Challenge Questions & Feedback Thread

[Peter_Doherty]

Coyotes could be good, don't have their squad infront of me but in my head they would look pretty similar to Wild apart from not having a few good young goalies? Good young D with a few forwards, only big difference is that Hanzal is under 30 right? so they would have one experienced guy in the top-6 which Wild wouldn't, maybe im forgetting someone.

Edit: In my experience from simulating they sometimes do some stupid trades mid season involving Duclair, if we go Coyotes i would REALLY want him in there

[bruins72]

Florida has a good top 4 defensemen but Ekblad and Petrovic still have to develop. As for forwards, you've got Barkov and Huberdeau that are really good. Bjugstad is big and has a great slapshot but he's really not a superstar. Beyond that, they're not looking like they've got a lot of offensive tools. Hayes isn't all that. He's more of a physical presence but doesn't really have offensive ability. Bolland is a good defensive forward. Pirri is a decent passer but the rest of his attributes are pretty middle of the road. Howden and Trotcheck are okay but nothing to get excited about. This team is pretty weak.
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Now if you look at the Wild, they're starting off with Kuemper, who looks like a stud player. Then they've got Dumba, Brodin, and Scandella as their defensive core. Prosser and Spurgeon are serviceable. Their offensive core is made up of Granlund, Coyle, Neiderreiter, Stewart, Haula, and Zucker. That seems fairly even with Florida if you ask me. Also...the fact that the Wild have a top goalie is a big benefit.

Another thing to look at is dealable assets to start off with.

Wild:
Backstrom
Cooke
Pominville
Koivu
Vanek
Parise
Suter

Panthers:
Thornton
Luongo
Campbell
Ellis
Heatley
MacKenzie
Boyes
Jokinen
Montoya

Who do you think is going to fetch more?


EDIT:

Coyotes 30 Plus Guys
Doan
Erat
Moss
Smith
McKenna
Goc
Leggio
Reese

Only Doan has an NTC. All have expiring contracts except Doan and Smith. 2 tradeable players.

[batdad]

Good point Manimal. I have no issue with the Yotes. Let us have a look at my sim to see where they are.

1/ Dead last in the NHL is where they finished. Lottery pick, and best chance to win #1
2/Have signed Duclair in this save. Yay! That was not happening in previous (pre patch) versions of the game.
3/ NO TRADES
4/ Old men who are UFA-Erat Moss some guy named Reese I have never heard of, who was on roster at start of game.
5/ Old men who are forced to trade: Doan, Smith,
6/ No trade contract-just Shane Doan.
7/ Draft picks--They have

Own 1st
Rangers 2nd
Own 2nd
Own 3rd
Wild 3rd
Own 5th
own 7th

4th rounder-is in Carolina
6th rounder is in Tampa.


Tean=m:

G-Domingue/Visentin/McKenna/Langhammer. Dominque is too young to be starter, not ready. Visentin is okay, but not a starter, same with McKenna.

D-STACKED Connor Murphy Ekman-Larsson Moore Gormley Stone

F Bodker, Hanzal, Duclair, Gagner, Reider, Szwarz. Looks pretty decent (not scouting these guys just looking at in game attributes that I can see...no reports on them at all)

Unsigned guys I can see being good: Domi, Dauphin, Letunov, Perlini, possibly Kulda and you have Tikhnov rights and Goncharov rights for the future seasons.


I don't know...looks pretty good to me. But maybe still better than many of the options. Not alot to dangle out there, but have some good young pieces already and have two picks that are higher than stock picks (even if you lose them) AND a chance at McDavid or even if you lose one of the other two that both turn out very strong.

