Olympics: Team Russia 2022

[Atas2000]

Any chance you guys think Romanov gets an invite?

I can understand being doubtful just looking at his stats, but he's been really good for Montreal for a pretty long string of games here. Probably our best Dman over the last few weeks.

I think if he gets an invite to camp he will impress enough to earn a spot. Not sure he gets that chance though.

He shouldn't IMO. It is painfully obvious he should have stayed in Russia. I fear he will botcher his development and ultimately career with that choice to got to NA that early. He is pushed into that DD role by now by Montreal, but he is not very good at that either. At least not good enough to push someone out of a spot on the bset-on-best team. A lot though will depend on how many defencemen spots are available. It is not the NHL and there will probably be 4 full pairings and maybe even a 9th D spot on the extended tournament roster.

Looking at the depth chart it's something like this(those are no parings, but just the overall depth chart) as of right now as I personally see it:

Provorov, Orlov
Sergachyov, Zub, Gavrikov
Kulikov, Voynov
-----------here is the cutoff for guys who I see as locks. Below that there is room for mind games, but those 7 spots are taken in my book

In that area form the NHL there are:

Zaytsev (his plus is experience but he is not having a good season right now otherwise he would be above that dotted line even)
Zadorov whose qulities are obvious. Big, bruising body with no offence mostly and questionable ability to not eff things up defensively. If the coaches feel like they need the Big Z, he might make it.
Romanov
Lyubushkin (another DD specialist who plays on a wreck of a tesm so it is as difficult to read his stats as it is with Romanov)

From the KHL Nesterov should get a look. Obviously not a superstar, but he is experienced, in the midst of a very good season in the K and as a bottom pairing or odd guy with limited minutes he can be there.

If there are 9 defencemen, then I see a chance for Romanov. Other than that I would prefer either Zadorov for his sheer size or Nesterov for his experience and allround abilitites. Obviously experience is a factor.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Do you think that this Russian team is better than the Sochi and Vancouver teams?
Goaltending, is the #1 position and I believe that this years team is an upgraded.
Forward?
Defence?

 

[Bread4Life]

Do you think that this Russian team is better than the Sochi and Vancouver teams?
Goaltending, is the #1 position and I believe that this years team is an upgraded.
Forward?
Defence?

Difinitynily better.

Goaltending best in the world
Defence not great but better than 2010/2014
Forward group is better - Kuch, Panara and Kaprizov in prime it's a fire!

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

Yes, they could win a medal game on goaltending alone.

 

[StlBill]

It's potentially an interesting situation:

You either make the Tarasenko-Barbashev-Buchnevich your 4th line or you place one of your other star, PPG wings on the 4th line (Ovechkin, Kucherov, Panarin, Kaprizov or Svechnikov).

Another possibility is to break up the Blues line, but I don't think that's a good idea.

I think the Blues line stays together, and even as a 4th line, Buch and Barby are phenomenal two way players. You’ll be surprised how well Tarasenko’s two way game is when he’s highly motivated. Not to mention, as a group they have ridiculous chemistry and game breaking offensive ability. They control the puck so well, And Barby is having a career/break through year. I hope they shine together on the international stage.

 

[Khomutov]

Panarin-Malkin-Kucherov
Ovechkin-Schipachev (Kuznetsov if available)-Kaprizov
Buchnevich-Barbashev-Tarasenko
Svechnikov-Namestnikov-Nichushkin

Orlov-Provorov
Sergachev-Gavrikov
Zub-Kulikov

Vasilevsky, Shesterkin, Bobrovsky

 

[ViD]

Difinitynily better.

Goaltending best in the world
Defence not great but better than 2010/2014
Forward group is better - Kuch, Panara and Kaprizov in prime it's a fire!

2010 Russian offense was better than 2022, let’s not fool anyone here

Ovechkin
Malkin
Kovalchuk
Datsyuk
Syomin
Radulov

all in their prime.

If I remember correctly, in 2009 three Russians were nominated for Hart. Ovechkin was tearing up the league prior to the Olympic break. There were legit discussion that Russia had a better offense than Canada at that moment

 

[Atas2000]

2010 Russian offense was better than 2022, let’s not fool anyone here

Ovechkin
Malkin
Kovalchuk
Datsyuk
Syomin
Radulov

all in their prime.

