If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Team?

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The Brown Knight
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If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Team?

Post by The Brown Knight »

If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Team?

Let's say you were the GM of an NHL hockey team, and that every player was a free agent (with their current salaries and cap hits), and that there was going to be a massive draft where every single player would need to be selected. (Under the current cap)

How would you go about building your team? (For you NHL 14' fans, treat this thread like you're in 'Be a GM' mode with 'Fantasy Draft' on).

I'll post the line-ups I created later on, but here is the general mindset I try and have:

1) ALL of my players need to be atleast a '4' and above (out of '5') for both 'Physical' and 'Defensive Skill'. The only time I would make an exception, is if someone is off-the-wall physical (i.e. a 5/5........like a Chris Neil type player).

2) I never select a goalie as my first overall player. However - a goalie is always my 3rd overall pick.......or even as high as #2. Based on studies that I have conducted, I truly believe that a goalie needs to be one of your most important players......and perhaps be capable of being your best player in the playoffs, but that your actual best player on the team should be a center or a defenseman. This observation of mine is based on most of the Stanley Cup winners over the past 2 and a half decades.

3) Depth at Center. This is my signature when building teams. Even if I lack depth on wings, I always try and ensure that I am deep down the middle. A center will almost always be my first pick to ensure that I have atleast 1 superstar center. Ideally, I try and have two.

Typically, my top centers will usually consist of Sidney Crosby (if I get first overall pick), Eric Staal, Logan Couture, Anze Kopitar, etc., and my 2nd picks for centers usually are guys like David Backes, Jordan Staal, Mike Richards, Joe Thornton (i.e. his age makes him available), etc.

4) Deep Top 4 defense, but no superstars: This is something that I'm debating (i.e. is it better to draft a superstar defenseman as your first or 2nd overall pick......even if it's at the expense of having 2 superstar centers), but having two superstar centers would be my first choice. Having said that, if I'm ever in a draft situation where every single other GM is picking up a Center or a Goalie, then I would adjust my strategy and snatch up a Blue Chip Blue Liner.

Typically though, my top 4 defenseman usually consist of guys such as Dan Hamhuis, Brooks Orpik, Braydon Coburn, Kevin Bieksa, Paul Martin, Nick Schultz, Josh Georges, Chris Phillips, Francois Beauchamin (sic), etc.

In the rare instance where I do select a defenseman early on however, I typically try and pick guys like Shea Weber, Brent Seabrook, PK Subbann, or even Zdeno Chara (age, salary, and contract makes him less desirable for me than some other top gays).

5) Goaltending: Like I said earlier, I never have my goalie as my first overall pick, and even debate whether picking a goalie as my 2nd overall pick. My personal philosophy is that if you have a top notch goalie but a sub-par team in front, a goalie will have to over-exert himself (i.e. think, Sabres in 1999, Canucks in 2007). On the flip side - if a team in front is extremely dominant, it can make a 'good' goalie look 'great' (i.e. think - Antti Niemi 2010).

Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes is an example of the type of goalie that I would end up drafting. In NHL 13', Corey Schneider and Tuuka Raask (Sic) were the types of goalies that I'd end up drafting but in NHL 14', they get selected a lot earlier.

6) Wingers: Wingers are always my last priority. I won't even think about drafting a winger until the following has been met: 2 Centers, 1 goalie, 4 defensemen. THEN I go for the wingers. My wingers, as with my other players, are always atleast a '4' for both phyiscality and defense. If they are below a 4 on defense, they need to be atleast a 3 on
defense and a '5' for physicality (i.e. Jordan Tootoo). My top 6 wingers (for both NHL 13' and 14') are usually guys like Chris Kunitz, Rene Bourque, Erik Cole, Ryan Malone, R.J. Umberger, Johan Franzen. 3rd line wingers are guys like Travis Moen and Tomas Kopecky.

7) 4th line and 5th/6th defensemen - with the exception of my 4th line center, everyone else earns less than $1,000,000. No exceptions. Antoinne Vermette and Brooks Laich are typical 3rd line centers that I have, while a guy like Paul Gaustad is a 4th line center for me.

8) Contracts: Should be atleast 3+ years at justifiable cap hits.


The Brown Knight's order of drafting:

A) First Line Center

B) First Line Center

C) Goaltending

D) Defenseman

E) Defenseman

F) Defenseman

G) Defenseman

H) 3rd line Center

I) Defenseman (less than $1,000,000)

J) Winger

K) Defenseman (less than $1,000,000)

L) Winger

M) Winger

N) Winger

O) Winger (less than $1,000,000)

P) Winger (less than $1,000,000)

Q) 4th line center

Q) Winger (less than $1,000,000)

R) Winger (less than $1,000,000)

The rest of my picks are on two-way contracts if I recall correctly.


