Veterans top Forbes NHL 'best scorers for the money' list

Two of the three most valuable scorers in the NHL played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, and no, they aren't Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Although Crosby and Malkin remain two of the league's top scorers, their massive cap hits preclude them from cracking the top 10 list of bang-for-your-buck players, according to Forbes. The list, which averages per-game point production over the last three seasons (giving two points for a goal and one for an assist) and compares it to the player's current cap hit, favors veterans on bargain contracts and young players about to cash in.

Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow, two of the top three players on the list, ended last season with Pittsburgh after landing there in trade deadline deals. Iginla, who now plays for Boston, is at the top with a $1.8 million cap hit despite recording 89 goals and 97 assists since 2010. Morrow, who signed with the Blues for $1.5 million in the off-season, has 56 goals and 51 points over the last three seasons.

43-year-old Ducks forward Teemu Selanne is second on the list with 69 goals and 101 assists to go with a $2 million cap hit.

Sharks forward Logan Couture is the top young player with 84 goals and 74 assists on a $2.9 million cap hit, but Couture, 24, will see that number balloon to $6 million by next season with his new contract. Similarly, Flyers forward Claude Giroux, 25, has produced 66 goals and 151 assists over the last three seasons and is set to jump from a $3.75 million cap hit to $8.275 starting next season.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban are the top-scoring blue-liners for value. Wild forward Dany Heatley has the dubious distinction of being the worst value scorer in the league as he plays out the final season of a six-year, $45 million contract mired on Minnesota's bottom two lines.