If I remember correctly, in 2009 three Russians were nominated for Hart. Ovechkin was tearing up the league prior to the Olympic break. There were legit discussion that Russia had a better offense than Canada at that moment

We do have a better offence than Canada now. That is with Kuznetsov so it will remain on paper. And except for the usual center problem that was there too in 2010.

The depth is better now than it was in 2010. Ovechkin and Malkin are still here and they are still great. The younger stars are amazing too. Let's really not fool people here.

If you think that Kucherov, Panarin, Kaprizov, Tarasenko, Svechnikov, Buchnevich are not an imporvement on that 2010 group you are mistaken. This group is deeper and more balanced. "Prime Ovechkin" was far from understanding all aspects of the game as he does now. Kovalchuk and Semin were the two best wrist shots in the game, but defence you could not ask of them in any shape or form. The 2010 roster's big problem was exactly that. A lot of high octane forwards, but no one to play a responsible game, forecheck and backcheck except Datsyuk.

 

[SOLR]

We do have a better offence than Canada now. That is with Kuznetsov so it will remain on paper. And except for the usual center problem that was there too in 2010.

The depth is better now than it was in 2010. Ovechkin and Malkin are still here and they are still great. The younger stars are amazing too. Let's really not fool people here.

If you think that Kucherov, Panarin, Kaprizov, Tarasenko, Svechnikov, Buchnevich are not an imporvement on that 2010 group you are mistaken. This group is deeper and more balanced. "Prime Ovechkin" was far from understanding all aspects of the game as he does now. Kovalchuk and Semin were the two best wrist shots in the game, but defence you could not ask of them in any shape or form. The 2010 roster's big problem was exactly that. A lot of high octane forwards, but no one to play a responsible game, forecheck and backcheck except Datsyuk.

On what planet?

Nice wingers, but if you don't control the center it doesn't mean much.

 

[Atas2000]

On what planet?

Nice wingers, but if you don't control the center it doesn't mean much.

That depends on the premise that centers are more important than wingers. A lot of people fall into that trap. Centers are more valuable on draft day. Other than that this is just a position like any other. Of course you want to be strong everywhere, but the idea that a team with better centers will always beat a team with better wingers is nonsense.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Is he Malkin in his prime anymore? He is 35 and injured at the moment. Kuz won't participating because he took illegal subastances. Wingers are better than Fin, Swe though.

 

[SOLR]

That depends on the premise that centers are more important than wingers. A lot of people fall into that trap. Centers are more valuable on draft day. Other than that this is just a position like any other. Of course you want to be strong everywhere, but the idea that a team with better centers will always beat a team with better wingers is nonsense.

Is it? Are the Russian wingers even better (outside the top 5)? Is the D as good offensively?

Would say there is a slight talent advantage on the wing for Russia
A large gap at center, where Canada has 4 of the top 5 in the world (8 of the top 10 if Malkin plays to potential). Shipachev, Barbeshev, Namesnikov are not in the world's top 40. It will be bad.
And that this Canadian D is superior offensively by a significant margin vs. Russia's D.

On balance, this Russian team isn't super competitive and I don't expect them to go very far unless goaltenders save the day. Sweden and US imo have better offensive potential because of their D, even if we say that Russia is number 1 overall for wing talent (big doubts there vs. Canada if you compare the whole 8, the top 4 being Russians, and bottom 4 Canada being stronger).

Fully expecting that Michkov will be needed to rebound Russia.

Don't think they will medal, but anything can happen in a small tournament like this.

 

[Atas2000]

Is it? Are the Russian wingers even better (outside the top 5)? Is the D as good offensively?

Would say there is a slight talent advantage on the wing for Russia
A large gap at center, where Canada has 4 of the top 5 in the world (8 of the top 10 if Malkin plays to potential). Shipachev, Barbeshev, Namesnikov are not in the world's top 40. It will be bad.
And that this Canadian D is superior offensively by a significant margin vs. Russia's D.

