Top-Six Centers: Paul Stastny (St. Louis), Martin Hanzal (Arizona)

Stastny's 89 faceoff rating is the fourth-highest in NHL 16, and while he's not the fastest skater or sharpest sniper, his deking, deflections, passing, and puck control all come with an impressive 90 rating. Make this man your captain today for 2K coins and you'll have no regrets.

Hanzal's game is less about beauty and more about brawn, with 90 slap shot power and 88 wrist shot power, plus 90 strength and 90 balance. He's got an absolute hammer of a shot, and he's extremely difficult to knock off the puck once he builds some forward momentum. Hanzal won't be losing too many draws, either, with an 87 faceoff rating that's the sixth-highest in NHL 16.

Bottom-Six Centers: Paul Gaustad (Nashville), Boyd Gordon (Arizona)

Patrice Bergeron (95) and Joe Thornton (91) are the only centers in NHL 16 with higher faceoff ratings than Gaustad (90) and Gordon (90). As such, both grinders are great to have as penalty killers who can dominate defensive zone draws and prevent the other team from setting up their offense. Gaustad's size (6'5", 223 pounds) and strength (90) will also help him hold onto the puck along the boards and behind the net, plus his mid-80s shot power is high enough to score on open looks from the slot.

Left-Handed Wingers Who Can Shoot: Eric Staal (Carolina), Tomáš Plekanec (Montreal)

While these lefties are actually centers in real life, their faceoff ratings of 79 and 81, respectively, are so low that they'll be better-off playing on the wings in NHL 16. Staal and Plekanec have slick hands and hard shots with ratings in the high-80s, which makes up for their relative lack of foot speed.

Left-Handed Wingers Who Can Skate: Michael Grabner (Islanders), Mason Raymond (Calgary)

Only Taylor Hall (95) and Matt Duchene (95) have higher speed ratings than Raymond (94) and Grabner (93). Each of these speedsters can shoot and dangle, to boot: Grabner boasts 88 shot power and 87 deking, while Raymond brings 86 shot power and 88 deking. There's no reason to shell out several thousand coins for Anaheim's Andrew Cogliano (94 speed, but only 84 shot power) when you can get Grabner and Raymond for one grand a piece.

Right-Handed Wingers Who Can Shoot: Thomas Vanek (Minnesota), Mark Stone (Ottawa)

Vanek's currently the only player you can grab for around 1,000 coins who has shooting ratings in the 90s, and the reason he's so cheap in NHL 16 is because of his 85 speed and complete lack of physicality/defensive ability for someone his size (6'2", 218 pounds). Start Vanek only in the offensive zone and on the power play if you want to get the most production from his limited talents.

Stone's 84 speed is even slower than Vanek's, but Stone makes up for his slowness with shooting and defensive ratings that are all in the high-80s. Stone's skillset will shine in the offensive and defensive zones, but make sure that he doesn't become the puck carrier on breakouts or during neutral zone battles.

Right-Handed Wingers Who Can Skate: Jannik Hansen (Vancouver), Cam Atkinson (Columbus)

Hansen's 91 speed, 86 wrist shot power, and 87 slap shot power make him a capable offensive option, but his defensive ratings (stick checking, strength, hitting) are his true forte, making him a trustworthy forward during defensive zone starts and penalty kills.

Atkinson, conversely, is more of a finesse forward who'll be better on the power play and in the neutral zone than on penalty kill, so use his 90 deking, 90 speed, and 86 wrist shot accuracy to carry and shoot the puck.

Right-Handed Defensemen: Erik Johnson (Colorado) Travis Hamonic (Islanders), Ryan Ellis (Nashville)

Aside from his mediocre speed rating (85) and lack of discipline (75), Johnson doesn't have many weaknesses. He's a big body (6'4", 232 pounds) who can hit (88 body check), shoot (89 slap shot power), and defend (87 awareness).

Hamonic is a prototypical stay-at-home defensemen who can't shoot (75 accuracy) or skate very well (84 speed), but he can block shots, stick check, hit, and defend like a boss (all rated 88).

You won't find any other defensemen costing 500 coins who can score, skate, deke, and pass as well as Ryan Ellis. His "non-rare" card status means he's commonly found in packs, but his offensive skillset is actually pretty rare among cheaply priced defenders.

Left-Handed Defensemen: Jason Garrison (Tampa), Torey Krug (Boston), Niklas Hjalmarsson (Chicago)

Shea Weber (95) is the only defenseman in NHL 16 who has more slap shot power than Jason Garrison (93). Garrison isn't the fastest, smartest, or most disciplined blue liner you can buy, but his size (6'3", 222 pounds), physicality, and scoring ability from the point should earn him a spot in your lineup.

Like Ryan Ellis, Torey Krug is diminutive (5'9", 181 pounds) offensive dynamo (90 slap shot power, 83 slap shot accuracy) who's equally adept at stick checking (86) and defensive awareness (87). After Garrison, Krug should be your number two option on the right side of the ice anytime you're in the offensive zone.

Hjalmarsson's height (6'3"), hitting (88), stick checking (88), and awareness (88) make him a reliable player in the defensive zone and on penalty kills. He won't impress you with any flashy offensive plays, but at least he won't embarrass you with any dumb mistakes on defense.

Goaltender: Any NHL Starter

It really doesn't matter who you have in net when your opponent can simply skate up and snipe top shelf on the highest rated goalies in the game while using scrub forwards like Borna Rendulić (84 power, 74 accuracy) and William Bower (80 power, 64 accuracy). So just try find an affordable netminder who has lots of boost slots and base ratings in the mid-80s, such as Detroit's Petr Mrázek.