I usually don’t do this, but I found a great suggestion for something that could be very interesting on a message board.
Here’s the idea, from the message board in question

A friend of mine posed this question to me last year and we had some fun with it. I thought I’d resurrect the idea now.

Suppose your goal is to assemble the best possible 6-man roster. You need three forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie. Your forwards should be in their natural positions, but it is not a requirement. It just means that they may not be 100% effective, but at the same time, the most skilled players would adapt reasonably well.

The goal is to create the lineup with the best possible potential for the next 10+ years. That means you’re looking to pick guys under 31, and if you pick a guy older than that you should believe that his limited time left as an elite player outweighs the potential of a younger guy. Here’s what makes this challenging:You cannot take more than one player from any NHL team, or from any country of origin.

I am finding this very challenging. I have made about 15 different lineups and I don’t find any of them to be perfect. Who do you use as your swede? A goalie, or a defenseman? If you want Phaneuf you can’t have Crosby. You can’t have both Ovechkin and Kovalchuk. Taking Kovalchuk means you have a strong left side, but if you take Ovy on the right, you’re left with a weaker left. Kaberle makes a great Czech on defense at the moderate age of 30, but could you do better with a younger American or European? And so on.

Let the debate begin. What’s the best lineup you can assemble with 6 players, using no more than one player from any NHL team or country of origin

(be reasonable, if a player plays internationally for canada they are canadian. Heatley can’t count as German and Regehr can’t count as Brazilian)

Here’s my lineup, Jeff has already called me crazy, but I love it and would die by it for 10 years.

Up front:

LW Alexander Ovechkin — no explanation neccessary. The best player in the game, the most explosive and dangerous player in years.

C Anze Kopitar — Great hands and skill, speed, creativity and he’s still young and getting better, plus he’s Slovenian, find me another Slovenian NHL player.

RW Mike Richards
Yes, I just chose this guy over Crosby/Thornton/Nash/Heatley, and yes, I know I’m nuts for doing that, but in the end, I take Richards.
He’s just as good, if not almost as good as those guys I just named offensively, he’s a responsible defensive player, a leader, a team guy, a good PKer, and he has a toolbox full of skills that not all players have.
Speed, scoring, hitting, defence, leading…Crosby and Heatley don’t have that, and you could argue for Thornton, but, in all truth, Richards is younger.
Mike Richards is Cannon.

D Tobias Enstrom — Already anchoring the Thrashers defence and powerplay at such a young age, there’s no telling what his ceiling could be.

D Matt Niskanen – I like, love, what I see from Niskanen; he’s going to be a #1 in this league and has already proven to be a top defenceman in the league.

G Cristobal Huet — Okay, I cheated just a bit, but I count Huet as a Montreal Canadien, he will always be one in my heart, so it’s all cool.
Huet is a very good goaltender, and besides being my favourite, he’s a classy guy, a calm, patient and controlled goalie, plus I like his technique.

Ovechkin - Kopitar - M. Richards
Enstrom - Niskanen
Huet

Russia - Slovenia - Canada
Sweden - United States
France

Washington Capitals - LA Kings - Philadelphia Flyers
Atlanta Thrashers - Dallas Stars
Montreal Canadiens

Feel free, in fact, I encourage you to post yours.

-BBeR