Posted by Jim Neveau, Blackhawks Correspondent
On this day of shopping bliss for millions of Americans, people are aggressively trying to find one thing: the best bargain possible.
Whether it’s a $199 laptop or a slew of free games with an XBox 360, people were camped out for hours on end waiting to get their shop on.
While I was not among those Americans who braved the elements at Best Buy or other stores, I did a little bargain shopping of my own.
Zach Parise (photo property of Wikipedia)
In an era where money is everything in the NHL (ah, gotta love the salary cap), players who contribute mightily to their teams, while still maintaining a low pay-rate, are extremely valuable assets. That $56.8 million cap comes up very quickly, and so the more players you can get who give you huge bang for the buck, the better off the team is.
With that being said, I did a little shopping, and came up with a full starting lineup (C,LW,RW, 2 Defensemen, G) that you can have for your very own for a bargain. We’ll call it the Hamilton Doorbusters, and we’ll make Jim Balsillie the honorary chairman of the team. After all, what other owner has searched so hard for a cheap squad to move to Hamilton?
Center: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals ($850,000)
With 19 assists so far on the young season, Mr. Backstrom is the “point guard” of one of the most potent offenses in the league. When you consider that he had 22 goals last season to go with his 66 assists, he is more than capable of handling himself even playing with the Alexes (Semin and Ovechkin).
This young man has had quite a career already, and if he can continue to dish out assists like a Steve Nash on skates, then he’s going to get quite a payday someday. Until then, however, his cheap contract is a steal.
Left Wing: Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils ($3 million)
His dollar value might jump to $5 million next season, but Parise is definitely a guy that you can bank on, and as one of the few elite left wings in the league, it’s okay to go a little high on the pay scale.
Last year, he had 45 goals and 49 assists for a Devils team that was one of the big stories of the year. This year, he is a front-runner to be the primary offensive weapon on a US Olympic team bent on raising some hell in Vancouver, and he’s not doing too bad on the ice this season either. Through 22 games, Parise has 13 goals and 15 assists, putting him on pace for another stellar season (I consider 104 points stellar), so at a $3 million salary, that would be $28,846 per point scored. Not a bad investment for someone of his caliber.
Right Wing: Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks ($765,000)
Speaking of talented young American players, Ryan has taken the NHL by storm.
Bobby Ryan (man, I miss the Iowa Chops) (Photo Property of Wikipedia)
A Calder nominee last year, Ryan has continued his solid play into this season, netting 10 goals so far in the early going, even under the spectre of possibly being traded looming over his head on an underachieving Ducks squad.
He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but he is an excellent short-term investment….much like a PS3 (come on. How long will it be til the PS4 comes out?)
Defenseman: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks ($1.9 million)
There are not a lot of defensemen in the league who contribute as much on both sides of the puck as Keith does for the surging Blackhawks.
A season after he had 44 points, Keith is already well ahead of that pace, with 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in the team’s first 23 games. Add in his stellar plus-minus record, and also his absurd amount of ice time that he racks up, and you have a quality puck-moving defenseman who can also play D with the best of them. A great value for the price, especially considering the money he’s going to make with his rumored 13 year extension with the Hawks.
Duncan Keith (photo property of Pam Rodriguez)
Defenseman: Zach Bogosian, Atlanta Thrashers ($875,000)
A restricted free agent after next season, Bogosian is having a stellar season, and would be a perfect compliment to the deft-passing Keith.
Bogosian aggressively shoots the puck, with 50 shots so far on the season, and he has connected on eight of them, including two on the man-advantage. Bogosian also plays a very physical game, similar to Keith’s teammate Brent Seabrook, and his mix of brawn and goal scoring make him a good asset to the Doorbusters.
Goaltender: Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators ($725,000)
The cheapest player on the Doorbusters is no slouch between the pipes.
The youngster Rinne has an 11-4 record for the Preds this season, with a 2.33 GAA and a .915% save percentage. This comes a season after he had seven shutouts and very similar GAA and save percentage numbers last year.
He usurped Dan Ellis from the “throne”, and he will make a perfect component of the team.
The Damage: $8.115 million
Not a bad day of shopping in NHL-land, eh?
This team, while comprised mostly of youngsters, certainly has the chops to compete in the NHL, and at a reasonable price as well. Needless to say, these Doorbusters aren’t a one day deal: they are for real.
Jim Neveau is a sports blogger and aspiring journalist who has had work featured on various sites, including foxsports.com. He also writes for a Blackhawks blog entitled paintitblackhawks.com. You can email him questions or comments at jamesneveau@hotmail.com.
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Hey Jim,
Great post but I think there’s a flaw. Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the CBA call for entry level contracts (and 2nd, 3rd years) to have certain ceilings. Not sure on the numbers but I think they would be influencing Ryan, Backstrom and Rhinne..
I’d love to see this post done on players in the league for 5+ years. Great idea on a day like this Jim – nice job!
This is a great idea for a post. Given Bruce’s comment i think Parise is the best deal of the bunch.