canucks357

Looks good to me. Thanks for tidying that up

Howitzer just came out of pause to start a new season. Noticed this in my player's stats history (same for all players I've checked on my team):
Season 25 Goblins GHL 59 5 12 17 6 51 5 3 0 0 0 0 92 39 46 2 27 0 0 - 00:00 02:00 19:00 75 Season 26 Goblins GHL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 00:00 00:00 00:00 -                 Goblins GHL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 00:00 00:00 00:00 -                 Goblins GHL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 00:00 00:00 00:00 -                 Goblins GHL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 00:00 00:00 00:00 -

Thanks! It came as quite the surprise! Had a little help, and a little luck, along the way.
 
 
I was thinking the same thing. The teams are so homogeneous (every team has a full lineup in the 90-95 range) that anything can win. I've targeted players for their personalities and have noticed a couple interesting observations. On that note, and your comment specifically, shoot me a message in-game.

And just like that my top player is out the rest of this round and I lost game 1 (at home) in a shootout. Grrrrr

On another manager game I play adding custom logos is nice, but you get some very low quality uploads by some people that really takes away from the aesthetics of the game (consider a logo on a jersey with a white rectangular background on it).
 
I'm curious where the logos were licensed from. I saw some from this game on Shutterstock and if you buy a license to the images on Shutterstock they are yours to use for life (as confirmed by email by Shutterstock staff). It'd be a pricey alternative, but it'd be a one-time expense.

On another manager game I play adding custom logos is nice, but you get some very low quality uploads by some people that really takes away from the aesthetics of the game (consider a logo on a jersey with a white rectangular background on it).
 
I'm curious where the logos were licensed from. I saw some from this game on Shutterstock and if you buy a license to the images on Shutterstock they are yours to use for life (as confirmed by email by Shutterstock staff). It'd be a pricey alternative, but it'd be a one-time expense.

And just like that, lost all the recent games. 2 points up on 9th playing 2nd when 9th is playing last. I may go through all this and miss playoffs anyway - finishing with a mid-round pick as a reward.

Penultimate game of the year could be a big one given how close we are!

I've won 9 of my last 10 and just beat the top team. I think my team is telling me what I should do. All-in it is! Up to 6th now setting up a potential series vs a team I've consistently done well against for some reason.

I've won 9 of my last 10 and just beat the top team. I think my team is telling me what I should do. All-in it is! Up to 6th now setting up a potential series vs a team I've consistently done well against for some reason.

Thanks for your reply and comments. I fell short and landed 9th last year, a significant reduction in draft value from previous seasons. I'll give it another game or two and see what I can get. I suspect, unless I keep this winning roll going, the last 5+ games will be a young squad for reasons you mentioned. Good luck the rest of the year!

In my experience, playing in the playoffs will give you more manager and team reputation which in turn will let you get high rated players for a cheaper price. Depending on the player, they can either grow a lot or stay stationary. I once had some guys jump from a 88 to a 90-91, but that was also the year I won the cup. Other years, they usually grow 1 overall or stay stationary. the pros of making the playoffs is gaining reputation and maybe a possible overall jump for some players. The cons of making the playoffs is that if you aren't a top team, you wont get every far and you lose a potential top 5 pick as you mentioned, but also there is the lack of fulfillment of not making the playoffs(wheather its exiting early or not making them at all). If the draft class is decent enough I would risk going into the playoffs, but since this years is a bit weaker than previous years, I would suggest playing younger players so they can "get used to" the big club and vs big league teams.

I'm torn. I'm currently 1 point out of the 8th and final playoff spot with 8 games remaining. I'm 14 points clear of 13th. My conundrum is, what value is there to pushing to make playoffs? I doubt I can upset either of the top-2 seeds. So, in essence, I'd just be screwing myself out of a good draft pick. Is there any value to making playoffs? Do players develop a lot in a short period of time? Does team rep go up and players sign for cheaper? What are the pros of that outcome? With as weak as this year's draft is, it seems a lot more pragmatic to play my youngsters the rest of the year to give them GHL development time and take (hopefully) a top-5 pick.

Ouch. Kinda shady if the new bidders were trying to scoop you. 

I’m not too experienced in this area, but in my limited knowledge, yes it does have to do with team rep. Also just a side note, team rep fluctuates throughout the season so it might be just as high now as it will be next season.

Currently I can’t see his extension, so I can’t tell you if it is a good deal or not. Considering your cap space, if it is anywhere under 3.5mill I wouldn’t risk it. If it is above 3.8 I would consider cancelling and re negotiating his extension, but it’s your team and I can’t tell you what to do. That’s just my opinion.

So, I decided to brave it and complete a trade - shame the experience earlier has made me trigger shy. Anyways, made a deal with a team destined for the SHL. Received a single player on a one-way contract that would be lost for nothing in exchange for a myriad of defensive assets. Owner negotiated an additional player to be added in from my first offer - all are on two-way deals (and those expiring will surely accept another two-way deal before the season is up) and will benefit him next season.
 
Sidebar: Does anyone know when the "I'm happy with my contract" will be removed and we can negotiate deals with players on expiring contracts?

Thanks. I've wanted to get some players locked down and have been checking every couple of days.
 
In your opinion, I want to re-negotiate the pending contract of the player I just acquired. If I do this do I risk the wait period dragging on and him potentially being poached elsewhere? Would I even get that much of a discount compared to a team currently 15th?
 
Also, thanks for the compliment re: not a bubble team anymore. I'm really happy with how my tactical settings (minus PK - I'm at a loss there) have helped me climb out of the cellar after the first 10 games on suspended autopilot.

