Team Canada Final Roster : First Impressions

Team Canada’s Olympic roster was announced this morning and already loads of analysis, opinion and criticism are pouring in. Which is ironic for me to say, because I’m about to do the same.

But it was a fun morning. Especially thanks to Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut who “really tinks dat Canada is committed to finishing wit de gold médal” or something like that. He might still be talking. (Seriously, can we cut the crap with the politicians? I get that it’s an important event and politics play a big role, but I think one politician would be plenty. The friggin’ Minister of Transport was there for god sakes! I know hockey is a fast-moving sport, but come on, seriously?).

My first thoughts on this team was that Canada obviously wanted to keep the structure of a “team”, with 4 forward lines and 3 defense pairings and specific roles for each of those lines. Checking forwards and left-handed defensemen are what stood out to me the most. We’ll see how this technique works out; we saw in Vancouver (with guys like Brendan Morrow and Patrice Bergeron) that this worked, but we just saw how it can fail with the past World Juniors. Sometimes the best counter for speed and skill is even more speed and skill, especially on the big ice and in a one-and-done type tournament.

That being said, I still like this team a lot. That was a given really, because there’s so much skill here that Steve Yzerman couldn’t really get it wrong (at this juncture anyway). There was a lot of tough decisions, but either way this team was always going to be (and still is) a favourite to win gold. So good job Stevie Y.

By now you probably know the team in and out, so I’ll present it by position with my thoughts (in the same order Canada did, minus the useless switch to announce the final three forwards). In bold, I’ll have the players I thought would make the team, and I’ve arranged it with the depth chart I imagine as the squad was named.

So, let’s start in net.

Mike Smith took the 3rd spot in net, the only real spot up for grabs.

Carey Price 

Roberto Luongo

Mike Smith

This wasn’t extremely difficult, but I got it right, so point for me. Again, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Carey Price will be the starter in Sochi, while Roberto Luongo is his consensus back-up. Luongo suffered a minor injury recently, but it’s not supposed to be serious. If it becomes more of an issue, that’s when things become interesting.

Does Team Canada move Smith into the 2nd spot and put a Fleury or Brodeur type in the 3rd spot as a mentor, or do they keep Smith in the press box and bring in one of the other strong candidates like Corey Crawford or Braden Holtby? Hopefully we won’t get that far anyway, but it’s something to think about moving forward.

Notable omissions : Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, Marc-André Fleury, Martin Brodeur

One of the most debated players, PK Subban makes Team Canada, and deservedly so.

Duncan Keith – Drew Doughty

Marc-Édouard Vlasic – Shea Weber

Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo

PK Subban

Dan Hamhuis

So I guess this whole “4 leftys and 4 rightys” thing wasn’t just talking heads. I would not have been surprised with 3 and 5, but I’m surprised that both Vlasic and Hamhuis made the team. For me, it’s a redundancy. And I know I was probably alone in the Phaneuf camp, but at least he brings a bit of offense too. All three are minutes guys, but for me Vlasic and Hamhuis are basically identical. Phaneuf brings a bit of versality.

The top pairing here is really the ideal one. Keith and Doughty are possibly the two best all-around defensemen in the NHL. Two guys that can play in all situations, strong on both ends of the ice, which includes skating and puck-moving ability (at a premium on the big ice surface).

The second pairing is the traditional “shut-down” duo, the one you’d play on penalty kills and against the opponent’s top line. I have Vlasic over Hamhuis in alongside Weber, but that could change.

I think it’s a mistake if Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo don’t play the majority of their time together; that’s why you brought both of them. They have a nice offensive touch that fits well on the third pairing.

As for the extras, I have Subban as my 7th guy/powerplay specialist, and Hamhuis sitting in the press box, initially at least.

