If you picked up NHL 16 yesterday, you may have noticed that the Sabres roster wasn’t completely accurate. The obvious omission is Jack Eichel, which wasn’t surprising for those familiar with the game. Players who spent last year in college hockey are not in the game at release due to NCAA/NHL regulations. Eichel and Evan Rodrigues will be added in a roster update, which will come out after the first game of the season.
There are still moves you can make in the game waiting for that update to come out. We are all itching for the season to start, and virtual simulation can help appease us for the next few weeks. Here are a few tips on how to make your roster as up to date as possible.
-If you’re just dying to play with Eichel, you can make a Create a Player while you wait. The announcers are already programmed to be able to say his name, so all you’re missing is his official ratings and head scanned likeness. When it comes to ratings, you’ll probably make him a 99 anyways.
-Unlike Eichel, Sam Reinhart is in the game. You just have to promote him from juniors. He can be found with the Kootenay Ice of the WHL. His #23 should already be set.
-The only notable free agent signing you need to make for the NHL roster is Cody Franson, who the team added only last week. Fittingly, he can be found in the free agency section. When you add him to the team you’ll need to manually edit his number. He will wear #46 with the Sabres, so you’ll need to also edit Matt Donovan’s default number as well. Donovan will be wearing 65 with the Sabres, but your best bet is likely to put him in Rochester.
-Two fan favorites will be skating with Rochester this season, as Patrick Kaleta and Matt Ellis both signed AHL contracts. The two are listed as free agents in the game. When you assign them to Rochester, options will appear, including “Buffalo Sabres,” “Current Affiliation” and “Free Agent.” You can choose either of the last two, which will set them as AHL contracts.
-There are a handful of players on the Sabres roster that you can pretty safely move down to the AHL, including Tim Schaller, Phil Varone, Chad Ruhwedel and Bob Sanguinetti. There are also three players to promote to the AHL from Juniors. Justin Bailey and Jean Dupuy can be found on Sault St. Marie, while Nick Baptiste can be found on the Erie Otters. When the options appear, choose “Buffalo Sabres.”
–Drew Bagnall can be dropped to free agency from the Americans, as he announced his retirement over the summer.
-Besides the previously mentioned Franson, there aren’t many number edits you need to make. Jamie McGinn is listed as #10, which should be changed to #88. Carlo Colaiacovo will be wearing #25 in Buffalo. Schaller is switching from 59 to the much easier on the eyes #27.
Is there anything that I’ve missed? Comment below to help all Sabres fans get the most accurate rosters possible.