ATD 2017 Assassination Thread

[jarek]

I save my arguments for my team thank you very much

Actually, I've been meaning to ask - what is it about my top line that you think isn't going to work?

 

[895]

EHC Borussia Red Bull 04

Coach: Pat Quinn
Assistant Coach: Roger Neilson

Reg Noble - Sidney Crosby (C) - Brett Hull
Kevin Stevens - Mats Sundin (A) - Bobby Rousseau
Woody Dumart - Hooley Smith - Bobby Bauer
Wendel Clark - Kris Draper - Ace Bailey
Gaye Stewart, Harry Westwick

Borje Salming - Pierre Pilote (A)
Ching Johnson - Dan Boyle
Sandis Ozolinsh - Adam Foote
Kris Letang

Ed Belfour
Rogie Vachon

PP:
Smith-Crosby-Hull
Rousseau - Pilote

Stevens-Sundin-Bauer
Ozolinsh-Boyle

ex. Noble, Salming

PK:
Draper-Bailey
Johnson-Foote

Dumart-Smith
Salming-Pilote

ex. Rousseau, Sundin


Estimated ice time and usage


Forwards

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
R. Noble | 15 | 2 | | 17
S. Crosby | 15 | 4 | | 19
B. Hull | 15 | 4 | | 19
K. Stevens | 11 | 3 | | 14
M. Sundin | 14 | 3 | | 17
B. Rousseau| 11 | 4 | | 15
W. Dumart | 14 | | 3 | 17
H. Smith | 14 | 2 | 3 | 19
B. Bauer | 14 | 3 | | 17
W. Clark | 6 | | | 6
K. Draper | 3 | | 4 | 8
A. Bailey | 6 | | 4 | 10
TOTAL | 138 | 25 | 14 | 177

Sundin will take shifts for Draper on the 4th line occasionally.


Defense

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
P. Pilote | 18 | 4 | 3 | 25
B. Salming | 20 | | 3 | 23
C. Johnson | 18 | | 4 | 22
D. Boyle | 16 | 3 | | 19
A. Foote | 12 | | 4 | 16
S. Ozolinsh | 8 | 3 | | 11
TOTAL | 92 | 10 | 14 | 116

Salming and Johnson will take shifts for Ozolinsh on the 3rd pairing occasionally.

Self assassination.


First Line:

I went with the prototypical playmaker/goalscorer/glue guy set up here. Reg Noble being the defensively skilled, hardworking ironman he is will cover for Hull's deficiencies. Hull and Crosby should work well as Hull was the master of getting open and Crosby can find him anywhere. Noble is a capable scorer in his own right so this is definitely not a a guy who's a passenger on the line. In terms of talent and fit, this line is at least average.

Second Line:

To be perfectly honest, this is not a great line in terms of individual talent. I will try to convince you however that they're greater than the sum of their parts, where each player can cover for another's deficiencies.

Kevin Stevens' greatest weaknesses as a player were his lack of defensive game and that he needed someone better than him like Mario to elevate his play. Bobby Rousseau's tremendous defensive game will help with the defense while Sundin made a career out of elevating mediocre teammates into first line material.

Bobby Rousseau's greatest weakness as a player was his complete lack of physicality. Lucky for him, Kevin Stevens has that in spades and then some as the premier power forward of the 90's. And whilst lacking meanness, Sundin brings bountiful size and strength.

Sundin is the best player on the line and his lasting legacy as a player is someone who can produce despite the quality of his linemates. So while I won't lie and say I have the best second line in the draft, I think it can be adequate.

Third Line:

The Krautish line. This is the gem of my forward corps and my edge against other teams. Hooley Smith is not quite Milt Schmidt but brings everything he does in lesser quantities. In real life the Kraut line was used to simultaneously shut down other lines while leading the league in scoring. Here they will serve a similar purpose, holding opposing top lines to zero while potting in a few of their own.

I feel very confident in saying this is the best third line in the draft.

Fourth Line

This is my energy line. With the speedy Draper and Bailey and the extremely physical Clark, this line will aim to disrupt the opposition and carry the momentum forward. It also has surprising scoring punch as Clark once scored 46 goals and Bailey has a scoring title. Draper is of course a zero offensively but double shifting Sundin in his place will create an all Maple Leaf scoring line for times when we are behind.

Clark's 4th line role should be a boon to him as with his limited icetime his chances to get injured will also be limited. His job as a hitter, fighter and leader shouldn't be affected by limited ice time, so it's the best of both worlds.


First Pairing

I will concede that LL has the best first pairing in Orr - Chara but I will debate anyone who says Salming - Pilote isn't up there. Salming and Pilote are both surefire #1 defenders in this draft individually and should work together well. Both are 2 way defenders meaning that unlike other defense/offense combos, they offer some unpredictability in which side of the ice the offense comes from. Both are tough as well but not overly so. They won't be going out of position to make big hits.

Second Pairing
My second pairing has the luxury of having Ching Johnson, who is a #2 defender, on it. Between Pilote, Salming and Johnson I have a very formidable Big 3 that will chew up the majority of the icetime. I've paired him with Dan Boyle who provides the puck movement. Boyle is strong where Johnson is weak and Johnson is strong where Boyle is weak. I feel in terms of fit and talent, this second pairing is well above average.

