Head Coach: Bob "Badger" Johnson
Captain: Butch Bouchard
Alternates: Johnny Bucyk, Brad Park
W. Cashman-P. Esposito-K. Hodge
J. Bucyk-B. Federko-J. Toppazzini
D. Maloney-R. MacLeish-R. Middleton
J. Wilson-R. Meagher-A. Davidson
B. Park-E. Bouchard
B. Leetch-C. Huddy
M. Grant-D. Barkley
D. Awrey
G. Vezina
A. Rollins
PP1: Bucyk-Esposito-Middleton-Park-Leetch
PP2: MacLeish-Federko-Hodge-Grant-Barkley
PK1: Meagher-Toppazzini-Park-Bouchard
PK2: MacLeish-Middleton-Leetch-Huddy
Questions/Comments:
-This was a lot of fun, and definitely a great experience in terms of learning about the game.
-I regret trading around as much I did early on, especially as it depleted me of mid-draft picks. I couldn't capitalize on some of the fallers, and had to reach for players to fill certain roles.
-Positives: I think I have one of the strongest offenses in the ATD, both in quality and quantity. Esposito is in the perfect environment to succeed, what with Cash, Hodge, The Chief and Don Maloney. He also has the best possible Orr replacement in Brad Park, and another option in Leetch. Defensively, with Toppazzini, Middleton, MacLeish, Middleton, Maloney and Wilson, there will also be enough responsibility to balance out some of the gamblers (cough Federko cough Espo).
-Speaking of Park/Leetch, let me explain why I took both, rather than someone like Pronger: no one in the history of the game comes close to what Orr can bring for 30 minutes. However, having two of the best offensive producers ever from the back-end on the ice for 25-30 minutes apiece is, in my mind, a decent substitute.
-On the defense as a whole, I'm pretty proud of the first three, and a little iffy on the back three. I really wanted Vasko to round out the top four, and tried to both move up to get him and to acquire him after he was drafted. No dice.
-Goal, I'm really happy with. I wasn't so confident with just Vezina; while he played over 300 consecutive games, he never got the opportunity to prove he could handle 70 games a season. That's why I was so overjoyed to get Rollins; he was a guy who
could deliver 50-70 starts a year, and steal you games in the process (see: twice top-two in Hart voting). I think this tandem could be good enough to get us to the Finals.
-Special teams is my biggest strength, I think. Can anyone defend Bucyk-Esposito-Middleton-Park-Leetch for two minutes? Similarly, is there a better threat to score shorthanded than my PK units?
-Negatives: A couple of guys are being stretched in terms of role. Toppazzini is a great third liner, but I took him where I did because I needed a guy who could open space for Bucyk and Federko to score goals. Then I realized that Bucyk would have been best utilized in that role on that line, with a real sniper on the right side. Oops. As a result, I think the lack of a top-300 scorer for that line is my biggest hole, both at ES and on the powerplay.
-Another negative is the uneven/unproven nature of Huddy, Grant and Barkley. Simply put, can those guys compete with the top 650 of all-time? There will be times when they will be matched up against second lines- although not on purpose- and it may pose a problem.
-Questions I have: Should Bucyk/Federko/Topp be kept together? I would love to have Bucyk-MacLeish-Middleton together, but my LW is not deep enough for that; Federko would end up between some combination of Wilson, Maloney, Toppazzini and Davidson, and I don't know if any of those work so well. Wilson-Federko-Davidson might, though. Another question, although I guess a couple people have answered it in the Draft Summary: are Park-Bouchard-Leetch-Huddy my optimal pairings? I considered Park-Leetch-Huddy-Bouchard at one point, but that second unit would be listless offensively.
Thanks and I'll begin talking about other lineups shortly!
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