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Honestly, even if I do get flamed a bit for it, I would actually take Crosby. He has a great work ethic, great skater, great leader, awesome shot, getting pretty good defensively, and one hell of a playmaker. I like how he plays.
That's the whole thing though, everyone has an idea of what they want in a team. I know that when I draft, I usually look for guys that are going to get bigger with a lot of skill and solid work ethic. The only time I've ever drafted a dman that wasn't nasty was when it was one that was just too good to pass up.
I think those of you choosing d-men or goalies to build around are forgetting about the financial and marketing part of it, guys like Ovie, Malkin and Crosby will generate interest and put people in the stands like no d-man or goalie in the NHL could possibly do.
I think we can all agree on that you will not be able to build a team if you don't have any money to sign players.
We are not doing a simulation here, we're just talking about who you will prefer to start your team, a fantasy one.
I can understand what you mean, though if your team have bad result because of a bad defence, nobody will come see you either. Defence win championship.
For me the answer to this question is a matter of context.
If I building an expansion team from scratch and need someone to create buzz for the team and put butts in seats, then it's Ovechkin hands down. He is by far the most exciting player in the league and he definitely sells tickets!
If I am rebuilding an existing team for the long haul, then it has to be a great young goalie (like Steve Mason), a stud d-man (like Phaneuf) or an elite, complete center (like Datsyuk or Zetterberg). Although, with Hitchcock molding Rick Nash into a complete two-way scorer (like Bowman did with Yzerman), Nash would be a good choice too.
