As the 2024-25 NHL season nears, so does the release of NHL 25. The game will be released on Oct. 4 with news of new game features and game modes being released in the weeks prior. With the announcement of Jack, Quinn, and Luke Hughes gracing the cover of NHL 25, now is the perfect time to discuss a wish list for the newest video game edition.
It is important to preface this wishlist by explaining my history with the video game. I play almost exclusively offline game modes in NHL video games, specifically Franchise Mode and Be a Pro. While I have played online in other sports videogames, the NHL has never provided what I am looking for. My wishlist will be almost exclusively on offline modes with a focus on Franchise Mode, and with the news of Franchise Mode getting revamped, I’m very excited. Here is what I hope it will look like.
Make the Game Less Repetitive
My biggest issue with Franchise Mode is how repetitive it is. Each time I play, the same players go to free agency each offseason, the same players go in the same order in the draft, and I end up with a nearly identical team, regardless of whether I started with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders or Seattle Kraken. In NHL 25, I hope there will be ways to mitigate this repetition, and I have many ideas on how to do this.
Related: NHL Rumors: Canucks, Oilers, Sharks, Predators, Islanders
How I would make the game less repetitive would be by expanding Fog of War. According to EA Sports’ website, “Fog of War will mask certain player attributes as the season progresses, which requires your pro scouts to be sent to watch teams and reveal updated info on the players you want to acquire through trades or free agency. Playing or simulating games against other teams is another way to clear the Fog of War, as it will help improve the accuracy of ratings for opposing players.” This is a great concept, but it needs to be implemented differently.
Instead of hiding players’ overalls, make overalls and potentials flexible. For example, let’s say Kraken prospect Shane Wright begins his career as a 76 overall with medium elite potential. EA should create a setting that allows for all players’ overalls and potentials to be dependent on performance. As a top prospect, he is expected to produce offensively. If he puts up one or two seasons of disappointing production in the American Hockey League (AHL), lower his potential to low elite or high top-six. On the contrary, if he leads the AHL in scoring, his potential and overall should increase.
While overalls do fluctuate depending on player performance, my experience has found there is very little correlation between these two variables. I want to play a video game where a lesser-known prospect like Jesse Nurmi could score 30 goals in the AHL as a 20-year-old and develop into a top-six forward if I prioritize his development. Currently, this is impossible as my Stanley Cup-winning teams are typically entirely comprised of elite potential (or better) players.
Accessible Customization
There is nothing I love more than adding NCAA and KHL players, as well as top prospects not already in the game. As much as I would love for EA to get the rights of all major hockey leagues globally, that is unrealistic. But, EA can make it easier to customize and create players and teams.
Let’s say I want to add the Islanders’ 2024 first-round pick, Cole Eiserman, to the game. I have to create him and enter details about his age, size, contract, abilities, etc before scrolling down to assign him to a team. This may not seem like much, but when there are hundreds of players being added, it can get frustrating. If there were to be a way for EA to either make the customization screen easier to use and/or create a website, similar to MLB The Show’s Companion App, that would allow me to customize players on a laptop or computer, the game would be much more enjoyable. Adding Roster Sharing was a nice addition, but EA taking it a step forward to allow for quicker and more accurate customization would be a nice addition.
Another nice addition to customization would be allowing for the import of online logos and/or creating our own. This is something MLB The Show has in Diamond Dynasty, but given the NHL’s toxic online community, is it understandable why EA has not added it. However, adding this feature for offline game modes should be no issue. When future news breaks, like the recent news of the Utah Hockey Club joining the NHL or the Bridgeport Islanders re-branding to the Fisherman logo, I want to be able to import these logos immediately.
Traveling in Time
Speaking of the Utah Hockey Club, I think it would be a great addition for EA to follow a similar model to NBA 2k’s Franchise Mode to allow time travel. While I have never played 2K, I know there is a way to use teams from the past and travel back in time. I think it would be super cool if EA could download a roster of each NHL season since the expansion era (1967), allowing fans to begin our Franchise Modes from any season.
Imagine you go back to the 1980s to see if you can take down the Islanders or Oilers during their dynasties, or go to 2012 and pass on Nail Yakupov at first overall. Of course, this would take a lot of work, but I don’t think I would ever turn off the game if I could live through real seasons of the past. Plus, it would be really cool to be 10+ seasons into a Franchise Mode and draft players with real names. There could also be major roadblocks here with EA’s rights to use past NHL players, but the wish is still out there.
