Prospective Rosters for Sochi '14

[Kin]

It's closer than you think. A calendar year and change. So in the spirit of kicking some things back and forth, who's on your Team Canada(or other team, I suppose) roster as of right now? Who might make it as things play out?

Here's mine, just for now:

Neal-Crosby-Stamkos
Giroux-Toews-Tavares
Nash-Bergeron-Perry
Iginla-Spezza-Eberle
M. Richards

Letang-Weber
Doughty-Pietrangelo
Keith-Seabrook
Girardi

Price
Fleury
Luongo

I think Iginla or Crosby as captain, with the other wearing an A along with Weber or Toews. As usual there's an absolute ton of talent there won't be room for, the Staal brothers, Getzlaf, Hall, Seguin, Subban....

But the kind of surprising, and troubling thing, is that there's really not a lot to choose from in goal. Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[TML fan]

I agree with all your D picks. Cam Ward instead of Luongo. Neal and Spezza are maybes for me. No Tavares or Eberle. I go with E. and J. Staal instead.

 

[Kin]

I agree with all your D picks. Cam Ward instead of Luongo. Neal and Spezza are maybes for me. No Tavares or Eberle. I go with E. and J. Staal instead.

I agree that Eberle/Spezza are the two most borderline guys I named. I just figured that with Richards, Toews and Bergeron you don't really need to add anyone else for defense/special teams and that you might want to go with offense there and both Eberle and Spezza were top 15 scorers last year.

As for goalies, Ward was the one other guy I considered but I think something has to be said Luongo and despite his well publicized troubles he did have the strongest numbers of any of the four we've mentioned.

 

[maplesyrup]

I think Eberle is a blossoming superstar. My guess is he's on that team.

 

[bustaheims]

I'm on the fence about Iginla. I get that he'd the veteran leader and such, but, it feels like he's from an entirely different generation than the rest of the team you've put together. I think I'd plug one of the Staal brothers in over there - probably Jordan, as I think he'd take better to a 4th line checking role than Eric.

I'd also be inclined to take Subban or, he has a good season, Phaneuf over Girardi. Maybe even Del Zotto.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I think Eberle is a blossoming superstar. My guess is he's on that team.

I think he'll regress somewhat this season.  Don't think he'll sustain that SH%.

 

[Jalili]

The majority of those picks I agree with, which is somewhat of a surprise considering the variety of options available for Canada.

Because it's on international ice, I'd want there to be a few elite skaters up front, like Seguin maybe.

The ones I'd omit from the roster:

Spezza: as good as he is, I probably wouldn't include him, not on the 4th line. Ideally we want a 4th line center who's versatile and can do everything well, especially in defensive situations. Spezza's a guy I think will either make the team centering one of the top 2 lines, or won't get much of a look.

Iginla: Sentimentality aside, I'd rather go with a guy who's younger and faster, or a guy who's more adept defensively. Iginla has the reputation of a power forward but he really hasn't been that kind of player in a long time. He's also not really that good a defensive player anymore either. He's a great leader, but despite that I think there's better candidates for the 4th line role.

Seabrook: already have 4 D-men ahead of him who shoot right as well, so I'm inclined to include a guy like Hamhuis ahead of him who's used to the left side.

Neal: the guy I know least well, so I might be wrong about him but I think there might be better candidates.

Wouldn't disagree with Price-Fleury-Luongo, but that group does almost look a bit suspect. Hopefully someone steps up in the next year.

 

[Kin]

I'm on the fence about Iginla. I get that he'd the veteran leader and such, but, it feels like he's from an entirely different generation than the rest of the team you've put together. I think I'd plug one of the Staal brothers in over there - probably Jordan, as I think he'd take better to a 4th line checking role than Eric.

That's probably true but in a way I felt the same about Niedermayer in '10 and Lemieux in '02. I think it helps to have the captain be that older guy from a different generation.

I'd also be inclined to take Subban or, he has a good season, Phaneuf over Girardi. Maybe even Del Zotto.

It's a tough call, I agree, but I think there's a ton of offense on that blue line already, enough that you can go with a guy who might be the best stay at home guy in the league.

 

[Jalili]

Tavares - Crosby - Eberle
Staal - Stamkos - Giroux
Richards - Toews - Nash
Benn - Bergeron - Perry
Seguin

Doughty - Weber (going on a limb and saying Doughty could play LS, not sure)
Keith - Pietrangelo
Hamhuis - Letang
Couldn't settle on the 7th guy...

Price Luongo Fleury

 

[Deebo]

In 2010 when he was 22, Giroux wasn't even in the conversation for canada, he's a lock now for 2014.

Canada is just ridiculously deep at centre, crosby stamkos, toews, Richards, Staal, Thornton, Spezza, Bergeron, probably missing a few guys that would make most other country's rosters.

Just do many options in the case of mass injuries.

 

[Kin]

Spezza: as good as he is, I probably wouldn't include him, not on the 4th line. Ideally we want a 4th line center who's versatile and can do everything well, especially in defensive situations. Spezza's a guy I think will either make the team centering one of the top 2 lines, or won't get much of a look.

I think that the last few olympics have taught us, though, that you're not really going to have a traditional top 6/bottom 6 and that you ideally want as many options as possible for your scoring lines so you can find one that really clicks. The Yzerman-Lemieux-Kariya line in '02 or the Toews-Richards-Nash one in '10(I may have the last one wrong) were lines that kind of got thrown together and ended up being really effective.

So Spezza there is just one of those options. Richards/Toews/Nash/Bergeron gives the team a lot of guys who can forecheck/play with some grit so I don't know if you want to spend another spot on that.

