Oh how quickly we Canadians forget! Just two days ago all of the talk was about the failings of our national program following a second straight World Junior Tournament without a medal. However, today the kids are off the hook as all eyes are on Steve Yzerman and the executive of the 2014 Canadian Olympic squad. As you may recall (I know I must have 3 or 4 regular readers!) I wrote a blog back in August giving my preseason Team Canada predictions. Now with the roster officially set, we’ll see how my roster stacks up to Mr. Yzerman’s. I’ll also make note of how my predictions compared to those of the ultimate insider Bob McKenzie; the measuring stick for all wannabe insiders. Keep in mind however; Bob has sources in most NHL cities while my main source is Adam Basha from the hockey hotbed of Western Bay, with other sources scattered in random locations such as Thunder Bay (Ont), St. Stephen (NB) and Small Point (NL). I must admit, they’re panning out pretty well though. To finish it off, I’m going to criticize two time goal medal winner Steve Yzerman for a couple of his selections. (*Note* I will not list my projected team from August here, it can be found on my main page.) Let’s drop the puck……
Glad to say I got off to a hot start between the pipes nailing all three goaltenders. I believe the executive got it right here and also believe that Luongo will be the “starter” for game one and will play himself into or out of the Number 1 spot from there. Price will “backup” and if Luongo falters, he’ll take the reins and run with them. Smith will be the third goaltender and will likely see one game on the bench during the preliminary round. Expert McKenzie also went 3 for 3 in goal, preventing me from getting a much needed leg up.
On Defense things got a little rocky for me as I went 5 for 8. Ultimately, 4 of the 5 picks were locks with Subban being the other. No doubt the Canadian blue line is strong; however I would have taken Brent Seabrook and Dan Boyle over Dan Hamhuis and Jay Bouwmeester. I can see the upside to Hamhuis’ game but I’m not sure if he is among the top 8 in this country, nor do I think he can bring more to the table than Seabrook and Boyle on or off the ice. Bouwmeester was basically considered a lock on everyone’s team going into today; but for me he’s not a guy who can turn the tempo up when it needs to be turned up. No doubt he skates well and moves the puck well but he lacks that “drive” as was proven by a fairly poor tourney back in 2006. The argument can be made for the importance of left defense vs. right defense but top players are top players and I think such an argument may be exaggerated. Otherwise, difficult to argue the remaining picks as Vlasic has been stellar for San Jose and Subban will be a Canadian Hero on the power play (yes, even you will cheer leaf fans!). The defense looks good but those are tweaks I would have made. By the way, for those of you keeping score, Bobby Mac went 8 for 8 on the backend and thus I fired Adam Basha!
Similarly, I struggled up front hitting just 8 of my 13 predicted forwards. With that being said, the only forwards that made the team that I would argue shouldn’t be going to Sochi are Chris Kunitz, Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau. I am not a big believer in taking Chris Kunitz simply because he works well with Sidney Crosby nor am I a believer that Kunitz would be on this team if he was playing on a different NHL team. There were better players out there who can make other players better rather than simply be better due to the presence of someone else. Claude Giroux sticks out to me because he has all the tools of a superstar and has been a top producer among Canadians over the past few years. Putting him on the big ice with better players would have been something to see. I didn’t hear much discussion on it today but he may be a paying the price for choosing to skip out on the summer camp. Another concern with Kunitz is if he gets taken off a line with Crosby, where does he fit then? He likely slides into the last forward spot and has a minimal impact in the tournament, thus wasting a roster spot. Honestly, I’ve never really been a fan of Patrick Marleau and cannot see how he brings more upside than his Sharks teammate Logan Couture. Couture in my opinion has a better all around game and easily has more of an edge. Perhaps with Marleau returning from the 2010 team one can argue he brings experience and leadership but to me he doesn’t come off as the kind of guy who is a great leader (Stripped of the C in San Jose). The last player selection that I really question is Jeff Carter. I like Jeff Carter as a player and no doubt the executive are thinking of his speed and ability to finish, paying off on the big ice. My Concern is where do you play him? If he doesn’t fit into the top 6 (which will be tough); how does he do in a third or fourth line role? That’s where I would prefer guys like Mike Richards and Eric Staal. Both of whom have the ability to be clutch but also have that versatility where you can slide them up or down a line-up and still have them be key contributors to the team. I thought those guys were really good for Canada back in 2010 and they could still play on this team in 2014. The forward group is good, but may consist of too many players who want to be top 6 forwards and unable to be bottom 6 forwards. Again, for the scorekeepers; Bob went 11 for 14 up front and ultimately won the team prediction battle with ease.
When all is said and done, I do agree with the vast majority of the players selected to represent our country in Sochi. Above you can see some of the changes I would have made but my three major concerns are the third/fourth lines, ability to play OUR game, and leadership. I question which of the 14 forwards selected will excel in a third or fourth line role? If you look at those 14 forwards, with the exceptions of Bergeron, Sharp and Toews (who really shouldn’t be), I don’t see anyone who can drop back to the bottom 6 and be the checking, defensive, versatile, role playing forward needed. This is where I really thought Staal and Richards would have been of value. Likewise, I’m not sure if this team has the identity of a truly Canadian group. As you look down the roster there are not many names that standout as the “in your face,” intense, swagger filled players who have the ability to intimidate European players. The team is filled with speed and skill which is important on the big ice but somewhat lacks players who play the “Canadian” way. Outside of Subban, Weber, Doughty and Perry, I don’t see guys who will crash, bang and really get under the skin of the opposition. It’s almost like this team was picked to suit the European style of game on the big ice but I believe we are at our best when we force opponents to play our game. Last but not least, there has to be some concern in terms of veteran leadership. Our oldest skaters are Kunitz and Marleau; one who is playing in his first Olympics and the other who has had his leadership questioned in the past. Returnees such as Crosby, Toews, Getzlaf and Weber will be leaned upon to be the leaders of this team but I really feel like a Dan Boyle could have been a great calming influence similar to Neidermayer in 2010.
In closing, I’m not sure there is anyone in this country who agrees with every player picked to this team, even those who picked the team. No matter what there will be debate and everyone cannot be satisfied. We will head into the Olympics with a very good looking team and we are a top contender to win gold. Will we win? That’s a question for another day but no matter whom we have wearing our jersey in February, we’ll all be chanting “Go Canada Go!”
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O'Leary's Outlook 