Third Pairing
Ozolinsh is defensively by far the worst defender I have on my team. Luckily he's being babysat by one of the best in Foote. Ozolinsh's minutes will be limited, especially if we are in a precarious position with Johnson and Salming taking shifts in his place. His superb offense should be of great benefit when down a goal. Another great fit in terms of playing styles, this pairing is about average for a third pairing.

I feel I have one of the best, if not the best defense corps 1-6.

Goaltending:
I don't have much to say here except Belfour is an average starter and Vachon is a strong backup.

Coaching
In terms of head coaches, Quinn is near the bottom. However, I feel I get more utility out of my assistant coach than anyone else. Neilson was a pioneer of video analysis, something that everyone does now. His understanding of the rulebook also gives my team a competitive edge in being able to flaunt the spirit of the rules while adhering to the letter. I think Neilson is the best assistant coach in this and with his help I can bring my coaching to average or at least near it.

Overall
I think my offense, coaching and goaltending can all be said to be about average. The real strength of my team is defensively. Between my Big 3 defensemen and my Krautish shutdown line, opposing teams should have a real tough time scoring on me. I feel optimistic about their chances in a playoff series against anyone.

 

[Stoneberg]

Thanks for the reviews Sprague & tony. Fair assessments for the most part, but I'll touch on a few things.

Third line: This line seems neither to be a shutdown line, due to the presence of Doan, nor is it a significant menace offensively (Doan and Pulford are average scorers at EVS according to seventies' table). This line seems to be something in between the two, which is fine. In terms of talent, Pulford is an elite 3rd line LW, Weiland is average, and Doan seems to be below average for a 3rd liner.

I think you're underrating Doan a bit here, at the very least defensively. He's not a shutdown player at this level by any means, but he's definitely a solid defensive player. I also think he's a bit underrated offensively by the 7 year even strength vsX (as many are) as it doesn't really account for longevity. I feel like he's a higher end physical two way third liner at 25 teams.

Powerplay: First unit looks great. Kerr is a solid net front presence, but is his talent level that of a #1 PP option? Second unit also looks decent, but I'm not so sure about Seabrook's viability as a PP option. I might be wrong since I don't have VsXD data, but Harmon could possibly have a better score.

Kerr is among the elite powerplay goal scorers of all time and one of the best specialists in the draft. In addition to leading the league 3 times and being 2nd once in PP goals, take a look at the table at the bottom of
Forward Line 2:

Syd Howe is another good pick, if you ask me he can switch time with Barry at 1st line centre (Barry played some left wing as well), this might be a good idea for you to do. Denis Savard's another good 1. 1 of the most creative players ever. I'd love to see him and Kariya work their magic out there which we'll see on the power play. Dave Taylor will bring some meat to this line. Can chip in offensively. Overall a solid 2nd line, good job. [/quote]I do really like the idea of Syd Howe sliding up to that top line in late game situations, but I think we will keep the lines balanced for the most part. Great suggestion.

That 1st Power Play could be one of the best in the league; Kerr, Howe, Savard and Kariya are all good ones. Lapointe's good as well. Your PP 2 with Patrick's going to be good as well. Not much to say about your PK 2 but maybe Harmon could be subbed in for Seabrook?

I think we prefer Seabrook there primarily just because he's a bigger, stronger and more physical guy than Harmon and it's nice to have a right shot on that right side. I would imagine Harmon will see some time on the PK as well though for sure.

 

[tony d]

I'll do this roster today, my comments are in bold below each roster group:

Iceman's Team Stockholm

Coach: Tommy Gorman

Gorman seems like a very good coach, seems like a good player's coach which your players will like.

Bun Cook - Sid Abel (C) - Jaromir Jagr
Sweeney Schriner - Peter Forsberg - Vic Stasiuk
Gilles Tremblay - Ralph Backstrom - Claude Provost
Sid Smith - Kirk Muller - Rick Vaive

Forward Line 1:

Bun Cook and Frank Boucher on my team formed 2/3 of a great line for the Rangers back in the day. Cook had a lot to do that with that success so good pick,
a guy I've always liked. Abel's going to be a good playmaker here for this line, he has experience playing with an all time great right winger in real life in Howe he gets another 1 here in Jagr. Jagr is an amazing player, he'll be the star of what is a good line. He was a pri madonna in his early career but those days are behind him from the looks of it, now he's having fun. If you get that version of Jagr you'll have a great 1st line, as it is this is a good 1st line no matter what version of Jagr you get.

Forward Line 2:

Sweeney Schriner's a great start to your 2nd line, he was a good goal scorer and reading his bio just now he looks like a good playmaker as well. Forsberg is an excellent #2 centre, very good playmaker and defensively. He and Schriner should work some magic. Problem with him is injuries, if you can get him to stay healthy you have a potent 2nd line duo for sure. Stasiuk looks like the glue guy for the line who can chip in with some offense. Overall it's the classic ATD line, goal scorer Schriner, playmaker Forsberg and glue guy Stasiuk, good line.

