|
|
The Ultimate NHL Team
by Ethan
Calof
The ULTIMATE NHL TEAM within the salary cap.
I used this site (http://www.sportscity.com/
NHL-Salaries/) for my cap numbers. So, without any further ado:
LINE ONE
LW: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings ($2,650,000)
C: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings ($6,700,000)
RW: Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings ($7,400,000)
LINE TWO
LW: Brendan Morrow, Dallas Stars ($4,100,000)
C: Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche ($850,000)
RW: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames ($7,000,000)
LINE THREE
LW: Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings ($942,000)
C: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings ($956,000)
RW: Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres ($1,033,000)
LINE FOUR
LW: Alex Burrows, Vancouver Canucks ($483,000)
C: Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins ($2,200,000)
RW: Jordin Tootoo, Nashville Predators ($975,000)
DEFENSIVE PAIR ONE
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins ($7,500,000)
Mike Komisarek, Montreal Canadiens ($1,700,000)
DEFENSIVE PAIR TWO
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks ($1,475,000)
Braydon Coburn, Philadelphia Flyers ($1,300,000)
DEFENSIVE PAIR THREE
Stephane Robidas, Dallas Stars ($1,500,000)
Johnny Oduya, New Jersey Devils ($600,000)
GOALIES
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres ($2,667,000)
Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild ($725,000)
RESERVES
LW Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins ($850,000)
D Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins ($835,000)
G Alex Auld, Ottawa Senators ($1,000,000)
COACH
Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
TOTAL: $55,441,000
When digesting the above information, one could quite accurately state that most
of the above players are from playoff teams. In fact, four out of twenty-three
players listed are on the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red
Wings. The reason why this is the case is simple: the best teams generally have
the best cap management. The better you can allocate your limited funds, the
more successful you will be. Also, one will notice that most of the players on
THE ULTIMATE TEAM are young players. This is because they haven't reached their
big payday yet, and are likely still under their entry-level contract.
I'll start with my rationale at the top:
THE FIRST LINE (also known as MOTOWN MAGIC, or THE EUROPEANS WHO PLAY
DEFENSIVELY TOO)
The most difficult part of making this team was managing my big-money players.
Who deserved the money? Who would fit better into my ideal team? Should I spend
it on skaters or goalies? In the end, the allure of a positively dominant line
won out over other considerations.
The fact that all three of these All-Stars are on the Detroit Red Wings was
definitely not lost on me. In fact, I'd even say that it was my primary
motivation for assembling them together. You see, Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hossa have
the kind of chemistry teams can only dream of.
In last year's Stanley Cup playoffs, Datsyuk and Zetterberg played together
almost exclusively. Zetterberg has 27 points in 22 games (leading the
league), while Datsyuk had 23. The more significant stat, though, was that
Zetterberg had a Plus/Minus of +16, while Datsyuk was +13, both among the Top 4
in the league. This is truly a special stat. Keeping in mind that powerplay
points don't factor into the +/-, this shows that the Datsyuk-Zetterberg combo
was truly dominant when they were on the ice at even strength. Quite simply,
they dictated the play.
Last year, Hossa ended off with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he signed with
the Red Wings in the off-season, bringing his immense talent to Detroit. Any
concerns about how he would mesh with the team were quickly dispelled once
people began to see how well he worked with Datsyuk. So far this season, he has
21 points in 15 games, which is spectacular for a player on a new team. He also
has a +/- of +7.
Factor it all in, and what do you get? Three stars who clearly work well
together, controlling the puck and hitting paydirt. An added bonus? All three
are extremely capable defensive players, with Datsyuk and Zetterberg both being
nominated for the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward and Datsyuk winning.
This makes the "Motown Magic" a line for all situations, and a true
coach's favourite.
THE SECOND LINE (also known as TWO CAPTAINS AND A KID, or WE WILL ROCK
YOU)
My first impression when assembling this line was that it would be incredibly
difficult to stop, but for very different reasons than the first line. While the
first line is a more controlling line, this one is definitely more smashmouth.
