NHL 18 Franchise Mode :Expansion Edition

dkollidas

Registered User
Nov 18, 2010
3,882
581
Playing expansion mode, your not able to use edited players/rosters. It goes back to the default rosters on the date of the expansion draft. Really sucks if you like to do your own editing

If that's the case I probably won't use it. I'll just turn Carolina into Quebec and be done (no offense canes fans, just what I feel might eventually happen).
 

542365

2018-19 Cup Champs!
Mar 22, 2012
22,535
8,988
Anyone gotten far enough into a franchise to see if the scouting/drafting process is better? Do the prospects start to run thin in the later years(like 50 prospects total from the OHL etc.) or do they do a better job of creating bigger draft classes? That's what I used to love about old GM Modes, like 15-20 years in when every player in the league is a prospect and there are some crazy superstar players. The last couple of years all of the prospects have been terrible after like year 5.
 

jumb0

Registered User
Feb 3, 2017
2,456
1,398
Anyone gotten far enough into a franchise to see if the scouting/drafting process is better? Do the prospects start to run thin in the later years(like 50 prospects total from the OHL etc.) or do they do a better job of creating bigger draft classes? That's what I used to love about old GM Modes, like 15-20 years in when every player in the league is a prospect and there are some crazy superstar players. The last couple of years all of the prospects have been terrible after like year 5.



Made it to year 4 in my Preds dynasty while mainly simming. From what I could tell it doest thin out a little bit, but not nearly as much as in 17.

I want to say the Canadian leagues had around 70-80 forwards and 50-60 defense men at that point.
 

Cor

I am a bot
Jun 24, 2012
69,648
35,246
AEF
So I was doing my pre-october roster updating (I do a quick release edit, until the mid-october roster update that has all the new european players, new ahl players, and new chl players are out in) and I was noticing while doing the CHL, that other than already drafted players, or the next couple top prospects (being Ryan Merkley, Joe Veleno, etc) every CHL player has just AHL potential.

That is why the 2018/2019 drafts are low on Canadians, it's because they have them all on AHL potential, then come 2020, the generated prospects start, so it's better.

Horrible. Hopefully they fix that for the october roster update, because that will take me hours to fix.
 

gifted88

Dante the poet
Feb 12, 2010
7,356
306
Guelph, ON
I only had an hour last night to dig in so I only did 31 teams and went through expansion with Vegas.

That was ok...but now I really want to do expansion as the 32nd team. Disappointed to hear you have to be in the central division but that's what I'll focus on until roster updates come out.
 

SlapshotTheMovie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2013
3,101
1,174
It was the exact same problem last year and they clearly didn't address it. Shocking. :laugh:

Basically you have to budget your money so it's the minimum for everything and put all the remaining cash in arena upgrades/repairs. It gets a lot tougher later when most of your stuff is level 4 and the next upgrades cost a ton.

The best way to do it is masssive upgrades in years where the GM Goals arent happiness related.

If you get a year where the GM doesnt care about the fans or money you can let the repairs go to ****. It sucks but its also kinda realistic. The Rangers did it with MSG where one year the stadium looked like it was taking a step back and the next year they redid like half the stadium and the year after that the other half.
 

SlapshotTheMovie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2013
3,101
1,174
My BIGGEST frustration is the trade block.

In the ps3 versions you could put in the type of stats you wanted. Push the trigger in and it would search the league for all players matching. Then you can sort inside that window. Since NHL 15 on the ps4 that feature is gone.

That was huge for me for building teams. I used that to build a shut down dynasty. I took the 12 best defensive forwards in the game and made them my forward core and the top 6 best devensive defenders and made them my d core and then had the best goalie in the game. Simmed a 70 game winning season. Maybe had one forward over 87 overall points as far as stats. My top point getter on the team had 50 pts. Goalie had a **** ton of shut outs. In order for me to do something like that again I would have to spend hours per season grinding the trade menu searching team by team by team.

Hell i would also do it the opposite way and find the best passer in the game the highest offensive mindset and the best wrist shot and build a top line with those three players. I was able to have an 83 winger 89 center and 86 winger produce 90+ pts each.

