whopping 13 times at the draft, headed by Tim Stutzle at 3rd overall, a recap of the Wings picks is below:

1st round 3rd: C Tim Stutzle 18 76ovr high elite
2nd round 31st: C Hendrix Lapierre 74ovr low elite
2nd round 38: G Dylan Garand 64ovr med elite
2nd round 55: D Artem Malkin 63ovr low top 4
2nd round 58: D Marcus Gretz 61ovr high 7th
2nd round 60: D Albert Johansson 63ovr top 6
3rd round 63: LW Vitali Latypov 63ovr low top 6
3rd round 73: RW Seth Jarvis 60ovr med top 9
4th round 119: LW Daniel Togersson 56ovr med top 9
5th round 125: D Stanislav Mogilny 61ovr med 7th D
6th round 156: C Elliot Ekmark 58ovr med top 9
6th round 178: RW Desmond Lynch 63 med top 9
7th round 187: D Topi Niemela 57 low top 6

"I think the first 4 picks of the draft for the Wings really give them the potential to have stolen the draft, Lapierre has top 5-10 talent and he could be a steal. My biggest issue is that they didn't get immediate help which is what they need. Depending on how their later picks pan out, they will have stolen the draft but with 13 picks and 6 in the first 2 rounds you really need to get 5 NHLers here." -Pierre McGuire

Certainly a good point from our insider Pierre, Stutzle is expected to stay in Germany for at least a year before coming over. Steve Yzerman had this to say after the draft: "You know how we do things, we're very patient, we think we may have found 2 1st line centres but it takes time and they need time, it could be 3-4 years before either of them is ready for a big role. We won't throw guys in there, we want you to thrive right away. I'm happy with what we've added and time will tell how we did but we're confident that we took a big step." -Steve Yzerman

The turmoil continued however, after watching Larkin force his way, Taro Hirose and Anthony Mantha both signed lucrative offer sheets which saw them get poached away by the Wild and Senators respectively.

To Ott
RW Anthony Mantha 26 86ovr high top 6 5yr 8.9M

To DET
2021 1st OTT
2021 2nd OTT
2023 3rd OTT
2022 1st OTT

In a monster deal the Senators poached the best player the Wings had left, it was believed the both sides were about to resume negations before the Send forced the Wings hands. "I'm not sure why Ottawa offered so much money for Mantha, I think they could have gotten him in a trade cheaper and maybe offered less, this puts pressure on the Sens to win or else these 2 firsts could be high picks and its not something you want." -Bob Mckenzie

"We wanted to keep him but he was asking for insane term and insane money, we weren't going to do a bad deal. So he got paid, we got more assets and we think we'll get 2 high picks and add 2 players who will be better than him." -Steve Yzerman

In another off-season departure Taro Hirose (81ovr, 26) has been signed away on a 1yr 2.5M deal that sees the Wings get a 2nd in compensation.

G Jimmy Howard 81ovr and LW Adam Erne 77ovr were informed they would be allowed to leave via FA.

C Jason Spezza 83ovr, 1yr 4M and D Travis Hamonic 82ovr 2yr 4.2M were added via UFA and RW Daniel Sprong 82ovr 23yr 1yr 1.5M was poached via RFA for a 2021 3rd.

In a bizarre move, that saw the hockey world rip Yzerman, the Wings made trades for 2 bad contract players:

TO NSH
C Frans Nielsen 79ovr 36 2yr 5.25M
C Albin Grewe 65ovr med top 6 19
2021 OTT 3rd

TO DET
C Ryan Johansen 83ovr 28 5yr 8M
2021 NSH 3rd

TO DET
RW Cal Clutterbuck 79ovr 3.5M 2yr 32 bottom 6

TO NYI LW
Gemel Smith 74ovr 1yr 715k 23 med top 6
RW Luke Glenddenning 76ovr 31 1yr 1.8M bottom 6

"I don't understand either of these moves, Johansen is coming off his worst season, hasn't scored 20 goals in 4 years and has 5 years and 40 million left on his deal, Clutterbuck is an overpaid grinder, I get that you want grit but cmon pay Hirose 2.5 and give him a shot over Clutterbuck." -Pierre McGuire

The twitter reactions were less than pleasant, with many calling for Yzerman to resign or be fired.

"I don't like this deal but the Wings used to be known for their reclamation projects, Johansen is going there to save his career. This is a no lose for the Wings, right now they don't have anyone pushing for those minutes or who is ready for them, they also gave up very little for a guy who was once a 70 point player. I don't think he's a 1st line centre anymore, maybe he never was. He can put up 50 points for them and be the bridge unitl guys like Rassmussen, Lapierre, Veleno and Stutzle can step in. If they get 50 points out of him they''ll be happy." -Bob Mckenzie

The Clutterbuck trade is seen as Detroit adding grit to a team that is very young and inexperienced.

