General

In order to maintain currently vacant franchises in terms of roster size, cap handling, talent promotion, etc., these are managed by the league management. The focus of this measure is explicitly on performing mandatory tasks and not on taking on a second franchise. In the event of a new application for a free team, this must be handed in immediately.

The possibility of switching to fully CPU-controlled vacant teams is constantly re-evaluated depending on the situation of the vacant teams and is explicitly not rejected. This also applies to the use of other GMs as interim GMs.

Tasks within vacant teams

Each interim GM has the following tasks:

Offseason - draft, free agents, staff management

Preseason - preseason schedule, setting up tactics and training

Regular season - roster management (goalies, injuries, waivers and possibly trades), scouting

Postseason - signings (UFAs, RFAs, prospects)

Trading with vacant teams

Every vacant team with interim GM can (if required) submit a trading list to the league management and publish it in the forum after the list has been confirmed.
 

Trading with the participation of vacant teams is (in the case of "selling") restricted to players on the trading list and (in the case of "buying") medium or so-called "late round picks" (3rd round or later). This measure is intended to prevent vacant franchises from "bleeding out" or remaining without draft picks and thus unattractive in favor of quick success.

For their own protection, an interim GM is prohibited from trading with the self-managed franchise.

Waiver

Vacant teams with interim GMs are subject to normal waiver rules.

Offer sheets

Offer sheets with participation (active / passive) of vacant teams with interim GMs are not permitted.

Free Agents

The league management reserves the right to grant teams that are or were vacant at the time of the off-season a pre-emptive right with players who were part of the franchise in the previous season. The franchise has the sole right to submit offers to the respective UFA within the first two weeks of the free agent month. Only after the two weeks have passed or if the franchise waived its pre-emptive right offers from other teams permitted.

Granted pre-emptive rights are also possible if the franchise has already been reassigned at the start of the UFA phase.