Forward Line 3:

Gilles Tremblay is a good start to any checking line, he looks like he'll bring some offense to this line as well. Backstrom looks like he can bring some offense to his game too but much like Tkaczuk on my team he's their for his defense of which he's going to be very good for you. The familairity is there as well with Provost who completes your 3rd line. These 2 formed a good duo with Montreal in real life and should do the same for Stockholm here, overall a good 3rd line, good job.

Forward Line 4:

Sid Smith, to me, looks like what you want in an energy guy on your 4th line. Decent defensively but beter offensively. Muller's one of those guys every team needs. Had him in a previous ATD and looked at him for this one. Had a decent physical game as well, overall a solid player. Vaive will bring some goal scoring to this line as well. He did have a short temper so that may work vs. him and your team. If he can keep that under control then you have a good goal scoring threat on your 4th line.

King Clancy (A) - Emile "Butch" Bouchard (A)
Gary Suter - Bill White
Vitaly Davydov - Lennart Svedberg

Defense pairing 1:

King Clancy looks like a good offensive defenseman, perhaps one of the first truly great offensive defenseman in the NHL, good #1 for sure. Had Bouchard last year. He's decent enough but could be towards the lower end of #2 defenseman here. Overall not a bad 1st pairing here.

Defense Pairing 2:

I had Gary Suter in a previous ATD, very good offensive defenseman, is he your #3 or #4 though? He's a good to great #4 but a weak #3. You did make a good pick here though with Bill White. He should be your #3 and will help compensate for any lapses Suter makes in his own end. Overall a good offense-defense defensive pairing, good job.

Defense Pairing 3:

Not overly familiar with Davydov but he does seem to be a decent 3rd pairing guy here, maybe better defensively than offensively. Me and Dave drafted Svedberg in 2011, he's more of an offensive guy than defensive which will help as he has Davydov as his partner. Overall a good 3rd pairing.

Goalies:

Bill Durnan
Mike Liut

Durnan's a very good goalie but in a 25 team draft he's going to be towards the middle range of #1 goalies here, his relatively short peak could hurt him here. Mike Liut, though is one of the stronger backups here which could be needed given the "weakness" of Durnan

Spares: Vincent Lecavalier, C - Bobby Smith, C - Johnny Peirson, RW - Robyn Regehr, D

Solid group of spares including 2 former #1 picks in Lecavalier and Smith. Given Forsberg's injury history an extra centre was needed. I also like an idea of sitting Sid Smith from time to time and going with a Muller-Smith/Lecavalier-Vaive 4th line.
Peirson can also fill in for Vaive should the coach sit Vaive if his temper gets out of hand. Regehr is a good 1 as well.

Special Teams:

Overall a decent group especially those 1st units.

PP1: Sweeney Schriner - Peter Forsberg - Jaromir Jagr - Gary Suter - King Clancy
PP2: Bun Cook - Sid Abel - Vic Stasiuk - Rick Vaive - Lennart Svedberg

PK1: Ralph Backstrom - Claude Provost - Bill White - Emile "Butch" Bouchard
PK2: Gilles Tremblay - Kirk Muller - Vitaly Davydov - King Clancy

Final Thoughts:

This is a very solid team that should be getting more play. I wish you good luck and think you're going to be a tough out.

Forward Minutes
Player ES PP PK Total
Jaromir Jagr 14 5 0 19
Peter Forsberg 13 5 0 18
Sweeney Schriner 13 4 0 17
Sid Abel 14 3 0 17
Bun Cook 14 3 0 17
Vic Stasiuk 13 3 0 16
Ralph Backstrom 12 0 4 16
Claude Provost 12 0 4 16
Gilles Tremblay 12/9* 0 3 15
Kirk Muller 7 0 3 10
Rick Vaive 7 2 0 9
Sid Smith 7/10* 0 0 7
TOTAL 138 25 14 177
*Depending on the matchup, Smith might see more ice time for some extra offense.

Defensemen Minutes
Player ES PP PK Total
King Clancy 18 4 3 26
Butch Bouchard 18 0 4 22
Bill White 16 0 4 20
Gary Suter 15 4 0 19
Lennart Svedberg 13 2 0 15
Vitaly Davydov 12 0 3 15
TOTAL 92 10 14 116

 

[King Forsberg]

Coach: Tommy Gorman


Bun Cook - Sid Abel (C) - Jaromir Jagr
Sweeney Schriner - Peter Forsberg - Vic Stasiuk
Gilles Tremblay - Ralph Backstrom - Claude Provost
Sid Smith - Kirk Muller - Rick Vaive

King Clancy (A) - Emile "Butch" Bouchard (A)
Gary Suter - Bill White
Vitaly Davydov - Lennart Svedberg

Bill Durnan
Mike Liut


Spares: Vincent Lecavalier, C - Bobby Smith, C - Johnny Peirson, RW - Robyn Regehr, D



PP1: Sweeney Schriner - Peter Forsberg - Jaromir Jagr - Gary Suter - King Clancy
PP2: Bun Cook - Sid Abel - Vic Stasiuk - Rick Vaive - Lennart Svedberg

