I'm in the process of starting up a league and I've done a bunch of testing. Here are the results of those tests.
Note: all tests were done with the default NHL rosters
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With the 'shots' setting of 45 and a goal setting of 55, here are some numbers:
Average Goals scored (per team) = 3.33 (based on an average of 5 test years)
5 players averaged 100 points per season (or better) <<based on 5 test seasons>>
10 players averaged 90 points per season (or better) <<based on 5 test seasons>>
12 players averaged 82+ points per season (or better) <<based on 5 test seasons>>
((total of 27 players averaging 82+ points per game))
1 player per year, scored 60+ goals <<based on 5 test seasons>>
2 players per year, scored 50+ goals <<based on 5 test seasons>>
13 players per year scored 40+ goals <<based on 5 test seasons>>
((total of 16 players scoring 40+ goals per year))
Based on a 5 year average
Most shots for (average) 38.06
Fewest shots against (average) 24.25
Most shots allowed: 38.8
Fewest shots allowed: 25.4
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I got the following 'financial numbers' after simming 10 test seasons.
Note: all tests were done with the default NHL rosters
The Finance setting is at 35 (out of 100)
League Average Payroll = $34,172,000 (this includes pro salaries, farm salaries and coach's salary)
What I have done, is given each team a revenue target of $40,000,000. That is, I wanted to make sure that each team had the potential to pay a $40million payroll.
Eight teams fell short of the $40million target by $3,000,000 or less. A ninth team came in $7,000,000 short. Two other teams 'broke even'. That means that 19 of 30 teams made a profit (not includign playoffs)
Of the nine teams that failed to reach the $40,000,000 target, only one made the playoffs. Of these nine teams, only one team was above the league average in attendance. Four of these teams were ranked in the top 6 for highest payrolls. Six of these teams were ranked in the bottom seven in league attendance.
On the other end of the spectrum, only 4 teams could have managed a $50,000,000 payroll (the highest would have been $52,000,000)
I'm sure these numbers would be affected by GM's tweaking their ticket prices and making trades to get their team's playing better. It definitely appears that team performance is related to attendance numbers.
And finally, the test playoff season I simulated saw the Cup champion earning a total of $10.6million for the post-season, with the finalist earning $9.3million. Teams that were swept in the first round (after playing in 2 home games) made between $1.5 and $2.2million. These playoff revenue numbers are far more realistic than the 'other sim'
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For my league - these settings are almost perfect.
Hopefully, other commissioners can use the above info as a starting point when setting up a league
