EHM The Blue Line

How much roster turnover do you have in your first season?

With the obvious exceptions of major junior and the AHL, I bring in 5 to 10 new players for the lineup.

It really depends on the team. Some teams I might want to keep a good solid core together. Other teams I might want to gut. IIRC, during our recent Challenge with the Toronto Maple Leafs, I gutted the team. I think I might have had 3 players on my roster that the Leafs started with. By the second season, I think I only had Sundin.

Moving forward, I'm going to try not to change my teams so much right off the bat. I'm going to do it slower and more naturally, like a real NHL team might do. I think I'll get more life out of the game this way.

I never do much of anything in my first season, no matter what team I'm with. I always use the first season as a gauge of where the team is, and what's needed.

Though, I do have to say in my latest career game, I brought in about 20 players in about two months, along with a whole basic staff. But it doesn't really count, because I had applied(and was hired) to Oulunkylä in the Finnish First Division(Suomi-Sarja), and the team was completely empty when I got there. So I had to go out and hand sign everything.

EDIT: 600th post.

Congrats for your 600th post B. Stinson

Back on topic now...

I generally keep the team i have, maybe bringing in one or two cheap FAs, but nothing more at the start of season 1. On the other hand, i can easily get rid of the whole staff if i'm not happy with it! In general, half of my staff changes in the 2-3 first weeks. But nearly nothing for the players. I wait a few monthes to have a precise feeling on what's okay and what's wrong, then look to which players could fit perfectly to fill the whole, then try to make the adequate moves.

Congrats on 600!

I am usually very careful and gradual about my moves. Except in the Leafs challenge, which saw me keep only Sundin, Poni, Kaberle, Stajan and Wellwood for any length of time. Oh and Raycroft for 1/2 a season. I did keep some minor bit players around for awhile but moved alot of them as well. Wellwood and Stajan were both gone for season 2.


Most of the time I really only change about 3 or 4 guys. I even keep goalies around and after my first couple of games do not even go after Nitty.

I am playing a CBJ game right now, and my starting goalie is now actually Pascale Leclaire. Amazingly he had a 7.88 rating in year 2 (or something like that) in 60 games. In the playoffs he went 16-3 with a 2.3 GAA and a .910 save percentage, rating was 8.3 or something. All of top of my head but the numbers were very good and surprising. He developed very well over the two years, and now has Blocker 16, Glove 17, and positioning 17...Was a real shock. But he is developing.


So yeah gradual is more fun as bruins72 I think is learning. Now if CatchUp will quit trading his entire roster for the Sharks entire roster...we shall have something!!!

batdad wrote:So yeah gradual is more fun as bruins72 I think is learning. Now if CatchUp will quit trading his entire roster for the Sharks entire roster...we shall have something!!!

the terrible thing is I haven't even won the last couple challenges. Oh well.

I've got a secret formula coming for the next Challenge.

We need a mad scientist smiley.

CatchUp wrote: I've got a secret formula coming for the next Challenge.

We need a mad scientist smiley.

Hmmm... you're going to start the game with the Sharks and just pretend they're called something else?

That's right, everyone get in on it.

You won't be laughing so hard when you're sporting my "Ketchuped by CatchUp"avs.

Let's call it the Ketchupatars

Ohhh I like that buddy. Ketchuped by CatchUp...too bad it will never happen....You have no idea....no idea....

There are no offer sheets in the first season bud!!! You are gonna get blasted.

Psst--I was thinking he was just going to hope the next team for the challenges was the SHARKS

batdad wrote:Psst--I was thinking he was just going to hope the next team for the challenges was the SHARKS

You know, that actually works for me.

Seriously though, you underestimate the power of ketchup. Be afraid.

I eat ketchup for breakfast. Should not be a problem to destroy the bottled red one. So slow moving it is.

batdad wrote:I eat ketchup for breakfast. Should not be a problem to destroy the bottled red one. So slow moving it is.

Slow moving is the hallmark of good ketchup, I'll have you know.

On topic:
I have gone lots of ways with first year teams. As I'm sure batdad or B72 will be happy to point out to you, I like to trade for Sharks. But I also like to keep it simple - in my Habs dynasty I've kept the core of players together. I haven't found absolute success with either method - overhauling or keeping it sane. The testing of my new approach is going very, VERY well however.

I personally tend to keep the team together. I feel that if you got a great core of players who are well together, then why break them up?

But then again, there are certain types of teams and leagues that won't allow you to do this every season. All in all, you can usually keep a good core group of maybe 5 or 6 players and then the rest may be new to the team.

I always play as the Calgary Flames. I find I generally make between 2-5 changes to the Flames roster during the first year, and I have about a handful of guys I like to bring in for the farm system.

I like to do a complete roster turnover in my first season in charge of a new team, including non-playing personnel. I find that this gives me more controll and put's my own touch on things (I'm a bit of a controll freak btw )...

I have even gone so far that I completely changed the entire organization including prospects in a six month period. This is perhaps not the best way to build a competing team with alot of team chemistry

But in general I like to bring in about 3-5 good to great prospects and 5-7 useful players that will fit my kind of playing style better than those already on roster.

When I manage in the British leagues, I do a complete overhaul. I might keep 2 players, maybe 3, but if there are better players out there I am not going to ignore them. I usually have a look on who's available every month or so in the season as well.

penguin fan, and taker (updated rosters by myself/ no unfaiking )

I only take the core young players(keep only Recchi/ scores 125 points+ in the first season with Sid), and leave all guys I think, which doesn't help my team, or sell them. I also keep using my draft picks.
It is impossible to count out a number. It all depends. If I would take Detroit, I might even change the hole team.

I feel like when you take over any NHL team, you just don't get the chance to overhaul your team that quickly. I mean, you can if you want to, but most of the time it doesn't happen like that at all.

I have took notice that if you are in the AHL or any other minor league, then you have to prepare yourself to make a huge overhaul for your team. Considering the fact that you lose most of your players to the NHL or other teams.

All in all, it depends what league and how much money you have to spend at the end of the season. Also helps if you know how well you did also and when I say that, not just that you finished 1st in the league or got the Stanley Cup. Actually looking at your numbers and seeing who you can bring in to help those numbers in order to completely dominate the next year.