Olympics: 2014 - Canada Roster Discussion (Part VI)

[Comic Book Guy*]

Taylor Hall

This just a quick public service announcement, because I believe no one outside the city of Edmonton Alberta are aware of these facts:

1. Taylor Hall finished 2nd in NHL point scoring amongs LWs.
2. Had Ovechkin not been voted twice by stupid reporters, Taylor Hall was on the NHL's second all star team this year
3. Taylor Hall will most likely be named captain of the Edmonton Oilers
4. Taylor Hall was recently chosen as a #1 overall pick in the NHL draft
5. Taylor Hall was near Giroux, Stamkos, Malkin, Ovechkin levels in PPG this past season
6. Has finished top 3 in team scoring despite injuries in the past 3 season


However...


Patrick Sharp should make it on Team Canada
Andrew Ladd should make it on Team Canada

I love those two players btw. No diss to either

Tumbleweeds when it comes to Taylor. I see all these mock lineups, and 90% of them exclude Taylor Hall.

Against, just want to make the unaware, aware.

Cheers

 

[DyerMaker66*]

Perry > Getzlaf

 

[dman3474]

Bergeron -RH
Toews -LH
Thorton -LH
Duchene -LH
Giroux -RH
Crosby -LH

Those are the top faceoff guys invited in order (per 12/13 reg season %), I don't see how anyone can have Bergeron or Toews in any other position than center. I think Giroux makes it as a center because he is RH. Then Crosby because his game is better suited for the center (and because hes Crosby). I would probably have the centers go

Crosby
Giroux
Toews
Bergeron
x-Duchene

Wingers were harder, tried to factor in guys who play more PK time and just more defensively aware/responsible. It is easy to lose coverage of a guy on the bigger ice. I cam up with

Nash Stamkos
E. Staal Carter
Tavares Getzlaf
Ladd Richards
Neal

With the last forward being one of Couture/Sharp/Thorton. My thoughts behind the last guy would be if they want someone who can play all three, a younger guy, or leader/passer.

So my lines would end up something like this:

Nash Crosby Stamkos
E. Staal Giroux Carter
Tavares Toews Getzlaf
Ladd Bergeron Richards
x- Neal Duchene Couture/Sharp/Thorton

On D, my only locks are Doughty, Weber, Keith, Seabrook

 

[B4NND1T*]

I cannot see Crosby and Giroux together on the same line ever.

Stamkos-Crosby-Stlouis
Tavares-Giroux-E.Staal
Richards-Toews-Nash
Bergeron-Getzlaf-Perry

Keith-doughty
Pietrangelo-Weber
Hamhuis-Subban

Luongo
Crawford
Holtby

Price is one of the biggest headcases in the league, more so than Fleury. I don't want a guy scared of going grocery shopping to play for us on the greatest stage in Hockey

 

[Mehar]

EDIT:

Toews-Crosby-Tavares
Giroux-Stamkos-St. Louis
Nash-Getzlaf-Perry
Sharp-Bergeron-E. Staal
Couture/Lucic

Weber-Doughty
Pietrangrelo-Subban
Keith-Seabrook

Price
Crawford
Luongo

Good team, however i do not see Lucic making it in the end.

 

[Paul4587]

Perry > Getzlaf

Perry and Getzlaf have both played 8 seasons in the NHL and Getzlaf was the significantly better player in 6 of those seasons, including the most recent one.

 

[me2]

I don't see the point in leaving the best wingers out for a bunch of converted centres going into a tournament with little preparation or evaluation in their new position. They might be better players overall but are they better wingers? Pick the best wingers as wingers first and force the converted centres make a case to replace them, a lot of them will.

ie if Hall plays anything like last year he should be a lock for one of the first wingers chosen.

 

[AlvintheChoster]

Forwards
Steven Stamkos - Sidney Crosby - Martin St. Louis
Taylor Hall - John Tavares - Claude Giroux
Ryan Getzlaf - Jonathan Toews - Corey Perry
Eric Staal - Patrice Bergeron - Rick Nash

Mike Richards/Logan Couture

Defensemen
Keith - Weber
Boyle - Doughty
Subban - Pietrangelo

Letang/Seabrook

Goalies
Roberto Luongo
Corey Crawford
Carey Price

Thoughts? Also, am I crazy for having Dan Boyle on my team? I have not seen him on many teams at all, but I think his skating/puck moving ability along with his veteran presence will be invaluable. The Canada D without Boyle is very young.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

Perry and Getzlaf have both played 8 seasons in the NHL and Getzlaf was the significantly better player in 6 of those seasons, including the most recent one.

