Post by Glenn-Philadelphia on Nov 15, 2014 12:45:25 GMT -5
GM Conduct
Integrity boys, integrity. This goes for not putting in a Stay Puff Marshmallow Man lineup when you are playing your buddy as well as tanking games at the end of the season in order to get a better draft pick. This is one of the primary reasons we instituted franchise points so that teams who succeed are rewarded while teams that don't succeed are rewarded with high draft picks. This is predicated on the notion that each GM is trying their damnedest to win their games.
If a GM decides to operate outside of the parameters listed above the league will be forced to take punitive action. For any franchise the following penalties will be applied. 5 Dropped spots for first offense, 10 dropped for 2nd and 15 dropped spots for the third. Also, FPs will be penalized as well. 20 for first offense and 10 for each additional.
The GM will have an opportunity to justify his actions either via a call in Skype or a private message so this is not a Kangaroo court.
I do not check the stats as thoroughly as some of you do but if you think there are some shenanigans afoot, please send me a PM regarding.
Roster Size
Each team must have a minimum of 45 players and a maximum of 50 players in their organization during the regular season and playoffs. These limits include both players who are on minor league contracts as well as major league contracts but does not include Prospects (discussed later). Each franchise must also maintain 5 carded goalies during this time frame as well.
Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)
After a season starts, a team can place one player on LTIR. Players on LTIR will have their salaries removed from the teams cap hit. To be eligible for LTIR a player must be carded, have a fortitude rating of 2 or less and he cannot have been used for any games in the current season. Once on LTIR the player will remain there for the remainder of the season. He will automatically be removed from LTIR at the end of the season.
It is important to note the timing of when a player can be placed on LTIR as "after the season starts" is significantly different than "after free agency is completed". The use of LTIR is specifically timed this way to avoid a team with a large salaried player who is injured to use that cap savings to land another large salaried player that they normally would not have the cap for. This means that teams need to become cap compliant without using LTIR as a tool to do so.
Contracts
Players under contract will fall into one of three different categories. These players will either be on a Major league (FHL) contract, a minor league contract or be identified as a prospect.
Major League Contracts
Players who are signed to a major league contract will give the signing team a discount for signing them for multiple years. The discount table is as follows:
1 year 0% discount
2 years 2.5%
3 years 5.0%
4 years 7.5%
5 years 10.0%
6 years 12.5% *
* 6 years is the maximum length of contracts.
Also when signing players to contracts, you will need to meet a base minimum salary floor to sign players for longer years. Please consult table below for these minimums.
$6M and over - 6 years maximum
$4M - $5.95M - 5 years maximum
$1.8M - $3.95M - 4 years maximum
$900K - $1.75M - 3 years maximum
$500k - $895K - 2 years maximum
After a player completes his first Major league contract he will be considered a Restricted Free Agent (RFA). RFAs are categrorized into 3 different types. These are RFA I, RFA II and RFA III.
(note, these designations are being modified from present to make them more intuitive. The current RFA I will be known as RFA II and the new category will slide into RFA I)
RFA I - These are players that were drafted and signed to fixed length/amount entry level contracts. The term of all ELC is 3 years. Once they finish their contract they will become RFAs with the owning team having the ability to match 75% of an offer in RFA to retain their services.
RFA II and RFA III - These are players who have completed their first Major league contract who were not drafted. This means they were picked up in UFA or as part of the initial league bidding when teams were built. Once their first Major league contract expires they are RFAs as well but the owning team has to match 90% of the offered contract to retain. The difference between the II and III designation is players age as of 7/1 during the FA period. Those under the age of 30 are RFA IIs while those 30 or over on that date are RFA IIIs. The difference between the two is the amount of compensation that needs to be paid in order to sign one of these with the RFA II being a much steeper price.
After he completes the term of his second Major League contract, he will become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). UFAs are awarded to the highest bidder during the UFA process.
Bridge Option
GM’s have two options for resigning players coming off of their 3 year entry level contract (ELC).
1) They can realize a 25% discount of their asking price, or highest bid price and sign the player as they wish for up to 6 years. Players will still need to have their salaries raised if needed in order to meet minimum salary for number of years signed. At the end of this contract the player will become a UFA.
2)They can bridge the player. This means that they will only receive a 10% savings on asking price/highest bid and the first part of the bridge is a fixed length of 2 years. At the end of 2 years the players will become RFAs again (and can be bid on by other teams). If the GM wants to resign the player after 2 years, he can do so again with only the 10% savings and contract term will be for 1-4 years. After this, they will become UFAs.
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to use the Bridge option for players you aren’t sure about. You are better receiving the 25% discount and signing great players to 6 years immediately after their ELC expires.
Prospect Status
A player will be considered a prospect (meaning he will not hit your books, will not count as a roster spot and will have his contract extended by 1 year for each year that he is a prospect) if he was drafted and did not play 20 games in the NHL (10 for goalies) during a year. A player will lose prospect status once he meets the above criteria or plays a total of 200 games (100 for goalies) in the NHL and AHL combined.
Off Season Order of Business
Draft Testing
Draft
Drafted players assigned (most as [prospects)
Lineups updated
RFA Phase
Decisions made on unbid on RFA's (resign or let go to UFA)
UFA 1 per year extensions made
Minor League Decisions (keep/release)
End of Buyouts (Need to complete prior to UFA starting)
UFA Phase
Contract Determinations
LTIR Open
Puck drop
Draft (edits below in red to better reflect lottery process that was discussed after 2023 lottery draft thread) --Commish 5/7/2024
Draft picks will show at the bottom of each Team Page. When the season is completed and the draft order is determined, it will be viewable on the forum.
The draft will be 5 rounds long. Each team will pick in the same spot in rounds 2 through 5. Round 1 draft order will be determined by a draft lottery where the poorest performing non-playoff teams in the just completed year will have a chance torise or fall up to 3 spots. There is no limit to the amount of spots a lottery team can rise.
