World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Canada (Part II)

[drewstar]

The only way I could of seen subban making it would be as number 7 as a powerplay guy for his shot but if burns goes he has that covered anyways.

If TC goes with 3 RHD for all of the last spots instead of 2, then yes I'd agree that Letang would be next on the pecking order behind Burns/Pietrangelo.

 

[xxxx]

I still don't see Price being on the team. He will have gone 9 months between games and is getting over a serious injury.

But he already is on the team Canada plays 3 exhibition games before the tournament too. Price will certainly get one or two games at least, but I have no doubts about him being ready.

 

[xxxx]

If TC goes with 3 RHD for all of the last spots instead of 2, then yes I'd agree that Letang would be next on the pecking order behind Burns/Pietrangelo.

It would surprise me if they did, but one thing that is different here, you can name another player in case of injury (even throughout the tournament), so it's not like they are in need to name another left defenseman, just in case what if something happened. For example, if Vlasic got hurt somehow, they could call Bouwmeester or Giordano (and I'm pretty sure Hockey Canada will be in touch with the taxi-squad players) so maybe this could play itself into making the decisions, especially when you have so many good players like Pietrangelo; I'm pretty sure the coaching stuff will see the quality there and make the right decision in the end - whether it's getting it 3x4 or 2x5. Babcock's word will definitely mean something when deciding who's going to be there, and he indicated once, in March I think, that with how tight the game is, it's easier when you have the players on their proper sides.

 

[JackSlater]

wonder if Morgan Rielly has a chance to be third LHD?
He was awesome at World's, Brodie and Gio didn't go (even with their GM running the WCH team), and Babcock has the biggest voice and vote re WC roster selections, and of course Rielly is Babcock's home horse
I don't have a problem with Pietrangelo playing his 'off' side and letting two of Subban, Letang and Burns also make the team, but wondering if Rielly could be a dark horse in all of this

Impossible, because this tournament doesn't allow "team Canada" to select any Canadians 23 or under.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

With another successful World Championships in the books, here is my final projected Team Canada roster for the World Cup:

Hall - Crosby - Bergeron
Benn - Tavares - Seguin
Duchene - Toews - Carter
Marchand - Getzlaf - Perry
Stamkos

Keith - Weber
Vlasic - Doughty
Pietrangelo - Burns
Subban

Price
Holtby
Crawford

Some notes/comments:
- Hall, Duchene, Perry and Marchand grab the final four forward spots on the strength of their performance in Russia. Well, Perry showed up which was almost certainly good enough, but didn't have as strong a tournament as the other three who were in direct competition with each other.
- O'Reilly misses the cut unfortunately, as does Giroux and Couture. I stand by my comments from a few weeks ago where I argued that Giroux will be caught up in a numbers game with the number of centres already on the team, several of whom will have to convert to wing. It's unfortunate, but this is the toughest hockey team in the world to crack. Couture could have done himself a favour by showing up at one of these tournaments in his career, but he hasn't, so alas...too bad because he's having n exceptional playoffs.
- Duchene was put in a leadership position by Peters in Russia and stepped up his defensive game tremendously. I'd feel comfortable with him in a 2-way role on this team. He's been extremely loyal to Hockey Canada, is versatile, and is a known commodity with Babcock and the coaching staff. Hall has had two superb performances in a row at the Worlds, including a successful turn with Crosby last year. I project him as a scoring winger on this squad.
- I project Marchand over O'Reilly (barely) given his stronger offensive year, capabilities as an agitator, and chemistry with Bergeron. I'd perhaps also look for Marchand to get time on Crosby's wing in tight defensive situations.
- It's clear to me that Armstrong erred by selecting Stamkos as one of the first 16 players. He doesn't appear to be a good fit on this team, and in my mind Giroux would be much more preferable. Oh well.
- I saw MacKenzie's comments a few days back regarding Bouwmeester; now, J-Bo is still a fine defender but has clearly, obviously been surpassed by Burns, Subban, and Letang (it's difficult to leave him off the team but it comes down to a numbers game for him). Not to mention Brodie and Giordano whom, if MacKenzie's comments are an indication as to how Hockey Canada feels about those two Flames, seem to not be held in the highest regard. If Armstrong does opt for Bouwmeester over Subban (or Letang, Brodie and Giordano) it would be nepotistic and short-sighted in my view, and the wrong choice. The LH/RH split on NHL-sized ice isn't nearly as big deal as on international ice.