To me the order is this:

Minny-Florida-Phoenix but they are all very close. I would actually be happy to play any of them. just that I feel I would have more success personally with Phoenix and Florida than with Minny. But my success should not dictate what we do. I may do well with Wild as well, because some of those over 30 guys could fetch you a pretty piece or two to the puzzle


ETA: NOW THAT I THINK AGAIN ABOUT IT.....Florida over Minny. The tradeable assets on Minny are just too much. None of these teams is hard for me though I do no think. I am betting I Do well, but we want new peeps to play and need them to do well (or at least decently) to keep playing, and not so many rules.

[Peter_Doherty]

Yeah, Minny, Florida and Phoenix looks like the 3 best choices, by far. I'll play whatever you choose, just pick a save where the team we play hasn't done too much trading already (preferably none).

[batdad]

FLORIDA

Goalies will suck. Good. Makes it hard on me.
Defense-Ekblad, Gudbrandson, Kulikov...drop to Olsen (Decent, but not great no depth in this position)
Forward-Huberdeau and Barkov.

Now...Bjugstad...he may not have been really a stud for anyone else, but we need to realize that i made him into a stud in the old game. He was a superstar for me once before, and I have no doubt will be again. It is possible to have him score a ton. I forget exactly how much I had him scoring, but there was a game where i had him in Carolina and he was lighting it up for me.

I also know I can make Grimaldi light it up (by playing with Bjugstad). WEll at least I am confident I can.


AND....there appears to be NOTHING in their unsigned prospects


Minny..

Start with the tradeable guys, can get a ton for them.

G-Kuemper is really a stud. OVERRATED Much in the game? LOL. That alone makes me not want Minny. Way too easy for me if I have a goalie.
D-Brodin, Dumba
F-I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT Zucker QUICKLY Turns into a super goal scorer.Granlund, Haula, Coyle,

Unsigned-Tuch turns into a good 2nd liner and sometimes I bet top notch goal scorer. Reid Duke will be good too I think, maybe not a top scorer but good.

This leads me after looking at all of these guys to think Florida. Kuemper makes it too easy, and with the scoring Minny will have up front, will kill with them.

Phoenix-lots of young stud power on blueline and up front.
Florida..sure couple young guys and Bjugstad who i know can make a star, but I think is the toughest of the three for sure.

[bruins72]

Is this really showing up a lot in the latest update?

game genned players are generating with all 20s in physical stats though, like, lots of them. its kind of unsettling

If that's the case, we might not want to start a new challenge too soon. Maybe wait for it to be fixed?

Also, I'm still looking at the teams. I'm wondering if the Florida one will be too difficult for most of the people who aren't challenge regulars. I'm going to give it more of a look. Also, I'm looking at Vancouver again. I've got another sim where they've missed the playoffs and haven't traded much. There's lots of NTCs there (which can seriously be a headache) but they'd have some nice trade fodder and they've got a few interesting prospects.

[bruins72]

Also, I'm thinking if we did the Canucks maybe make it so you have to immediately deal all players 28 or older. That might strip the team a of some more talent. Going to test.

[batdad]

I have not simmed far enough ahead only the 4 years to know re the 20s stuff. I don't think that would affect a challenge game very much though as being 4 years in and not seeing it means lots of time for most who play challenges.

Canucks with 28 or older traded? Awesome. And you must deal the twins to the same team. LOL

[umwoz]

NTC's aren't that big of a deal now that they identify if they're willing to waive for a team. So the "blow it up" style challenges could be fun.

[bruins72]

28 or 29. I'm thinking of just going 29 because Elder had a birthday shortly after the April 15th date I took over. So now there's no 28 year olds on the team (except for O'Reilly and Dorsett in the minors with expiring contracts but I wouldn't mind getting rid of them).

Here's a list of who they would lose...
Miller (NTC)
D. Sedin (NTC)
H. Sedin (NTC)
Burrows (NTC)
Vrbata
Bieksa (NTC
Hamhuis
Higgins
Richardson (expiring contract)
Hansen
Edler
O'Reilly (expiring contract)
Dorsett (expiring contract)

Forcing the twins to be traded together would be evil. I'll have to see if I can do it. That's a lot of salary to take on.