Draft picks can only be used as assets once acquired as part of the league dues. These can only be acquired for 1 additional year meaning a team can never have more than 2 years of draft picks at their disposal. If a team wished to use these assets as part of a trade, he will need to pay his league dues for that year as well.
Draft Lottery Process
Draft order for round 1 only will be determined by a broadcasted lottery. Each team will be assigned a number of lottery cards based on their finish (ordered worst to best) the prior year.
01-05: 3 cards
06-10: 2 cards
11-16: 1 card
Teams cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five year period.
DRAFT LOTTERY FAQ:
The new rules state that a team can’t win the lottery more than twice in a five year period. Is this year the first year in that five year period?
This year will be everyone's year12.
Is a team only considered to have won the lottery if they get #1 or move up anywhere into the top 3?
Only 1st overall is considered winning the draft.
What happens if the worst team in the league gets the #1 overall pick? Is that considered winning the lottery?
Yes.
What happens if a team traded their 1st Round Pick then that pick wins the lottery. Who would you say won the lottery? The original team or the team that owns the pick?
Based on original pick owner.
Finally, what happens if a team does win 3 times in a 5 year period? Is that complete draw scrapped and everything is redone?
No, the whole draft isn't redone, lower teams will all move up and the would-be winner will move back 1 spot.
Draft Eligible Players are players aged 25 or under on 7/1 of the draft year who have never had a contract and are available for the upcoming draft.
Unassigned players over the age of 25 will be available in the free agent signing portion of the off season.
Free Agent Process
As part of the free agent bidding process, owners will need to use your password in order to get into that section of the board.
On the appointed start day for RFA I will turn on the process and you will have an opportunity to bid on Restricted Free Agents (RFA) with minimum bids required for the first round of 8M per year. This first phase will complete on the following night at 8:00 PM EST at which point in time bidding will be disabled and bids, if any, will be reviewed to determine high bidders and this information will be posted. Teams who have had players bid on will then have 24 hours to decide if they will keep the player. The match will be based on the RFA type. RFA I players (drafted) coming off their entry level contract can be matched by offering 75% of the highest bid or 75% of the players asking price, whichever is higher. Bridged RFA I players or any RFA II or RFA III can be matched by offering 90% of the highest bid or 90% of the players asking price, whichever is higher. This review for teams will need to be completed by 8:00 PM EST on the second day after the round opened at which point the next phase of RFA will continue with minimum bids of 6M with a closing of the bidding portion 24 hours later and then another 24 hours for owners to decide what to do with players that have been bid upon. These 2 day phases will continue for each of the 7 salary groupings as listed here:
$8M
$6M
$4.5M
$3M
$1.5M
$1M
$600k
$300k
* $100k
* $100k round is repeated until all teams have the requisite number of players.
Some notes to remember regarding RFA:
1) The bid you make for a player in this phase will be exactly what you need to pay the player. If you make a bid for 10M and someone decides not to match, you are on the hook for 10M (contingent to some minor savings for signing the player for a longer term contract).
2) You do not want to bid on your own players. This could only be driving up the cost on a player who you will have a chance to match anyways.
3) Your bid needs to be at minimum, the player’s asking price.
4) You must have your own draft picks in order to make a selection that will require forfeiting those draft picks if you win. Therefore, you need to review the picks you will need to give up in case you win a bid for a player and the current owner decides not to match. This also means that you might only be able to bid on one player especially during these higher rounds.
5) If you bid on a player or multiple players in a round and your bid(s) would involve compensation that you either do not have, or would not have if you won all the players you bid on, then your bids, no matter what they are, will not be considered in determining what happens to the player. It is important for each owner to understand the compensation chart below and not double dip during any round.
6) Any player that is brought into play by being bid on by at least one player in a round will be off of the table for later rounds after the players current owner decides to match or take the compensation. This means that if Quick is bid upon by a few GMs in the first round of RFA, once the highest bidder is determined and Quick's owner decides what to do with him, his fate is sealed. He will not be available to bid on in round 2 and later.
7) GMs cannot exceed their salary cap to match a RFA.
8) Players that are retained must not be traded or cut for at least 1 year.
Any UFA who receives a bid of 6M or more must be signed for at least 2 years. Be careful when bidding large amounts on older players who might not have a card next year.
Bidding on your own players:
If you make a bid on one of you own players your bid is your bid and you do not get to apply the 10% (for RFA II and RFA IIIs) or 25% (for RFA I) matching discount. You also lose this discount if you bid on one of your own players and someone has a higher bid on him during the round. You still will be able to apply the length of contract discount (i.e. 4 years is 7.5% etc) as this is not impacted by a teams decision to bid on one or more of their own players.
Example:
Team A owns the RFA rights for player X. Player X is asking 4.85M for his next contract. Team A want to sign him for 6 years meaning they will need to pay him 6M per season anyways (as a base before the contract length discount is applied) so they bid 6M on him. If no one else bids on him, they land him for 6M and get to apply the term length discount after they decide on the number of years they want to give him. Let's say team B bid 7.5M on him as well. This means that team A has the choice of taking the compensation for the pick or keeping the player at a base 7.5M. if no one bids on him and the RFA phase completes, then he can be had for his asking price.
The benefits of bidding on your own guy is you can take one of your guys off the board at a price that you would have had to pay him anyways given the amount of years you wanted to sign him for. The drawback is you may spend more for him then needed in order to retain his services.
Here is the compensation chart that we will be using:
Tier I (Drafted Players ELC) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 75% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
1M - 1.499M : (1) third-round draft choice.
$1.5M - 2.999M: (1) second round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) first-round choice and (1) third-rounder.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) first- (1) second- and (1) third-rounder.
$6M to 7.999M : (2) First-round choices, (1) second-rounder and (1) third-rounder.
$8M and over: (2) First-round choices, (2) second-rounders and (2) third-rounders.
** Future Note - Starting in 2015-16 season, franchise points will be included in the compensation for RFA I players. **
Tier II (Players under 30 on 7/1) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 90% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
below 1M : No compensation.