While the first line would rather poke the puck away and toss it around, this
line would much rather hit you, take the puck, dump and chase, and crash the
net.
This revolves entirely around the line's two wingers. Brendan Morrow and Jarome
Iginla have reputations as two of the grittiest power forwards in the NHL.
Morrow is a recent breakout stud, who expanded on a strong regular season with a strong
playoffs. Iginla is an annual Hart candidate, who possesses incredible power and
finesse moves. Both are captains of their respective teams, both have
solidly improved over the years, both are unafraid to fight, both are clutch
playoff performers, and both have a reputation of needing a play-making centre
to succeed. Enter Paul Stastny.
Stastny is one of the best young playmakers in the NHL today, with a style
similar to his Hall of Fame father Peter. He has been described as heady,
efficient and intuitive by analysts. He scored a phenomenal 78 points
in his rookie season, earning him a Calder nomination, and followed it with 71
points in 66 games and an All-Star berth. A strong skater with good vision,
Stastny acts as the perfect set-up man for Iginla and Morrow's prodigious
scoring talent.
More appealing than his talent, however, is his paltry price tag: $850,000. This
makes him a true bargain. The combination of the three go hand-in-hand, making
this line equally as tough to stop as the previous one. Oh, did I mention that
these guys are great defensively too? Iginla and Morrow are hard hitters, and
Stastny always seems to be in position.
THE THIRD LINE (also known as THE UNDER-APPRECIATED LINE, or THE
UNDERPAID LINE)
Why are these three guys so underpaid? Simple. Franzen and Pominville broke out
last year, and Kopitar is still on his entry-level contract. This team is
extremely lucky for that, because they gained three powerful scorers.
Why are these guys on a line together? Simple. There's no other place to put
them. But when looking at this, you can see that these guys actually can work
together quite nicely.
Kopitar, offensively, is a complete player who can only be described as a
dynamo. He can pass very well, but his primary objective will be to utilize his
sharp-shooting skills thanks to Pominville. Pominville is a skilled playmaker,
notching 53 assists last year. He is a fast skater, and still is very capable of
shooting the puck with his accurate wrist shot. Where does this leave Franzen?
He'll be crashing the net, picking up every loose puck imaginable in front of
the net and using his large body to create problems. Basically, he will be
demonstrating why his nickname is "The Mule". He is also a very
capable scorer, who can work his magic anywhere within the blue-line.
What does this lead to? Another match-up problem, with a dynamite scoring line
facing a likely pair of third-line defenders. The three here are all potential
All-Stars this year.
THE FOURTH LINE (also known as THE ENERGY LINE, THE GRIND LINE, or THE
UNDER YOUR SKIN LINE)
Every successful team needs a line that can go on the ice, hustle, maybe start a
fight, maybe chip in a goal, and dump and chase to perfection. This "Grind
Line" may not be perfect, but it's damn close.
The key to my energy line is that they are all young players. Younger players
generally have more legs (which could help them out later in the game), more
willingness, and more boundless energy. For a line like this, those are
essential qualities to have.
Alex Burrows is the classic agitator. He skates up and down the ice aggravating
other players physically and mentally, and provoking them into taking penalties.
However, the greatest part of his development is that he has now become a more
reliable offensive player with 10 points already this season in 16 games. His
energy, though, makes him a perfect fit for this line.
Staal isn't as clear-cut a pick, and doesn't exactly fit the classic mold of an
energy-line player. However, it's more than possible that he can fit the role
nicely. Staal is big, strong, and imposing on the ice, and is also a very solid
defensive player. He is more that willing to knock bodies around, which makes
him a good fit for this line.
Tootoo is not the best enforcer in the league, but he is definitely the fastest
enforcer in the league. Tootoo plays the game as a little ball of hate,
terrorizing opponents and occasionally scoring goals. He's also more than capable
of dropping the gloves to protect other players, which is his main role.
I've always been a huge fan of his hustle and guts, and he would be a natural
here.
