World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Russia

[Atas2000]

Awful roster.

It is not the B roster though. It is the C roster maybe.

 

[tade]

It is not the B roster though. It is the C roster maybe.

What is the B roster then?

 

[moropanov]

Russia doesnt have very good depth in hockey. In comparison i would say Russia has maybe 50-80 NHL calibre players including KHL players and for example Canada has 400-500 that level players.Russia A team would be SCup contender> Russia's B team could make it to play offs in NHL >C team definitely not they would be like Buffalo Sabres or Toronto Maple Leafs..

 

[ViD]

I'd prefer Tryamkin, but most likely it will be Belov or Chudinov I guess.

Tryamkin ? Too early

 

[Caser]

Tryamkin ? Too early

I just don't like Belov and Chudinov too much.

 

[MaxV]

Russia doesnt have very good depth in hockey. In comparison i would say Russia has maybe 50-80 NHL calibre players including KHL players and for example Canada has 400-500 that level players.Russia A team would be SCup contender> Russia's B team could make it to play offs in NHL >C team definitely not they would be like Buffalo Sabres or Toronto Maple Leafs..

First of all, no other country other then Canada can put together 3 great teams, so I really don't see your point there.

Second, having 500 NHL players doesn't really say much. A big percentage of those players are unskilled grinders. If you put together a team full of grinders, that team will be underdog to the Norway.

 

[snipes]

"Sport is sport, hockey is hockey" -- Vladimir Putin at the 2016 World Hockey Championship.

Russia is an honourable and dignified country, Canada and Russia share a history through hockey. To see your leader pay respect to Canada like that shows the bonds Canada and Russia share over hockey. Our Head Coach and TSN media stood with you on Victory Day.

I feel Canadian and Russian people are very similar. I want you to know Canada wants Russia to play best-on-best in Toronto. It is the NHL banning Voynov. Not Canada.

Hopefully Trudeau figures out a way to allow Voynov to play. We are the hockey superpowers. Our history is forever linked. 1972 bonded our countries over hockey. You are Canadas greatest rival, but also the hockey nation we respect the most.

I would understand if you boycotted. But please come to this tournament. Your players will be treated like Kings in Toronto. Canadians love hockey, we want best-on-best. Hockey is bigger than politics.

 

[snipes]

To demonstrate the respect Canadians have for Russians.

In 1981, the Soviets won the Canada Cup and the organizers refused to let the Soviet team take the trophy back to the USSR. The Canadian people got together and fundraised the necessary dollars to buy the Soviet team a Replica trophy to take back to the USSR. We love hockey and are a proud people like you.

We wanted to make sure the Champion 1981 USSR Team had a Canada Cup trophy to take home with them. That's the type of people Canadians are. We paid out of our own pockets to make sure the Soviet Champions had a trophy to bring back.

Russia and Canada will forever be bonded over hockey. We are each others greatest rival, but also the people who we respect the most.

 

[Wings4Life]

Overall, the team selection could have been a lot worse. Mozyakin being cut is a good thing, he is too slow for a best-on-best tournament these days, and was never very good on small ice to begin with.

Radulov is probably Russia's 3rd or 4th best winger right now. I would have brought him to the team, since he would be a good addition to the second or third scoring line, but I agree with those saying it's not a huge loss that will make a difference.

Voynov being denied by the NHL gives Russia a few more days to think about how to plug the holes on defence. There are too many to plug of course, but hopefully they pick the right player for small ice. Whoever wins the starting G position will have to stand on their head.

As to the forward combinations, the obvious picks for me are:

1. The Malkin-Tarasenko combination. Russia's best C and best RW, they showed good chemistry together and put up a couple points (in limited icetime together) at 2015 worlds. Question is, who will be the LW? Not Ovechkin, as Sochi confirmed again the lack of chemistry with Malkin. I hope they try Kucherov here.

2. Ovechkin/Datsyuk/Kuznetsov line. One of these two will center Ovi, good news is they can both do it well. Either one could also fulfill RW duties on that line pretty easily.

3. Shipachyov/Panarin/Dadonov line. Obvious chemistry, hoepfully it translates well against big ice and better competition.

Sadly, I think Znarok will badly screw up with his bench management and his forward line selections yet again, and won't be holding my breath to see more than maybe one of the above this time around.

How do you know that he is terrible on the NHL ice, no one knows that.