On balance, this Russian team isn't super competitive and I don't expect them to go very far unless goaltenders save the day. Sweden and US imo have better offensive potential because of their D, even if we say that Russia is number 1 overall for wing talent (big doubts there vs. Canada if you compare the whole 8, the top 4 being Russians, and bottom 4 Canada being stronger).

Fully expecting that Michkov will be needed to rebound Russia.

Don't think they will medal, but anything can happen in a small tournament like this.

Russian wingers are the best in the world. They are better than any other team's wingers.

The D is good offensively, far better than some previous selections. Nobody claims though they are the best. They can hold their own and that's it.

Canada has the best center depth than anybody and it's not a debate.

Namestnikov is a projection. In my book he is not on the team. Barbashev should be a 4th line centrer, he might be pushed to play with his teammates in St.Louis. And then again, his previous achievements aside he is 34th in center scoring in the NHL right now. So Top40. Shipachyov is a far better player than the NHL centric crowd thinks. He is far better player than Barbashev for example. So Top40 is seriously not a measuring stick for him whil ehe is definitely not in the Top10 or something.

What does this "super competitive" even mean? Toews jockstrap's intangibles? I don't buy this kind of stuff.

Offensive potential comes from the forwards first and foremost. Both Sweden and US have a worse forwards group than Russia. Sweden will rely on their swedish system which tends to offset single player performances. And their D has got worse, not better. Karlsson might think he is still one of the best players in the world, but he isn't and behind Hedman the air is way thinner than it used to be for Sweden. The US defence is admirable of course, but they too lack that top talent upfront. Of course measured by the highest standard.

Russia's bottom six wingers might feature s Top10 scorer in the NHL.

If you think Russia has no chance to even medal, you are just stuck in the Cold War.

 

[SOLR]

Russian wingers are the best in the world. They are better than any other team's wingers.

The D is good offensively, far better than some previous selections. Nobody claims though they are the best. They can hold their own and that's it.

Canada has the best center depth than anybody and it's not a debate.

Namestnikov is a projection. In my book he is not on the team. Barbashev should be a 4th line centrer, he might be pushed to play with his teammates in St.Louis. And then again, his previous achievements aside he is 34th in center scoring in the NHL right now. So Top40. Shipachyov is a far better player than the NHL centric crowd thinks. He is far better player than Barbashev for example. So Top40 is seriously not a measuring stick for him whil ehe is definitely not in the Top10 or something.

What does this "super competitive" even mean? Toews jockstrap's intangibles? I don't buy this kind of stuff.

Offensive potential comes from the forwards first and foremost. Both Sweden and US have a worse forwards group than Russia. Sweden will rely on their swedish system which tends to offset single player performances. And their D has got worse, not better. Karlsson might think he is still one of the best players in the world, but he isn't and behind Hedman the air is way thinner than it used to be for Sweden. The US defence is admirable of course, but they too lack that top talent upfront. Of course measured by the highest standard.

Russia's bottom six wingers might feature s Top10 scorer in the NHL.

If you think Russia has no chance to even medal, you are just stuck in the Cold War.

Outside chance I would say. I think they are likely to be pinned down and abused even by teams like Finland-Czechs. And this will make games against Canada, Sweden and US all the more challenging.

I'm no Canadian fanboy...I don't think this Russian team is particularly good.

 

[Bread4Life]

2010 Russian offense was better than 2022, let’s not fool anyone here

Ovechkin
Malkin
Kovalchuk
Datsyuk
Syomin
Radulov

all in their prime.

Ovi and Malkin still here (and Ovi play more balanced game)
Kuch > Kovalchuk
Panarin = Datsyuk
Kaprizov > Syomin
Kuznetsov > Radulov

+ Tarasenko, Svechnikov, Buchnevich

This team is much better, let’s not fool anyone here.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Russian wingers are the best in the world. They are better than any other team's wingers.

The D is good offensively, far better than some previous selections. Nobody claims though they are the best. They can hold their own and that's it.

Canada has the best center depth than anybody and it's not a debate.

Namestnikov is a projection. In my book he is not on the team. Barbashev should be a 4th line centrer, he might be pushed to play with his teammates in St.Louis. And then again, his previous achievements aside he is 34th in center scoring in the NHL right now. So Top40. Shipachyov is a far better player than the NHL centric crowd thinks. He is far better player than Barbashev for example. So Top40 is seriously not a measuring stick for him whil ehe is definitely not in the Top10 or something.

