Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Building a Dream Team


As I was browsing
si.com yesterday I noticed a feature that they ran in which two of their football analysts created their own football teams within the confines of the salary cap. I thought this was a great idea and decided to apply it to a different sport, hockey. I found a site that had every player in the NHLs salary listed and decided to try and build my own team. At first it was going real well and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to build an all-star team. Then I did the math and realized I was $6 million over budget and needed to rethink my strategy. So I had to cut a few guys and make some concessions but I feel that my team turned out solid.

Note: The salary cap for the 08/09 NHL season is $56 million

Forwards

Alexander Ovechkin LW 9,538,462
Zach Parise LW 3,125,000
Sean Avery LW 3,875,000
Alexandre Burrows LW 483,333
Marian Gaborik RW 6,333,333
Jason Pominville RW 1,033,333
Alexander Radulov RW 918,587
Brad May RW 600,000
Marc Savard C 5,000,000
Anze Kopitar C 955,867
Johan Franzen C 941,667
Boyd Devereaux C 575,000

Total 33,379,582

Defense

Mike Green 5,250,000
Brooks Orpik 3,750,000
Joe Corvo 2,625,000
Anton Volchenkov 2,500,000
Francois Beauchemin 1,650,000
Duncan Keith 1,475,000


Total 17,250,000

Goalies

Ryan Miller 2,666,667
Mike Smith 950,000


Total 3,616,667

Grand Total 54,246,249


Explanation of Picks

I decided to spend a little less than 17% of my cap on Alexander Ovechkin. This was a no brainer as Alexander the Great can score with the best of them and playing with a play maker like Mark Savard can only help his numbers grow. The guy’s worst season in the NHL saw him score 46 goals with 92 points so he is worth every penny.

Before any questions about why I chose Brad May start up let me explain myself. My team is full of young stars who have bright futures but lack playoff experience. Brad May has played in over 80 playoff games and is a true veteran who would bring much needed leadership to the locker room. He is also a great penalty killer and isn't afraid to drop the gloves to protect some of the younger forwards.

Originally I wanted Cristobal Huet as my goalie but since the Blackhawks drowned him in money I went with the playoff proven, cheap, and still young Ryan Miller. At under $3 million he is an absolute steal.

I was glad I could get Pickering native Sean Avery on the team as his hustle and pesky attitude will be needed to take opponents of their game. Also getting Brooks Orpik, the best defenseman in the NHL, on the team was a necessity. However my favorite pick-up was Boyd Devereaux as he is one of the most under rated players in hockey today. He works hard every shift and is one of the best fundamental hockey players in the game. He is like the Tim Duncan of hockey. No flash but he gets the job done.

I had to get rid of key players like Peter Mueller, Patrick Kane, and Ryan Whitney for salary cap reasons but in the end I think my team came out real nice. I encourage everyone to visit this site http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/index.php and try and build your own team. Feel free to comment on my team and also to post your own. I look forward to seeing what kind of team you put together. Remember the cap is $56 million.

5 comments:

couts87 said...

Henrik Zetterberg LW $2,650,000
Sam Gagner C $1,625,000
Evgeni Malkin C $3,834,200
Anze Kopitar C $ 955,867
Jason Pominville RW $1,033,333
Jason Smith D $2,600,000
Tomas Kaberle D $4,250,000
Boyd Devereaux C $ 575,000
Francois Beauchemin D $1,650,000
Sergei Gonchar D $5,000,000
Ales Hemsky RW $4,100,000
Alexander Ovechkin LW $9,538,462
Mike Grier RW $1,775,000
Joe Corvo D $2,625,000
Tobias Enstrom D $ 900,000
Alexander Frolov LW $2,900,000
Andrew Ladd LW $1,550,000
Nik Antropov RW $2,050,000
Ilya Bryzgalov G $4,250,000
Ty Conklin G $ 750,000

TOTAL $54,611,862

Will said...

Will’s Team

Forwards

Alex Tangauy- LW: 5,250,000

Evgeni Malkin- C: 3,834,200

Ryan Getzlaf- C: 5,325,000

Henrik Zetterberg- LW: 2,650,000

Nicklas Backstrom- C: 2,400,000

Tyler Kennedy- C: 541,667

Jason Pominville- RW: 1,033,333

Sean Avery- LW: 3,875,000

Richard Park- RW: 750,000

Jamie Langenbrunner- RW: 2,800,000

Patrick Kane-RW: 3,725,000

Tomas Kopecky- LW: 500,000


Defence

Nicklas Lidstrom: 7,450,000

Hal Gill: 2,075,000

Michael Komisarek: 1,700,000

Sheldon Brookbank: 500,000

Stephane Robidas: 1,500,000

Randy Jones: 2,750,000


Goal

Martin Biron: 3,500,000

Carey Price: 2,200,000

Total: 54,359,700

LeafsPWN said...

Centres

Evgeni Malkin $3,834,200
Jonathan Toews $2,800,000
Paul Stastny $850,000
Kris Draper $1,583,333 $9,067,533

Defense

Nicklas Lidstrom $7,450,000
Brent Burns $3,550,000
Duncan Keith $1,475,000
Stephan Robidas $1,500,000
Mike Komisarek $1,700,000
Mark Staal $826,667 $15,141,667

Wingers

Henrik Zetterberg $2,650,000
Ilya Kovalchuk $6,389,260
Jarome Iginla $7,000,000
Brendan Morrow $4,100,000
Jussi Jokinen $1,812,000
Sam Gagner $1,625,000
Jeremy Roenick $1,100,000
Georges Laraque $1,500,000 $23,926,260


Goalies

Martin Brodeur $5,200,000
Jonathan Bernier $843,333 $6,043,333



Total $54,178,793

Steve Poirier said...

Steve's Team

LW
Henrik Zetterberg $2,650,000
Alex Ovechkin $9,538,462
Thomas Plekanec $1,600,000
Alex Burrows $483,333

C
Evgeni Malkin $3,834,200
Paul Stastny $850,000
M.Richards $5,750,000
Sammy Pahlsson $1,400,000

RW
Daniel Alfredsson $4,338,966
Jason Pominville $1,033,333
Alexander Radulov $918,587
Steve Downie $821,667

D
Nik Lidstrom $7,450,000
Mike Komisarek $1,700,000
Anton Volchenkov $2,500,000
Brent Burns $3,550,000
Braydon Coburn $1,300,000
Alexander Edler $550,000

G
Ryan Miller $2,666,667
Johnathon Bernier $843,333

TOTAL: $55,868,997

Will said...

I'm bored at work. Just made a new team. One I believe is vastly improved. You be the judge:


Forwards:

Sidney Crosby- C: 8,700,000
Evgeni Malkin- C: 3,834,200
Nicklas Backstrom- C: 2,400,000
Maxime Talbot- C: 675,000


Patrick Kane- RW: 3,750,000
Richard Park- RW: 750,000
Mikael Samuelson- RW: 1,200,000
Jason Pominville- RW: 1,033,333



Scottie Upshall-LW: 1,225,000
Henrik Zetterberg- LW: 2,650,000
Alex Burrows- LW: 483,333
Alexander Ovechkin- LW: 9,538,462


Defence:

Mike Komisarek: 1,700,000
Stephane Robidas: 1,500,000
Sergei Gonchar: 5,000,000
Randy Jones: 2,750,000
Marc Staal: 826,667
Niklas Kronwall: 3,000,000


Goal:

Carey Price: 2,200,000
Chris Osgood: 1,416,667

Total: 54,632,662