(Image Credit: EA Sports)
In HUT, especially if you’re new to the game mode and haven’t forked-out on packs, it can be difficult to be competitive early on. So, this is a list of decent players who you can buy for cheap early in the game to get your team underway.
The costs noted may vary from those on the market depending on what time of the day you go on. At busier times, you’re more likely to find cheaper players because the market is more competitive for sellers. Also, the coin costs may seem a bit high to be considered ‘cheap’ – around 5,000 for most – but you can quickly stack this kind of cash by playing the versus CPU Progression Challenges and Domination Challenges as they are easy and yield decent rewards.
It’s also a more effective way of building a strong team compared to purchasing the packs. The standard Gold Packs have a 42% chance of landing a player with an 80-plus rating and cost 15,000. For 30,000, you’ll be able to get one player from each of the six categories below rather than having two cracks at a 42% chance of maybe getting two.
So, these are some of the best cheap players to target early in your NHL 19 HUT career.
Andrew Cogliano (79 HUT OVR)
Team: Anaheim DucksPosition: Left WingSynergy: DZSalary: 3,000,000Market Cost: 4,000Height: 178cmWeight: 80kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: Acceleration 94, Speed 94, Agility 90
If you want to have a secret weapon in your lines who is able to break away and score at any moment, you’ll need a speedster. Andrew Cogliano is the cheapest and one of the quickest in NHL 19’s Hockey Ultimate Team. Give him the puck on the breakaway and no defenseman will be able to catch him.
Here are some other speedsters to consider in other positions:
Name | Team | Position | Market Cost | Salary | Synergy | HUT OVR | Speedster Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mats Zuccarello | New York Rangers | Right Wing | 5,000 | 4,500,000 | S | 81 | Acceleration 92, Agility 92, Speed 92 |
Alex DeBrincat | Chicago Blackhawks | Center | 8,000 | 810,000 | BU | 80 | Acceleration 92, Agility 91, Speed 92 |
Jared Spurgeon | Minnesota Wild | Right Defenseman | 5,000 | 5,185,000 | PP | 81 | Acceleration 90, Agility 90, Speed 90 |
T. J. Brodie | Calgary Flames | Left Defenseman | 5,000 | 4,655,000 | T | 80 | Acceleration 90, Agility 90, Speed 90 |
Milan Lucic (80 HUT OVR)
Team: Edmonton OilersPosition: Left WingSynergy: BESalary: 6,000,000Market Cost: 4,400Height: 191cmWeight: 107kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: Balance 94, Body Checking 85, Speed 85
Even though the game is about speed and skill more than ever, a game can be turned on its head following a good fight. If you’re a goal down and your team is running low on energy, win a fight to give yourself an edge. Even if it means skating offside and then firing on net, the fight could turn the match in your favor.
Milan Lucic is the best cheap enforcer that you can get as not only does he have an 80 in fighting skill and an 84 in strength, he also has good ratings in speed, acceleration, agility, body checking, and shooting.
Another good option is right wing Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights. Rated at 79 overall with a fighting skill of 80 and strength of 82, he’ll cost around 3,000.
Jordan Staal (81 HUT OVR)
Team: Carolina HurricanesPosition: CenterSynergy: BMSalary: 6,000,000Market Cost: 4,500Height: 193cmWeight: 100kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: Balance 90, Defensive Awareness 85, Agility 85
When you want to keep possession and slow down the opposition, you need a strong two-way center on the ice to win the faceoffs and add another savvy body to the defensive end if you lose the puck. Jordan Staal is one of the best two-way forwards in the game, boasting great defensive awareness, 80 stick checking, 80 strength, 76 poise, a very high HUT base card rating of 79 on faceoffs, and 90 balance.
