EHM The Blue Line

Have you ever noticed that you can sometimes get really good players by signing them to offer sheets at the beginning of July. My understanding is that this happens if the team that owns their rights makes a qualifying offer which they don't accept and they don't sign before the contract expires. At that point, any team can send out offer sheets which if the player accepts, the other team has one week to match or take the compensation (it could be up to a 1st and 3rd rd pick depending on the value of the offer if I understand correctly).

In two different games, Mike Richards has been a RFA after year one. He wants 1.4 mill/year for 3 years and that offer sheet carries compensation of a 2nd round pick. Both times, the Flyers have declined to match and I have gotten Richards for a 2nd rounder, which to me seems like a ridiculous steal. In another game, I saw Jeff Carter decline his offer sheet and play in Europe for like 6 years under the same situation.

Any idea why the AI Flyers behave this way? I am guessing it's maybe because they have cap/budget issues and have Briere and Carter ahead of him so figure they can't pay that much for a 3rd or 4th line C and just would prefer to take the 2nd round pick. Either that or their scouts/staff suck and figure that because he only put up 22 pts last year that he isn't very good or something?

Any idea why the AI Flyers behave this way?

If it's specific to the team, then it's most-likely something with Homer's attributes.

If it's all over the league, then my guess is it's something to do with the AI in general... and considering the AI's lack of ability when it comes to dealing with players, I think this is the case. Just one more shortcoming that we may never see fixed.

Yeah it isn't something that I see very much of. My guess is it has to do both with the Flyers' cap situation and the glut of centers that they already have.

I have also found that it's also actually possible to get Ovechkin, Malkin, etc. on offer sheets because the AI teams usually let them become RFAs before resigning them. If you make an offer of something like 8 M/year, the AI teams won't match that and will let you have them. Granted, the price is a huge contract for 3+ years and 4 1st round picks, so I'm not sure it's really worth it anyway.