Help! I need advice for my team/roster (Official Thread)

[Panther23]

maybe if I make 3rd line more offensive and 4th line defensive? I don't know...I am just thinking out loud

Please help

this is what you should do...

[philou21]

Gaborik - Sedin - Nash
Hagelin - Richards - Callahan
Eager - Boyle - Torres (checking line, defensive)
Kreider - Stepan - Brouwer

I am reluctant to demote Stepan to 4th line and garbage ice time cause he performed very very well last season. What do you think I should do? Rotate them through the season or trade away someone?

edit: Is checking line mandatory? maybe if I make 3rd line more offensive and 4th line defensive? I don't know...I am just thinking out loud

I don't know how Kreider is rated but you could indeed put your fourth line as your checking line and put both Kreider and Stepan on the third line and drop Torres and Eager. At least that's what I would do. You got nothing to lose to try it for a few games!

[batdad]

Torres and Eager have no business being on a checking line or an offensive line. They are just OFFENSIVE.

In all seriousness I would dump both of those twits and get a real hockey player in return, and put Bickel or a real nasty bugger on the 4th line from the minors. Oh and Brouwer can go to. Jerk.

[coombs14]

I generally try to make my 3rd line more offensive and my forth line a development line. I agree that Toreres and Eager have no business on any line. Try using a good, defensively responsible centre (I got Dominic Moore for the job) and then play two kids with him who could use the ice time to develop. I am playing as Montreal and did this for a year with Gallagher and it worked wonders. He is now able to play on my top powerplay unit is is almost a point per game player.

[helmespc]

So what is the opinion around here as far as healthy scratches? I've been of the opinion that only players I want to keep who are waiver eligible should be healthy scratches. Is it ever better to have waiver exempt players being eating nachos in the press box in order to get time in the NHL?

[timmy_t]

I don't always plan to have spare parts that sit in the press box, but it sometimes works out that way. A few veterans with high workrate/determination/teamwork can fill in if you have someone hurt for a week or if their morale drops to low or very low. If it's a long term injury I'll call up the top dog in the AHL and get him some ice time.

[ruicosta]

Torres and Eager have no business being on a checking line or an offensive line. They are just OFFENSIVE.

In all seriousness I would dump both of those twits and get a real hockey player in return, and put Bickel or a real nasty bugger on the 4th line from the minors. Oh and Brouwer can go to. Jerk.

I get it, thanks.

Just a newbish question...should I play one line (4th) with defensive tactics or what? My top 2 lines are offensive, 3rd normal and 4th defensive atm.

[philou21]

Well if you put your lines like Batdad suggested, you can put your third line a little bit more offensive than just "normal". The fourth will be your checking line.

[Kopi]

want to get rid of one guy that i guess noone wants to claim from waivers or any other kind of transfer. I guess his contract is just too big and that makes me lots of problems.
What do you normaly do? Buy his contract out or if he wont do it relese him?
Any other good way to get rid of him?

thanks in advance

[timmy_t]

Yeah, if he doesn't agree to a buyout just pay him to go away.

[StealthB2X]

So I'm kinda new here, and this is a roster question. Now, playing as the Senators, with current rosters, I started preseason, and I had called Gryba up due to an injury, but after cutting random players that had been around for tryouts, I find that I cannot send down any players to Bingo, OR my ECHL team (Actually Binghamton is, for some reason is part of the ECHL) SO YEAH, Anyway, I need to minimize my roster down to 23, and I don't want to release my players, is my only option trading?

[timmy_t]

If you have the ECHL selected from the start of the game as advanced you can add a GM to both Binghamton and Elmira and release their contracted players so that you can send your boys to one or the other. Once you get them there, if you don't have a desire to deal with either team you can retire that GM or put him on vacation until you need to make some changes.

If you haven't selected the ECHL you can offer the players that are extra out on loan to another team.

Also, Binghamton is in the ECHL because when the game was made there were only 27 AHL teams (some of the NHL teams shared affiliates).


Oh- Welcome to TBL! You should go to the Arrivals thread and introduce yourself!

[StealthB2X]

Well, once I get around alittle more, maybe haha. BUT, is there any way to avoid creating another GM everytime I need to send someone down or up? I'm an impatient person. lol

*EDIT* Also, recommended backup goalies? Preferably young. But anything will do to fill the spot. I can think of a few, but I'd like another opinion lol.

[timmy_t]

No way to avoid it if your ECHL team is full.

No real recommendation on a backup though. Just look for one with good anticipation, reflexes, and positioning. (as a starting point)

[StealthB2X]

Annnnnnnd I'm back :| hahaha. It seems as my roster is "Autocorrecting" or something, ie. I'll set my roster with proper players and lines before a game, but after the game, it shows it has changed Ie. Turris scratched for O'Brien. Turris didn't play, and O'Brien did. Is there a setting to fix this, it's really annoying.

[timmy_t]

Under General Manager Options you need to select "Use the current team selection when possible" and "Use current lines when possible."

[StealthB2X]

Haha thanks, it's been so long since I've played this, can't remember everything!

