NHL 21: EA Sports needs to bring back GM Connected

NHL 21 needs to bring back one of the most fun game modes to ever be in an NHL video game, GM Connected — a game mode like no other.

Players of recent NHL video games might not know what the game mode GM Connected is. GM Connected was a game mode that allowed a group of players to take control of one NHL team and run that team as if they were the general manager. As the GM of the team, you were able to trade players, sign players through the free agent market, and scout future rookies’ potential to later select in the NHL Draft.

GM Connected was removed from NHL video games when they have came to the next generation consoles. However, NHL 21 has the opportunity to change that and bring back a game mode that has brought joy to all of its players.

GM Connected allowed friends to join one single league where each player could control and run their own NHL team. I remember getting called by friends that we had an NHL draft coming up that night and what time we needed to be on to draft our team. There were also a whole bunch of creative ways we decided to do in order to see which teams we got.

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GM Connected games were played by weeks individually. What that means is if I was the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks and I had to play the St. Louis Blues who was controlled by a friend of mine, I had to wait till my friend was able to get online that night to play our scheduled game. Then just like any NHL season there was playoffs for the teams that finished off the best.

I still have conversations to this day about our past seasons. It was a very unique mode that united gamers like I have never seen before. There were even occasions where the league got so big with friends of friends joining the league where I had to play games against people I never even met before. It was one of the greatest eras of gaming and that game mode alone made memories that I will never forget. For that reason, NHL 21 needs to bring back GM Connected.

I am hoping that this is the year we see the return of GM Connected in NHL 21. EA Sport Hockey League and Hockey Ultimate Time have been the main focus of recent NHL games, but that can all change. The reason GM Connected was removed from NHL games in the first place is that EA Sports deemed the mode had not a lot of people who played it. They wanted to focus on game modes that were more prominent like EASHL and HUT. Now is the time EA Sports. Add GM Connected to NHL 21.