[News] USA Olympic Roster announced

[PeteLFan]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

Hall was top 10 in the entire NHL in points last year and is 15th in the NHL in points this year. Ovechkin was the only player on LW with more points then him last year. Hall has more PPG then any Canadian LW this year. I'm not saying he will make the team for sure but you make it seem like he is some 4th line scrub. Last year and this year combined, he has been the #1 point producing Canadian LW.

Being a top player is more then just points. Hall is one if the laziest players in the NHL and dogs it when things go bad.

He's not getting a sniff if team canada.

[flames_fan_down_under]

I have a hard time believing Bobby Ryan shouldn't be on the USA team over Derek Stepan or Paul Stastny.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Being a top player is more then just points. Hall is one if the laziest players in the NHL and dogs it when things go bad.

He's not getting a sniff if team canada.

points, points, points, that's all Oilers fans ever talk about...do you really think Hall would be good on the 3rd or 4th line of team canada? or Eberle lol

give your heads a shake those guys can't even get the Oilers out of last place never mind making the best team in the world

[codynw]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

I know chemistry is important, but for me it kinda takes the fun out of Olympics. I want to see the best players go and have line combinations that wouldn't be seen otherwise. The NHL is already such a controlled environment with the defense-first mentality, this tournament should just be a pure fun, fantasy kind of thing.

Really? I think it should be the teams icing the best team they can and trying to win.

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

this tournament should just be a pure fun, fantasy kind of thing.

That's what the all star game is for.

Anyways since it's what everyone's doing, my roster I wrote up last month:

Kunitz - Crosby - Giroux
Stamkos - Toews - St. Louis
Tavares - Getzlaf - Perry
Couture - Thornton - Marleau
Bergeron


Keith - Seabrook
Doughty - Weber
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Letang

Luongo
Price
Crawford

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by flames_fan_down_under

I have a hard time believing Bobby Ryan shouldn't be on the USA team over Derek Stepan or Paul Stastny.

Bobby Ryan can't play down the middle like those two do.

[flamesfan1297]

Originally Posted by doctajones428

That's what the all star game is for.

Anyways since it's what everyone's doing, my roster I wrote up last month:

Kunitz - Crosby - Giroux
Stamkos - Toews - St. Louis
Tavares - Getzlaf - Perry
Couture - Thornton - Marleau
Bergeron


Keith - Seabrook
Doughty - Weber
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Letang

Luongo
Price
Crawford

I like that roster, except that i do not think that Kunitz is top line quality on that team. I get trying to keep him and Crosby together though. I imagine that will be close to what the roster will look like when it is released though

[codynw]

I'm predicting something similar to this.

Kunitz - Crosby - Stamkos
Giroux - Toews - Sharp
Tavares - Getzlaf - Perry
Benn - Bergeron - Thornton

Keith - Doughty
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Vlasic - Weber

Price
Luongo
Fleury

No idea who the extras should be. Probably Subban on defence, could be anyone for the forwards though. Maybe Duchene?

[codynw]

Canada's center depth is unreal. I can't believe how good that looks up the middle.

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by flamesfan1297

I like that roster, except that i do not think that Kunitz is top line quality on that team. I get trying to keep him and Crosby together though. I imagine that will be close to what the roster will look like when it is released though

Yeah. It's easy to swap him out with someone like Benn and do some line changes with this roster.

I just paired everyone up for chemistry, nice having teammates on every line and pairing except for one

[WCW Nitro]

Originally Posted by codynw

Really? I think it should be the teams icing the best team they can and trying to win.

Like I said, I get why they do it, but for me it kind of reduces the fun aspect of the tournament like when in '06 you have a Kris Draper on the team, or a Brooks Orpik for Team USA this year. As a fan, I'd rather just see every country load up on stars.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

Like I said, I get why they do it, but for me it kind of reduces the fun aspect of the tournament like when in '06 you have a Kris Draper on the team, or a Brooks Orpik for Team USA this year. As a fan, I'd rather just see every country load up on stars.

