THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EVERYTHING FRANCHISE MODE (NHL 24)

[@joshpinkley3151]

Every year I come back to watch these guides thanks for helping the community and look forward for the changes for next year I always take the worst team and try a rebuild with your tips for franchise

[@Data782]

Hey Josh! Thank you for the kind words! It's my pleasure to help out :) Not a ton has changed in Franchise Mode over the last few years aside from the custom league option, but there are always a few things to make note of! Best of luck as you rebuild those teams and thanks again for taking the time to watch :)

[@wildbronco038]

I know I've mentioned this to you before but my "Morale story" is even more illogical. In 21, I had Morale on. One of my Top 6 forwards suffered a major injury and was expected to be out multiple MONTHS. TWO DAYS after his injury, I get the conversation pop up and he demands more ice time. Of course, I couldn't give him that (SINCE HE WAS OUT), so a week later, he demanded a trade

[@Data782]

I love this story more every time I hear it 😭😭😂 A great illustration!

[@Fraggelmann]

It took me 6 games in my Toronto franchise for John Tavares to complain. He got injured 6 minutes into the first game, missed 4 games and played (not even fully recovered) about 17 minutes and averaged about 11 minutes in those 2 games he played. It really makes a mockery of the morale system. Some stuff with morale make sense, but the things that doesn't really ruin it.

[@wildbronco038]

@@Data782 EDIT to the above anecdote. I went back to my original post about this in the Discord. Here's how it happened (my memory was slightly off but the point still stands) October 6- Player gets injured and is OUT until December 9 due to needing Elbow surgery October 18- Player complains about drop in ice time November 25- Player demands a trade because of me not giving him more ice time

[@timdj9826]

This is why u ALWAYS turn morale off

[@samlphenderson]

New to NHL franchises and this was extremely helpful! Thank you!

[@Data782]

So glad to hear! It was my pleasure, feel free to leave any questions that may come up! :)

[@mitchkupietz]

Omg. The level of depth you covered is insane. Thank you buddy!

[@Data782]

My pleasure, Mitch!! Glad that it was helpful for you! :)

[@turdnuggets6347]

As a long time chel player, I've been so unhappy with the actual gameplay of NHL 24, I've shifted towards playing more simulated franchise mode seasons. I have referenced this video more times than I can count. Thank you for all the clarifications and recommendations. I've been having so much more fun since I found this video

[@Data782]

I couldn't agree more! That's a great way to continue to enjoy the game without having to put up with the state of gameplay over the last.. large number of years 😂 I'm so glad to hear that this video has been helpful in your Franchise Mode experience! This comment really means a lot so thank you for leaving it :) Please always feel free to leave any questions that you may have at any time, or even join our Discord server to have access to many others like yourself! The link is here: discord.com/invite/rRDYpTx Thanks again! ❤️

[@antixmaker]

This vid is amazing! I recently started playing NHL 23 and 24 after never having played any NHL titles, and franchise mode intrigued me but was also SO OVERWHELMING with the sheer amount of options it gives, so having a breakdown of where all the options are and what they mean makes it all way less daunting, thank you!

[@Data782]

That's exactly why I made this video! :) I'm so glad to hear that it was helpful for you! Enjoy your experience and please feel free to leave any questions that may come up as you continue playing! Thank you for the kind words! ❤️

[@walter1946]

You absolute mad man... Data's out here doing the Lord's work.

[@Data782]

Thank you Walter! Doing my best for the community ❤️

[@acethehuskystar]

1:02:09 one thing you need to add for scouts, let people know that they also get experience and develop where they are scouting. I get best potential and within a year they are normally an a by end of year

[@Data782]

Yes precisely! I mention that and a lot more in the scouting video so I left out most of those points for this video

[@nathanjgtaylor1985]

Haven't played NHL in years so dipping my toe back into it and it's definitely changed a lot since I was playing it on the mega drive as a kid lol. Thanks very much for the tips 👍🏻

[@Data782]

Hey Nathan! Haha it most certainly has changed since then! I'm glad that this guide has been able to help catch you up! It's my pleasure so feel free to leave any other questions that may pop up along the way :) Enjoy!

[@nathanjgtaylor1985]

@@Data782Hello again, I thought I'd update you on my progress. I followed your route in regards to turning off the owner stuff and kept the salary cap on. I'm a leafs fan in the UK so I thought I would give running the club a go. The gameplay took a bit of time to re familiarise myself and I've managed to get through a few seasons. I play 5-10 games then sim 5-10 games to make it interesting. We finished with a 60-17-5 record in one of the seasons, a large number of the losses were me 😂 The trade part was great fun! I managed to get out from under the Marner deal by taking Sarros, Fabro, Nyquist, Schenn and McDonaugh and sent Mitch and Martin Jones the other way! They wanted rid of them and I had cleared a few extra dollars off which worked out, I managed to get Minnesota to part with Drobin in exchange for Tavares, klingburg and some draft picks. Added some free agents with the left over cash. I've gone and won 3 cups for the leafs, I'm now looking to book flights to Toronto haha. Hope you've had a great start to the week mate 👍🏻

[@scottwyllie2278]

Absolute legend, thanks for this - super helpful! Makes starting a new franchise mode way less daunting!

[@Data782]

My absolute pleasure, Scott! :) Super glad to hear! Feel free to leave any questions that you may have as you get going and you're welcome to the join the Discord server (link in the description) where many more would be happy to help!

[@NateTheGreat1924]

Will I see statistical/natural growth on an 81-82ish overall prospect killing it in the AHL? Or I need to absolutely be playing them in the NHL as soon as they’re past 80 overall. I had an 18 year old sniper put up 60 goals 30 assists playing 2nd line in the AHL with perfect fits for everyone. He was 81 overall and it didn’t change. His role written was depth forward, not minor top FWD, 3rd scoring line or 4th line FWD. I couldn’t put him in the NHL since I was contending for the cup.

[@Data782]

Yes, you should! However, I'd say a lot will depend on their age. A top 5 pick from Europe who you have in the AHL at 18-19 is fine for growth, but a 21-22 year-old listed as a 3rd line scorer should be playing in his role with is NHL. So no, 80 OVR doesn't mean NHL lock, but I would say that that's the threshold to start thinking 3rd line NHL minutes > AHL 1st line minutes > NHL 4th line minutes (in that order). For your particular case of that 18 year-old who didn't grow, it can honestly just be due to things that are outside of your control. Some players will grow when you do nothing, others will stagnate with tons of ice time and production. Plus, it also depends on when you look for growth! That 81 OVR may not have grown at all by April, but by September of next year (after the offseason), he could have a big jump. If that player scored 60 goals and 90 points, I wouldn't be afraid of long-term stagnation because that level of production will force overall growth. I hope that helps and let me know how it goes!

[@NateTheGreat1924]

@@Data782 thanks for the fast answer! Yes it was a prospect from Europe. He’s definitely going to grow but I just thought it was weird that he didn’t after a year like that. Also I find it very unfortunate that they don’t use line fits anymore. I didn’t know before watching your video and all the teams I made were almost perfect line fits for everybody but it takes soooooo much time to find the right players and everything. Now that I know it doesn’t matter and all you need are X-Factors it kind of ruins the purpose of scouting in the NHL or AHL. The satisfaction of having the perfect line combinations isn’t useful that much anymore, especially if they’re in the top 6 with X-Factors. This doesn’t make sense especially if you compare to real life. Look at the Flames who had many superstars yet their players didn’t fit well together. Also the defence system with the coaches and players preference is so broken. They’re ALWAYS pinch-cycle, it’s atrocious. It doesn’t make sense that we can’t switch the coaches strategy, even just a little. I know it’s a game but I feel like they’re going backwards with the franchise mode. They could do so much more.

[@gridglory1]

@@Data782 yes! This is the stuff I mentioned I'm looking for. Thanks! Keep it coming :)

[@gridglory1]

@@NateTheGreat1924 But, are you able to get all +5 line fits with just x-factors? I'm not. Some not even to +1 for D lines. Are we saying the line fits themselves aren't worth anything anymore? I knew they weren't as important, but not at all?

[@vinniejames007]

Great insight Data buddy, always a good thing to refresh my memory on some things that are in the game.

[@Data782]

Thanks Vinnie! I hear you haha, I only look at some of these features once a year so it's good to get a refresher!

