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WJC: 2015 — Canada Roster Talk (Part III)

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Mr Writer said:
I'm liking this team... it has some good pieces. I'll like it even more if Lazar gets released. otherwise, it's a contender.
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I agree - not the prohibitive favourites, but contenders. Very strong defense corps, and good depth and balance up-front. Goaltending is probably the weak spot, as it normally has been these past few years. Not overly reliant on one individual (even with that individual being McDavid). I'd also be very happy if Lazar gets released, but IMO the pieces are there to contend.

I'd cut Ritchie and Chartier, and go from there.
 
86Habs said:
I agree - not the prohibitive favourites, but contenders. Very strong defense corps, and good depth and balance up-front. Goaltending is probably the weak spot, as it normally has been these past few years. Not overly reliant on one individual (even with that individual being McDavid). I'd also be very happy if Lazar gets released, but IMO the pieces are there to contend.

I'd cut Ritchie and Chartier, and go from there.
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I don't think Canada will ever be the prohibitive favourites going forward unless they get all the NHL talent who is eligible.
 
crazycanuck said:
I don't think Canada will ever be the prohibitive favourites going forward unless they get all the NHL talent who is eligible.
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Even then the parity that has been evident in the tournament between the top teams in the last number of years makes it so difficult to call anyone a prohibitive favourite in a single-game elimination format.
 
crazycanuck said:
I don't think Canada will ever be the prohibitive favourites going forward unless they get all the NHL talent who is eligible.
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You're probably right. I would have said we were the prohibitive favourites in 2013, when we had Nugent-Hopkins, Scheifele, Strome, etc., but we know how that year turned out. But yes, there's more parity now, which I think is great for a number of reasons. As long as we ice well-coached, contending teams and the lads acquit themselves in a professional manner, I'll be happy.
 
Patmac40 said:
Even then the parity that has been evident in the tournament between the top teams in the last number of years makes it so difficult to call anyone a prohibitive favourite in a single-game elimination format.
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Agreed. Only a fair amount of parity is needed to prevent a prohibitive favorite in a short tournament of teenagers. With Canada's failures the past few years a lot of people want to point at mistakes in coaching, roster selection, or even Hockey Canada in general, but a lot of it should probably just be chalked up to what happens when you have several teams of high-end teenagers going up against each other. On paper Canada should medal every year but it's just not going to happen every year. Every year now there are at least three teams you can look at and easily see winning gold, while it's easy to see at least 2/3rds of the teams beating anyone in a given game.
 
Rob Paxon said:
Agreed. Only a fair amount of parity is needed to prevent a prohibitive favorite in a short tournament of teenagers. With Canada's failures the past few years a lot of people want to point at mistakes in coaching, roster selection, or even Hockey Canada in general, but a lot of it should probably just be chalked up to what happens when you have several teams of high-end teenagers going up against each other. On paper Canada should medal every year but it's just not going to happen every year. Every year now there are at least three teams you can look at and easily see winning gold, while it's easy to see at least 2/3rds of the teams beating anyone in a given game.
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This exactly, anything can happen in a one game elimination format.
 
Sounds like Hicketts makes it. As for the 1 cut on D: I think its wide open: could be Morin, Theodore, Heatherington or Fleury from what I saw vs. CIS.
 
Torts said:
This exactly, anything can happen in a one game elimination format.
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Yeah, but some teams have what it takes to win in such a pressure situation and some don't, the last several years, Canada hasn't had what it takes.
 
Rob Paxon said:
Agreed. Only a fair amount of parity is needed to prevent a prohibitive favorite in a short tournament of teenagers. With Canada's failures the past few years a lot of people want to point at mistakes in coaching, roster selection, or even Hockey Canada in general, but a lot of it should probably just be chalked up to what happens when you have several teams of high-end teenagers going up against each other. On paper Canada should medal every year but it's just not going to happen every year. Every year now there are at least three teams you can look at and easily see winning gold, while it's easy to see at least 2/3rds of the teams beating anyone in a given game.
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Well in Canada their is this sense of entitlement, or worry, or passion, or hockey madness, call it whatever you want.

More like 6 now, the Czech's are being predicted as being right there again.
 
Scouter said:
Well in Canada their is this sense of entitlement, or worry, or passion, or hockey madness, call it whatever you want.

More like 6 now, the Czech's are being predicted as being right there again.
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There are probably 6 teams who could win it but that's not really what I meant with the part about teams I could easily see winning in a given year. I meant there are usually about three teams who look like a group of favorites with fairly equal chances of winning gold. Then when I said there are many teams who could beat anyone (even the best teams) in a given game, I believe all of those teams have a chance of medalling, most with a fair shot at gold.

The Czech team this year should be the best in a long time, but I don't think their chances of gold this year are nearly as good as teams like Canada or USA.
 
Rob Paxon said:
There are probably 6 teams who could win it but that's not really what I meant with the part about teams I could easily see winning in a given year. I meant there are usually about three teams who look like a group of favorites with fairly equal chances of winning gold. Then when I said there are many teams who could beat anyone (even the best teams) in a given game, I believe all of those teams have a chance of medalling, most with a fair shot at gold.

The Czech team this year should be the best in a long time, but I don't think their chances of gold this year are nearly as good as teams like Canada or USA.
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Well I would like to know your 3, because really all of Canada, Russia, the Czech's, Finland, Sweden and the US all have pretty much equal shots at gold, there are no clear 3 there.

