In response to the concerns being expressed recently about asset imbalance in the league, and to just improve our game overall, the commissioners are happy to announce the following rule changes that will come into effect immediately. I will review the changes we are making and also comment on some things we considered but are not doing, and why.
First some general comments
- We do not want to over-engineer this game. Too many rules restrict trading, not promote it
- We do not want to punish or most active GMs by taking away parts of the game they enjoy
- It is clear to us that the most effective way to improve the asset base of your team is to be more active. The game is intended to be challenging and reward those that participate the most. So ask yourself if you are doing all you can to improve your team.
- It is also clear that, as with all sports, there are cycles. Example: The Islanders won back to back championships in 2012 and 2013 – now they are one of the worst teams from an asset point of view. There is a price to be paid by going for it – but the goal of the game is to win championships. That trade off between “win now” and “building for the future” is one of the core things that spark trades. But it also means there will be teams that weaken from an asset perspective when they go for it. This is all OK
Rule Changes
All of these rules are effective immediately
1. ECHL Contracts.
a. Starting with players drafted in 2015, all 1st round picks will be given 2 year ECHL contracts. Players drafted in remaining rounds will still be given 3 years ECHL contracts. These contracts will be based on CPHL draft position, not NHL draft position.
2. Draft
a. Following the draft, the league will now hold a supplementary draft. This will be for players drafted in the NHL but not drafted in the CPHL. It will be in reverse standing order and will be held on the forums over the following week. Only non-playoff teams will be included. Each will have the chance to pick a player or pass. If they pass, the draft is over for them. We will hold multiple rounds until all teams have passed. The league will not supply a list of players – GMs are expected to do this work themselves
3. Awards
a. We are removing end of season cap awards for individual player awards and playoff wins. This is one of the biggest factors in creating the disparity as there is a huge range in cap available with the better teams having, in some cases, significantly more cap. We will still do the player awards, for fun, but the $s that come with them are being eliminated
b. Weekly POW awards will remain
c. Sponsorships will remain
d. In addition, we will start giving all teams $100K in cap space for the following season for every point improvement they make in standings. For instance, if you improve by 20 points over last season, you will get $2M extra the following season. This is a great way to reward teams that improve. We will include these awards for performance improvement for the 2014/2015 season.
4. UFAs
a. We will no longer allow teams to trade UFA rights during the off-season. If a pending UFA is on your roster at the trade deadline you will have a choice to re-sign them if you have the available cap space, or let them hit free agency.
5. Waivers
a. We will adjust our current waiver rules regarding players aged 23 and under and above a set ratings threshold (set each off-season after re-rates). No longer will teams be allowed to move players down to the AHL temporarily. They will be required to have those players, above the set rating threshold, on their roster approximately a week after re-rates are released. Essentially we aren’t going to allow teams to “hide” players in the AHL to create temporary cap space to be used for free agency
6. Re-rates
a. We make an adjustment to our off-season re-rates. More focus will be on the most recent season performance. 3 year performance will still be factored in, but even more weight will be given to the most recent season. The overall aim will be to provide younger players with higher ratings faster.
Changes considered but rejected
1. Once a player reaches 100 NHL games they have to be on the CPHL roster.
a. We can manage this through our existing waiver rules coupled with reducing ECHL contracts from 3 to 2 years for 1st rounders. Teams should though be able to use their AHL teams for depth.
2. 2 year contracts for first rounders after their ECHL deal expires
a. This would mean that first round picks are hitting RFA status in just 4 years. For most players that is just too quick based on the development of most of them.
3. Re-draft across all the CPHL: Just not an option. We aren’t going to blow up our entire game.
4. Reducing ECHL rosters: Provides less flexibility and would limit trades too severely
5. Mid-season re-rate: Too much work and introduces too much variability into the sim.
So that’s where we’ve netted out.
Quesetions/comments?
Rule Change
