NHL 27 Must-Have Features
⭐ Connected Franchise 👥 Play Franchise Mode with friends, each controlling your own team. 📈 Enjoy full drafts, trades, free agency, scouting, and playoffs together. 🏆 Build rivalries and dynasties over multiple seasons. Connected Franchise alone would convince many of my friends to buy and play NHL 27. 📅 Start Today Franchise 📊 Start your franchise from the current point in the real NHL season. 🏒 Use accurate standings, player stats, injuries, and transactions. 🔄 Keep Franchise Mode fresh and relevant throughout the year. Without Start Today, Franchise Mode feels dead once the real season begins. This feature would keep players engaged all season long. ⭐ Main Message Connected Franchise and Start Today are the two most important features NHL 27 needs. Together, they would keep Franchise Mode alive year-round and bring many players back to the game, including many of my friends who would buy NHL 27 immediately if these features were added.
Easy additions? Playable ECHL in CM; PWHL, CHL, & other CM Modes & others.
Hey everyone, I'm new on this account specifically to come and share something I've heard a bunch of friends requesting and myself have been eagerly waiting for this to be added. I will say the second idea is a bit more 'could be down in a year our three', whereas the first idea should be doable in the next game. **First Idea** The first idea, which should be very easy, is making the ECHL function-able in Career Mode; by that I mean just like the AHL you can assign, develop prospects, set lines, etc. As well can you make it so as the AHL & ECHL team you can sign guys to team specific contracts. So if I'm playing a Maple Leafs save I can have the Marlies sign guys specifically for the Marlies and same with my ECHL affiliate in the Cyclones, (and make it a feature that can be disabled and the GM of that your or your 'Assistant GM' signs them for you automatically for players not interested). This would make the immersion and layers of depth to a save much deeper for players not to mention allow players the ability to control a full development road for a player and when you have 50 players signed you can have some lower overall prospects play first line minutes in the ECHL instead of on the 4th line in the AHL. I know a bunch of people, friends & myself have been asking for this (at the very least the playable ECHL side of things) since the AHL was added forever ago. Please bring this to the game I'd love to see it. **Second Idea** The second idea I have is to make another Career Mode "branch", by that I mean you have your main NHL team save or you can start one of the following CM saves (put them in order of easiest to introduce into the game asap): -- "PHWL Career Mode" - Easy enough, you simply take over a PWHL team and look to build a dynasty with your favourite! -- "International Career Mode" - Like the PWHL, you take over an international league from the DEL, to the SHL, to whichever league you want. Take your team try to build a dynasty and compete for a spot in the Campions Hockey League. -- "CHL Career Mode" - This would be a career mode where you take over a team in either the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL and develop the team, draft and every 4 yers build a team with the aim of playing in the playoffs and Memorial Cup. -- "Minor Pro Career Mode" - This would encompass being the GM of the AHL affiliate of an NHL team, deal with players being called up, requests for whos ready for the NHL, moving players to the ECHL, building a team around prospects and AHL-only guys. You'd also get to do the same with the ECHL affiliate in this mode. **General improvements** - Contract/CBA expansion - Things like pre contracts with euro players, Signing bonuses, Minor-only contracts (like mentioned above), NTC's, all sorts of things to make the immersion for us players better. - Expanded Stats Tracking - Essentially shows the players HockeyDB stats, so Juniors/Europe maybe? and/or team stats tracking, like record attendences, Top 10 Goal scorers for the franchise, etc. As well as a League stats hub that shows your running totals of players throughout their career; maybe having the ability to search players by name as well would be interesting and see where a player ranks in these stat lists. - GM connected - This would be awesome to have, me and my cousin and other friends have wanted a mode where we can all grab a team and play or even have both of us control a team so when he's in New Brunswick and I'm in Ontario we can play a Career Mode save as the same team. This feature would be incredible. -- "Lineup Presets" - A simple quality-of-life feature where you can save a "best lines" configuration and revert to it with one click when players return from injury or international duty. It saves massive amounts of time. -- Advanced Scouting Filters - Suggest adding the ability to filter draft prospects by birth year, handedness, or nationality. Currently, you have to scroll through giant lists, -- Trade Finder "Needs" - Instead of random trade suggestions, suggest a "Needs-Based" filter (e.g., "I need a Top 6 RD") to make the AI trade logic feel more intelligent. -- Add Specialty Events during the season - Throughout the NHL season in CM, the the All Star Break be playable, have the 4 Nations Tournament, IIHF World Juniors (where the PC takes the best players with hidden overalls or ranges and you try to win the