I too maybe don't quite see the Czech's as being that good, but they are being highly rated this time, a top 3/4 finish is what they are saying.
 
Scouter said:
Well I would like to know your 3, because really all of Canada, Russia, the Czech's, Finland, Sweden and the US all have pretty much equal shots at gold, there are no clear 3 there.

I too maybe don't quite see the Czech's as being that good, but they are being highly rated this time, a top 3/4 finish is what they are saying.
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"Every year now there are at least three teams you can look at and easily see winning gold" is what I said. I didn't say there are exactly three teams every year nor anything specific about this year. I would say USA and Canada have the best shot, followed closely by Sweden and maybe Russia. I could consider that two groups with slight separation or one group. All the teams you listed have a legitimate shot at gold but I don't see it as being nearly equal. For the Czechs and Finns I think next year their gold chances will better next year, though both have great shots at medalling and either could win gold this year.
 
86Habs said:
Probably not Hicketts, otherwise they would presumably use the game on Friday to evaluate him. Fleury or Heatherington would be my guess.
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I think Hicketts is on the team now with that scratch. Does anyone know if theyre making final cuts after the Russia game?
 
Mint Berry Crunch said:
I'm not sure I would be so confident. The Oilers, in their current configuration, are absolutely that bad.
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Stop saying such ridiculous things. There's only a few players on TC that would be able to really be effective at the NHL level. The defense and goaltending would get absolutely destroyed by the Oilers' forwards.
 
Rob Paxon said:
"Every year now there are at least three teams you can look at and easily see winning gold" is what I said. I didn't say there are exactly three teams every year nor anything specific about this year. I would say USA and Canada have the best shot, followed closely by Sweden and maybe Russia. I could consider that two groups with slight separation or one group. All the teams you listed have a legitimate shot at gold but I don't see it as being nearly equal. For the Czechs and Finns I think next year their gold chances will better next year, though both have great shots at medalling and either could win gold this year.
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No, this is what you said:
I meant there are usually about three teams who look like a group of favorites with fairly equal chances of winning gold
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Anyhow, on paper Canada and the US are probably always going to look good as the favourites just because they have the most NHL picks, but you can't go by that obviously. Finland are the defending champs, they have some players who have moved on, but they have some really good draft eligibles and Kapanen who did not play last year, so they really haven't lost much, if anything to me, so should be right there again. Sweden were also in the GM game last year and so should be considered right there, they have a lot of NHL picks too. Russia can never not be considered favourites, though I don't like their roster as much this time. The Czech's people don't think much of these days, but actually they have turned things around there and are again threats to win it all this time, they have a really good goalie people will get to know about quickly.
 
Uggggghhhhh

so apparently these are the PK units

1) Gauthier, Virtanen, Nurse, Hicketts

2) Crouse, Dickinson, Morin, Heatherington

WHY is Virtanen on the Penalty Kill, isn't this guy listed as a power-play specialist, as I think that is where most of his points come from.

Powerplay units are the following

1) Bowey - Theodore - Domi - Reinhart - Duclair

2) Morrissey - Fabbri - Dal Colle - Paul - Point

--- At least put Ritchie on one of the units just to stand in front of the net.
 
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So is Reinhart place holding for McDavid or is the coaching staff really that ignorant to not put McDavid on the top line?
 
Breakers said:
Uggggghhhhh

so apparently these are the PK units

1) Gauthier, Virtanen, Nurse, Hicketts

2) Crouse, Dickinson, Morin, Heatherington

WHY is Virtanen on the Penalty Kill, isn't this guy listed as a power-play specialist, as I think that is where most of his points come from.

Powerplay units are the following

1) Bowey - Theodore - Domi - Reinhart - Duclair

2) Morrissey - Fabbri - Dal Colle - Paul - Point

--- At least put Ritchie on one of the units just to stand in front of the net.
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If special teams utilization is any indication Ritchie, Chartier and Fleury may be the final cuts as they are the only players that don't have either a PK or PP spot at the moment (not including the scratches).
 
Breakers said:
Uggggghhhhh

so apparently these are the PK units

1) Gauthier, Virtanen, Nurse, Hicketts

2) Crouse, Dickinson, Morin, Heatherington

WHY is Virtanen on the Penalty Kill, isn't this guy listed as a power-play specialist, as I think that is where most of his points come from.

Powerplay units are the following

1) Bowey - Theodore - Domi - Reinhart - Duclair

2) Morrissey - Fabbri - Dal Colle - Paul - Point

--- At least put Ritchie on one of the units just to stand in front of the net.
Click to expand...

I'd move Virtanen to the 2nd PP and Paul to the first PK. It may also be their way of seeing how his speed works on the PK and if Paul can play an offensive role for them. I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.
 
Auzzie19 said:
So is Reinhart place holding for McDavid or is the coaching staff really that ignorant to not put McDavid on the top line?
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Yes, because it's always best to just load up one line and NOT spread depth scoring around. Whatever line McDavid is on instantly becomes a threat to score every shift. If you add him on the "top line" with Domi and Duclair, you SIGNIFICANTLY take away from "line 2".

The point to remember: spread scoring around in a short tournament! We've seen what loading up one line will do first hand especially in the medal round....
 
Per Garrioch today:
#Sens GM Bryan Murray and the staff will sit down tomorrow to decide whether Curtis Lazar will go to world juniors. Could go either way.
 
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