Can't sign free agents

[Tomas Tatar]

I did a search and couldn't find anything so...

I can't sign ANY free agents, they always choose other teams even though I offer more than the teams that they accept and I've won the cup the last two years.
Favourite staff for the accepting teams is non-existent.

Why can't I sign anyone?

[Tasku]

It all boils down to team and league reputation, and luck. Just keep trying.

[RomaGoth]

I had this problem after my first season as the Red Wings. I won the President's Trophy, have a lot of stars on the team, a great team reputation, but nobody signed with me but for Aaron Asham as a free agent. Fedotenko, Boyle, Sarich, and Penner all went to other teams over me, and Sarich actually took less to play with the Leafs (insert joke here).

I feel your pain, it makes no sense. I have the best team in the game right now, but free agents don't want to play for me for some reason. So, I make trades to fill the holes in my roster instead.

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Players may not want to sign with a team where they're going to be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart rather than 1st. If your team is already stacked with stars, I wouldn't sweat it. Also, the game seems to use free agency to help provide some parity to the game.

[Tomas Tatar]

Alright thanks for the replies everyone!

[RomaGoth]

Players may not want to sign with a team where they're going to be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart rather than 1st. If your team is already stacked with stars, I wouldn't sweat it. Also, the game seems to use free agency to help provide some parity to the game.

Very true. The best part is that I have the best record in the league, while the teams that signed those players are, well, beneath me.

[Weasel]

I just finished a season where the Leafs stacked their team with F.A.'s and absolutely sucked, finishing out of the playoffs. I was laughing my ass off when my wife reminded me it is only a game. I have had the same thing though too, offer 3X what he signs for, oh well.

My favorite is the player that won't resign with you, goes to a different team and sucks all year long. SWEET!

[TrippyHippy]

I've just had the same problem, won back to back cups and the President's Trophy but yet not one player will sign with me. I had to pretty much cheat to save my game since I traded away Pronger, Straka and a few others to clear cap room leaving my team with very little depth, luckily I had a back up save prior to the trades so I was able to reload and save my team from a disaster but it felt cheap to do so but not as cheap as the AI is being. The season before, the Rangers lost te cup to me and were able to stack their team with star after star. All I want is a starting left winger and my depth on that side is fairly poor so I don't see why my offers aren't being accepted. No NHL player in the world would turn down 9m a season with a NTC to play for a back to back cup winning team.

[Beukeboom]

I've just had the same problem, won back to back cups and the President's Trophy but yet not one player will sign with me. I had to pretty much cheat to save my game since I traded away Pronger, Straka and a few others to clear cap room leaving my team with very little depth, luckily I had a back up save prior to the trades so I was able to reload and save my team from a disaster but it felt cheap to do so but not as cheap as the AI is being. The season before, the Rangers lost te cup to me and were able to stack their team with star after star. All I want is a starting left winger and my depth on that side is fairly poor so I don't see why my offers aren't being accepted. No NHL player in the world would turn down 9m a season with a NTC to play for a back to back cup winning team.

So you took a risk by trading away good palyer to restock via draft, didnt work out, so i think you just should be a man an live with the bad result of your gamble.

[TrippyHippy]

I've just had the same problem, won back to back cups and the President's Trophy but yet not one player will sign with me. I had to pretty much cheat to save my game since I traded away Pronger, Straka and a few others to clear cap room leaving my team with very little depth, luckily I had a back up save prior to the trades so I was able to reload and save my team from a disaster but it felt cheap to do so but not as cheap as the AI is being. The season before, the Rangers lost te cup to me and were able to stack their team with star after star. All I want is a starting left winger and my depth on that side is fairly poor so I don't see why my offers aren't being accepted. No NHL player in the world would turn down 9m a season with a NTC to play for a back to back cup winning team.

So you took a risk by trading away good palyer to restock via draft, didnt work out, so i think you just should be a man an live with the bad result of your gamble.

I wasn't restocking via draft for one, if I messed up in the draft, that's straight up my fault and I would have played on. However, I got pretty much blocked on every trade for Pronger, to the point where I had to take more D prospects which my team is loaded with and draft picks, not one forward was offered to me except 38yr old centers who have terrible attributes. I couldn't even get Bell from SJ for Pronger and a 1st which is absolutely rediculous since SJ traded most of their D away, so they need a franchise guy like Pronger. On top of that, I offered out over 20 contracts to UFA's, all offering more money and NTC's and yet they sign with bottom end teams for less. I couldn't even get Geoff Sanderson or Petr Nedved for crying out loud. Atlanta on the other hand, had no problem signing Heatley and Hossa despite having one of the best left wingers in the game. I put down 9m offers to both players with NTC's, they would have been getting paid more than anyone in the NHL for a back to back cup winning team, it's completely unrealistic that both would snub those offers to play for an under performing team who can't give them both 1st line minutes. further more, it's unrealistic that I can't trade for their rights prior to the UFA period. Why would Ottawa hang onto a player who has rejected multiple offers when I'm offering them Pronger and top notch prospects who are signed to multi year deals? I have a philosophy when it comes to video games, if the AI cheats, I cheat back.

[timmy_t]

The AI isn't cheating.... It just doesn't like you!!

[TrippyHippy]

The AI isn't cheating.... It just doesn't like you!!

Well, the feeling is mutual.