1M - 1.499M : (1) third-round draft choice.
$1.5M - 2.999M: (1) second round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) first-round choice and (1) third-rounder.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) first- (1) second- and (1) third-rounder.
$6M to 7.999M : (2) First-round choices, (1) second-rounder and (1) third-rounder.
$8M and over: (2) First-round choices, (2) second-rounders and (2) third-rounders.
Tier III (Players over 30 on 7/1) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 90% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
below 1.5M : No compensation.
$1.5M - 2.999M : (1) fourth round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) third round draft choice.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) second-round choice
$6M and over: (1) first-round choice
Once the last phase has completed, owners will need to review all of their RFAs who have not been bid upon and decide to keep them (at 90% of asking price) or release them without penalty at which point they will become unrestricted free agents.
If you have any questions regarding this you need to let me know.
At the end of this process we will get into Unrestricted Free Agency (UFA). During this process there will be 2 day phases as with RFA with a few major differences:
1) No compensation is required when these players are signed so the only thing that you are limited by is your cap space and the need to fill at least 45, or 50 max, roster spots.
2) Winning bidder will be 100% of bid value unless the player is retained via franchise points insurance. In that case, the winning team will retain at the max bid of any other teams. In the event of two bidder tie in the amount of the high bid, a random determination made by the assignment program will determine who wins the player and the contract amount will be equal to the high bid.
3) The bidding will last for 2 solid days per phase as there is no need to have 1 day for owners to decide what they want to do with players who have been bid upon.
4) The length in term that you sign a free agent is based on a minimum level of yearly compensation. See chart below:
$6M and over - 6 years maximum
$4M - $5.95M - 5 years maximum
$1.8M - $3.95M - 4 years maximum
$900K - $1.75M - 3 years maximum
$600k - $895K - 2 years maximum
Less than $500k - player is in line for a 150% contract raise and owning team must meet this salary criteria in order to retain the player. These players are considered to be on minor league contracts. Once a player reaches the $500k threshold, his salary demands will be figured according to his player card and the team which owns his rights will have to either choose to match his demands, giving him his first pro contract, or release him to Unrestricted Free Agency.
Waiving a Player
Each team is allowed to waive 1 player (*) who had retired with penalty.
The formula for doing so is here:
Base Percentage = Years Left on contract / Total Contract Length
Base Percentage would be multiplied times base salary (not adjusted) times the years left to determine contract hit.
This value is capped at 1.5 x yearly base salary
Using Jaden Schwartz as an example:
in 2022:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2022 years left on his contract: 4
Using formula: 4/5 = .8 * 4.5M * 4 = 14.4M (capped at 1.5 * 4.5M (base) = 6.75M
in 2023:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2023 years left on his contract: 3
Using formula: 3/5 = .6 * 4.5M * 3 = 8.1M (capped at 1.5 * 4.5M (base) = 6.75M
in 2024:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2024 years left on his contract: 2
Using formula: 2/5 = .4 * 4.5M * 2 = 3.6M
* Players that were drafted can be waived freely (without a cap hit) at any time during their entry level contract if they have not played any games in the FHL.
Players Under Contract but Without Cards
You as a GM are obligated to pay the contract of any player who is under contract for your team until their contract term runs out, they are bought out as per your one buyout allowance per year (with penalty) or they fall into a select grouping below.
Here are the reasons that guys have no cards and what can be done with each type of player.
Player decides to play in Europe and doesn't have a card. You have the option of either terminating this contract for free or retaining his rights for 100k. (Think Kovalchuk)
Player was injured all year (I mean, all year) and doesn't have a card. You have the option of either terminating this contract for free or retaining his rights for 100k. (Think Willie Mitchell this past year)
Player returns to juniors and is on a pro contract (500k plus). You can retain his rights for 100k or drop without penalty.
Player return to juniors or plays significant time in the minors and was drafted (meaning he is a prospect). One year gets added to his contract term and his salary is deferred until he starts hitting your books. This is the case until the skater plays 20 NHL games in one season or 10 games if the player is a goalie.
Player is an old geezer and retires or no one signs him or he is stuck playing in the ECHL or the Quebec Goon league. You must pay the man or use your one compliance buyout (as stated above with penalty) to rid his contract. Another option would be to trade him along with another asset to a GM who doesn't have a player that he needs to buy out to have him buy the player out for you.
If a player was forced to retire due to death or a medical condition or injury that prevents them from playing the GM can petition the league to drop this player for free. The League advisory group will make a decision based on the merits on a case by case basis.
What Are Franchise Points (FPs)
Franchise points are used to simulate a teams desirability as a destination for free agents. They are used to complete trades and also to try to retain free agents.
How Franchise Points Are Earned
Franchise points for each franchise are calculated each year and applied to the teams franchise point pool. The following items are considered when calculating FPs.
1) Number of wins during a year. This value is heavily weighted towards the teams first wins to dissuade a team from tanking.
2) Years active in the league (league tenure)
3) Playoff predictions participation/performance
4) Playoff participation (+5 for each round played and +10 for cup winner)
5) Individual awards from previous season (5/3/1 points respectively)
6) 5 points for each team in the All Star game winning conference
How Franchise Points Can Be Used to Land your UFA
I wanted to clear up some of the confusion surrounding using franchise points to assist in retaining a team's UFAs. Some of the confusion in born from the fact that this is a new feature and with that comes some tinkering with the concept to arrive at something that mimics the NHL as closely as possible in the "G". The other major part of the confusion relates to my inability to properly communicate my vision for the process over several threads on the forum. Therefore I wanted to consolidate all of the explanation and discussion on this thread as a prelude to updating the rulebook.
OK, so as stated the player must need to be on a team all year long to be able to use FPs to try to land him. If he was, the player will have a (FP) beside their name in the UFA section on his team page. Players can spend FPs at a value of 1 FP = 50k worth of additional bids
The additional bid amount that is generated by spending FPs is there as an insurance policy to help land the player. If the insurance is not used (either no FP are spent or no other teams bid was above the UFAs old teams base bid) then the old team can sign a player for as long they wish. If the insurance is used and needed to retain the player, the team can only resign the player for a 1 year deal.
