For the 2017 season, we'll be expanding our teams from 26 to 28 players. Also for the 2017 season, we'll be introducing mandatory drafting for each team. Obviously we'll all need to increase our list size by 2 players, but the question arises as to how we do this. Hopefully I capture all the options here... Through regular and unrestricted trading and drafting - we trade and draft as we have in the past, until each team has 28 players. Through a mini-draft - We trade and draft as we have in the past, until everyone has 26 players, then create a separate mini-draft where everyone has two picks, based on PSD order. Through delisting X-2 players - Mandatory delisting and mandatory number of draft picks will be introduced, but to help increase the list size, the first year of this (2017 PSD) will involve X-2 minimum spaces available on the team, so we select the same minimum number of draft picks as we will in the future, but this time it will be to increase our list size. Through adding an extra 2 picks each to the draft - We trade as normal, then reduce all teams to accommodate the minimum number of draft picks that will be introduced, and then add two more to this, to increase the list size to 28 (ie, an X+2 draft). In the above, the X is representative of the minimum number of mandatory picks that each coach will have in future PSD's. Hopefully that captures it all. If not, please let me know, and I'll add / change things.
Voted I just wanted to add with all the discussion about equalisation is it worth having a mini draft (oops gave away my vote) where we allocate back to back picks in reverse ladder order? It may give a leg up to the bottom teams by granting them first access to the free agents; worth a thought? If this is a no go I'll change my vote.
I'm a bit slow on the uptake here, do you mean the 18th placed team gets pick 1 and 2, the 17th gets 3 and 4 etc etc....
Yep, that was the gist. @Tylo mentioned it in the delistment thread - An idea I had was to give everyone double picks in the first round, ie the 18th team gets picks 1 + 2, the 17th team gets picks 3 + 4, and so on. Instead of doing it in the first round of the draft we could do it for the mini draft so at least the lower teams get first access to the new pool of players and it wouldn't hand them pick 1 & 2 in the draft proper but pick 1 & 2 in the mini/topup draft. Everyone fills their lists to 26 then the mini draft takes place with special one off rules.
I like EE's suggestion. I don't think that the 27th and 28th players on each team list are going to make the biggest difference in the world, so to me it doesn't seem too excessive. I might even change my vote!