Info

Game Information

Step name	Election & Cities Draft
Necessary action by	Commissioner only
Recurring	At the start of the league only
Duration	Minimum 48hrs
Summary	The simulator automatically generates the city draft order. The player draft order is the inverse of the city draft.
Note

Necessary action by	All
Recurring	At the start of the league only
Duration	It varies depending on GM availability. The average duration is about 3 weeks.
Summary	The GMs draft their city and their 26 players.
Note	The use of automated draft schedules is recommended to accelerate this step. The Commissioner should create an automated draft schedule after consulting all GMs regarding their availability. The GMs must prepare a list of players per round if they don't think they will be available when it's their turn to select.

This round of signature is limited to all players in the league with a Type 2 (restricted) or 3 contract (unrestricted) that has ended (0 year).

During this round, you can make an offer to your Type 2 and Type 3 players that are still unsigned. You can also make an offer to any other Type 2 and Type 3 players from other teams in the league. But pay attention because an offer sheet to a type 2 will cost you some compensations.

If rule R7 is enabled, offers made to Type 3 free agents will automatically include a contract signing clause which is valid for a full season, which prevents the players from being waived or have his contract bought out..

To make an offer, go to Contracts > Players.

Necessary action by	All
Recurring	After each season, including the first.
Duration	Minimum 48hrs. *If all GMs make their 24 offers, the Commissioner will be able to advance to the next step before the end of the 48hr period.
Summary	The simulator signs the head coaches' offers. The GMs must also determine their investment for the current year. It is also a good time to modify your arena. For the first year, all GMs have an 11,500-seat arena. Configure your arena while keeping the popularity of your team and the city's population in mind. It is only possible to make arena modifications once a year.
Note)	Investments: Although it may be tempting to invest the maximum for each investment type, it is strongly recommended to take your city's attributes and its potential to generate revenue into consideration. Tough decisions need to be made in order to have a balanced budget.

Necessary action by	Commissioner only
Recurring	After each season, including the first.
Duration	Instantaneous
Summary	The simulator automatically creates an 82 game schedule for all teams. Each team plays an average of 1 game every 2 days, though it is possible to play 2 games in 2 days.
Note	Important: For the first season only, the Commissioner must create the divisions and conferences BEFORE being able to create the schedule.

Necessary action by	Commissioner only
Recurring	Every season)
Duration	Instantaneous
Summary	The simulator signs broadcasting contracts for all teams, according to multiple factors (city, number of star players, investments, etc.)
Note	Since this step is instantaneous, the next step will be available immediately following this one.) It is also the last step where it is still possible to make changes to your arena (seats, boxes).

Necessary action by	Commissioner only
Recurring	Every season
Duration	Instantaneous
Summary	The simulator assigns the primary and secondary sponsors based on multiple factors: city, number of star players, investments, etc.
Note	Since this step is instantaneous, the next step will be available immediately following this one.

Step name)	Assign products and marketing
Necessary action by	Commissioner only
Recurring	Every season
Duration	Instantaneous
Summary	The simulator assigns promotional items and marketing contracts using various factors: city, number of star players, investments, etc.
Note	Since this step is instantaneous, the next step will be available immediately following this one.

Step name)	Pre-season
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	Varies (a minimum of 24 hours is recommended to allow each GM to make the last necessary changes to their team before the season starts).
Summary	All GMs must prepare their team for the season: Pro/Farm, lineup, head coach strategies, practices, team customization, etc.
Note	Communication is key. Allow a reasonable amount of time, about 24 hours, and then everything will be in place for the Commissioner to start the season. IMPORTANT: When moving to step Season, there is an automatic round of signature of free agents.

Step name	Season
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	About 164 days
Summary	During the season, it is recommended to simulate one game per day - in the early evening.
Note	Many things follow each simulation: injured players are identified, free agent signatures (if offers were made), waiver signatures, stars of the day, week, and month, automated headlines and more!

