Building the Best NHL Lineup with Forty Million Dollars

How good of a lineup can you make with $40 million in cap space in today's NHL?

That's the question six of our writers tried to answer, and there are a number of directions one can go with this exercise, either maximizing top talent, or finding the best in the middle to build a more well-rounded roster.

Here's a look at how some of the minds at The Asterisk went about building their rosters.

Mick's Team

LW - Matty Boldy: $7 Million AAV
C - Nick Suzuki: $7.875 Million AAV
RW - Nikita Kucherov: $9.5 Million AAV
LD - Jake Sanderson: $8.05 Million AAV
RD - Mattias Samuelsson: $4.285 Million AAV
G - Jesper Wallstedt: $2.2 Million AAV
Total AAV: $38.91 Million

When making my ideal NHL lineup, I wanted to be very offense-heavy while still not neglecting the defensive aspect of the game. This is why I decided to go with the Selke winner Nick Suzuki at my centre position. His contract at 7.875 AAV is a downright steal that would allow me to allocate some of my available funds to getting a true elite offensive player.

This is where Nikita Kucherov comes in. When analyzing the upper-level of elite talent in the NHL, almost all of the players were sitting at around 11-13 million AAV, which is too much for the vision that I have set out for my team. Kucherov coming in at a 9.5 is still a high amount, but for someone who can put up at most 144 points, it is a legit no-brainer.

Matt Boldy rounds off the offense as a great third option that can compliment both Suzuki and Kucherov skills respectively. Boldy holds a 7 million AAV, and it's a great deal for the winger. He is an incredible playmaker with an incredible shot and great frame that can complement Suzuki and Kucherov on this offence.

Each player on the offence has their own role. Suzuki as the defensive anchor, Kucherov as the elite sniper and Boldy as the true playmaker. This offense would be an absolute dynamo in the NHL.

After constructing my offence, I pivoted to the defensive side of the ice. Here I wanted one defenseman that was elite offensively and one defenseman that was elite defensively, but both of them to be good play drivers to help the offence up front. The first choice was Jake Sanderson and his 8.05 million AAV contract, which is a great contract given how elite a defenseman he is. Having a player like Jake can allow for incredible help from the point and will allow for the offence to have good playmaking support from the backline.

The second defenseman is a great bargain pickup: Mattias Samuelsson at 4.285 million AAV. Mattias is an absolute truck on the blue line, having some great defensive tools while being an absolute physical demon. His 6'4 229 frame allows him to have a great reach and provide ample support defensively on the backline to allow Jake Sanderson to do his thing offensively. He is no slouch offensively, as he has a wicked shot and can be a decent play driver, but he truly shines on the defensive side of the ice and is a great pickup for this team.

In my vision for this team, I sadly had to neglect goaltending, but I feel as if this could be an area where you are able to take less of a cap hit and still get a stellar goalie. I decided to take a risk on the young goalie Jesper Wallstedt and his 2.2 million AAV after his first good season as the 1B for the Minnesota Wild. I feel as if there were points in the season where he was even the 1A, and for that AAV, it's a great gamble with the offence and defence I was able to make.

This is my team, and in all honesty, I think it will be very hard to beat.

Peter's Team:

LW - Connor McDavid: $12.5 Million AAV
C - Nick Suzuki: $7.875 Million AAV
RW - Aleksei Protas: $3.375 Million AAV
LD - Quinn Hughes: $7.85 Million AAV
RD - Damon Severson: $6.25 Million AAV
G - Jakub Dobes: $0.965 Million AAV
Total AAV: $39.965 Million

I built my lineup around the best player in the world. Connor McDavid can score 60 goals or record 100 assists. Quinn Hughes is a top two NHL defenceman and would complement McDavid’s transition offence, while Nick Suzuki would be McDavid’s defensive anchor. Both are fast, elite playmakers earning under $8 million.

After choosing my core, I looked for the cheapest goalie. A $39 million line isn’t letting the puck touch the defensive zone. Jakub Dobes makes six figures and finished top 10 in GSAx (Goals Saved Above Expected).

To complement Hughes’ size, I added Damon Severson. He had his best season under his hardest workload - defensively responsible, a smart puck-mover and the physical presence Hughes lacks.