He is correct, I saw Mozyakin on small ice in his prime, 2008 Worlds in Canada. He was less effective against the big physical guys since he had less room to operate...0 goals, 1 assist in 7 games. He is no longer as fast or as good as he was on big ice either, but a 36 year old Mozyakin would be a bad idea for the World Cup against big physical D like Canada or Sweden, especially on small ice. Again, I think Russian NT made the correct decision leaving Mozyakin at home.

 

[Yakushev72]

Overall, the team selection could have been a lot worse. Mozyakin being cut is a good thing, he is too slow for a best-on-best tournament these days, and was never very good on small ice to begin with.

Radulov is probably Russia's 3rd or 4th best winger right now. I would have brought him to the team, since he would be a good addition to the second or third scoring line, but I agree with those saying it's not a huge loss that will make a difference.

Voynov being denied by the NHL gives Russia a few more days to think about how to plug the holes on defence. There are too many to plug of course, but hopefully they pick the right player for small ice. Whoever wins the starting G position will have to stand on their head.

As to the forward combinations, the obvious picks for me are:

1. The Malkin-Tarasenko combination. Russia's best C and best RW, they showed good chemistry together and put up a couple points (in limited icetime together) at 2015 worlds. Question is, who will be the LW? Not Ovechkin, as Sochi confirmed again the lack of chemistry with Malkin. I hope they try Kucherov here.

2. Ovechkin/Datsyuk/Kuznetsov line. One of these two will center Ovi, good news is they can both do it well. Either one could also fulfill RW duties on that line pretty easily.

3. Shipachyov/Panarin/Dadonov line. Obvious chemistry, hoepfully it translates well against big ice and better competition.

Sadly, I think Znarok will badly screw up with his bench management and his forward line selections yet again, and won't be holding my breath to see more than maybe one of the above this time around.



He is correct, I saw Mozyakin on small ice in his prime, 2008 Worlds in Canada. He was less effective against the big physical guys since he had less room to operate...0 goals, 1 assist in 7 games. He is no longer as fast or as good as he was on big ice either, but a 36 year old Mozyakin would be a bad idea for the World Cup against big physical D like Canada or Sweden, especially on small ice. Again, I think Russian NT made the correct decision leaving Mozyakin at home.

I disagree. Mozyakin would be as effective on a small rink, because a lot of small rink goal scorers have his attributes - great hands and a lightning-fast wrist shot that is sniper accurate. It was a mistake to not include him in favor of Kulemin, who will offer the same old nothing.

 

[Wings4Life]

I disagree. Mozyakin would be as effective on a small rink, because a lot of small rink goal scorers have his attributes - great hands and a lightning-fast wrist shot that is sniper accurate. It was a mistake to not include him in favor of Kulemin, who will offer the same old nothing.

Respect your opinion, you are one of the more knowledgeable posters I've encountered on here. I just don't agree. It's true that Mozyakin still has a good accurate shot which comes in handy in tight spaces, but he doesn't have the ability to find space for himself on the small rink. He is not going to be fast enough, especially now, and he definitely is not strong enough to fight off the big D of Swe/Can to get open. Nor does he have the supreme skill of a Datsyuk, who can cleanly beat top level D one-one-one (though at his age now, Datsyuk will struggle as well). The small rink changes these aspects of the game significantly, as ZZM found out in 2010 Olympics.

 

[Yakushev72]

Respect your opinion, you are one of the more knowledgeable posters I've encountered on here. I just don't agree. It's true that Mozyakin still has a good accurate shot which comes in handy in tight spaces, but he doesn't have the ability to find space for himself on the small rink. He is not going to be fast enough, especially now, and he definitely is not strong enough to fight off the big D of Swe/Can to get open. Nor does he have the supreme skill of a Datsyuk, who can cleanly beat top level D one-one-one (though at his age now, Datsyuk will struggle as well). The small rink changes these aspects of the game significantly, as ZZM found out in 2010 Olympics.

He is getting old, but he still showed good speed just a couple of weeks ago in the WC. He is not going to take the puck end-to-end, but he is a consistent sniper who produces points. None of the teams in the World Cup will have dedicated grinder lines. He meshed beautifully with Datsyuk throughout the tournament. Everyone will go with their top offensive talents, and he is certainly one of Russia's top 12.