I didn't realize that failing to score 20 goals a season when compared to a player who scored no less than 27 goals a season (and one 50 goal season) made player A better. Especially when we're deeper at centre than we are at wing.

 

[AlvintheChoster]

I didn't realize that failing to score 20 goals a season when compared to a player who scored no less than 27 goals a season (and one 50 goal season) made player A better. Especially when we're deeper at centre than we are at wing.

I didn't realize that goals solely decided who is the better player.. I guess Jeff Carter is a better player than Marty St. Louis.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

I didn't realize that goals solely decided who is the better player.. I guess Jeff Carter is a better player than Marty St. Louis.

Jeff Carter does not have more goals than Martin St. Louis...

 

[WhiteLight*]

So far I've seen Getzlaf at RW and LW, Perry at LW, Hall at RW, Bergeron at LW and RW, Toews at LW, Carter at LW, Ladd at RW, Staal at RW,...

People, please respect proper positioning, then maybe we can take your roster seriously

 

[DyerMaker66*]

So far I've seen Getzlaf at RW and LW, Perry at LW, Hall at RW, Bergeron at LW and RW, Toews at LW, Carter at LW, Ladd at RW, Staal at RW,...

People, please respect proper positioning, then maybe we can take your roster seriously

Yeah: Putting Crosby and Bergeron together in hopes of rekindling chemistry is a terrible idea.
It's okay to put Staal at Left Wing though, right?

 

[WhiteLight*]

Yeah: Putting Crosby and Bergeron together in hopes of rekindling chemistry is a terrible idea.
It's okay to put Staal at Left Wing though, right?

It actually is. Crosby and Bergeron might be the 2 best faceoff takers in the team. Bergeron is a Selke finalist, he'll be used in a defensive role as a shutdown centre. No one is better at it than him. Why oh why would you use him as a scoring winger? He's not a winger and there's so many better options for that position on the 1st line.

They also showed no chemistry in 2010.


Staal has successfully played LW in the past. Why change it? Unless you absolutely have to, keep Staal at LW. Play Stamkos RW (where he played in the WC this year). Don't reverse them just the sake of it.

 

[buddahsmoka1]

So far I've seen Getzlaf at RW and LW, Perry at LW, Hall at RW, Bergeron at LW and RW, Toews at LW, Carter at LW, Ladd at RW, Staal at RW,...

People, please respect proper positioning, then maybe we can take your roster seriously

Have you ever watched Team Canada at the Olympics before?

 

[undertow]

Forwards
Steven Stamkos - Sidney Crosby - Martin St. Louis
Taylor Hall - John Tavares - Claude Giroux
Ryan Getzlaf - Jonathan Toews - Corey Perry
Eric Staal - Patrice Bergeron - Rick Nash

Mike Richards/Logan Couture

Defensemen
Keith - Weber
Boyle - Doughty
Subban - Pietrangelo

Letang/Seabrook

Goalies
Roberto Luongo
Corey Crawford
Carey Price

Thoughts?

take off staal and nash. staal a waste if not at center and would be better off with couture. nash wouldnt be effective on large ice as a floater. replace him with eberle who can play both ends with skill. add ladd to relplace staal. and price>crawford for me.

 

[WhiteLight*]

Have you ever watched Team Canada at the Olympics before?

Yes I have. Staal was LW, Perry was RW, Getzlaf was C, etc. You know, positions that actually make sense.

 

[AlvintheChoster]

take off staal and nash. staal a waste if not at center and would be better off with couture. nash wouldnt be effective on large ice as a floater. replace him with eberle who can play both ends with skill. add ladd to relplace staal. and price>crawford for me.

That's true, but it's just hard to pass up on high-end talent that have experience with Team Canada like Staal and Nash.

Yes I have. Staal was LW, Perry was RW, Getzlaf was C, etc. You know, positions that actually make sense.

But the problem is that Canada has Crosby, Tavares, Toews, Bergeron that play C as well. Seeing as Crosby and Tavares are better high-end talent than Getz, and Toews and Bergeron are great faceoff takers, (and #1+#2 in Selke voting), Getzlaf would most likely move to wing.

 

[WhiteLight*]

But the problem is that Canada has Crosby, Tavares, Toews, Bergeron that play C as well. Seeing as Crosby and Tavares are better high-end talent than Getz, and Toews and Bergeron are great faceoff takers, (and #1+#2 in Selke voting), Getzlaf would most likely move to wing.

Or Getzlaf could not be there at all. He's not the greatest skater and and you need skating ability on big ice.