If it does go away, it will be once playoffs start and you receive the “reminder: expiring contracts” message. Sometimes for bubble teams (though I don’t consider you one any more so this shouldn’t be a problem) they will refuse to negotiate at all.

I am mainly curious to see if anyone still has players on their team from season 1.  I would think this would be more common for GHL teams since it is tough to promote through the leagues and keep the same players.  If so, post them here.
 
I do have 1 player on my SHL team that has been with my team (well, my "franchise") since season 1 in LIHL.  Lucas Hirt.  It looks like he was originally on the Protons roster, then moved to Deferiet (formerly the Red River Red Empire).  I renamed the franchise to the Leopards when I took over late in season 9.
 
Hirt was my 2nd line center in BHL and now centers my 4th line in SHL.  Fortunately for him I don't anticipate promotion to GHL this season so his job is safe for another few seasons at least.
 
http://www.gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=4244
 

Something what looks suspicious to you looks clear for other. At least with current GHL salary cap there is very much space to hoard good SHL players and trade those to SHL for picks and lower league contracts (free release) and hope that SHL picks converts to GHL picks. Also freshly promoted teams needs to make a lot of job to get good enought team to hold their position on GHL.
 
So, please communicate to each other before reporting.

I've been accused of cheating before. It sucks! A lot of new managers read threads about the old days... when the computer would cough up first round picks just because you were nice enough to send an offer. So, they think it's cheating when they see one go through. They think the computer accepted the first offer... without giving you credit for the effort it takes to work out a computer trade these days.
Managers don't always realize that once you get to GHL, there is no league above you to trade big contracts to. So, you have to clear salary in bits and pieces. They see a trade go through and get upset because one of their competitors got a good deal... even though you made the same offer to every team in the lower league who had enough cap space to take on the players you're shopping.
I hear the "you didn't give up a first round pick, so the trade wouldn't have happened in real life," argument a lot. Do the math. Those GHL second rounders would be first round picks in the NHL.
Let's try to remember that not liking something doesn't make it cheating. If you're not going to give someone the benefit of the doubt, at least send a message or two to other veteran GHL/SHL managers and ask what they think. They can probably tell you exactly what's happening... and you might make new friends along the way.
 
Cheers,
Lee

Tedious, but I see why you did it. I normally just look at who has cap space and would most likely be interested and send similar offers there. Thanks for your feedback and good luck making the step from SHL to GHL!

Paul,
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply and thanks for your input. I agree, it can be frustrating seeing a trade happen and thinking "hey, I could have gotten that player and offered more". But if you don't offer, you won't get anything (insert cliche Gretzky quote here). I think that mentality is at the core of what makes trading difficult - different valuations and missing out.
 
The repercussions of a suspension are quite sharp for a team like mine. I mean, look at how my team is doing so far this year (I can't check obviously) but I'm guessing hugging the bottom with an improper lineup. Pretty big hole to climb out of with >10% of the season gone.
 
Anyways, I'm glad you understand my point and appreciate your input. I definitely agree there. But I don't see how "missing out" can be avoided - you can't possibly offer a trade to most teams in the league, especially with offloading salary since most teams are abutted up against the cap. I suppose that's where a trade block comes in handy but whenever I've used that in the past I have to wait a long time to get an offer - if I ever get one. It is easier finding a team with cap space and negotiating directly.
 
Best,
-GG Management

TL;DR - Shoot people a message before reporting cheating. The explanation may make sense and the consequences of a suspension may be dire for bubble teams.
 
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Fellow howitzer managers,
 
I wanted to take a moment to ask for better communication and use of the in-game mail service. 
 
A backstory:
 
I took over a GHL team that was clearly bound for the SHL. Once in the SHL I only made promotion back to the GHL on the last day of the season. There, I clawed and scraped by way into a promotion/relegation battle and was able to stick in the GHL for a second season - something that is not easy to do from what I'm told. The icing on the cake, a first overall pick. Coming into this season, I feel I have made my team stronger, younger, and more competitive. Patching holes with short-term contracts and injecting some promising youth into the roster. However, my team now finds itself (likely) in a massive hole to start the season since I've been suspended.
 
Commentary:
 
This isn't some rage-quit or boo-hoo message. I'm simply asking that instead of marking transfers as suspicious and banning me from my team for a week, why not write me a message and ask for an explanation first? When you are on the bubble of relegating you have to be active with your team to try to stay up. Every move I made I did so with this in mind and felt the offer had benefits for each party. When you make lots of moves, one is bound to look imbalanced be it in my or another team's favour.
 
I'm not sure what exactly caused people to be concerned with my transaction habits. I've given up a good player to get nothing in return in the interest of offloading salary. I've also absorbed salary on a good player who would've become a free agent after a team relegates. These trades often involve a dialogue between the two managers so each has an understanding of the wants/needs of each - something an outsider may not grasp. If anyone wants to point out where I "went wrong" I'd be happy to learn what is not considered socially acceptable transactions. But keep in mind, everyone has a different value system when it comes to trading and giving up ABC for XYZ may seem like the best course of action for one person but a gross miscalculation for another.
 
I'd hope in the future there'll be a bit more communication between managers. I've have a continued dialogue with several GHL/SHL managers and enjoy the negotiation and "wheeling and dealing". It doesn't take much to shoot someone a message if something looks fishy, and ask for an explanation. Problem is, it takes even less effort to just click a button and have someone suspended for a week. It is a struggle to stay in the GHL as a newly promoted team, I know it all too well as every point is huge. I hope for better communication and a little forethought before well-established teams click a button and, in all reality, make the difference between next season in the SHL/GHL for a club like mine.
 
Have a good long weekend,
-Goderich Goblins Management