ujju2
Registered User
If you want defence, high IQ, and cerebral play, you probably want Nuge on the team.
Who Would Make Canada's Roster If There Was Olympics This Year?
- Thread starter NVious
- Start date
WarriorofTime
Registered User
- Jul 3, 2010
- 31,233
- 20,172
Mathieukferland
Registered User
Unless it’s a generational player like Bédard or McDavid very rarely do teenagers get considered for team Canada, but if the question is for 2026 I think McTavish will definitely put himself in the conversation by then
WarriorofTime
Registered User
- Jul 3, 2010
- 31,233
- 20,172
True, I know the premise is who would make a team today which is obviously a "no" but I think on a go-forward basis, he is a major contender to make the A team.
jj cale
Registered User
Hmmm, I don't think he has overtaken Pronger in stature yet. Are some people forgetting how good he was already?
Line 1: RNH-McDavid-Marner
Line 2: Verhaege-Crosby-MacKinnon
Line 3: Stamkos-Point-Thomas
Line 4: Marchand-Horvat-Barzal
Extras: Huberdeau, Stone
D1: Toews-Makar
D2: Pelech-Pietrangelo
D3: Theodore-Morrisey
D4: Byram-Hamilton
Goalies:
Hart-Jarry-Kuemper
This would be my team IF THERE was an olympics this year. I'm still rolling with the BPA at the position while taking age into account.
-Guys like Cozens, Suzuki, Mercer and Kyrou will likely make the team in 2026. Robert Thomas, I believe is already so poised, an elite playmaker and the most well-rounded out of the above mentioned that I had to pencil him in on the roster.
Same thing with Byram, at times he was the Av's best defender and looked like a prime Drew Doughty during their run. That's saying a lot when you're playing behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
-Role Players like Verhaege and RNH are crucial when they're playing with alpha dogs. RNH's chemistry with McDavid and ability to kill penalties is the only reason he's here. Verhaege's speed, ability to play LW, accompanied by his ridiculous ability to score 5v5 earns him a spot with Crosby and Mack.
-You could swap Horvat for PLD. or more established guys like Giroux or Tavares. I purely went with Horvat because of his ridiculous FO%, age, PK ability and chemistry with Barzal. Probably not the best offensive option, but when you have Marchand and Barzal on your wings, flanked by Theodore and Morrisey, Horvat can just tip pucks in and get garbage goals all tournament long.
Line 2: Verhaege-Crosby-MacKinnon
Line 3: Stamkos-Point-Thomas
Line 4: Marchand-Horvat-Barzal
Extras: Huberdeau, Stone
D1: Toews-Makar
D2: Pelech-Pietrangelo
D3: Theodore-Morrisey
D4: Byram-Hamilton
Goalies:
Hart-Jarry-Kuemper
This would be my team IF THERE was an olympics this year. I'm still rolling with the BPA at the position while taking age into account.
-Guys like Cozens, Suzuki, Mercer and Kyrou will likely make the team in 2026. Robert Thomas, I believe is already so poised, an elite playmaker and the most well-rounded out of the above mentioned that I had to pencil him in on the roster.
Same thing with Byram, at times he was the Av's best defender and looked like a prime Drew Doughty during their run. That's saying a lot when you're playing behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
-Role Players like Verhaege and RNH are crucial when they're playing with alpha dogs. RNH's chemistry with McDavid and ability to kill penalties is the only reason he's here. Verhaege's speed, ability to play LW, accompanied by his ridiculous ability to score 5v5 earns him a spot with Crosby and Mack.
-You could swap Horvat for PLD. or more established guys like Giroux or Tavares. I purely went with Horvat because of his ridiculous FO%, age, PK ability and chemistry with Barzal. Probably not the best offensive option, but when you have Marchand and Barzal on your wings, flanked by Theodore and Morrisey, Horvat can just tip pucks in and get garbage goals all tournament long.
