World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Canada (Part II)

[b in vancouver]

Tavares-Crosby-Stamkos
Benn-Getzlaf-Seguin
Marchand-Toews-Bergeron
Duchene/Carter- Thornton-Giroux
Duchene/Carter

Keith-Weber
MEV-Doughty
Muzzin-Petro
Burns

Price
Holtby

I'd probably switch stamkos and Bergeron

 

[86Habs]

Those are some interesting picks. Burns is no surprise on defence, nor is Burns. Crazy to think that another 2003 draftee makes an appearance at (nearly) the highest level for Canada. The Muzzin pick is kind of odd, but I can understand it. I suspect that Canada wanted some size, in addition to a left handed defencceman. Babcock prefers defencemen to play their strong side, and Armstrong likes size and defence on his NHL team. Muzzin provides that. Giordano and Brodie are better offensively and provide better skating, but that probably isn't what Hockey Canada was looking for. Muzzin is somewhat redundant though, in that his main claim to fame is playing with Doughty, but we have already seen Keith and Vlasic do that extremely well internationally.

Overall, I would not have picked Muzzin. I'm glad that Giordano and Brodie weren't picked, as their refusal to play at the World Championship put a bad taste in my mouth, and really I don't care about the result of this year anyway. Better Muzzin (played well last year) than them. I would have picked Letang though. He's a tier above Muzzin as a player. Thinking about it, if Canada is up one goal Muzzin is a good option, but so is every other player in Canada's top six. If Canada is down a goal, Muzzin isn't very useful, but Letang becomes invaluable. Putting Pietrangelo on the left and having Letang in waiting in case offence is needed sounds like a better plan to me, but the Muzzin pick isn't terrible.

Thinking about it for a bit, I do think that the Thornton pick is bad. There are some positives - Thornton had a very good year, could centre an effective defensive line, seems like a good locker room guy. There are issues though. On a team loaded with centres, Thornton is another player who can only play centre. Who moves over from Crosby/Tavares/Toews/Getzlaf? I suppose that Tavares could, but I don't like that he has to move over for a worse player. If none of them move, Thornton is probably the 13th forward, but his lack of versatility renders him irrelevant in that role. I'm also skeptical about picking an older player based on the strength of this past season. Thornton is going to be coming off a short off season, and older players tend to be prone to peaks and valleys in their play on a year to year basis. My best guess is that Hockey Canada wants some size and experience, but with Getzlaf already there I don't understand picking Thornton. The possibility also exists that with so many elite players, slower players like Thornton can be left out to dry.

I'm glad that Giroux was picked, as a reward for him, but the structure of the roster is odd. Giroux is yet another centre, but the team now already has Crosby/Tavares/Getzlaf/Toews/Thornton as players who have only played centre for Canada internationally. Adding Giroux seems redundant. Giroux has wing experience, but playmaking wingers don't fit Canada's playstyle so well. Marchand is a good pick, as is Duchene. I really don't understand picking Thornton though. I really do think that Canada would have been better off picking another winger (Hall/O'Reilly) just for roster balance. This team is quite heavy on players that likely have to play centre to be effective.

Very surprised that Perry was not selected. I assumed, wrongly, that he was a given with Getzlaf included. When he went to play in the World Championship it seemed like a lock. I do think that Hockey Canada has better options, but I am surprised. Another reason I find the Thornton pick bad is that it kind of ruins the idea that World Championship participation is a significant factor for Hockey Canada. Perry has been very loyal to Hockey Canada, as have O'Reilly and Hall for the most part. If they're picking a player for a presumably minor role, and especially for this joke tournament, why not reward loyal soldiers who are pretty much as good as Thornton anyway? Especially when those players (natural wingers) fit the team's needs much better.

In a few ways this roster looks like a step back from the selections for the 2014 Olympics. No Kunitz debacle at least. Now, in order to bring out the backlash that this idiotic format deserves, I will begin hoping that the Canadian 24 and overs lose to the Young Gunz on an overtime goal from McDavid.

I agree with your premise that the roster construction is odd. It seems like a certain degree of over-thinking went into forming the defense group, in terms of handedness, etc.; whereas conversely the forward group was selected haphazardly and without much thought for position, versatility, etc. It's difficult to say what the line formations will be.