PK1: Ralph Backstrom - Claude Provost - Bill White - Emile "Butch" Bouchard
PK2: Gilles Tremblay - Kirk Muller - Vitaly Davydov - King Clancy



Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Jaromir Jagr| 14 | 5 | 0 | 19
Peter Forsberg| 13 | 5 | 0 |18
Sweeney Schriner| 13 | 4| 0 | 17
Sid Abel| 14 | 3 | 0 | 17
Bun Cook| 14 | 3 | 0 |17
Vic Stasiuk| 13 | 3 | 0 | 16
Ralph Backstrom |12 | 0 | 4 | 16
Claude Provost| 12 | 0 | 4 | 16
Gilles Tremblay| 12/ 9 * | 0 | 3 | 15
Kirk Muller| 7 | 0 | 3 | 10
Rick Vaive| 7 | 2 | 0 | 9
Sid Smith| 7/ 10 * | 0 | 0 | 7
TOTAL | 138 | 25 | 14 | 177

*Depending on the matchup, Smith might see more ice time for some extra offense.

Defensemen Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
King Clancy | 18 | 4 | 3 | 26
Butch Bouchard | 18 | 0 | 4 | 22
Bill White | 16 | 0 | 4 | 20
Gary Suter | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
Lennart Svedberg | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15
Vitaly Davydov | 12 | 0 | 3 | 15
TOTAL | 92 | 10 | 14 | 116

Coaching
One of the best coaches out there.

First Line
I love the way you complimented Jagr here. Abel and Jagr should be able to provide plenty of scoring while Cook can chip in and keep the line from getting hemmed in its own zone.

2nd line
Big fan of Forsberg! But in all seriousness I like the combo of him and Schriner together. I'm not sure I like Stasiuk on a second line with only 25 teams but he'll serve a role well here. I worry though that if Forsberg gets hurt then this line, and the team as a whole will have trouble scoring. Right now you have two really solid lines and puck dominant players like Forsberg and Jagr. That will be tough for other teams to match against. However I'm not sure Lecavalier or Smith can step up and provide enough if need be.

3rd line
This is a great shutdown line, one of the better ones in the draft. To echo what I was saying earlier though, if Forsberg goes down then I worry this line will be tasked with scoring more and I don't think they can provide it effectively. But in an injury free world, this is an elite shut down line.

4th line
This line should provide a little bit of offense which will be nice. I like Sid Smith a lot.

1st pairing
Clancy is someone I've always wanted to draft but never had the chance. He and Bouchard together a great top pair that is capable of doing it all.

2nd pairing
I really like this pairing as well. Bill White is such a great d man to have in this since he can play great defense but also not be lost in the offensive zone. He should be able to cover for Suter if he runs up on offense.

3rd pairing
I think a good third pairing is crucial in a smaller draft like this and you've got a nice one here. Good blend of everything here. They won't be ambushed if they are forced to play more minutes.

Goaltending
You've got a great defensive core and a nice group of two way forwards to go along with an above average goalie in Durnan. I like Liut as a backup as well.

Special Teams
Nothing sticks out as a weakness here. Forsberg and Jagr together will be a load for any PK.

 

[chaosrevolver]

Toronto Maple Austons

Coach: Tommy Ivan
Captain: Eddie Gerard
Assistant Captains: Bob Nevin, Maurice Richard

Aurele Joliat - Joe Thornton - Maurice Richard
Zach Parise - Norm Ullman - Andy Bathgate
Boris Mayorov - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Bob Nevin
Joe Klukay - Doug Jarvis - Cully Wilson

Spares: Albert Kerr, LW, Rick MacLeish, C/LW, Ken Wharram, RW

NOTE: Ivan reserves the right to form a line of Klukay - Jarvis - Nevin in such a case where a pure checking line is required.

Art Ross - Eddie Gerard
Ryan Suter - Drew Doughty
Ted Harris - Doug Mohns

Spares: Keith Magnuson

Roy Worters
Gump Worsley

PP1: Ullman - Thornton - Richard - Mohns - Bathgate
PP2: Joliat - Starshinov - Mayorov - Suter - Ross

PP spares: Doughty, Parise

PK1: Jarvis - Klukay - Harris - Gerard
PK2: Ullman - Nevin - Suter - Doughty

PK spares: Mohns, Joliat, Starshinov

Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Maurice Richard | 15 | 5 | 0 | 20
Andy Bathgate | 15 | 5 | 0 | 20
Aurele Joliat | 15 | 3 | 0 | 18
Joe Thornton | 13 | 5 | 0 | 18
Norm Ullman | 13 | 4 | 1 | 18
Bob Nevin | 10 | 0 | 4 | 14
Vyacheslav Starshinov | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14
Boris Mayorov | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14
Joe Klukay | 8 | 0 | 5 | 13
Doug Jarvis | 8 | 0 | 4 | 12
Zach Parise | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11
Cully Wilson| 6 | 0 | 0 | 6

Joliat will take some shifts in Parise's place on the 2nd line.
Richard will take some shifts in Wilson's place for offensive and occasional neutral zone draws.
Bathgate will take some shifts in Nevin's place for offensive and occasional neutral zone draws.