Notable omissions : Brent Seabrook, Dion Phaneuf, Kris Letang, Dan Boyle, Mark Giordano

I already said what I had to say about Phaneuf. To think that he wasn’t in the mix at all is ridiculous now, especially when Babcock said this morning that they even went as far as considering having 5 leftys and 3 rightys on the blueline. If that’s the case, Phaneuf and Giordano are battling for that spot in my opinion (and maybe still do if something happens to one of the leftys).

I think Seabrook is the one most hurt by this lefty-righty balance. In my opinion, he deserved a spot on the team, but I agree that Subban is ahead of him on the depth chart. You have to think he’s the next man up on that side of the ice.

There’s no doubt that chemistry played a role in Chris Kunitz making Team Canada alongside linemate Sidney Crosby.

Chris Kunitz – Sidney Crosby – Steven Stamkos

John Tavares – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Sharp

Jamie Benn – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Patrick Marleau – Patrice Bergeron – Jeff Carter

Rick Nash – Matt Duchene

This is how I would have envisioned the top 3 lines prior to the announcement, and with all 9 confirmed on the team, I still see it the same way.

The first line is obviously the scoring line (although all 14 forwards can score). I saw on TSN today that this projected top line could be “all-world”, whatever that means. Kunitz obviously has great chemistry with Crosby, that’s why they put him on the team, while the thought of Sid and Stamkos together is equally enticing.

Just like with Kunitz, I like the idea of Sharp playing with Toews. Again, you might as well play them together (initially) if you bring them both to Russia. And I think Tavares is playing on the wing in Sochi because of the fact there are so many good centers on the team and that he might be a bit too slow to keep up with the best centers in the world. But his fantastic skill puts him on a prominent role on this team, especially on the powerplay.

Third line is the power line as I stated in my last column. All 3 are big bodies that attack the net and can score. Something to look for though might be who replaces Benn if Canada needs to shake things up. I can see Rick Nash fit that same mold, or Chris Kunitz, who also had success with Getzlaf in Anaheim.

Apparently Team Canada really wanted a fourth line, which is why they brought Patrick Marleau and Jeff Carter. I think Patrice Bergeron had already earned his spot a while ago, but I’m surprised with Marleau and Carter. At the very least, they’re good two-way forwards that’ll probably kill penalties and take defensive faceoffs (all three can play center).

I don’t think Duchene has a spot in the top 4 lines just yet, but I like his speed if that’s what’s needed. He can be a 13th forward, but he could also play on the second line. As for Nash, I feel as if this is more of a loyalty/sentimental pick, because he hasn’t earned it with his play this season. It is nice to have a former Olympian on the bench though, especially someone like Nash who has fared so well in international tournaments. Still, I really think Claude Giroux or Martin St. Louis deserved on of those final spots.

Notable omissions : Martin St. Louis, Claude Giroux, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, James Neal, Mike Richards, Milan Lucic, Taylor Hall, Eric Staal

The crazy thing is that most of these guys are probably still in the mix in case of injury. I say that because it’s apparent that Team Canada selected just that: a team, not a group of individuals. Steve Yzerman and that Canadian brain trust clearly identified roles for every player and a team structure, as evidence by the righty-lefty balance on D and the clear “checking line” up front.

If something were to happen that Steven Stamkos wouldn’t be able to play, or another skilled guy like Duchene was injured, I think Martin St. Louis or Claude Giroux are the next best bets. If something happens to a center, maybe it’s Joe Thornton. If a power winger goes down, maybe it’s Lucic or Hall. And if it’s one of the checking forwards, Richards and Couture are probably up next. Pierre LeBrun even suggested earlier in the first intermission of the Leafs-Islanders game that James Neal could be a replacement for Steven Stamkos (to form a mega-Pens line of Kunitz, Crosby and Neal).

So this isn’t done. There’s a good chance something still changes by February 13th. Stay tuned.

The Final Cut(s) : Predicting Team Canada’s Olympic Roster

Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews are two locks to make Team Canada up front.