Step name	Playoffs (first round)
Necessary action by	Tous
Recurring	Every season
Duration	About 14 days (approximate)
Summary	It is recommended to use the same simulation schedule during the playoffs as during the regular season. The series are best 4 of 7. The team that finished 8th in its conference will play the team that finished 1st. The team that finished 7th will play the team that finished 2nd, and so on.
Note	During the playoffs, the popularity of your team is on the rise, which represents a gain of about 20% in attendance. Adjust your ticket costs accordingly.

Step name	Quarter Finals
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	About 14 days (approximate)
Summary	The team that finished first in its conference will play the team that finished last in its conference.
Note	During the playoffs, the popularity of your team is on the rise, which represents a gain of about 20% in attendance. Adjust your ticket costs accordingly.

Step name	Semi Finals
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	About 14 days (approximate)
Summary	The team that finished first in its conference will play the team that finished last in its conference.
Note	During the playoffs, the popularity of your team is on the rise, which represents a gain of about 20% in attendance. Adjust your ticket costs accordingly.

Step name	Final
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	About 14 days (approximate)
Summary	It is recommended to use the same simulation schedule during the playoffs as during the regular season. The series are best 4 of 7. The team that finished 8th in its conference will play the team that finished 1st. The team that finished 7th will play the team that finished 2nd, and so on.
Note	During the playoffs, the popularity of your team is on the rise, which represents a gain of about 20% in attendance. Adjust your ticket costs accordingly.

Step name	Post-season
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	Instantaneous
Summary	Once the league moves into the "Post-season" step, GMs have to pay their registration fee to continue to participate in the league. The payment deadline, called the return date, is set by the Commissioner. Several things take place during this step: new players attributes are assigned, prestige points are assigned, automatic type 1 player contracts are signed, balance sheet is closed and new players are imported, if available.
Note	Since this step is instantaneous, the next step will be available immediately following this one.

Step name	Post-season Draft
Necessary action by	Tous
Recurring	Every season
Duration	Variable
Summary	There are 2 rounds for this draft (a 3rd round is optional when drafting of prospect is allowed). NHL rookies who played at least 40 games will be available for the draft.
Note	Although it is possible to do so, it is not necessarily recommended to use the draft schedules for mid-season draft since there are not a lot of rounds. A week or two is normally enough to complete this step as GMs are notified when it's their turn to select a player.

Step name	Type 2 free agent contract signing (your team only)
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	48hrs or more, at your Commissioner's discretion.
Summary	This step gives teams the opportunity to sign their Type 2 free agents before they are available to all teams. You must make an offer to the Type 2 free agents that you wish to keep on your team.
Note

Step name	Type 3 free agent contract signing (your team only)
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	48hrs or more, at your Commissioner's discretion.
Summary	This step gives teams opporunity to sign their Type 3 free agents before they are available to all teams. You must make an offer to the Type 3 free agents that you wish to keep on your team.
Note	A large number of offers are automatically refused by the players because they want to test the market. Those players will not even look at your offer. If they do look at the offer, they will only sign with your team if the offer is sufficient.

Step name	Type 2 free agent contract signing
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	48hrs or more, at your Commissioner's discretion.
Summary	All restricted free agents are available to receive offers. If you make an offer to a restricted free agent, you need to be in possession of the necessary compensations.
Note	The value of an offer is determined based on many factors, like the player's projected average for the end of the contract, the city's prestige, investments in contract negotiations, etc.

Step name	Type 3 free agent contract signing
Necessary action by	All
Recurring	Every season
Duration	48hrs or more, at your Commissioner's discretion.
Summary	All unrestricted free agents are available to all teams. The players will accept the best offer.
Note	The value of an offer is determined based on many factors, like the player's projected average for the end of the season, the city's prestige, investments in contract negotiations, etc. IMPORTANT: This is your last chance to match the offers for your type 2 players. Otherwise, you will automatically receive compensations in return.