NHL24: How to make Franchise Mode accurate due to LTIR

by Data782, NHL23 Expert. Check out YouTube Channel

 

If you enjoy being an Armchair GM, chances are you enjoy Franchise Mode on NHL-series

games. Previously known as “Dynasty Mode” and “Be A GM Mode,” Franchise Mode allows

you to make trades, sign contracts, scout prospects, and ultimately build a lineup of players as a

real NHL GM does. Since LTIR still isn’t taken into account in these games, however, Franchise

Mode can be a bit frustrating when it comes to salary cap compliance. For example, due to

Colorado’s current cap situation, Nathan MacKinnon is signed at $11.7M until 2031 as opposed

to being at $12.6M, while Devon Toews has an extension of 7x$6M as opposed to 7x$7.25M,

thus making it easier for that team to manoeuvre the salary cap. To combat this problem, below

is my cheat sheet for what salaries you should alter BEFORE you start your Franchise Mode to

keep the AI from changing up the salaries of players throughout the league. The realism will

never be perfect, but I would prefer to change the salaries of some players for one or two seasons

as opposed to having an entire team be altered for multiple years. By making these changes, we

can get a real challenge as the GM of these teams, OR see how the AI GM deals with the given

contract situation in future years.

 

If you’re playing on the PS5, you can download this roster from “Roster Sharing” instead of

having to make these changes yourself! Just search for the roster named “Data Cap Compliant”

from Data782. For more on this, check out my video that explains all of these changes:

https://youtu.be/r3wwAAUaW48

 

Note: Some players who are retired/not coming back to the NHL but still cost against the salary

such as Brent Seabrook are listed as 70 OVR. Therefore, different options will be presented for

you depending on how you want to play your Franchise Mode. Whether you want them reduced

in overall/salary, dropped to free agency (where they will not be signed at this overall) or out of

the game completely (by transferring to an international team in “player movement”) will be up

to you. Furthermore, when I give suggestions on whose salary to adjust, keep in mind that there

could theoretically be multiple options to make a team cap compliant and that I am just

showcasing the one that is easiest/has the smallest impact on the team.

 

AS OF EA ONLINE ROSTER DATED OCTOBER 20, 2023

ANAHEIM DUCKS: No changes necessary.

ARIZONA COYOTES: Under the salary cap. Add ~$5M to any expiring contract (I would

recommend adding it to one of the expiring 70 OVR LTIR players who are JAKUB VORACEK

or BRYAN LITTLE. Ex. BRYAN LITTLE $775k to $6M. Optional: drop the other two of

JAKUB VOACEK, BRYAN LITTLE, or SHEA WEBER to free agency/transfer to any

international team to remove completely.

BOSTON BRUINS: No changes necessary.

BUFFALO SABRES: No changes necessary.

CALGARY FLAMES: Reduce NIKITA ZADOROV $3.75M to $1.5M.

CAROLINA HURRICANES: No changes necessary.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: No changes necessary.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: Over the cap both this season and in future seasons due to

extensions.

- Option 1: Transfer GABRIEL LANDESKOG to any international team to remove him

from Colorado (he is still an 88 OVR).

- Option 2: Reduce MIKKO RANTANEN $9.25M to $6.5M, BOWEN BYRAM $3.85M

to $2.5M, RYAN JOHANSEN $4M to $775k.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: No changes necessary.

DALLAS STARS: No changes necessary.

DETROIT RED WINGS: No changes necessary.

EDMONTON OILERS: No changes necessary.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: No changes necessary.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: Reduce MATT ROY $3.15M to $1M.

MINNESOTA WILD: No changes necessary.

MONTREAL CANADIENS: No changes necessary. Optional: drop CAREY PRICE to free

agency/transfer to any international team to remove completely.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: No changes necessary.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: No changes necessary.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS: No changes necessary.

NEW YORK RANGERS: No changes necessary.

OTTAWA SENATORS: No changes necessary.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: No changes necessary. Optional: drop RYAN ELLIS to free

agency/transfer to any international team to remove completely.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: No changes necessary.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: No changes necessary.

SEATTLE KRAKEN: No changes necessary.

ST. LOUIS BLUES: No changes necessary.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: No changes necessary. Optional: drop BRENT SEABROOK to

free agency/transfer to any international team to remove completely.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Reduce TJ BRODIE $5M to $3M. Optional: drop JAKE

MUZZIN & MATT MURRAY to free agency/transfer to any international team to remove

completely.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Reduce IAN COLE $3M to $1.5M.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: No changes necessary. Optional: transfer ROBIN LEHNER to

any international team to remove him from the NHL (he is still an 85 OVR).

WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Reduce ANTHONY MANTHA $5.7M to $3.75M.

WINNIPEG JETS: No changes necessary.

 

When starting up your franchise mode after making these changes, the game will give you a

“SALARY CAP WARNING” that asks if you want to keep the salary cap on because the system

will fix team that are not compliant. Ignore this and keep the salary cap on.

 

There you have it! Remember that, if you are on the PS5, you may download these rosters right

away! If you want more guides on NHL 24 Franchise Mode that include scouting, line

chemistry, and everything in-between throughout my own Franchise Mode series, be sure to

check out my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/data782

 

If you have any other Franchise Mode questions or would like a place to discuss hockey in

general, feel free to reach out to me or the hundreds of other members in our Discord server:

https://discord.gg/rRDYpTx

 

Data782