What does this "super competitive" even mean? Toews jockstrap's intangibles? I don't buy this kind of stuff.

Offensive potential comes from the forwards first and foremost. Both Sweden and US have a worse forwards group than Russia. Sweden will rely on their swedish system which tends to offset single player performances. And their D has got worse, not better. Karlsson might think he is still one of the best players in the world, but he isn't and behind Hedman the air is way thinner than it used to be for Sweden. The US defence is admirable of course, but they too lack that top talent upfront. Of course measured by the highest standard.

Russia's bottom six wingers might feature s Top10 scorer in the NHL.

If you think Russia has no chance to even medal, you are just stuck in the Cold War.

So you think Russia have better d than Sweden?

Erik Karlsson has 18 points in 23 games so far. Go and look at Sharks board, they are saying he is playing really good.

Hedman/Karlsson/Dahlin/Klingberg is very good offensivly.

Brodin/Ekholm/Andersson/Lindholm is very good defensivly.

Our ds are fine. Saying its thin behind Hedman makes no sense.

1.	Victor Hedman (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning	28	6	22	28	1.00	20	12
2.	Erik Karlsson (D)	San Jose Sharks	23	8	10	18	0.78	12	4
3.	Rasmus Dahlin (D)	Buffalo Sabres	28	5	12	17	0.61	18	-7
4.	Oliver Kylington (D)	Calgary Flames	27	3	12	15	0.56	4	7
5.	Gustav Forsling (D)	Florida Panthers	24	0	13	13	0.54	12	6
6.	Jonas Brodin (D)	Minnesota Wild	26	3	11	14	0.54	8	8
7.	Rasmus Andersson (D)	Calgary Flames	28	0	15	15	0.54	10	13
8.	Adam Boqvist (D)	Columbus Blue Jackets	18	6	3	9	0.50	2	-2
9.	Lucas Carlsson (D)	Florida Panthers	12	1	5	6	0.50	2	1
10.	John Klingberg (D)	Dallas Stars	21	0	10	10	0.48	6	-9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

vs

1.	Dmitri Orlov (D)	Washington Capitals	28	4	10	14	0.50	24	18
2.	Mikhail Sergachyov (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning	26	2	11	13	0.50	14	0
3.	Vladislav Gavrikov (D)	Columbus Blue Jackets	27	2	11	13	0.48	14	5
4.	Dmitri Kulikov (D)	Minnesota Wild	27	3	9	12	0.44	6	7
5.	Ivan Provorov (D)	Philadelphia Flyers	27	2	8	10	0.37	16	-2
6.	Artyom Zub (D)	Ottawa Senators	26	1	7	8	0.31	22	4
7.	Alexander Romanov (D)	Montréal Canadiens	29	2	3	5	0.17	20	-5
8.	Nikita Zadorov (D)	Calgary Flames	21	2	2	4	0.19	12	3
9.	Ilya Lyubushkin (D)	Arizona Coyotes	27	0	4	4	0.15	12	-8
10.	Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ottawa Senators	21	1	1	2	0.10	12	-3

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Atas2000]

So you think Russia have better d than Sweden?

Erik Karlsson has 18 points in 23 games so far. Go and look at Sharks board, they are saying he is playing really good.

Hedman/Karlsson/Dahlin/Klingberg is very good offensivly.

Brodin/Ekholm/Andersson/Lindholm is very good defensivly.

Our ds are fine. Saying its thin behind Hedman makes no sense.

