Patrice Bergeron (Boston) (C)
Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)(C/RW)
Logan Couture (San Jose)(C)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)(C)
Matt Duchene (Colorado)(C)
Jordan Eberle (Edmonton)(RW)
Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim)(C)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia)(RW)
Taylor Hall (Edmonton)(LW)
Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh)(LW)
Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg)(LW)
Milan Lucic (Boston)(LW)
Brad Marchand (Boston)(LW)
Rick Nash (NY Rangers)(LW)
James Neal (Pittsburgh)(LW)
Corey Perry (Anaheim)(RW)
Mike Richards (Los Angeles)(C)
Patrick Sharp (Chicago)(LW)
Eric Staal (Carolina)(C)
Jordan Staal (Carolina)(C)
Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)(RW)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)(C)
John Tavares (NY Islanders)(C)
Joe Thornton (San Jose)(C)
Jonathan Toews (Chicago)(C)
I'm going to assume that they'll pick 14 forwards for the team: 4 full lines and two spares (probably only one, but I'll give myself that extra pick :P), so I will pick my top 14 from this list.
First of all, Crosby is a clincher, if healthy. I know I'm not the most pro-Crosby fan there is, but realistically he's as much of a sure thing as it gets for this team, as long as he's healthy.
Stamkos is also a clincher. There isn't more of a skilled player on this lineup than Stamkos, besides maybe Crosby, maybe. And if Stamkos is on this team, than it's almost a sure thing that St. Louis will be too. Its probably a good investment to send your top player's favourite playmaker. Not only that, but he's a skilled, dependable veteran, and he led the league in points last year. Second was Stamkos, enough said.
Being clutch in the most dire of times is traditionally Canada's strength. With that in mind, Toews, Eberle, and Bergeron should be on this team. Toews is a sure thing, he's one of the league's top players consistently since he entered the league, and has led Chicago to 2 Stanley Cups. While I have questioned his leadership capabilities, theres no questioning his skill-set. Eberle and Bergeron might be overlooked as far as skill goes, because this is a very skilled team, but no one can overlook how clutch these guys are, and they have international experience to back that up. They should make this team.
Tavares, Nash, and Marchand are players who should make this team based on the scoring threat they bring to the table. They have plenty of international experience to add to the lineup, and these 3 are probably the most deadly snipers on this list outside of Crosby and Stamkos. They can play the international game physically, which many NHLers have a hard time of doing, and are fast enough to outskate some of the more speedy European players.
Eric Staal and Giroux should also be on the team. Big Brother Eric is consitantly a high point getter year in and year out, even on some bad Carolina teams he's been on. He's is a good leader, dependable, and someone you can rely on to put the puck in the net when it counts. Giroux might be a bit overshadowed by some of the more skilled players here, but he's a perfect fit. He's one of the most talented players in the league, and one of the hardest working. He's a gifted goal scorer who isn't afraid to play the grinder role. That grind is something Canada was missing in 2006, and look where it got them.
So far that's 11 of the 14 players. Here's who we have left:
Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)
Logan Couture (San Jose)
Matt Duchene (Colorado)
Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim)
Taylor Hall (Edmonton)
Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh)
Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg)
Milan Lucic (Boston)
James Neal (Pittsburgh)
Corey Perry (Anaheim)
Mike Richards (Los Angeles)
Patrick Sharp (Chicago)
Jordan Staal (Carolina)
Joe Thornton (San Jose)
Neal wont make the team unless Malkin is on the team. That isn't going to happen, so I can't see Neal making this team. Kunitz put up some really surprising numbers last season, but before this year would he have even been in the conversation to join the team? Probably not. Crosby and Malkin made players like Neal, Kunitz, and Dupuis look like superstars.
Getzlaf and Lucic will have a tough time making the team, as their rough'n'tumble style of play would probably be a burden on the team in the penalty box more-so than some of the others on this list. Perry is off of my list for his penalty troubles as well, and this is also why Evander Kane didn't get the invite to camp.
Jordan Staal and Duchene are off of my list for probably the same reason Jamie Benn, Dany Heatley and Danny Briere weren't invited: bad +/-. Sure, there's players are on some fairly weak teams, but for the amount of ice time they recieve, their +/- is that bad that they become a liability on the ice. While we're at it, I'll throw Richards into the same boat as well. His +/- wasn't as bad, but it was still bad considering he was on a much better team.
Thorton should make the team. But here's the problem, there are already way too many Centres on the team, and Thorton is a bit of a liability in the penalty box. He deserves to be on the team, but they likely wont find a place for him.
So here is who I would round out the roster with:
Since this team is full of players who have more assists than goals, its probably important to have a player who's expertise is putting the puck in the net. Meet Jeff Carter. He's a talented goal scorer with lots of international experience in his young career, that could benefit from the overload of playmakers on the team.
Next, I had to decide between Hall and Sharp, but I'm choosing Patrick Sharp. He had an off year during the regular season last year due to injuries, but led the playoffs in scoring, and was one of the best players for the Blackhawks' cup run. He's consistently a high point-getter, and has international experience on his side. He's always overlooked, but he is very talented and belongs on Team Canada.
I'm going off the board with this next pick. So far, there are 3 Left Wingers, 8 Centreman and 3 Right Wingers. Yes, most Centreman are skilled on wing as well, but a short tournament isn't the time to be fiddling with chemistry for players playing out of position, and most Centreman are left-handed shots. Chemistry is usually a problem as it is. Corey Perry is the only other proper RW named to camp, but I'm concerned about his PIMs being a downfall on the team. And upon further review, I don't see a strong, experienced leader on this team that seems worthy of donning the "C" based on leadership, and not just on skill. Crosby or Toews will probably wear the "C", but they aren't the leaders of this team. The only other options are Nash, St. Louis and Staal. Nash and St. Louis are two players that flow under the radar on their respective teams; getting the job done, but not necessarily pulling everyone together behind them. I could see Staal as a captain, but there's one guy I think can do better.
And that is Jarome Iginla. Yes, I permit you to pull the bias flag out, I am a huge fan of him. But he's a perfect fit to the lineup, probably the best leader-ready player in the league, and plays the game the way Team Canada should play it. He's not as strong offensively as he was in the past, but he's physical, and loaded in international experience. Another big factor for me, as much as he is a physical player, his PIMs in international play are quite low. This is sometimes the root of Canada's downfall, and having a player that can bring the power game to the Olympics without costing Canada precious penalty minutes is a huge asset. And he can still play, he had 33 points in 44 games last season, with 12 points in 15 games during playoff hockey. Those are good, dependable stats, and I think he has a shot to play his way into the lineup this fall.
So without further ado, here is my forward lineup for Team Canada:
LW---C---RW
Nash---Crosby---Tavares
Staal---Stamkos---St. Louis
Sharp---Toews---Eberle
Marchand---Bergeron---Iginla
Spares: Giroux, Carter
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