NHL: The Best NHL Team That Money Can Buy

Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Best NHL Team Money Can Buy: Second Line

For my second line, I wanted to have an elite shutdown line. I got that while adding some potentially borderline elite offense as well by adding a young forward.

Second Line Left Wing And Center: Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron

These two need to be introduced together. They come at a costly price at a combined $11.375 million, but they are worth every penny of it because they are the best shutdown duo in the NHL. Bergeron led the NHL with a dCI of 287.49. Marchand’s dCI was 169.49, 11th highest in the NHL and second among left wings. This duo is way too good to even consider breaking up. Once I included Bergeron, I knew I had to include his best friend Marchand.

Honorable mentions: I was sorely tempted to just have the Triplets line from Tampa Bay, but they don’t dominate defensive zone starts like Boston’s dynamic duo do. What’s impressive is that Boston’s duo does what the triplets do except with less favorable zone starts.

Second Line Right Wing: Brendan Gallagher

Gallagher provides an element of offense to the second line while still being excellent defensively. His dCI of 136.86 ranked sixth among all NHL right wings. His dCF (which measures offense) was the highest among all right wings (161.83). When you consider how sub par Montreal was in terms of possession, that’s very impressive. He also provides the second line with a first line goal scoring talent.

Next: Third Forward Line