I have played the game since the first iteration of EASHL in NHL 09, and I can honestly say the EASHL side of things, gameplay wise, is the best it has been in a long time. I would even go as far as saying it's the best it has been in the PS4/PS5 era. We have finally moved away from the god awful pakota vaan (force) meta, and can score from plays farther out from the net. When someone scores a golden one-tee goal against us, I feel like we have made a mistake in our coverage, as opposed to a forced pass getting through in front of the net, which can go through even if it's "covered". I think teams should be punished for breakdowns in coverage and the game feels rewarding both offensively and defensively that way.
Obviously I have dropped down divisions this year, moved to the wing and use golden 1T, so my opinion might be a bit biased, but I've played with and against Elite teams enough in this version as well to confidently say the meta is way better than it used to be.
I am 100% in favor of leaving things as they are with only Big Tipper being banned. I fear an XF ban would move the meta back towards forcing, net scrambles and broken plays in front of the net, which is both boring to play and boring to watch. Even with sniper builds on wings.
EDIT: Another thing to note is having to cover the 1T/CQ makes the defence more active and opens up space in other areas of the ice, as teams can't just collapse to the slot and play passively on defence.