"We think that Ryan can still be a good player in this league, he needs to play and he needs to work harder. I spoke to him before the trade, and he's embarrassed about his play the last 2 years. He won't light it up, but we think he can be a good all-around 50 point guy. I know it's been a rough summer, and we've taken a big step back. I said this at the start it will be a long process, but be patient we will get there." Steve Yzerman

Finally the Wings signed the following players to new deals over the off-season:
LW Tyler Bertuzzi 85ovr 24 med top 6 3yr 6aav
LW Robby Fabri 82ovr 24 med top 6 1yr 2.3M
LW Brendan Perlini 82 24 med top 6 1yr 1.8M

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

2020 Season Review

The Wings endured another brutal season which saw them go and finish in the league's basement for the 2nd year in a row. Their start of season lineup was as follows:

Bertuzzi(85)-Johansen(83)-Zadina(83)
Fabbri(82)-Spezza(83)-Sprong(82)
Perlini(82)-Fillpula(80)-Timashov(78)
Svechnikov(78)-Rassmussen(79)-Clutterbuck(79)

Hronek(82)-Hamonic(82)
Cholowski(81)-DeKeyser(81)
Nemeth(80)-Bowey(79)

Lehner(87)
Bernier(81)

They made 3 trades at the deadline as they looked to rebuild their team:

T0 WSH
C Jason Spezza 82ovr 2M retained 38 1yr

To DET
C Brian Boyle 77ovr 1M 36 1yr

To MIN
D Partik Nemeth 80ovr 3M 1yr

To DET
D Andy Greene 78ovr 1M 1yr 38
MIN 2022 3rd

To CHI
G Calvin Pickard 80ovr 1yr 750k 28

To DET
G Mike Tomkins 63ovr 1yr 650k
2022 6th CHI

Post deadline lineup:
Bertuzzi(85)-Johansen(83)-Zadina(83)
Fabbri(82)-Fillpula(80)-Sprong(82)
Perlini(82)-Rassmussen(79-Timashov(78)
Svechnikov(78)-Boyle(77)-Clutterbuck(79)

Hronek(82)-Hamonic(82)
Cholowski(81)-DeKeyser(81)
Greene(78)-Bowey(79)

Lehner(87)
Bernier(81)

 

[Tak7]

I'm just starting Franchise Mode in NHL 20.

Any tips regarding coaching and coaching styles? I'm finding it all a little ovewhelming right now.

 

[Khelandros]

I'm just starting Franchise Mode in NHL 20.

Any tips regarding coaching and coaching styles? I'm finding it all a little ovewhelming right now.

Turn off line chemistry.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

I'm just starting Franchise Mode in NHL 20.

Any tips regarding coaching and coaching styles? I'm finding it all a little ovewhelming right now.

You can definitely turn it off, but I often don't tbh. Biggest thing is it's worth familiarizing yourself both with your players preferences and those of any coach (whether in house or prospective hires)

For example, have yet to find any dmen who "hold the line", so I try to avoid coaches who prefer that

Grinders tend to nerf chemistry in your top six, but sometimes you can get a +5 boost from a 3rd/4th grinder line. Playmakers are worth targeting, as they seem to boost chemistry regardless of scheme fit. Power forwards too. Good scheme fit DFD and OFD paired together can get +5 boosts as well

The system is definitely flawed and in need of some tweaking, but I also find it adds to it as well. One more tip is if a player is good enough, scheme/scheme fit doesn't seem to matter as much

Good luck

 

[Tak7]

You can definitely turn it off, but I often don't tbh. Biggest thing is it's worth familiarizing yourself both with your players preferences and those of any coach (whether in house or prospective hires)

For example, have yet to find any dmen who "hold the line", so I try to avoid coaches who prefer that

Grinders tend to nerf chemistry in your top six, but sometimes you can get a +5 boost from a 3rd/4th grinder line. Playmakers are worth targeting, as they seem to boost chemistry regardless of scheme fit. Power forwards too. Good scheme fit DFD and OFD paired together can get +5 boosts as well

The system is definitely flawed and in need of some tweaking, but I also find it adds to it as well. One more tip is if a player is good enough, scheme/scheme fit doesn't seem to matter as much

Good luck

Thanks a lot for this. Yeah, the coaches schemes seem very bizarre & confusing to me. Can I see which players from other teams fit my current coach's schemes?

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Thanks a lot for this. Yeah, the coaches schemes seem very bizarre & confusing to me. Can I see which players from other teams fit my current coach's schemes?

There's a pro scout evaluation when you view their stats/ratings/contract info... it'll give you an idea of the line(s) they could possibly play on including special teams.... it's not always bang on ~ though if they suggest a player, even one buried in the minors, could play the PK or PP it seems quite reliable (which is helpful imo)

I guess this all assumes two things - one, that you have pro scouts at all, and two, that your pro scouts are worth a damn. Generally I've been able to manage with C level pro scouts, though I sometimes scoop up better ones if they become available

I haven't played the game in a couple of weeks so I'm blanking but I'd guess that, say, you'd be better off with a coach who favors players who prefer to crash the net on multiple lines over a coach who wants players who prefer overload. Certain things seem more common, and therefore you're more likely to find players who at least mostly fit your scheme.

