04-04-2022, 10:13 AMRAmenAmen Wrote: If one of the big problems with making the jump from the J to the SHL is feeling unable to compete with 600-800 TPE, why not force SHL teams to run 4 lines? Every SHL team whose tactics I've looked at only dresses 15 skaters, and adding 3 forwards to each team (with a minimum ice time requirement like the J has) might not be a massive improvement, but it provides a landing spot for the high earners to feel useful without taking a roster spot from a higher TPE player (or forcing a GM to sacrifice a more competitive lineup with a high TPE IA just to call someone up "early").

We've had 4th lines before, and as I understand it it made for a pretty bad player experience for those players. I'm sure someone who has been around for longer could give you a more in-depth answer as to why the league has strayed away from this multiple times in the recent past. It would also mean we would have to rework the budget which may bring on some unforeseen problems.