Which ones?
Ryan isn't aggressive enough
Yandle isn't great defensively
Johnson has holes but is uber competitive
Which observations do you disagree with?
Ryan isn't aggressive enough? He scores 30+ unaggressive goals per year? He what, doesn't hit enough?
Yandle isn't great defensively? But he has Cam Fowler, one of the worst defensive players in the NHL on the team.
Jack Johnson is uber competitive? But also a sieve defensively, so I guess uber-competitivitey will overcome his terrible play in his own zone.
Oh yes, and of course the gem with Byfuglien. He conditioning isn't up to snuff. I am fairly certain that if this was true he would die playing the 26+ mins a night he averages in the NHL.
Burke's "opinions" are non-sense and it only makes it more obvious when talented GM's like Dean Lombardi and Stan Bowman are saying polar opposite comments about the same players.
All this talk about snubs and no mention of Ben Bishop... absolute nonsense that no one mentions the guy who has the Tampa Bay Lightning, they of the 2nd overall pick from last year, near the top of their conference while missing Steven Stamkos? I understand being willing to ignore Quick's sub-par regular season numbers the past two years given how he shows up when it matters, but how you take a recently-injured and lagging Jimmy Howard over this guy is just baffling to me.
All this talk about snubs and no mention of Ben Bishop... absolute nonsense that no one mentions the guy who has the Tampa Bay Lightning, they of the 2nd overall pick from last year, near the top of their conference while missing Steven Stamkos? I understand being willing to ignore Quick's sub-par regular season numbers the past two years given how he shows up when it matters, but how you take a recently-injured and lagging Jimmy Howard over this guy is just baffling to me.
No playoffs, poor WC showing a couple months ago and small sample size. If 20 games is going to get you onto the team than they would have to start looking at Montoya soon as well.
I watched the video and have to say with the exception of Lowe they have assembled a great management team to pick the Canadian roster. It was interesting to hear that coach Babcock didn't always agree with some of the players or how they were rated.
Obviously the article doesn't tell the whole story, but they appeared to favour what they consider all-round players and tried to pick a "safe" team.
They picked apart certain players to no end, but didn't even appear to question the inclusion of players that are coming off injuries, or that have been under-performing this year which struck me a bit odd.
Will be interesting to see how they do. I think they'll regret leaving skilled guys like Ryan and Yandle at home.
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It sounds like they're really hoping Stamkos will be ready. Benn's stock has shot up, Chiarelli was really pushing for Lucic and they were heavily scouting the Sharks.
Here's the players that I think are either on the team or really close based on watching the documentary:
Forwards (17 - 3 will be cut): Crosby, Stamkos (if healthy), Toews, Bergeron, Getzlaf, Perry, Nash, Duchene, Carter, E Staal, Kunitz, Benn, Lucic, Couture, Thornton, Tavares, Eberle
Defence (9 - 1 will be cut): Keith, Weber, Doughty, Pietrangelo, Seabrook, Bouwmeester, Seabrook, Subban, Boyle, Vlasic
Goalies (3): Price, Smith, Luongo
I'm more confident that I'm close on the defence and goalie choices. Forward ranks could surprise with names like Giroux, St. Louis, etc. but the emphasis was on speed and skill (Carter, Nash, Duchene). Role in the forward ranks was also mentioned (E Staal will be 4th line LW if he makes the team). Benn was singled out as a player most of the committee thought was on the rise. Yzerman seemed to want Boyle on the team. The documentary mentioned a few names but not the same depth of comparison and discussion as the US article showed.
Ryan isn't aggressive enough? He scores 30+ unaggressive goals per year? He what, doesn't hit enough?
Yandle isn't great defensively? But he has Cam Fowler, one of the worst defensive players in the NHL on the team.
Jack Johnson is uber competitive? But also a sieve defensively, so I guess uber-competitivitey will overcome his terrible play in his own zone.
Oh yes, and of course the gem with Byfuglien. He conditioning isn't up to snuff. I am fairly certain that if this was true he would die playing the 26+ mins a night he averages in the NHL.
Burke's "opinions" are non-sense and it only makes it more obvious when talented GM's like Dean Lombardi and Stan Bowman are saying polar opposite comments about the same players.
Oh, you're right, you must know better than Burke about the attitudes, behind the scenes activities, and what actual teams think about players.
All those years in the NHL have served you well Wastedyouth, glad you seem to know so much about the players that you've likely seen a game or two of per year. We are forever in gratitude of you sharing your opinion. It is one certainly greater than that of a professional who has been in the business for decades and seen the guys that he speaks of since before they were drafted.
Could you please note where the "polar opposite" is said about all of these players? Ryan's extreme intensity? Yandle's ability as a shutdown defenceman? Johnson's total lack of compete?
The other thing is if you read the article Burke rarely is outright slamming a player - in the cases of Yandle, Buff and Ryan (probably others) he outlines both his concerns but also the areas that they excel in - it frankly is a very balanced viewpoint. Few players are complete - so you have to balance taking the right combination of players where their strengths and weaknesses are balanced the right way. It isn't fantasy hockey where you just pick the top scorers.
Would I take Ryan - probably.
Would I take Yandle and Buff - probably not. I think the choice of Faulk, a guy who is tremendously under-rated, shows they are making sharp informed decisions.
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I am really surprised that the U.S. didn't take Ryan, but I am still fairly sure that they will medal, and my money is that they finish no lower than silver.
I like the way their team is built.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
