Team Canada at Mid November

[codynw]

Does Iginla have a chance to play his way onto the team? He's off to a pretty good start in Boston, and Canada doesn't have a lot of natural right wingers. I was a little surprised to see he didn't get invited to the camp, but I could see him possibly finding a spot on the bottom 6. Maybe with Bergeron?

[H2SO4(aq)]

Originally Posted by moon

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

Weber-Doughty
Keith-Seabrook
Pietrangelo-Bouwmeester
Subban


Price
Luongo
Smith

Price as the starter

Really like this roster. I would switch Bernier with Smith, and would switch Marleau with Couture, but otherwise I agree. I prefer Seguin over Kunitz but you just cant compete with the Kunitz-Crosby chemistry.

[moon]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I don't get the love for Marleau. He was invisible at the last Olympics. Couture seems a better bet as a starter.

I don't think he was bad last Olympics and he is a natural LW which the team doesn't have a lot of. He is scoring at a PPG pace this year and is a solid defensive player.

Also, not sure where the "love for Marleau" comes from but since I had him on my team and I also had Couture and just had Couture as the extra forward for now because there were so many Centers there already and I would probably take Marleau at his natural position over Couture playing out of position.

[GreenLantern]

Isn't Tavares injured too now? He went down had last night..

[moon]

Originally Posted by codynw

Does Iginla have a chance to play his way onto the team? He's off to a pretty good start in Boston, and Canada doesn't have a lot of natural right wingers. I was a little surprised to see he didn't get invited to the camp, but I could see him possibly finding a spot on the bottom 6. Maybe with Bergeron?

Can't see anyway he makes the team unless he improves his play or their are a bunch of injuries. His pretty good start has him still only around 100 in scoring and being outscored by a lot of bubble guys. At this point in his career and on big ice he brings basically nothing defensively although his leadership could be looked at as an asset.

For the guys I have listed I would also put E. Staal, Hall, Benn, Sharp, Seguin as guys definitely ahead of him and probably guys like Lupul, O'Reilly, Marchand, Spezza that he would have to jump as well.

[19Yzerman19]

Yeah Iggy has no chance, realistically.

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Isn't Tavares injured too now? He went down had last night..

He's not expected to miss any time. Certainly not an issue for next year!

[Stupid]

This is such a weird discussion to me. Very kid-in-candy-store like.
My partner and I moved from Holland to an hour north of Vancouver a year ago so not used to being able to select Sidney Crosby like people and putting guys like Toews as your thirds line centre...

[moon]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Isn't Tavares injured too now? He went down had last night..

I thought he came back later in the game or did he leave again?

The last thing I saw on my twitter feed was that he banged his hip but thought he would be fine so seems short term if anything.

[Geeoff]

That goaltending....yikes. I'm scared guys. Martin Brodeur is playing well lately... I think I might put him on the squad.

Luongo lost his job to Schneider. Schneider lost his job to Brodeur. Plus, he's Marty frickin' Brodeur.

[Murph]

Originally Posted by moon

I think Hall's injury and the Oilers horrible year puts him on the bubble but he certainly could make the team without Lowe calling in favors. He was top 10 in scoring last year and a PPG guy this year. Plus he is one of the few natural LW on the team.

I also don't see Toews being a winger and see him used as a "3rd line" center although his line will see a ton of ice against top lines of other teams, late in games and on PK.

I would guess something like (lines so tough with guys able to move and not meant 1-4 just typed out how I thought of them):

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

Weber-Doughty
Keith-Seabrook
Pietrangelo-Bouwmeester
Subban


Price
Luongo
Smith

Price as the starter

Nailed the defence.

I'd put Tavares on Crosbie's LW, drop Marleau and Kunitz, put Lucic on Getzlaf's LW and Couture on Thorton's.

Think Bernier gets a look as the 3rd goalie.

[trackercowe]

Couture should make the main roster. He does it all, and has proven to step up in big games in the past. He is also a player who is only getting better after each game, while that might not be the case for some of the other guys. It's going to be interesting to see if Nash makes it, I certainly hope he doesn't, but based on previous international experience I could still see him making it.