I wanted to give McDavid and Suzuki a power forward, and I’m just under budget with Aleksei Protas. He’s an intelligent 6-foot-6 unicorn with silk hands, a booming shot and good wheels. He’s dangerous from anywhere on the ice and one of the NHL’s better five-on-five players.

McDavid would drive play, trusting Suzuki and Protas to make smart plays. Both are elite in the corners; able to continue a cycle or create a chance. Protas can score around the net, Suzuki in the slot and McDavid from anywhere. There’s isn’t a pure goal-scorer but they're all flexible, they can score off each other‘s playmaking.

Hughes would be the secondary play driver, shooting while Protas screens or pushing play with his edges and passing. Severson has a hard shot and can be trusted to make the right play as the fifth option.

In transition, Severson can find McDavid or Hughes with quick break outs. Suzuki and Protas have the speed and IQ to keep up make the right play.

All five players are defensively responsible. McDavid and Hughes use their speed to disrupt plays before they start. Protas and Suzuki use their IQ to intercept plays they read. Both are exceptional in puck battles, with Protas' size clogging open ice. Severson can defend the crease and hold his own in puck battles.

I trust Dobes to save the three shots he faces. Good luck stopping Protas n em.

Rory's Team

LW - Brandon Hagel: $6.5 Million AAV
C - Connor McDavid: $12.5 Million AAV
RW - Kirill Marchenko: $3.85 Million AAV
LD - Quinn Hughes: $7.85 Million AAV
RD - Jake Sanderson: $8.05 Million AAV
G - Jakub Dobes: $0.965 Million AAV
Total AAV: $39.715 Million

For my team, balance and fit were paramount alongside the high-end talent all six pieces clearly provide.

Connor McDavid obviously headlines the forwards, with cost-effective wingers in Hagel and Marchenko fitting in perfectly alongside the Oilers captain. It was important for me to get McDavid in here, as having the best player in the world on just $12.5 million against the cap is a ridiculous bargain.

Hagel is the perfect hard-working winger with plenty of skill to play alongside a mercurial talent, while Marchenko adds another layer of speed, size and a wicked shot to be the perfect fit and complete a line that comes in at just over 55 per cent of my allotted cap space.

On defense, Quinn Hughes is undoubtedly a top-three blueliner in hockey, while I'm cheating a little bit putting Sanderson on his off side. It's something he's done before in Ottawa and internationally, so I considered it fair game.

Both of these players are elite skaters, with Hughes' ability to essentially be a rover matching perfectly with how much ice Sanderson can cover with his combination of four-way mobility and pure speed. They should have the perfect combination of elite skating, high-end stopping ability off the rush and in zone, and elite puck-moving that any top defence pair requires.

In goal, Dobes lacks the large sample size that would make me confident in his abilities to be a no-doubt starting goalie, but with his cap hit sitting at below $1 million, the cost-for-value equation is too enticing to pass up on, and allows me to fit in Sanderson over a lesser defenseman.

Where this team truly shines is the fact there are no stragglers. Every single player on this team is in the top 10-20 range (at a minimum) for their respective position group, and their skillsets blend together in a way that they can operate as an elite five-man unit in practice on top of just looking good on paper.

Robert’s Team

LW - Arseni Gritsyuk $3.25 Million AAV
C - Connor McDavid - $12.50 Million AAV
RW - Nathan Mackinnon - $12.604 Million AAV
LD - Parker Wotherspoon - $1 Million AAV
RD - Cale Makar - $9 Million AAV
G - Devin Cooley - $1.35 Million AAV
Total AAV: $39.704 Million

With 40 million to spend on just 6 players, I decided to stack three superstars and then go bargain bin hunting. 

Starting with a trio of Connor McDavid, Nathan Mackinnon, and Cale Makar, possibly the three best players in the entire league. McDavid is a generational player and will go down as potentially the best player of all time. Makar is the best defenseman in the league and has unbeatable chemistry with Mackinnon, who is a perennial Hart contender and is widely considered the second best player in the NHL. Even though these three players will take up 85% of my budget, they provide value that is worth their contract tenfold.