As I mentioned in a previous post there are only two natural wingers out of 13 forwards - Benn and Marchand. In Sochi, there were 7 - Kunitz, Marleau, Benn, Perry, Sharp, Nash, and St. Louis. That's a huge difference. It's obviously too early to tell if this will impact chemistry but may provide a useful lesson in terms of moving away from a roster construction that worked so well at previous Olympics (but resulted in better players being left at home) - generally, playmakers at center, and big, fast shooters on the wing. As much as Thornton and Giroux "deserve" their selections, I don't think Yzerman makes those particular selections if he were still the man in charge. As it is, Team Canada is easily good enough to win this tournament, but I'd be a little worried if this were a true best-on-best and every team had their top players at their disposal.

 

[50 in 07]

I agree with your premise that the roster construction is odd. It seems like a certain degree of over-thinking went into forming the defense group, in terms of handedness, etc.; whereas conversely the forward group was selected haphazardly and without much thought for position, versatility, etc. It's difficult to say what the line formations will be.

As I mentioned in a previous post there are only two natural wingers out of 13 forwards - Benn and Marchand. In Sochi, there were 7 - Kunitz, Marleau, Benn, Perry, Sharp, Nash, and St. Louis. That's a huge difference. It's obviously too early to tell if this will impact chemistry but may provide a useful lesson in terms of moving away from a roster construction that worked so well at previous Olympics (but resulted in better players being left at home) - generally, playmakers at center, and big, fast shooters on the wing. As much as Thornton and Giroux "deserve" their selections, I don't think Yzerman makes those particular selections if he were still the man in charge. As it is, Team Canada is easily good enough to win this tournament, but I'd be a little worried if this were a true best-on-best and every team had their top players at their disposal.

Agree completely. Almost as if someone picked the forwards, and then a different guy picked the d-men and they had two different mentalities.

They leave Subban and Letang off due to handedness, but then they pick only 2 natural wingers. Thornton's inclusion was especially baffling to me - yes, he had a great year but he's also gonna be 37 for the tournament and has no experience (from what I can tell) at the wing. We have another guy who's big and slow just like him in Getzlaf.

 

[Mehar]

Agree completely. Almost as if someone picked the forwards, and then a different guy picked the d-men and they had two different mentalities.

They leave Subban and Letang off due to handedness, but then they pick only 2 natural wingers. Thornton's inclusion was especially baffling to me - yes, he had a great year but he's also gonna be 37 for the tournament and has no experience (from what I can tell) at the wing. We have another guy who's big and slow just like him in Getzlaf.

Would have preferred Hall over Thornton. Even Corey Perry. Hall on his speed alone, would have been better than Thornton- who is big and slow. I know he has a good year, but i thought Hall would have looked tremendous on the wing with a guy like Crosby feeding him the puck. This team did not need both Getzlaf and Thornton like another poster mentioned. Hoping Hall still makes the team if a guy like Thornton is not ready to go after a long playoff run.

 

[50 in 07]

Would have preferred Hall over Thornton. Even Corey Perry. Hall on his speed alone, would have been better than Thornton- who is big and slow. I know he has a good year, but i thought Hall would have looked tremendous on the wing with a guy like Crosby feeding him the puck. This team did not need both Getzlaf and Thornton like another poster mentioned. Hoping Hall still makes the team if a guy like Thornton is not ready to go after a long playoff run.

Hall looked awesome with Crosby at the 2015 Worlds, which is important because we've had trouble finding guys to play with him in the past (leading to the Kunitz debacle, lol).

To me, Hall is Canada's second best LW after Benn and absolutely should have been there.

 

[Mehar]

Hall looked awesome with Crosby at the 2015 Worlds, which is important because we've had trouble finding guys to play with him in the past (leading to the Kunitz debacle, lol).

To me, Hall is Canada's second best LW after Benn and absolutely should have been there.

I absolutely agree. I am not as smart as the Hockey Canada brass- but having Thornton on the team over a guy like Hall is a definite head scratcher. Hall should have been there- even over a guy like Marchand.

 

[86Habs]

Would have preferred Hall over Thornton. Even Corey Perry. Hall on his speed alone, would have been better than Thornton- who is big and slow. I know he has a good year, but i thought Hall would have looked tremendous on the wing with a guy like Crosby feeding him the puck. This team did not need both Getzlaf and Thornton like another poster mentioned. Hoping Hall still makes the team if a guy like Thornton is not ready to go after a long playoff run.

Yeah, Hall has a place on my team, as does O'Reilly. I would line 'em up like I have it below. Given the issues Team Canada has had finding an appropriate LWer for Crosby, and Hall's performance with him at the 2015 Worlds, I thought they would have given that a go. If there were (largely unfounded) concerns around Hall's 2-way game or propensity to turn the puck over at inopportune times, there's a Selke winner named Bergeron on the right side who could have provided defensive cover and has proven chemistry with Crosby.

