Our preseason schedule will begin on Wednesday, December 18! Each team will have five NHL preseason games and two AHL preseason games. A couple of teams will start their AHL seasons on Thursday, December 26 but most will begin on Friday, December 27.
GMs are encouraged to goof around with their lineups and experiment with different combinations, just as a real team would during the preseason! A few teams have been out of compliance on opening night in recent regular seasons because they blew off the preseason. Use this time as a learning experience and a refresher for what is and is not permitted!
Remember that even though only roster deadlines are enforced in preseason, please get in the practice of setting your lineups appropriately so that you are plenty ready before the regular season begins. You have about 10 days from now to have a compliant AHL roster. As it stands right now, there will not be a Christmas break as far as simulations go, but remember that you will not be penalized for not having lineups completed during the preseason.
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. However, December 24 and 25 will not be. That means that if you have players who require waivers in order to be sent down for your first AHL preseason game, please reassign them no later than Monday so that they will be eligible to play 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 2025 preseason******* (Test full regular season sim output BEFORE preseason begins to ensure sliders are properly set and ratings are stable)
2024 Preseason
Re: 2024 Preseason
I'd like to offer a little more guidance about the waiver timeline through the upcoming holidays next week.
If you place a player on waivers on Dec. 23, 24, they will clear on the 27th, although you'll have the ability you put them in your lineup ahead of time. Just keep an eye out on the 27th to make any adjustments in case it looks like you're going to lose the player to waivers.
We will have our annual trade freeze on December 24 and 25. I highly encourage you to take time away from the league for a few days, even if I'll still be simulating games on those Days 7 and 8! Please have happy holidays!
If you place a player on waivers on Dec. 23, 24, they will clear on the 27th, although you'll have the ability you put them in your lineup ahead of time. Just keep an eye out on the 27th to make any adjustments in case it looks like you're going to lose the player to waivers.
We will have our annual trade freeze on December 24 and 25. I highly encourage you to take time away from the league for a few days, even if I'll still be simulating games on those Days 7 and 8! Please have happy holidays!
Re: 2024 Preseason
I won’t be able to build my lines until tomorrow evening for preseason. What time do they have to be submitted by?