1.	Victor Hedman (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning	28	6	22	28	1.00	20	12
2.	Erik Karlsson (D)	San Jose Sharks	23	8	10	18	0.78	12	4
3.	Rasmus Dahlin (D)	Buffalo Sabres	28	5	12	17	0.61	18	-7
4.	Oliver Kylington (D)	Calgary Flames	27	3	12	15	0.56	4	7
5.	Gustav Forsling (D)	Florida Panthers	24	0	13	13	0.54	12	6
6.	Jonas Brodin (D)	Minnesota Wild	26	3	11	14	0.54	8	8
7.	Rasmus Andersson (D)	Calgary Flames	28	0	15	15	0.54	10	13
8.	Adam Boqvist (D)	Columbus Blue Jackets	18	6	3	9	0.50	2	-2
9.	Lucas Carlsson (D)	Florida Panthers	12	1	5	6	0.50	2	1
10.	John Klingberg (D)	Dallas Stars	21	0	10	10	0.48	6	-9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

vs

1.	Dmitri Orlov (D)	Washington Capitals	28	4	10	14	0.50	24	18
2.	Mikhail Sergachyov (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning	26	2	11	13	0.50	14	0
3.	Vladislav Gavrikov (D)	Columbus Blue Jackets	27	2	11	13	0.48	14	5
4.	Dmitri Kulikov (D)	Minnesota Wild	27	3	9	12	0.44	6	7
5.	Ivan Provorov (D)	Philadelphia Flyers	27	2	8	10	0.37	16	-2
6.	Artyom Zub (D)	Ottawa Senators	26	1	7	8	0.31	22	4
7.	Alexander Romanov (D)	Montréal Canadiens	29	2	3	5	0.17	20	-5
8.	Nikita Zadorov (D)	Calgary Flames	21	2	2	4	0.19	12	3
9.	Ilya Lyubushkin (D)	Arizona Coyotes	27	0	4	4	0.15	12	-8
10.	Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ottawa Senators	21	1	1	2	0.10	12	-3

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Well, I guess I appreciate the effort, but I never said Russia's D is better than Sweden's. I said Sweden's D is not what it once was featuring the best OD in the game in Karlsson. He is not that now. And overlall Sweden's D is not that powerhouse it once was.

 

[Flynn84]

Officially, no Kuznetsov at the Olympics. If anyone actually was still hoping for him being in the roster

 

[ViD]

So, assuming no NHLers, if Michkov tears up WJHC, any chance we might see him added to the Olympic team? Would be pretty epic and record breaking

 

[Czechboy]

So, assuming no NHLers, if Michkov tears up WJHC, any chance we might see him added to the Olympic team? Would be pretty epic and record breaking

I doubt it (he is my fav prospect) but no NHL just made Russia a real likely back to back Olympic gold medalist.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Something like this ?

Gusev - Shipachev - Burdasov
Kuzmenko - Grigorenko - Tolshinsky
Slepyshev -Anismov - Kravtsov
Goldobin - Okulov - Zhafyarov

Nesterov - Ozhiganov
Rafikov - Voynov
Yakolev - Marchenko

Fedotov
Bilyalov
Askarov

 

[MaxV]

Something like this ?

Gusev - Shipachev - Burdasov
Kuzmenko - Grigorenko - Tolshinsky
Slepyshev -Anismov - Kravtsov
Goldobin - Okulov - Zhafyarov

Nesterov - Ozhiganov
Rafikov - Voynov
Yakolev - Marchenko

Fedotov
Bilyalov
Askarov

Both Okulov and Grigorenko might be there, but I don't think it'll be as centers.

Kadeykin probably and a few guys competing for the other center spot.

 

[Fantomas]

delete, wrong thread

 

[EdJovanovski]

Should Kravtsov make the team? Wonder if they play him at center, they did at the WJC. He plays a lot like a center anyway even on the wing, usually the first man back on the backcheck and often plays more around the center of the ice rather than the side

 

[SoundAndFury]

Should Kravtsov make the team? Wonder if they play him at center, they did at the WJC. He plays a lot like a center anyway even on the wing, usually the first man back on the backcheck and often plays more around the center of the ice rather than the side

Kravtsov wasn't on any of the EHT rosters that will be the basis for the Olympic one so no, he has no chance whatsoever.

Center experiment also would make absolutely no sense. Yes, Russia's center depth was terrible if other nations had the guys from the NHL. Since NHL isn't coming, guys like Morozov, Semyonov, Andronov, Anisimov, Kamenev are more than fine. Definitely not the reason to go for some crazy experiment with Kravtsov. And if anyone was willing to go into that experiment, it would have been tried in the EHT, as I said.