Really great post. The only thing I'd change is putting in Giroux or ROR over Duchene. He's big and fast, but just average defensively and does not mesh well with other skilled players as he needs the puck on his stick to be effective. He's a puck hog IMO, and a team like Team Canada doesn't need his isolation skills.

 

[team canada fan]

my bad....indeed Morgan Rielly is already named to the U-23 team. Gimmicky tournament yes. Not sure how to react if Doughty crushes McDavid with a big open ice hit, or if Nate MacKinnon rips one past Carey Price. Easy to cheer for team 'Canada' in all the other games, but I am sure many of us will have mixed emotions, and will feel more than a little confusion when our 'senior' Canadian team has to play the young gunz (that is half comprised of Canadians). Will be widespread pride then if both these teams eventually make it to the final, but then there'll be 3 final games of considerable confusion as to how to react during certain moments (of Canada versus 'Canada') within the actual games.

 

[86Habs]

Really great post. The only thing I'd change is putting in Giroux or ROR over Duchene. He's big and fast, but just average defensively and does not mesh well with other skilled players as he needs the puck on his stick to be effective. He's a puck hog IMO, and a team like Team Canada doesn't need his isolation skills.

I don't agree with your assessment of Duchene, but do wish there was a way to get him, O'Reilly and Giroux on the team. My roster above is only my projected roster, not how I would actually construct it, and could very well be wrong...particularly with respect to the final d-man and the last one or two forwards.

Duchene is at his best when he can be the prime puck carrier on his line through the neutral zone, and slotting him on the left side with Toews and Carter, neither of whom are elite puck carriers or distributors, is probably the best fit for him in this lineup. He doesn't seem to mesh as well with guys who also like having the puck on their sticks - Hall and McDavid come to mind. While the defensive responsibilities a Toews-Carter-Duchene line will have to shoulder will undoubtedly be heavy, Duchene showed me a lot in Russia last week and he should be up for the task of essentially replacing Marleau on the "match-up" line.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

Burns and Couture should make this team, no question about it. Would be a mistake to leave either of them off the roster, especially Burns. Unbelievable year for him + his dominance on the blue line for Canada at two WHCs, both times being named the tournament's top defensemen. Couture's playoffs speaks for itself, not to mention that he is a versatile player capable of playing the wing as well as centre and has a very strong 2-way game to boot. Babs would love him.

 

[nightfighter]

I don't agree with your assessment of Duchene, but do wish there was a way to get him, O'Reilly and Giroux on the team. My roster above is only my projected roster, not how I would actually construct it, and could very well be wrong...particularly with respect to the final d-man and the last one or two forwards.

Duchene is at his best when he can be the prime puck carrier on his line through the neutral zone, and slotting him on the left side with Toews and Carter, neither of whom are elite puck carriers or distributors, is probably the best fit for him in this lineup. He doesn't seem to mesh as well with guys who also like having the puck on their sticks - Hall and McDavid come to mind. While the defensive responsibilities a Toews-Carter-Duchene line will have to shoulder will undoubtedly be heavy, Duchene showed me a lot in Russia last week and he should be up for the task of essentially replacing Marleau on the "match-up" line.

Is it possible that Stamkos is taken off the team if he still isn't medically cleared to play? In that case I could see Giroux or O'Reilly getting the next nod.

 

[86Habs]

Burns and Couture should make this team, no question about it. Would be a mistake to leave either of them off the roster, especially Burns. Unbelievable year for him + his dominance on the blue line for Canada at two WHCs, both times being named the tournament's top defensemen. Couture's playoffs speaks for itself, not to mention that he is a versatile player capable of playing the wing as well as centre and has a very strong 2-way game to boot. Babs would love him.

Burns, yes, he should be considered a lock at this point. Couture is all of the things that you said, but what he hasn't done yet in his career is answer the bell for Hockey Canada. He had a prime opportunity to go to Prague last year for the Worlds, and turned it down. We're seeing the same thing now with Giordano and Brodie apparently being surpassed by Bouwmeester on the LHed d-man depth chart. While he's having a tremendous playoff run right now, when compared to players of similar quality at the same position - Duchene, Hall, O'Reilly, Marchand - Hockey Canada will almost always go with the players who have been loyal to the program at the junior and senior level. That's just the way it is.