Defensemen Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Eddie Gerard | 19 | 0 | 4 | 23
Art Ross | 19 | 2 | 0 | 21
Drew Doughty | 18 | 0 | 3 | 21
Ryan Suter | 16 | 2 | 3 | 21
Doug Mohns | 12 | 5 | 0 | 17
Ted Harris | 8 | 0 | 4 | 12

Bathgate will be manning the right point on the 1st PP unit.​

First line: Good line offensively. While I don't think they are necessarily one of the better first lines from a defensive standpoint, their ability to handle the puck and use their speed on the wings, should allow them to control the puck and keep it away from the opposition. Not necessarily going to be the most physical line but offensively, I don't really see this line struggling whatsoever in producing offense.

Second Line: Ullman-Bathgate is a dreamy combination on a second line. I don't really think Parise is a second liner at this level though. In fact, he is probably one of my least favourite in the draft on that line. With that being said, the other two should more than make up for that and Parise can hopefully contribute more than I expect him to.

Third Line: I have to admit I do not know much about some of these players but even looking at the bio's, I don't really understand the identity of it. I like the chemistry between Mayorov and Starshinov though and Nevin works as an alright glue guy so it's not too bad. Just probably more on my unfamiliarity.

Fourth Line: Decent defensively though not spectacular. Shouldn't hinder you in any way.

First Pairing: Without looking, it may be the worst in the draft. I don't know if the defensive your forwards will provide, will make up for this very mediocre first pairing. Probably your biggest weakness is that this line will see so much ice time.

Second Pairing: Certainly a stronger pairing in regards to its placement, compared to the first pairing. I wouldn't call it a spectacular pairing but I think both guys don't look out of place whatsoever and bring a lot of responsibility defensively to the table.

Third Pairing: I have wanted Mohns for quite some time now. Really loved reading about him a while back and I think he's a good fit on this pairing. I looked at Harris for my bottom pairing and I think his defensive play and toughness will bring a lot to your third pairing.

Goaltending: Worters isn't in the upper echelon of starters, and is probably closer to the bottom than the top but I think Worsley is a tremendous backup for him and should create a decent 1-2 combo for you.

Coaching: A good coach that fits this team perfectly. Excellent choice.

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

I didn't get close to as many bios done as I wanted...I used some past ones instead, and still hoping to do one for Quenneville, but want to get this posted so I can get some reviews (most of you are probably pretty familiar with Q anyway).

Chicago Shamrocks

Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Captain: Syl Apps
Alternate Captains: Daniel Alfredsson, Lionel Hitchman


Cy Denneny - Syl Apps (C) - Daniel Alfredsson (A)
Gord Roberts - Pavel Datsyuk - Sergei Makarov
Vincent Damphousse - Anze Kopitar - Jimmy Ward
Don Marcotte - Brent Sutter - Eric Nesterenko

Spares: Murray Oliver, John MacLean

Lionel Conacher - Chris Chelios
Lionel Hitchman (A) - Harry Cameron
Gary Bergman - Bob Armstrong

Spares: Calle Johansson, Ron Stackhouse

Tony Esposito
Hap Holmes


Special Teams
PP1: Denneny - Apps - Makarov - Conacher - Cameron

PP2: Roberts - Datsyuk - Alfredsson - Bergman - Chelios


PK1: Marcotte - Nesterenko - Hitchman - Chelios

PK2: Kopitar - Sutter - Conacher - Armstrong

Extra PK F: Makarov, Damphousse, Datsyuk
Extra PK D: Bergman
​

Estimated Minutes

Forwards

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
C. Denneny | 14 | 5 | | 19
S. Apps | 14 | 5 | | 19
D. Alfresson | 14 | 2 | | 16
G. Roberts | 13 | 2 | | 15
P. Datsyuk | 14 | 2 | | 16
S. Makarov | 14 | 5 | | 19
V. Damphousse | 13 | | | 13
A. Kopitar | 12 | | 3 | 15
J. Ward | 12 | | | 12
D. Marcotte | 6 | | 4 | 10
B. Sutter | 6 | | 3 | 9
E. Nesterenko | 6 | | 4 | 10
TOTAL | 138 | 21 | 14 | 173

*Makarov and Datsyuk will take a shift or two on the 3rd line (but not at the same time)

Defense

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
C. Chelios | 19 | 3 | 4 | 26
L. Conacher | 15 | 4 | 3 | 22
H. Cameron | 16 | 5 | | 21
L. Hitchman | 15 | | 4 | 19
Bergman | 16 | 2 | | 18
Armstrong | 11 | | 3 | 14
TOTAL | 92 | 14 | 14 | 120

*Chelios will take several shifts for Armstrong at ES
**Bergman will take an occasional shift for Hitchman at the end of games/periods in offensive zone situations.

 

[jarek]

First line: Good line offensively. While I don't think they are necessarily one of the better first lines from a defensive standpoint, their ability to handle the puck and use their speed on the wings, should allow them to control the puck and keep it away from the opposition. Not necessarily going to be the most physical line but offensively, I don't really see this line struggling whatsoever in producing offense.