Of course, that's tricky cause iirc player preferences are only available when they're on your team.

But my point is it's worth it to do your homework to find a good coach who doesn't have some weird scheme.

One simple and easy change I'd love to see EA make is allowing you to hire your coach from the outset. Whether you're starting with an established team or an expansion team (my preference), you shouldn't possibly be arbitrarily saddled with some coach who doesn't suit your team. That or let us edit them.... or both....

edit: I would add that coach line strategies seem to affect chemistry much more than their more general strategies, though certain general strategies are more common.... for example, a coach who prefers a diamond PK formation tends to be infinitely easier to find players for.

Hope all this helps more than it confuses....

 

[Tak7]

There's a pro scout evaluation when you view their stats/ratings/contract info... it'll give you an idea of the line(s) they could possibly play on including special teams.... it's not always bang on ~ though if they suggest a player, even one buried in the minors, could play the PK or PP it seems quite reliable (which is helpful imo)

I guess this all assumes two things - one, that you have pro scouts at all, and two, that your pro scouts are worth a damn. Generally I've been able to manage with C level pro scouts, though I sometimes scoop up better ones if they become available

I haven't played the game in a couple of weeks so I'm blanking but I'd guess that, say, you'd be better off with a coach who favors players who prefer to crash the net on multiple lines over a coach who wants players who prefer overload. Certain things seem more common, and therefore you're more likely to find players who at least mostly fit your scheme.

Of course, that's tricky cause iirc player preferences are only available when they're on your team.

But my point is it's worth it to do your homework to find a good coach who doesn't have some weird scheme.

One simple and easy change I'd love to see EA make is allowing you to hire your coach from the outset. Whether you're starting with an established team or an expansion team (my preference), you shouldn't possibly be arbitrarily saddled with some coach who doesn't suit your team. That or let us edit them.... or both....

edit: I would add that coach line strategies seem to affect chemistry much more than their more general strategies, though certain general strategies are more common.... for example, a coach who prefers a diamond PK formation tends to be infinitely easier to find players for.

Hope all this helps more than it confuses....

This is really helpful, thanks so much for the info.

A few questions:

1. Just how important is line chemistry, exactly? I was just watching some 2BCProductions videos on his Seattle Franchise, and he's managed to get +5 line chemistry on most of his lines / D-pairings, even though he's sitting higher overall players out in order to make it happen. Why is that? Is, for example, a line with 85 overall players that have +5 overall chemistry, better than a line of three 90 overall players with 0 chemistry? Does it matter?
2. Are there certain coaching schemes / player fits that are more common / preferred? I've noticed that the PWF - PLY - SNI seems a good fit, and so does the OFD / DFD pairing. Any tips there?

THanks in advance. I really appreicate the info

 

[Mal Reynolds]

This is really helpful, thanks so much for the info.

A few questions:

1. Just how important is line chemistry, exactly? I was just watching some 2BCProductions videos on his Seattle Franchise, and he's managed to get +5 line chemistry on most of his lines / D-pairings, even though he's sitting higher overall players out in order to make it happen. Why is that? Is, for example, a line with 85 overall players that have +5 overall chemistry, better than a line of three 90 overall players with 0 chemistry? Does it matter?
2. Are there certain coaching schemes / player fits that are more common / preferred? I've noticed that the PWF - PLY - SNI seems a good fit, and so does the OFD / DFD pairing. Any tips there?

THanks in advance. I really appreicate the info

First, you should know I primarily sim the games (which can definitely be random)

I would say yes, chemistry matters but it's not the be all and end all. I certainly wouldn't bench better players in search of +5 boosts. As a general rule, I just try to avoid negative chemistry (which can be most challenging with the PK). A tip I'd have is to use power forwards & playmakers to boost lines with negative chemistry.

You'll find you get a sense of what works and what doesn't as you go through a season. Don't be afraid to switch things up, I often find one or two players disappoint (relative to my expectations) and will bench or even trade them

To your second point, I find dmen the most tricky to fit into schemes. On one hand, they have less preferences (as they just have the two ~ cycle/shoot, pinch/hold line), but some of the coaching schemes seem pretty bizarre. As I mentioned, I've never seen a player who has the hold line preference, and shooting doesn't seem particularly common either.

My tip there would be to identify dmen who *are* good scheme fits and use them to boost players who are not. Although you may prefer to use em to build a super strong pairing.

For forwards, it seems easier. Two way types seem to fit in most systems. Offensive coaches seem to fit most forwards well (as long as there's not too much of a defensive bias) while defensive coaches definitely value two way types more. I don't know, I don't usually worry too much about forwards, beyond accessing their pro scout assessment honestly. Maybe avoid grinders if you have an offensive coach, stuff like that....?

