World Cup: Four Nations Tournament-Team Canada

[Frank the Tank]

Well, they're goaltending is bad....why didn't they give Thompson or Kuemper a chance?

Yeah, Hockey Canada should have booked Montembault the best suite at his resort of choice and told him that they wish him well as he rests his "injury" over the break.

 

[JackSlater]

I will say that hearing about the lines has me interested again. I like the team that was picked for the most part. Hope the team wins, hope the games are interesting. Ideally Hockey Canada gets a lot of useful information for preparing for the 2026 Olympics.

 

[surixon]

I'm not as sold on Morrissey as some people are. He was certainly having a Norris caliber season last year.... until he suddenly wasn't. He's good, no question... Just not sure about how elite he actually is.

He's had three straight years of elite play. He finished 5th and 7th in Norris voting the past two seasons, and will likely finish top 10 again this year. He's darn good.

 

[Muffin]

Anyone bored want to calculate what the cap hit of team Canada is?

 

[Frank the Tank]

Anyone bored want to calculate what the cap hit of team Canada is?

$174M. It's this original amount with an approximate $2M increase by replacing Pietrangelo ($8.8M) with Doughty ($11M).

 

[kevsh]

Hellebuyck

If this year's regular season Helle shows up, certainly. But last spring Mack & Makar fed him his lunch every night for 5 games straight, and they didn't have Reinhart, McDavid or Crosby helping them.

In any event, Canada has the two best forwards in the tournament and while most rightly claim USA has the deeper roster they shouldn't over-look the gap between McDavid & Mack down the middle vs. every other team. Matthews/Hughes? Great players, but not even close.

Connor + Nate + Sid.
If I'm a betting guy (I'm not), I'd never put up money against that trio.

 

[Zybalto]

 

[The Faulker 27]

Crosby, Makar, Mack, McDavid, Reinhart.
PP1
How on earth can you bet against Canada unless the other teams simply refuse to take any penalties?

I'll just be taking the over.

 

[BoneDocUK]

He's had three straight years of elite play. He finished 5th and 7th in Norris voting the past two seasons, and will likely finish top 10 again this year. He's darn good.

Yep.

And his D partner is the solid but very much not-in-the-Norris-debate Dylan DeMelo, who began the season with some uncharacteristically spotty play.

As a PMD, Morrissey has been elite enough for long enough to absolutely deserve his spot in this team.

 

[Dominance]

Yep.

And his D partner is the solid but very much not-in-the-Norris-debate Dylan DeMelo, who began the season with some uncharacteristically spotty play.

As a PMD, Morrissey has been elite enough for long enough to absolutely deserve his spot in this team.

Morrissey is a great (arguably the greatest) example of one of the severely underrated players on this roster. He has been better on both sides of the puck for some time now than a guy like Fox, who I am sure would crush Morrissey in a public poll around here.

 

[Pancakes]

Interesting that Canada is playing Crosby so high in the lineup with him recently injured. As a Pens fan there was some question of whether he'd be able to play in the tournament at all. He sat out the Pens' last two games.

I'll be rooting for the US but I hope Sid is healthy and able to play at his normal level. This tournament means a lot to him.

 

[syz]

Crosby, Makar, Mack, McDavid, Reinhart.
PP1
How on earth can you bet against Canada unless the other teams simply refuse to take any penalties?

NHL refs could always refuse to call penalties. McDavid's familiar with that by now.

 

[Alicat]

If Marchand isn't on the PP, safe to say they are using him on the top PK unit?

Can't wait to see him shine and prove a lot of people wrong.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

NHL refs could always refuse to call penalties. McDavid's familiar with that by now.

If MacKinnon and McDavid are on the ice at the same time, the refs will all have a stroke.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

PP #1 is ridiculously stacked.

Teams will get wrecked if they are undisciplined.

 

[Nucks2001]

If Marchand isn't on the PP, safe to say they are using him on the top PK unit?

Can't wait to see him shine and prove a lot of people wrong.

Expect Konecny to replace Marchand or Jarvis. Cirelli-Hagel are probably a lock for Cooper on PK1.

 

[Moncherry]

Not as impressive as what Team Canada used to roll out. There was a time when Patrice Bergeron was used as a 13th forward faceoff specialist.

 

[Duffalufagus]

PP #1 is ridiculously stacked.

Teams will get wrecked if they are undisciplined.

PP's are about chemistry as much as anything else. the guys have to come together.

 

[CaviarAndRinkFries]

 

[ds774622]

Well, they're goaltending is bad....why didn't they give Thompson or Kuemper a chance?

The rumor is that Cassidy and DeBoer clashed with Thompson while with VGK. Who the hell knows if there's any truth to it.

 

[bossram]

Expect Konecny to replace Marchand or Jarvis. Cirelli-Hagel are probably a lock for Cooper on PK1.

Jarvis is an absolute dawg. He's not coming out the lineup.

 

[Nucks2001]

Jarvis is an absolute dawg. He's not coming out the lineup.

If it was up to me, I'd boot Marchand or Bennett. Just thinking like team canada brass

 

[Dominance]

Not as impressive as what Team Canada used to roll out. There was a time when Patrice Bergeron was used as a 13th forward faceoff specialist.

Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you go nearly a decade of draft classes that improbably manage to all be disappointing, helped along by a rut of injuries to top prospects and unbelievably poor development decisions by NHL teams.

Disappointing top-10 picks who could/should have been ready by now alone, we’re not getting a single best-on-best player yet from Dubois, Jost, Patrick, Glass, Rasmussen, Tippett, Hayton, Bouchard, Byram, Dach, Cozens, Lafreniere, Byfield, Drysdale, Quinn, Perfetti, Power, McTavish, Wright, or Savoie.

 

[Toby91ca]

Apparently Team Canada is 29-0 in the last 29 games that Crosby has played.

 

[jigglysquishy]

The last time Crosby played in a best on best he was 26.

This isn't a best on best either.