Suggestion For HUT SalaryCap and LineChem
EA should remove the salary increase from line chemistry. The salary cap should just be a set value that gradually increases throughout the year. It should also stay on the lower side so players are forced to make real lineup decisions. You could either build strong depth across all four lines or stack your top lines for short, high-overall shifts. Stacking would be powerful in key moments, but it would come with the downside of weaker depth and stamina issues.
Line chemistry also needs to make more sense. It should be based on real connections like current teammates, former teammates, nationality, or shared team history. Right now, the chemistry combos feel random because they are often just a mix of different event cards and team cards. A proper chemistry system should reward things like building a Canadian line, an American line, an Edmonton line, or a line made up of former team players. Players want to use cards from their favourite teams, but a lot of the time they cannot because it is not competitive. That makes team building feel less fun.
EA should also bring the offline Cup Chase format into ranked. Ranked games should feel more like playing through a real season instead of just random one-off games. Obviously, your upcoming opponent would still be unknown, but your past games could be displayed on a calendar. After playing a set number of games in a mini season, you would try to qualify for the playoffs, which could basically lead into HUT Champs. Ranked should have a past-game calendar system, and Champs should be themed like the playoffs. This would also be a good reason to bring back 3v3 overtime in ranked.
Lastly, card packs should have more of a draft-pick theme. Instead of just opening packs normally, there could be odds of “drafting” players at different overall levels. This would make opening packs feel more exciting and give the mode a stronger team-building identity.
Bonus suggestion: captaincy letters should actually matter. Giving a player the “C” should boost them by +2 overall, while giving a player an “A” should boost them by +1 overall.