[@ConradThaKonman]

Thank you for this! I didn’t know that these NHL games went that far in depth. I own all the way back to 21 and never played outside of the WOC Pro-Am & Career. I’m just starting to play Franchise & HUT. If you have any more videos that detail how to play those from a beginner standpoint that’s great, I will try to find them. Once again, cheers, I really appreciate this I suspect others do as well. Kudos💯

[@Data782]

Hey Conrad! It's my pleasure! :) Going so in-depth in your Franchise Mode playing isn't a necessity, but I do think it adds to the enjoyment once you understand it all! If you want more help to understand the mode, I have another video on how to scout/draft (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYWXooCCqddlp9k), and multiple Franchise Mode series here on the channel which would help you to see how I approach playing the mode! Thanks for the love and feel free to leave any other questions that may come up as you play! :) Also don't hesitate to join our Discord server (discord.com/invite/rRDYpTx) where many others could be of service, too. All the best!

[@Clegane90]

Great video!! Thank you for your time and sharing all of this great info. My self love the owner stuff, the selling and so on, but my huge problem is the maintenance, almost all of my money goes to the damn maintenance and its not cheap. Thinking about what you said to have the owner stuff off.

[@Data782]

Hey thanks so much for taking the time to watch! :) It's my pleasure! I get what you're saying. In theory, I want to love owner mode! It's just the maintenance that kills me 😭 Regardless, Franchise Mode is yours to enjoy as you like so experiment with it and see what gives you the most fun! :) All the best in your future FMs!

[@SGFOfficial2024]

Even though I have played franchise for years I still don’t understand some stuff. This really helped. Thank you

[@Data782]

Glad to be of service! :) Feel free to leave any questions as they arise!

[@SGFOfficial2024]

I know a little off topic but Are you going to do another franchise if so which teams are you considering

[@Data782]

Oh yes absolutely! There are a good number of teams to consider but it always comes down to which are suggested the most. From there, I make a poll for viewers to vote on :)

[@SGFOfficial2024]

Ok cool. Personally my teams I would use are the capitals because of old talent. Blackhawks a young core that could take over. Jets win now. Maple leafs try to get something. And then Utah with a new city new start

[@gridglory1]

Watch these all the way through, every time! Too detailed for this video, but would love to see more of your opinions on player development. Even if they aren't based on hard DATA. Rule of thumbs like, when is it likely the plug should be pulled on a player. When you like them to be in Juniors, AHL, NHL (based on age, potential and OVR) Keep up the greatness!

[@Data782]

Hey there! Thank you so much for the kind words! :) Ahh, player development. Probably the thing that I've written about the most in these comments haha. I've stayed away from making a video on that topic because of how impossible it can be to predict, but you're right that it could be anecdotal DATA than hard facts (since none seem to exist). Rules of thumb could be sufficient to give people an idea! I think I'll do just that for NHL 25 :) Thank you for the suggestion and much love to you!

[@ScottieB44]

You saved me I just started and this guide really helped me out keep up the great work man

[@Data782]

Great to hear! :) Happy to help - feel free to leave any other questions that you may have!

[@Augustoseriq]

Thank you so much for this VERY well made video, I was hesitant about buying this game since I don't have the time to invest in all 80+ games in a season, now that I know I can make it shorter, definitely gonna buy, thanks!

[@Data782]

Thank YOU for the very kind words! :) So glad to have been able to answer your questions! Enjoy your FM experience and feel free to let EA know that I was helpful! 😂❤️ Oh and also feel free to follow up if any more questions come up!

[@leafsking]

Can't watch all the way through this but this is good advice I'll definitely use this in my franchise mode good video 👍

[@Data782]

Great to hear! :) Feel free to leave any questions as they come up!

[@anthonydicenso7333]

I was thinking of starting a new franchise mode and this video was incredibly helpful, thank you for making it!

[@Data782]

Perfect! :) It's my pleasure! Feel free to follow up with any questions that may arise as you get going!

[@timrizzo3941]

Fantastic- I look forward to this video every year. And while there are always quibbles with a new version, I like the small changes as well as the gameplay updates. As for morale, fog of war and owner mode, yeah it's far from perfect but I keep them because I figure that people often behave irrationally and we are often limited in ways that aren't entirely fair. Yeah, it's frustrating, but it also helps create the narrative of the team's journey. Anyway, JMO- thanks for doing this!

[@Data782]

Hey Tim! So great to hear from you! :) For sure, I don't disagree with your argument at all. If everyone behaved rationally at all times then the world would be quite a place 😂 I would just prefer that it's based on a storyline like in FIFA. If a player wants to move because of the weather or family, I get it. But when a player demands a trade for not playing while being injured, that's what has turned me off 😂 For fog of war, I'd turn it on if we could just have more than 20 scouts because dedicating a few amateur ones to professional leagues can drastically change who you get uncovered. I'd say as soon as we can hire 25+, that'll be when I give it a shot. All that being said, I still 100% see your point of view and don't think it's totally unenjoyable to play that way. I appreciate the discussion! Thanks for leaving your thoughts :)

[@pingingyeti7864]

Did u talk abt gem players? I cant find a lot of info on it when looking it up. I also noticed that no matter what i do the operations budget never lets me fix the arena the whole season, the budget max that i can attain, is never enough for the season. Wondering if u had a fix for that. Also with goalie coaches i moved from a d coach to a c- coach recently, and when i had the d coach swayman was an 86 ovr goalie and was killin it while knight was an 85 ovr and doin noticably worse. When switching goalie coaches to the c-, in a season swayman went from a vesna and cup winner ovr 86 to an 84 and knight went up suddenely to an 89 ovr monster. Hope that info helps.

[@Data782]

I didn't say too much about gems! Like you said, it's hard to really find any info on it since so much more goes into player development than just "gem" or "bust." In my experience, the gem/bust isn't an indicator of a player's career as so much more goes into their production/development, but gems may have an advantage IF you cultivate the player well. Hard to say much more than that because pretty much anything I or anyone else could tell you is anecdotally based. Yes, that budget is never really enough. Aside from just trying to achieve as many owner goals as possible to get more money, there isn't really a fix (unless you turn off owner mode 😂). Another reason why I prefer to not use it. Fascinating insight about the goalie coaches! That change in overall was not instant, correct? It took place over the following weeks/months? It may be coincidental since both players are still young enough that performance will have a heavy impact on overall (plus goalies just simulate so bizarrely haha), but that's a very interesting thing to note! Thanks for sharing and I hope that this was helpful :) Feel free to leave any other questions that may come up!

[@Edk1ng]

Thank you. I watched completly the video 😅. I think I am ready to play 😊

[@Data782]

Great! 😃 Good luck and feel free to leave any questions that may come up as you play!

[@everythingmainecooncat4938]

Couple more questions: 1) if I sign someone for a really good value contract - does this limit his potential? For example I signed Luukkonen (sabres G) to an offer sheet - 7 years at just under 3M. I think he was elite potential and he never went over 83 overall. 2) when I sim the games, why does McDavid never get near his actual numbers? He gets point a game or maybe 100 pts in a season. But no where near his actual numbers that he puts up today in real life - and if i just adjust those sliders I'd assume everyone would just keep up with him. 3) Even in the game, he's not as fast as he is IRL, I feel like he's underrated somehow at a 97 overall?

[@Data782]

1. That's been a question in FM for a little while now! Some anecdotal evidence would suggest yes but, in my experience, I don't believe good contract value limits potential. And, even if it did, it certainly does not limit performance. 2. Another great question haha. FM doesn't know how to balance realistic scoring and realistic goaltending so you either get 85 points from McDavid and a Vezina winner with a .920+ sv%, or McDavid closer to 120-130 and a Vezina winner with a .908sv%. Either way, you will VERY rarely see players scoring anything 140+. You're right that adjusting sliders would adjust the whole league and not just starts like him so it's just another frustrating part of the mode. 3. Agreed. I wish I had answers 😭 Let me know if you have any more!

[@martynilsson4731]

That is really a great Tutorial. It should be EA sports responsibility to deliver these informations to their costumers. I had to find out everything through trial and error over many years and didn't use all of the available features (Scouting, line chemistry, coach chemistry, trading...) because being clueless how to use them properly. There is no NHL feature out there, that offers that many options for fun than Franchise mode.

