So, I drafted a low OVR (48), Elite Med Offensive Dman in the 2nd round. Do any of you have success with them growing enough to make the NHL squad (80+) ? Or should I cash in right now on his value (some teams are offering two 2nd round picks) ? Thanks.
He is CHL, guess I'll let him there for the whole 2 years before making a decision
You can still sign him if he is chl eligible. He will play in the chl for the 2 years without burning any years off his ELC. They only lose a year off the contract if they play more than 9 games, excluding preseason, in the nhl before you send him down
I've had CHL players that won't go back in the CHL at 19yl, had to keep them in the AHL. Also, leaving him unsigned until the end makes him easier to trade if the other team is at 50/50 contracts
I drafted a high elite goalie in the fifth or seventh round week started at around 50OVR as well. Let him cook for 3 years, then gave him his ELC at like 75 and let him play a season in the AHL. He then got to high 70s so I moved him up and from his second season on he was my NHL starter. After his third NHL season he was at 86 and got his first two superstar abilities. After the fourth season he's an 88 with four abilities. I'm probably gonna trade him soon before his value drops though because goalie OVR doesn't mean anything lol
I basically have a similar situation brewing. Drafted a high elite goalie who started at something like 55-65 range and after leaving him unsigned for 2 seasons, he's now my ahl backup at like low 70s. So next season he'll either be my ahl starter or my nhl back up depending on his next jump.
If he's below 80, I'd let him cook in the AHL for a season and then move him up. From 80+ he can play NHL starter and will be 85+ within two season if you have a goalie coach with good teaching stats and maybe an older goalie as backup as well to have a nice tandem
Oh definitely lol I'm in no rush with him, I currently have Askarov as my starter at 88 and another med elite goalie as my back up (82 overall, 20 years) so if he's a slow grower, I still have solid goaltending for another few years but if he ends up skyrocketing in overall, I'll move Askarov for picks.
Depends how much patience you have but I would keep him. Offensive minded players usually develop well. Especially when they have high potential
I look less at their overall, and more at their ages.
If they are still 18, there's a chance they can progress, and even if they don't, they retain some really good trade value up until they are 21 or 22, so you can leave them in your system, let them develop, and see how it goes.
If they are above 18, then they are trade bait - plain and simple. Those 20 year old Medium Elites you nab later in the draft? They go straight onto the Trade Block, and usually are involved in trade up scenarios at the following draft. I see no value in holding onto those players as they rarely develop, so I always try and flip them fairly quickly to ensure they aren't holding onto a contract spot.
What I find works 90% of the time is I'll play them in my NHL squad at the bottom of the lineup for the season, then demote them to lower leagues after that first season. The first thing it does is kills a year off their ELC so they're eligible to be re-signed sooner and usually for a bargain price. I've also noticed that this will usually bring up their overall rating into the high 60's/low 70's after that first season. Now this may not work all of the time, but it's definitely helped me turn nothing prospects into franchise players at great AAV.
Growth is tough to predict. But lots of times they’ll be RFA’s before they hit the high 70’s. then they’ll keep growing so you need to be patient.
So may experience with elite players under 60 rating. You need to keep them in junior as long as you can they always seem to grow better there. If you have to sign em stack your AHL team and play em on a stacked top line. Couple of 77-80 vets, hope your team wins. This is the only way this low rated elites grow to more than 85+ otherwise they just end up being trade cheese value. Just think of them as late bloomers as they probably won't be in your NHL team until their mid 20s
Very few guys like that are going to have much, if any natural growth. No matter what you do. Not every player can grow. At best they will be AHL fodder. But sometimes it happens.
Going back to what the potentials mean, I doubt you’ll see anything significant with that player.
Exact means that they’re currently at their best level of performance.
High means they’ll likely live up to their potential.
Medium means they have a good shot at living up to their potential, but it’s also possibly that they don’t (if you do not develop them properly).
Low is obviously a low chance of living up to their potential.
There are also overall differences between the three non-‘exact’ classifications too. I honestly forget who posted it, but it was probably a few years back. I’d reckon it’s still relevant since EA doesn’t really change a whole lot on a year-to-year basis.
Something important to note is that players can both increase or decrease their potential and likelihood. I’ve had quite a few medium elites turn into either high elite or low franchise. On the other hand, I’ve had players as high as medium franchises drop down to low elite. Development in franchise mode is a bit voodoo at times, especially when it comes to defensemen who don’t necessarily put up points (enforcer, DD, two-way).
I flip for picks in these situations. In fact, if I see a Medium Elite player anywhere after the second round (as scouted by an A or A- overall scout), I make sure I can draft him. Two drafts ago I drafted one in the third round whom I doubted would become elite (Ds and Es across the board in skills), and I immediately flipped him for a 1st and 2nd rounder in the next years draft. Last draft I took two in the third round and after the draft traded them for an 88-rated Kappo Kakko.
That's just my buy low, sell high philosophy for an impressive immediate dividend. There's certainly nothing wrong with holding and hoping they develop....but elite guys in the draft are fairly common. You'll draft more next season....possibly two with the picks you get for this one.
Growth can be hit or miss, is he a Chl player? If not as long as you have good teaching coaches and he fits your chemistry I would sign him, pair him with a high 70s low 80s dfd on the top pair in the ahl, get him top pp minutes, and even get him top pk minutes.
If he is Chl let him grow for a bit in the Chl, he could get a much better being medium elite and picked in the second round, no need to trade him now his value should stay strong until 22 at which point I would trade him if he isn’t looking good.