Rules

D.D.L OFFICIAL LEAGUE RULES

Dames Dynasty League (DDL)
2025–26 League Charter

📘 Table of Contents

Overview
League Basics
League Structure & Format
Buy-In & Payouts
Draft Day Rules
Keeper & Contract Rules
Scoring System
Trades
Waivers & Free Agency
Playoffs & Tiebreakers
Expansion & Team Replacement
Code of Conduct & Sportsmanship

1. 📖 Overview
The Dames Dynasty League (DDL) is a 12-team, head-to-head points-based fantasy hockey dynasty league, hosted on Yahoo Fantasy Sports. It was established in 2012 to provide an immersive and long-term fantasy experience built on strategic roster management, competitive balance, and a strong community of managers.

2. 🏒 League Basics

Platform: Yahoo Fantasy Sports
League Size: 12 Teams
Format: Dynasty Keeper with player contracts
Scoring Type: Head-to-Head (Points-based)
Draft Type: Live Online Snake Draft (randomized 30 minutes prior)
Matchup Start Day: Mondays
Matchup Duration: One week
Season Start/End: Follows NHL regular season

3. 🏗️ League Structure & Format

Active Roster: 21 players
- 3 C, 3 LW, 3 RW, 4 D, 2 G
- 6 Bench, 2 IR (includes IR+), 2 NA
Max Acquisitions/Week: 4
Max Trades: Unlimited
Minimum Goalie Appearances/Week: 3
Daily Lineup Changes: Yes
Playoff Teams: 6
Playoff Format: Weeks 22–24 (reseeding enabled)

4. 💰 Buy-In & Payouts

Entry Fee: $200 USD per manager
Payment Platform: LeagueSafe.com only
Total Pot (12 Teams): $2,400 USD
Admin/Trophy Fees: $100 USD
Prize Pool: $2,300 USD

💸 Payout Structure:
Placement
Payout
Regular Season Winner (President’s Trophy)
$400

League Champion
$1,100 + 1 Franchise Tag

Runner-Up (2nd)
$500

3rd Place
$200

4th Place
$100

🏆 Trophy Note:
The League Champion receives the DDL Holy Grail Trophy and must return it before the following season. $50 fine for late return. Shipping cost is deducted from winnings.

5. 🗓️ Draft Day Rules

Draft Format: Snake Draft
Draft Time: 2 weeks before NHL season
Draft Pick Trades: Allowed before draft only
No in-draft trades allowed
Draft Order (12 teams):
- Picks 1–6: Consolation bracket (worst to best)
- Picks 7–12: Championship bracket (Champion picks 7th, Runner-up 8th, etc.)

6. 🔐 Keeper & Contract Rules
DDL uses a player contract system for dynasty roster management. Managers sign players to multi-year contracts and rookie deals.
📜 Contract Types:

1 × 3-Year Veteran Contract per season. ***can not be dropped
1 × 3-Year Rookie Contract per season. ***can be dropped at any time

📅 Contract Expiration:

All contracts expire 2 weeks before the draft on Sept 15th
Expired players return to the FA pool unless franchise tagged
Managers must track contract durations and remaining years

👶 Rookie Eligibility:
To be eligible for a Rookie Contract, a player must:

Be younger than 25 years old on Draft Day, and
Have played fewer than 82 NHL games (skaters) or 34 games (goalies)

Playoff games do not count toward eligibility
🏷️ Franchise Tags:

Only ONE Franchise Tag is awarded each year:
➤ To the League Champion
Tags allow managers to re-sign a player whose contract expired
Franchise Tag must be declared 2 weeks before the draft
Using a Franchise Tag consumes the 3-year contract slot
Managers may hold only 1 unused tag at a time
Franchise Tags cannot be traded

🧤 Goalie Contract Limit:

Maximum of 2 goalies under contract at any time

7. 📊 Scoring System
🏒 Skaters:
Stat
Points
Goals (G)
3

Assists (A)
2

Power Play Points (PPP)
1

Shots on Goal (SOG)
0.4

Hits (HIT)
0.2

Blocks (BLK)
0.2

🥅 Goalies:
Stat
Points
Wins (W)
4

Saves (SV)
0.2

Goals Against (GA)
-1

Shutouts (SHO)
2

8. 🔁 Trades

All trades are automatically approved by Yahoo
No voting or vetoes
Trades are final once accepted — no reversals
Players may only be involved in one pending transaction at a time
Multi-team trades (3–4 teams) must be submitted through the commissioner
Contracts remain attached to traded players

The commissioner may only intervene in the case of obvious collusion or abuse, which is expected to be rare.

9. 🧾 Waivers & Free Agency

Waiver Time: 2 days
Waiver Type: Continual rolling list
Free Agents: May be added within move limits
Post-Draft Player Additions: Follow waiver rules
Injured Players: May be added directly to IR/IR+ slots
NA Slots: 2 available

10. 🏆 Playoffs & Tiebreakers

Top 6 teams advance to the championship playoffs
Playoffs Weeks: 22–24
Bottom 6 teams play in the consolation bracket to determine draft order
Playoff Reseeding: Enabled
Locked Eliminated Teams: Yes

🧮 Playoff Tiebreakers:

Head-to-head record
Total season points
Most goals scored
Coin flip or commissioner decision

11. 🌱 Expansion & Team Replacement
Expansion:

Requires 3/4 league vote
Must add even number of teams
Expansion draft format proposed by commissioner and approved by vote

Manager Replacement:

Removal requires a 2/3 league vote
Causes: Inactivity, poor conduct, repeated rule violations
Removed managers are not eligible for automatic return

Selling Teams:

If a manager leaves after the season, they must pay 50% of the new manager's buy-in
The new manager inherits the full roster and contracts

12. ⚖️ Code of Conduct & Sportsmanship
All managers are expected to:

Participate in the draft
Stay active throughout the season
Make good-faith roster decisions
Avoid collusion, dumping, or sabotage
Communicate with the commissioner when needed

Inactivity Enforcement:

Missing the draft without notice = replacement
Inactive during the season = team suspension + possible ban
League members should report suspected inactivity

👑 Commissioner Authority
The Commissioner:

Has final say in league disputes
Can interpret and enforce rules in the best interest of the league
May propose rule changes during the offseason
Cannot override Franchise Tag or Keeper eligibility rules without league input

🏁 Final Notes
The DDL is built for hockey die-hards who want the feel of running their own franchise. Contracts, scouting, trading, long-term roster planning, and season-long competition all play a part in winning the Holy Grail.
Let’s keep it competitive, fun, and fair.