Country with the Best Starting 5

[Nucks2001]

CAN
Crosby-McDavid-MacKinnon
Toews-Makar
USA
J.Hughes-Matthews-M.Tkachuk
Q.Hughes-A.Fox
SWE
Pettersson-Zibanejad-Nylader
Hedman-Dahlin
FIN
Aho-Barkov-Rantanen
Lindell-Heiskanen
RUS
Panarin-Malkin-Kucherov
Sergachev-Provorov
CZE
Necas-Hertl-Pastrnak
Gudas-Hronek
SWI
Meier-Hischier-Fiala
Siegenthaler-Josi

Click to read more...

 

[Mathieukferland]

CAN
Crosby-McDavid-MacKinnon
Toews-Makar

You could combine all the other countries and it wouldn’t be better than this

 

[HockeyScotty]

Not a certainty that this is the "best 5" from America:

USA
J.Hughes-Matthews-M.Tkachuk
Q.Hughes-A.Fox

Either Jaccob Slavin or Charlie McAvoy would probably make that top pair; most likely Slavin-Fox would be the "top pair" for USA.

Also Jack Hughes hasn't overcome Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk would be right in that mix as well. Tough to not see a B. Tkachuk-Matthews-M. Tkachuk line as the #1 for USA; but if it is just based on "best" then it would be Eichel over Hughes.

 

[Czechboy]

Should include goalies IMO

Like how the Czechs look and I'll add Dostal as our goalie.

I'd pick USA out of these lists

Slovaks would be
Slaf-Tatar-Pospisil
Nemec-Cernak (or Fehervary if you prefer)

 

[Bixby Snyder]

USA

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

If you include goaltenders, USA

If you don’t, Canada

 

[Zine]

What Buchnevich said.

Canada has the top starting 5. Include a goaltender and USA is the best.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

My starting six for the U.S.:

M. Tkachuk/A. Matthews/J. Hughes
Q. Hughes/C. McAvoy
Hellebucyk

 

[Nucks2001]

Not a certainty that this is the "best 5" from America:

USA
J.Hughes-Matthews-M.Tkachuk
Q.Hughes-A.Fox

Either Jaccob Slavin or Charlie McAvoy would probably make that top pair; most likely Slavin-Fox would be the "top pair" for USA.

Also Jack Hughes hasn't overcome Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk would be right in that mix as well. Tough to not see a B. Tkachuk-Matthews-M. Tkachuk line as the #1 for USA; but if it is just based on "best" then it would be Eichel over Hughes.

I don’t know many people that have Eichel over Jack Hughes. Hughes is just in a different world when it comes to skill. Eichel does bring a better all-around game tho and I understand why one would take him. Also love Slavin, but I would take Hughes if we’re TAKING the best 5 players from each country. Leaving the vets American Defenceman from that seems wrong.

 

[HockeyScotty]

I don’t know many people that have Eichel over Jack Hughes. Hughes is just in a different world when it comes to skill. Eichel does bring a better all-around game tho and I understand why one would take him. Also love Slavin, but I would take Hughes if we’re TAKING the best 5 players from each country. Leaving the vets American Defenceman from that seems wrong.

Yeah I understand the thought process about skill; just that there is alot of "great hockey" that gets left out of that conversation and guys like Eichel and Slavin bring that to the table. It's not a knock on Quinn Hughes; just that a pair like Q. Hughes-Fox is pretty one-dimensional compared to an actual pairing like Toews-Makar that is elite in all areas.

 

[ViD]

Canada used to have defensive lineup that they could’ve won with anyone in net even though they had guys like Price, Luongo etc

Nowadays, Canadian defense does not strike me as impenetrable and they definitely would need strong goaltending to succeed

 

[mphmiles]

Yeah, this actually becomes an interesting debate if you don't remove goalies. As is, it's really not much of one.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

My starting six for the U.S.:

M. Tkachuk/A. Matthews/J. Hughes
Q. Hughes/C. McAvoy
Hellebucyk

There’s no way Fox isn’t included.

