Roster construction at the NHL level is truly an art form and in the salary cap era there are but few Picassos. As the league is currently situated, the best method for designing a cup contender is building a roster centered around talent that’s paid below market value. As a rebuilding team, the New York Rangers are in a position to exploit this system.
Using Connor McDavid’s $12.5 million per year salary as a baseline, we can estimate that every ten points of offensive production are worth around $108,000 at the forward position. While this figure is a tad higher than the next lowest contract, it serves as a baseline for what elite talent is worth at the NHL level.