Assistant Coaches

[Smooths]

How many Assistant Coaches do you need?

There are slots for Defensive, Offensive, Goalie and Skills Coach. Does that mean I only need 4? Do any coaches after their specialty coach slot hold value?

Can I transfer budget to my AHL team or increase their budget to get better coaches?

[JeffR]

For player development, generally the top two coaches in a particular category and the head coach will contribute to improving the player. But "top" is a bit complicated, it'll include factors like how well the coach does with the player's position, whether or not he's good with prospects, etc. Theoretically, to maximize that you'd need a dozen or so narrowly specialized coaches, but in practical terms some coaches will be versatile enough to help in multiple situations. So you're generally fine with no more than a half-dozen well-rounded guys, or even fewer if they're very good at everything and/or your budget is limited.

You can't transfer budget to your AHL team, but your NHL coaches contribute to the development of everyone you have under contract, regardless of where they're playing at the moment - that's to simulate the "development coaches" most NHL teams employ now, who work with the team's players at all levels. And a good reason to find a decent coach or two who's good at working with prospects.