Last edited by a moderator:
Marchand on 1st line? His production is already declining and is probably better suited for a 3rd/4th line role. Bedard hasn't played a single NHL game so not sure why he's there. Benn and Danualt over guys like Huberdeau, Schiefele, Barzal, Verhaege, Thomas, PLD? Talk about taking veterans and structure over speed, skill and BPA. Canada already has enough skilled players (Marchand, Marner, Point, Stone and Konecny) to fill checking roles. Having one of Danault or Benn is fine, but both? Leaving off too much skill with Canada having its deepest forward crops in history.
HFpapi
Registered User
Jesus dude.
Btw, pains me to say it, but USA have passed us. Looking at some of the names we are putting on our roster, it just isn't the same as when every name was the elite of the elite.
Even some of the "elite" names we still have like Crosby and Marchand will be well past their best by the time the next best-on-best rolls around.
McDavid, Mackinnon, Makar, and hopefully Bedard is still a hell of a core, but some of the ancillary players are pretty weak by historical standards.
USA meanwhile is completely loaded to the brim with elite talent that are all just entering or perfectly in the middle of their prime.
Last edited:
It's not as bad as some people are making it out to be. Yes, the USA is younger and their top end talent pool is deeper than Canada's right now. However, our centre depth is still Phenomenal, McDavid, Crosby, Mack, Point > Matthews, Hughes, Thompson, Eichel and we still have some of the best defensemen in the world in guys like Makar, Toews, Theodore, Piterangelo, Morrisey, Hamilton, etc. Goaltending is the only area where Canada has really fallen off.
If it weren't for the weak Canadian draft classes and Laf and Byfield actually panned out like how they were supposed to, then I don't think we would be having this conversation. I think it's more a testament to Canada's depth that we can go through a 4-5 year period of weak drafting and still have arguably the best team on paper, probably the only country that can afford that. The future is bright with guys like Bedard, Fantilli, Celebrini, Power, Byram, Cozens and many more, but as a Canadian I think it's okay to admit that Canada is not in its best overall shape at this current moment.
Miro4Norris
Registered User
- Jan 24, 2021
- 1,889
- 1,712
Bedard will show this year that he's better player than guys like Scheifele, Huberdeau and Verhaeghe. Canada already has enough more skilled players to leave out guys like them and Danault is way better 4C than any of these guys. Haven't you seen him shutting down McDavid, Matthews and Crosby in playoffs in last years on 5 on 5? Did you also miss out that there was only 10 Canadians with more points than Benn although he was on supporting role behind 1st line? He also brings more to the game than only points, still he scored more points than any of the guys you mentioned. How are the better hands helping now? About Marchand, I was more focused on building lines that could actually work than putting best lw, c and rw on the first line, second best ones on the second line and so on.
You never leave off skill in a best-on-best. 1998 and 2006 Team Canada rosters are a prime example of this. This forum is asking if there was an Olympics THIS year. No chance Bedard makes the roster over the guys you mentioned. Yes, Danault is an excellent defensive player and I wouldn't mind him being included on the roster. However, the role he fills can already be filled by skilled players that contribute both defensively AND offensively. I'd rather have guys like Stone, Marchand, Konency, Point or guys with upside and future 2026 candidates like Robert Thomas, PLD and Dylan Cozens fill those shoes and let Canada groom them. Benn had a good bounce back season, however we have to consider the entire body of work and his putrid outputs of 39, 35 and 46 points respectively in the seasons prior to the last one. I'd rather have Huberdeau, Verhaege, Horvat, Tavares, Schiefele, Kyrou and Barzal over a 34-year old Benn who's CLEARLY lost a step if you watch Dallas games. Leaving off 30+, 40+ goal scorers and multiple 90 point getters for Benn is an exemplar of the 1998 and 2006 selections
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,223
- 12,364
I'd probably think about something like:
Stamkos-McDavid-Point
Marchand-Crosby-Scheifele
***-MacKinnon-Marner
Stephenson-Thomas-Stone
***Would be one of Dubois/Konecny/Verhaeghe/Barzal/Nuge/Horvat/Mercer. With a second from that bunch as the "spare". Though if Huberdeau bounces back, he'd immediately vault to the head of the line for that role.