Is it possible that Stamkos is taken off the team if he still isn't medically cleared to play? In that case I could see Giroux or O'Reilly getting the next nod.

Quite possible. If I were Armstrong I wouldn't have named Stamkos as one of the first 9 forwards, but it seems possible that he'll receive medical clearance to play at some point should the Lightning advance to the finals. If not, Giroux would be my first choice as a replacement because he'd be the best overall player not yet on the team, but keep in mind that he also has to recover this summer from his surgery.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

Burns, yes, he should be considered a lock at this point. Couture is all of the things that you said, but what he hasn't done yet in his career is answer the bell for Hockey Canada. He had a prime opportunity to go to Prague last year for the Worlds, and turned it down. We're seeing the same thing now with Giordano and Brodie apparently being surpassed by Bouwmeester on the LHed d-man depth chart. While he's having a tremendous playoff run right now, when compared to players of similar quality at the same position - Duchene, Hall, O'Reilly, Marchand - Hockey Canada will almost always go with the players who have been loyal to the program at the junior and senior level. That's just the way it is.

I don't disagree with this assessment, but how can you justify leaving the playoffs' leading scorer off the team? I remember Couture being crushed at being one of the last cuts for Sochi. He would love to play and would likely be a strong contributor. This is Hockey Canada we're talking about though, so none of their wacky decisions have/will surprise me. My final 7:

Forwards:

- Claude Giroux
- Logan Couture
- Ryan O'Reilly
- Matt Duchene

Defense:

- Brent Burns
- Alex Pietrangelo
- TJ Brodie

 

[Avs44]

Really great post. The only thing I'd change is putting in Giroux or ROR over Duchene. He's big and fast, but just average defensively and does not mesh well with other skilled players as he needs the puck on his stick to be effective. He's a puck hog IMO, and a team like Team Canada doesn't need his isolation skills.

Duchene was certainly more than average defensively - he can be quite a good two way player when he wants to be. In the season leading up to the 2014 Olympics he was really good in his own end for the Avs, and I thought he displayed that against this world championships. Smart positionally, lots of effort, and that was displayed by the trust the coaching staff put in him - on the PK and out there in last minute situations.


Regarding him being a puck hog, I've not seen that from him recently. He needs the puck on his stick to be effective, which is why he and McDavid were not the best of linemates, but I don't think strong board play and not making ineffective passes to players who weren't open qualifies as selfish.


I'd frankly be really surprised if Duchene did not make the team. He's been on five WC teams now, so I imagine if it's 50/50 between him and another player he'll get the nod, he clearly was trusted a lot defensively for this team Canada this year, and his ability to play both centre and wing adds a lot of versatility, especially considering he was one of the top faceoff players in the league this past year.

 

[86Habs]

I don't disagree with this assessment, but how can you justify leaving the playoffs' leading scorer off the team? I remember Couture being crushed at being one of the last cuts for Sochi. He would love to play and would likely be a strong contributor. This is Hockey Canada we're talking about though, so none of their wacky decisions have/will surprise me. My final 7:

Forwards:

- Claude Giroux
- Logan Couture
- Ryan O'Reilly
- Matt Duchene

Defense:

- Brent Burns
- Alex Pietrangelo
- TJ Brodie

Well, Hockey Canada doesn't have to justify anything, particularly as the results have been very strong recently at the senior level. I agree with you, if I were Armstrong I would find it extremely difficult to leave Couture off the team, as I value playoff experience and performance moreso than performance at the World Championships. But the reality is is that Couture gave them a ready-made excuse for doing just that by declining previous invitations to the World Championships. Conversely, Duchene, Hall and O'Reilly show up year after year and put in good performances (besides, its not like there is that much difference in overall quality between those forwards anyway - they have different strengths and weaknesses, but overall are fairly similar).

Armstrong, like Yzerman before him, needs to find the right balance between putting the best possible team on the ice and rewarding loyalty to Hockey Canada, and when it comes down to the final 2-4 roster spots my presumption is that rewarding loyalty can sometimes tip the scales in favour of a certain player or two. My team would look quite a bit different than Armstrong's, for the record, and I'd find a spot for Couture in my bottom six. I would have done the same in 2014, for Sochi.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Well, Hockey Canada doesn't have to justify anything, particularly as the results have been very strong recently at the senior level. I agree with you, if I were Armstrong I would find it extremely difficult to leave Couture off the team, as I value playoff experience and performance moreso than performance at the World Championships. But the reality is is that Couture gave them a ready-made excuse for doing just that by declining previous invitations to the World Championships. Conversely, Duchene, Hall and O'Reilly show up year after year and put in good performances (besides, its not like there is that much difference in overall quality between those forwards anyway - they have different strengths and weaknesses, but overall are fairly similar).