[timmy_t]

Haha thanks, it's been so long since I've played this, can't remember everything!

No problem!

[bluesman]

Sorry guys I made new thread but I am new around here. I think this is great forum for people who like hockey manager. Btw. I am from Slovakia.

I am in second season with Blues right now and I'm a little bit confused how to make the best lines possible. I ended the first season on 9th place just a point away from play-off. My players are:
G: Halak, Pavelec
D: Colaiacovo, Jackman, Vlasic, Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk, Polak and Cole
LW: Morrow, Perron, Vermette, Pandolfo
C: Savard, McDonnald, Sobotka and Berglund
RW: Backes, Stewart, Oshie, Vrbata, Cracknell and Tarasenko (he is just 19 and I want him on a farm for this season)

New players in my roster are Vlasic, Morrow, Vermette, Pandolfo and Vrbata.
In my first season Stewart got injured but was doing pretty good in his 50 games got 46 points.
Team Leaders were McDonnald (71 points in 78 games) and Backes (68 points in 80 games). Im a little bit affraid about Oshie (He did well and got 47 points in 56 games but Im not sure how to make him get more points)
In defense Jackman and Colaiacovo were decent players followed by Pietrangelo who did great pair with Shattenkirk. Polak was also doing well. It was the first season for most of my backs.
Halak had 90,8% in the end of the season and Pavelec 90,3. I believe they will get better in time.

Line-ups in the end of my first season were:
1. LW Savard Backes (I was using Perron or Recchi as my LW), Colaiacovo Jackman
2. Perron McDonnald Stewart, Gill Polak
3. Recchi Sobotka Oshie, Shattenkirk Pietrangelo
4. Crombeen Berglund Cracknell

You asked me about my tactics. I was playing offensive system but with 4. line deffensie.

Now one month has passed in my 2nd season and it is like rollercoaster. I can win one game 6:1, then lose 6:2 and then have really tied game ending in OT.

My current line-ups are:
1. Morrow Savard Backes, Vlasic Jackman
2. Vermette McDonald Stewart, Colaiacovo Pietrangelo
3. Perron Berglund Vrbata, Shattenkirk Polak (I traded Cole for Granlund)
4. Sjostrom Kopecky Oshie (Cracknell and Pandolfo are sub)

PP: Im using diamond
LD Colaiacovo RD Backes LW Morrow C Savard RW Vrbata
LD Polak RD Vlasc LW Perron C McDonald RW Stewart

I sent Sobotka to Juniors because he was really struggling. The same problem is with Oshie. I JUST CANT MAKE him play good. I tried every combination in 3rd or 4th line but nothing is happening. I like him as a player so much because he had average 7.4 in my first season (which was also his first). Pandolfo sucks really bad, too.

Now I dont know what to do with tactics. My first line can make good amount of points but I want the same from my 2nd so what tactics would you reccomend for my 2nd line?
My 3rd line is sometimes up and sometimes down Im playing offensive system with them. And I have no idea what to do with my 4th line and OSHIE.

I would appreciate any help with my Roster and Line-ups because I need to make more stable results. I hope now you have enough info but if you need something more just ask me.

[Nuno]

Hey! I used to play NHL 96 as a kid but havent paid attention to the game since, so i'm pretty clueless about tactics, lines, players and their respective roles... I've read the guides and many other posts in these forums and i think this is probably a good time to get some practical advice to put all the theory in use.
I'm using the TBL Roster v5.3d database with the Custom Start Date Patch and the Scoring Realism Patch.

I'm on the second season, here are my lines:

Goalies: Miller and Enroth

Ehroff - Green / Vanek - Ennis - Seguin

Sekera - Pysyk / Ott - Leino - Stafford

McNabb - Myers / Foligno - Adam - Brouwer

NA - NA / Gerbe - Larsson - Kaleta

Backups: Quincey, Beagle and Porter

Roster and Lines summary here.

I think i messed up by having too many playmakers and maybe too many soft players...(The Scoring Realism Patch reduced player aggression and set all player weights equally but still... my top line players still fall in the "weak" category... specially Ennis.)
Results have not been terrible but it's all thanks to Miller... It's still very early in the season but our stats dont look good. 23rd in the league on "shots on goal average" with 27.23 and 29th on "shots on goal against average" with 32.69. So i'm allowing more shots than the ones i'm making
My Save Percentage is 2nd best in the league and i'm 4th in Goals Allowed per game. I'm relying too much on my goalie.

So how would you guys fix the lines in this situation? I have a hard time visualizing my lines... for me it's just too tempting to put the best guys on the top lines regardless of their roles Trading is no longer an option this season due to self-imposed restrictions, already filled the quota with Seguin and Brouwer.
Also, how important (and accurate) are the unit ratings in the "Unit Tactics" screen? I made this spreadsheet to help guide me, since i still have a hard time recognizing a player's role and type just by looking at his skills. Acording to this, Kaleta is my best player, but it doesnt seem right. The board even says he shouldnt be a member of the team.

My tactics are very basic. The first 2 lines are on offensive mentality, third line is defensive and the 4th is normal. Almost all other settings are on default, except the high tempo on the first 2 lines and hard backchecking on the 3rd and 4th.

