Can we talk about 'muted' A.I.?

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@TheUnusedCrayon wrote:

I actually don't mind the muted players because it forces the player to be an active defender.

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I always preached 'active defending' last year. However, at least in '22 - incidental contact made it hard for players to simply walk right through A.I. defenders like they can in '23. 

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@TheUnusedCrayon wrote: The problem with the other way is that people were abusing their computers having ridiculous reaction times and positioning. This is the much better alternative and creates a skill gap.

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What about on the offensive side? They get all the benefits of the A.I. getting in to open positions beside the net for a one-timer. That same A.I. even get the benefit of not having to adhere to the animations that a human controlled player would otherwise have to deal with - so they essentially work themselves in to an open position with speed and absolutely ZERO input from the puck carrier.

So the reliance on A.I. works both ways - there's no button that allows us to control all 5 skaters at once. It would appear that on the defensive side of the puck, A.I. needs to be 'muted' in order for the offensive players to get the advantage, but on the offensive side of the puck - they get to reap all of the benefits of having the A.i. do a lot of work for them.