NHL® 24 Franchise Mode Updates

Franchise Mode and Be a Pro return in NHL 24. Dedicated players can continue building a dynasty as a GM, or fight to become the next Hockey Hall of Fame player.

Having said that, in NHL 24 we made a conscious effort to introduce gameplay changes that waterfall across all game modes. From the first puck drop, players can feel these changes along with changes to the meta systems – how you attack, defend, pass and the strategies that go into it. In NHL 24 we’ve also brought back full replays for offline modes (including Be a Pro & Franchise) which means regardless of players being human or AI, they get to relive their scoring moments.

Here is a rundown of some of what is coming this year to offline modes.

Franchise Mode Updates (Live Now):

• X-Factor evolve/devolve logic based on attributes/potential/playstyle/age
  • The X-Factor progression system will give players zone and superstar abilities based on their individual attributes as well as their age, playstyle and potential factoring in.
    • Prospects in the Draft who are NHL ready can still have abilities at the time they are drafted, and players ranked later in the Draft will have to grow into a higher overall to earn abilities.
  • Players under 27 years old can earn abilities, while players over 32 years old can lose abilities during the season. 
  • Factoring in Playstyle reduces the likelihood for some abilities to generate on players with certain playstyles, however as an example a Two-Way Forward can still get an offensive ability like Puck on a String if it truly fits the player’s attributes.

• The Franchise interface has been darkened to reflect the changes made across NHL 24.
• Coaches utilize the secondary position of players more when constructing lineups
• Coaches set up even strength & powerplay lines better based on coaching style, time of the season, and standings rank
• +4 line chemistry added to help coaches construct lines
• Coaches slotting the right players in powerplay roles better
• Shot frequency setting is now default to High (this will increase scoring across the league but keep goalie SV% respectable)
• Fixed an issue where an unsigned prospect that gets traded to a CPU team sometimes didn't get signed
• Qualifying offer amount is now shown when offering a contract to an RFA
• CPU teams will now utilize buyouts
• Teams without a goalie will prioritize trying to sign a goalie at the start of Free Agency
• Tuning for stat-based trade value mods which will also impact wild salary expectations when a player has a poor/good season
  • This will help address scenarios where backup level free-agent goalies don't get contracts and teams walk into the season with worse goalies than what’s available
• We have increased the creation limits on XBSX & PS5:
  • 30 extra maximum teams
  • 1500 extra maximum skaters
  • 200 extra maximum goalies

Patch 1.0.1 (Live Now):

• X-Factor evolve/devolve logic
  • Players of all ages can receive X-Factors once statistical growth kicks in after the season, as long as they have a high enough overall, and attributes that have become high enough to warrant gaining an ability.
• LD/RD positions now shown when selecting a player to add to a trade
• Progress Reports screen shows X-Factors on the correct player
• Fix for the default penalties slider being too low for all offline modes
• Fix for generated players being given the new generic helmet & bubble cages
• Fix to allow the user to send players down to the minors when the team is over the maximum salary cap
• Changes to the way we import minor/junior/elite league players into the mode for custom leagues
  • For a NHL pro team, always give them their minor, junior and elite league players that have matching pro teams regardless of how they are placed in the league.
  • For minor league players, players are only grabbed from the minor teams that are actually in the mode.
  • For a custom or elite league pro team, they get all the players on their minor team unless those players belong to a NHL pro team that is in the league. Custom or elite league pro teams do not get any players from juniors or other elite league teams
  • Don't import junior and elite players that belong to a pro team that isn't in the league
  • Authentic and 33 Expansion league creation should be unchanged.
• Fix to improper home ice advantage scenarios when using specific custom league settings

Planned Post-Launch Improvements

• Adding a contract response for when the player accepts a qualifying offer compared to a normal contract offer
• Adding Regulation Wins tiebreaker to Standings spreadsheet
• Conn Smythe winner presentation overlay will now show correct playoff stats