Any FPs spent as insurance are spent/lost no matter if they are needed or not.
If an owner wishes to retain this guy for next year and beyond here is how the mechanics will work:
Player X was on Team A all of last year and Team A has an interest in retaining his services.
In the past, Team A would place their best bid out there and see if they won him back. This year Team A will have the option of spending FPs (as detailed above to try and retain him).
Scenario 1:
Team A Bids 5M and doesn't add any FP to the bid
Possible results:
1)Team A wins or loses the bid based solely on the amount they bid. Winning team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
Scenario 2:
Team A Bids 5M and adds 20FP (effective 6M bid)
Possible results:
1)No other team bids on Player X. Team A team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
2)Team B bids 4.9M. Because this was under the base Team A bid (5M) Team A signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
3)Team B bids 5.1M. Because this bid was over Team A's base bid (5M) but less than their effective bid (6M),Team A team signs the player but can only sign him to a 1 year deal at 5.1M.
4)Team B bids 6.1M and wins the bid. Team B team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
Teams have the ability to resign one of their UFAs spending franchise points only. 75 points can be spent to sign a UFA that was on your team for the entire previous season for 110% of his asking price. Players signed in this manner can be traded. Teams are limited to 4 years maximum in years on the extension for these players.
When signing these players owners are obligated to self impose a 4 year term limit on the extension.
Team Page
I have added two sections to the teams page. The first is players still on the books without a card this year and the second is players on minor league contracts that don't have a card.
Every year a list of players will be generated for review made up of players in category 1 above. These are the guys that are generally retained for 100k or dropped without penalty (if they played in Europe last year or missed the entire year due to injury) or waived with the waived penalty as your once a year player waiver. If the player listed here is retired, then you only have the option of using your waiver on him or picking up his entire salary for the year. The other players you may see here could be draft picks from last year who didn't have a card. These will be discussed in a follow up post but you will retain their rights and contract even if they don't have a card.
The second group of players are guys that were on minor league contracts last year and don't have a card this year for one reason or another. These players cannot be retained for any reason listed above and there also is no penalty for dropping them from your team. If you do some research and this the player should have a card but doesn't, played at least 1 game in the NHL or AHL last year, then you can let me know and I will see about getting card generated for him. If not, these guys will simply fall off your roster this off season.
It is wise for owners to take the initiative to research the guys on these lists by clicking on their respective pro link or using Wikipedia or some other search engine.
Setting Lineups
1. Log in
2. At the bottom of the page is the BIGS Button, a players name, and the MINORS button. Select a player and decide if he will be one of your 25 guys that will play this year. If he is select the BIGS button, if not the MINORS button.
3. Once everyone has been sorted decide what lines they will play. Your better Stamina guys should play on your top lines. Try not to play a player in a position that isn't specified on by his name or he will see a 10% decrease in talent. Select a player then select where you want him. Rinse and repeat.
4. Once the roster is set do special teams. Here you can play guys out of position with no penalty. Try to use guys with high stamina as they will see more ice time.
There is no save button, what you put in is what you will have. You can edit any time but once 7pm hits on game day your line up is set.
How Does Toughness Work
Dumping Text in Here for Wordsmithing Later
It is one small aspect of the game. Teams with vastly higher skill guys are still going to win the majority of the games. Teams that lack skill can improve their chances, at least in a small way, with toughness and intimidation.
In regards to guys throwing it probably wasn't your guys idea. The engine will determine a random partner if a fight is indicated but it will heavily weigh a players fight rating to determine who goes. That is another good reason to have a tough guy who can ride shotgun (if skill permits) with your stars especially when playing a team stacked with goons.
Yes, I spent a good part of the weekend reworking the logic for guys taking the occasional look over their shoulder during play. This is something that the lower grit players can have happen to them on occasion especially when playing a "Tough" team and without having much in the way in team toughness or having a tough guy riding shotgun with the lower grit players. Also, I will be adding some ratings to the game page that will rate 4 team variables (Offense, Defense, Skill [Shoot/ShootPct/Pass for the most part) and Toughness). This will give you a general idea of how the teams stack up.
No need to worry necessarily GM's of Nancy boy teams. This doesn't mean that your team is going to be running scared from the drop of the puck but as intimidation does play a part in the NHL, it plays a part in the FHL as well
Toughness (both team and on ice) is taken into account by the engine on every play. Guys who have lower grit ratings are more succeptible to having their skill base lowered for a skill check whenever their team/line is significantly over matched in the toughness catagory. The more over matched, the more they can suffer. It is not the end all and be all factor for what happens during any given play but it does matter.
Team Assets
Picks are only tradeable for the year in which you have paid. For example, 2018 draft picks only can be traded if you have paid for the 2018-2019 season
You cannot pay 2 years in advance to trade picks 2 years in advance. This would mean 2019 picks in the example above.
Teams can no longer do future considerations for picks farther out then the upcoming draft. Future considerations must be spelled out to insure that this rule is not circumvented.
Suspensions
In cases where a suspension would carry past the end of the regular season, additional games for playoff teams will be pro rated on a 3 to 1 game(rounded down) basis. This means if a playoff team has 4 games left and a guy on that team gets suspended for 9 games, he will be suspended for the rest of the regular season and an additional 1 playoff game (5/3= 1.67 rounded down to 1).
If a team does not qualify for the playoffs, or a playoff team is eliminated before the 3:1 ratio would exhaust length of suspension, the balance of the suspension will carry to next year.
Players suspended during the playoffs will have their games calculated on the 3:1 basis. If I get the code updated to support the playoff calculation I will let everyone know. If not, the games suspended will be adjusted manually after the fact.
Also, please be aware that because there are no scheduled playoff games yet, return dates for players suspended past the end of the season will be adjusted once the post season schedule is known.
