Around which current NHL star would you build a franchise?

While watching Alex Ovechkin lead a glorified AHL team to a win last night, I began to wonder which NHL star I would pick to start a franchise. That led to wondering which players the SJ hockey cognoscenti would select. So those thoughts prompted this thread.


I apologize in advance for the length of the poll. I also apologize if I forgot a name.

 

Chris Chelios.

Whoops, sorry. I thought the question was, which current NHL star predates his franchise.

 

I should say Eric Staal or Cam Ward. Awfully lucky to have both on my team.

But I'd have to pick Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. The latter is probably a better pure finisher, while the former will probably be the best setup guy since Wayne Gretzky. (Of course, Sidney needs an assist or two to catch Mr. Francis for No. 2 on the list before he can go after Gretzky's mark )

 

I'd like to say Kessel, but the pick of course is Crosby or Ovechkin.

 

Again, you can pick whomever I listed or name drop someone else.

If it were me, I take Ovechkin 100 times out of 100.

 

I'm torn on this one for the simple fact that Ovechkin took 13 of the Caps' 36 shots last night. It'd give me pause because is he capable of not taking over a game, as in taking shots he shouldn't.
I voted Sid.

 

That's why I didn't vote for Sid. He doesn't shoot nearly enough.

To me, what Ovechkin did last night was remarkable. Even in the "new" NHL, a team should not come back to win after trailing 4-0. And the Caps did because Ovechkin was the best player on the ice. He did absolutely everything a team could ask a player to do.

 

Sidney Crosby. The Penguins pretty much rebuilt their franchise around him. Ovechkin, around him, the Capitals are still in that process. Some of the other nominees on the list are great, great complementary players, like Milan Lucic, Ryan Miller and Phil Kessel - they have the tools and the talent but either have a niche or don't have the X-factor that Crosby and Ovechkin have.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are the future of the Blackhawks, but that team, like I've said before, is in need of some veteran leadership to bring things together for them.

Unless you only consider his past three seasons, Vincent Lecavalier doesn't belong on the list.

If Scott Niedermayer was eight years younger, he'd be my franchise guy.

 

Did I mention Lucic? Because I was seriously considering him.

It just dawned on me that I did not add Carey Price to the list.

 

I made my fanboi pick.

 

I thought of you specifically when adding Toews and Kane. I figured it would be a tough decision.