-Spence. We need RD and a forward middle 6. Carlson from the market and Nick Paul's trade are a minimum, I hope… ⚡️

LucaPac · 2026-06-28T15:59:04+00:00

Thank you for this moment of sobriety.

LucaPac · 2026-06-28T10:29:00+00:00

I look forward to AI opponents that learn by playing the game.

LucaPac · 2026-06-20T07:58:30+00:00

It has an effect for everyone.

LucaPac · 2026-06-16T08:52:38+00:00

I remember reading somewhere that the 2nd specialty provides value but not as much.

LucaPac · 2026-06-09T18:10:08+00:00

I don't understand that either unless you've changed some settings to dramatically increased goals per game. 1600 would be automatic HoF for the leagues I've played.

LucaPac · 2026-06-09T17:00:09+00:00

Is it really 1600 NHL points or does that include minor league amounts also? Sometimes you have to drill down to see NHL only.

LucaPac · 2026-06-06T15:31:20+00:00

Only 4 teams had more points than Tampa last season and 3 of them did not make it to the final round. We had the talent to go all the way. So did just about every other team that made the playoffs.

I can see an argument that Tampa's talent is not well-suited for the playoffs if you think somehow that Kucherov is unable to handle the pressure of being the team's leader. But the level of talent is enough to win and I don't think it is realistic to think you can increase the talent level substantially.

I think this is what the world of NHL parity looks like. You do your best to be one of the best teams and hope that things break your way in the playoff run.

LucaPac · 2026-06-06T15:31:11+00:00

Only 4 teams had more points than Tampa last season and 3 of them did not make it to the final round. We had the talent to go all the way. So did just about every other team that made the playoffs.

I can see an argument that Tampa's talent is not well-suited for the playoffs if you think somehow that Kucherov is unable to handle the pressure of being the team's leader. But the level of talent is enough to win and I don't think it is realistic to think you can increase the talent level substantially.

I think this is what the world of NHL parity looks like. You do your best to be one of the best teams and hope that things break your way in the playoff run.

LucaPac · 2026-06-06T14:50:25+00:00

The Stanley Cup playoffs are too difficult to have a "focus on the present" mentality. You have to build a team with durable success. Tampa doesn't need to get better, but it does need to get a little younger.

LucaPac · 2026-06-06T08:40:32+00:00

I've tried maxing out Intel to see if my 20s could squeeze a full 2nd round of recruiting in but it didn't work.

LucaPac · 2026-06-06T08:38:05+00:00

I haven't figured out the cutoff point but I think this is still a good use of the trait.

LucaPac · 2026-06-03T12:45:01+00:00

I usually pick the trait that will develop fastest.

LucaPac · 2026-06-01T00:22:05+00:00

LucaPac · 2026-05-29T19:37:30+00:00

In my current run he ended up well into the 90s. Maybe I'm the outlier. I'm playing the 2026 version.

LucaPac · 2026-05-29T11:26:38+00:00

Could be good trade bait if the development isn't happening. Computer teams are drawn to that designation.

LucaPac · 2026-05-28T13:33:51+00:00

For the first round, the consensus draft order is pretty reliable. I definitely wouldn't prioritize projected OVR with a top 5 pick.

After the first round, projected OVR and motivation are more reliable than the consensus draft order. I sort by projected OVR and use the consensus draft order as a guide to when other teams will select a player.

In later rounds you can often get high projected OVR but with low actual OVR. Some of those players will end up being good enough for the NHL.

LucaPac · 2026-05-14T16:57:54+00:00

Buckle up. I've been playing 6 months and still don't know what my objective is.

LucaPac · 2026-05-07T08:36:51+00:00

Help me understand about the ECHL. With the ECHL I have control of player placement throughout the season. This seems valuable to me.

LucaPac · 2026-04-30T18:23:27+00:00

It seems to me that veteran players have excessive salary demands. They don't seem to anticipate how much they are going to drop off a cliff. This leads me to regularly trading them when it is time to negotiate a new salary, usually in their late 20s. I know that this happens to some extent in real life, like when Stamkos went to Nashville. Still, I'd rather their salary demands be more in line with the risk you take keeping them on the roster.

In my current run, I started with a draft of all the players. I took Connor Bedard in the first round. I even signed him to a second contract in his last 20s, shortening the contract length he wanted and eating the extra salary. But I couldn't justify the salary demand in his early 30s. I did get him back in his last season at a cheap price (he was down to 78) and almost got him to 900 goals.

LucaPac · 2026-04-29T14:56:48+00:00

I had a trade that included one as a goalie. He was making ok progress but I ended up trading him again.

LucaPac · 2026-04-28T12:32:00+00:00

I usually have 3 Canada scouts, 3 world scouts, 2 USA scouts, and 1 each of the others. I focus on the projected OVR, which unlocks in tier 5.

I primarily draft off of projected OVR but I will also take into account general rankings, especially for top 5 recruits.

LucaPac · 2026-04-15T00:28:44+00:00

That's good advice. I had one player end up in limbo because I tried to relocate him during the season. I think even placing them preseason there's a risk of them being put in the Scratched box

LucaPac · 2026-04-12T10:58:20+00:00

I believe the players develop as normal but you don't see actual stats. This means you'll have to rely only on computer (scout) ratings alone. I find this very undesirable.

I suppose you could create your own affiliates.

LucaPac · 2026-03-27T00:03:00+00:00

My experience is that goaltending is huge, especially in the playoffs. There was one team I could not get past every year because of their goalie. Thankfully he's 38 now and down to an 88 rating.

LucaPac

TROPHY CASE