Similarly, the Giroux-Seguin combination at the 2015 Worlds worked well and I would reunite them. I considered moving Tavares up to that position, but liked the proven chemistry between Giroux-Seguin and obviously Benn-Seguin. If Giroux's surgery holds him back from participating in the fall, Marchand is the next man up.

The Toews-O'Reilly-Carter line would assume defensive matchup responsibilities. The Tavares line would see a regular shift, with Duchene mixing in for Couture or Stamkos depending on game situation. With Duchene you get a guy who's willing to play a lesser role, can play any forward position, is really good on the dot, and can kill penalties. He impressed me defensively at the Worlds. In fact, Duchene, O'Reilly, Couture, and to some extent Hall or fairly interchangeable.

Hall - Crosby - Bergeron
Benn - Giroux - Seguin
O'Reilly - Toews - Carter
Couture - Tavares - Stamkos
Duchene

Nothing against Getzlaf or Thornton (or Perry), but I don't really see a place for either of them on this squad. One of Getzlaf or Thornton I could see, but certainly not both. If pressed I would choose Thornton this particular year based on his performance and his beard - with the caveat that he couldn't shave it until after the tourney.

 

[JackSlater]

I agree with your premise that the roster construction is odd. It seems like a certain degree of over-thinking went into forming the defense group, in terms of handedness, etc.; whereas conversely the forward group was selected haphazardly and without much thought for position, versatility, etc. It's difficult to say what the line formations will be.

As I mentioned in a previous post there are only two natural wingers out of 13 forwards - Benn and Marchand. In Sochi, there were 7 - Kunitz, Marleau, Benn, Perry, Sharp, Nash, and St. Louis. That's a huge difference. It's obviously too early to tell if this will impact chemistry but may provide a useful lesson in terms of moving away from a roster construction that worked so well at previous Olympics (but resulted in better players being left at home) - generally, playmakers at center, and big, fast shooters on the wing. As much as Thornton and Giroux "deserve" their selections, I don't think Yzerman makes those particular selections if he were still the man in charge. As it is, Team Canada is easily good enough to win this tournament, but I'd be a little worried if this were a true best-on-best and every team had their top players at their disposal.

My guess is that if teams didn't have to name 16 players months ago, there is a decent chance that Getzlaf would not be named and Thornton would. I do understand that having a physically dominant centre is good to add some variety to the lineup, especially on small ice and with no other team really having a counter, but there isn't need for both players.

I didn't consider just how many centres are on the team. I also don't think that Giroux is a great stylistic fit with the team, but I am still glad that he was picked. He at least has wing experience, and could theoretically play at Toews' RW as the playmaker of the shutdown line. Carter could then move to play with his old WJC linemate Getzlaf. I don't expect Babcock would do that, but it's a possibility. It seems like a much more traditional Canadian roster, kind of like the 1998 and 2002 Olympic rosters.

 

[Regal]

I wouldn't say ' playing it safe'. Euro teams sit back, clog the neutral zone, play kitty bar the door, eagerly pouncing on their opponents mistakes, relying on quick transition and outnumbered rushes for much of their offense.

Canada's game is predicated on rapid puck movement, dumping and chasing, keeping the puck hemmed deep --- our D pinch very aggressively inside the blue -- and dominating possession in all three zones...

Canada's A team has the luxury of rolling 4 lines. They keep their shifts short and hit their opponents with wave after wave, at a pace they cannot match, in the long run, since most other teams are more top heavy/ talent thin...

We didn't play it safe in Sochi. We took the game to our opponents at every opportunity. Both time of possession, and shots for and against( which were heavily weighted in Canada's favor ) were telling...

I really didn't see the team pinch aggressively at all. If they were, they would have scored more. I didn't mean they were a sit back and wait for the other team and counter attack style of safe play, they were a possession team that took care of their own zone and let the offense come through that possession. They rarely seemed to make risky plays in the neutral zone or force offense when it wasn't there.

 

[Mehar]

Yeah, Hall has a place on my team, as does O'Reilly. I would line 'em up like I have it below. Given the issues Team Canada has had finding an appropriate LWer for Crosby, and Hall's performance with him at the 2015 Worlds, I thought they would have given that a go. If there were (largely unfounded) concerns around Hall's 2-way game or propensity to turn the puck over at inopportune times, there's a Selke winner named Bergeron on the right side who could have provided defensive cover and has proven chemistry with Crosby.