Integrity boys, integrity. This goes for not putting in a Stay Puff Marshmallow Man lineup when you are playing your buddy as well as tanking games at the end of the season in order to get a better draft pick. This is one of the primary reasons we instituted franchise points so that teams who succeed are rewarded while teams that don't succeed are rewarded with high draft picks. This is predicated on the notion that each GM is trying their damnedest to win their games.
If a GM decides to operate outside of the parameters listed above the league will be forced to take punitive action. For any franchise the following penalties will be applied. 5 Dropped spots for first offense, 10 dropped for 2nd and 15 dropped spots for the third. Also, FPs will be penalized as well. 20 for first offense and 10 for each additional.
The GM will have an opportunity to justify his actions either via a call in Skype or a private message so this is not a Kangaroo court.
I do not check the stats as thoroughly as some of you do but if you think there are some shenanigans afoot, please send me a PM regarding.
Roster Size
Each team must have a minimum of 45 players and a maximum of 50 players in their organization during the regular season and playoffs. These limits include both players who are on minor league contracts as well as major league contracts but does not include Prospects (discussed later). Each franchise must also maintain 5 carded goalies during this time frame as well.
Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)
After a season starts, a team can place one player on LTIR. Players on LTIR will have their salaries removed from the teams cap hit. To be eligible for LTIR a player must be carded, have a fortitude rating of 2 or less and he cannot have been used for any games in the current season. Once on LTIR the player will remain there for the remainder of the season. He will automatically be removed from LTIR at the end of the season.
It is important to note the timing of when a player can be placed on LTIR as "after the season starts" is significantly different than "after free agency is completed". The use of LTIR is specifically timed this way to avoid a team with a large salaried player who is injured to use that cap savings to land another large salaried player that they normally would not have the cap for. This means that teams need to become cap compliant without using LTIR as a tool to do so.
Contracts
Players under contract will fall into one of three different categories. These players will either be on a Major league (FHL) contract, a minor league contract or be identified as a prospect.
Major League Contracts
Players who are signed to a major league contract will give the signing team a discount for signing them for multiple years. The discount table is as follows:
1 year 0% discount
2 years 2.5%
3 years 5.0%
4 years 7.5%
5 years 10.0%
6 years 12.5% *
* 6 years is the maximum length of contracts.
Also when signing players to contracts, you will need to meet a base minimum salary floor to sign players for longer years. Please consult table below for these minimums.
$6M and over - 6 years maximum
$4M - $5.95M - 5 years maximum
$1.8M - $3.95M - 4 years maximum
$900K - $1.75M - 3 years maximum
$500k - $895K - 2 years maximum
After a player completes his first Major league contract he will be considered a Restricted Free Agent (RFA). RFAs are categrorized into 3 different types. These are RFA I, RFA II and RFA III.
(note, these designations are being modified from present to make them more intuitive. The current RFA I will be known as RFA II and the new category will slide into RFA I)
RFA I - These are players that were drafted and signed to fixed length/amount entry level contracts. The term of all ELC is 3 years. Once they finish their contract they will become RFAs with the owning team having the ability to match 75% of an offer in RFA to retain their services.
RFA II and RFA III - These are players who have completed their first Major league contract who were not drafted. This means they were picked up in UFA or as part of the initial league bidding when teams were built. Once their first Major league contract expires they are RFAs as well but the owning team has to match 90% of the offered contract to retain. The difference between the II and III designation is players age as of 7/1 during the FA period. Those under the age of 30 are RFA IIs while those 30 or over on that date are RFA IIIs. The difference between the two is the amount of compensation that needs to be paid in order to sign one of these with the RFA II being a much steeper price.
After he completes the term of his second Major League contract, he will become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). UFAs are awarded to the highest bidder during the UFA process.
Bridge Option
GM’s have two options for resigning players coming off of their 3 year entry level contract (ELC).
1) They can realize a 25% discount of their asking price, or highest bid price and sign the player as they wish for up to 6 years. Players will still need to have their salaries raised if needed in order to meet minimum salary for number of years signed. At the end of this contract the player will become a UFA.
2)They can bridge the player. This means that they will only receive a 10% savings on asking price/highest bid and the first part of the bridge is a fixed length of 2 years. At the end of 2 years the players will become RFAs again (and can be bid on by other teams). If the GM wants to resign the player after 2 years, he can do so again with only the 10% savings and contract term will be for 1-4 years. After this, they will become UFAs.
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to use the Bridge option for players you aren’t sure about. You are better receiving the 25% discount and signing great players to 6 years immediately after their ELC expires.
Prospect Status
A player will be considered a prospect (meaning he will not hit your books, will not count as a roster spot and will have his contract extended by 1 year for each year that he is a prospect) if he was drafted and did not play 20 games in the NHL (10 for goalies) during a year. A player will lose prospect status once he meets the above criteria or plays a total of 200 games (100 for goalies) in the NHL and AHL combined.
Off Season Order of Business
Draft Testing
Draft
Drafted players assigned (most as [prospects)
Lineups updated
RFA Phase
Decisions made on unbid on RFA's (resign or let go to UFA)
UFA 1 per year extensions made
Minor League Decisions (keep/release)
End of Buyouts (Need to complete prior to UFA starting)
UFA Phase
Contract Determinations
LTIR Open
Puck drop
Draft (edits below in red to better reflect lottery process that was discussed after 2023 lottery draft thread) --Commish 5/7/2024
Draft picks will show at the bottom of each Team Page. When the season is completed and the draft order is determined, it will be viewable on the forum.
The draft will be 5 rounds long. Each team will pick in the same spot in rounds 2 through 5. Round 1 draft order will be determined by a draft lottery where the poorest performing non-playoff teams in the just completed year will have a chance to
Draft picks can only be used as assets once acquired as part of the league dues. These can only be acquired for 1 additional year meaning a team can never have more than 2 years of draft picks at their disposal. If a team wished to use these assets as part of a trade, he will need to pay his league dues for that year as well.
Draft Lottery Process
Draft order for round 1 only will be determined by a broadcasted lottery. Each team will be assigned a number of lottery cards based on their finish (ordered worst to best) the prior year.