 

[Jalili]

Spezza: as good as he is, I probably wouldn't include him, not on the 4th line. Ideally we want a 4th line center who's versatile and can do everything well, especially in defensive situations. Spezza's a guy I think will either make the team centering one of the top 2 lines, or won't get much of a look.

I think that the last few olympics have taught us, though, that you're not really going to have a traditional top 6/bottom 6 and that you ideally want as many options as possible for your scoring lines so you can find one that really clicks. The Yzerman-Lemieux-Kariya line in '02 or the Toews-Richards-Nash one in '10(I may have the last one wrong) were lines that kind of got thrown together and ended up being really effective.

So Spezza there is just one of those options. Richards/Toews/Nash/Bergeron gives the team a lot of guys who can forecheck/play with some grit so I don't know if you want to spend another spot on that.

Yeah it's not that I'm focusing on a top 6/bottom 6 model in the traditional sense, but I do feel that the 3rd and 4th line centers in particular should be versatile two-way guys and can preferably convert to wing as well (Toews doesn't, so ideally the other guy should)...

Spezza I see more as the guy who thrives as the pivot in offensive situations, but ideally I'd want a 4th line that's put together knowing that it'll be matching up against the Russian stars or the Swedes top line in primarily defensive situations.

But if you swapped Spezza and Toews in your line combos I could see that fitting, except that Spezza and Giroux are both two guys who always want the puck on their stick creating the play and such, so that could conflict.

 

[Kin]

Yeah it's not that I'm focusing on a top 6/bottom 6 model in the traditional sense, but I do feel that the 3rd and 4th line centers in particular should be versatile two-way guys and can preferably convert to wing as well (Toews doesn't, so ideally the other guy should)...

For what it's worth, I wasn't presenting this as my idea for what the lines should be, I was just naming the 13 forwards, 7 d-men and 3 goalies I thought should be on the club. I didn't give a ton of thought to thr order I named them in.

Likewise, with the defensemen, while I think it's good to have a balance of Left and Right-handed shots but when it comes to Seabrook vs. Hamhuis I think that should be less of a concern than their actual defensive abilities. It's not like either guy is going to be brought along to man the point on the PP.

 

[riff raff]

I think Canada's going to have issues in goal very soon. I keep looking at the WJC to see if there is a new young goalie coming along, but there doesn't seem to be anyone on the horizon.

I guess Carey Price is still relatively young, but he hasn't done anything on the international stage since the WJC.

 

[Kin]

This is how I see team USA shaping up:

Parise-Backes-Kane
Ryan-Kesler-Kessel
Callahan-Pavelski-D. Brown
JVR-Stastny-Wheeler
Stafford

McDonagh-Suter
Shattenkirk-Yandle
J. Johnson-Byfuglien
Carle

Quick
Miller
C. Anderson

Pretty decent looking roster, all things considered.

 

[Jalili]

Give that team a marquee center and they'd look deadly

 

[Justin]

Why has no one mentioned Brodeur in this thread? Not only will he probably be on the team but he might even be starting. He took his team to the Stanley Cup finals last season and has backstopped the Devils to 1st place in the Eastern Conference this season. Assuming Carey Price and Roberto Luongo are already locks, surely Brodeur makes it in over shaky Cam Ward and MAF.

Another player people aren't mentioning: Martin St. Louis. He's only been top 10 in scoring for Canadians each of the past 5 seasons. I think he at least has to be in the discussion.

In terms of the forwards, this is the way I see it right now:

LOCKS:
Sidney Crosby
Jonathan Toews
Corey Perry
Steven Stamkos
Claude Giroux
Eric Staal
John Tavares

ON THE BUBBLE:
Joe Thornton
Jason Spezza
Jordan Eberle
Rick Nash
Patrice Bergeron
James Neal
Mike Richards
Brad Richards
Martin St. Louis
Jarome Iginla
Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn
Ryan Getzlaf

Who gets on the team from the "on the bubble" section largely depends on who's hot and having a good season next year. If the Olympics started today this is the team I'd ice up front:

Eric Staal - Sidney Crosby - Corey Perry
John Tavares - Steven Stamkos - Claude Giroux
James Neal - Joe Thornton - Martin St. Louis
Patrice Bergeron - Jonathan Toews - Jordan Eberle
Mike Richards, Jason Spezza

 

[Kin]

Why has no one mentioned Brodeur in this thread?

1) He hasn't had a good season in three years, hasn't had a great season in 5 years
2) He was not good at the last Olympics
3) He'll be 42 years old and might not even be playing.
4) He hasn't been great to start the season and he wasn't great in the playoffs last year, with a .911 and .917 sv% in both respectively.

As for your forwards something to keep in mind is the bigger ice surface which will put speed at a premium. I think the 2006 team made the mistake of taking older/bigger players who produced in the NHL that then looked out of place on the European ice.

 

[Redleaf]

Wouldn't disagree with Price-Fleury-Luongo, but that group does almost look a bit suspect. Hopefully someone steps up in the next year.

Maybe someone like Reimer? 

The 24-year-old Reimer posted a 37-save shutout in a 6-0 victory at the Bell Centre on Saturday, rising to eighth in the NHL with a cool .929 save percentage, topping the likes of Henrik Lundqvist (.907), Ryan Miller (.909), Marc-Andre Fleury (.906), Jonathan Quick (.891), and Carey Price, at the unlikely quarter-mark of the season.

 

[hap_leaf]

There is the potential to see more Oilers than just Eberle.
Taylor Hall has a good chance.  Maybe Nugent-Hopkins if there are injuries to centers mentioned.  Both with International experience.
Dubnyk deserves a look (3-1-3, 1.80, .948 in last 7 GPI).