Let's get started!!
Our preseason schedule will begin on Wednesday, January 17! Each team will have four NHL preseason games and two AHL preseason games. The AHL games will begin Monday, January 22 and that schedule will be released later today.
GMs are encouraged to goof around with their lineups and experiment with different combinations, just as a real team would during the preseason. Many teams were out of compliance on opening night last year because they blew off the preseason. Use it as a learning experience and a refresher for what is and is not allowed!
Remember that even though only roster deadlines are enforced in preseason, please get in the practice of setting them appropriately so that you are plenty ready before the regular season begins. It is a huge pain when I have to do them for you in order to simulate games. Quite a few of you are still short several players (and one of you is still somehow short a coach!) and haven't been sending any free agent offers. Earning a stiff penalty is a crappy way to start a season after a very long offseason! You have about one week to have a compliant AHL roster.
All injuries and suspensions incurred during the preseason do carry over into the regular season. There is one suspension which will carry over from last season but suspended players will be available for you to use during the preseason.
All players are now officially considered as "in training camp" with their NHL clubs. You may reassign players to the AHL as you wish, but you MUST be able to dress a full 20-man farm lineup before your first AHL game. Saturday will be a rare waiver processing day, meaning that if you have players who require waivers in order to be sent down for the AHL preseason, please reassign them no later than Saturday so that they will be eligible to play these games if they are not claimed!!
In addition and as always, remember to copy your rosters to the future days, especially when you reassign players!! If you send a player down through waivers on Day 1 in the sim client, he clears waivers, but then he is called up on one of the future days, he will have to clear waivers again if you send him back down!
*******Test note for 2024 preseason******* (Test full regular season sim output BEFORE preseason begins to ensure sliders are properly set and ratings are stable)
2023 Preseason
Re: 2023 Preseason
AHL preseason schedule is now up. One slight change: AHL games will now begin Tuesday, January 23. I already know that sim will be late, probably no earlier than 1am ET, since there's always someone who hasn't properly set their roster by that point.
Re: 2023 Preseason
I should mention any assignment transactions, including waivers, will not start processing until Wednesday night's sim.