[@Data782]

Hey Marty, I appreciate this kind comment! :) I agree that this information should absolutely be more accessible but I'm glad that I've been able to provide it to the community! Trust me haha, it's all about that trial and error. Even then, there's much that would require further extensive experimentation! But, all in all, I 100% agree - there's no greater option for creating your own fun than Franchise Mode. Now if only EA would take some elements of other sports games to allow customization to an even greater level! Thanks again and happy new year! :)

[@yvesbeaudin5110]

Thanks for your answer ! :-)

[@Data782]

@@yvesbeaudin5110 No problem! :)

[@andersaas5559]

Hi Data, big fan from Norway. Do you have a rule of thumb when it comes to overalls for signing players to your AHL team and promoting players to the NHL?

[@Data782]

Hello there! So great to hear from you all the way in Norway! :) Thank you for your longtime viewership! For when to sign a player, it usually comes down to the player's age, potential, and junior league. If the player is from the QMJHL/OHL/WHL, I don't sign them until they're 78-79 OVR+ so that they can play in the NHL (or when they're an expiring UFA and must be signed. What I mean is, don't sign just to send back to the juniors). If a player is from any other league, you can sign them and play them in the AHL at any age. I still usually prefer to leave them unsigned until they need to be signed or are good enough to make the NHL, but there are certain cases of prospects who would benefit from high AHL minutes. If a player's overall is, I'd say around 76-77 OVR, and their potential is maybe MED Top 6/Top 4 or higher, I'd consider signing them and giving them big AHL minutes. It really comes down to how they seem to be playing/developing on their junior team because they'll grow there, too. When it comes to NHL promotion, it's the same idea as above: 78-79 OVR+ and, if they have higher potential and need ice time, try to keep from only playing them 6-7 minutes per game on the 4th line. A long answer but I hope that answers some of your question! Let me know if I can clarify any more and thanks again :)

[@EzraHambrick99]

Loved the video! Been playing NHL since 15 and have always wanted to get into franchise mode but always got overwhelmed with all the different things I needed to do and never figured it out. This video was great at breaking down everything into understandable information for me to fully take my time with to understand. Definitely earned a new sub!!! I do have a question though regarding contracts. What exactly makes a good contract length and amount of pay? I’ve never understood when watching other franchise modes why they decide to give players certain contracts that they do. Obviously their stats play a big role but do you base it off of their final contracted season or all previous? Hopefully my question made sense. Thanks!!!

[@Data782]

Hey Ezra thanks so much! That's exactly why I made this video so I'm glad that it reached you! Pumped to have you on board! :) I get your question! For the contracts that I offer, it comes down to a few things. The player's overall, production, and expiring UFA/RFA status, for example, are big ones. I'll try to break it down into two parts: THE AMOUNT I want to pay my players according to what they do within the simulation and not waste money on high OVR guys who look flashy but put up mediocre numbers. The amount that I offer will be tied to where I plan on having them in the lineup according to that production, and according to what players of that calibre are making depending on what year it is (seeing as how the salary cap increases quite a bit from year-to-year). Furthermore, deeper into the Franchise Mode, what I offer may be tied to the scarcity of that player type. For example, after 10+ years or so, top OFD become quite rare and will demand more as a result. THE LENGTH The length of a contract depends on how you want to play. If you want to sign a good young player for 8 years at $2M, you could, but I prefer to keep things realistic and do what would make sense for that player. For example, a 1-3 year bridge deal, possibly one more "prove it to me"-type contract, then the "big" 7-8 year extension before the player moves into their mid-30's or so and will likely sign for 1-2 years at a time or so. Back to younger players, you'll want to keep their "expiry status" in mind. If a player wants, say, $4M for 2 years and stays as an RFA vs. $3M for 3 years and becomes a UFA, Id rather do the more expensive 2 year deal to keep his rights and try to sign a good extension as opposed to getting him for cheaper but then risking the possibility of him walking to unrestricted free agency for free. So that was a lot but those are my thoughts! Let me know if they make sense and if you have any follow up thoughts! :) Thanks again!

[@EzraHambrick99]

@@Data782 that makes sense to me!! I’ll have to make sure I reread through it a couple times just to make sure I really get it understood!! Thanks for the very thorough message! It’s greatly appreciated!!

[@Data782]

@@EzraHambrick99 Awesome! It's my pleasure, feel free to leave any more questions as they may arise! :)

[@joeymcdermett1671]

Hey data, On the topic of the coaching staff I was wondering if hiring coaches based off their teaching skill is a good idea. For my AHL coaching staff, I would think that having those AHL players surrounded by mentors would prepare them faster for the NHL. For the NHL, I would focus on team proformance and hire the best coach based off your video.

[@Data782]

Hey Joey! Yes, hiring coaches with high teaching is definitely a plus. However, it's exactly as you say for the NHL/AHL. In terms of team performance, it doesn't really have an impact. So, when it comes to deciding between coaches, I'd go with the one with a better overall and/or fit before I decide just based on teaching. It's hard to say how much it REALLY matters as evidence is pretty much just anecdotal, but the general consensus is that you'll want to have those guys on your staff for your younger players. Especially in the AHL, I'd place a much higher importance on having coaches with high teaching so that they could have the best chance to grow and make the team where they can progress further. All that to say, yes, I agree with your strategy! Hope that helps and best of luck :)

[@alexanderperl6945]

Any advice for growing prospects? I've had a bunch of medium elites in the ahl be in their mid 20's and 70 overall and never get better despite having good coaches. I used the rangers so luckily I had a good NHL team for years but now that I'm about to rebuild it would be nice if literally any of my prospects developed into 80 somethings lol

[@Data782]

Hey there! Ah the age-old question of prospect growth 😂 There are a fair number of things that can stagnate a prospect, but mid-70s MED Elite players should have the best chance of growth if you foster it well. To do that, you want to play them in an appropriate role (don't jump to the AHL too early but, when they do, they get proper ice time), maximize linemates/chemistry, and get coaches with strong teaching attributes. Even when doing all of that, some just won't grow haha but as long as you follow those steps, especially for your highest potential players, you should have a decent success rate. And keep in mind when I say not to jump a player to the AHL too early, I mean a player who's like 18 and a 60 OVR. I hope that helps a little bit and feel free to leave any other questions or thoughts! :)

[@gridglory1]

@@Data782 Reliable info on player development is tough to find! Probably for the same reason, my knowledge is still lacking. Tough to test for & lots of random variation on production season to season. Any rule of thumbs like this are Gems. Is there agreement that statistical progression is based soley on points? I had been thinking that ice time doesn't matter. is that because of the increased point production, even in the AHL, or strictly the ice time itself?

[@Data782]

Point production seems to be the driving force behind the majority of growth, yes, but ice time has historically played a role, as well. Could it be that production lends to statistical growth and ice time lends to natural growth? Impossible to say but I do my best to maximize both with an emphasis on production.

[@brianwilliams9431]

The funny part about the couching i understand musical chairs 😂😂😂

[@Data782]

LOL is it not super accurate?? 😂

[@brianwilliams9431]

@Data782 but it works tho idk you can have a bad coach I got rid of my nhl goalie coach and the rest chemistry shot up

[@anthiloppa]

What is best time to re-sign players? I mean time when they want lowest amount of salary also thanks for the 85% tip with players who want to sign contract :)

[@Data782]

It's hard to say exactly because a player's demands will change based off of individual/team performance (and even morale), but, in general, the best time is usually at the beginning of the season OR after the draft at the re-sign phase. However, that depends on a few factors. 1. If it's a young player who you expect to grow, sign ASAP. If you can do it on July 1st as soon as an extension becomes available, go for it (unless it's really wild). Risking growth over the summer can hurt but it can also be helpful to have the $$ come back down to Earth. Once the year starts, though, banking on the player not doing well isn't really the best either. 2. If it's a player who's like 28+, there's more leeway and I think you can be more confident in a September-type extension. However, keep in mind again that it could go down over the course of a so-so season. SO, what I'm trying to say is, there are a couple of options for when a player's demand is "cheapest" which depend on his potential, scoring potential, age, etc., but the best average time in my opinion is before the season begins. Second best is after the draft in the re-sign phase. What's really the best in my mind is keeping an eye on when you see a fair number and then pouncing on it. I hope that helps!