NHL 14 was the last year i truly loved this game. I still buy and play and make videos and **** but its not the same.
 
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Tad Mikowsky

Only Droods
Sponsor
Jun 30, 2008
20,857
21,559
Edmonton
True story: my Seattle expansion finished decently, barely missing playoffs.

Try to go big game hunting after Vlasic and Carlson for blue line and Little for first line center. I offer them well over asking price.

Not only did they all decline, they all signed with Dallas for less.

Damn you Dallas.
 

The Nuge

Some say…
Jan 26, 2011
28,014
9,298
British Columbia
One question I have for Franchise Mode is, how on earth am I supposed to upgrade the arena when I can barely keep up with repairs? The budget they give you (or at least that I've been getting for the Jets) is just not enough and the bonus cash for meeting your objectives is laughable. :dunno:

Change your budget so you have more into arena maintenance. I never had an issue with it in 17 doing that
 

Saitama

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Oct 20, 2010
8,588
6,325
Winnipeg
Change your budget so you have more into arena maintenance. I never had an issue with it in 17 doing that

Yeah, I did that and it definitely helps. Thanks for the reply!

So in year three of my 32nd team expansion playthrough, OEL, Duchene and Johannson became free agents. I so much wanted to grab them but I try not to do anything too unrealistic in my playthroughs. Sigh....

I also saw that Subban got traded back to the Habs! :laugh:
 

n00bxQb

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
3,178
524
Does this game sim more realistically than NHL 17 before I buy tomorrow lol
Or at least the option to disable morale so that one upset player doesn't cause your team to completely tank into an 8-game losing streak.
 

Nicos

Registered User
Dec 14, 2016
59
16
but does it actually disable it or just disable meetings, because in previous versions morale was still active even if you disabled meeitngs

In NHL 18 it really disables the morals completely, not only meetings.
 

Diogenes92

Registered User
Dec 13, 2014
1,662
1,502
North Vancouver
Created the Seattle Sorcerers. Came 2nd last in the 1st season after losing the final 15 games. Dropped to the 5th overall pick in the lottery and drafted a 61 overall with medium top 9 potential. Probably set back the franchise a year at least.
 

ThorNton Apologist

Jumbo needs a cup
Oct 1, 2006
2,451
874
Cali
Created the Seattle Sorcerers. Came 2nd last in the 1st season after losing the final 15 games. Dropped to the 5th overall pick in the lottery and drafted a 61 overall with medium top 9 potential. Probably set back the franchise a year at least.

This is so frustrating! Having a top 5 pick and you leave with a top 6 or top 9 medium potential. Worst of all is you can't edit rosters if you wanna do expansion. Guys like Ryan Merkley go top 10 and he only has top 6 D potential.
 
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Diogenes92

Registered User
Dec 13, 2014
1,662
1,502
North Vancouver
This is so frustrating! Having a top 5 pick and you leave with a top 6 or top 9 medium potential. Worst of all is you can't edit rosters if you wanna do expansion. Guys like Ryan Merkley go top 10 and he only has top 6 D potential.

There was a trick to drafting in NHL 17. But it seems like EA changed the system this year, making scouting more difficult.

I guess I'll have to pay attention to who is highly rated so I can scout those players more throughout the season.
 

haveandare

Registered User
Jul 2, 2009
19,000
7,622
New York
Brought the North Stars back in Halifax with a team Sweden color scheme.

The expansion draft offered jack for centers but an insane bounty of defenseman. Trying to assemble a half decent forward group.
 

BruinsFTW

Registered User
Jun 26, 2007
11,266
2,526
Boston, MA
Noticed this from Reddit:

You can manually add extensions in Edit Player. Select a player with one year remaining , go to details,and scroll down. You can input Extension Salary, type and length.

The player doesn't have to agree with it and it shows up in all menus as an extension. You can also add an extension to players on other teams. So if guys like Nylander or Tavares or like Pastranak just signed you can edit it without restarting.

Figured I'd throw it out for anyone interested.
 

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