 

[Wings4Life]

He is getting old, but he still showed good speed just a couple of weeks ago in the WC. He is not going to take the puck end-to-end, but he is a consistent sniper who produces points. None of the teams in the World Cup will have dedicated grinder lines. He meshed beautifully with Datsyuk throughout the tournament. Everyone will go with their top offensive talents, and he is certainly one of Russia's top 12.

If we're discussing the general strategy of bringing a shutdown line, I think it can be useful. Russia doesn't have 4 first lines to roll out like the Canadians, so guys like Kulemin might actually (for the first time) be useful in a best-on-best tournament, because it's on the small ice.

Three scoring lines can easilyplay 17-18 mins each, leaving PK time and a few D-zone starts for the shutdown guys. Nothing wrong with that, if that's how Znark plans to use these guys.

Sadly though I fear Znarok has other plans, like Telegin/Ovechkin or Malkin/Kulemin on scoring lines...

 

[Yakushev72]

If we're discussing the general strategy of bringing a shutdown line, I think it can be useful. Russia doesn't have 4 first lines to roll out like the Canadians, so guys like Kulemin might actually (for the first time) be useful in a best-on-best tournament, because it's on the small ice.

Three scoring lines can easilyplay 17-18 mins each, leaving PK time and a few D-zone starts for the shutdown guys. Nothing wrong with that, if that's how Znark plans to use these guys.

Sadly though I fear Znarok has other plans, like Telegin/Ovechkin or Malkin/Kulemin on scoring lines...

If I thought there was a chance that he would shut teams down, I wouldn't oppose it. Russia remains the only team that has not gone to the defensive shell-counterattack system, so I don't understand the context in which a checking line could exist. Once Russia falls behind in a game, it is really hard for them to cut the deficit because a weak defense keeps the puck in their own defensive zone a majority of the time. Russia doesn't have enough offensive or defensive depth to advance to the final round, but having guys like Kulemin on the ice who lack the capability to contribute kind of seals the deal.

 

[Caser]

If we're discussing the general strategy of bringing a shutdown line, I think it can be useful. Russia doesn't have 4 first lines to roll out like the Canadians, so guys like Kulemin might actually (for the first time) be useful in a best-on-best tournament, because it's on the small ice.

Three scoring lines can easilyplay 17-18 mins each, leaving PK time and a few D-zone starts for the shutdown guys. Nothing wrong with that, if that's how Znark plans to use these guys.

Sadly though I fear Znarok has other plans, like Telegin/Ovechkin or Malkin/Kulemin on scoring lines...

With Kulemin we are just trying to copy Kunitz-2012 and we don't have any better candidate.


By the way, am I the only one who would like to see Malkin+Kucherov rather than Malkin+Tarasenko?

 

[Yakushev72]

With Kulemin we are just trying to copy Kunitz-2012 and we don't have any better candidate.


By the way, am I the only one who would like to see Malkin+Kucherov rather than Malkin+Tarasenko?

He is one of the best talents in Russian history, but the problem with Malkin is that he wants to make the play himself rather than set the table for someone else, as Centers are supposed to do. Putting them on a line with Malkin instantly turns Kucherov or Tarasenko into grinders. Put Malkin on a line with Anisimov and Kulemin and have them set the table for him. That might work!

 

[Caser]

He is one of the best talents in Russian history, but the problem with Malkin is that he wants to make the play himself rather than set the table for someone else, as Centers are supposed to do. Putting them on a line with Malkin instantly turns Kucherov or Tarasenko into grinders. Put Malkin on a line with Anisimov and Kulemin and have them set the table for him. That might work!

Classic Malkin would do everything by himself until the last moment when he would set up his linemate for an open net opportunity. For that he needs someone to be a 'James Neal' and put the puck in the net and I think Kucherov would do better here than Tarasenko, as, in my opinion, Kucherov is better at playing without the puck than Tarasenko.

 

[Wings4Life]

Classic Malkin would do everything by himself until the last moment when he would set up his linemate for an open net opportunity. For that he needs someone to be a 'James Neal' and put the puck in the net and I think Kucherov would do better here than Tarasenko, as, in my opinion, Kucherov is better at playing without the puck than Tarasenko.

I agree with the bolded part for sure. James Neal, Malkin's best and favourite linemate, was a sniper, a pure goalscorer who needed a setup man like Malkin.

For this role, I think Tarasenko is better suited than Kucherov, for several reasons.