Oh and Jeff Carter should definitely get a look. Not putting up huge points in LA, but with Sutter coaching and the conference he's in, it's tough to match numbers with players out East. Carter might be the best pure goal scorer in the West, and should definitely get some consideration. Personally I would take him over Marleau, but they might want an all Sharks line like they had in Vancouver. Mike Richards is also doing quite well (17 points in 18 games), so he could make the team too if a couple guys fall off before they select the team. Then of course there is Eric Staal, who most had expected to make the team at the start of the season. The depth up front is just overly unreal to make things easy on the selection process.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Murph

Nailed the defence.

I'd put Tavares on Crosbie's LW, drop Marleau and Kunitz, put Lucic on Getzlaf's LW and Couture on Thorton's.

Think Bernier gets a look as the 3rd goalie.

I don't think Lucic should be close to making the team especially on the big ice and with international reffing seems like a liability waiting to happen. His physicality, which is really all he brings, is going to be really hurt by those two factors.

Bernier too inexperienced for me but certainly not sold on Smith as the 3rd guy. I think that could easily go to Fleury, Bernier or even Brodeur.

[stemit14]

It really makes you realize how many good players team canada has to choose from. You could realistically build 3 Canadian teams that would all have a good chance at a medal in Sochi. I mean, look at all the great centermen to choose from for canada: Crosby, Toews, Tavares, Bergeron, Giroux, Stamkos, Couture, Thorton, Spezza, Richards, Carter, Seguin, Benn... And that's just the centermen! You could cherry pick any combination of 4 of those centres and it would still be the deepest team in the tournament at that position.

[Murph]

Originally Posted by moon

I don't think Lucic should be close to making the team especially on the big ice and with international reffing seems like a liability waiting to happen. His physicality, which is really all he brings, is going to be really hurt by those two factors.

Bernier too inexperienced for me but certainly not sold on Smith as the 3rd guy. I think that could easily go to Fleury, Bernier or even Brodeur.

Agree on Bernier, but I don't think he plays regardless. I see it more as good experience for a guy who could be the starter in 2018.

Disagree on Lucic. I think he brings a lot more than toughness. He was a beast two of the last three years in the playoffs. He steps up in big games, is responsible in his own zone, and he's second on the Bruins in scoring this year.

I think Penner has shown how a big bruising winger can benefit from playing with Perry and Getzlaf, and Lucic is on another level than Penner. Not many teams could send out two defensemen that could handle the size and physicality of those three.

EDIT: In summary here are the forward lines I'd go with:

Tavares - Crosby - St. Louis
Duchene - Toews - Bergeron
Lucic - Getzlaf - Perry
Couture - Thorton - Giroux

If Stamkos is heatlhy put him on the RW with Crosby and move St. Louis to Thorton's line, bumping Giroux. Now that I think about it, a first line of Tavares - Crosby - Stamkos is just filthy...

[Swayze11]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

Really like this roster. I would switch Bernier with Smith, and would switch Marleau with Couture, but otherwise I agree. I prefer Seguin over Kunitz but you just cant compete with the Kunitz-Crosby chemistry.

I agree, I think Couture should be a lock on this team.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by moon

Marleau-Getzlaf-Perry
Tavares-Thornton-Giroux
Couture

If you're going to pick three Shark forwards, you might as well take advantage of existing chemistry and put at least two of them on a line together.

[moon]

Originally Posted by SebC

If you're going to pick three Shark forwards, you might as well take advantage of existing chemistry and put at least two of them on a line together.

Well I don't think Thornton plays with Marleau so not sure how much chemistry they have and I have Couture as the 13th forward. But as I said the lines should be very flexible and I would easily move guys around if when they got together certain guys showed chemistry.

Those were just a mash up of the 13 forwards I thought should be there and trying to find a best fit for each one.

[DFO]

No love for Moulson? Pretty decent winger and putting numbers up again this year.

[moon]

I wouldn't want Moulson with in 1000 yards of this team. Sure Tavares can bank shots off of him in the NHL not sure it is worth trying it out against International competition. PLus him having zero defensive skills and being a very soft player if he isn't having guys bounce shots off him not sure what he brings.

[DOOM]

"zero defensive skills"

Always need to take it to the extreme.