01-05: 3 cards
06-10: 2 cards
11-16: 1 card
Teams cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five year period.
DRAFT LOTTERY FAQ:
The new rules state that a team can’t win the lottery more than twice in a five year period. Is this year the first year in that five year period?
This year will be everyone's year
Is a team only considered to have won the lottery if they get #1 or move up anywhere into the top 3?
Only 1st overall is considered winning the draft.
What happens if the worst team in the league gets the #1 overall pick? Is that considered winning the lottery?
Yes.
What happens if a team traded their 1st Round Pick then that pick wins the lottery. Who would you say won the lottery? The original team or the team that owns the pick?
Based on original pick owner.
Finally, what happens if a team does win 3 times in a 5 year period? Is that complete draw scrapped and everything is redone?
No, the whole draft isn't redone, lower teams will all move up and the would-be winner will move back 1 spot.
Draft Eligible Players are players aged 25 or under on 7/1 of the draft year who have never had a contract and are available for the upcoming draft.
Unassigned players over the age of 25 will be available in the free agent signing portion of the off season.
Free Agent Process
As part of the free agent bidding process, owners will need to use your password in order to get into that section of the board.
On the appointed start day for RFA I will turn on the process and you will have an opportunity to bid on Restricted Free Agents (RFA) with minimum bids required for the first round of 8M per year. This first phase will complete on the following night at 8:00 PM EST at which point in time bidding will be disabled and bids, if any, will be reviewed to determine high bidders and this information will be posted. Teams who have had players bid on will then have 24 hours to decide if they will keep the player. The match will be based on the RFA type. RFA I players (drafted) coming off their entry level contract can be matched by offering 75% of the highest bid or 75% of the players asking price, whichever is higher. Bridged RFA I players or any RFA II or RFA III can be matched by offering 90% of the highest bid or 90% of the players asking price, whichever is higher. This review for teams will need to be completed by 8:00 PM EST on the second day after the round opened at which point the next phase of RFA will continue with minimum bids of 6M with a closing of the bidding portion 24 hours later and then another 24 hours for owners to decide what to do with players that have been bid upon. These 2 day phases will continue for each of the 7 salary groupings as listed here:
$8M
$6M
$4.5M
$3M
$1.5M
$1M
$600k
$300k
* $100k
* $100k round is repeated until all teams have the requisite number of players.
Some notes to remember regarding RFA:
1) The bid you make for a player in this phase will be exactly what you need to pay the player. If you make a bid for 10M and someone decides not to match, you are on the hook for 10M (contingent to some minor savings for signing the player for a longer term contract).
2) You do not want to bid on your own players. This could only be driving up the cost on a player who you will have a chance to match anyways.
3) Your bid needs to be at minimum, the player’s asking price.
4) You must have your own draft picks in order to make a selection that will require forfeiting those draft picks if you win. Therefore, you need to review the picks you will need to give up in case you win a bid for a player and the current owner decides not to match. This also means that you might only be able to bid on one player especially during these higher rounds.
5) If you bid on a player or multiple players in a round and your bid(s) would involve compensation that you either do not have, or would not have if you won all the players you bid on, then your bids, no matter what they are, will not be considered in determining what happens to the player. It is important for each owner to understand the compensation chart below and not double dip during any round.
6) Any player that is brought into play by being bid on by at least one player in a round will be off of the table for later rounds after the players current owner decides to match or take the compensation. This means that if Quick is bid upon by a few GMs in the first round of RFA, once the highest bidder is determined and Quick's owner decides what to do with him, his fate is sealed. He will not be available to bid on in round 2 and later.
7) GMs cannot exceed their salary cap to match a RFA.
8) Players that are retained must not be traded or cut for at least 1 year.
Any UFA who receives a bid of 6M or more must be signed for at least 2 years. Be careful when bidding large amounts on older players who might not have a card next year.
Bidding on your own players:
If you make a bid on one of you own players your bid is your bid and you do not get to apply the 10% (for RFA II and RFA IIIs) or 25% (for RFA I) matching discount. You also lose this discount if you bid on one of your own players and someone has a higher bid on him during the round. You still will be able to apply the length of contract discount (i.e. 4 years is 7.5% etc) as this is not impacted by a teams decision to bid on one or more of their own players.
Example:
Team A owns the RFA rights for player X. Player X is asking 4.85M for his next contract. Team A want to sign him for 6 years meaning they will need to pay him 6M per season anyways (as a base before the contract length discount is applied) so they bid 6M on him. If no one else bids on him, they land him for 6M and get to apply the term length discount after they decide on the number of years they want to give him. Let's say team B bid 7.5M on him as well. This means that team A has the choice of taking the compensation for the pick or keeping the player at a base 7.5M. if no one bids on him and the RFA phase completes, then he can be had for his asking price.
The benefits of bidding on your own guy is you can take one of your guys off the board at a price that you would have had to pay him anyways given the amount of years you wanted to sign him for. The drawback is you may spend more for him then needed in order to retain his services.
Here is the compensation chart that we will be using:
Tier I (Drafted Players ELC) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 75% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
1M - 1.499M : (1) third-round draft choice.
$1.5M - 2.999M: (1) second round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) first-round choice and (1) third-rounder.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) first- (1) second- and (1) third-rounder.
$6M to 7.999M : (2) First-round choices, (1) second-rounder and (1) third-rounder.
$8M and over: (2) First-round choices, (2) second-rounders and (2) third-rounders.
** Future Note - Starting in 2015-16 season, franchise points will be included in the compensation for RFA I players. **
Tier II (Players under 30 on 7/1) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 90% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
below 1M : No compensation.
1M - 1.499M : (1) third-round draft choice.
$1.5M - 2.999M: (1) second round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) first-round choice and (1) third-rounder.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) first- (1) second- and (1) third-rounder.
$6M to 7.999M : (2) First-round choices, (1) second-rounder and (1) third-rounder.