Arseni Gritsyuk just completed his rookie season, netting 13 goals and 31 points in just 66 games. He moved up the lineup consistently, starting as a fourth liner and ending the season on a heater that found him playing more special teams minutes while also getting looks in a stacked top 6 in New Jersey. Gritsyuk has great hands, pulling highlight reel dangles out of a hat, but also uses them to create small area odd man opportunities. He loves to shoot, which is extremely valuable when you have guys like Connor McDavid, Nathan Mackinnon, and Cale Makar feeding you chances. His most useful offensive asset for this lineup will be his vastly underrated physicality, lots of his goals came from disrupting his opponents breakouts, wreaking havoc along the walls and behind the net, that will undoubtedly free up Mackinnon and McDavid to feast on opponents off of turnovers. Defensively Gritsyuk will be relied upon heavily, stopping cycles and applying ample back pressure to force bad shots. With McDavid and Mackinnon on your line you won't have the puck often, but Gritsyuk has the talents to capitalize on the extra space he’ll surely be given.

Parker Wotherspoon remains one of the NHL’s most undervalued defenders, thriving on pairings with puck dominant defenders like Erik Karlsson, Charlie McAvoy, Evan Bouchard, and in this hypothetical, Cale Makar. Wotherspoon understands his gifts and limitations, his skating allows him to find success on both ends of the ice but with the puck on his stick he prefers to rely on his vision, making quick passes up the ice instead of skating it up himself. In the offensive zone he doesn’t force the play, he finds open teammates to extend the cycle and often makes the right call when pinching at the line. Defensively he plays aggressively, closing gaps with speed and forcing dump-ins. He won’t blow up players with big hits but he utilizes physicality often, separating the man from the puck and making sure the attacker is taken out of the play entirely. This pairing should be able to suppress scoring chances while driving play offensively at a scary rate.

Flames backup Devin Cooley is one of the best personalities in the NHL, from the Instagram account for his pet bunny Tito, to his frankly insane quotes about his mental state. Behind a putrid Calgary team, Cooley managed to put up an impressive season, boasting an elite .909 save percentage as well as ranking top 10 in goals saved above expected with 16.31. Much like former Milwaukee Admirals teammate Yaroslav Askarov, Cooley is a ridiculous athlete, using all of his massive frame to make saves that no goalies should be making. While he is an explosive skater, Cooley always struggled chaining movements together, but with consistent improvement and ample opportunity, he mastered both power and fluidity, dancing around the crease like a ballerina or moving across his crease with exceptional power. Cooley has strong technical ability, sealing his posts in the RVH and controlling his rebounds with ease. This season he was one of Calgary’s best players and he is a goalie I believe could take on a starter's workload and truly succeed.

I don’t think it's possible to build a stronger team in transition, obviously the three headed monster of McDavid, Mackinnon, and Makar will do most of the heavy lifting but Gritsyuk has undeniable dynamic skill that will greatly serve his linemates and Wotherspoon has quietly been a monster in transitional offense. Devin Cooley has the tools to be a legitimate starter and with this starting lineup he could not be in a better situation.

Jacob’s Team

LW - Morgan Geekie - $5.5 Million AAV
C - Connor McDavid - $12.50 Million AAV
RW - Cole Caufield - $7.85 Million AAV
LD - Charle-Édouard D'Astous - $0.875 Million AAV
RD - Cale Makar - $9 Million AAV
G - Scott Wedgewood - $2.5 Million AAV
Total AAV: $38.225 Million

My goal here was to min/max, using cheaper swaps for players with similar roles to extend chemistry, while also creating a fast, offensively dominant team.

I "cheapened" out on one of the league's best goaltenders this season, Scott Wedgewood, at a cool $2.5 million. He's been one of the league's best backups over the past five years, and when granted the runway as a 1A this season, the former Coyote took the league by storm (shoutout Injury Reserve). In the playoffs, he held his own, too, giving the Avs a foundation to make it to the second round.

Wedgewood is used to playing behind a stacked Avs blueline, so it's only fair I gave him Cale Makar at $9 million to play in front of him. Don't think I need to explain this thinking much.