Armstrong, like Yzerman before him, needs to find the right balance between putting the best possible team on the ice and rewarding loyalty to Hockey Canada, and when it comes down to the final 2-4 roster spots my presumption is that rewarding loyalty can sometimes tip the scales in favour of a certain player or two. My team would look quite a bit different than Armstrong's, for the record, and I'd find a spot for Couture in my bottom six. I would have done the same in 2014, for Sochi.

And that's the way it should be. Although if this were a tournament where I actually cared about the outcome, I perhaps would have a little different outlook on it... and I'm a Coutour fan. I'll be heading off to San Jose to take in a game of the SCF if the Sharks make it, but sorry, Logan, you should have answered the call in 2015. Next time, you'll know. A few Flames players on my **** list as well.

 

[86Habs]

And that's the way it should be. Although if this were a tournament where I actually cared about the outcome, I perhaps would have a little different outlook on it... and I'm a Coutour fan. I'll be heading off to San Jose to take in a game of the SCF if the Sharks make it, but sorry, Logan, you should have answered the call in 2015. Next time, you'll know. A few Flames players on my **** list as well.

I used to live in the area (Santa Clara, right next door to SJ, to be specific), and late May / early June is a great time to visit. PM me if you want some recommendations...its been a while and the scene has probably changed with the 49ers moving down to Santa Clara, but there are a few go-to's I could still recommend. Try and take in a Giants game at AT&T Park, the experience is unparalleled in MLB.

 

[jsalz16]

Duchene was certainly more than average defensively - he can be quite a good two way player when he wants to be. In the season leading up to the 2014 Olympics he was really good in his own end for the Avs, and I thought he displayed that against this world championships. Smart positionally, lots of effort, and that was displayed by the trust the coaching staff put in him - on the PK and out there in last minute situations.


Regarding him being a puck hog, I've not seen that from him recently. He needs the puck on his stick to be effective, which is why he and McDavid were not the best of linemates, but I don't think strong board play and not making ineffective passes to players who weren't open qualifies as selfish.


I'd frankly be really surprised if Duchene did not make the team. He's been on five WC teams now, so I imagine if it's 50/50 between him and another player he'll get the nod, he clearly was trusted a lot defensively for this team Canada this year, and his ability to play both centre and wing adds a lot of versatility, especially considering he was one of the top faceoff players in the league this past year.

Long time Duchene fan and I know he can be a frustrating player to watch at times. That being said, that tournament is by far the best I've seen him play in years. Killing penalties and throwing hits? Great defensively and rarely tried to do too much. If he brings that back to the Avs this season, I'll be very happy.

 

[team canada fan]

there are no puck hogs in the NHL
Scott Stevens, Chelios, Pronger et al, plus the speed and tight-checking nature of the game as it is played today, have rendered 'puck hogs' extinct at that level

anyone who can hold the puck for more than a second or two in today's game (NHL or International) is a stud, and then make a good play after holding onto it, is a star!

 

[Bear12Good]

Carter-Crosby - Bergeron
Benn - Tavares - Seguin
Stamkos-Toews -Couture
Spezza- Getzlaf - Perry
Thornton


Keith - Weber
Vlasic - Doughty
Pietrangelo - Burns
Letang

Price
Holtby
Crawford

 

[86Habs]

I'm seeing Joe Thornton's name start to pop up on a few projected rosters...Pierre Lebrun, Alan Muir at si.com (fwiw), a few others here and there.

Thoughts?

I mean, it's certainly not unreasonable. The guy had an absolute monster year for SJ and has been dominant during this playoff run. His vision and passing skills remain elite (he's the best in the game, IMO), he's top tier in face offs, strong defensively, and a nightmare to handle in the offensive zone. His skating wouldn't be as big a drawback for him as it would be on international ice, which probably kept him off the radar for Sochi.