For building lines, just play around with them. I could be mistaken but I could swear even switching the same guys between left and right wing sometimes has an affect (which is odd hahaha)... definitely avoid pairing DFD together unless they fit your scheme. Don't play grinders too high, and certainly your combinations are good rules of thumb

 

[MarkusKetterer]

You can definitely turn it off, but I often don't tbh. Biggest thing is it's worth familiarizing yourself both with your players preferences and those of any coach (whether in house or prospective hires)

For example, have yet to find any dmen who "hold the line", so I try to avoid coaches who prefer that

Grinders tend to nerf chemistry in your top six, but sometimes you can get a +5 boost from a 3rd/4th grinder line. Playmakers are worth targeting, as they seem to boost chemistry regardless of scheme fit. Power forwards too. Good scheme fit DFD and OFD paired together can get +5 boosts as well

The system is definitely flawed and in need of some tweaking, but I also find it adds to it as well. One more tip is if a player is good enough, scheme/scheme fit doesn't seem to matter as much

Good luck

I have found grinders work well with a PLY and SNP on their line just as well as a PWF does. The only difference is that they don’t really pick up the points, due to having terrible shooting stats (usually. Different story if it’s a grinder like Andrew Shaw).

Plus I find through forcing people to play together they develop chemistry that you unfortunately have to sometimes ignore (injuries, PP lines).

As for D, I’m fairly sure they “hold the line” during sims, but they definitely want nothing to do with that during a game.

Lastly, for anyone starting a game, and they find out that no coaches want to be a goalie coach after the first year, I solved this. Find an AHL coach, sort by expertise area, and find a coach that is good at teaching goalies. I currently have some female goalie coach who overall is a low “rating” overall but had an A- goalie rating and A+ teaching rating making almost next to nothing ($75K a year for 6 years), but in one off-season both goalies rating went up by 3 on just happiness alone.

EDIT: Ullmark went back to his 83 overall rating once the season started, instead of the 86 he was in the off-season and pre-season. Luukkonen dropped from an 84 to 83, so he grew from an 81 on just natural ability.

 

[kinger8998]

NYR Draft Lottery win has prompted me to start a new GM mode with them..never done one and gotten Laf cause I didn't feel it was realistic. It's go time soon...

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

NYR Draft Lottery win has prompted me to start a new GM mode with them..never done one and gotten Laf cause I didn't feel it was realistic. It's go time soon...

He’s on NYR in my save and man are they powerful.

 

[ETTHAKING67]

Just started a mine with the Montreal Canadiens.
I created Caufield and Romanov and i'll be as realistic as possible. I'll keep you guys up to date but for now I'm 500. starting the month of December.
Lines -
Drouin - Suzuki - Domi
Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Lekhonen - Kotkaniemi - Armia
Byron - Weal - Hudon
Weise

Mete - Weber
Chariot - Petry
Kulak - Fleury
Oulette

I'm planning on promoting Evans and Poehling for next year (for Hudon and Weise, Weal would become the 13th F). On Defense, I'll have to find spot for Juulsen and Romanov (Kulak becoming 7th and Oulette go back to the AHL). Any suggestion ? I don't know if i'll move Tatar and Petry during the summer yet but i'd like to give as much time as I can to my young players and try to find a solid D to play in my top four.

** I should also add that for the 1st year i'm not making any move to be as realistic as possible, so I've signed Cam Hillis to a contract, signed Ylonen,etc. I will also try to be realistic with Laval since they often signed vets that are from the province (Veilleux,Oulette,Belzil,etc).

I'm starting Season 3 today (Sorry for the long break lol)

Here is the Starting Line-Up.


Dzingel - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Drouin - Suzuki - Caufield
Lekhonen - Danault - Virtanen
Poehling - Evans - C.Smith
Byron

R.Murray - Weber
Romanov - Petry
Mete - Fleury
Chiarot

Price
Primeau


Here's a quick recap for my big moves.

Traded T.Tatar to Nashville for P.Tomasino & Picks.
Traded N.Juulsen to Vancouver for J.Virtanen (Two prospect that are looking for a fresh start)
Traded M.Domi for R.Murray (Two talented player that never reached their top potential. They both solve issues for each of their new team.)
Traded B.Kulak for late picks.

Armia left as a UFA.
Signed Craig Smith after the 1st season fo 2 years at 3 millions.

I'm now trying to in going into my 3rd year, I have a couple of big prospect that I'm expecting a lot out of them (Z.l'Heureux 5th OA in 2021, J.Perreault (1st round in 2020) and P.Tomassino (From Nashville), If i'm doing well by mid season you should expect me to move of these prospect for a top winger.

Defensively I'm trusting Weber and Petry. I drafted a lof of D in 2nd and 3rd round and I'm hopefull one of them could replace Petry by the end of his contract. Ryan Murray gives me a good option as a LD to play with Weber.

 

[Serac]

2025/2026 Season

Now that we're a few years out, let's look back at the Y. Nikitin trade now that he has grown to be a franchise player for my team. To refresh, during the 2023 offseason:

BCM acquire: Y. Nikitin (87, Elite)
OTT acquire: J. Huhtanen (64, Elite), J. Bednar (67, Starter), SJS 2024 2nd.