STYLE OF PLAY:

It's too much detail to go into here......and the last thing I want to do in life is bore people with useless details.......and so just know that I get my teams to play a similar style to the LA Kings and St. Louis Blues (i.e. 1-3-1 neutral zone + aggressive forecheck).
Last edited by The Brown Knight on Fri Oct 18, 2013 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by dbr »

TL;DR
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by Jovocop »

dbr wrote:TL;DR
:lol:
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by sagebrush »

TBK=FL
Less Canucks embarrassment please.
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by JonT21 »

...makes him less desirable for me than some other top gays
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by BurningBeard »

JonT21 wrote:
...makes him less desirable for me than some other top gays
He was talking about Chara, so I understand why he got so confused (sexually).
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by Art Vandelay »

A shovel and a bag of lime
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by The Brown Knight »

Hey guys,

As promised, I will now post my teams and their line-ups. Hopefully, this will illustrate everything that I have been talking about here. Personally, I found this overall experience to be surprisingly spiritual as it really put my hockey knowledge and hockey philosophies to the test. In picking the players that I did, I actually found that the my final "masterpiece" was in actuality, a reflection of my personality and how I personally like playing the game.

Anyway, without further adieu, here are my teams:

Team # 1 - NHL 14:

C.Kunitz-A.Kopitar-E.Cole
R.Malone-J.Staal-C.Neil
T.Moen-A Vermette-E.Condra
J. Skille-P.Gaustad-D.Weise

D. Hamhuis-F.Beauchemin
P.Martin-K.Bieksa
W.Redden-J.Hillen

M.Smith
R.Emery
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team #2: NHL 14. (For this line-up, I decided to kick back and "spoil" myself a little as I took the overall first pick and selected Sid The Kid! :lol:

C.Kunitz-S.Crosby-R.Bourque
R.Malone-D.Backes-E.Cole
E.Condra-A.Vermette-P.Eaves
D.Carcillo-P.Gaustad-J.Skille

D.Hamhuis-J.Gorges
F.Beauchemin-K.Bieksa
A.Martinez-M.Fraser

M. Smith
C. Nilstorp
____________________________________________________________

NHL 13 - Team #3: on NHL 13, I had more money to play with as the cap was around 70 million if I recall correctly. Again, same principles:

C.Kunitz-E.Staal-R.Malone
J.Chimera-M.Richards-T.Kopecky
S.Ott-B.Laich-C.Neil
A.Stewart-C.Kelly-J.Tootoo

P.Martin-C.Phillips
B.Orpik-N.Schultz
F.Beauchemin-B.Allen

C.Schneider
M.Biron
---------------------------------------------------------------------

So as you can see, most of the teams I build are highly physical and very deep down the middle. While there are no superstars on defense, the top 4 are always full of solid defensemen ( similar to how the Canucks have been these past few years). My goaltenders aren't superstars, but they are close to that level and are capable of elevating their game to that level under the right circumstance.

Long story short, give the sheer physicality and defensive savvy of all my teams ( I.e. my "trade mark" and signature), I think it's safe to say that one would have to bring both their lunch and their dinners if they were going to defeat my teams in a playoff environment. :lol:

I thank you for your time people. Please feel free to critique my teams, and please feel free to post your own teams if possible. I suspect that all of us can have a lot of fun with this as it really puts your hockey philosophies to the test.
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by BurningBeard »

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One more team created..........and my Final Conclusion:

Post by The Brown Knight »

Hey all,

I know that this thread wasn't very well received, but I did want to make one more post........and then share with people my final thought and conclusion as to what I feel is the BEST way to create a championship team.......and what I think is the most important thing that a championship team must have.......as evidenced by almost any Cup winning team these past 25 years.

But first off, here is one more team I created. Unlike my previous created team, I chose to select a franchise defenseman first (Shea Weber).


C.Kunitz-R.Getzlaf-J.Skille
E.Cole-B.Laich-E.Condra
R.Umberger-T.Ruutu-B.Butler
D.Carcillo-M.Hendricks-C.Tropp

D.Hamhuis-S.Weber
P.Martin-K.Bieksa
A.Martinez-C.Potter

J.Howard
M.Leighton

After experimenting with this team, I don't think this team is as good as my previous two teams. Defensive play was slightly better than my other teams, but offense took a major hit.


Final conclusion:

My final conclusion is that the #1 indicator for a team having a chance at being a championship winning team, is depth at center......and more specifically, atleast two centers that are capable of being a #1 and have formidable offensive ability. Depth at center wins championships. Defensive prowess and goaltending are extremely key factors as well, but not as much as having top quality centers. However - in order for a team to take advantage of having supreme depth at center ( the top two of which are 1st line calibre centers), neither the defense nor goaltending can be average or below average in anyway.

