I'm not able to read through this entire thing right now, so I apologize If Im re-treading ground or being slightly obtuse because of it. But, i wanted to share my short-lived experience and perspective with being a GM (and somewhat longer with being a Fed Head).

I see a lot of GMs complain about time, namely not having enough. And please note, when i say complain I mean it only as the literal meaning of it. I'm not trying to paint a picture of whiney GMs. But, Time. I think they have it backwards and I think that's a compounding factor with FHM and Parity/HAM.

I don't think it's any secret that I want the season way shorter. Like, way way shorter. Like, 4 weeks front to back. Blam, new season. What I want coupled with that time "crunch" is a lack of possibility to spend all that time. Because the reason GMs want more time to test, more time to scout, more time for trades is because the implication of any given move as a GM is potential YEARS of your life. The players know this too. They know that when they sign a contract, it's sometimes for the next 3 seasons, which could be anywhere from 18 weeks to 24 weeks. Half the year. They know that to spend their career with a team is to have the next 2 years on the line (or more). They know that when you draft someone, when you trade for someone, it has far reaching implications.

All this to say, every single move you make MATTERS. A LOT. It matters too much, i think. This is the key issue with FHM testing and Parity/HAM (hereafter referred to as PHAM). Would it really upset people that much if hamilton won 5 cups in a row if that investment was only 5 months as opposed to 1 year? Would it be that bad if your team got upset in the playoffs if you had another coming down the pipe in 4 weeks? Would it bother people if they drafted a bust if their players careers only lasted 12 to 18 months, as opposed to 24 to 36?

The solution is not to expand the length of seasons to give GMs more time for testing, more time for scouting, more time for trades. The solution is to reduce how much the SHL matters in our lives.

The SHL should be FUN.

Do you guys remember that? The feeling that anything could happen, the feeling that there was a depth to the league that couldn't be conceived? And how you feel now, now that you know how the sausage is made? Now that you know you can't just draft fun, dedicated earners, you have to also sim a playoff game 100 times every other day?

I'll be real with you, i broke down because I felt like I was letting everyone down, or because I felt like I was going to if I didn't get it right. I felt like I had to sim for hours every night to give us the cutting edge of success, the best possible combo (it was always copy ham strats anyway). I felt like others' enjoyment of the league was dependent on how well I did my job. I don't think I'm alone in that.

We have to strip down the season. There needs to be less to do and less on the line. No one needs to sim that much during the regular season, they shouldn't even have the opportunity. They shouldn't even have the opportunity to sim between playoff games. It's too much. You shouldn't have to do a background check on your draft picks to make sure your locker room stays at optimal engagement and enjoyment.

This is saying nothing of how little room there is for casual play in this league, or how people are using HAM as a lightning rod because they're one of a few professional teams in a league of amateurs. The league needs to take itself less seriously. Otherwise, there will only be room for one type of user, and it's the type that all of you seem to hate.