Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Best NHL Team Money Can Buy: Third Line
I wanted this line to be more well-balanced, though they would likely not be facing the same high quality of competition as most third lines thanks to the best second line in the NHL (hypothetically). I also wanted this line to be dirt cheap because I splurged big time on my first two forward lines. I wound up using two of my three ELCs on this line.
Third Line Left Wing: Nikita Kucherov
Like MacKinnon, he’s still on his ELC with a cap hit of $712,000. That played a huge factor in his inclusion on his team, but so did his impressive numbers. Kucherov had a 64 point season in 2014-2015. Some might say he’s a bit of a passenger to Tyler Johnson. I disagree. Even if that were true, it’s not like he’s playing with bums on the third line. He’s got two of the best young forwards in the NHL on this line. Kucherov had a dCI of 103.44 (10th among right wings) in 2014-2015. He’d add some offensive firepower to the third line without being that much of a hinderance defensively.
Third Line Center: Nathan MacKinnon
I don’t think people realize just how good MacKinnon is. Sure, he had a “down year” in terms of his box car stats with just 38 points after having a 63 point regular season in 2013-2014. Before getting down on him, he’s only 19 years old. He has the hockey IQ of at least a 25-year-old though. His CorsiFor% relative? 7.3%. His possession prowess shines thanks to his dCI of 143.48 (seventh highest among centers). He’s still on his ELC with a cap hit of $925,000 as well.
Third Line Right Wing: Tomas Tatar
I’ve been a huge fan of Tatar since he entered the league. So I wasn’t that surprised that he had such a high dCI. His 191.99 dCI was the fourth highest in the NHL. He’s a rare NHL player who can create offense at an impressive rate and shut down opponents. He’s such a perfect fit for this line. With him, the third line is much better offensively and defensively. Want to know why Detroit could be just fine when Datsyuk and Zetterberg retire? Tatar’s a pretty big reason why.
Next: Fourth Forward Line