To be fair, most people (such as myself) have been calling for deeper improvements to the core of GM mode, which this doesn't exactly provide. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool feature, but there is a lot of other stuff I would have preferred.
Real life things like negotiating contracts mid-season is missing, you'll never see a player take you to free agency. The whole trade deadline is pretty ho-hum, especially when it seems teams just look to be randomly moving players with no real plan in terms of short-term or long-term gains. It's possible this new Franchise mode helps with that, but I would imagine they would mention it if it was a feature.
Similarly, poor playing teams can still attract people all the same, whereas in real life, it's tough. If your team has been losing for a while, and you're constantly in the basement, you generally have to overpay in trades and for free agents. On the other hand, winning teams and teams that are in hockey friendly markets might have an easier time getting guys to take a discount, or sign over a rival.
I don't want to say the new Franchise mode is horrible. It honestly looks pretty fun. But, at the same time there's so much micromanaging there that doesn't really help my actual team. I want to be able to focus more on the players, and the on-ice action. I want to be able to change the practice focus of my team, maybe try and get young rookies to learn a new position. I want to be able to have to actually negotiate with my players, or try and persuade the year's big free agent why he should come to my town. I want to talk to player's agents and get updates on who we're bidding against. Even things like who your coach is, and what type of style they want to play would be huge, along with hiring actual assistant coaches and powerplay specialists. All of that could affect how teams play and build their rosters. There's a lot of in game work that I feel needs to be updated before I want to focus on concessions and restrooms.
I think if the new sliders work well, it will be a big step in the right direction, and the Franchise mode certainly will provide a new way to play Be a GM.
Edit: It's worth noting that a big complaint a lot of us had looks to have been addressed. The new animations and stats they showed in this video look like they will be pretty nice. The hat trick skate by that Eichel had, the stat showing goals since being traded, and what looked to be a memorable moment puck toss by a player, maybe something like a first goal, or 300th goal. Those will be nice to see in game, and bring a nice bit of excitement to the ice.