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WJC: 2020 Canada Roster Talk

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4thlineduster said:
Is it just me or does Canada look like we are playing a game of non contact hockey?
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I think both sides are probably playing a bit cautious in an effort to avoid any pre-tournament injuries.
It's a fine line; you want the guys to go hard and get build some intensity, but at the same time it seems like a few key players end up missing the tournament due to injuries that occurred in what are essentially glorified scrimmages.
I think it may also be due to the big ice. It could take them some time to adjust to that extra space.
Either way, I'm not too concerned if they aren't overly physical in this one. But they better bring it on the 26th.
 
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Definitely weren’t playing physical enough, but it’s the lack of urgency on the puck movement that was most concerning. We just didn’t attack with any intensity at all. I’m sure it’ll be a different story against the better teams. Hard to get up for an exhibition game against Switzerland, I guess.
 
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Lavoie is infuriatingly terrible 98% of the time. Groulx, Thomas invisible. Cozens was lost out there. Hayton was bad. Foote was bad. “Shut down” pair struggled hard at times and relative to the rest of the D.

Addison and Drysdale were both great. McIsaac and Smith worked better than expected. Dudas at least tries all the time. Lafreniere and Byfield were both distributing very well. Dellandrea line has pretty unbearable lack of puck skills put that only really stands out because they had it all the time, should be a good unit. There were times when we absolutely dominated possession with amazing puck movement.

None of it really matters. First pre-tournament game out of the way, now. Goal should be getting the PP working way more aggressively ASAP.
 
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thought the team for the most part looked tentative and nervous. A lot of players holding the stick too tight and trying to play roles that they are not accustomed to, including the big ice.
hope they can overcome these obstacles

The players to me that I thought did not have good game, were
  1. Benoit-Olivier Groulx - can't recall hearing his name mentioned at all
  2. Lavoie - looked asleep some shifts, questionable puck decisions
  3. Thomas - looked lost at times, perhaps this level is just too fast for him
  4. McMichael - seemed out of sorts, perhaps needs time to adjust, perhaps playing a different role than used to
  5. Byram - other than his goal didn't impress, and was perhaps the worst D today
  6. Bahl - definitely needs to pick up his game mentally, had a good 1st and then kinda went down hill. Needs to be faster and smarter with the puck
My call to eliminate someone based on today's game would definitely be Benoit-Olivier Groulx.

However I would wait until after the next exhibition game against the Finns.
 
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Gil Gunderson said:
How was JBD? Anything noticeable?
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Good skater, perfect positioning and defensive work, but I know he can move the puck far better than he showed today. That was my big criticism of him, that he was really struggling to settle it down and put it onto the tape of players in motion. I have zero concerns about him moving forward.

Also, I’m a little surprised to see Byram getting flagged down here. His passing was excellent, his offensive instincts and skating created some really dangerous chances, and I didn’t note any defensive mis-plays. Granted, I wasn’t exactly watching the game with great intensity and missed a few minutes here and there, but I don’t understand where the criticisms are coming from.
 
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Dominance said:
Lavoie is infuriatingly terrible 98% of the time. Groulx, Thomas invisible. Cozens was lost out there. Hayton was bad. Foote was bad. “Shut down” pair struggled hard at times and relative to the rest of the D.

Addison and Drysdale were both great. McIsaac and Smith worked better than expected. Dudas at least tries all the time. Lafreniere and Byfield were both distributing very well. Dellandrea line has pretty unbearable lack of puck skills put that only really stands out because they had it all the time, should be a good unit. There were times when we absolutely dominated possession with amazing puck movement.

None of it really matters. First pre-tournament game out of the way, now. Goal should be getting the PP working way more aggressively ASAP.
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I agree with these thoughts. It will be important to see how well they play on Monday vs Finland.

I will be disappointed if Mercer is the player who gets cut. He's provided a lot of jump in the CHL Russia series, against USports, and today as well. He's having a good QMJHL season too.

It would have been much better if Veleno had been available two days earlier so that there could be two games to try combinations out before the tournament begins.
 
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Dominance said:
Lavoie is infuriatingly terrible 98% of the time. Groulx, Thomas invisible. Cozens was lost out there. Hayton was bad. Foote was bad. “Shut down” pair struggled hard at times and relative to the rest of the D.

Addison and Drysdale were both great. McIsaac and Smith worked better than expected. Dudas at least tries all the time. Lafreniere and Byfield were both distributing very well. Dellandrea line has pretty unbearable lack of puck skills put that only really stands out because they had it all the time, should be a good unit. There were times when we absolutely dominated possession with amazing puck movement.

None of it really matters. First pre-tournament game out of the way, now. Goal should be getting the PP working way more aggressively ASAP.
Click to expand...

Yeah I definitely like the Smith/McIsaac pairing and thought Addison and Drysdale were solid as well. I think Drysdale could end up playing a lot by the end of this tourney on the big ice. I didnt mind Byram at all either, wasnt amazing but had a solid game I thought.

They need to get Hayton to stop just throwing the puck on net on the PP and it will look better. Set up and get the puck moving.

Also for the guys saying this team is built for the small ice because they brought so much size, I dont buy that at all. What small players did they leave at home that can outskate guys like Byfield or Cozens in the top 6? Just because they have size doesnt mean theyre not elite skaters. The only guy whose skating I really question is Footes but with Veleno back, I doubt he stays in the top 6 anyways. Maybe Groulx if he isnt cut but hes on the bubble right now. A Byfield, Cozens, Veleno line might be the fastest line in the tournament, plus guys like Foudy as well. Skating doesnt worry me at all for this team
 
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People are questioning Foote’s... um... foote speed, but it seems like nobody’s noticed the fact that this guy’s shot is electric. You still win games by outscoring the opposition and you need good shooters to do that. I think he’ll do just fine playing on that top line with a good puck distributor like Lafreniere.
 
KYams17 said:
Let me correct your post

“Lavoie or Thomas is gonna be cut (Lavoie because he’s a Oilers prospect)*

Am I doing this right?
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Not a chance Lavoie is getting cut....was part of what was one of the objectively more impressive lines during the game. Being able to role a line of 3 giant forwards who can all skate is one hell of a luxury to have in your back pocket.
 
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Don’t like how many forwards got cut already

We hadn’t even seen them on the big ice yet.
 
From this 1st game pre-tournament game, it appears that Lafreniere (1st line) and Thomas line do not have adequate chemistry. Dudas line played well, and the Byfield line was ok.
the 2nd defensive pairing of JBD and Bahl needs to be a lot better. Or they will be split up.
 
To me that looked like a team struggling to adjust to the larger ice surface matched against a team that has played on the big ice their entire lives.

Would make some adjustments (Foote down the lineup, Veleno in, Thomas/Cozens moved up) but think they’ll get better.
 
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