[@anthiloppa]

@@Data782 Thank you for explanatory answer! It really helped :)

[@benjaminmiller1837]

Only 1 of my players had any overall progression. We won the cup and won 51 games in the season. Why would nobody else grow? I want to get a lot of young players through the draft and rebuild but its pointless if they dont grow.

[@Data782]

Hi Benjamin! Great question haha. Player growth can truly be a mystery at times. Fostering growth entails having the right coaches with influence/teaching abilities, giving them ice time/the best opportunities to succeed while respecting their role, and doing your best to maximize chemistry. At the end of the day, some prospects are just duds. But, if you draft well (especially by following my guide which works like a charm), the ones that grow will allow you to just trade away the ones who don't and you're left with what you need. It can be frustrating, but that's how I go about it! I hope that helps and feel free to leave any other questions :)

[@thosetwodudes]

Am I the only one who has had "phantom players" on their roster? This happened once to me on NHL 18 and is now happening again. In my franchise, I'm in the start of year two. My AHL team has multiple players, that when I go into roster moves, contracts, or trade, they disappear. But, when I'm on the edit lines page, they show up either as dressed or as scratched players. Has anyone experienced this?

[@Data782]

Yup I believe I know exactly what you're saying! Essentially, whenever your AHL team has any less than 18 skaters and 2 goalies (whether it be due to you not signing enough players or an injury requires more than previously needed), the game will add low overall players to the squad to fill in. I believe they may be exclusively undrafted free agents who you can sign and then see in roster moves if you go and find them. If not, they can play for your team but kind of like in an "emergency" capacity where they aren't actually a part of your organization. Once the season comes to an end, they will "leave" the team. Let me know if that clears things up!

[@thosetwodudes]

@@Data782 thanks mate you're the best. I'll sign them and trade them for draft picks

[@АлександрКевра-ч1ш]

Thank you for the great guide, it's really helpful! Sorry if i didn't notice this aspect in the video, but how to increase the coach budget? It's impossible to hire decent coach staff for 4.5 mln and every season this budget even reduces

[@Data782]

Hey there! You're welcome! I'm glad that it has been helpful for you! :) The coach budget will depend on whether or not "owner mode" is turned on. If it's on, then you can never really increase it more than what the game gives you at the start of each season. That's why I keep owner mode turned off because, by doing so, you can totally disregard the budget and go over it. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

[@АлександрКевра-ч1ш]

@@Data782 thank you very much😉

[@JeffreyCarroll-i8t]

Is there a way to change franchise settings once you started your franchise and played 5 or 6 games? For example, turn goalie rotation on/off? Or are you stuck with rules/settings you started with?

[@Data782]

@@JeffreyCarroll-i8t Not at all! Certain major things like owner mode or morale has to be decided on at the start but other setting like auto goal rotate can be changed whenever you like. Go to settings and take a look! Let me know if you have any questions :)

[@peterkong7707]

Hi Data, great great video! So much info, I understand most of them, the only thing that is bugging me is the number of contracts. Like in your video, pre-free agency, your number of contracts is 49/50 then it dropped to 24/50. I once signed too many players pre-free agency and I wasn't able to sign 2 elite prospects at their end of unsigned years. Is there a way to keep track or even understand the salary number constraints? Thanks in advance!

[@Data782]

Hey Peter! Thank you very much! :) In the video, the number of contracts dropped from 49/50 pre-free agency to 24/50 on July 1st because I did not re-sign almost all of my pending unrestricted/restricted free agents. Therefore, since July 1st has come without them agreeing to terms with me, they are no longer a part of the 50 contracts I can have in my organization and are free to sign elsewhere. Within your entire organization, you can only have 50 players signed between your NHL/AHL squad (plus any prospects who are signed but play in a junior league, I believe). So, if you have 50/50 contract spots filled pre-free agency and wanted to sign those two elite prospects, the game will not let you. The easy fix to this is keeping an eye on the number of contracts that you have before the draft! If you see that you have so many that you won't be able to release enough players to make room for the ones you want to sign (usually in the form of unsigned prospects), then you can make some trades at the draft before free agency begins. Worst case, if you missed a trade opportunity at the draft and you NEED to get rid of someone before July 1st, you can always look at buying a player out. Let me know if that helps and feel free to follow up!

[@tuomas.h.5636]

Hi and thanks first of all for the great tutorial! I´m from Finland and have bit more advanced question I guess. I´m quite familiar how the Franchise Mode plays from 22 but now when bought 24 I realized that it (already seemingly from 23) gives way more room for customization. I got an idea to customize the whole thing to be played with Finnish leagues. It requires lot of roster work and creating the Finnish 2nd tier “Mestis” teams there to replace AHL where as Liiga naturally replaces NHL. Anyway, understanding some limitations, I think it could play out still kinda nicely, but the biggest unknown is the salaries and contracts. Is there any experiences how it plays if salary cap is set to the minimum 39 million? Because in Finland there is only few players in Liiga teams more than rating 70 and you´d think that setting the cap the lowest would be means to actually keep the teams´ ratings at least thereabouts, because no team can sign many really good players. Is there some rough estimate what is the salary wish compared to rating? And I wonder how CPU then builds their teams that will it still take couple of 10 million cap hit players and then the rest is crap or does it try to build equally strong team without star players? Anyway I´m gonna try it out but if any ideas, I could use them to set it up better right away.

[@Data782]

Hi Tuomas! Thanks for the kind words! :) Yes, Franchise Mode on 24 allows for much customization. You would definitely be able to create Liiga! Now, what you'll need to understand about the salary is that it will always go according to the quality of players in the league. So, if you create Liiga with an NHL salary of each team paying $60-80 million, the highest overall players who are, say, in the 70's, will be paid like the 90 overalls in the NHL. It's all proportional. Now, if you set the salary minimum to $39 million, the game will adjust accordingly. The biggest problem I could see would be new players entering the league via the draft. For example, if the 1st overall pick in 2024 is a 90 overall after his entry level contract is over and the next highest player in the league is a 79 overall, he will ask for BIG money. So, the longer you go, the more high overall players will exist which will give you some trouble with the salary cap. I've never experimented with exactly what you're describing, but that's what I can tell you according to my understanding/experience. So, if you want to keep the salary cap low, that's great but you may run into problems after the first 2-4 seasons or so. Keeping draft classes to LOW/LOW may be helpful but growth will always happen. The AI will do its best to adjust and still build a good team, but I can't say for sure how it will manage. Good luck and I hope that this was helpful! Feel free to let me/us know what your results are! :)

[@tuomas.h.5636]

Thanks for the answer, it helped me to understand better how it goes. And to see what options I have to run it. The salary amount realism doesn´t matter, neither does the level of team ratings overall. Only that it would stay challenging and balanced to play. I either just start with lower rating rosters and then let it play it´s course over time or the other option would be to actually scale the ratings in my league directly to the NHL class because the better league NHL doesn´t exist there anyway. Gotta think it over and there´s lot of editing work anyway left. But thanks and I can report sometime later how I ended up having it and how it plays.

[@Data782]

Sounds good! You should be able to have everything run smoothly with a little bit of editing! Best of luck and hope to talk soon :)

[@andrewstevenson3807]

Great vid bro. Been playing since EA Hockey on the Megadrive… I’m old as f*ck!

[@Data782]

Thank you kindly! Quite a different game from then to now! 😂 Feel free to leave any questions that may come up!

[@timrizzo3941]

Also, one other thing I recently learned about padding contracts with an extra year in the expansion draft- not only does it change the players the teams expose, but if you *don't* do it, any player that has one year left on their contract is actually effectively zero. Meaning, you go from expansion draft to entry draft to re-signing contracts without a game being played, at which point half will ask for 75% more, and even if you offer what they ask for, most will say they don't think the team can win and leave you to the vagaries of the free agent market, at which point- why bother with the expansion draft? Just sayin: flip that switch.

[@Data782]

Good points! I hadn't tried expansion leagues enough in recent history to really add those pieces of information in this video but, now that you've shared and I've been doing our expansion livestream series, I have a better grasp on why doing so makes more sense. Thanks for sharing!

[@ajp7320]

awesome video. I was hoping to find out if the cpu teams trade for picks during the draft? I saw the draft activity page, what is on that page? I know the teams under our control can trade for picks but do the cpu controlled teams trade with other cpu teams for higher picks during the draft ? The dont on Madden and wondered if it an ea thing because i know they didnt on previous versions of NHL either.

