In Brian Burke's book Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey, he has a segment that talks about positional skills and performance. Every position on the roster, from the first-line forwards to the backup goalie are covered. While I personally might disagree with some of these assessments, I thought it would be interesting to build a team that would fit his philosophy. If you are not familiar with Brian Burke, he is currently the president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has been the general manager for the Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has also been the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames. I am sure that if you are someone that spends time on CapFriendly, you are aware of Brian Burke.
I am going to list the following descriptions for each position in the lineup, and then you can compare the description with the player I have put there. I tried to not use any player on their ELC to make the challenge a little harder.
First Line: One guy with size.
1LW: Top skill, size (even if not a black-and-blue player), ability to finish. = Svechnikov.
1C: Top skill, Foot speed, first power-play unit, 65 points or better, leader. = Scheifele.
1RW: Sniper, Foot speed, green light to score, first power-play unit. = Toffoli.
Second Line: Two guys with size.
2LW: Size (even if skilled), secondary scoring, second power-play unit. = Mantha.
2C: Second skill level, responsible defensively, face-off skill. = Karlsson.
2RW: Size (with some bite), scoring ability, second power-play unit. = Tuch.
Third Line: Size, fighter disciples.
3LW: Must be smart, above average skating, ability to move, shootout skill. = Colton.
3C: Penalty killer, face-off guy, high hockey IQ, foot speed a must, workaholic, right-handed shot. = Pageau.
3RW: Size, Second fighter, middleweight, skilled and smart enough to shut people down, penalty killer. = Foligno.
Fourth Line: Grit, fighter disciples.
4LW: Penalty killer, responsible, hard to play against, last minute of each period. = Robinson.
4C: Size, face-off skill, shot blocker, shutdown role, agitator. = Sturm.
4RW: Fighter and can play, penalty killer, speed, last minute of each period. = Hathaway.
13th Forward: Tougness, fight in any weight class. = Gabriel.
First Defence Pair: Skill.
1LD: Can move puck, or lug it out of trouble, top-end foot speed, high hockey IQ. = Theodore.
1RD: Size, play against top line, hard shot, can shut people down and move the puck, right-handed shot. = Trouba.
Second Defence Pair: Size.
2LD: Skill, second power-play unit, good decision-maker, eliminate/pin (even if no hard finish), some penalty killing. = Fowler.
2RD: Smart, mobile, finish and pin/eliminate, some bite, penalty killer, right-hand shot. = Holl.
Third Defence Pair: Big size, one fighter.
3LD: Penalty Killer, hard minutes against bottom-six forwards, third fighter. = Soucy.
3RD: Size, hard to play against, fights when needed, finish checks hard, penalty killer. = Bogosian.
Goaltenders.
Starter: Play 60-65 games, battles, elite athlete, great mechanics. = Markström.
Backup: Great work ethic in practice, push the starter, makes shooters better, survive with low workload, popular. = Hill.
Let me know what you guys think, and maybe give me a link to your team if you decide to take on this challenge.
I mean, yeah, this is a good team. But at the same time, you have arguably the 2nd best player in the NHL, the 2nd best goalie in the NHL, one of the top 3 goal scorers in the NHL, and three number 1 defenseman. And all of the players I'm referring to make less than $7.5m each (some much less). The team is stacked more because of the players + contracts you selected, as opposed to going by Burke's thoughts -- in my opinion.
I mean, yeah, this is a good team. But at the same time, you have arguably the 2nd best player in the NHL, the 2nd best goalie in the NHL, one of the top 3 goal scorers in the NHL, and three number 1 defenseman. And all of the players I'm referring to make less than $7.5m each (some much less). The team is stacked more because of the players + contracts you selected, as opposed to going by Burke's thoughts -- in my opinion.
Fair, I'll make some adjustments and let you know when I am done.
Thanks for the feedback.
I mean, yeah, this is a good team. But at the same time, you have arguably the 2nd best player in the NHL, the 2nd best goalie in the NHL, one of the top 3 goal scorers in the NHL, and three number 1 defenseman. And all of the players I'm referring to make less than $7.5m each (some much less). The team is stacked more because of the players + contracts you selected, as opposed to going by Burke's thoughts -- in my opinion.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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