Looking at the four cheapest goal-scorers for your salary cap league.

Maybe it’s just me but it seems I am always scrambling to find good goal scorers for my rosters; let alone cheap ones. It doesn’t matter if you are in a H2H, roto or points format league, they are simply hard to find and when you do find them, you treasure them like gold.

In this week’s Capped, we will take a look at some of the league’s best goal scorers per million dollars at this point in the season. In my research, I was simply looking at the cap hit to the team, not the player’s annual overall salary (which would include performance bonuses). Their value is ranked in goals per million (I divided their salary into the amount of goals they have scored) for clarity purposes.

1. Nikita Kucherov – TB – 21 goals, $711,606 cap hit. Value – 2.95

I did this similar column around this time last year, and last year Kucherov was the best bang for the buck goal-scorer in the NHL as well. The kid is simply electric and it doesn’t matter who he’s playing with. Last year it was all about the big second line for the Lightning, which consisted of Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. This year that line just hasn’t been the same, mainly due to injuries to both of Kucherov’s former line mates, but that hasn’t affected Kucherov’s ability to snipe. He’s still just as deadly this year as he was last year, and is currently sitting at 21 goals on the year. Unfortunately for Steve Yzerman and the Lightning, this is the last year for Kucherov and his current bargain price tag. He’s about to get paid.

2. Vincent Trocheck – FLA – 15goals, $661,667 cap hit. Value – 2.26

Trocheck has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise for the up-surging Panthers this season. He has matched his games played from last year (50GP) but his improvements on the offensive side is dramatic; last year in 50GP he had a total of seven goals while he’s currently at 15 goals in 50GP this season. He’s on pace for close to 25 goals and considering he’s in the last year of his entry-level contract, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

3. Artemi Panarin – CHI – 18 goals, $812,500 cap hit. Value – 2.21

A favorite for the Calder Trophy, Panarin has been anything less than lethal all season long as he rides shotgun with Patrick Kane on one of the leagues deadliest lines. He’s currently the leading point producer and goal scorer among all rookies so far this season. Many wonder if its Kane’s great season that’s boosting Panarin, or is it the rookie who’s pushing Kane to higher levels. Either way, there’s no denying that he’s having an excellent season and the best part for the Blackhawks; they have him for one more season at this bargain price.

4. Boone Jenner – CBJ – 17 goals, $767,500 cap hit. Value – 2.21

The former second round pick is having a career year in many areas but most importantly for the goal-starved Blue Jackets, he’s have a career year in goals scored. He previous high for goals in a season was 16 (set last year in 72GP) but with 17 already, in just 52 games, Jenner is showing he is more than just an energy guy on this team. In his third year with the Blue Jackets, he has already assumed a true leadership role with the team as well, being named as one of the teams alternate captains. His playing style doesn’t lend to great health though and this is one of the drawbacks to Jenner. He is also in the last year of his entry level deal.

So there’s your top four when we looking for cheap goals.

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So there’s your top four when looking for cheap goals. Thanks again for reading and thanks to capfriendly for the numbers.

On a side note, I noticed that Cap Friendly has changed the look and functionality of their website and I must say I am impressed. They have a lot more options to play with and more information than they have had in the past. Check it out when you are looking for salary information.