EA Sports Deep Dive Reveals New Features For NHL 27 Connected Franchise

One of EA Sports' beloved features from its hockey franchise is returning to NHL 27 with a whole new look.

Connected Franchise was initially revealed in EA Sports' first trailer for the upcoming game released on July 16. This will be the first time in nearly 13 years that the online iteration of this game mode will be available to users, with the last playable version coming in NHL 14.

"We really wanted this to be something you experience franchise mode with your friends," Senior game designer Gurn Sumal said in a deep dive video released by EA Sports on Wednesday.

"From starting the league from the first time, to having long-running communities, really wanted you to be able to enjoy those rivalries with one another and compete with one another over multiple seasons.”

Let's break down what we learned about this new feature, and what we can expect to see when NHL 27 releases on September 11.

For long-time players of the NHL franchise, the changes made to the menus stand out the most.

With a complete aesthetic overhaul, players will have access to a glossy, compact view of the most important information you need to know to manage your teams.

League sizes can range from a minimum of three user-operated teams all the way to 32, giving players the potential to simulate an authentic NHL season with each team occupied by its own user.

Commissioners will have the opportunity to alter league settings in a variety of ways, including custom rosters, season length, playoff and scoring formats, salary cap, and more. A lot of these changes are available in NHL's offline mode, but bringing it to an online environment can make for an exciting experience.

Additionally, the trailer for Connected Franchise revealed the free agency process is completely different than EA Sports' offline mode, operating under a bidding system for users to compete with.

Users can claim free agents by bidding back-and-forth in an auction format, while also having to sort those claims by priority. For those who play fantasy sports, this system operates essentially in the same way as waiver claims do.

Hypothetically, commissioners can make every player in the NHL a free agent through a custom roster, and users can build their teams from scratch in this bidding process. That could make for quite a chaotic and fun time.

The biggest concerns of this game mode come from the limitations that differ from EA Sports' offline iteration of the same format.

Annual statistics, records, awards, pending free agents, and player growth will not carry over from year-to-year in Connected Franchise, meaning you and your fellow GMs will essentially be starting from scratch at the conclusion of each season.

This eliminates the value of draft picks and the drafting system as a whole, while also impacting the long-term lifespan of the game mode.

While there is certainly excitement around the return of an online franchise experience for the player base, Connected Franchise is far from the ideal outcome.

EA Sports acknowledged these concerns in a blog post following the deep dive video, noting that NHL 27 Connected Franchise is only the beginning of an ongoing process to improve this feature over the next few years.

"Connected Franchise in Year 1 is built around one goal: making it as seamless and exciting as possible to play with your friends," EA writes. "As we look ahead, our goal is to expand Connected Franchise into a richer, more flexible experience guided directly by you."

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