I ended up taking a break for awhile this year (Football season + Madden/MUT always takes over in the fall for me) and recently got back into it the past month or so. I had played one full rookie season in the NHL and part of my second season. I play every game, full 20 minute periods with shifts.
Ended up wanting a more playoff type feel (I'm starting a new career as I type this) so I spent a week editing rosters. About 10 players on every NHL team, 5 on every AHL team and 2 on every juniors team and made their aggressiveness 95-99, and their fighting to sometimes or often as I like lots of hitting and having teammates step up if a teammate gets injured or ran over. I also gave guys like Crosby, MacKinnon, and Kucherov ridiculous 12-15 year contracts to ensure the only way they would ever switch teams (I get sick of seeing tons of moves and changes throughout the season) would be via trade. Thankfully teams don't like to trade star players like that.
In 72 games on my original defenseman BAP, my stats looked like this:
GP: 72 (10 missed due to injury)
G-A-P: 6-30-36
PPG-PPA-PPP: 3-11-14
PIM: 103
+/-: +3
I was on Ottawa and my team record was 40-32-10. 90 points, missed the playoffs by 5 points.
Second season:
GP: 29 (14 missed due to injury)
G-A-P: 4-12-16
PPG-PPA-PPP: 1-5-6
PIM: 37
+/-: -2
Ottawa looking similar this year (22-17-4) but I don't mind. It should be a grind, not a president's trophy every year.