Who would you build around?

[ScottM]

 

This thread was inspired by a conversation that @klindsey and I just had at work. Imagine you were starting a team and you had your choice of any single player to build around. Note, I'm not talking about a fantasy hockey conversation, but about the guy you'd want if you were actually building a team. Who would you pick?

 

I thought about making this a poll, but I decided not to because I thought it would be more fun to make it an open discussion. I will, however, make a few suggestions to show the types of players I'd consider.

 

Carey Price

If you don't have a good goalie, you're not going very far. Right now, he's the best in the business. Of course, you also can't win without scoring goals (ask Price), but a high quality goalie can steal a few games for you here and there.

 

Jonathan Toews

Every team needs a good leader, and Toews, in my opinion, is the greatest captain in the game right now. He's not going to give you the biggest offensive numbers, but he can put the team on his back when needed.

 

Erik Karlsson

Here's a complete package guy. He's an excellent skater, and he plays well in both the offensive and defensive ends. He also gives quality leadership even if not at Toews' level. I'd dare say he's the model defenseman for today's sport.

 

Alex Ovechkin

Goals, goals, goals. If your strategy is to bury your opponents in goals, Ovi is obviously your guy. When you consider what he's done and the era he's done it in, it becomes clear that he's an all-time great at lighting the lamp.

 

Sidney Crosby

If we ignore the injury issues, Crosby is the kind of guy that makes everyone around him better. His forte isn't scoring -- though he's more than capable of it -- but he's one of the best setup men around. He may have the best all-around offensive game in the league.

 

Vladimir Tarasenko

Do you want some of the aspects mentioned above, but are more interested in having your guy around for a long time even if he's not fully developed? Well, Tarasenko may be your guy. He's already shown himself to be a star, but has room for growth.

 

So, what's most important to you? Would you take one of those guys? Someone else?

[flyercanuck]

@ScottM

 

McDavid. He's 18, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna be great.

[AJgoal]

Toews. You can win without a top flight goalie (See Chicago). You can win without a top-5 goal scorer or a top-20 point scorer (See also: Chicago). It's much, much harder to win without a leader who leads both on and off the ice. Toews has three times as many Cups as the rest of that list combined. Is he the only reason? Of course not, it's a team sport. But he's the kind of guy that makes a team a Team.

[HockeyNoob]

This is a tough decision between Toews and Price. If I could also get McDavid, I would take Price.

[JackStraw]

In general I would probably go with a franchise d-man to build around. I think elite goalies like Price are nice but probably not absolutely necessary, and I think franchise centers are easier to come by than d-men. So if I had my pick of anyone right now, I think I might go with Hedman. Karlsson, Doughty, OEL, Ekblad, Subban... also good choices. So just from your list... Karlsson.

[ScottM]

For the record, it's not a requirement to pick one of the guys I named. I just mentioned them because those are the types of guys I'd consider.

[flyercanuck]

This is a tough decision between Toews and Price. If I could also get McDavid, I would take Price.

 

 

If I could also get Crosby Malkin, Giroux, Toews, Weber, Keith, Price, Ovechkin and Karlsson, I'd take Vinnie LeCavalier. 

[ruxpin]

I'm going Hedman or Karlsson.

 

I definitely don't go goalie on this.  Not to start a franchise.   

 

My first knee-jerk was Toews, for the reason @AJgoal stated.  I think his is a very good argument.

 

But I like @JackStraw's argument about a franchise defenseman.  In that vein, I thought instantly Keith.  But I'm starting a team, so I want to go younger.   So, I think either Hedman or Karlsson.  If forced to pick one, I go Hedman.

 

By the way, McDavid is a very good choice, too.   Yeah, i still go defenseman.    

[Unleashed Fury]

I'd definitely start with the goalie and build out from there with the defense, then forwards. So the goalie I would take would be Carey Price but I'd also would think about Braden Holtby. Holtby is young and I think he is just going to get better as time goes by.

[blocker]

I agree with Jack and Ruxpin. I'd go with a defenseman. Especially one who can rush the puck. My pick would be Subban. Then maybe Karlson.

[ScottM]

Okay, now that we've had several answers, I'll give mine too. I agree with the others that have talked about how vital a top flight defenseman is. When we had the MVD challenge over the summer, we learned just how rare those guys are. Therefore, I'd have to go with a blueliner as well, and Karlsson would be my guy. I gave part of my reasons above, but I agree with @ruxpin when he said he'd want a younger guy, which Karlsson is. He has stayed pretty healthy too, with the obvious exception of the Matt Cooke incident, which was obviously not his fault. I see little chance to lose with a guy like him, so it's a pretty easy pick to me.

[FD19372]

Toews. He's the best all-around player in hockey, captained 3 Stanley Cup teams and he's only 27.

[FD19372]

If I could also get Crosby Malkin, Giroux, Toews, Weber, Keith, Price, Ovechkin and Karlsson, I'd take Vinnie LeCavalier. 

I'd rather have a Samuel L. Jackson.