[@Data782]

Hey thank you kindly! Yes, CPU teams will trade for picks during the draft but I find it to happen quite rarely. Furthermore, I think it only really happens when a player is traded to another team and that team gets picks back as part of the package - not that the team was actually trying to trade up so as to draft a particular prospect. So it kind of happens by coincidence. And you know what, that's a great question haha because I never click "draft activity" or "summary" or any of those, but I believe that it's just a log of trades during the draft. I'll double check when at home tonight. Hope that helps!

[@ajp7320]

@@Data782 Thank you for the reply. Yeah that would be awesome if you could check. I'm desperate for a good sports game to tie me over for star wars outlast comes out. I haven't played nhl since 18 and thinking about picking it back up again. Loving the content.

[@Data782]

Hey again! My suspicion was correct - the "draft activity" screen is the same as the "activity feed" that you'll see in the "league" tab when at the main screen. It contains an extended "message centre" and a log of all trades at the draft. Thanks for the love and I'm glad that you're enjoying! :) Franchise has its issues for sure just like any other sports game but much has changed since NHL 18 and I'd give 23 or 24 (pretty much the same) a go if you can get a good deal. Feel free to leave any more questions and all the best!

[@lucasbonneau3136]

Bon vidéo ! Merci pour l'info et big love de QC !

[@Data782]

Merci Lucas! Je suis content que cela ait été utile! Big love back at you! ❤️

[@RBZfun_yT]

My question is “can you customize your arena: nets, center ice logo style, On ice projection, etc during the off season?”

[@Data782]

You sadly cannot edit anything to do with your arena once your franchise Mode has begun :( The offseason only allows for you to make equipment changes. Hope that helps!

[@RBZfun_yT]

Thank you! A little disappointed but at least now I know.

[@RBZfun_yT]

What about after a relocation?

[@Data782]

No problem! After a relocation is a good question because I've honestly never tried. If I had to guess, I'd say you can but I'm not 100% on that

[@safertobeanonymous2224]

Just got the game and…. I just wanted the gm mode…. But the teams won’t make trades! I want a goalie they have on the block and want my best player. I put the same level goalie on the block? 4th round pick is the offer…… Trades suck in it….

[@Data782]

I fully understand what you're saying. Trade value sadly isn't just trade value - true trade value is trade value PLUS organizational needs. For example, a player who is on the trade block will be much easier to acquire than a player who is not - even if the trade values are identical. The same is also true of the inverse as you can receive more value for a player who a team wants as opposed to trying to trade with a team that isn't interested. AND, on top of all of that, goalies in general just have horrible trade value unless they have elite or franchise potential. I hope that helps but yeah, it's sadly a bit of a mess. Good luck!

[@safertobeanonymous2224]

@ it’s hilarious just clicking “nope” with every offer they send! No I don’t think it’ll trade my 2nd and 3rd for a 4th an garbage especially when you won’t take a 1rst for a 2nd! 🤪

[@orxanomerli7]

can you please advise what to do if you draft many prospects but cant sign them as roster is full. I cant find area in franchise mode where you can see how full your roster is. Each year i release some ufa and rfa which are playing in ahl and nhl but still its full roster.

[@Data782]

Hey there! If you draft so many prospects that you can't sign all the ones you want due to having a full roster, you have a few options. If you know in advance that you'll need more roster space going into the offseason, you can trade away signed players at the draft to free up roster spots. But, if it's too late and it's the re-sign phase (you can't make trades again until July 1st which is when your prospects would become free agents so that's too late), then you could buy-out players who are under contract. It will count as a penalty against your salary cap, but cheap players won't impact it that much and it'd be worth doing for high potential prospects. Now, to know how full your roster is, you can go to the trade screen which shows a number out of 50 in the bottom left (ex. 48/50) which tells you how many contracted players you have. If it's the re-sign phase and you can't go to that screen, go to the "view contracts" screen and, at the bottom in the third column, you'll see that same /50 number. You can have more players than 50 in your system, but only 50 signed to a contract! Let me know if that helps and best of luck :)

[@adamkapsch816]

Data you're an absolute beauty

[@Data782]

Right back at you!! ❤️

[@reidhutchings5412]

How do I put two rosters together and set them both as active, I downloaded a prospect roster and want to set that as active but also want the latest roster updates from trade deadline on the teams, will it add the players like Guenzel to Carolina if I put the prospects roster as active one? Also if there are any recommended prospect rosters that you think I should use please tell me.

[@Data782]

What you'll want to do is, start with the most recent EA roster, download whatever custom roster you like, and then merge the two. From there go to: Rosters --> Active Roster --> Hover over most recent EA Roster (on the left) --> Press Triangle (on PS) to merge --> Choose which custom roster (on the right) you want to merge with. To double check, go to creation zone and choose "create player" to see if the created prospects are there. Let me know if that works! For any recommended rosters, what version of NHL 24 are you playing? Rosters aren't cross-platform so each version will have different ones available to you.

[@huntersellers2014]

Do you know why in franchise mode when you add say jaromír jágr is sets his age back to 27 years old? And is there a way to turn that off?

[@Data782]

Since legends can be 100+ years old and overall is often directly linked with a player's age, the game does it so that it doesn't make the player plummet in overall/retire after year 1 of the Franchise Mode. It's a little annoying for sure but I see the reasoning behind it. What is most frustrating, though, is that you cannot turn it off/make any changes to it yourself :( Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but hope that helps!

[@rainsong943]

Thank you

[@Data782]

You're welcome! 😃

[@AlexMiller-tz3kk]

Great video!

[@Data782]

Thank you kindly, Alex! :)

[@owenposer6720]

W Data can’t WAIT to watch! 😁

[@Data782]

Thanks buddy! Appreciate you ❤️

[@vincent6718]

Whats your opinion on the salary cap inflation setting? I was wondering if it may help with how much defenceman ask for once you get 10 years in

[@Data782]

It would be an interesting experiment, but I unfortunately don't think it'd do much for that problem! Yes the defense contract demands become ridiculous in later years, but it's not just the $$ amount - it's the amount in relation to the market. Since there are so few high overall defensemen in the later years, the top ones will demand so much more no matter what you do with cap inflation. However, if you did totally turn off inflation, I'd be very curious to see what free agents as for 10+ years in.. So to answer your question, I don't mind playing around with it to slow the game from having a $100M+ cap within like 6 years haha, but I don't think it'd actually fix the bigger issue surrounding defensemen in FM. Let me know if you try to run any experiments with that! I'd love to hear your findings.

[@scaradook00]

We accidentally skipped 2 weeks worth of games in franchise mode (no idea how we did that..ugh). Is there a way to go back and actually play those games?

[@Data782]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! :( The only way to go back would be to load a previous save file! Let me know if you need help accessing them if you're not sure

[@donavanallen1745]

Why as the years goes on all the contracts they don’t want an extension if I do the 85 trick it will still work right?

[@Data782]

Great question 😂 It doesn't really mean much, especially with morale turned off, but the 85% trick still works for the most part. Extensions have the highest rate of success while signing an expiring UFA/RFA could be more difficult as they may say that they want to test free agency or weren't happy with ice time, team performance, etc. Always try 85% first and go from there!

[@donavanallen1745]

@@Data782 I appreciate you

[@Data782]

@@donavanallen1745 ❤️

[@TynadoGaming]

Can u tell me how to change ur jerseys when you already started

[@Data782]

If you're playing with an NHL team then you won't be able to change the jerseys. However, if you're using a created team which has jerseys that you've created/designed, then you'll have the option to make changes every offseason under "quick links" on the right when at the main screen for Franchise Mode. Let me know if that helps! :)

[@Damonsummerfield-p2p]

You can cycle thru past team options at the start tho😎

[@DolphinFighter22]

Awesome video data

[@Data782]

Thanks Marc!! ❤️

[@IvoryTrance]

Can I customize my franchise mode season to just 31 games? (So I play each team once only per season)? Thanks

[@Data782]

Hey there! You can't play an uneven amount of games so 31 would be impossible, but you could choose 30 or 32! The minimum is 20 and the maximum is 84, by the way. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@IvoryTrance]

@@Data782oh thank you! So if there are 32 teams all togehter and I only want to play each team once that won’t work? Meaning if you say I need to play 32 games means I need to play one team twice? Thanks!

