How do teams handle their affiliate rosters?...

[KillerKat]

If they have someone inactive on the NHL roster but he is better than someone on their affiliate team, do they usually send him to that affiliate or keep him inactive on the bench?

[IRONMAN]

This year will really be a year you get a good answer to that question with quite a few spots on the Canes roster up for grabs. Normally the only person that is a healthy scratch and not be in the AHL is an enforcer. Sometimes teams will carry 7 defensemen just to alternate one out every few nights but it would be rare to see a team scratch the same guy over and over without sending him down.

This year given all the young guys trying to make the team you may see them carry 2-3 extra guys and alternate playing them every few nights. To answer your question though there isn't usually someone that is just inactive and doesn't play unless he is injured. There is usually no more than 1-2 healthy scratches and who that is changes game to game. If there is one guy they've singled out to be scratched night after night he will either be sent down to the AHL or waived. If a guy has a 1 way contract he has to clear waivers before he can play for the AHL team, that gives any other NHL team a chance to pick them up. Usually that doesn't happen though because if you are risking waiving a player to send them to the minors then you can afford to lose them. 2 way contract guys come and go between the pros and minors as needed and are who they call up when injuries happen.

A good example of this to watch for this year would be Jay Harrison. He is the 6th defenseman meaning a bottom pairing guy and probably the worst defenseman on the team. However, he does fight and is pretty good at it so you get that extra element from him. Against teams that fight he may play in those games being the 6th d-man but also there for his fighting ability. In games against teams that don't fight he would be the guy to sit out because defensively he isn't that good and he wouldn't be needed to fight. So given the situation he and someone else would alternate playing. Both playing enough though that neither gets sent down. He is a 1 way contract and you wouldn't risk someone claiming him.

[KillerKat]

Thanks

Trying to decide what players to put on the Checkers in NHL 11 made me think of this question lol

[KillerKat]

so what i did in nhl 11 was basically make the checkers an extended version of the hurricanes. I put the best players on the canes, then the next best players on the checkers. I ended up with 4 inactives, all on the checkers. So I took the 2 highest rated inactive players from those 4 inactives and put them on the Canes. My logic is that if someone gets injured, I could use one of those 2 inactives and then afterwards call up the best player at that position from the Checkers.

However, If im understanding correctly, in real life the 2 inactives for an NHL team would be the next best players at that particular position and wouldnt be called down to the affiliate even if they are better than someone else on the affliate because that NHL team will rotate that inactive player with someone else from game to game.

The reason why i did it my way on the game is because I like playing with both teams and want the best players on each. Its awesome that a game could rise good questions for real life situations lol.

[IRONMAN]

Yeah in a game like that just put your best guys out there and sit as many as you want. Its better to develop young talent < 25 that may not be as good as some of the guys you have because at their age they'll develop pretty well too. So if you have a guy thats 32 and a guy thats 20 that are pretty close in ability play the younger guy. Otherwise its up to how you want to play but your setup sounds good to me.