Top 7 Players To Build a Franchise Around

Franchises, they are seen both with individual players and whole teams. But who are the guys that teams should work on building a franchise around in the coming years? And who are some that teams are already working with when it comes to building the team's franchise while working around the players?

Let's take a look.

No. 7: Zach Parise

While there is talk that after his new contract is up he'll be gone, the New Jersey Devils would be smart to keep Zach Parise on to build a team around.

Sure, at 27, he's a little older than other players on this list but he could be a good cornerstone to the organization and someone to help their franchise. He doesn't have the high numbers of some of the other players on this list and he isn't the most important player on his team but he is popular and the team would do well to really work with him to keep him around for the franchise in future years.

No. 6: John Tavares

John Tavares is young and talented, doing quite a bit with a team that really struggled last year. The team has some other talent that look to compliment Tavares and the New York Islanders would be a step ahead taking advantage of all this new blood.

Tavares has the potential to really step up in the coming years, both in a leadership and playmaking role  and the Islanders really need to take advantage of that while they can.

No. 5: Jonathan Toews

While the Chicago Blackhawks are full of young players that can be the center of the franchise, Jonathan Toews is one that really comes to mind when it comes to building a franchise.

Sure, he's not as popular as Patrick Kane or some of the others but he does have the "C" letter for a reason and is pretty good at keeping his nose out of trouble. Really, the Blackhawks would probably be ahead using all the young guys as a franchise builder (which it seems they are doing now) but Toews is one that could best handle the role.

He has the smarts and the personality to help the Blackhawks both on and off the ice and would be the best guy for this role. Plus, he's one of the big young guns on the ice and you can't get much better when looking at other possible franchise players.

No. 4: Shea Weber

Given the biggest arbitration award of all time in the NHL ($7.5 million for one year), the Predators definitely need to make Shea Weber the center of their franchise.

His on-ice record is pretty awesome and he has 80 goals in his career, putting him ahead of Mike Green (79) for the defenseman to score the most goals since the start of the 2006-07 season. Weber is definitely a good player for Nashville to build a franchise around if they manage to keep him around for a few years.

No. 3: Steven Stamkos

This one may be considered a no brainer to some, even with the other players on the team. Steven Stamkos is arguably one of the best players in the league right now and is still young with a potential to get even better. There was some drama this offseason when it took longer to sign him than most people anticipated but all signs already point towards Tampa focusing on building a franchise around the 21-year-old.

He's a good player with a huge upside and fans seem to like him so there's really no way to go wrong here.

No. 2: Sidney Crosby

While it seems like Pittsburgh has already built the franchise around him (or at least started to), he can't really be left off this list.

The truth is that Pittsburgh has a lot of young players that they could use to build a franchise around if they wanted to stray away from the proven formula, but since Crosby is one of the head boys of the NHL, they are better off sticking with him.

Even with Crosby off the ice for half the season, he was still talked about and that definitely makes the outcome look good for those that have made him the center of the franchise.

No. 1: Alex Ovechkin

Even with a "bad" season (85 points compared to the 100-plus he usually gets), Alex Ovechkin basically is the Capitals.

The only problem that could be seen here is that he's in the limelight more than the team most of the time which makes him more of the franchise than the team. However, with some slight changes, I think they could use his influence even more to fully build the team's franchise around him.

With Ovechkin's popularity and flashy playing style, he'd be a good player for any team to build a franchise around, as long as they can work around the Ovechkin franchise that already exists.