Franchise Mode, 'extension dollars remaining' different from next year cap space
Product: NHL 18
Platform:Sony Playstation 4
How often does the bug occur? Often (50% - 99%)
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? I'm not sure if it can be easily replicated, but this is how I arrived here: I started a new Franchise Mode after the first roster update in October using the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before I started it, I moved Nathan Horton and Joffrey Lupul to Free Agents, as there's no LTIR in NHL 18. Then I proceeded to make a few trades, play through an entire season, and then re-sign a bunch of my players. I'm now over halfway through my second season, at the beginning of March in the 2018-2019 season, and this is when I noticed the problem/bug.
What happens when the bug occurs? Just to preface, I was told to report this as a bug by EA customer support. Basically, I cannot resign a player to a new extension because my 'extension dollars remaining' is nearly $5M less than my cap space for next season. My 'extension dollars remaining' is $3.705M, while my cap space for next season is $8.555M. I understand that the team owner gives you a limit to spend to in 'Player Salaries Budget' . However, the description for Player Salaries Budget says 'You may go over the target without repercussions as long as you maintain a profit.' My team has a year-to-date profit of $70M, so I should be able to go over that limit. My problem also has nothing to do with retained salary, as I only have $1.200M in retained salary, and I believe that is taken into account for your 'projected spent' number. Even if it isn't, that doesn't explain why there's a $4.8M difference between my 'extension dollars remaining' and my cap space for next season.
What do you expect to see? I expect to see the numbers match-up; since my team has a profit, I should be able to use my full cap space for next season to re-sign a player.
Was the issue in online or offline mode? Offline
Insert Game Mode or Feature here Franchise Mode, Player Contracts & Player Salaries Budget
What time did you see the bug? (HH:MM AM/PM) 03:05 AM
What is your time zone? EST (IET) - GMT - 5:30
What is your gamertag/PSN ID? KrizenMedina
PS4 Crash Reporting: Please copy the text you put in the crash report here.
EASHL issues? Please insert your Club Region.
What is your game language? English
Again, I contacted EA customer support about this problem, and was specifically told to make a bug report.
Also, this is a copy of a Reddit post I made about this issue, as it may explain things easier or include additional numbers about my Franchise Mode. The first one is my original post, and the second is a reply I made to someone.
Original post:
"Okay, so I'm on the day of the Trade Deadline in the 2018-2019 season. Before the season started, I had four NHL roster players that were going into the final year of their deals, and I wanted to keep all four. I managed to sign three of them in the off-season, and now I'm trying to sign the final one, but the amounts aren't adding up. In my contracts for the 2019-2020 season, it says my team cap hit is $69.335M, and with $1.200M in retained salary, it says my cap space is $8.555M, as the salary cap will be $79.090M. And yet, if I try to resign the final player, who's asking for $5.4M, it says I only have $3.705M extension dollars remaining. =\
Is it possible that you only have a certain amount of 'extension dollars' per season or something? Out of the three players I re-signed in the off-season, I signed two of them to $9.250M and $9.500M contracts, and then the third to a $2.450M contract. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any explanation in any of the menus that clearly says '[this] is your limit of extension dollars', or hell, ANY type of explanation. I'd greatly appreciate some insight into this. Thanks in advance for any replies!"
Additional reply:
"I'm starting to think it has something to do with my owner's allotment target for player salaries, but I'm still not convinced because of something I've noticed, which I'll explain in a second.
If I go to the Operations Budget, it says my 'target' for player salaries, which is given by the team owner, is $68.872M. My current allocation for player salaries, as noted by the 'projected spent' amount, is $64.854M, which adds up, as my current cap space for this year is $13.236M, and the current salary cap is $78.090M.
While that would explain the $3.705M extension dollars remaining, (although not to the exact decimal, which is odd) there's two problems with that: the first one being that those numbers are for this current year. The extension I'd be signing the player to would begin next year, when my cap hit will be $69.335M before that extension. So if I'm already over the target for next year, why is it still giving me another $3.705M in extension dollars, but not the full cap space of $8.555M?
This also leads into the second problem. In the Operations Budget, the description for 'Player Salaries Budget' is as follows: "The Player Salaries Budget is allocated by your team's current roster. The owner will give you a target to which they think you should spend to. You may go over the target without repercussions as long as you maintain a profit." My team has a huge profit. In fact, the year-to-date profit is approximately $70M. So it's saying I'm allowed to go over that $68.872M target by my owner, and it's not giving me an exact amount of how much I can go over, so one would assume you can spend right to the salary cap as long as your team has a profit, which mine does.
Oh, and as a bonus problem, if I try to sign any unsigned rookies, on the left-hand side in the contract offer window, it says 'NHL Salary Cap' and shows '$64.854M / $78.090M', the first number being my projected spent. But if I try to re-sign any RFAs or UFAs, instead of 'NHL Salary Cap', it says 'Extension Dollars' and shows '$74.385M / $78.090M'. Where the hell is this $74.385M number coming from? If that's my cap hit/projected spent for next year, then that number should be $69.335M, or, if you include the $1.200M in retained salary, $70.535M.
Ugh, I think I'm even more confused now than before."