Staal is your best option for a cheap, strong, faceoff-winning center, but these players also have high attribute ratings:
Name | Team | Market Cost | Salary | Synergy | HUT OVR | Faceoffs Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ryan O’Reilly | St. Louis Blues | 5,500 | 7,500,000 | DW | 82 | Faceoffs 73, Poise 76, Balance 88 |
Mikko Koivu | Minnesota Wild | 5,000 | 6,750,000 | FM | 81 | Faceoffs 76, Poise 76, Balance 89 |
Ryan Kesler | Anaheim Ducks | 4,200 | 6,875,000 | T | 81 | Faceoffs 77, Poise 77, Balance 88 |
Martin Jones (82 HUT OVR)
Team: San Jose SharksPosition: GoaltenderSynergy: BRSalary: 3,000,000Market Cost: 7,000Height: 193cmWeight: 88kgHandedness: LeftBest Stats: Speed 83, Agility 83, Vision 83
The better your goaltender is, the more success you’ll have. But, even with fewer funds, you can find goaltenders who are strong against the preferred methods of scoring among HUT players. Players tend to find the weaknesses on the breakaway, passing across the goaltender, and shooting stick high. So, it’s good to have a goalie that has strong numbers in breakaway, speed, and stick high.
Martin Jones boasts a strong overall rating at 82 and is well-balanced across the board. With an 82 in breakaway, 80 in stick high, 83 in speed, and 83 in agility, he’s one of the most troublesome low-cost goalies to score against.
Here are a few more goalies who come at a decent price and boast good attribute ratings in key areas:
Name | Team | Market Cost | Salary | Synergy | HUT OVR | Key Goalie Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marc-Andre Fleury | Vegas Golden Knights | 10,000 | 5,750,000 | T | 83 | Breakaway 84, Stick High 81, Speed 83 |
Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets | 12,000 | 2,250,000 | FB | 83 | Breakaway 82, Stick High 82, Speed 83 |
Matt Murray | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5,500 | 3,750,000 | FB | 81 | Breakaway 81, Stick High 81, Speed 81 |
Oscar Klefbom (80 HUT OVR)
Team: Edmonton OilersPosition: Left DefensemanSynergy: TBSalary: 4,615,000Market Cost: 4,000Height: 191cmWeight: 97kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: Acceleration 86, Agility 86, Speed 86
A great way to foil a speedy team with a good goalie is by bringing the thunder from the blueline. Having a defenseman who can fire heavy and accurate shots can win you games.
Oscar Klefbom is a superb buy in NHL 19’s HUT as not only is he fast – as seen above – but he also has ratings of 78 offensive awareness, 75 slap shot accuracy, and 79 slap shot power. He’s a great weapon to have on the blueline, especially in powerplay situations.
Another option who comes in at about twice the price at 8,000 is Justin Schultz. The Pittsburgh Penguins right defenseman boasts plenty of speed with 89 in acceleration, agility, and speed, as well as offensive awareness at 80, 75 slap shot accuracy, and 80 slap shot power.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic (81 HUT OVR)
Team: San Jose SharksPosition: Left DefensemanSynergy: PPSalary: 4,250,000Market Cost: 7,000Height: 185cmWeight: 93kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: Acceleration 88, Agility 88, Defensive Awareness 87
It’s good to have a defenseman or two who are highly skilled in the art of defending while you’re not controlling them. So, when you need to take control of the center to hunt down the defenseman on the blueline winding up a slap shot, you can trust that your defensemen will be well-positioned and skilled enough to block the incoming shot.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic is one of the best defensive defensemen in NHL 19 and will certainly provide your Hockey Ultimate Team club with game-winning blocks. He has a defensive awareness rating of 87 as well as an 82 in shot blocking, 84 in stick checking, and a fair 77 for discipline.
These are the other cheap defenseman who are built to stop the puck at crucial moments in HUT:
Name | Team | Position | Market Cost | Salary | Synergy | HUT OVR | Defenseman Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hampus Lindholm | Anaheim Ducks | Left Defenseman | 5,200 | 5,250,000 | BM | 81 | Defensive Awareness 84, Shot Blocking 81, Stick Checking 81 |
Anton Stralman | Tampa Bay Lightning | Right Defenseman | 4,800 | 4,500,000 | DZ | 80 | Defensive Awareness 84, Shot Blocking 81, Stick Checking 82 |
Zdeno Chara | Boston Bruins | Left Defenseman | 9,500 | 4,000,000 | S | 81 | Defensive Awareness 82, Shot Blocking 84, Stick Checking 82 |
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