EDIT: Where do they identify if they're willing to waive their NTC?

[umwoz]

In the trade menu if you mouse over the "NTC" text it will tell you. I believe it will also have brackets around the text if they're willing to waive.

[batdad]

Learn something new every day. Did not know you could even see that. But then again have probably only ever tried to move two guys with NTC's.


Yeah I Know...lots of salary for someone to take on...but I am sure someone would. Arizona? Buffalo? Edmonton? Chicago? LOL Chicago that would be awesome...or ....BOSTON. .. Yeah I Am trading them to Boston. For nothing, but just trading them there would be fun.

[batdad]

I decided to run the test as well, and will see what I can do moving guys etc.

[bruins72]

That's great to know, umwoz! Thanks for the tip.

[batdad]

YOu know the other challenge that would be awesome? Blacked out invisible attribute challenge.

[bruins72]

Yes! But how do you make sure people are really doing it that way? It can be turned off and on in the preferences whenever you want.

[batdad]

Yeah I know. Trusting people sucks.


January in my sim..>Canucks are in 11th in west, 8 points out of playoff spot.

Cory Conacher is way too good. And the AI is such a mess it picks Joe Cannata as the back up on this team over Lack AND Markstrom. Ugh.

Also detest how bad Derek Dorsett is in the game. CAnnot believe that Ranger guru Manimal would have allowed that.

Eastern Conference: COLUMBUS IS DEAD LAST. wow. First i have seen of that, wondering if had a ton of injuries. Boston is 1st 9 points head of Tampa and the Rangers.
In West ST louis is ahead of Chicago, San Jose, Minnesota. yeah Wild in 4th.

LOL at East where Toronto is 4th. CArolina 6th. Red Wings, Capitals, Sens and Islanders all out of playoffs in Eastern conference.

Anyway..back to the simming....only paused it cause had to resign from the job I got in ECHL.

[bruins72]

Trust no one!

My kids have taught me that. I don't trust those little monsters as far as I can throw them.

[batdad]

Heh. My wife has taught me that. ANd by wife I mean Gillian Anderson.

Also edited post above for some game facts.

[bruins72]

Eastern Conference: COLUMBUS IS DEAD LAST. wow. First i have seen of that, wondering if had a ton of injuries. Boston is 1st 9 points head of Tampa and the Rangers.

Boston missed the playoffs (11th in the East) in the save I'm working from. Their only trade was sending a 3rd and a 4th to Florida for Shane O'Brien.

[batdad]

Awesome sauce: Canucks at deadline and were 7 points out of playoffs. (STill are in March, in 9th place)

They traded 2 older guys and a 27 year old and a 29 year old.

Vrbata to Boston for David Pastrnak.
Hamhuis to San Jose for Chris Tierney, Barry Goodrow and a 5th.

Matthias to St Louis for Jani Hakanpaa a 2nd round pick and a 4th round pick. Wow Blues overpaid.
EDLER TO PHILADELPHIA FOR MATT READ, Nicolas Aube-Kubel (WHAT?) and a 2nd.


Capitals dealt Mike Green to Chicago. Hawks are insane.
For some reason Blue Jackets think they are on a run. Dead last, 12 points out and dealt Dano, Bjorkstrand and a 2nd to New Jersey for Andy Greene. WHAT?

[bruins72]

The only trade the Canucks have made in my save is Corrado to Stars for the rights to Brett Pollock.

[batdad]

In the playoffs in your save? That would be the difference I guess.

I like the fact that you come in and they have dealt away an asset or two, but as much as they did in my save is a bit much...maybe. But lots of picks.

[bruins72]

This Canucks team has missed the playoffs. They finished 11th in the West.

[batdad]

Odd how the teams behave differently in different saves. Love it though.

Finished sim to April 15, took over Canucks, made some lineup changes, and then went back on vacation to June 1, and will come in and make the deals to see what I can do.