Having a franchise defenseman ( or even two franchise defensemen) is ideal..........to which one can get away with having second rate defensemen as your #3 to #7 defenseman, but if this set up is NOT possible, then the next best strategy is to have atleast 4 high quality top four defenseman (I.e. what the Canucks have right now). If a team does not have 1-2 franchise defenseman OR 4-5 top four quality defenseman, then this team will struggle to be competitive ( think: Tampa Bay Lightning last year). A weak defense is the greatest indicator of a team most likely being ranked in the bottom 7 in the league.

Having a franchise goalie is ideal obviously (I.e. A Jamie Quick type), but this can be offset by a formidable team in front (I.e. making a 'good' goalie look great as a result of facing easier chances). Think: Chicago 2010. Average or below average calibre goaltending will make it extremely unlikely for a team advancing (I.e. Philadelphia). It is strategically more advantageous for a team to have a 'good' goalie in net with a great team in front, as opposed to having a 'great' goalie with only a 'good' team in front.

Building from the goal out, if taken to the extreme, will hurt a team's chances at winning (I.e. Nashville these past few years.......Minnesota Wild for the better part of the last decade).


-Depth down the middle, with your top two centers being 1st line calibre, wins championships.
-The quickest way to be a bad team in the NHL is to have a weak defensive corps
-In today's NHL, it is strategically disadvantageous to have your goalie be your highest capped player and/or be your best player on the team. A team with a 'good' goalie with a 'great' team in front will be superior to a team that has a 'great' goalie but only a 'good' team in front.
-It is possible to get away without having any "superstars" on defense ( provided that the overall quality of the D is formidable), but the same does not hold true for offense. Up front, it imperative that a team has both depth AND superstars (most importantly, at center).

I thank you for your time.

Final Line-up


C.Kunitz-A.Kopitar-E.Cole
R.Malone-J.Staal-C.Neil
T.Moen-A Vermette-E.Condra
J. Skille-P.Gaustad-D.Weise

D. Hamhuis-F.Beauchemin
P.Martin-K.Bieksa
W.Redden-A.Martinez

M. Smith
R. Emery
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by Cookie La Rue »

Are you playing EA Sports too much?

Btw i would take 60 millions for myself and would hire 23 gunslingers for 173,913 each. :mrgreen:
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by Knucklehead »

I think the current Canuck lineup would kick the shit out of your ideal lineup, not with physicality but with actual hockey skills.

Once we got back our injured players and it would be no contest, I think you overate the physical side of the game a wee bit!

edit: if you value centers so much where the hell is Crosby or Malkin, or did you just forget about them?
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by Knucklehead »

Cookie La Rue wrote:Are you playing EA Sports too much?

Btw i would take 60 millions for myself and would hire 23 gunslingers for 173,913 each. :mrgreen:

Cannot do that the league minimum is over 500,000, max you could keep is about 52 mill, still not to shabby. :wink:
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by dbr »

Two high end centres is "the #1 indicator"... like with Toews and Handzus?

As for a franchise goaltender, a Jamie Quick type, boy are we ever lucky to have Ronaldo Luigi between the pipes, eh?

Still TL; wish I had not R.
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Re: If you had $64,000,000, how would you build your NHL Tea

Post by The Brown Knight »

dbr wrote:Two high end centres is "the #1 indicator"... like with Toews and Handzus?

As for a franchise goaltender, a Jamie Quick type, boy are we ever lucky to have Ronaldo Luigi between the pipes, eh?

Still TL; wish I had not R.
Patrick Sharp often plays the role of second line center for the Hawks. Last year, we also saw Pat Kane playing second line center much of the time as well if I recall correctly. Dave Bolland was 3rd line center.

Look at past history as well:

Oilers = Gretzky and Messier
Flames = Nieuwendyk, Gilmour, Otto
Penguins = Lemieux, Francis
Rangers = Messier, Kovalev
Avalanche = Sakic, Forsberg, Ricci
Red Wings = Yzerman, Fedorov, Larionov
Stars = Modano, Niewendyk
Devils = Arnott, Rolston, Holik,
Lightning = Lecavlier, Richards
Hurricanes = Francis, Brindamour
Ducks = Getzlaf, McDonald
Wings = Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Flippula
Penguins = Crosby, Malkin, Staal
Hawks = Toews, Sharp, Bolland
Bruins = Krejki, Bergeron
Kings = Kopitar, Richards


As for your other comment, Luongo has an EXCELLENT cap hit, relative to top tier goalies. Ignoring the length of his contract and the obligations that a GM would have to undergo if they ever took on Lou's contract once Lou retired, the cap hit in itself is an excellent one.

Since you mentioned goalies however, my studies indicate that taking a guy like Pekka Rinne at 7 million would not be the best investment as that is too much salary to give towards a goalie.

Jonathan Quick however, would be an excellent investment at 5.8 million.
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