This is how I feel as well...the conspiracy theorist wonders if they break the offline modes on purpose, trying to lure us online. Surely not, but since they don't make any extra money from offline players like they do online, hard to see why they wouldn't. I respect the hard work of the devs, but the higher ups at EA, not so much.
I'll be hanging on to my NHL 10 until this patch comes out, we'll know quickly if NHL11 is playable this year or not. Next year, I'll wait for the first roster and patch before I buy...not worth the drama this year.