Similarly, the Giroux-Seguin combination at the 2015 Worlds worked well and I would reunite them. I considered moving Tavares up to that position, but liked the proven chemistry between Giroux-Seguin and obviously Benn-Seguin. If Giroux's surgery holds him back from participating in the fall, Marchand is the next man up.

The Toews-O'Reilly-Carter line would assume defensive matchup responsibilities. The Tavares line would see a regular shift, with Duchene mixing in for Couture or Stamkos depending on game situation. With Duchene you get a guy who's willing to play a lesser role, can play any forward position, is really good on the dot, and can kill penalties. He impressed me defensively at the Worlds. In fact, Duchene, O'Reilly, Couture, and to some extent Hall or fairly interchangeable.

Hall - Crosby - Bergeron
Benn - Giroux - Seguin
O'Reilly - Toews - Carter
Couture - Tavares - Stamkos
Duchene

Nothing against Getzlaf or Thornton (or Perry), but I don't really see a place for either of them on this squad. One of Getzlaf or Thornton I could see, but certainly not both. If pressed I would choose Thornton this particular year based on his performance and his beard - with the caveat that he couldn't shave it until after the tourney.

Very well said. I completely agree with your post. My lineup was very identical. With no Perry on the team, i think having Getzlaf there makes less sense. I had Hall, Couture and O'Reilly on my team. Nothing against Marchand, Thornton or Getzlaf though. Hall over Thornton to me was a no brainer. Thornton is old and slow, and i thought going with Hall was a better look. With an elite player like Crosby- he would have been a great guy on his wing. However- i am not as smart as the Hockey Canada brass.

 

[Drij]

Scoring is not a problem, they don't need Hall.

 

[Scotty B]

Scoring is not a problem, they don't need Hall.

Scoring WAS a problem in Sochi, BUT not a problem at WC15, where TC was scoring about 7 goals per game, and where we saw Hall on Crosby's line and Giroux and Seguin together. Seguin alone had something like 9 goals in that tourney...

 

[Scotty B]

I really didn't see the team pinch aggressively at all. If they were, they would have scored more. I didn't mean they were a sit back and wait for the other team and counter attack style of safe play, they were a possession team that took care of their own zone and let the offense come through that possession. They rarely seemed to make risky plays in the neutral zone or force offense when it wasn't there.

They only scored twice vs Suomi in that WC GMG, and one was an EN goal, yet if u watch a replay of that game u'll see that Canada's D men, in the main, were very aggressive pinching inside the blue (some more than others of course ). This too has become part of Canada's MO

 

[tade]

Scoring WAS a problem in Sochi, BUT not a problem at WC15, where TC was scoring about 7 goals per game, and where we saw Hall on Crosby's line and Giroux and Seguin together. Seguin alone had something like 9 goals in that tourney...

The competition wasn't same in those 2 tournaments. One was Olympics, the other WHC. 2015 Team Canada was just an absolutely stacked team compared to usual WHC standards.

6 players from 2015 are on the World Cup team. 3 on Team North America. O'Reilly/Hall snubbed.

 

[JackSlater]

Scoring is not a problem, they don't need Hall.

Nothing is a "problem" for Canada, and no one player is "needed". Doesn't mean that Hall should have been left home.

 

[86Habs]

My guess is that if teams didn't have to name 16 players months ago, there is a decent chance that Getzlaf would not be named and Thornton would. I do understand that having a physically dominant centre is good to add some variety to the lineup, especially on small ice and with no other team really having a counter, but there isn't need for both players.

I didn't consider just how many centres are on the team. I also don't think that Giroux is a great stylistic fit with the team, but I am still glad that he was picked. He at least has wing experience, and could theoretically play at Toews' RW as the playmaker of the shutdown line. Carter could then move to play with his old WJC linemate Getzlaf. I don't expect Babcock would do that, but it's a possibility. It seems like a much more traditional Canadian roster, kind of like the 1998 and 2002 Olympic rosters.

