This year’s version of NHL’s Hockey Ultimate Team has seen a variety of improvements, such as the addition of more legends and NHL alumni, and the ability to use players on loan contracts. However, one addition that should be made to Hockey Ultimate Team is the implementation of a salary cap mode, like the one that Madden has utilized over the past few years.
Why MUT’s Salary Cap Mode Works
In Madden Ultimate Team Salary Cap mode, players have to compete against others using a team that they may not ordinary use in regular Online Seasons mode. MUT players can’t just add every high-end player they own to their roster, because they are limited by a salary cap. Elite and Legend players have the highest salaries in Madden Ultimate Team, so having a team full of these players won’t work under the cap.
To create a strong MUT Salary Cap team, MUT users must mix elite players with players that might not crack their regular lineup in order to find success and collect rewards. This, in turn, creates a strong game mode that tests gamers’ ability to build a team, as well as their skill. With a relatively even playing field thanks to a salary cap, gamers can really get a sense as to how strong a Madden player they really are. Also, it’s one of the reasons why I would like to see it implemented in Hockey Ultimate Team.
Even Playing Field
Have you ever played HUT and lost a game where you felt that you played a more complete game than the other player but lost because his or her roster was better? I think most, if not all, HUT players can attest to this.
It can be frustrating at times playing games, only to lose not because you weren’t the better player, but because the opponent had a stacked HUT team. If players want to a true test of their skill, a HUT Salary Cap mode can do just that. The reason is that if players have a mode that creates a relatively even playing field for HUT, then a team won’t be able to win consistently just because they have a team full of legends on superstar players. Skill would be the deciding factor for any winning team. In addition, a salary cap mode may bring back some players who want to play Hockey Ultimate Team, but don’t want to get blown out in Online or Competitive Seasons just because their team is not as strong.
Challenge of Team-Building
In the National Hockey League, front offices must construct a roster that fits under the salary cap, which can be quite a challenge if a team has several high-salary players. Unless a HUT player takes it upon himself to try to build a roster that would fit under the salary cap in the current NHL, there really isn’t a reason to do this.
However, adding a salary cap mode to HUT would mean that players would have an incentive to do so. And it wouldn’t be difficult to implement either, as salary information is already included in Hockey Ultimate Team, and you can find it right in a player’s info card:
If EA added the mode and implemented the actual NHL salary cap ($79.5M USD) in the mode, it would give players a chance to put gamers in the spot that NHL general managers are in, and would allow them to create a team from scratch that would be cap-compliant, and use that team to compete with others online to see which player can build the best roster.
Trying Out New Players
Another reason why I thoroughly enjoy Madden’s Salary Cap mode is that this mode allows Madden players to use players that they have enjoyed using during the early parts of the year but couldn’t use anymore as they’ve moved up in rank and added higher rated players to their MUT team. In addition, it might allow others to find some “hidden gems” in MUT, and may lead to gamers adding those players to their team.
In Hockey Ultimate Team, I don’t get a chance to experience this. Whenever I upgrade my team with a new addition, I don’t really play with the player that I replaced in my lineup again. Even if I enjoyed playing with him, that was basically it for him on my squad.
If EA implemented a salary cap mode, HUT players could get a chance to use players that they may not normally use, or ones they want use but can’t due to their rating. It might even allow me to be able to find that “hidden gem” that I may wind up putting in my Online Seasons lineup because he’s so good.
A salary cap segment for Hockey Ultimate Team would not only add more variety to HUT, but would make it a more complete Ultimate Team as compared to its Madden counterpart. Would you like to see this implemented, or have any other suggestions for HUT? Let us know in the comments section below.
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