Second Line: Ullman-Bathgate is a dreamy combination on a second line. I don't really think Parise is a second liner at this level though. In fact, he is probably one of my least favourite in the draft on that line. With that being said, the other two should more than make up for that and Parise can hopefully contribute more than I expect him to.

Third Line: I have to admit I do not know much about some of these players but even looking at the bio's, I don't really understand the identity of it. I like the chemistry between Mayorov and Starshinov though and Nevin works as an alright glue guy so it's not too bad. Just probably more on my unfamiliarity.

Fourth Line: Decent defensively though not spectacular. Shouldn't hinder you in any way.

First Pairing: Without looking, it may be the worst in the draft. I don't know if the defensive your forwards will provide, will make up for this very mediocre first pairing. Probably your biggest weakness is that this line will see so much ice time.

Second Pairing: Certainly a stronger pairing in regards to its placement, compared to the first pairing. I wouldn't call it a spectacular pairing but I think both guys don't look out of place whatsoever and bring a lot of responsibility defensively to the table.

Third Pairing: I have wanted Mohns for quite some time now. Really loved reading about him a while back and I think he's a good fit on this pairing. I looked at Harris for my bottom pairing and I think his defensive play and toughness will bring a lot to your third pairing.

Goaltending: Worters isn't in the upper echelon of starters, and is probably closer to the bottom than the top but I think Worsley is a tremendous backup for him and should create a decent 1-2 combo for you.

Coaching: A good coach that fits this team perfectly. Excellent choice.

Thanks for the review!

I'm getting some strange (IMO) feedback about the 2nd pairing. Personally for me it should be competing for best 2nd pairing in the draft, although I haven't looked too deeply into it.

As far as the 3rd line, it should be pretty obvious, no? It's a 3rd scoring line (like many others around here), but it gives up nothing in bottom-6 type intangibles. Mayorov and Starshinov are both extremely physical, and Starshinov and Nevin bring the two-way game. Nevin actually spent a couple of years in real life as the glue guy of a scoring line with Frank Mahovlich and Red Kelly, so he has some experience there.

Regarding my 1st pairing.. keep in mind that, at least defensively, Gerard should be viewed as no worse than an average #1 D. His lack of offense is what pushes him down to a #2. There's nothing wrong with him defensively at all. Art Ross is indeed out of place on a 1st pair, as even his offense isn't good by 1st pair standards, but offense doesn't necessarily tell the whole story about a player. I think he'll be fine with making a first pass out of the zone to my forwards and occasionally skating with it himself. Anyways, obviously this is the price I paid to form the best top-6 in the entire draft.

Regarding my forwards not being good enough to help out with the defense, I disagree but it's up to everyone to make that determination. Ivan obviously stressed a balanced approach to playing the game, as his teams were very often strong both in terms of goals for and against. Additionally, all of my lines bring, at worst, responsible two-way play. I personally think it should be fine but it's up to you to decide.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Vancouver Millionares

1915 Stanley Cup champions
Home rink: Denman Arena (1911)
Capacity: 10,500
GM: monster_bertuzzi

Head coach: 'Toe' Blake

Dickie Moore - Joe Sakic (C) - Dany Heatley
Alexander Yakushev - Eric Lindros - Phil Watson
Jiri Holik - Duke Keats - Ron Ellis
Alex Tanguay - Bobby Holik - Ryan Kesler

Red Kelly - Jack Stewart (A)
Herb Gardiner - Ebbie Goodfellow (A)
Dave Burrows - Kevin Hatcher

Jiri Holocek
George Hainsworth

Reserves: Alex Pietrangelo D, Miroslav Satan RW, Simon Gagne LW, Willie Mitchell D

pp1: Goodfellow - Kelly - Lindros - Sakic - Yakushev
pp2: K.Hatcher - Gardiner - Heatley - Keats - Moore
pk1: Stewart - Goodfellow - Kesler - Holik
pk2: Kelly - Gardiner - Sakic - Watson

Coaching Staff Notes:

- In the event we lose the Big E for a 10-game stretch, Keats moves up the depth chart with either Watson or Kesler moving to 3C.

- Gardiner-Stewart likely ''last minute'' protection pair.

-Want Miro Satan to see at least 30-40 games, Phil Watson a possible scratch candidate against certain opponents.

I'll jump on the review your own team bandwagon. It's not easy to stand above the crowd at 25 teams, but this is an ATD I'm proud of for sure.

Defense:

Obviously the top four on defense stands out for this team the most. They have the luxury of an absolute stud in Red Kelly, and an elite #2 in BlackJack Stewart, as well as real life chemistry.

Very strong second pairing, that will feel impossible for 2nd and third units to penetrate at times. Goodfellow and Gardiner are both very large and physical as well. Ebbie is pushing the pace on offense for us, but they're both incredibly well rounded defenseman.

I think the third pairing could be a little above average as well, with excellent chemistry. Hatcher adds a little more toughness to a roster that already has plenty, as well as we badly needed his Right Hand Shot. Burrows is an excellent defensive D for a #6.