Requiring the teams to pre-announce 16 players in March was a stupid idea (well, the whole tournament is a stupid idea and a waste of an opportunity, but I digress..). 8-10 players would have been a more reasonable number as only the upper echelon locks would need to be announced, or better yet just announce the entire team at one time like the last three Olympics. You're probably right in that Getzlaf wouldn't have made the team if he wasn't one of the original 16, as its fairly evident that the management team has changed its thinking a bit by leaving Perry off the team. I'm still very surprised by Perry's omission as I thought he had done enough to lock up his spot by going over to Russia...particularly as Armstrong mentioned the World Championships ~32 times in the interview immediately after the announcement on Friday. In any event Thornton has outperformed Getzlaf this season by a fair margin, and kudos to Hockey Canada for recognizing him for his strong play. It will be interesting to see how each of them are deployed in the fall.

The comparison to the 2002 team is an interesting one. On that team, the lines as I recall were as follows:

Kariya - Lemieux - Yzerman
Gagne - Sakic - Iginla
Smyth - Lindros - Nolan
Shanahan - Peca - Fleury
Nieuwendyk

If this is correct, only Yzerman was playing out of position and perhaps Nieuwendyk or Peca depending on how they rolled the bottom four forwards, I can't recall. 2004 and 2006, similarly we had a good balance of natural wingers to centers as I believe only Mario (2004) and Draper (2004, 2006) were centers utilized at the wing consistently. It seems like either Gretzky thoughtfully did a good job in this regard, or simply stacked his teams with the "BPAs" - with some but not undue regard to defensive ability, versatility, handedness, etc. - with the chips falling neatly into place. This may be what you're alluding to with your reference to "traditional rosters". From 2002 only Thornton could be deemed to be a surprise omission, and of course 2006 you have the three centers - Crosby, Staal and Spezza, and wingers Kariya and Marleau (who may have predominantly been a center at the time).

Overall though I'm not sure what this says about the quality and depth of our wingers, but there seems to be some slippage from the previous generation and even the "Keenan years" where his teams were generally constructed NHL-style. With the next generation of players coming up it seems like we will continue to be reliant on successfully converting centers to the wing for the foreseeable future.

 

[tade]

Perhaps Getzlaf could be the 13th forward?

Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron
Benn-Tavares-Seguin
Carter-Toews-Giroux
Duchene-Thornton-Stamkos
Getzlaf

 

[Trap Jesus]

I really hope Bergeron and Marchand don't get viewed as complementary players. I know pretty much everyone will probably have both on the wing, or separated as plug-and-play players somewhere in the line-up. At best they'll be put as Crosby's wingers to try to help insulate Crosby's play. It's still the Crosby show if you do that though. The play is always going to go through him. Why not make Bergeron/Marchand the centerpiece of their own line?

These two are arguably the best/most effective duo in the league since they were put together in 2010/11, and completely dominate the play when they're on the ice. They could be up against anyone as well, it really doesn't matter; they will outplay anyone. The play always revolves around those two as well, regardless of their winger. Whether it's an actual good player on their right wing (ie. Seguin) or a plug (ie. Connolly), their play isn't affected at all, and the player alongside them always ends up as the complementary piece rather than the other way around.

Obviously you'd use them in a defensive/shutdown role and would not be the line you put out in prime offensive situations, but they should still be a package deal IMO, and not as wingers to help insulate another center's game.

My ideal linemate for them would be Stamkos. He's someone that does not need the puck on his stick to do what he's great at (finding space in the offensive zone to get his shot off). Even if you send him out with the other two in defensive situations, they'll still carry the play to the other end of the ice and pin teams there for the majority of the time they're on. Let those two do the dirty work and just get open.

 

[tade]

In that case:

Tavares-Crosby-Duchene
Benn-Giroux-Seguin
Marchand-Bergeron-Stamkos
Thornton-Toews-Carter
Getzlaf

 

[Theokritos]

My guess is that if teams didn't have to name 16 players months ago

Why were they required to do that anyway?

 

[JackSlater]

Requiring the teams to pre-announce 16 players in March was a stupid idea (well, the whole tournament is a stupid idea and a waste of an opportunity, but I digress..). 8-10 players would have been a more reasonable number as only the upper echelon locks would need to be announced, or better yet just announce the entire team at one time like the last three Olympics. You're probably right in that Getzlaf wouldn't have made the team if he wasn't one of the original 16, as its fairly evident that the management team has changed its thinking a bit by leaving Perry off the team. I'm still very surprised by Perry's omission as I thought he had done enough to lock up his spot by going over to Russia...particularly as Armstrong mentioned the World Championships ~32 times in the interview immediately after the announcement on Friday. In any event Thornton has outperformed Getzlaf this season by a fair margin, and kudos to Hockey Canada for recognizing him for his strong play. It will be interesting to see how each of them are deployed in the fall.