$8M and over: (2) First-round choices, (2) second-rounders and (2) third-rounders.
Tier III (Players over 30 on 7/1) ** Can be matched by owning team if cap permits by paying the player 90% of highest offer or the players asking price whichever is higher **
below 1.5M : No compensation.
$1.5M - 2.999M : (1) fourth round draft choice.
$3M - 4.499M: (1) third round draft choice.
$4.5M - 5.999M: (1) second-round choice
$6M and over: (1) first-round choice
Once the last phase has completed, owners will need to review all of their RFAs who have not been bid upon and decide to keep them (at 90% of asking price) or release them without penalty at which point they will become unrestricted free agents.
If you have any questions regarding this you need to let me know.
At the end of this process we will get into Unrestricted Free Agency (UFA). During this process there will be 2 day phases as with RFA with a few major differences:
1) No compensation is required when these players are signed so the only thing that you are limited by is your cap space and the need to fill at least 45, or 50 max, roster spots.
2) Winning bidder will be 100% of bid value unless the player is retained via franchise points insurance. In that case, the winning team will retain at the max bid of any other teams. In the event of two bidder tie in the amount of the high bid, a random determination made by the assignment program will determine who wins the player and the contract amount will be equal to the high bid.
3) The bidding will last for 2 solid days per phase as there is no need to have 1 day for owners to decide what they want to do with players who have been bid upon.
4) The length in term that you sign a free agent is based on a minimum level of yearly compensation. See chart below:
$6M and over - 6 years maximum
$4M - $5.95M - 5 years maximum
$1.8M - $3.95M - 4 years maximum
$900K - $1.75M - 3 years maximum
$600k - $895K - 2 years maximum
Less than $500k - player is in line for a 150% contract raise and owning team must meet this salary criteria in order to retain the player. These players are considered to be on minor league contracts. Once a player reaches the $500k threshold, his salary demands will be figured according to his player card and the team which owns his rights will have to either choose to match his demands, giving him his first pro contract, or release him to Unrestricted Free Agency.
Waiving a Player
Each team is allowed to waive 1 player (*) who had retired with penalty.
The formula for doing so is here:
Base Percentage = Years Left on contract / Total Contract Length
Base Percentage would be multiplied times base salary (not adjusted) times the years left to determine contract hit.
This value is capped at 1.5 x yearly base salary
Using Jaden Schwartz as an example:
in 2022:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2022 years left on his contract: 4
Using formula: 4/5 = .8 * 4.5M * 4 = 14.4M (capped at 1.5 * 4.5M (base) = 6.75M
in 2023:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2023 years left on his contract: 3
Using formula: 3/5 = .6 * 4.5M * 3 = 8.1M (capped at 1.5 * 4.5M (base) = 6.75M
in 2024:
Base salary: 4,500,000 (adjusted by years signed to 4.05M [5 year signing])
Contract end: 2026
In 2024 years left on his contract: 2
Using formula: 2/5 = .4 * 4.5M * 2 = 3.6M
* Players that were drafted can be waived freely (without a cap hit) at any time during their entry level contract if they have not played any games in the FHL.
Players Under Contract but Without Cards
You as a GM are obligated to pay the contract of any player who is under contract for your team until their contract term runs out, they are bought out as per your one buyout allowance per year (with penalty) or they fall into a select grouping below.
Here are the reasons that guys have no cards and what can be done with each type of player.
Player decides to play in Europe and doesn't have a card. You have the option of either terminating this contract for free or retaining his rights for 100k. (Think Kovalchuk)
Player was injured all year (I mean, all year) and doesn't have a card. You have the option of either terminating this contract for free or retaining his rights for 100k. (Think Willie Mitchell this past year)
Player returns to juniors and is on a pro contract (500k plus). You can retain his rights for 100k or drop without penalty.
Player return to juniors or plays significant time in the minors and was drafted (meaning he is a prospect). One year gets added to his contract term and his salary is deferred until he starts hitting your books. This is the case until the skater plays 20 NHL games in one season or 10 games if the player is a goalie.
Player is an old geezer and retires or no one signs him or he is stuck playing in the ECHL or the Quebec Goon league. You must pay the man or use your one compliance buyout (as stated above with penalty) to rid his contract. Another option would be to trade him along with another asset to a GM who doesn't have a player that he needs to buy out to have him buy the player out for you.
If a player was forced to retire due to death or a medical condition or injury that prevents them from playing the GM can petition the league to drop this player for free. The League advisory group will make a decision based on the merits on a case by case basis.
What Are Franchise Points (FPs)
Franchise points are used to simulate a teams desirability as a destination for free agents. They are used to complete trades and also to try to retain free agents.
How Franchise Points Are Earned
Franchise points for each franchise are calculated each year and applied to the teams franchise point pool. The following items are considered when calculating FPs.
1) Number of wins during a year. This value is heavily weighted towards the teams first wins to dissuade a team from tanking.
2) Years active in the league (league tenure)
3) Playoff predictions participation/performance
4) Playoff participation (+5 for each round played and +10 for cup winner)
5) Individual awards from previous season (5/3/1 points respectively)
6) 5 points for each team in the All Star game winning conference
How Franchise Points Can Be Used to Land your UFA
I wanted to clear up some of the confusion surrounding using franchise points to assist in retaining a team's UFAs. Some of the confusion in born from the fact that this is a new feature and with that comes some tinkering with the concept to arrive at something that mimics the NHL as closely as possible in the "G". The other major part of the confusion relates to my inability to properly communicate my vision for the process over several threads on the forum. Therefore I wanted to consolidate all of the explanation and discussion on this thread as a prelude to updating the rulebook.
OK, so as stated the player must need to be on a team all year long to be able to use FPs to try to land him. If he was, the player will have a (FP) beside their name in the UFA section on his team page. Players can spend FPs at a value of 1 FP = 50k worth of additional bids
The additional bid amount that is generated by spending FPs is there as an insurance policy to help land the player. If the insurance is not used (either no FP are spent or no other teams bid was above the UFAs old teams base bid) then the old team can sign a player for as long they wish. If the insurance is used and needed to retain the player, the team can only resign the player for a 1 year deal.