[@Data782]

Yes that's exactly it! You'll also have to set the number of division games, conference games, and inter-conference games. I would assume that setting it as 8 division games + 8 conference games (16 east) and 16 inter-conference games (16 west) would be your best bet but I'm not 100% sure if that would guarantee that you play each team once (and one twice). Let me know how it goes!

[@IvoryTrance]

Thank you for the info!@@Data782

[@TwitchIsDead]

Can I bring up a player from the the minors when the preseason already starts or do I have to do it before then as well?

[@Data782]

@@TwitchIsDead From the minors as in the AHL? Yes no problem! But if a player has been sent to the juniors then they won't be eligible to be called up until next season

[@atillaoren9149]

Thank you man im from Turkey and im new to NHL in general are you free to reply when i ask for tips sometimes?

[@Data782]

Hey! I'm happy to help! :) Yes, leave any comments as questions come up and I'll reply as soon as possible!

[@acethehuskystar]

32:27 it would be nice if it had a random for the draft class

[@Data782]

Agreed!

[@yvesbeaudin5110]

Is it possible to add my own picture when i create a new player into the franchise mode ? If it is possible, how we do it ? Thanks.

[@Data782]

@@yvesbeaudin5110 Sadly not! You can customize a player to look how you like in-game in creation zone but their profile will always be a grey silhouette. Hope that helps!

[@multipass8519]

New to the series, I wanted to create a character and play my way to the NHL Stanley cup, but literally only option is sim.....is this a setting? I've simmed for like 5 minutes straight? When do I get to play the game hahaha

[@Data782]

Hey there! Welcome to Franchise Mode! :) So, there are a few options here.. So you want to create a player and play your way to being an NHL star. Franchise Mode isn't exactly built for that, but you could find a way to make it work. For example, you could go to "creation zone" in the main menu of NHL 24, create this character, and then assign him/her to the NHL team that you want to be on. Then, start a Franchise Mode with that team (making sure that you're using the custom roster that your created player now exists in) and make sure that you have access to that player. From there, you could assign that player to the NHL or the AHL (controlling what line they play on and who their linemates are), and theoretically play every game as that player by locking on to them. If you'd like, you can play every single game and never simulate at all (press on the game for whichever date you are on from the main hub tab and choose "play"). The alternative would be to play Be A Pro which is better built for the experience that you described! Let me know if that helps and if you have any more questions :)

[@ethanellis3355]

can you change the number of games in expansion draft

[@Data782]

Unfortunately you cannot! If you want to change the number of games, you have to do a custom league and, if that's the case, you an ADD an expansion team but you cannot do an expansion DRAFT. The way I got around this for my series on the channel was to do an expansion draft, take note of the players, create that team outside of FM, then start a new save file as a custom league with that previously expansion drafted team as team #33. Let me know if that makes sense and if I can help with anything else!

[@crackericeproductions]

Hi I loved nhl 18 franchise mode is it similar to that or can I change the settings to get a similar experience thanks

[@Data782]

Hey! Franchise from 18 to 24 is fundamentally the same in the way the game works (make trades, sign free agents, draft players, etc.), but many things are different. Scouting changes, the addition of line chemistry, coaches, and much more that has been added to the mode. Comparing 18 to what may be found in this video on 24 would be a good idea so as to get a better understanding! Feel free to leave any more questions :)

[@Takhar7]

Doing yeoman's work. Awesome job

[@Data782]

Working hard in the trenches! Appreciate you, my man ❤️

[@pah1zzz]

Hello! I have question about the staff salary. I can see from video that you have almost 10m staff budget. How can i manage that? I tried to manipulate my team market size and everything but i still get budget that is only 6m. That’s why i cannot hire better coaches to my team and keep getting only overal b staff

[@Data782]

Hey there! The budget of $9.358M likely comes from the Canadiens being such a large market and profitable team but is also affected by the generated staff. Honestly, the budget can be pretty random and will usually be whatever the game signs your generated coaches to depending on their rating. That's another reason why I keep owner mode off since I'd rather disregard such an arbitrary restriction. Sorry that I can't be of much more help than that! Your best bet is likely to keep restarting your FM until the game gives you a highly rated staff that you're content to start with, or at least one that gives you a higher starting budget. Good luck and feel free to leave any other questions!

[@pah1zzz]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@Data782 Oh the budget over 9M makes sense now. And i can also exceed the budget without any harms? Your reply helped a lot, thank you! I've played through one season and there's still something to be curious about. Like the fact that the tactics of the lines cannot be changed but apparently come directly from the head coach.

[@Data782]

Sorry for the delay in replying! Yes, with owner mode off you may exceed the budget without any harm. There may sometimes be a glitch that has a coach refuse a contract because it would put you "over" your cap, but rest assured that you do not truly have one. Exactly haha. You can't change any line tactics as GM despite being able to upgrade the bathrooms and set the prices of hot dogs 😂 You can change tactics for a single game if you enter it to play/watch but, once it's over, it will go back to the coach's default. Hope that helps!

[@pah1zzz]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@Data782 No problem at all! The fact that the coach's line strategies also affect the collective line chemistry of the players pisses me off. If i only could change it so i could get better line chemistry with my players… Is there anything that can be done to raise the chemistry of the line? The players are young and low overal so they don't have the x-factory skills yet which I understood would have a radical effect.

[@Data782]

Tell me about it.. I foresee this being a big change in the future whenever coaching gets the attention that it needs. There are essentially four things that impact line chemistry: line score, player type, player position, and X-Factors. The line score is unchangeable and comes from the coach. The player type is also unchangeable within franchise mode (but may be changed in "edit player" in your settings PRIOR to starting your Franchise Mode). By player position, I mean playing a C at C and a LW at LW as opposed to mixing things around (ex. a line with a 0 may become a +1 if a RW on the LW is put at RW). Then, for X-Factors, essentially the more a player has, the better it will make the chemistry of the line. As always, let me know if that helps and feel free to leave any other questions :)

[@williambudjac1110]

How do you save your created Ahl team from Franchise mode? You used to be able to do it in 22 but I can’t figure it out in 24. I don’t want to create a new one everytime I do a new franchise.

[@Data782]

Hey William! I assume you are talking about customizing your AHL team when adding the 33rd NHL franchise, correct? If that's the case, I did some experimenting and, as far as I can tell and from my understanding, there is no way to save a created AHL team in 24 :( You'll always have to choose the Burnaby Aces and, from there, choose to keep them as they are or customize further. Sorry about that and best of luck! Feel free to leave any other questions that may arise :)

[@steveden31]

Anyone know anything about “be a pro mode”? I’m trying to get my pro onto a specific team but can’t seem to get the GM to trade me to that team. I’ve save-scummed a hundred times but can’t get my team to pop in the trade offer. I’ve tried all 3 options (trade me to a contender, trade me to a specific division, or any team) but nothing has turned up with the team I want to play for. Any tips/ideas on how to get traded to the team you want in the be a pro mode?

[@Data782]

Hi Steve! Yeah, I'm not a big fan of Be A Pro and that's one of the many reasons why haha. Aside from multiple save-scums, I wouldn't be able to suggest another way. You were able to choose your team in older NHLs if I remember correctly but, now, it just comes down to the luck of who drafts you or what the status of the team is that you want to be on if asking for a trade. One idea might be playing around with your junior stats? If you always dominate and go top 5 in the draft but want to be drafted by a team later on, you could try tanking in the juniors. Then, you could keep reloading the save file at the draft? It sounds like a long process but it might be easier than a trade. I hope that helps but it's ultimately a bit of a hassle! All the best :)

[@steveden31]

@@Data782 Hey Thanks! I haven’t played NHL for years and have been enjoying it for the most part. Seems like a big learning curve and the game doesn’t help new players out very much. I’ll keep trying I guess but I’ll probably try out Franchise mode if I can’t get my pro on the team I want. Thanks again for the advice and perspective.

[@Data782]

My pleasure! I know exactly what you're saying. Using Franchise Mode as a workaround is a fine idea because you can either assign the player to the team, or draft/sign him if in control of the team itself! Let me know if you have any other questions along the way and good luck!

