FHM6 - ECHL Roster - Need 14 Players under 27

[Arbo J Doughty]

New to FHM and was starting as an unemployed manager/gm and ended up taking an offer from a team (Florida Everblades). I simmed through summer up until first pre-season game only to receive a message that I didn't have 14 players younger than 26 years old. What do I do? Start trading or releasing players (not even sure how to do that) to get to the 14 player 26 and under? Not sure how a third-tier minor league would ever keep 6 players 27 or older (roster size is 19 maximum, I think). Any direction or guidance helpful.

[Antonin]

When I started my current game I added the Cleveland Barons to the NHL. For some reason I was not able to populate my roster via an expansion draft, so I had to sign a number of free agents.

When the season began I got a message that my Cleveland Barons were below the salary floor. I didn't know there was a salary floor. Anyway, rather than go back to the beginning and re-do the league, I just edited my players to give them higher salaries and put the team above the salary floor.

I don't know how others would handle that situation, but for the sake of moving on with my season, that's what I did.

[Arbo J Doughty]

Originally Posted by Antonin

When I started my current game I added the Cleveland Barons to the NHL. For some reason I was not able to populate my roster via an expansion draft, so I had to sign a number of free agents.

When the season began I got a message that my Cleveland Barons were below the salary floor. I didn't know there was a salary floor. Anyway, rather than go back to the beginning and re-do the league, I just edited my players to give them higher salaries and put the team above the salary floor.

I don't know how others would handle that situation, but for the sake of moving on with my season, that's what I did.

Unfortunately, it's not a salary ceiling or floor question, but not being able to sign FA (league rules) at the ECHL level. I can't even offer a contract to a potential prospect. Conceivably, the parent teams in NHL and AHL could load me up with a roster-full of all players 26 and over, and the game would be stuck. It's been suggested I change from Challenge to Commissioner mode, go in and fix player ages, which sort of destroys the realism and my desire to challenge my ability to move up in the ranks as a coach/gm.

Started a second challenge, and ended up in the Euro league (Chance Liga, lower level Czech League), which seems to have somewhat more flexibility as the leagues rules are less restrictive (e.g, 15 year old players are eligible), but I have noticed some teams in my league are made up entirely of players who's contracts are held by the parent clubs. FHM6 seems still playable in that particular league because the only real roster restrictions are on size (23 with 21 dressed), 15 yo, and a limit on foreign players (six). Free agents can't be signed but the lower level leagues of which I am the parent team (U-16 and U-14, Czech development league) have players under contract that I can bring up, though not many. I've tried signing a couple young prospects, but had all offers rejected.

Euro leagues also use transfers rather than direct trades, and my news feed has informed me of a number of player loans/transfers from other euro leagues and the dollar amount involved, similar to football (soccer). Haven't tried that in my Czech League, so I'm curious how it might pan out if I decide to go that route. I'm mostly interested in building a team from the bottom up, younger talent with some older vets. Of course, if they get good they'll want to move up and get paid more. Again, we'll see. My other mad smiley face is that I have four goalies on my roster, all contracted to the parent team, which has another two goalies on their roster...that's six goalies, including a 16 yr old who is unhappy because he didn't get the jersey number he wanted and that I don't play him as there are a 17, 19, and 20 year old who have proven to all be quite good. I'd just like to move one of those goalies with the "cheats."