Changes To Franchise Mode For NHL 25
I have spent a ton of hours playing franchise mode in NHL 24 and there are certain times in which the game becomes almost unplayable. I have compiled a list of issues and changes I would like to see for NHL 25.
1. Contract Scaling is non-existent. Once you are 10 years in, Franchise mode is almost unplayable. You have 81 Overall 7th D Defensemen asking for 7 million dollars. Meanwhile the cap has only gone up 15-20 million. With the cap going up 50%, so should players asking price. Everything should stay relative.
2. Coaching having too big of an impact. I understand how a coach is very important when it comes to real life. However, if I build a team of the greatest players of all-time, we shouldn't finish with only 50 wins and get swept in the first round. If my team has Gretzky, Orr, McDavid, and Roy, the coach shouldn't hold us back that much.
3. Completely change the way line chemistry works. Right now, X Factors have WAY too much impact on line chemistry. I can put 3 players who have 0 fit whatsoever on a line together, but if their X Factors match its a +5 boost. Meanwhile 3 players who have no X Factors but all three players have perfect line fits will only get a +2 or +3. This should not happen.
4. 6th and 7th round picks have way too much value. Under no circumstance should I be able to package these picks up and get a 3rd round pick in return.
5. Picks having inconsistent value between the draft and free agency. At the draft I have been consistently able to trade my current 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. picks for a future 1st. Once the draft and resign-phase are complete, the 1st round pick I acquired skyrockets in value. The value of this pick should not change this much.
6. Top 5 Picks at the draft having way too much value. If I want to trade for the 1st overall pick, I have to trade an ungodly amount of assets in order to get it. However, if I trade for the player instead, I only have to trade half the amount of assets. The pick should only be as valuable as the player.
7. Let me manage multiple teams at once in franchise mode. This would be a cool feature to put in franchise mode as it is already in season mode. Image controlling a team in the western conference and eastern conference and trying to have to meet in the cup final.
8. Let me change teams through franchise mode whenever I want. If I build a super team and I want to move onto the worst team in the league, let me do so.
9. Add Trade Override. Give me full control.
10. Import Custom Draft Classes. Allow the community to create our own draft classes and allow for us to import them before every season. Not only would this make the community shared rosters 1000x better, but it would give us more control.
11. Allow us to adjust the ages of players. If I want Sidney Crosby to restart his career, I will just turn his age down to 18 and then we are good to go. This can also go alongside custom draft classes as we can make NHL legends rookies again and allow them to go through the draft.
12. Add the ability to see a players pass/shoot bias within franchise mode.
13. Let me edit the attributes of players within franchise mode. Of course, most users will not want to use this, but it gives us more control.
These are just a few of the things I would like to see in NHL 25. Franchise Mode as a ton of potential but recently it has been neglected and the consumer is paying the price.