2002 had Mike Peca, 2010 had Patrice Bergeron.

[trackercowe]

Bergeron is vastly underrated, he might play on the fourth line from Team Canada, but he's a far better player than Peca or Draper ever were. Top 30 player in the league imo, even if he doesn't put up the same points as the others do.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Bergeron is vastly underrated, he might play on the fourth line from Team Canada, but he's a far better player than Peca or Draper ever were. Top 30 player in the league imo, even if he doesn't put up the same points as the others do.

You're forgetting how good Peca was that year/time.

[Dion]

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by codynw

Canada's center depth is unreal. I can't believe how good that looks up the middle.

Not to mention most of the wingers are centers too.

8+ centers on one team? We will never lose a faceoff

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

The guy is arguably the best left wing in the world and skates better than... well it's hard to think of five guys who are on his level. On the big ice? Yeah, I'll take him.

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

Hall was top 10 in the entire NHL in points last year and is 15th in the NHL in points this year. Ovechkin was the only player on LW with more points then him last year. Hall has more PPG then any Canadian LW this year. I'm not saying he will make the team for sure but you make it seem like he is some 4th line scrub. Last year and this year combined, he has been the #1 point producing Canadian LW.

Canada's centre depth substantially diminishes Hall's value to this team. With the number of centres that will be on the roster, it is highly debatable whether Hall's distinction as a world class winger is even much of a factor.

[19Yzerman19]

Originally Posted by sergei_makarov

Going to be very tough to argue that Hall is arguably the best LWer in the world when there are guys like Datsyuk, Parise, Ovechkin, Sedin off the top of my head.

Datsyuk is a center, Ovy is a right wing. Sedin and Parise and Benn all have a case but that's why I said arguably. He's better offensively, a better skater than all of those guys. They just have more complete games. And only one is Canadian.

I recognize, also, that there are going to be centres playing LW... forwards playing out of position doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as defensemen playing their off side. But seding a team without a single natural LW'er (outside of Benn, who will be 3rd or 4th line) seems like less than a good idea when you have a guy available who plays at an elite level. It's not like he'll be playing 20 minutes a game or relied on to win the tournament, he just needs to go out there every once in a while and skate.

People need to stop letting irrational Oiler hate cloud their judgment. Hall is one of Canada's twelve best forwards. He should be on the team.

[moon]

I listed the forwards I went with earlier but might as well put the whole team here:

Kunitz-Crosby-Stamkos
Sharp-Toews-Bergeron
E. Staal-Getzlaf-Perry
Duchene-Tavares-Giroux
Couture

Keith-Weber
Bouw-Pietr
Vlasic-Doughty
Subban

Price
Luongo
Fleury

Could easily have Benn replace Kunitz. I only recently switched to Kunitz and have him because of familiarity with Crosby but was really a toss up and don;t love leaving Benn at home. Went with Couture over Thornton because of age, skating and versatility. St. Louis tough to leave off but we have seen in the past what happens with going with age over the younger legs. Duchene beats out Hall because of versatility/200 ft. game.

I went with 3 L and 3 R defense despite not thinking those are the best guys to go but it does seem like what Team Canada wants. So unless Weber or Doughty can switch over in which case Seabrook replaces Vlasic to play with Keith I think Vlasic easily beats out Hamhuis. Subban beats out Letang to be the extra D. Boyle too old and declining to beat out the younger guys. With Doughty, Keith , Weber returning and Bouw there enough experience that they don't need Boyle.

Fleury beats out Smith due to more Team Canada experience and much better numbers so far this year. It is the 3rd guy anyways so not too important.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

People need to stop letting irrational Oiler hate cloud their judgment. Hall is one of Canada's twelve best forwards. He should be on the team.

Hall would simply not succeed in the position he would be put in. He wouldn't be on the top two lines, and him on the 3rd/4th line would be terrible. He just doesn't have the defensive responsibility to play that role. He's like Bobby Ryan with the Americans...if he's not in a role where he's putting up points, there are other players who are better options.