Toews-Makar
Morrissey-Pietrangelo
Theodore-Doughty
*Reilly/Pelech
G: Hart/Jarry/Kuemper/Thompson. Ughhh.
I'll catch flak for that 4th line and someone like Stephenson in particular i'm sure. It's not just taking the highest scoring, most productive players. But Canada has the luxury of insane depth of talent...which means we can start to thing about roles, chemistry, etc. We've seen before that it's important to take a good mix, including some "spare parts" that can play a checking/energy line role or plug into different spots as needed. As well as thinking about killing some penalties, rather than just loading up on powerplay guys when only ~10 of them will get any real opportunity to play there. Heck, we've had times where our 4th "checking/energy" line with Richard-Toews-Nash was our best unit at big moments and critical in getting the ball rolling.
I think two defensively responsible speedsters like Thomas and Stephenson would really complement someone slow like Stone. They're also the sort of useful players who could plug in elsewhere in the lineup if the chemistry is all misfiring and you just need a simple "get in on the forecheck" sparkplug to jumpstart a line. They've both got loads of positional/role versatility and that's valuable. Especially in the sort of players who could potentially play "4th line" minutes, kill penalties, and still be effective. Stephenson in particular to me, is like a supercharged version of that proverbial "Swiss Army Knife" type player who can do a bit of everything, plug in pretty much anywhere, and not look out of place. Tons of big game playoff experience and clutch as heck. Who knows, he could probably even play the "Hyman role" with McDavid if things aren't working, or fill in beside MacKinnon. I think that flexibility is invaluable in a tournament where chemistry is such a big guessing game with zero time to figure it out.
Stamkos-McDavid-Point
Marchand-Crosby-Scheifele
***-MacKinnon-Marner
Stephenson-Thomas-Stone
***Would be one of Dubois/Konecny/Verhaeghe/Barzal/Nuge/Horvat/Mercer. With a second from that bunch as the "spare". Though if Huberdeau bounces back, he'd immediately vault to the head of the line for that role.
Toews-Makar
Morrissey-Pietrangelo
Theodore-Doughty
*Reilly/Pelech
G: Hart/Jarry/Kuemper/Thompson. Ughhh.
I'll catch flak for that 4th line and someone like Stephenson in particular i'm sure. It's not just taking the highest scoring, most productive players. But Canada has the luxury of insane depth of talent...which means we can start to thing about roles, chemistry, etc. We've seen before that it's important to take a good mix, including some "spare parts" that can play a checking/energy line role or plug into different spots as needed. As well as thinking about killing some penalties, rather than just loading up on powerplay guys when only ~10 of them will get any real opportunity to play there. Heck, we've had times where our 4th "checking/energy" line with Richard-Toews-Nash was our best unit at big moments and critical in getting the ball rolling.
I think two defensively responsible speedsters like Thomas and Stephenson would really complement someone slow like Stone. They're also the sort of useful players who could plug in elsewhere in the lineup if the chemistry is all misfiring and you just need a simple "get in on the forecheck" sparkplug to jumpstart a line. They've both got loads of positional/role versatility and that's valuable. Especially in the sort of players who could potentially play "4th line" minutes, kill penalties, and still be effective. Stephenson in particular to me, is like a supercharged version of that proverbial "Swiss Army Knife" type player who can do a bit of everything, plug in pretty much anywhere, and not look out of place. Tons of big game playoff experience and clutch as heck. Who knows, he could probably even play the "Hyman role" with McDavid if things aren't working, or fill in beside MacKinnon. I think that flexibility is invaluable in a tournament where chemistry is such a big guessing game with zero time to figure it out.
Chandler Stephenson doesn't even whiff a Prime Richards-Toews-Nash line. That line exemplifies what it means in taking skilled players and placing them in checking roles. I'd rather have Marchand-Horvat-Konecny OR PLD-Thomas-Stone OR add a goal scorer such as Schiefele or a speedster in Bazral on RW.I'd probably think about something like:
Stamkos-McDavid-Point
Marchand-Crosby-Scheifele
***-MacKinnon-Marner
Stephenson-Thomas-Stone
***Would be one of Dubois/Konecny/Verhaeghe/Barzal/Nuge/Horvat/Mercer. With a second from that bunch as the "spare". Though if Huberdeau bounces back, he'd immediately vault to the head of the line for that role.
