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Vote Discussion: Team Downsize and Expansion by FHL

Hello to all GMs, Commissioners, Players and Fans. This is Kenku again, and today I will be talking about a second end of season vote that has been suggested as a change for next year. The vote I am talking about is a proposal to downsize the number of even strength lines each team has, and through the need of more spaces for players with smaller teams, possibly expand the league to a total of 20 Teams in season 5. So without further ado, let us get into what the vote is and why it is coming up..


THE LEAGUE CURRENTLY:

Currently the League consists of 16 teams, each with 6 lines in which to use their players: Power Play, Penalty Kill, 4 on 4, and 3 even strength lines (Scoring 1, Scoring 2, Checking). Each team must currently build their lines from the players available on their roster with no skater playing on more than 2 of the three even strength lines. Having a player on two of the three lines also leads to fatigue penalties during the later stages of each period.

Now if there were enough Primary skaters to fill 13-15 spots on each team, this would work very well, but at the current point, that is not the situation. Currently most teams have 10-12 skaters (Primary or Secondary), and thus have ended up with a lot of players "double-shifting" and it has lead to a feeling that some players are getting a large portion of time compared to others. This issue is also being exacerbated by the league’s wish to gradually retire the remaining secondary players from the first two seasons, and make the league almost completely primary players, which is challenging to do when some teams are only a couple injuries away from being at risk of a player on all three lines as is.


THE PROPOSED SOLUTION:

In discussion of the issue, a solution was proposed: Reduce the number of Even Strength lines on each team to two and then expand the league to 20 teams. This would change the league from 16 teams averaging 11 skaters, to 20 teams with an average of 9 skaters, and with the reduction of Even Strength lines, would only require 1 double shift (if that,as some teams will have 10 skaters).

Going to two lines and expanding would also:
1. Open space for more goalies
2. Make it less of a risk to retire secondaries
3. Give players more chances to get into the spotlight.

Thus the solution will be voted upon at the end of the year, and should it be passed, the league will work to get the new teams together and have the league ready to draft for Season 5 by early fall.


SIDE EFFECTS OF THIS SOLUTION:

If said solution passes, there will be a few side effects:

  1. The league will likely open for 4-6 new goalies(on top of bringing in Goalies that are currently on hold), bringing the total goalies in the league to 32-34, setting up such that 6-8 teams will have a single goalie, and 12-14 teams will have two (should all the goalie spaces be filled)

  2. A limit of 10 Skaters and 2 Goalies may be set for each team. If a team hits either limit, they cannot sign an addition secondary player of that type. If they wish to sign a primary player that would set them over the limit, they must first release a secondary player to allow them to fill the hole. This is still up in the air, but it is suggested to avoid issues with benched players.

  3. As shifts would change from 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2 to 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1, players would reach a fatigued state earlier in a period (during the 5th shift instead of the 7th). Please note there is an expectation that the league will also be increasing the fatigue penalty of the sim over the off-season.

  4. There may be a change to the playoff system such that a 5th team would be allowed to make the playoffs. This would be implemented to keep the setup that half the teams would enter the playoffs and half don't. Still also largely up in the air.

  5. We will likely be looking for more General Managers. Currently we have a total of 3 potential general managers that we know will likely be with us at the end of the season, and it has been reported that one of the GMs of the current teams is looking to step down. Between that and the AGM vacancies that will be created from some of the GMs being among that list, we will be looking to add to the GM list as we proceed towards the end of the year. If anyone is interested in learning the ropes of being a General Manager of a team, and possibly being one of the GMs in the coming season, note the FHL here and we will add you to the list.


ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION SUGGESTION

It has been suggested that instead of expanding, the two line setup can be achieved by a major reduction in the number of secondaries a player can keep, such as limiting grandfathered secondaries skaters to a maximum of 3 skaters per agent.. While this is a possibility, it is believed that most people prefer the solution above. Still it can be discussed if people wish.


DISCUSS!

As with the First Quarter Discussion, put any questions or comments here, or inquire on the GM chat on Skype. If you wish to make a comment privately, you can always note/message the FHL or contact a GM directly. With that I hope you all are enjoying the season and good luck as we carry on!

Vote Discussion: Team Downsize and Expansion

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