I would want the puck on McDavid's and MacKinnon's (and Crosby's) sticks as much as possible, and you would get that by cycling the offense through them at the center position on separate lines. McDavid is a center, and MacKinnon hasn't played the wing since very early in his career; why would a coach ask them to play a position that they're largely unfamiliar with in a short, high-pressure/high-stakes situation like the Olympics? Sometimes the best answer is the most obvious one.
Stamkos maybe.I'd go:
XXXXX-McDavid-MacKinnon
Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron
I'm not sure who would fill the XXXX spot, but this is just a quick outline of what I'd do.
Did couturier die or do you actually have Danault above him lolCrosby-McDavid-Huberdeau
Barzal-Mackinnon-Stone
Marchand-Point-Marner
ROR-Danault-Bergeron
Danault has been insane... legit shutdown Matthews-Marner to 1 goal and then did it vs the Jets and now Vegas. He's elite defensively. Maybe top 5 in the world defensively. I like Couturier though a lot.Did couturier die or do you actually have Danault above him lol
At this point in his career, I think Crosby could do with a puck carrier on his line to lug the puck up the ice through the neutral zone and gain offensive zone entries. Crosby's speed ain't what it was, so he's better when the puck's already in the offensive zone and can cycle and use his puck protection to generate chances. But he'd need someone to get the puck into the zone for him to work his magic.
I’m actually really surprised by the results. Obviously McDavid is the top line center, but then I feel like you have to at the very least start out with Crosby as the 2C. He’s not that old, and he hasn’t been that far behind MacKinnon the last couple years. If he doesn’t produce, maybe move him to wing or 3C, but he’s earned the opportunity
I get where you're coming from, but MacKinnon has outperformed Crosby for two years straight, and the start of next season will most likely be the third straight year. The gap is only going to get wider from here, and MacKinnon is a playoff beast to boot.
At some point, you've got to let go of the grace period and give the best players in the league today their hard-earned roles.
Dunno how you can send Canadian hockey players to a country that has two Canadians imprisoned for “spying”. These guys have been basically swept away to never be heard from again. How can you go play hockey there knowing there’s political prisoners from your own country being mistreated for years just down the road?
Danault is has been great defensively these playoffs, but he's pretty 1 dimensional compared to everyone else on the team. IMO he has no business on the Canada roster. If Canada needs defensive centers they have 3 Selke winners in Bergeron, ROR, or Couturier who can also score.Danault has been insane... legit shutdown Matthews-Marner to 1 goal and then did it vs the Jets and now Vegas. He's elite defensively. Maybe top 5 in the world defensively. I like Couturier though a lot.
Imagine Couturier-Danault-Bergeron defensively though.Danault is has been great defensively these playoffs, but he's pretty 1 dimensional compared to everyone else on the team. IMO he has no business on the Canada roster. If Canada needs defensive centers they have 3 Selke winners in Bergeron, ROR, or Couturier who can also score.