Unlinking GM Players
Since the VHL's very first season GM's have always had their player linked to their team. This meant that they automatically went to that GM's team instead of entering the draft and had complicated rules regarding how they could be traded, how GM changes were made, etc. This was made only worse when project player 2 was initiated and then kept around for GM's only. But not any more. As of now GM players are no longer a thing!
So what does this mean exactly? Obviously GM's can still have players however GM is becoming like every other position in the league and will be only a job, unrelated to a player. When GM's create players they will enter the draft like any other player and be trade-able like any other player. This means when GM jobs change hands nothing needs to be changed in regards to players, a new member simply takes over the team.
For the most part this cleans up rules regarding GM's and their own players with a few minor exceptions:
1. GM's may draft their own player if they so choose and that player may stay with the team as long as they choose. However GM's found to be manipulating their player's draft stock in order to secure him for their team will be punished. This could include, but is not limited to, the player going to FA immediately and the GM being removed from their position. An example of draft stock manipulation would be choosing to not claim any TPE until after the draft in order to appear worse than they are or threatening to hold out if they are drafted by any other team.
2. GM's may not sign their own player via Free Agency. This is simply to avoid people being drafted by another team and inevitably jumping ship to their own after 3 seasons.
Neither of these limitations are new, they have always been the case with GM's however they seem necessary to keep around. They will be the only limitations though. GM's who acquire their own players can trade them freely, the players can play for whatever team they'd like, and they will no longer be excluded from the draft.
These limitations do, however, offer some extra limits to the careers GM's can have with their players. For example, what if they did in fact want to spend 8 full seasons on their own team? For that we have added a minor caveat. If a GM so chooses they may "claim" their player by giving up a 1st round pick int he same draft as their player. This will block other GM's from choosing the player in the draft. If a GM does not have a first round pick in the draft their player resides they may not claim their player. In addition, claiming a player still does not link that player to the team. They may still be traded or go to FA as they normally would be allowed to do. All it affects is the draft itself.
Project Player 2's Full Removal
With GM's being able to be more or less free with their players the extra benefit they receive to have a "normal career", which is to say the final phases of project player 2, are no longer necessary. It was left in place to allow GM's the freedom to move around with their players like anyone else rather than being tied to their own franchise. However with now 12 teams in the league these 2nd players account for an entire team worth of extra roster spots that are being taken up by people who have other players already. In addition there has been a trend of GM's acquiring both their own players which was never the intention of keeping PP2 around.
So, with the removal of GM players we will also be removing project player 2 completely. No one, moving forward, will be allowed to update two players simultaneously.
Implementing These Changes
Obviously these changes can't be implemented overnight. With 12 GM's currently accounting for 24 players (half of which are linked to teams) there is simply no clean way to do this quickly. For that reason all current players controlled by GM's shall be grandfathered in under the old regulations. This means nothing will change immediately but once a GM retires one of their players, they will not be allowed to create a new player until their other player retires. At that time they may take the carryover from whichever player had more TPE and create their new unlinked player.
Just as an example I’ll use @Quik who’s GM player is Bailey, his older player. When Bailey retires ACL is still around so Quik can’t make another player until ACL retires, regardless of the fact that his GM player is now gone. ACL is treated as a regular player and a regular asset, to be traded or whatnot however Quik pleases with the remaining exception of FA in place if he leaves Helsinki. Upon ACL’s retirement Quik can re-create using whichever carryover amount (Bailey’s or ACL’s) is higher. This new player has the above mentioned 2 limitations but no others. He does not go directly to Helsinki but instead to the draft where he is treated as a regular prospect unless otherwise paid for and claimed via a first round pick.
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