Thanks a lot for your help!

[Nuno]

Hey! I managed to turn things around since my last post by changing the lines a bit and increasing the shooting setting. I have a new problem, tho...

I'm on the 4th season and my keeper (still Miller) suddenly stopped defending. He is 35yo now, i dont know if that matters, but his skills are even better than last season.

I finished my third season in 6th place on the overall standings with 101 points. My team stats were:

Goals For Average: 3rd place (3.04)
Shots on Goal Average: 1st place (34.35)
Goals Allowed Average: 5th place (2.38)
Shots Against Average: 22nd (29.49) (Meaning Miller was saving me, bottom third in shots allowed but still 5th in actual goals allowed)
Save Percentage: 3rd (91.94)

This season, so far, it's been the opposite. I didn't change my tactics, didn't modify the roster and lines much and Miller actually improved some skills (gained 1 determination, 1 Blocker, 1 Glove and 1 in Recovery). The only skill he lost was Stamina from 19 to 18. Scouts and coaches still say he's key and career role is Franchise Goaltender. Just before the season started he was listed as at 5th best goalie in the league by the media.

My team stats now, after 20 games played:

Goals For Average: 1st place (3.60)
Shots on Goal Average: 1st place (36.75)
Goals Allowed Average: 30th place (3.30)
Shots Against Average: 8th (27.35) (Meaning Miller is NOT saving me, top third in shots allowed but dead bottom in actual goals allowed)
Save Percentage: 30th (87.93) (Not surprising)

I'm 11th in the overall league standings. I know 20 games isnt a lot but i would like to find out the issue and fix it before i ruin the season even more... Any ideas about what could be causing this? I used my backup goalie, still Enroth, in one full game and in some parts of other games... so far he's even worse, with a save percentage of 84%
How would you guys go about fixing this? Thanks in advance!

[Kopi]

Make sure your back up goalie play 20-25 games per regular season..dont only play your starter goalie.
If you havent change your tactic yet then do it now as i guess AI get used of your tactic. Also refresh your line up...add some new players.

Miller is doing well in my game but as i said he is a starting G and play up to 50-55 games in regular season for me.

[Nuno]

Thanks for the tip! I have to admit i'm guilty of not rotating my goalies. Sometimes i swap them during the game if i'm leading by a lot or if the starting goalie is having a terrible night. Other than that i rarely start my backup goalie, even tho he's good too (Enroth). I have a hard time trusting him and it just seems like most of the time he concedes a bunch of goals and i'm scared to try it again... I'll try to fix that!

I ended up calling my 19yo prospect from the AHL and using him as starting goalie for 11 games with good results but then Miller complained and asked to be traded. I refused to trade him and gave him his place back as starting goalie. The rest of the season went well and he still managed a 91% save rating. Ended up being my best season.
Now i'm halfway through the next season and Miller is holding up. He's been starting ever since but he's still unhappy and still wants to be traded. I guess he's leaving at the end of the season cuz he'll probably refuse to renew.

New question:

I have young goalie that is very promissing. Last season after playing 11 games in NHL i sent him back to my farm team but they had already replaced him with an older one so my kid wouldnt play much. I checked the AHL team statistics and spotted the team that had the most shots allowed on goal per game... since their keeper was bad i offered my kid on loan. He moved and saved the team. They had 11 wins in almost 50 games and were last in their conference. After my kid moved they won 10 in a row (failed to break the 12 winning streak record), moved to 4th place and qualified for playoffs. The kid had a 94.1% save rating in the 26 games he played. Won 18 of them. Got injured for 3 months in the second playoff game they played

This season he's back in my AHL farm team and he's leading the league in most goalie stats. Shutouts, saves, average rating, etc. My farm team coach recently said he's be a starting goalie in my team. My coach is a keen admirer and lists him as a key member of the team already (scout says depth and future key)
Since i'm most likely losing Miller at the end of the season... should i give the kid a chance or is it still too early?

This is him: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pbz32m2xhpdxi ... retyak.jpg

Give him a change in NHL or keep him in farm another season or two? Thanks!

[Kopi]

hmm..get an experianced back up goalie with good stats and play both of them (depends how youngster will do). If kid will show good games then keep giving him oportunities..just to remind you..from AHL to NHL is a veeeery big gap. Many goalies look great in AHL and they stink in NHL. But since im a fan of giving oportunities to youngsters i would risk as i wrote above

Edit: Enroth seems like a perfect goalie you have...hmm...maybe its time to give him oportunity to be 1st goalie and the russian kid as back up...but play him 20 games per season as must from start. Thats my opinion..

[Kopi]

hmm i had a bit of strange situation in my game...Anze Kopitar was on free transfer and i he wanted 2y deal for 1 600 000 per season and i offer him 1 800 000. I was 2y ago a champ and past season finalist so i thought he will sign no problem. Yet he signed for Dallas for 1600000....and yes i gave him to be a key player! Kinda strange if you ask me as Dallas is not his favourite team..ok my Coyotes also not