Now, where to fit him into the forward group could prove challenging. Crosby, Getzlaf and Toews are definite centres (think Armstrong would like the Getzlaf selection back now?), Tavares will probably be a centre on this team, Bergeron can swing between centre and RW, Giroux is still in the running, Stamkos and Seguin are likely converts to RW, and Duchene, O'Reilly and Couture have strong cases. I'm not sure LW best fits Thornton's skill set but that is really the only opening for him if Armstrong really wants him there.

Thornton's international resume is a mixed bag. He wasn't good in '06, was good in '10, and had a superb WHC performance in the '05. He was also excellent centering a checking line for us at the '04 World Cup which demonstrated his willingness to play a lesser, non-scoring role. That may be an indication to Armstrong that he should simply not over-think it, tab him and see where the chips fall later on, but that would be contradictory to the contingency and scenario planning we saw under the Yzerman and Babcock regime.

 

[JackSlater]

With another successful World Championships in the books, here is my final projected Team Canada roster for the World Cup:

Hall - Crosby - Bergeron
Benn - Tavares - Seguin
Duchene - Toews - Carter
Marchand - Getzlaf - Perry
Stamkos

Keith - Weber
Vlasic - Doughty
Pietrangelo - Burns
Subban

Price
Holtby
Crawford

Some notes/comments:
- Hall, Duchene, Perry and Marchand grab the final four forward spots on the strength of their performance in Russia. Well, Perry showed up which was almost certainly good enough, but didn't have as strong a tournament as the other three who were in direct competition with each other.
- O'Reilly misses the cut unfortunately, as does Giroux and Couture. I stand by my comments from a few weeks ago where I argued that Giroux will be caught up in a numbers game with the number of centres already on the team, several of whom will have to convert to wing. It's unfortunate, but this is the toughest hockey team in the world to crack. Couture could have done himself a favour by showing up at one of these tournaments in his career, but he hasn't, so alas...too bad because he's having n exceptional playoffs.
- Duchene was put in a leadership position by Peters in Russia and stepped up his defensive game tremendously. I'd feel comfortable with him in a 2-way role on this team. He's been extremely loyal to Hockey Canada, is versatile, and is a known commodity with Babcock and the coaching staff. Hall has had two superb performances in a row at the Worlds, including a successful turn with Crosby last year. I project him as a scoring winger on this squad.
- I project Marchand over O'Reilly (barely) given his stronger offensive year, capabilities as an agitator, and chemistry with Bergeron. I'd perhaps also look for Marchand to get time on Crosby's wing in tight defensive situations.
- It's clear to me that Armstrong erred by selecting Stamkos as one of the first 16 players. He doesn't appear to be a good fit on this team, and in my mind Giroux would be much more preferable. Oh well.
- I saw MacKenzie's comments a few days back regarding Bouwmeester; now, J-Bo is still a fine defender but has clearly, obviously been surpassed by Burns, Subban, and Letang (it's difficult to leave him off the team but it comes down to a numbers game for him). Not to mention Brodie and Giordano whom, if MacKenzie's comments are an indication as to how Hockey Canada feels about those two Flames, seem to not be held in the highest regard. If Armstrong does opt for Bouwmeester over Subban (or Letang, Brodie and Giordano) it would be nepotistic and short-sighted in my view, and the wrong choice. The LH/RH split on NHL-sized ice isn't nearly as big deal as on international ice.

That's a feasible roster. A lot comes down to how conservative Hockey Canada is. If they go conservative, someone like Bouwmeester will take the left side third pairing defence spot. A more aggressive approach would be to just pick the top defencemen and put Pietrangelo to the left side and pick Burns/Letang/Subban for the final spots. Stamkos' health also interests me. If he's gone there are many possibilities to replace him.

When do rosters have to be submitted by?

I think May 27.

Burns, yes, he should be considered a lock at this point. Couture is all of the things that you said, but what he hasn't done yet in his career is answer the bell for Hockey Canada. He had a prime opportunity to go to Prague last year for the Worlds, and turned it down. We're seeing the same thing now with Giordano and Brodie apparently being surpassed by Bouwmeester on the LHed d-man depth chart. While he's having a tremendous playoff run right now, when compared to players of similar quality at the same position - Duchene, Hall, O'Reilly, Marchand - Hockey Canada will almost always go with the players who have been loyal to the program at the junior and senior level. That's just the way it is.