It’s almost here. Well, the announcement anyway. Canada’s first game in Sochi is more than a month away, but the roster is announced tomorrow morning. Twenty-five Canadian-born NHLers will be overjoyed, many will be disappointed. Fourteen forwards, eight defensemen, and three goaltenders will make up the squad that will be sent to Russia to defend Olympic gold and, just as importantly, Canadian pride.

And let me tell you, as if the pressure wasn’t already sky-high to begin with (which it is), the fact that Canada hasn’t won a gold medal in any major international tournament (World Championships and World Juniors) since Vancouver should blow the roof off of the pressure barn. “Our game” is on the line here, because it hasn’t been “ours” recently. Not since Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller five-hole a bit less than 4 years ago.

So Steve Yzerman and that management group need to get it right, and it’ll be a pretty simple evaluation procedure. If Team Canada wins gold, they got it right. If it doesn’t, they didn’t.

As for “my” team, there are two ways I could present this. I could give you the 25 players I think should be going to Sochi, or the 25 players I think will be going to Sochi. There’s a difference. But since my opinion on who should make the team matters about as much as public perception matters to Rob Ford, I’ll give you the team that I think will be in Russia come February.

Let’s see how close I can get. Let’s start with the forwards.

Chris Kunitz – Sidney Crosby – Steven Stamkos

John Tavares – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Sharp

Jamie Benn – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Eric Staal – Patrice Bergeron – Claude Giroux

Martin St. Louis – Logan Couture

Line 1 : Hey look who’s back! It’s half-human, half-superhero Steven Stamkos, who is already back skating in full gear less than two months after breaking his leg. He’s on track to be back in action at the end of January, which means that he should be able to play in Russia. Kind of amazing, really. Crosby is a lock on the first line, obviously, and I think Kunitz deserves to be brought along with him. They’ve been unreal together this season (as usual), with both players averaging over a point per game. And even if Kunitz doesn’t make the first line, how can you not bring him as a 14th guy to have options if Sid is struggling?

Line 2 : Toews is the next lock after Crosby, and Tavares is not far behind them. I didn’t have Sharp on my team a few months ago, but he’s been on an absolute tear of late, and like the Kunitz-Crosby situation, it’s always nice to have a few guys who already have chemistry given that most of these guys don’t play with each other.

Line 3 : Our third duo comes via the “power-forward” line that pairs Jamie Benn alongside Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. If there is debate on Kunitz and Sharp, I don’t think there’s any debate about Getzlaf-Perry. They’re basically inseparable, more so than any other two guys on this whole team in my opinion. I think Jamie Benn fits nicely here. I had Hall in this spot last time, but I don’t think there’s any doubt that Benn has overtaken him.

Line 4 : For me, Patrice Bergeron needs to be on this team. He’s right behind Datsyuk and Toews as one of the best two-way centers in the league. He can kill penalties, win faceoffs, and play against the best players on the other team, not to mention his underrated offensive abilities. Eric Staal is definitely a bubble guy, especially after his injury Saturday night (that thankfully doesn’t sound too serious). Giroux might not be a “fourth line guy”, but that doesn’t worry me. This is a tournament where you can’t have too much speed and skill.

Extras : I think Couture deserves to be on the team, and he might climb the depth chart, but for now I have him as my 14th skater. I’d feel comfortable using him in just about any situation.

As for St. Louis, I just can’t see him not being on the team given the relationship with Steve Yzerman. I debated over Rick Nash and Matt Duchene for a long time, but in the end I just closed my eyes and thought there’s no way Yzerman isn’t bringing him on the team. Too much speed, skill, work ethic and, obviously, familiarity.

And if you don’t think these type of politics matter, just look to the Americans where that management group that includes Pens GM Ray Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma brought on both Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik. (A great read here on how the US team was selected, for all you hockey geeks. Just fantastic work from Scott Burnside. Ended up starting a little feud between Bobby Ryan and Brian Burke too).