[ruxpin]

Okay, now that we've had several answers, I'll give mine too. I agree with the others that have talked about how vital a top flight defenseman is. When we had the MVD challenge over the summer, we learned just how rare those guys are. Therefore, I'd have to go with a blueliner as well, and Karlsson would be my guy. I gave part of my reasons above, but I agree with @ruxpin when he said he'd want a younger guy, which Karlsson is. He has stayed pretty healthy too, with the obvious exception of the Matt Cooke incident, which was obviously not his fault. I see little chance to lose with a guy like him, so it's a pretty easy pick to me.

Yeah, it came down to Karlsson or Hedman for me. I said Hedman, but I really like the Karlsson reasoning (the carrying the puck, etc.).

I'll stick with Hedman since I said him, but I really like the Karlsson answer.

[HockeyNoob]

If I could also get Crosby Malkin, Giroux, Toews, Weber, Keith, Price, Ovechkin and Karlsson, I'd take Vinnie LeCavalier. 

lololol

[Brandonn]

Carey Price, no question about it. He faces guys like Karlsson, Ovechkin, Tavares, Crosby, Stamkos on a nightly basis, and still shuts them down. Yes, Karlsson is a great defenceman. But if he's playing against a Carey Price for 82 games, does he really get 70 points? If Ovechkin plays against Price for 82 games, does he score 50 goals? Doubt it.

If I'm building a team, I'm starting in the most important place in my mind, the net. And who better to pick than Carey Price, the best in the league. 

[mojo1917]

Aaron Ekblad.  

kid had a better beard than me when he was 17.

He plays huge minutes, skates great, big shot, not a sissy, there is no need to wait for him to mature, which is what had to happen with Subban.

I was doing this exercise based on drafting them not picking them up today.

 

I would also strongly consider Sidney Crosby...there i said it, I would  handle his early time in the league very differently than it was, he would not be doing hello world reebok commercials, he would earn his letter, he would sit on the bench when he punked around the ice. i wouldn't give a damn about winning right out of the gate either.  my sidney crosby wouldn't have concussion issues because he wouldn't be "that player" Daryl Steckle wouldn't feel the need to cheap shot him .

[jammer2]

  I would go

 

1)Aaron Ekblad

2)Victor Hedman

3)Johnathan Toews

4)Carey Price

5)Connor McDavid

6)Tyler Seguin

7)Jamie Benn

 

 

 Crosby is to big of a risk due to concussions and injuries in general, OV is to old to build around.

[JackStraw]

Can't believe nobody's mentioned Eichel. I'd probably go with him over any forward not named McDavid, and very possibly even over McDavid (need to see a little more of both).

[JagerMeister]

Carey Price.

As a goalie its much more difficult to distinguish yourselves amongst your peers, the majority of goalies in the league are expendable, there are more elite forwards and defenseman than there are goalies, and Carey Price is the best goalie in the league

[ruxpin]

Carey Price.

As a goalie its much more difficult to distinguish yourselves amongst your peers, the majority of goalies in the league are expendable, there are more elite forwards and defenseman than there are goalies, and Carey Price is the best goalie in the league

Not sure I agree with the premise, but nonetheless, how often is it that the team with the best goalie won the Cup?

When was the last time Carey Price made it to the conference final? While I would agree in any other context, "but the team in front of him!" isn't a suitable argument since we're building a team around him and he's supposed to be the difference.

Just saying.

[jammer2]

@ruxpin  I don't think you can ever go wrong building from the net on out. Price has been stellar in the playoffs, his team just not score for him.

[JagerMeister]

Not sure I agree with the premise, but nonetheless, how often is it that the team with the best goalie won the Cup?

When was the last time Carey Price made it to the conference final? While I would agree in any other context, "but the team in front of him!" isn't a suitable argument since we're building a team around him and he's supposed to be the difference.

Just saying.

Perhaps, there is cogency to your argument. Truthfully, Price wasn't my first option. I wanted to choose a defenseman, it would have preferably been Keith but he is 31 years old, and I dont see any other defenseman that can provide the two way game he posseses, or maybe Doughty?

[flyercanuck]

Not sure I agree with the premise, but nonetheless, how often is it that the team with the best goalie won the Cup?

When was the last time Carey Price made it to the conference final? While I would agree in any other context, "but the team in front of him!" isn't a suitable argument since we're building a team around him and he's supposed to be the difference.

Just saying.

 

Well, Price won the Hart last year....and so far, he's playing even better this year. That Habs roster is not great by any means....Price makes them a contender.

[ruxpin]

Perhaps, there is cogency to your argument. Truthfully, Price wasn't my first option. I wanted to choose a defenseman, it would have preferably been Keith but he is 31 years old, and I dont see any other defenseman that can provide the two way game he posseses, or maybe Doughty?

I considered both myself, but yeah, age is definitely a consideration. Price is definitely not a horrible choice. Actually, I think he's a very good choice. Was just throwing out there what ultimately made me go defenseman.