Toews-Makar
Morrissey-Pietrangelo
Theodore-Doughty
*Reilly/Pelech
G: Hart/Jarry/Kuemper/Thompson. Ughhh.
I'll catch flak for that 4th line and someone like Stephenson in particular i'm sure. It's not just taking the highest scoring, most productive players. But Canada has the luxury of insane depth of talent...which means we can start to thing about roles, chemistry, etc. We've seen before that it's important to take a good mix, including some "spare parts" that can play a checking/energy line role or plug into different spots as needed. As well as thinking about killing some penalties, rather than just loading up on powerplay guys when only ~10 of them will get any real opportunity to play there. Heck, we've had times where our 4th "checking/energy" line with Richard-Toews-Nash was our best unit at big moments and critical in getting the ball rolling.
I think two defensively responsible speedsters like Thomas and Stephenson would really complement someone slow like Stone. They're also the sort of useful players who could plug in elsewhere in the lineup if the chemistry is all misfiring and you just need a simple "get in on the forecheck" sparkplug to jumpstart a line. They've both got loads of positional/role versatility and that's valuable. Especially in the sort of players who could potentially play "4th line" minutes, kill penalties, and still be effective. Stephenson in particular to me, is like a supercharged version of that proverbial "Swiss Army Knife" type player who can do a bit of everything, plug in pretty much anywhere, and not look out of place. Tons of big game playoff experience and clutch as heck. Who knows, he could probably even play the "Hyman role" with McDavid if things aren't working, or fill in beside MacKinnon. I think that flexibility is invaluable in a tournament where chemistry is such a big guessing game with zero time to figure it out.
You nailed it right on the head. Guys like Danault and Stephenson are third-liners at best in the NHL. Danault hasn't even whiffed 60 points in a season and people want him on a best-on-best? LOL.
Canada doesn't need another Rob Zamuner or Kris Draper on their team such as Danault. Also the Kunitz pick in 2014 was awful. People gloss over that pick because Canada won gold, but his impact was negligible and he was booted off Crosby's line lol. Giroux SNUB.
People tend to overlook what a best-on-best is, and it's just that a BEST-ON-BEST and Danault and Stephesnon are not the best that Canada has to offer. Also LMAO at the guy on here that expects Danualt to fill Bergeron's shoes. Near PPG player, multiple Selkes, 1st liner and PP and PK specialist vs. a 3rd liner who barely breaks 40 points a season and will never whiff a NHL PP in his career. No one can fill Patrice Bergeron's shoes.
You're not going to get a Bergeron replacement really with the intangibles he brings to the table along with his play - there is no one like him. Danault isn't nearly as bad of a shout as you're making him out to be. Danault is a 2nd liner tasked with going up as a shutdown center against the top players in the league like McDavid and Draisaitl (Who he sees on a routinely basis) and churns out very strong metrics (Refer to puckiq), and the eye test supports it. McDavid, someone who absolutely torched the league last season, was only able to put up 3 points in 4 regular season games against the Kings - let that sink in for a moment.
This is what Danault brings to the table. You wouldn't be taking him for his offense, it's the fact that he can line up against the best in the world when nursing a one goal lead with 5 minutes to go and you can feel comfortable knowing he's out there. He doesn't get Selke recognition because the points aren't there, but the two-way play absolutely is, and having someone like him who can be a matchup center and a penalty killer is a very, very valuable asset.
This is a either a raelly poor assessment, or just a ridicoulus exaggeration. Third liners (or fourth liners for that matter since you said they are third liners "at best") don't play 18-20 minutes per night on play off teams, final teams and cup champions, and don't score 50-60 points.
And comparing Danault and Stephenson to Draper, who was a 4th liner and 20-30 point guy almost his entire career, is simply a bad take.
