Total NHL noob - help me?

[conorjhill]

Hey, so...

I recently picked up NHL 16, inspired by the Stanley Cup playoffs and I want to do a GM mode with the Penguins because they seem to be the team I like but I have literally no idea, it's real confusing, salary caps, trades, editing lines, the whole 9, it all confuses me. So I just need some general help, when you start a GM mode, what are typically the first things you do? how many games do you sim? I'm used to FIFA where I don't sim any games but there is so many in hockey that it seems like everyone sims most of the season? This is a really broad question I know but I'm just mad confused haha

Thanks

[extremeskins04]

Re: Total NHL noob - help me?

So I am in my 3rd year as a GM of the Bruins, and the first thing I usually do is look at my contracts to see who I'm overpaying. That way I can plan for the offseason. In NHL you cannot release players or "buy them out" until the offseason so the only way to get rid of players during the season is to trade them.

I look and see which areas I have depth in. For example, for the Bruins they have two great goalies, Tuuka Rask and Malcolm Subban. Rask is 28 (30 now for me) and I have Subban who was in the AHL for a few years and now his Overall is 88 and he's like 23 years old or so. So I traded Rask and a 1st round pick to the Oilers to get Taylor Hall who is a 25 year old LW with like 93-95 speed and scores like 35 goals a season.

If you've played other sports games in "franchise mode" then it's not much different. Manage your cap by not overpaying old players. Use the RFA tender on players you don't think deserve big money but you still want to keep around.

As far as how many games I play I do it like this. I'll play a game, then sim 5, then play a game, then sim 5, etc etc. So I'll play about 16 games a season. I like to play games but I also like to get through seasons so I can rebuild a team, etc.

Also, when I play the games, I use player lock on either a defense position or Center. I don't play all the players cause I'm always a big fan of letting the players play themselves so their ratings come into effect.

Let me know if you have more questions.

[conorjhill]

Re: Total NHL noob - help me?

So I am in my 3rd year as a GM of the Bruins, and the first thing I usually do is look at my contracts to see who I'm overpaying. That way I can plan for the offseason. In NHL you cannot release players or "buy them out" until the offseason so the only way to get rid of players during the season is to trade them.

I look and see which areas I have depth in. For example, for the Bruins they have two great goalies, Tuuka Rask and Malcolm Subban. Rask is 28 (30 now for me) and I have Subban who was in the AHL for a few years and now his Overall is 88 and he's like 23 years old or so. So I traded Rask and a 1st round pick to the Oilers to get Taylor Hall who is a 25 year old LW with like 93-95 speed and scores like 35 goals a season.

If you've played other sports games in "franchise mode" then it's not much different. Manage your cap by not overpaying old players. Use the RFA tender on players you don't think deserve big money but you still want to keep around.

As far as how many games I play I do it like this. I'll play a game, then sim 5, then play a game, then sim 5, etc etc. So I'll play about 16 games a season. I like to play games but I also like to get through seasons so I can rebuild a team, etc.

Also, when I play the games, I use player lock on either a defense position or Center. I don't play all the players cause I'm always a big fan of letting the players play themselves so their ratings come into effect.

Let me know if you have more questions.

Thanks man, that really helps.

I'm managing the Penguins, any tips on what to do with them? In terms of lines and trades etc. I really like Conor Sheary who's in the Pens affiliate AHL team, is it worth keeping players in the AHL to grow or does it not do much? Like in FIFA, sending out players on loan does basically nothing and since this is EA, I imagine there's quite a few things that don't work or don't make sense haha.

[extremeskins04]

Re: Total NHL noob - help me?

Thanks man, that really helps.

I'm managing the Penguins, any tips on what to do with them? In terms of lines and trades etc. I really like Conor Sheary who's in the Pens affiliate AHL team, is it worth keeping players in the AHL to grow or does it not do much? Like in FIFA, sending out players on loan does basically nothing and since this is EA, I imagine there's quite a few things that don't work or don't make sense haha.

I'm not sure about the Pens unfortunately. I would need to take a good look at their roster and who they have in the AHL as far as prospects. I know that their best players (Crosby, Malkin, Letang, etc) are all 29 years old and getting older so you'll need to ensure that your prospects get as much "ice time" as possible while their "in the system".

There isn't a "sending players out on loan" like in FIFA, but just make sure that your top prospects get ice time while in the AHL and they'll grow.

Sorry dude, but can't be more help than that with the Pens.

Also, if it's any consolation, in my franchise the Pens won the Stanley Cup in the first year I was GM of the Bruins.