Ice time and playing as GM only

[joejccva71]

So I'm playing as the Bruins GM and some of my players are complaining about "ice time". Isn't this the coaches responsibility? I know under Tactics I can change how much ice time a particular line gets.

Should I do this? And if so, what is the normal amount of ice time for each of the lines?

[Adam B]

Originally Posted by joejccva71

So I'm playing as the Bruins GM and some of my players are complaining about "ice time". Isn't this the coaches responsibility? I know under Tactics I can change how much ice time a particular line gets.

Should I do this? And if so, what is the normal amount of ice time for each of the lines?

In the Manager Tab, you can click on 'Manager Options' - if you're set to controlling the lineup and tactics, then yes, you should care.

But how much, well here's an idea (I wrote this for a person on Steam about 3 months ago):


First Line - Scoring Line - 18-22 minutes a game.
Second Line - Secondary Scoring Line - 16-19 minutes a game.
Third Line - Checking Line - 13-16 Minutes a game.
Fourth Line - Energy/Impact Line - 6-12 minutes a game.

Defenseman:

It really comes down to whose your Defense. Some teams may go 20/20/20 if everyone is the same, but typically now you may see the top pairing defense get around 24-25 minutes a game, 20-21 for 2nd pair, and the remainder going to the third.

The really big thing to account for here is who is on your Powerplay and Short Handed lines. While the coach/game will manage according to what you want, if you're taking penalties or the other team is getting penalties, you will want to capitalize on this situation.

PowerPlays now typically consist of either 3 Fs and 2Ds or 4 Forwards (one playing Defense - usually this player should have a good slapshot rating) and a Defenseman. Whereas shorthanded, you want 2 good defensive forwards and 2 defenseman.

You need to find balance however. Typically your 1st and 2nd line players are going to make up the majority of your Power Play lines (not always, but usually). You may want to look to your Third and Fourth Liners for the Penalty Killers. If your top guys play too much, they can run out of Steam and become less effective for the rest of the game. It's also important to watch ice times, as you may see players become unhappy when they don't play as much as they think they should. You can find a good balance using your Special Teams to help boost (or slightly decrease) particular players ice times.

[joejccva71]

Thank you so much for this!

[Bets]

Also, consider the players' roles. I like to find players with the depth secondary role to fill out my 4th line. You aren't forced to give them extra minutes and you don't have to settle for a weaker special teams unit just so that players remain happy.

Additionally, if you watch games being played out, consider interfering and double shifting your players that need more ice time when you have already guaranteed yourself the win. I like to double shift the fourth line when we are up by 3 in the third.

[omjo]

Originally Posted by Bets

Also, consider the players' roles. I like to find players with the depth secondary role to fill out my 4th line. You aren't forced to give them extra minutes and you don't have to settle for a weaker special teams unit just so that players remain happy.

Additionally, if you watch games being played out, consider interfering and double shifting your players that need more ice time when you have already guaranteed yourself the win. I like to double shift the fourth line when we are up by 3 in the third.

May be a stupid question, but when watching a game, how do you double-shift a line? I assume you just mean putting players from (for example) L4 onto L3, as well?

I hope in FHM 3 they have some sort of control over lines during gameplay.