Now:
Y. Nikitin: 90, Franchise (23 years old now)

J. Huhtanen: 73, Elite (23 years old now)
J. Bednar: 72, Starter (23 years old now)
I can't be sure who the SJS 2nd came to be, but just looking at draft position, I would assume it's...
S. Glenn: 68, Elite (19 year old goalie right now).

So all in all, a coup for myself taking advantage of an RFA trade (even if he has only grown 3 overall in those years, that's still good at this overall). That goalie prospect is looking nice for them at least.

Spoiler: Trade Deadline

BCM acquire: H. Alnefelt (84, Starter)
TBL acquire: A. Nedeljkovic (81), C. McClennon (78, Top 6 F), H. Davis (58, Top 6 D)

BCM acquire: J. Carlson (88)
WSH acquire: Y. Huet (73, Top 6 F) & S. Hinote (70, Top 6 F)

OTT acquire: N. Backstrom (85) & T. Jarry (83)
CBJ acquire: C. Brown (84) & C. Ehn (78)

CGY acquire: K. Kapanen (85)
WSH acquire: M. Huie (64, Top 9 F) & CGY 2027 1st

WPG acquire: E. Lindell (85) & NYI 2027 3rd
NYI acquire: WPG 2026 1st & WPG 2027 1st

BCM acquire: D. Perron (86)
CAR acquire: D. Caggiula (81) & BCM 2026 2nd

FLA acquire: T. Dellandrea (78, Top 6 F), T. Hamonic (65, Top 6 F), R. Pirnes (69, Top 6 F)
BCM acquire: FLA 2027 1st

DET acquire: J. Zboril (81), A. Wanvig (59, Elite), TBL 2026 2nd
BCM acquire: M. Seider (80, Top 4 D) & COL 2026 1st

Another slow-ish deadline. First I acquired a solid goaltender to compete with Comrie. Then I decided to take the plunge on a couple of UFAs (particularly since I'm not playing as much lately). A few of the trades I used to dump mediocre progessing prospects to free up contract slots, but the trade for Perron was very cheap considering his age (37), so that was nice.
Finally, I got an adequate sort of prospect in Seider as well as getting a better draft pick. The overall is a wash because Zboril had a 0 line chemistry on the 3rd pair, whereas Seider is a +1.

Post deadline team:
OFF: 99
DEF: 91
GOA: 84

Extensions
J. Owens | RW | 80 | 1.5m x 6

Spoiler: Season Stats

Record	Home	Away	GFPG	GAPG	PP%	PK%
47-30-5	20-20-1	27-10-4	4.06	3.24	30.7%	75%

A moderate improvement over last year. Notably the GF per game (4.06), which was second in the entire league, just behind Edmonton (4.09).
That being said, the PK (75%) was 4th last in the league.
--
As for points in the league:
#1: Colorado Avalanche with 117 points
#2: Calgary Flames with 106 points
#3: Edmonton Oilers with 103 points
-
#30: Minnesota Wild with 69 points (nice)
#31: St Louis Blues with 68 points
#32: Washington Capitals with 65 points
-
The BC MONARCHS finished the year with 99 points, a 10 point improvement over the year prior, and finished in the first wild card spot in a very tight western conference. 6 points separate 3rd in the west (EDM with 104) and the final wild card spot (LAK with 98).

Player Stats
With a whopping 60 goals, Nikita Kucherov was good for...3rd best in the league for goals. 2nd best was Jack Eichel with an impressive 64.
With an 11 goal improvement over his previous best however, Amari Hale had a crazy 70 goal season to lead the league.

Jack Eichel however, with 108 points is 3rd best in the league for total points. 2nd best in that regard was Leon Draisaitl with a hefty 113 points.
Leading the league in points in the 2025/2026 season however was Connor McDavid with a massive 115 points.

BCM Stats
Improving every year, A. Hale is obviously the leading goal scorer of the team once again with a huge 70 goal season.
A. Holtz was once again 2nd on the team with a very respectable 38 goals.
3rd on the team this time however was mid-season pick up, D. Perron with a nice 30 goal season.

A. Holtz was once again 3rd in points on the team this year. Getting more goals, but less points, with 73 points this year, 5 down from the previous year.
Coming off of a 91 point year which led the team last year, Y. Nikitin is 2nd on the team with a lesser 89 points.
After not leading the team last year, A. Hale comes back strong to smash his previous highs with a massive 104 point season.
Yes, A. Hale had 70 goals and 34 assists. Man is a monster scoring machine.