[@acethehuskystar]

45:10 I wish this would reflex on the trade slider.. it should balance out and change the value..

[@Data782]

100%!! I don't mind it being harder to acquire players who aren't on the block or who you're asking the other team to retain salary on, but then their value shouldn't be what it is. In theory, if the value is what the team actually considers the value to be, an even trade or one that's slightly in the other team's favour should be accepted every time (similar to MLB The Show)

[@StateoftheFranchiseGaming]

​@@Data782as an MLB the Show player I can tell you that every team will value whoever you are trading the EXACT same which isn't realistic even a player like Ohtani should be highly valuable to basically every team but not every team is going to pay for him or be a fit for them like the Pirates.

[@JacobD-v6b]

Isn’t there a setting where you can request any trade and the other team has to accept it no matter what?

[@Data782]

@@JacobD-v6b Sadly not! The ability to force trades is something I've been asking for for some time now, but it hasn't yet been added to the game

[@evansyrbos88]

How long do you stay with your first team before your offered contracts by others?

[@Data782]

I never play with owner mode turned on but I believe your initial contract is for 3 years!

[@ESjo]

Can I change the schedule (more or less games per season) or move teams to another conference/divisions after I started franchise mode?

[@Data782]

You sadly cannot! That's locked in once you begin the Franchise Mode

[@reidquinn]

I need help getting out of debt and getting my ownership profit out of the negatives, any tips?

[@Data782]

Oof haha honestly that's just another reason I don't like owner mode 😂 You could try cutting salaries and raising prices but I don't think you have many other options

[@terryh1795]

do coaches have an effect on which players progress like if i want to have a guy in the minors since hes a low ovr and not ready to be in the nhl yet is it best to have the best coaches so those guys in ahl progress well

[@Data782]

Yes they do! But a high overall coach doesn't necessarily mean that a player will see growth. What you can do to give that player the best chance is to make sure that the coach likes him in whatever role he's playing (first line, second D pairing, etc.), that the coach has high teaching/influence attributes, and that the coach's speciality is that player's position (forwards, defense, etc.). It can be frustrating because some players will grow just fine without any of that, while others won't budge even when you check all of the boxes. So, that being said, I wouldn't break my head over it toooo too much as growth also involves proper ice time/production, but there are some things that you can do to try and help the process!

[@jamessapia3364]

For Draft Pick Ownership, does ‘Classic’ only apply for the first year, or does it reset to classic every year (meaning trades I make will apply going forward year to year)?

[@Data782]

@@jamessapia3364 The latter! "Classic" will reset all draft picks and give every team their rounds 1-7 picks for every draft moving forward unless otherwise traded

[@jamessapia3364]

Thx, for the quick reply. Also, I’m starting with the Lightning & there are a handful of players with no contract on the AHL team who I don’t want to sign (e.g. G.Dumont ). I started a season, & they weren’t removed from the team. Does the A.I. ever automatically remove them, or am I stuck with them clogging up my scratched screen?

[@Data782]

@@jamessapia3364 My pleasure! For those players in your AHL system, they should be gone after year 1 (especially if you fill your system with other players). They or other non-contract players will only be there in year 2 onward if your AHL team has less than 18 skaters. Hope that helps!

[@jamessapia3364]

I’m not sure if I’m more impressed with your knowledge of the game or the courtesy & speed with which you respond. That said, I’ll ask another. I don’t auto save so I can try out trades and FA etc. to see the least I’ll have to give up & how prospects develop (especially speed). With that in mind, now that I know who I’d want, should I try to trade for the prospects immediately, at the trade deadline, (cheaper?), or let them develop in their own system & trade for them in a year or two (more expensive?) For example, will T.Lindstein of the Blues develop into the stud I know he will become regardless which team he’s on?

[@Data782]

Haha I'm glad to be able to provide knowledge in a timely fashion! Thank you for the kind words. Now, for your second question, there's no set answer as player growth (and the speed of growth) can not only depend on a number of changing factors, but also includes an element of randomness. In general, I like having control of my prospects so the sooner I can trade for them the better, but that's no guarantee that they'll grow. In fact, they may grow even better as a healthy scratch in another team's system than playing top AHL minutes in mine 😂 With that in mind, in my experience, some players are more of a "lock" to grow than others as those with the highest potential (think "HIGH Elite" vs. "MED Top 6") will have a higher likelihood of achieving it. ALL OF THAT TO SAY, if you have it set in your mind that Lindstein will develop, for example, then it's probably better to trade for him as soon as possible as his trade value will only increase over time. Let me know if that helps! Also, feel free to continue leaving any other questions that may come up but I'd also recommend joining our Discord server (discord.gg/rRDYpTx) where there are hundreds of others always talking Franchise Mode! :)

[@sixtenhalvarsson9929]

How do you get your draft picks to play in the NHL?

[@Data782]

You'll have to sign them to entry level contracts and then call them up to your NHL squad! Let me know if you need further instruction on that

[@rakuraku8043]

Is there any way at all to get full control of all teams' rosters in franchise mode??

[@Data782]

I believe you can in "Season Mode" but unfortunately not in Franchise Mode!

[@MrMartinski319]

Is there anyway to get any player you want

[@Data782]

Is there any way to guarantee that you can get any player you want in Franchise Mode (such as by being able to force trades)? No, BUT, you have a couple of options. First, if you haven't started your Franchise Mode save file yet, you can go to roster editing and transfer any player you want to the team you'll be taking over. If it's too late and you've already started your Franchise Mode, then you can set trade difficulty to "easy" in your settings which will make trades less difficult, but you'd still have to give value up in exchange. Let me know if that helps!

[@MrMartinski319]

@@Data782Thank you for the tip!

[@ZackarySerre]

Can we get a tutorial for player movements in season mode? Please 🥺🙏🙏

[@Data782]

What seems to be the problem? 👀

[@Gunner_97]

I’m on ps5 and can’t find your roster share? Which roster share would you recommend if I can’t find yours?

[@Data782]

Hey! I play on PS5 but I'm using the PS4 version of NHL 24 so my rosters are only available there :( I unfortunately couldn't recommend one in particular on PS5 as I'm not able to try/review any but there are many creators out there who have good ones!

[@Sports_Fan121]

Can please you do a guide on how to improve players? I can't find anything like that anywhere.

[@Data782]

I speak about it in this video! Growth is never an exact science but is closely tied to providing a player with the ice time that their role calls for, as well as trying your best to maximize offensive output as that is closely tied to growth. That can unfortunately put defensemen at a disadvantage but that seems to be the system!

[@Sports_Fan121]

Thank you so much

[@Data782]

@@Sports_Fan121 My pleasure!

[@gusthulin5483]

Is there no way off turning off "auto staff" if its on? 😒 I don't really wanna restart my franchise mode

[@Data782]

Yes you can! "Auto staff management" may be turned off from your settings while in the Franchise Mode! Let me know if you need help finding it but I promise it's there

[@jamesdojr]

Under progresd reports, im trying to make sense of the "Attributes Modified" column. It seems like these numbers shoukd give some indication of when the players overall should increase. The number goes up to 24. When a player goes from an 85 to an 86, the 24 disappears and goes fown to zero... can anyone shed any light behind whats happening?

[@Data782]

"Attributes modified" tells you about the positive or negative development of a player's attribute overalls which in turn impact the player's overarching overall. The situation you're describing is not universal as just one small modification could be enough for a player's overall to increase or decrease. In other words, there's nothing special about the "24." Rather, it all depends on WHICH attribute is being modified as some have more of an impact on overall than others. For example, a +1 to "offensive awareness" alone could boost an overall while +5 to discipline, fighting skill, and agility may have no impact at all. I hope that helps and feel free to leave any other questions!

[@jamesdojr]

​@Data782 thank you for that explanation... 1. why does the attributes modified number decrease when the overall increases? It seems like the number is building up to about 24 or 25 and that's the max. 2. And why is the number sometimes red and sometimes green?

[@Data782]

No problem! To answer your questions.. 1. You might be onto something but I think this is just a coincidence. And, if not, then maybe there is a "max" that a player can hit per season. I've never really encountered that. 2. Green = positive development and red = negative development.

[@connerburns2704]

In the AHL should I have my prospects on the first line or should I put them on the second like the coach wants them?