Next to Makar, I went dumpster diving and found Charle-Édouard D'Astous, the Lightning's breakout blueliner. The 28-year-old defenseman quickly became a permanent fixture in Tampa's lineup after a handful of seasons where he dominated in Europe. He netted 29 points this season and showed a willingness to engage physically and play a generally responsible game. I think he can play that Devon Toews role of a foil for Makar, and chip in offensively, all at a cool 875,000.

With just over 27.5 million to spare, I had a choice to make. Do I give myself higher-end players, all around the $9 million range, but really prevent the chance at securing an elevating talent? Or do I go all-in and build around that superstar?

So, I added McDavid at $12.5 million.

Then, to surround him, I added Cole Caufield at $7.85 million and Morgan Geekie at $5.5 million. Geekie can play the "Hyman" role for McDavid, providing net-front support, although unlike Hyman, he can also rip it from mid-range as well. Caufield, who is fresh off a 50-goal campaign, can layer in offensive creativity through passing and provide additional finishing.

All in all, this team combined for a grand total of 164 goals last season, and while there will be defensive lapses here and there, I do think that this line could go shot-for-shot with any line.

JC's Team

LW - Nathan MacKinnon - $12.60 Million AAV
C - Connor McDavid - $12.50 Million AAV
RW - K.Marchenko - $3.85 Million AAV
LD - Quinn Hughes - $7.85Million AAV
RD - Tyler Kleven - $1.5 Million AAV
G - Jakub Dobes - $0.965Million AAV
Total AAV: $39.265 Million

I was sitting beside Mick on a 6 hour bus ride recently when he brought up this article. Considering we had time to kill, I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring.

At first I thought I had to make an entire lineup using under $40m (12 forwards, 6 defensemen, 2 goalies). I was bringing up names like Marat Khusnutdinov and somehow Mick didn’t gather the fact that I had no clue what I was doing.

Eventually, the actual concept was explained to me. Boy oh boy, did I ever lock in.

First of all, I of course started with Connor McDavid. That was a non-negotiable, and anyone who didn’t pick him is intentionally throwing. Beyond McDavid, I thought the prospect of adding Nathan MacKinnon was too good to pass up. I committed my mind to having those two on the team (the two best players in the world) and decided I’d just figure out the rest after. Those two are unstoppable… unless it's overtime of the Olympic Gold Medal game.

Marchenko is a 70-point player making under $4 million. He‘ll serve as a fantastic finisher while McDavid and MacKinnon drive play. He brings excellent positioning with an elite shot. The contract value on Marchenko is far too good to pass up. When he signs a new contract, he won’t be anywhere near this lineup. For now, he slots in beside two superstars.

It's the best line of the article, but it costs nearly $30 million.

With that in mind, I still took Quinn Hughes: a top-two defenceman making under $8 million. As a Canucks fan, I heavily considered ignoring Hughes entirely and instead choosing Josh Morrissey at his $6.25m cap hit. But at the end of the day, I decided the part of my ego that wants to be better than my friends is bigger than the part of my ego that holds grudges.

That left $3.2 million, and my options were slim. For my other defenseman, I opted for Tyler Kleven. He‘s a decent defensive defenseman who only makes $1.6m. Considering he’s clearly the weakest part of this lineup, I feel comfortable seeing that title go to a guy who’s honestly quite solid. Kleven also managed the hardest shot in the league this past season. Maybe this lineup will unlock that out of him and he'll score a goal or two. His main job would be in his own zone, though.

Jakub Dobeš was the best goalie I could afford with what was left, and I feel quite happy with that. Dobeš didn’t have an incredible start to this past season, but his playoff run is quite well-known. I’m hoping that’s the actual reflection of who Dobeš is as a goalie. The Canadiens are too, seeing as they signed him to an extension for $5.3m that kicks in at the start of the 2027/28 NHL season. Luckily for me, and many others in this article, his current contract comes in at under $1 million. A true no-brainer with my budget.

My team is the best. You're not stopping McDavid, MacKinnon and Quinn Hughes. The other players aren’t slackers either. When I sent this to the official Asterisk Sports group chat, Peter thought I was joking. He thought I completely ignored the budget and just built a superteam. He was in disbelief that I was under $40 million. What can i say? I'm just the GOAT.