WJC) & the IIHF World Championships. (where like in EA FC you can be hired to coach/manage a national team. -- IIHF Tournaments - For this add the top 2-3 divisions of the IIHF Championship, so a player can sign as the Manager of a Division 1 or 2 National team like the Netherlands and try and bring a team up and compete against the big boys in the main Championship divison. Same with adding the IIHF World Juior Championship, have it where your hired for a country and you get the Mens and Juniors job for the country, then the AI selects the teams from the player U21 pool and hides or makes the overall a range so the players not drafted arent known before being drafted. Quick final note, I know you devs do a ton of hard work on this game and stuff that us player request that we might think is 'easy' might take 2 years to develop and code but some of these have been things I've pestered a few developers to try and get implemented. So if I could ask for you to seriously consider 3 things it would be: 1) The first idea, the ECHL and development fully integrated within CM 2) The Second idea part where having the PWHL & International CM Modes be easily implemented I'd think the other two i understand taking some time to develop. 3) The Specialty Events, they would help make the year after year a little more mixed up each year, where you can have those 2-4 times a season where you completely forget about your NHL team and try to win something short term.NBC/TNT/ESPN/Sn scorebugs and broadcasters
NHL 27 would feel so much more immersive if EA added real broadcast packages and scorebugs from networks like ESPN, TNT, NBC, and Sportsnet. Imagine loading into a game and getting different presentation styles depending on the broadcast partner — unique intros, overlays, scorebugs, replay wipes, intermission graphics, and commentary styles. For example: ESPN games could have the modern ESPN hockey graphics and presentation TNT games could include the darker studio-style broadcast look NBC could return with the classic NHL on NBC presentation fans still miss Sportsnet broadcasts could give Canadian teams authentic Hockey Night in Canada vibes Different scorebugs for national games, rivalry games, playoffs, outdoor games, and Stanley Cup Finals would make every matchup feel unique instead of using the same overlay every game. EA should also bring back the intro-to-game atmosphere from NHL 15-19. Those games made matchups feel important with cinematic opening shots, arena flyovers, crowd hype, starting lineup intros, dramatic music, and broadcast-style presentation before puck drop. The newer games feel too quick and arcade-like when loading into games. Imagine: Full opening montages before rivalry and playoff games Dynamic camera shots of warmups and packed arenas Real broadcast intros depending on the network Stanley Cup playoff intros with louder crowds and playoff energy Outdoor game presentation with unique overlays and commentary Presentation changing depending on game importance Presentation is what makes sports games feel alive. Bringing back the NHL 15-19 broadcast vibe combined with real ESPN/TNT/NBC/SN packages would make NHL 27 feel like an actual NHL broadcast instead of just another game. I know this is very hard to pull off due to licensing and will 99.9% not happen but this I something that will bring back players that stopped playing, even if this happens soon like NHL 27+ it will make me and a lot of people happy.
Franchise mode
I love playing Franchise mode. One thing that annoys me, that makes me quit every career, is that players no longer have a player photo from the 3rd draft onwards. Sometimes even before. It would be nice, like in Madden or FIFA, if players had a generated image that matched their face.NHL 27 and on Should Build Around 6v6 – Here’s Why
To the NHL Development Team, I am writing this as someone who genuinely loves this franchise and wants to see it grow long term. The gameplay has improved in many ways. Movement feels better and the pace feels better. However, there are competitive balance issues and a larger direction issue that needs attention if NHL 27 is going to grow instead of plateau. This is not a rant. It is a case for where the franchise has real long-term potential. The 6v6 community, which is the most structured and competitive part of the player base, is struggling with specific mechanics. Truculence is a problem. Most serious 6v6 leagues ban it outright. When organized competitive communities self-ban a feature, that is a sign of imbalance. Back Atcha allowing reverse hits to counter poke checks removes defensive skill expression. Hitting should feel like realistic contact such as bumping, angling, and separating from the puck rather than sending players flying every shift. Too many goals slide under goalie pads. Low quality trickle goals are not satisfying to score or defend. Skill based top corner shots should be more viable and rewarding. Competitive players want balance and skill expression, not arcade overrides. The bigger issue is the 6v6 ecosystem being undersupported. Right now, the franchise feels centered around HUT monetization. I understand why, as Ultimate Team generates strong revenue. However, industry data consistently shows that players engaged in organized teams and social groups have significantly higher retention rates than solo players. Multiplayer research shows that players in organized squads stay