Offense:

I feel like my top 9 forwards have really gone under the radar this draft compared to last year when I got all kinds of rave reviews. But I think my top line as a whole is actually quite strong, a little above the mean. Sakic is a great all-around player. Ditto with Moore, who is one of the more luxurious glue top unit players you could dream of finding. He can do it all including adding grit and toughness alongside Super Joe which was much needed. Dany heatley as I mentioned was a premiere goalscorer in his prime, and managed an 81.5 7 year points rating. He's a big body, not ''tough'', but not soft, either.

Going by the HOH C's list Lindros is just an average 2nd line C in this draft, but nobody really completely goes by that list. The Big E is an absolute physical force that can score and pass. Yakushev brings another huge body, a great goalscorer around the net. They should be quite the force together, with Watson bringing a little bit of everything, but he's questionable on RW and I don't hide from that fact.

This has to be one of the best two-way lines in the league. Keats was an offensive guy in real life for sure, but he can maul people while defending similar to Mark Messier - just not as well. Holik and Ellis surely are excellent third liners for a unit built to be effective at both ends of the rink.

Not many comments on my fourth line. Consider Tanguay and Gagne interchangable, I might make the switch to get more of a pure checking 4th line VS certain teams.

Goaltending:

Like I had last year, not a great #1 but a very solid duo as I got Hainsworth again. He could start in this league. Opinions on Holocek differ, but he shouldn't be viewed as being far off Vladislav Tretiak looking at their numbers.

Coaching:

Obviously an awesome head coach, who may be the best ever.

Overall:

With a defense like that, and a guy like Toe Blake running them, this team can defeat anyone. I expect to hear the all star Dany Heatley criticised in the playoffs but he has a couple elite Mr. Everything's to play with. Jiri Holocek is definitely nothing special as a starting goalie, but the team has an incredibly talented backup. It's a 1A/1B. Phil Watson didn;t accomplish much at RW in real life, but much like Kesler, he still played plenty of minutes at RW, in real life. Could fragility between Moore and Lindros eventually put the dagger in this team?

 

[Sprague Cleghorn]

coach: tommy gorman


bun cook - sid abel (c) - jaromir jagr
sweeney schriner - peter forsberg - vic stasiuk
gilles tremblay - ralph backstrom - claude provost
sid smith - kirk muller - rick vaive

king clancy (a) - emile "butch" bouchard (a)
gary suter - bill white
vitaly davydov - lennart svedberg

bill durnan
mike liut


spares: vincent lecavalier, c - bobby smith, c - johnny peirson, rw - robyn regehr, d



pp1: sweeney schriner - peter forsberg - jaromir jagr - gary suter - king clancy
pp2: bun cook - sid abel - vic stasiuk - rick vaive - lennart svedberg

pk1: ralph backstrom - claude provost - bill white - emile "butch" bouchard
pk2: gilles tremblay - kirk muller - vitaly davydov - king clancy



forward minutes

player | es | pp | pk | total
jaromir jagr| 14 | 5 | 0 | 19
peter forsberg| 13 | 5 | 0 |18
sweeney schriner| 13 | 4| 0 | 17
sid abel| 14 | 3 | 0 | 17
bun cook| 14 | 3 | 0 |17
vic stasiuk| 13 | 3 | 0 | 16
ralph backstrom |12 | 0 | 4 | 16
claude provost| 12 | 0 | 4 | 16
gilles tremblay| 12/ 9 * | 0 | 3 | 15
kirk muller| 7 | 0 | 3 | 10
rick vaive| 7 | 2 | 0 | 9
sid smith| 7/ 10 * | 0 | 0 | 7
total | 138 | 25 | 14 | 177

*depending on the matchup, smith might see more ice time for some extra offense.

defensemen minutes

player | es | pp | pk | total
king clancy | 18 | 4 | 3 | 26
butch bouchard | 18 | 0 | 4 | 22
bill white | 16 | 0 | 4 | 20
gary suter | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
lennart svedberg | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15
vitaly davydov | 12 | 0 | 3 | 15
total | 92 | 10 | 14 | 116

Coaching: Gorman is a top 10 coach of all time. He should probably be ranked somewhere in the middle of the 5-10 range. Your players look like they will be able to play Gorman's forechecking style nicely.

First line: Good fit stylistically. Jagr likes to have the puck on his stick and you've added two guys that can play in a complimentary role. Offense and defense are all present on this line. Talent wise, Jagr is the 3rd GOAT RW, so he's obviously elite here. However, your center and LW are very weak in a first line role. Abel should be ranked somewhere in the late 20s or early 30s in a top C list. In a draft this size, Abel falls firmly into 2nd line C territory. Cook should probably ranked in the same range as Abel but on a LW list obviously.

Second line: Nothing bad stands out from a chemistry standpoint. You've put a good defensive conscience next to Schriner, and Stasiuk should be able to create more space for Forsberg and Schriner to work. You put your actual best center, Forsberg, on the second line. I'm guessing it was because you wanted someone more oriented towards goal scoring with Jagr? Regardless, Forsberg is super elite in a #2C role, and he can easily pass off as a 1st line C, albeit as a weak one. You've also got your best LW on your 2nd line. Like Forsberg, Schriner is super elite on a 2nd line. Schriner could easily pass off as an average #1LW, and you've got him playing in a #2 role. Stasiuk is the weakest link on the line. Looking at the draft list, he was the 45-50th LW picked. Of course, the draft list should not be used as a Top X list, since the priorities will be different than a vacuum ranking list. However, I think we could peg Stasiuk as belonging in that range in a vacuum anyways, since IMO, glue guys are picked higher than they belong on a draft list compared to a vacuum ranking list. It's the pure offense guys such as Patrick, Naslund etc. that suffer in a draft list. But, the massive surplus in talent that you've accumulated with Forsberg and Schriner should easily make up this deficit and probably even some more. Your second line might be as good as your first line.