Hughes-Fox is pretty one-dimensional compared to an actual pairing like Toews-Makar that is elite in all areas.

Fox is elite in all areas.

 

[HockeyScotty]

There’s no way Fox isn’t included.


Fox is elite in all areas.

And Q. Hughes is not; thus as a pair cannot be "elite".

I mentioned that my elite top pair for USA would be Slavin-Fox. Slavin's offense and puck moving ability are greatly overlooked; while Hughes' defensive lapses/physicality are glossed over.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

And Q. Hughes is not; thus as a pair cannot be "elite".

I mentioned that my elite top pair for USA would be Slavin-Fox. Slavin's offense and puck moving ability are greatly overlooked; while Hughes' defensive lapses/physicality are glossed over.

I personally wouldn't choose a Hughes-Fox pairing because I agree it's a little small for a top pairing, and you could balance it better, but I think they'd probably do a great job because they are two of the best defensemen in the world and their team would have the puck the whole game and when they didn't you at least have one of the best defensemen in the world on the ice at suppressing offense and another who was pretty decent defensively last season and has made major defensive improvements since his career began. I wouldn't make it more complicated than that.

 

[HockeyScotty]

I personally wouldn't choose a Hughes-Fox pairing because I agree it's a little small for a top pairing, and you could balance it better, but I think they'd probably do a great job because they are two of the best defensemen in the world and their team would have the puck the whole game and when they didn't you at least have one of the best defensemen in the world on the ice at suppressing offense and another who was pretty decent defensively last season and has made major defensive improvements since his career began. I wouldn't make it more complicated than that.

Guess I was stacking them up against Team Canada from the OP.

Crosby-McDavid-MacKinnon Toews-Makar have elite possession ability and two powerful skaters that have proven to own Quinn Hughes in 1-on-1 situations; he cannot handle that level of power/speed/stickhandling.

 

[Nucks2001]

Guess I was stacking them up against Team Canada from the OP.

Crosby-McDavid-MacKinnon Toews-Makar have elite possession ability and two powerful skaters that have proven to own Quinn Hughes in 1-on-1 situations; he cannot handle that level of power/speed/stickhandling.

Yea, not sure how a lot of people are coming to the conclusion if you add a goalie, U.S.A. is automatically better than Canada. Canada still has 4/6 best players on the ice.

 

[HockeyScotty]

Yea, not sure how a lot of people are coming to the conclusion if you add a goalie, U.S.A. is automatically better than Canada. Canada still has 4/6 best players on the ice.

Well an elite goalie can do a lot of heavy lifting and USA does have a big advantage there in elite talent and depth; only outmatched by Russia in the nets.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Yea, not sure how a lot of people are coming to the conclusion if you add a goalie, U.S.A. is automatically better than Canada. Canada still has 4/6 best players on the ice.

Conversely, it's a stretch to think that the Canadian starting five would dunk on everyone.

 

[Nucks2001]

Conversely, it's a stretch to think that the Canadian starting five would dunk on everyone.

Not dunk, but Finland has Saros and players in Barkov and Rantanen. You could put up a decent argument that all 3 of those players are better than Matthews, Tkachuk and Helleybuck/Swaayman. I just don’t think the U.S.A. is automatically the best team on paper when you account goalies. Especially because the gap between McDavid, MacKinnon and Makar are so big amongst the rest of the pack.

With that being said, I think the U.S.A. is even w/ Canada when you include goalies and I think Finland could legitimately put up a fight and come out on top with those 2 countries

 

[jj cale]

If you count goalies I like the U.S by a bit over Canada at this point in time, if you take the goalies out
I like Canada a tad more then the U.S.

No one team is affected more on this list of the big five by inclusion or non inclusion of the goalies though then Russia. With them.......they are a lot better on this list, take them out and I think their starting five is the weakest of the big boys.