Notable omissions : Matt Duchene, Rick Nash, Joe Thornton, Mike Richards, James Neal, Taylor Hall

…and on and on and on. Our “B” team would probably have the 3rd or 4th best forward group in the tournament. No complaints here though. I like Duchene, and I thought he had earned a spot early on, but I think he’s lost it in the past 6 weeks or so. For me, Nash is the biggest wildcard; he could easily replace Kunitz or maybe even Sharp or Benn. He hasn’t had the best season this year, but he’s won gold with Canada before and he’s a solid power forward. And if Canada doesn’t feel like it has enough “grit”, Mike Richards may get a call too.

Now, moving on to defensemen.

Doughty-Weber

Keith-Subban

Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo

Seabrook-Phaneuf

Doughty, Weber and Keith are no-brainers. Pretty much everyone agrees that they’re the top-3. And I think Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo, as a pairing, are pretty much locked in the team at this point. Great two-way defensemen playing for one of the league’s best teams.

After that, it gets interesting. I can’t see Subban not making the team at this point, and I actually believe he’s earned a spot in the top-4. If Canada doesn’t feel like it can trust him against the big boys, they have a fail-safe in Seabrook to play with Keith, a duo that does pretty well with the defending Stanley Cup champion ‘Hawks. But either way, I want Subban on the powerplay, so he has to dress in my opinion.

As for the 8th guy, I need two things : a left-handed shot, and a guy that is used to playing big minutes. Your 8th guy is the guy that goes in if there’s an injury (or someone is struggling mightily). Phaneuf is still that guy for me. He’s the captain and the player that logs the most minutes for the biggest hockey market in the world; he can handle the pressure. He’s a +15 this year (on a team who’s differential is -8 overall) and is playing some of the best hockey of his career.

Notable omissions : Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Kris Letang, Dan Hamhuis, Dan Boyle

Right now, the only change I can see to this group of 8 is Vlasic coming in to replace Phaneuf (or Subban, gulp). That’s without injuries affecting the roster until Sochi of course. Letang hasn’t been reliable all season (both on the ice and health-wise), but he or Boyle would probably get the call if they needed another puck-moving defenseman because of injury. Maybe Hamhuis makes it as the 8th guy, but I can’t see it right now.

And goalies!

Carey Price

Roberto Luongo

Mike Smith

I think Carey Price has cemented the role of opening night starter in Sochi. He’s been outstanding all year; he’s calm, cool and collected in net. He doesn’t have Olympic experience, but he was part of an important World Junior team that had an intense shootout win over the States, so he’s got the shootout thing covered too.

And if Price is locked in at #1, I think Luongo is locked in at #2 right now. Having a great season in Vancouver, putting all that Schneider drama behind him and just stopping pucks. And it’s always nice to have a gold-medal winning goalie on the bench, just in case something happens and you need to make a switch (which is exactly what happened in 2010). He’s proved useful in this role before, and I have no reason not to trust him to do it again this time around.

Really the only debate is with the 3rd stringer. I have Mike Smith, just because he’s been solid for a few years now in Phoenix, consistently putting together solid starts for the Coyotes. Either way, the third-stringer needs to be a guy that is fine with not seeing a single moment of action, just really being there for the ride. Because if your third-stringer is playing in any circumstance during this tournament, something has gone horribly wrong. Let’s hope it doesn’t.

Notable omissions : Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, Marc-André Fleury, Martin Brodeur

Like I said, the only debate is for the 3rd guy, so if everything works fine, you could go a bunch of ways with it. You could bring a guy that just won a Cup (Crawford), the guy who was the third-stringer for Canada in 2010 (Fleury), or even someone who’s just there to mentor the two other netminders (Brodeur). The problem with that thought-process is that, if either Price or Luongo suffers an injury between the moment the roster is announced and the start of the Olympics, suddenly your third guy becomes your second guy, and that’s when you need to be able to trust him. That’s why I go with Smith.