Chemistry is important, no doubt in a short tournament, but what worked well last time round was Babcock's ability to put players in situations they were not normally use to (Iginla/Staal on a checking line). I feel he's going to do something similar here, hence, I personally feel we need players who fit certain roles regardless of their skill.
St.Louis will probably not make the team (IMO) and Stamkos will probably not be playing on the forth line. I like Burke/Poiles's approach to making team USA in that they wanted to choose players who played specific roles (ie. 1st line scorer, 3rd line checker, 4th line grinder, shut down dman etc.).
He said no order. Stamkos and St. Louis aren't going to play on the 4th line and that wasn't the case he was making.
St. Louis is a lock for the team if Stamkos is healthy. He may even go as an extra/alternate forward even if Stamkos needs to be replaced. He won the Art Ross last year, and he's putting up points and carrying the offense on a team without Stamkos right now.
A 4th line grinder or 3rd line checker in the Olympics is very difference than a 4th line grinder or 3rd line checker in the NHL. Bergeron and Toews are your third and fourth line centers, potentially - not because they are lower end players, but simply because their defensive upside is greater than their offensive upside compared to the likes of a Getzlaf or a Tavares or a Crosby.
If Toews and Bergeron are anchoring your bottom lines, that should give you some indication as to the quality of player that will suffice in a shut-down or grinder role. Claude Giroux, Logan Couture, Jamie Benn, Patrick Sharp - these elite players could all be grinders and checkers in the Olympics.
Rick Nash was on the shut-down line in Vancouver, remember.
