Follow @james_tanner123 How to Build an NHL Team in a Salary Cap System:
1. Recognize that the luck needed to successfully rebuild a team by losing consistently for four or five years and drafting high makes such a plan a total crap-shoot.
Attempting to build a team this way is a terrible idea. Especially when you consider that outside of Stamkos/McDavid/Crosby type years, the best players in the NHL tend to come randomly from all parts of the draft. Obviously the higher you pick the better, but in general I would say picking high is overrated (which doesn't mean it isn't preferable).
2. Instead, always draft the highest skilled player when you do draft and make every effort to maximize the amount of draft picks you take.
If you make as many picks as possible, you should, after a while, always have a few mid-range prospects that you can deal in volume in order to get a better single player and manage your 50 contract limit.
For instance the Coyotes have Duclair, Domi, Strome already, but also have Fischer, Perlini, Dvorak, Samuelsson, Merkley, MacInnis, Letunov, Lessio, Dauphin, Gaudett. They won't all be NHL players, but some need to be moved eventually because that's too many players in the same age range. Even if 8 of those players work out, its probably too many to keep.
3. Since you can't have a whole bunch of rookies breaking in on any given year, it is important to identify the prospects you like and trade other ones. Prospects can be overrated and seen optimistically and are cheap (cap-wise) so I can see an exploitable edge in trading some prospects (not your only ones mind you, we're assuming a team that is drafting a ton and developing more prospects than average) for veterans.
4. Dress players from every age group. I think teams should neither be too young or too old, or all the same age.
5. Maintain a balance, but try to play young players the most. They are valuable contract-wise and underrated as compared to old players (because experience is very overrated and whenever anything is not properly rated you can exploit an edge).
6. Try to dress only players who demonstrate positive possession ability.
7. If you are confident with the character of your team you should make plays for players with bad behavior/attitude reputations because they are extremely undervalued and thus cheap to acquire. Also, most people eventually grow up.
8. Bet on your own guys. Pay players for what they will do rather than what they have done. Sign players to long term deals at the lowest possible cap-hit by attempting to rarely sign bridge deals.
9. But be flexible and don't follow rules hard and fast. Sometimes you might, for example, be in a situation where tanking IS the right move (Buffalo last year) or a bridge contract is sensible.
10. When a player is elite and going to be asking for a massive cap-hit that will likely screw up the balance of your whole operation, in most instances I would trade this player for futures before losing him to free-agency or committing all my resources to one player.
However, if it was a player I drafted and developed who was the centre of my whole organization I would sign him anyways. I would not sign another teams player at league max costs, ever.
So I would sign Stamkos if I was running Tampa, but if he was UFA I would not be interested.
Sign these players because they can help your team, but can also be flipped for picks, depending on circumstances.
12. Only sign UFAs to deals of 2 years or less. Never sign big-ticket free agents unless you are on the verge of winning a Cup and something crazy falls in your lap.
13. Don't spend crazy money on a goalie. Too unpredictable.
14. Dress only players who are defensively competent.
15. Try to have four lines that each feature two skill players (who are hopefully defensively responsible) and player who's value comes from his defense specifically.
16. Do not have a "checking line." All your lines should be defensively responsible and capable of posting positive possession numbers. If they do this, there is no need to dedicate a single line to defense.
17. Dressing skilled players on the fourth line can give you an edge against nearly every team in the NHL.
18. I would play my best players a little bit more than most teams seem to now, in terms of ice time.
19. However, I would make up for it by rotating players in and out of the lineup far more than coaches currently do. The skill difference in the NHL is marginal so injuries and fatigue can destroy what edge a good player has over a lesser one. No one on my team would be an iron-man.
20. I would dress only defensemen who can move the puck and post positive possession ratings. The best defenders don't tend to ever be guys who cross check you in the neck an drive you into the boards (though there are exceptions).
Seven offensive defensemen is what I would be looking for, (although I don't really like to call them "offensive" defensemen, I would want guys like Muzzin, Gardiner, Brodie, Vlasic, OEL. That's a wide variety of styles but all are effective. )
If we were reasonably sure of a Playoff game I would rotate all seven of them out of the lineup. For instance if I was Montreal right now, having virtually already made the Playoffs, I would sit even Subban every six or seven games to keep him fresh.
21. Do not employ faceoff or penalty killing specialists, or enforcers.
22. Because first-round picks are overrated, it would be wise to at least consider trading them. For instance, if the Oilers were willing to trade their unprotected first-round pick for next season, they might be able to take back a haul right now.
23. I would hire an analytics adviser to run a team of analysts, with one dedicated to each team. I would know every single thing about my opponents.
I would also hire a game theory expert and a guy who's specific job was to be the devils advocate and challenge every assumption.
24. Ask a lot of questions. Have a lot of advisers. Admit when you are wrong, don't double down on mistakes because of ego, and be sure to recognize sunk costs.