The comparison to the 2002 team is an interesting one. On that team, the lines as I recall were as follows:

Kariya - Lemieux - Yzerman
Gagne - Sakic - Iginla
Smyth - Lindros - Nolan
Shanahan - Peca - Fleury
Nieuwendyk

If this is correct, only Yzerman was playing out of position and perhaps Nieuwendyk or Peca depending on how they rolled the bottom four forwards, I can't recall. 2004 and 2006, similarly we had a good balance of natural wingers to centers as I believe only Mario (2004) and Draper (2004, 2006) were centers utilized at the wing consistently. It seems like either Gretzky thoughtfully did a good job in this regard, or simply stacked his teams with the "BPAs" - with some but not undue regard to defensive ability, versatility, handedness, etc. - with the chips falling neatly into place. This may be what you're alluding to with your reference to "traditional rosters". From 2002 only Thornton could be deemed to be a surprise omission, and of course 2006 you have the three centers - Crosby, Staal and Spezza, and wingers Kariya and Marleau (who may have predominantly been a center at the time).

I can't quite explain why I find this roster similar to what Canada used in 1998 and 2002. If might be the reliance on vets for the most part. I just find that the 1998 and 2002 rosters never made whole lot of sense. Only the second line in 2002 really made sense, and in 1998 they changed thing up seemingly every opportunity. Even in 2006 the lines used made sense in that you could see what the purpose was and there was reason to believe that they would execute. I can see this logic in the Canadian defence (which was the problem in 2006) but not the forwards. I have no idea how they will use both Thornton and Getzlaf, or where Giroux will go, or even what Duchene's role is. Stamkos is in the same boat.

Overall though I'm not sure what this says about the quality and depth of our wingers, but there seems to be some slippage from the previous generation and even the "Keenan years" where his teams were generally constructed NHL-style. With the next generation of players coming up it seems like we will continue to be reliant on successfully converting centers to the wing for the foreseeable future.

It seems clear that at some time, probably the 80s, almost all talented forwards in Canada were turned into centres at the youth level. Go back and go through the various decades, and Canada usually had superstar wingers. It starts slowing down with players who debuted in the 80s, but there were still Hull, Robitaile, Goulet, even Messier for a while, then at the tail end Shanahan and Recchi. What star wingers were produced in the 90s? Kariya would have been a superstar if healthy, Iginla was a star, St. Louis eventually became a star. That's about it. In the 2000s Canada produces Heatley, then Perry and later Benn and then basically no star wingers. From Canadians drafted this decade only Hall looks like a star winger.

I don't think it's a big issue, because many of the Canadians have have proven that they can move hte wing successfully, but it's curious. Some players, for example Seguin, Stamkos and Carter, have obvious winger skillsets but have been brought up to be centres through the Canadian youth system. Notice that Canada's best wingers from the last decade were Heatley, who took the non traditional Kariya route through junior A and the NCAA, and two late bloomers in Benn and Perry. As long as the players like Stamkos and Seguin can move to the wing, as limited World Championship appearances indicate, then it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Crosby-Tavares-Stamkos
Benn-Giroux-Seguin
Marchand-Thornton-Duchene
Toews-Bergeron-Carter (checking unit)

 

[Trap Jesus]

I echo that both Thornton and Getzlaf don't make a lot of sense. Both are big, slow-it-down playmakers that absolutely need that center spot. Thornton adds a good defensive element, but he's not going to be a shutdown guy when you look at who else is on the team. Considering the versatility of other players along with the center spine the team has, I don't see how one of them doesn't end up as the 13th forward (when it's probably better to have someone with more versatility in case of injury).

Both fantastic players, but it doesn't make the most sense to me when trying to build a team. Obviously a nit-pick when everyone's an all-star though.

I don't really understand why Duchene keeps getting a free pass either. Position versatility is a plus for sure, but there are just straight-up better players out there that can bring that to the table as well. His offense has been lacking the last couple years relative to other top players and I don't understand where all of this "good defense" talk is coming from. Canada has more than enough faceoff guys.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Kariya - Lemieux - Yzerman
Gagne - Sakic - Iginla
Smyth - Lindros - Nolan
Shanahan - Peca - Fleury
Nieuwendyk

iginla, lindros, nolan, shanahan, peca, fleury....thats 6 physical players.

the 2016 team is missing that element.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Why were they required to do that anyway?

If you believe the NHL, it was for Marketing purposes. But knowing how the NHL operates, the real reason is properly more along the lines of just because.