Adding Expansion Teams During a Franchise Mode
This wish is a bit less serious, but it would be really cool if I randomly got to the 2034 offseason and had a screen tell me the Houston Stallions were joining the NHL as the league’s 33rd team. Or if in the 2029 offseason, I had a screen tell me the Winnipeg Jets were relocating to Quebec City. There would not be an expansion team each time, and EA could create settings to decide the frequency of this occurring, but adding this feature would be a great addition.
Change Contract Negotiations
Negotiating contracts has got to be the most insufferable part of any franchise mode. Not only are players’ asks unrealistic, but it is the same each time. I would love for EA to follow a similar concept to their “Interview Coach” feature that allows the user to interview coaching candidates before offering them a contract.
Imagine EA created a cut scene where you walked into a room with a first-person perspective, sat down, and saw Sidney Crosby and his agent in a suit, then faced a series of questions. Instead of simulating a few days to see his response, the conversation will usually be dealt with at the table.
When negotiating, I think it would be really cool to exchange questions that impact the player’s interest in the team. Each conversation will either result in the player accepting a contract, deciding they do not want to play for my team, or telling me they need time to consider their options. Each player will have an “interest” meter, rather than the current yes or no options in contract extensions (which we do not even have for free agents or coaches), allowing users to find better fits for their teams. I want to know a player’s willingness to play for my team prior to offering them a contract and creating this visible meter would be a great way to go about this.
Following these negotiations, if a player tells me they need time to consider their options, at least one day of simulation will be required. After one day, I will have the option to “call agent” where I have a phone call with the agent to re-open negotiations. Depending on the contract, the player’s interest and motives, and the state of the team, the player can either appreciate my aggressiveness and continue negotiating or express their desire to play elsewhere, therefore lowering their interest meter to zero. Or, the agent can say the player still needs time. Once the player makes a decision, a screen will appear telling me what the player has decided.
I do not believe each player must be pursued this way, only higher profile free agents. Just like how it is now, I want to be able to offer a contract without any additional steps needed. This could still be done for any player, but if a free agent is very important to me, going through the interview and negotiation process would be a way to better my odds of landing the player.
Smaller Requests
Coaching Customization: While I know EA does not have the naming rights to NHL coaches, allowing users to add coaches of their own and/or edit coaching would make for a far more realistic experience.
Total Control During a Franchise Mode: EA should allow users to enable settings to have total control over a franchise mode. If I want to edit a player’s position, rating, contract, or potential during a franchise mode, let me do it. It is my experience and preventing me from doing so makes no sense. Madden NFL does this and it is great. EA took a great step when it allowed for “Custom Leagues” but taking another leap is necessary.
GM Connected: Everyone wants GM Connected, so just bring it back. The thought of getting a big group of friends in the same Franchise Mode for the first time since NHL 13 is too much excitement to handle.
Consistent Progression in Potentials: I have found myself only ever drafting medium elite prospects since any other potential rarely develops. Make medium top-six prospects actually develop into top-six forwards, and low top-four prospects occasionally develop into top-four defensemen. I do not think I have ever seen a medium-bottom-six forward develop into more than a 72 overall.
No-Trade Clauses: Adding No-Trade Clauses to contract negotiations would make the game far more realistic.
Conditions on Draft Picks: Similar to No-Trade Clauses, draft picks should have conditions, just like in real life. If I want to acquire a first-round pick for a player, adding a top-16 protection on the first-round pick to make it a little bit easier to acquire should be allowed. Or, visa versa, if I want to maximize the value of my first-round pick, I will send it unprotected to get a little bit more bang for my buck.
Type Contract Numbers: When I am negotiating a contract or customizing a player’s salary, make it a keypad where I can manually type in the dollar value. If I want to be like Kyle Dubas and type in a salary of $8,787,878, let me! Plus, it will be easier when adding an extension signed in real life.
Free Agent Buyouts: Buyouts happen all the time in the NHL, yet I rarely see the CPU take advantage of this.
Moving Draft Picks Between Teams: When a trade happens in real life, I want to be able to swap the assets without resetting the roster. Why can I move players between teams but not draft picks? As of now, only players can be placed on a new team, so I find myself using outdated rosters in order to ensure fair value.
Variance in Overalls: In Franchise Mode, I feel as if the production from a 92 overall is not much different than an 89 overall. Adjusting the overall system to making 75 overalls NHLers, 90 overalls stars, and 95+ overalls generational seems like a far better way to balance the game.
With NHL 25 releasing in just over a month, excitement is building up. I am by no means an avid video game player, but if NHL 25 can implement some of my wishes, I may be spending some time on my console this season.