Quite possible. If I were Armstrong I wouldn't have named Stamkos as one of the first 9 forwards, but it seems possible that he'll receive medical clearance to play at some point should the Lightning advance to the finals. If not, Giroux would be my first choice as a replacement because he'd be the best overall player not yet on the team, but keep in mind that he also has to recover this summer from his surgery.

I wouldn't bother considering Couture. O'Reilly and Marchand are pretty equivalent players, and I see no reason to reward Couture. Particularly given that this tournament is a joke, I see no better use of it than to reward some players when possible.

I think that the remaining selections will be: Perry, Duchene, Marchand, O'Reilly, Pietrangelo, Burns, Bouwmeester.

If I was making the roster right now from scratch:

Hall Crosby Bergeron
Benn Tavares Seguin
O'Reilly Toews Carter
Duchene Giroux Stone
Stamkos

Vlasic Doughty
Keith Burns
Pietrangelo Weber
Letang

Canada has an interesting mix of players right now. I can't remember a time when Canada's best forwards had more two way ability, and there hasn't been a group of puck moving defencemen this strong since the 80s. Armstrong really shouldn't think too much about his selections - this is on NHL sized ice, the players are all very familiar with what they need to do. Mostly pick the best players and go from there. The strategy is obvious after the last two years: forecheck as aggressively as possible and move the puck out of the defensive zone as quickly as possible. The European teams cannot handle the forecheck all that well, so Canada can dictate with pressure the whole game. USA is better in this regard, but honestly their team is just like Canada's except a little worse in all areas. If Canada really had access to all of its best players I would be looking forward to seeing the results on the ice. As for now, the only interest for me is seeing who the final picks are.

 

[86Habs]

That's a feasible roster. A lot comes down to how conservative Hockey Canada is. If they go conservative, someone like Bouwmeester will take the left side third pairing defence spot. A more aggressive approach would be to just pick the top defencemen and put Pietrangelo to the left side and pick Burns/Letang/Subban for the final spots. Stamkos' health also interests me. If he's gone there are many possibilities to replace him.

I wouldn't bother considering Couture. O'Reilly and Marchand are pretty equivalent players, and I see no reason to reward Couture. Particularly given that this tournament is a joke, I see no better use of it than to reward some players when possible.

I think that the remaining selections will be: Perry, Duchene, Marchand, O'Reilly, Pietrangelo, Burns, Bouwmeester.

If I was making the roster right now from scratch:

Hall Crosby Bergeron
Benn Tavares Seguin
O'Reilly Toews Carter
Duchene Giroux Stone
Stamkos

Vlasic Doughty
Keith Burns
Pietrangelo Weber
Letang

Canada has an interesting mix of players right now. I can't remember a time when Canada's best forwards had more two way ability, and there hasn't been a group of puck moving defencemen this strong since the 80s. Armstrong really shouldn't think too much about his selections - this is on NHL sized ice, the players are all very familiar with what they need to do. Mostly pick the best players and go from there. The strategy is obvious after the last two years: forecheck as aggressively as possible and move the puck out of the defensive zone as quickly as possible. The European teams cannot handle the forecheck all that well, so Canada can dictate with pressure the whole game. USA is better in this regard, but honestly their team is just like Canada's except a little worse in all areas. If Canada really had access to all of its best players I would be looking forward to seeing the results on the ice. As for now, the only interest for me is seeing who the final picks are.

Yep. O'Reilly, Marchand, Duchene and Hall are coin flips and there's little to choose between them. Slight edge to Duchene IMO, based on his WHC and Olympic pedigree (in that, I'd be somewhat surprised if he wasn't selected...but not necessarily surprised if any of the others were omitted) but you could easily build a case for any three of the four.

The views on Bouwmeester are probably correct given Hockey Canada's streak of conservatism and MacKenzie's consistent inside sources. I mean, he's not a bad player by any stretch but some elite talent will be left at home for the sake of handedness. Sucks to be a RHed d-man in Canada, I guess, but bodes well for Ryan Murray and Morgan Rielly for future tournaments.

Stone impressed the hell out of me in Russia. I openly speculated about how his skating and style of play would translate to the international ice, and he answered all of my questions and then some. He should be a staple on future editions of Team Canada without a doubt. What a tremendous player.