Spoiler: 2026 Playoffs

ARI vs WPG (ARI wins 4-3)
COL vs LAK (LAK wins 4-2)
EDM vs VAN (EDM wins 4-2)
CGY vs BCM

PHI vs PIT (PIT wins 4-2)
CAR vs FLA (FLA wins 4-3)
TBL vs TOR (TBL wins 4-1)
BUF vs NJD (BUF wins 4-0)

Spoiler: BCM Series

BCM vs CGY
99 | 92
91 | 88
84 | 80
--
Game 1

BCM wins 4-2

BCM goals: A. Hale (1), J. Owens (1), M. Seider (1), J. Gauthier (1)
CGY goals: K. Kapanen (1), J. Eriksson Ek (1)
-----
Game 2

CGY wins 4-3

BCM goals: A. Hale (2), J. Weekes (1), T. Rochette (1)
CGY goals: E. Lindholm (1), B. Saad (1), S. Monahan (1), A. Iafallo (1)
-----
Game 3

CGY wins 3-1

BCM goals: J. Weekes (2)
CGY goals: M. Tkachuk (1), J. Gaudreau (1), J. Gaudreau (2)
-----
Game 4

CGY wins 1-0

BCM goals:
CGY goals: C. Tanev (1)
-----
Game 5

CGY wins 4-3

BCM goals: Y. Nikitin (1), A. Stranges (1), J. Gauthier (2)
CGY goals: N. Petan (1), E. Svechnikov (1), M. Tkachuk (2), N. Hanifin (1)

-----
ARI vs LAK (LAK wins 4-2)
CGY vs EDM (CGY wins 4-2)

PIT vs FLA (PIT wins 4-2)
BUF vs TBL (BUF wins 4-3)
-----
CGY vs LAK (CGY wins 4-2)

BUF vs PIT (PIT wins 4-1)
-----
CGY vs PIT (PIT wins 4-2)

Another rough playoff appearance for BCM, despite winning their first game. Deadline pickup J. Carlson led the team in points with 5 in 5 games.
Winning the Stanley Cup were the Pittsburgh Penguins this year.
Matt Murray won the Conn Smythe with a 9.25 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA over 23 games. He had 3 shutouts.
H. Borgstrom led the Penguins with points with only 18 on 23 games.
M. Marner of ARI had an incredible 23 points in 13 games.

For the 2nd straight year, A. Hale wins the Maurice Richard trophy with 70 goals.
Breaking the BCM streak of Calder trophies however, TOR forward A. Persaud wins Calder. He had 38 goals and 15 assists for a respectable 53 points.
He was the 116th pick in 2024 draft (4th round).

 

[Serac]

2026 Offseason

Draft lottery results are in.
CBJ with the BOS pick move up from 4 to 1.
MIN jump from 3 to 2.
DET jump from 7 to 3.
WSH and STL drop to 4 and 5 respectively.

Retirements

Player	Overall	Age	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points
A. Ovechkin	84	40	SJS	1658	1049	852	1901
C. Giroux	79	38	CBJ	1394	510	853	1363
J. Toews	84	38	ARI	1447	480	728	1082
B. Marchand	85	38	NSH	1255	498	584	1082

Other notable retirements: M. Pacioretty, B. Little (82 OVR), S. Weber, R. McDonagh (83 OVR), J. Spurgeon (81 OVR), C. Tanev (81 OVR)

Player	Overall	Age	Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Shutouts
C. Price	76	38	MTL	1036	505	411	59
T. Rask	73	39	FA	794	401	275	56
S. Varlamov	69	38	FA	716	345	271	38

Spoiler: 2026 Draft

#1: CBJ - S. Tarnqvist | C | 81 | Elite
#2: MIN - T. Kerman | D | 63 | Top 4 D
#3: DET - M. Tanev | C | 81 | Elite
#4: WSH - E. Polacek | C | 81 | Elite
#5: STL - I. Safronov | D | 79 | Elite

Spoiler: Draft Trades

VAN acquire: A. Stranges (87, Top 6 F)
BCM acquire: P. Helenius (75, Top 6 F), VAN 2026 1st (24th), VAN 2027 1st, VAN 2027 2nd

BCM acquire: VGK 2026 1st (15th)
VGK acquire: J. Stamkos (71, Elite)

BCM acquire: NYR 2026 2nd (43rd)
NYR acquire: VAN 2026 2nd (56th) & CAR 2026 3rd (91st)

BCM acquire: CHI 2026 2nd (46th)
CHI acquire: DAL 2026 2nd (48th) & BCM 2026 5th (150th)

BCM acquire: OTT 2026 3rd (73rd)
OTT acquire: BCM 2026 4th (118th), BCM 2027 3rd, BCM 2027 6th

VAN acquire: D. Perron (85) & A. Ramsey (75, Top 6 F)
BCM acquire: VAN 2026 4th (120th) & VAN 2026 7th (216th)

