Cap lifts youngsters' value

0 Comments | USA TODAY, November, 2006 | by Kevin Allen

General managers used to believe you couldn't win with youngsters in the lineup. Today, as the NHL adjusts to the salary cap, they feel they can't win without them. The Anaheim Ducks have the West's best record, and they have Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, both 21, among their leading scorers, plus rookie Dustin Penner, 24, also playing a significant role up front.

The Central-leading Nashville Predators rely on defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, who didn't have 100 games of NHL experience between them entering the season. "If you are going to have star players on your team making good money, you are going to also have players at a better price point that can contribute," Anaheim general manager Brian Burke says. Even though the Predators are considered contenders, they...