 

[xxxx]

I'm seeing Joe Thornton's name start to pop up on a few projected rosters...Pierre Lebrun, Alan Muir at si.com (fwiw), a few others here and there.

Thoughts?

I mean, it's certainly not unreasonable. The guy had an absolute monster year for SJ and has been dominant during this playoff run. His vision and passing skills remain elite (he's the best in the game, IMO), he's top tier in face offs, strong defensively, and a nightmare to handle in the offensive zone. His skating wouldn't be as big a drawback for him as it would be on international ice, which probably kept him off the radar for Sochi.

Now, where to fit him into the forward group could prove challenging. Crosby, Getzlaf and Toews are definite centres (think Armstrong would like the Getzlaf selection back now?), Tavares will probably be a centre on this team, Bergeron can swing between centre and RW, Giroux is still in the running, Stamkos and Seguin are likely converts to RW, and Duchene, O'Reilly and Couture have strong cases. I'm not sure LW best fits Thornton's skill set but that is really the only opening for him if Armstrong really wants him there.

Thornton's international resume is a mixed bag. He wasn't good in '06, was good in '10, and had a superb WHC performance in the '05. He was also excellent centering a checking line for us at the '04 World Cup which demonstrated his willingness to play a lesser, non-scoring role. That may be an indication to Armstrong that he should simply not over-think it, tab him and see where the chips fall later on, but that would be contradictory to the contingency and scenario planning we saw under the Yzerman and Babcock regime.

I wouldn't mind to try Getzlaf-Thornton-Perry line, if Perry is making it, if not, throw Carter there and you have superb-checking/physical line.
If they want Thornton in primary offensive role, a line with him and Stamkos or Tavares makes a lot of sense.

 

[Scotty B]

Is it possible that Stamkos is taken off the team if he still isn't medically cleared to play? In that case I could see Giroux or O'Reilly getting the next nod.

Not sure Stamkos is the same player he used to be, prior to that brutal leg injury...But he should be off the blood thinners long before World Cup time...and since he's already been named to the team... can't see him not being there...

 

[Scotty B]

Not sure Stamkos is the same player he used to be, prior to that brutal leg injury...But he should be off the blood thinners long before World Cup time...and since he's already been named to the team... can't see him not being there...

PS: I think it's pretty much a given that Duchene is on the team...Hall and Giroux would make my team as well...Getzlaf wouldn't ...If Giroux makes it, he probably winds up playing right wing...BUT I'd probably move Seguin to right wing and have Giroux as his center...those two had great chemistry in the 2015 WC...Ditto Crosby and Hall...

 

[tade]

If I was making the roster right now from scratch:

Hall Crosby Bergeron
Benn Tavares Seguin
O'Reilly Toews Carter
Duchene Giroux Stone
Stamkos

Vlasic Doughty
Keith Burns
Pietrangelo Weber
Letang

I completely agree with your roster and reasoning, well done. I really like it. Please, can you select the remaining players for Team Canada?

I think that the remaining selections will be: Perry, Duchene, Marchand, O'Reilly, Pietrangelo, Burns, Bouwmeester.

Unfortunately, I have the same feeling. I would prefer to not have Perry there this time... but Perry answered the call, went to WHC, won the Gold and was captain. I can't imagine the situation where they would leave him from this team, especially with Getzlaf who is already selected. I would rather award someone else, like you mentioned - Giroux / Stone / Hall.

I have nothing against Marchand, think he's a great player, but again, I want to see someone else, see Giroux / Stone / Hall. But his WHC showing, 37-goal season and playing on the line with Bergeron will play in favor for him, I'd assume.

I think that they will snub Giroux again, whatever, maybe it will be better for him to skip this meaningless tournament, fully recover from surgery and put all attention to new NHL season.

Oh and obviously no to Bouwmeester, I want to see as entertaining hockey as possible.

But yes, I won't be shocked If they go with something like this, as I said - unfortunately.

PS: I think it's pretty much a given that Duchene is on the team...Hall and Giroux would make my team as well...Getzlaf wouldn't ...If Giroux makes it, he probably winds up playing right wing...BUT I'd probably move Seguin to right wing and have Giroux as his center...those two had great chemistry in the 2015 WC...Ditto Crosby and Hall...

Yes. O'Reilly - Giroux - Seguin; this line was awesome at 2015 WHC. They could be easily the line on World Cup team. Just like Hall - Crosby + Bergeron or someone.