Round	##	Player	Position	Overall	Potential
1	15	M. Pyorala	D	62	Elite
1	18	N. Rakell	RW	64	Top 6 F
1	22	E. Barkov	C	64	Top 6 F
1	24	G. Mercier	LW	63	Top 6 F
1	28	C. Henley	LW	63	Top 6 F
2	43	L. Tatar*	D	74	Top 6 F
2	46	M. Kristensen	D	63	Top 4 D
3	73	B. Nikolishin*	G	59	Starter
3	86	T. Toskala	D	49	Elite
4	120	W. Frattin	RW	57	Top 9 F
6	182	D. Donovan	C	50	Elite
7	214	K. Strudwick	D	51	Elite
7	216	T. McCann	G	47	AHL Starter

* = Scout deemed GEM

As previously stated, a top 6 was going to have to be traded for P. Witt to crack the lineup. I was originally going to trade A. Holtz, but then my top line had a nice year and I switched gears to trade A. Stranges instead. He's the only guy who isn't at least Elite potential, and although he's a fine sniper, he is pretty slow for his small frame.
Holtz may still be on the block in the future with his 9.7m contract, but Stranges cleared up 8m for now, and I got an adequate package back for him.
Otherwise, a solid draft for me with a whopping five 1st round draft picks. Stamkos is already nearing 23 and only at 71 overall, so the 15th overall pick for him was good value I felt. Stranges and Stamkos trades were both via trade finder.

Spoiler: Contract Negotiations

(Re)Signed
B. Clarke | D | 82 | 4.250m x 4
J. Carlson | D | 87 | 7.2m x 1

Qualified
M. Kerman | D | 79
D. Niedermayer | RW | 74
D. Cameron | RW | 69
E. McDonagh | LW | 76
T. Turakov | LW | 75
T. Havelid | C | 77

Released
N/A

Another free agency, another year where my RFAs don't want to sign. Figured I'd roll the dice on a Carlson extension for 1 year. He already regressed in some stats, so he may be shipped out quickly if he starts falling badly.

Spoiler: Free Agent Frenzy

BCM Signs
M. Kerman | D | 79 | 1m x 2
D. Niedermayer | RW | 74 | 990k x 1 (QO)
D. Cameron | RW | 71 | 990k x 1 (QO)
E. McDonagh | LW | 76 | 990k x 1 (QO)
T. Turakov | LW | 75 | 990k x 1 (QO)
T. Havelid | C | 77 | 990k x 1 (QO)
B. Tkachuk | LW | 83 | 2.5m x 3
J. Kopacka | LW | 80 | 900k x 2

Notable Signings
CBJ | C. Makar | D | 90 | 12.460m x 7

Spoiler: Trades

VGK acquire: H. Fleury (86)
CBJ acquire: J. Marchessault (85), J. Robertson (64, Top 6 F), VGK 2027 2nd


DET acquire: J. Foudy (75, Top 6 F), A. Andersson (77, 7th D), W. Frattin (57, Top 9 F)
BCM acquire: DET 2027 2nd

NSH acquire: M. Domi (87) & MTL 2028 4th
MTL acquire: R. Josi (86), D. Fabbro (85), NSH 2028 3rd

BOS acquire: R. Josi (85) & MTL 2028 5th
MTL acquire: N. Roy (83) & BOS 2028 3rd

Yep, Josi regressed in the short time span between MTL obtained him and traded him.

Extensions
H. Alnefelt | G | 84 | 2.8m x 2
G. Sward | D | 78 | 900k x 6

Spoiler: 2025/2026 Roster

A. Hale (90)	Y. Nikitin (90)	A. Holtz (88)
P. Witt (92)	C. Reaves (89)	J. Weekes (87)
B. Tkachuk (83)	O. Manlow (85)	J. Owens (82)
J. Kopacka (80)	T. Rochette (83)	J. Gauthier (82)

V. Koltsov (86)	M. Rodgers (88)
J. Slavin (86)	J. Carlson (85)
M. Kerman (81)	B. Clarke (82)

J. Comrie (85)

H. Alnefelt (84)

OFF: 98
DEF: 90
GOA: 85

J. Comrie has finally rebounded back to being 85 overall this year and will get starting duty.
P. Witt jumps up from the 3rd line to the 2nd, as that first line has a +5 chemistry, and my current coach really does not like Witt. So we'll see how the team does or if a coaching change is in need.
J. Carlson despite some slight regression still has a +5 on the 2nd pairing, and led the team in points in the pre-season with 13 points in 7 games (team went 7-0-0).

 

[Tak7]

Any tips on how to develop prospects?

I have great coaches at both NHL/AHL level, good variety of FORWARDS / DMEN / GENERALIST coaches, with A teaching. I always play prospects in their correct holes.

Yet I always get a ton of prospects, both Fwds and Dmen, to that 77-79 region and then they fail to improve.

I've had a 20 year old PWF at 79 overall top 6 potential, playing 4th line NHL hockey for 5 years and he hasn't improved

 

[Serac]

Any tips on how to develop prospects?

I have great coaches at both NHL/AHL level, good variety of FORWARDS / DMEN / GENERALIST coaches, with A teaching. I always play prospects in their correct holes.

Yet I always get a ton of prospects, both Fwds and Dmen, to that 77-79 region and then they fail to improve.