Any FPs spent as insurance are spent/lost no matter if they are needed or not.
If an owner wishes to retain this guy for next year and beyond here is how the mechanics will work:
Player X was on Team A all of last year and Team A has an interest in retaining his services.
In the past, Team A would place their best bid out there and see if they won him back. This year Team A will have the option of spending FPs (as detailed above to try and retain him).
Scenario 1:
Team A Bids 5M and doesn't add any FP to the bid
Possible results:
1)Team A wins or loses the bid based solely on the amount they bid. Winning team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
Scenario 2:
Team A Bids 5M and adds 20FP (effective 6M bid)
Possible results:
1)No other team bids on Player X. Team A team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
2)Team B bids 4.9M. Because this was under the base Team A bid (5M) Team A signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
3)Team B bids 5.1M. Because this bid was over Team A's base bid (5M) but less than their effective bid (6M),Team A team signs the player but can only sign him to a 1 year deal at 5.1M.
4)Team B bids 6.1M and wins the bid. Team B team signs the player for as long as they want pursuant to the max 6 year GHL contract length.
Teams have the ability to resign one of their UFAs spending franchise points only. 75 points can be spent to sign a UFA that was on your team for the entire previous season for 110% of his asking price. Players signed in this manner can be traded. Teams are limited to 4 years maximum in years on the extension for these players.
When signing these players owners are obligated to self impose a 4 year term limit on the extension.
Team Page
I have added two sections to the teams page. The first is players still on the books without a card this year and the second is players on minor league contracts that don't have a card.
Every year a list of players will be generated for review made up of players in category 1 above. These are the guys that are generally retained for 100k or dropped without penalty (if they played in Europe last year or missed the entire year due to injury) or waived with the waived penalty as your once a year player waiver. If the player listed here is retired, then you only have the option of using your waiver on him or picking up his entire salary for the year. The other players you may see here could be draft picks from last year who didn't have a card. These will be discussed in a follow up post but you will retain their rights and contract even if they don't have a card.
The second group of players are guys that were on minor league contracts last year and don't have a card this year for one reason or another. These players cannot be retained for any reason listed above and there also is no penalty for dropping them from your team. If you do some research and this the player should have a card but doesn't, played at least 1 game in the NHL or AHL last year, then you can let me know and I will see about getting card generated for him. If not, these guys will simply fall off your roster this off season.
It is wise for owners to take the initiative to research the guys on these lists by clicking on their respective pro link or using Wikipedia or some other search engine.
Setting Lineups
1. Log in
2. At the bottom of the page is the BIGS Button, a players name, and the MINORS button. Select a player and decide if he will be one of your 25 guys that will play this year. If he is select the BIGS button, if not the MINORS button.
3. Once everyone has been sorted decide what lines they will play. Your better Stamina guys should play on your top lines. Try not to play a player in a position that isn't specified on by his name or he will see a 10% decrease in talent. Select a player then select where you want him. Rinse and repeat.
4. Once the roster is set do special teams. Here you can play guys out of position with no penalty. Try to use guys with high stamina as they will see more ice time.
There is no save button, what you put in is what you will have. You can edit any time but once 7pm hits on game day your line up is set.
How Does Toughness Work
Dumping Text in Here for Wordsmithing Later
It is one small aspect of the game. Teams with vastly higher skill guys are still going to win the majority of the games. Teams that lack skill can improve their chances, at least in a small way, with toughness and intimidation.
In regards to guys throwing it probably wasn't your guys idea. The engine will determine a random partner if a fight is indicated but it will heavily weigh a players fight rating to determine who goes. That is another good reason to have a tough guy who can ride shotgun (if skill permits) with your stars especially when playing a team stacked with goons.
Yes, I spent a good part of the weekend reworking the logic for guys taking the occasional look over their shoulder during play. This is something that the lower grit players can have happen to them on occasion especially when playing a "Tough" team and without having much in the way in team toughness or having a tough guy riding shotgun with the lower grit players. Also, I will be adding some ratings to the game page that will rate 4 team variables (Offense, Defense, Skill [Shoot/ShootPct/Pass for the most part) and Toughness). This will give you a general idea of how the teams stack up.
No need to worry necessarily GM's of Nancy boy teams. This doesn't mean that your team is going to be running scared from the drop of the puck but as intimidation does play a part in the NHL, it plays a part in the FHL as well
Toughness (both team and on ice) is taken into account by the engine on every play. Guys who have lower grit ratings are more succeptible to having their skill base lowered for a skill check whenever their team/line is significantly over matched in the toughness catagory. The more over matched, the more they can suffer. It is not the end all and be all factor for what happens during any given play but it does matter.
Team Assets
Picks are only tradeable for the year in which you have paid. For example, 2018 draft picks only can be traded if you have paid for the 2018-2019 season
You cannot pay 2 years in advance to trade picks 2 years in advance. This would mean 2019 picks in the example above.
Teams can no longer do future considerations for picks farther out then the upcoming draft. Future considerations must be spelled out to insure that this rule is not circumvented.
Suspensions
In cases where a suspension would carry past the end of the regular season, additional games for playoff teams will be pro rated on a 3 to 1 game(rounded down) basis. This means if a playoff team has 4 games left and a guy on that team gets suspended for 9 games, he will be suspended for the rest of the regular season and an additional 1 playoff game (5/3= 1.67 rounded down to 1).
If a team does not qualify for the playoffs, or a playoff team is eliminated before the 3:1 ratio would exhaust length of suspension, the balance of the suspension will carry to next year.
Players suspended during the playoffs will have their games calculated on the 3:1 basis. If I get the code updated to support the playoff calculation I will let everyone know. If not, the games suspended will be adjusted manually after the fact.
Also, please be aware that because there are no scheduled playoff games yet, return dates for players suspended past the end of the season will be adjusted once the post season schedule is known.