Last edited:
Actually I would say 2006 is a bad example. Of course if you're Canadian you're gonna remember Draper being on the Canadian team and not doing much.
But then on the other hand, Sweden excluded Michael Nylander and Kristian Huselius in favour of Samuel Pahlsson and P.J. Axelsson - both whom had strong tournaments with Sweden also winning the gold.
What's more sad is that Jörgen Jönsson and especially Mika Hannula was on that team. It's like the Swedish hockey federation always had to have at least a couple of players from the SHL.
NordiquesForeva
Registered User
- May 30, 2022
- 858
- 989
I’d take Stephenson on my team in a heartbeat, if it was for a team playing right now. I’d want that speed and versatility in my bottom 6, not to mention the experience one would get from being a key piece on a Cup champion. If it came down to Stephenson, Scheifele, Horvat or Thomas for a #4 centre role I wouldn’t need to put too much thought into it honestly. I’d take Marchessault too. For a regular cycle Olympic or World Cup team, my assessment would likely change and I could see Thomas or Suzuki eventually nailing down that #4C role, but for the time being Stephenson would be a good selection imo.
It usually takes about a year for a player to feel 100% after the hip surgery Marchand had. He might not bounce back in production since he’s in his mid-30s now but I wouldn’t completely write his production off last year as a decline.
Stephenson has outscored RNH 111 to 72 at 5v5 the past three years (in 14 more games), and had a 2.24 P/60 over that time compared to RNH’s 1.63, yet you have RNH on the top line next to McDavid. You mentioned Kunitz in ‘14, but RNH is the same deal. He scored 100 because of the PP, but he’s not sniffing the top unit of team Canada. I don’t know if Stephenson should be on the team either, but he’s very much a top 6 player and producer at this point.
Yea, unfortunately Canada doesn’t have a Bergeron, Toews, or Richards type matchup center right now, and Danault would be the one who fits the bill the most. I don’t think he’d make previous versions of the team, but at this point his defensive ability would be useful, even if he’s deployed less than the usual defensive line would be. Ideally Couturier will be back and fully this year as he’d be the best option if he plays his best, but he’s such an unknown being out for a year and a half.
ManofSteel55
Registered User
Nugent Hopkins - McDavid - Marner
Marchand - Crosby -McKinnon
Stamkos - Point - Bedard (or bench)
Schiefele - Danualt - Stone
Hyman (could put him on the first line and slide guys down the lineup accordingly, which could leave Danault on the bench if they don't need a premier shut down guy, or Scheifele if they do.
Defense:
Toews-Makar
Theodore-Pietrangelo
Nurse - Doughty
Morrisey
If they have room for Owen Power, I'd try to get him there too.
Goalie: we have goalies?
Carter Hart gets the nod for me for now
Stuart Skinner as backup.
Marchand - Crosby -McKinnon
Stamkos - Point - Bedard (or bench)
Schiefele - Danualt - Stone
Hyman (could put him on the first line and slide guys down the lineup accordingly, which could leave Danault on the bench if they don't need a premier shut down guy, or Scheifele if they do.
Defense:
Toews-Makar
Theodore-Pietrangelo
Nurse - Doughty
Morrisey
If they have room for Owen Power, I'd try to get him there too.
Goalie: we have goalies?
Carter Hart gets the nod for me for now
Stuart Skinner as backup.
Last edited:
- Oct 9, 2012
- 32,489
- 31,413
Canada would want to win gold at the tournament. You're not doing that with RNH or Hyman playing on the 1st line and Nurse slotted in on any defensive pairings. You might be able to squeeze one of RNH/Hyman in the 3rd/4th line, RNH is too reliant on special teams to be on a top line for a best on best tournament and Hyman is more of that gritty in your face player you want when your skilled players aren't on the ice
Last edited:
ORRFForever
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2018
- 19,731
- 10,993
Ad
Latest posts
-
Useless Thread MCMVIII: Mario FIXED It - The U Appreciation Thread- Latest: PanthersPens62
-
-