I've had a 20 year old PWF at 79 overall top 6 potential, playing 4th line NHL hockey for 5 years and he hasn't improved

Put them in positions to succeed is my only guess. I give good prospects proper time to grow in the AHL (unless they're on the bubble and I need them on say the 4th line). Even then, you need to find the right way to let them produce. If they're not producing even with good time and thus not growing, you might want to consider cutting ties with them.

Hard to notice with my players, though I had a guy with low elite potential turn to medium elite by giving him good ice time, as well as my current 1C go from medium elite to medium franchise with having him on my 1st line and producing very well.
Alternatively, a guy like Brady Tkachuk was absolutely stunted in Ottawa purely because they played him on the 4th line every year.

Not every guy will progress like you want, so you may want to run the risk of trading them while they still have value, and hope it doesn't bite you.

 

[Tak7]

Put them in positions to succeed is my only guess. I give good prospects proper time to grow in the AHL (unless they're on the bubble and I need them on say the 4th line). Even then, you need to find the right way to let them produce. If they're not producing even with good time and thus not growing, you might want to consider cutting ties with them.

Hard to notice with my players, though I had a guy with low elite potential turn to medium elite by giving him good ice time, as well as my current 1C go from medium elite to medium franchise with having him on my 1st line and producing very well.
Alternatively, a guy like Brady Tkachuk was absolutely stunted in Ottawa purely because they played him on the 4th line every year.

Not every guy will progress like you want, so you may want to run the risk of trading them while they still have value, and hope it doesn't bite you.

I've been doing all of that tbh - all top prospects get all the top minutes, but they are supported by high overall veterans lower down in the lineup so that my AHL team doesn't suck (they've won the Calder Cup 6 out of the past 7 years).

I've even promoted a few to the NHL early, to see if the additional NHL experience can help them grow - guys who are like 76 or 77, playing on the 4th line even though they are listed as "Depth" or minor league scoring FWD.

I guess the game, much like real life, has this built in thing where some prospects, no matter how hard you try and what opportunities you give them, just don't work out occasionally.

 

[GAMO1992]

Any tips on how to develop prospects?

I have great coaches at both NHL/AHL level, good variety of FORWARDS / DMEN / GENERALIST coaches, with A teaching. I always play prospects in their correct holes.

Yet I always get a ton of prospects, both Fwds and Dmen, to that 77-79 region and then they fail to improve.

I've had a 20 year old PWF at 79 overall top 6 potential, playing 4th line NHL hockey for 5 years and he hasn't improved

well, first thing I personally do after drafting a player is go look at their trade value. how much value they have is a usually good indicator of how good they'll become.
also, as mentioned above, they need time and to produce. If you have depth F/D put them on the 4th line/3rd pair respectively, and then plop them on the 2nd PP unit or PK unit.
ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT: keep an eye out during the season to see if their role has changed. you could have a depth fwd improve to a 3rd line player so you would need to immediately move them up and play them accordingly. roles can change mid season, or fluctuate, so always keep an eye out.
Age is also always a factor too. If you draft a guy that's like 50's ovr wise but is older than 18, that's usually a good sign to know to stay away from. i can't tell you how many times I've drafted a 19 yr old with fantastic potential only for them to stagnate development in the high 70's, compared to when I draft a 17/18 yr old they always seem to blossom(unless I completely botch their development).

Depth F/D is always the hardest to determine what to do with them. They're usually too good to play in the A, but also are just not good enough to be a regular NHL'er.

 

[Tak7]

well, first thing I personally do after drafting a player is go look at their trade value. how much value they have is a usually good indicator of how good they'll become.
also, as mentioned above, they need time and to produce. If you have depth F/D put them on the 4th line/3rd pair respectively, and then plop them on the 2nd PP unit or PK unit.
ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT: keep an eye out during the season to see if their role has changed. you could have a depth fwd improve to a 3rd line player so you would need to immediately move them up and play them accordingly. roles can change mid season, or fluctuate, so always keep an eye out.
Age is also always a factor too. If you draft a guy that's like 50's ovr wise but is older than 18, that's usually a good sign to know to stay away from. i can't tell you how many times I've drafted a 19 yr old with fantastic potential only for them to stagnate development in the high 70's, compared to when I draft a 17/18 yr old they always seem to blossom(unless I completely botch their development).

Depth F/D is always the hardest to determine what to do with them. They're usually too good to play in the A, but also are just not good enough to be a regular NHL'er.

Thanks for this.

I didn't realize player roles could change during the season. I wonder if this is why some players have stagnated. I always thought that it only happened during the off-season.

Question - I have a 20 year old Dman with Medium Elite potential, but he's still only 58 overall. He has huge trade value, but he's about to turn 21 and hasn't even hit 60 overall yet (I drafted him as a 19 year old).

I'm tempted to look at him and conclude that he's growing too old to really develop into anything, and I really want to cut bait with him to maximize his value. Would the correct decision be to cut bait? That's what my gut is telling me.