[@Data782]

I'd say that depends more on their line fit! For example I'd rather have a player get a +3 on the second line and get supplemental special teams minutes than play 1st line with no chemistry.

[@connerburns2704]

@@Data782 thanks I’ve been playing franchise mode since nhl 18 and just found your channel and I already feel like I’m getting better

[@Data782]

@@connerburns2704 Awesome to hear! 😊 Happy to have you!

[@connerburns2704]

@@Data782 I have one more question. How do I transition from a rebuilding team to a contender I always seem to have trouble with it even though I’m good at drafting players

[@Data782]

@@connerburns2704 Drafting is key but I think another element is finding a core of players who simulate well and locking them down to fair contract that allows you to surround them with good talent. If you try to make that jump too quickly through acquiring big names, you'll quickly use up all of your money and be left with poor depth! There's definitely more than just that in the equation for transitioning from rebuilder to contender but that's a major one

[@kennymcgrady]

I've been screwed over by my scouts a couple of times. they fully scout a dman and have 4 bar pinch shoot. I draft that player thinking they'll fit in perfectly, but they show up on my team pinch cycle... sometimes I interview a player with 4 bar pinch shoot and it will change to pinch cycle, but its so weird/waste of an interview if I was looking for what he was originally scouted.

[@Data782]

Haha I hear you Kenny, that's very frustrating and another one of the seemingly many that I consider to be reasons for why I don't really pay much attention to line fit and coach preferences. Between the reality of X-Factors being most important and how you may end up changing your coach often enough anyways, I try not to let the fit be what decides whether or not I draft a prospect. It's a delicate balance to try and strike! Best of luck and I appreciate you sharing your experience.

[@Jizzler-w6e]

I need help I don’t wanna get fired on my stacked franchise mode acc but idk how to turn owner mode off on an already made acc

[@Data782]

Sadly you can't turn owner mode off once the save file has already ben started :(

[@Jizzler-w6e]

@ I’m cooked

[@ryanhrysak52]

Do you ever see computer teams call up AHL players? I’ve literally played franchise only and between all 32 teams there’s roughly 10 call ups total all season? I don’t know if there’s a way to change this.

[@Data782]

Only when there are injuries/if a transaction leaves them needing players in the NHL! The AI will never call up/send down based on performance, sadly. Another element of the AI GMs that could use some attention!

[@joshuatorres3907]

Can you user control more then 1 time like in 2k?

[@Data782]

Sadly you cannot! :(

[@jaydnyee]

We made our own team but the players won’t load in. We have our own roster but for some reason when we make a new expansion team their is no players any help

[@Data782]

Go to "active roster" and make sure that your most recent custom roster is what's checked off! Once it is, you can add a created team in an expansion mode (33 team league), custom league mode, or classic (32 team) and replace another team with your created one. Let me know!

[@pro0alex]

My 4th lines are only playing 3 to 4 minutes, and my first line is playing 26 minutes. When I watch the games, how do I fix it?

[@Data782]

Is this only happening when you watch the games? That makes sense as the live simulation will play out differently than calendar simulation. You can try to fix this by locking on as the coach (CO) in "select sides" and doing line changes yourself or, if you're not watching the games, consider finding a head coach who has "roll all lines" and not "roll 3 lines" (I believe that's what they're called). Let me know if that helps/answers your question!

[@pro0alex]

@Data782 Says my coach rolls 4 lines and rolls all pairings. I think my players only get bad minutes if I watch the game, not if I just sim, but I wanna watch the games.

[@Data782]

Yeah I get what you're saying. Watching the game will change ice time allocation as I believe it takes the energy of the lines into account

[@pro0alex]

@Data782 when I play, they get their minutes, but when I watch they don't..

[@jamesdojr]

Anyone know how or when player progression improves a players actual rating? I have players when I edit my lines who are rated in the 70s - when im not playing a game. But during a game, their ratings are in the 80s. Sometimes as much as a 10 point difference. Why?

[@Data782]

Hi James! This is the first time I'm hearing of such an occurrence. Are you saying that, in "edit lines" it shows that a player's overall (or their attributes) is, for example, 75, but then, when you play the actual game and go to look at their ratings, it could be 85? I suppose it could just be the game factoring in the boost/reduction that a player gets for chemistry, morale, or injury, but I've never seen that before. It may just be that I don't play in-game often enough (which I don't), or something else is going on! Let me know and I can ask around.

[@michaelkeller5927]

I thought the associate coach ran the offense/defence, and the assistant coach ran the PP/PK?

[@Data782]

There are some who have made that claim, and it may be true to an extent, but there isn't really any evidence to support it. For example, if you have a head coach with C offense/defense but an associate coach with A offense/defense, your team is still very likely to struggle at 5-on-5. You want to have a strong coaching staff with high attributes, but the head coach is really the most important part of it!

[@troop_vr1971]

I have a problem when I’m trying to sign Elias and it says Rafa compensation

[@Data782]

I'll need a little more clarification. Are you the Canucks trying to re-sign Pettersson? Compensation is only needed if trying to sign an RFA on July 1st or later who isn't on your team

[@muscularcheeseburger8100]

I’m so confused why I can’t draft world junior players like Celebrini. I’ve downloaded like 3 different rosters and they’re not showing up in the draft class

[@Data782]

To have players who aren't in EA's roster like Celebrini, make sure that you've downloaded a custom roster with them created in "creation zone!" If they are, they should appear in the appropriate draft class. Let me know if that helps - we'll figure this out!

[@muscularcheeseburger8100]

@@Data782 figured it out. I had to set a downloaded community roster as my ‘active roster’ for not only franchise mode but the entire game itself - then they showed up.

[@Data782]

@@muscularcheeseburger8100 Perrrrfect 👍

[@reidhutchings5412]

Which is roster did you download because I can’t find a good one, also how do you set it as your active roster as well as have the latest updates, not sure how I can put both rosters active

[@francoisberube303]

Is it possible to change my jersey during the season with my expansion team?

[@Data782]

Malheureusement non! :( Your jersey can never be changed once the Franchise Mode has started

[@martynilsson4731]

With the expansion team you could change your jerseys every off season, at least in NHL23.

[@Data782]

Hey Francois! I'm so sorry - I totally misunderstood your question. I very rarely use an expansion team and was just thinking of a normal Franchise Mode. With one of the 32 NHL teams, you can never change your jersey. BUT, when using an expansion team, you are in fact able to make changes to your jersey/logo during the offseason! On July 1st, from the main menu in your FM, go to the "quick links" on the right and choose "customize jerseys" under "advance day" and those other options. Hope that helps and thanks @martynilsson4731 for helping me to realize my mistake!

[@MarkMathieu-o8p]

Used your roster file. Any reason why I am not seeing Trey Augustine on the wings?

[@Data782]

That's odd! Not sure at all. When you go into creation zone, does it show him as assigned to Detroit? And when you start a Franchise Mode and search "Augustine" in player search, does he come up?

[@MarkMathieu-o8p]

I see him assign to Detroit in creation. But for some reason not on my roster in franchise. Great job on the file though !!! I will do a player search in franchise but I have not see him anywhere !!!

[@Data782]

I wish there were an explanation - that's so bizarre! Thanks for your understanding, the game can sometimes just have a mind of its own 😂 Appreciate you!

[@giupizioli502]

can you give players more time on ice?

[@Data782]

Having a coach that rolls 3 lines or rolls all 4 lines will impact ice time, but all you can really do to have the greatest impact on a player's ice time is change the line/pairing that they play on!

[@smilgareacts7939]

How do I increase a certain player time on ice?

[@Data782]

It pretty much just comes down to putting that player on as many lines as possible! Maximizing a forward's ice time, for example, would probably mean seeing him on L1/PP1/PK1/4PP1/3PK1/etc, etc. If you want to do more than that, you can double up by having that player on lines 1 and 3 or PP1 and PP2, for just a couple more of examples. Hope that helps!

[@thosetwodudes]

54:38 do coaches and scouts get better over time?

[@Data782]

@@thosetwodudes Yes they do!

[@ianmcritchie5104]

Why is it that EA doesn't allow you to transfer your ultimate team from NHL23 to NHL24

[@Data782]

The most obvious answer to me would be to incentivize people to spend money on building a new team which is a smart business model but, at the same time, I could also see cross-platform issues and the risk of having players lose interest if the best teams always stay the best from year to year