FIRST DEFENSIVE PAIR (also known as THE TWO TOWERS)
Zdeno Chara and Mike Komisarek are both huge. Komisarek is 6'5", Chara is
6'9". However, size doesn't matter if you can't do anything with it, and
right here we have two of the top defensive defencemen in the NHL. These two
guys can combine to shut down just about any offensive line in the NHL.
Komisarek is the quintessential defensive defender. He can hit hard, block
shots, and take away the puck at all times. Not only can he do it, he's the best
at it. Chara is a very hard hitter, a very sound positional player, and is armed
with a heavy slapshot that would be perfect on the power play.
These guys are noted for using their size to snuff out opportunities. Putting
them together makes the opportunities ever scarcer.
SECOND DEFENSIVE PAIR (also known as THE YOUNG GUNS)
Both these guys have developed into annual All-Stars. Keith is an extremely
underrated player, who rarely appears in the news because he almost never makes
mistakes. Armed with a solid shot, physicality that never goes overboard, and
incredible hockey sense, Keith would be an asset for any team.
Coburn is famous for being the good half of one of the most lop-sided trades in
NHL history. A very young player who only has room to improve, Coburn is armed
with an incredible defensive game, and is able to produce offensively as well.
He holds the WHL record for most goals in a game by a defenceman, with four.
Together, these two who are wise beyond their years make a capable defensive
pair for all situations.
THIRD DEFENSIVE PAIR (also known as THE PUCK-MOVERS)
The two guys are both first-pair defenders who often don't get the recognition
they deserve. Both are very skilled puck-movers, and both are also capable
defensively.
Robidas and Oduya are here for three reasons:
1) In today's NHL, it always help to have defencemen who are capable of moving
the puck up to the forwards to take advantage of the lack of a two-line pass.
Even though theirtats may not show it, these guys are experts.
2) These guys are capable of cycling the puck on power plays. With all of the
rule changes designed to help offense, capitalizing on power plays is critical
to staying one step ahead of the other team.
3) They're top-flight, reliable, and cheap.
Oduya, who is actually Swedish (?!?!?!), has been a top-liner for the New Jersey
Devils ever since Brian Rafalski left. He's a smooth skater and is criminally
unknown among hockey fans.
Robidas entered my consciousness during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not only was
he very capable at starting plays and passing the puck, he also demonstrated a
toughness not normally present among players his size by playing with a broken
nose.
GOALIES
This was the easiest category for me to choose. It was made even easier by the
fact that Miller is having an incredible start to this season.
In the NHL, most goaltenders are criminally overpaid. Rick DiPietro rakes in
$4,500,000. Marty Biron earns $3,500,000. Jose Theodore earns $4,500,000.
However, to find a goalie who has been a stud on an offensively oriented team, a
model for consistency AND an incredible playoff performer is next to
impossible to find at $2,667,000. Hence, Miller is a no-brainer.
Some may say that my backup selections involved no brains, however. There are
very good reasons for them, though. Josh Harding has proven that he's successful
with a defensively sound team (.927 SV% and 1.84 GAA this year), and at 24 has
tons of room to improve. Auld, meanwhile, is a tough goaltender who can step in
for any situation and is also having a great start to the season. Not a
risk-taker, Auld is a goalie that doesn't make teams worry.
RESERVES
Milan Lucic is a budding star who is willing to score and muck it up. Kris
Letang is a skilled offensive defenceman who has much room to improve.
COACH
I think this is a scrappy team, a team who will hustle, compete defensively, and
is chock-full of improving youth. Who better to coach them than a former
aggresive winger who has experience coaching youth to success in Lindy Ruff? His
blunt style will force the team to be better, and his experience with young
players in Buffalo will shoot them through the roof.
There you have it. That's my team.
Oh, and my team's name? Give me the Detroit Red Wings. They're close enough,
anyways.
Submitted on
Comment on this article to Comments@informativesports.com
|
Contact the Mailbag if you have any
Sports Questions
Mailbag@
informativesports.com
LINK EXCHANGE
|