First, Tarasenko is the better pure goalscorer. He has, afterall, scored 40 goals in a season, which is 10 more than Kucherov's best year. He also does not play on the triplet line; rather he is stiffled in Hitchcock's defensive system in the western conference.

Kucherov does have better vision than Tarasenko IMO and is also the better playmaker, but this is the opposite of a James Neal type of player. Such skills are wasted if Malkin is carrying the puck most of the time.

Finally, Tarasenko is more physical and also better defensively than Kucherov, which is what you want in Malkin's wingers when they don't have the puck. And Vladdy only needs a second or two with the puck, sometimes less, to make his chances count. Both players have a world class shot, but Tarasenko is better suited for the 'James Neal' role on the small ice, especially as the bigger games will be tight and physical, western conference type of hockey.

That said, I hope they shift Kucherov to LW, and we see both on a line with Malkin.

 

[Wings4Life]

If I thought there was a chance that he would shut teams down, I wouldn't oppose it. Russia remains the only team that has not gone to the defensive shell-counterattack system, so I don't understand the context in which a checking line could exist. Once Russia falls behind in a game, it is really hard for them to cut the deficit because a weak defense keeps the puck in their own defensive zone a majority of the time. Russia doesn't have enough offensive or defensive depth to advance to the final round, but having guys like Kulemin on the ice who lack the capability to contribute kind of seals the deal.

That's basically what I'm saying. Because out of all our star forwards, who else is able to to do stuff like this:


Here is the link if it's not loading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tasVsnuSvs8

Again, if Znarok uses Kulemin outside of the 4th line (which I unfortunately think he might), then it's a mistake taking Kulemin to the NT. But in a pure PK and checking line role, I'm not sure there are many better candidates for Russia right now.

 

[ijuka]

That's basically what I'm saying. Because out of all our star forwards, who else is able to to do stuff like this:


Here is the link if it's not loading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tasVsnuSvs8

Again, if Znarok uses Kulemin outside of the 4th line (which I unfortunately think he might), then it's a mistake taking Kulemin to the NT. But in a pure PK and checking line role, I'm not sure there are many better candidates for Russia right now.

Personally, I'd like to see Tarasenko with Malkin. I think that they could cause some serious destruction.

Here's the video:

 

[Wings4Life]

Personally, I'd like to see Tarasenko with Malkin. I think that they could cause some serious destruction.

Agreed, that combo has serious potential.

Here's the video:

Cheers.

 

[Yakushev72]

That's basically what I'm saying. Because out of all our star forwards, who else is able to to do stuff like this:


Here is the link if it's not loading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tasVsnuSvs8

Again, if Znarok uses Kulemin outside of the 4th line (which I unfortunately think he might), then it's a mistake taking Kulemin to the NT. But in a pure PK and checking line role, I'm not sure there are many better candidates for Russia right now.

Good hit on Tavares, but he and Yemelin would be the only players on the roster who hit, and there is very little chance that a heavy body attack would be part of a Russian strategy. In fact, Russia is the only team that doesn't use a collapsing defensive strategy for international tournaments, so its difficult to see what the role of a checking line would be, since they don't really match lines. Better to have more offensive pressure, in my opinion, but Znarok clearly doesn't agree.

 

[zbornaja36]

It doesnt make sense for me that Russia included guys from KHL for this tournament. This give this mickey mouse tournament some legitimacy and taking away from KHL ... And if they went this way, Dadonov instead of Radulov??? Radulov is a player that when is on has that extra gear and can single handedly won a game... Dadonov will be checked hard and he cant take it...

 

[Yakushev72]

It doesnt make sense for me that Russia included guys from KHL for this tournament. This give this mickey mouse tournament some legitimacy and taking away from KHL ... And if they went this way, Dadonov instead of Radulov??? Radulov is a player that when is on has that extra gear and can single handedly won a game... Dadonov will be checked hard and he cant take it...

I totally agree.

 

[Namba 17]

Don't get Kulemin hate here.
He is role player we lack the most.
Let him play with Malkin and Tarasenko - you'll see what can he do.
We always lose to team Finland which is crowded with such players.
Besides, he and Anisimov are our best PKs.

Also, Radulov is our top-2 RW now. How on earth, he is not important? Don't understand.

I believe we need good foreign coach without personal stuff with players. I'm tired of coaches, who can't get on with this or that guy.