There's Crosby, Toews and Bergeron. So Getzlaf is the #2 C or bust. He doesn't translate well as winger. Tavares, Staal and Stamkos are centres that will play the wing and translate well there.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

It actually is. Crosby and Bergeron might be the 2 best faceoff takers in the team. Bergeron is a Selke finalist, he'll be used in a defensive role as a shutdown centre. No one is better at it than him. Why oh why would you use him as a scoring winger? He's not a winger and there's so many better options for that position on the 1st line.

They also showed no chemistry in 2010.

Because that one 30 second shift they were given together in 2010 really gave them a chance to rekindle that chemistry.

I'd use him as a scoring winger because he has shown in the past that he has chemistry with the team's scoring centre.

Staal has successfully played LW in the past. Why change it? Unless you absolutely have to, keep Staal at LW. Play Stamkos RW (where he played in the WC this year). Don't reverse them just the sake of it.

But Stamkos is a centre. Oh the huge manatee!

 

[WhiteLight*]

Because that one 30 second shift they were given together in 2010 really gave them a chance to rekindle that chemistry.

I'd use him as a scoring winger because he has shown in the past that he has chemistry with the team's scoring centre.

Crosby and Bergeron played together in the past because Bergeron actually deserved to be a 1st liner in those tournaments. At the Olympics, he's a shutdown centre, not a scoring winger, plain and simple. Everyone at HC agrees with me, you're 100% wrong, it's not even debatable.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

Crosby and Bergeron played together in the past because Bergeron actually deserved to be a 1st liner in those tournaments. At the Olympics, he's a shutdown centre, not a scoring winger, plain and simple. Everyone at HC agrees with me, you're 100% wrong, it's not even debatable.

I'm sure they agreed with you in 2006, too (I'd also like to know how you got in contact with everyone at Hockey Canada throughout the course of this conversation).

And when you have chemistry with the team's best centre you deserve to be on the top line.

And you're 100% basing your opinion on nothing. It's not even debatable: Everyone at Hockey Canada agrees with me.

 

[Dream Big]

My analysis of the defense. The choice will be either balanced with 4 right & 4 left or it will be 5 right and 3 left because of the strength on the Right d.

Left Defense
Alzner
Bouwmeester
Hamuis
Keith is in.
Methot
Phaneuf
Staal
Vlassic
Alzner, Bouwmeester, Hamuis, Methot, Staal, Vlassic are similar.
Alzner Great backwards skater & playoff ability will have been noted by Yzerman, Julien, Chiarelli. Captain of 2008 Gold World Junior team & partnered with Doughty.
Bouwmeester Great skater. May have an edge since Armstrong & Hitchcock will know his game.
Hamuis Is a bit small but smart, good, experienced. Well known and liked.
Methot. Is he a good skater? I’m not that familiar with his play.
Phaneuf Not sure if his skating is conducive to success on big ice. There are other power play specialists on R D.
Staal Health will be a factor.
Vlassic Good.

Pick 2 more LD BPA for sure and maybe a third from those 7.

Right Defense

Boyle
Doughty is in
Green
Hamonic
Letang
Pietrangelo
Seabrook
Subban
Weber is in
Boyle Is a question mark for me due to his age. Not sure if his skating is still up to snuff for big ice.
Green His skating, powerplay & ability to break out is impressive. D has improved. Knows OV’s moves.
Hamonic While worthy I think he is too young for this Olympics as there are others with more experience who bring the same thing.
Letang Good on the powerplay, good skater. Small but strong on his feet. Captain of 2007 Gold World Junior Team.
Pietrangelo I think he has an edge since Armstrong & Hitchcock will know his game.
Seabrook Is a question mark for me due to the way he was used in the 2010 Olympics. Not sure about his foot speed on big ice.
Subban Good on powerplay. D has improved. Strong. Norris winner.
Weber is in.

Green, Letang, Pietrangelo, Subban are very similar. For reasons above Pietrangelo has a slight advantage but has to be the best player available.
Green, Letang and Subban can all skate well. Are good on the PP. Their defense I’m thinking is pretty even.
Pick 2 more RD BPA and maybe a 3rd.
Yzerman has said that “more of a premium will be placed on skating.”

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

Pominville gives up his Canadian citizenship to play for USA and gets snubbed...LOL!

 

[Paul4587]

I didn't realize that failing to score 20 goals a season when compared to a player who scored no less than 27 goals a season (and one 50 goal season) made player A better. Especially when we're deeper at centre than we are at wing.

Getzlaf is a playmaker - why you're comparing his goal totals to Perry I have no idea.

I've seen both play over 500 games in the NHL. Getzlaf is the far superior player and his game is far better suited to the larger ice surface.