longer, social identity increases lifetime value, and competitive ladders increase engagement per session. NHL already has this foundation in EASHL 6v6 Clubs, but it has not been fully built out. Bringing back the spirit of GM Connected in a 6v6 League Connected format could change everything. Imagine built in commissioner tools, scheduled games, draft systems, player trades, integrated stat tracking, promotion and relegation between major and minor leagues, smart CPU fills that are actually competent, and a built in social hub similar to Discord. Right now the community builds all of this manually outside the game, which means engagement is happening off platform. If NHL owned that infrastructure, it would increase retention, streaming content, rivalries, community growth, and organic esports pathways. I am not saying remove HUT. However, 6v6 could be monetized in long term ways through custom arenas, goal horns, ice projections, club banners, jersey alternates, league branding packs, arena cosmetic upgrades, and championship prestige cosmetics. Players will pay for identity, especially when it represents their team. The emotional attachment to a club over multiple seasons is stronger than attachment to a temporary card lineup, which creates long term monetization rather than annual reset monetization. Offline modes also need attention. Be A GM and Be A Pro have not meaningfully evolved in years. Offline modes are entry points into the ecosystem, and if offline stagnates, the pipeline shrinks. The NHL franchise does not need to chase arcade shooter energy. It already has something stronger: structured, social, competitive hockey. The 6v6 community is not asking for chaos. We are asking for infrastructure. If you build around 6v6 identity, league systems, and social retention, you will strengthen the entire franchise's long term health.Suggestions to improve the EASHL experience in NHL 26 +
Hello EA Sports, I'm a Product Development Director with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, and an expert in UX/UI. I'm also a passionate player of the NHL series, especially in EASHL mode, which I regularly enjoy with my 3 friends player team. I'd like to offer a few concrete suggestions that could significantly enhance the overall experience for your player base. Here are a few ideas that could bring high value to the community: 1. Smart reconnection via session token Currently, if a player is disconnected (network drop, crash, etc.), they are permanently removed from the match, which puts their team at a major disadvantage. Suggestion: generate a reconnection token at the beginning of the game that remains valid until the match ends. This would allow any disconnected player to rejoin the same match automatically upon relaunching the game. You could even add a notification like: “Patrick has rejoined the game!” 2. Ability to change loadout mid-match Sometimes players enter a match with the wrong build or need to adapt mid-game to the opponents' strategy. Suggestion: allow loadout changes between periods, just like a coach adjusting tactics. 3. Unique customization per loadout At the moment, all loadouts share the same name, number, helmet, and visual setup. Suggestion: let players assign individual visual customization to each loadout. This would let a player visually represent different roles (e.g. a flashy loadout for a sniper, a rugged look for a grinder, etc.). 4. Configurable AI teammate styles When playing with small teams (e.g. 2 or 3 players), the remaining teammates and goalie are controlled by AI and can sometimes behave unpredictably. Suggestion: allow players to configure the AI teammate playstyle, such as: Goalie type (butterfly, hybrid, acrobatic…) Forward or defenseman profile (offensive, playmaker, physical…) Level of aggressiveness or caution This would add a layer of strategy and control while reducing frustration caused by rigid AI behavior. Final thoughts These suggestions aim to enhance the experience for serious and engaged players, bringing more flexibility, depth, and reliability to the EASHL mode. Thank you for considering this feedback Kind regards
Bring NHL back to PC – Crossplay potential
Hello EA Sports NHL Team, I have been a loyal NHL fan since NHL 07 on PC. After that, I played every NHL game on PS3, PS4, and PS5, buying each new release. But now that I’ve switched to PC, I can’t play NHL anymore, and I really miss it.I truly believe NHL on PC has great potential, especially with crossplay. Many PC players want to play with their friends on consoles, both together in online clubs and against each other. If crossplay works in FIFA and NBA, why not in NHL? Eventually, it will have to happen, so why not now?By not releasing NHL on PC, you are losing dedicated fans who have simply moved to a better platform for graphics and performance. It’s frustrating that I can no longer enjoy NHL with my friends like before. My friend and I used to create an online club—me as a Center, him as a Goalie—and we had so much fun playing together. Now, I have no way to experience that, and I know I’m not the only one in this situation. I don’t want to buy a console just for NHL, and I don’t want to be forced to just watch others play while I sit out simply because I chose to game on PC. Please consider bringing NHL back to PC with full crossplay support. There is a demand for it, and many fans would love to see it happen. Thank you for your time.