Perhaps 2021 will go down as the year EA Sports started pouring back into the franchise mode community that has supported them for decades. On the heels of an improved, but still outdated Madden franchise experience, EA Sports is introducing new layers to the same mode in the NHL series.

In a recent deep dive video blog, the developers of the NHL series demonstrated some of the changes to franchise and Be A Pro. One of the biggest addition to franchise mode is the ability to share custom rosters.

This layer that will take a step toward allowing the NHL franchise mode to have more of a sandbox feel. Sports game franchises like NBA 2K, Madden and MLB The Show have offered a more customizable franchise mode experience for years because of roster sharing options.

The ability to share custom rosters potentially adds hours of additional enjoyment with any sports game. Quite honestly, it’s a little baffling that any major sports gaming franchise wouldn’t ensure this element existed in their titles.

When you add in the impact of Superstar X-Factors and how they will impact the NHL Draft and free agency in the game, we might be moving into the best version of franchise mode in the NHL series history.