Third line: Good two-way line that could easily be matched up against top opposition. Also, I believe they all played together in real life, and if so, bonus marks for added chemistry. However, this line does look a bit soft, which could be a concern. Provost and Backstrom are elite or above average 3rd liners, while Tremblay is probably average or below average.

Fourth line: I guess this line could work with Muller passing to Vaive, and Vaive letting off his booming shot with Smith standing in front of the net to tip it in.

First pairing: Another classical combination of stay at home guy and rushing guy. Clancy is average as a #1, but Bouchard is a weak #2. However, Bouchard's D skills are probably as good or better than many average #2, and as long as his job is to solely defend, he should be fine. But, this leaves Clancy as the lone offensive threat on the first pairing, which will allow opponents to have an easier time to key in on Clancy.

Second pairing: Another classical combination of stay at home guy and rushing guy. From a talent perspective, this pairing should be fine, with White being an average #3, and Suter being an above average #4.

Third pairing: Yet another classical combination of stay at home guy and rushing guy. Svedberg could be an elite #4 and Davydov is a good #5.

Goalies: Durnan is average, while Liut is an average back-up. Sum = average.

Powerplay: Excellent first PP unit. Above average 2nd unit, but did Vaive play on the point in real life?

Penalty Kill: Provost is alright as a first unit guy. However, I am not sold on Backstrom. Pre-expansion he only score 8 SHP, and he only played 18% of the time SH post-expansion. His skill level suggests he should be your 2nd best PK FW on the 2nd unit. The second unit FW look to be below average. Tremblay only scored 6 SHP in his entire career, so he probably didn't play on the PK very much in real life. Muller is alright. He actually might be better for 1st PK unit duty than Backstrom too. The defense is very good for both units though.

Overall: You've probably got a top-5 2nd line in the entire draft. Good balance between offense and defense on all your FW lines and D pairings. No glaring weaknesses apart from a below average 1st line, and PK FWs.

 

[overpass]

I'll jump on the review your own team bandwagon. It's not easy to stand above the crowd at 25 teams, but this is an ATD I'm proud of for sure.

Defense:

Obviously the top four on defense stands out for this team the most. They have the luxury of an absolute stud in Red Kelly, and an elite #2 in BlackJack Stewart, as well as real life chemistry.

Very strong second pairing, that will feel impossible for 2nd and third units to penetrate at times. Goodfellow and Gardiner are both very large and physical as well. Ebbie is pushing the pace on offense for us, but they're both incredibly well rounded defenseman.

I think the third pairing could be a little above average as well, with excellent chemistry. Hatcher adds a little more toughness to a roster that already has plenty, as well as we badly needed his Right Hand Shot. Burrows is an excellent defensive D for a #6.

A thought about your team's penalty kill. Toe Blake frequently played his depth defencemen at forward on the penalty kill. You have 6 defencemen with good PK resumes, and your top two defenders spent significant time playing at centre. Blake might look at sending out either Kelly or Goodfellow as forwards on the PK.

 

[Johnny Engine]

Southern Shore Breakers

Coach: Hap Day
Captain: Dave Keon
Alternates: Harvey Pulford, Howie Morenz

Doug Bentley - Howie Morenz - Corey Perry
Baldy Northcott - Dave Keon - Cecil Dillon
Ilya Kovalchuk - Edgar Laprade - Vladimir Vikulov
Patrick Marleau - Pit Lepine - Bruce Stuart

Jacques Lapperiere - Sprague Cleghorn
Harvey Pulford - Art Duncan
Andrei Markov - Bob Baun

Terry Sawchuk
Gerry Cheevers

Spares: Eduard Ivanov, D; Hamby Shore, LW/D; Thomas Steen, C; Tomas Sandstrom, RW


PP1:
Corey Perry - Howie Morenz
Ilya Kovalchuk - Doug Bentley
Sprague Cleghorn

PP2:
Cecil Dillon - Patrick Marleau - Vladimir Vikulov
Art Duncan - Andrei Markov

PP Spares: Baldy Northcott, Dave Keon, Bruce Stuart

PK1:
Dave Keon - Pit Lepine
Jacques Laperriere - Harvey Pulford

PK2:
Edgar Laprade - Cecil Dillon
Sprague Cleghorn - Bob Baun

PK Spares: Baldy Northcott, Doug Bentley, Howie Morenz, Art Duncan

​

 

[Johnny Engine]

Southern Shore Breakers

Coach: Hap Day
Captain: Dave Keon
Alternates: Harvey Pulford, Howie Morenz

Doug Bentley - Howie Morenz - Corey Perry
Baldy Northcott - Dave Keon - Cecil Dillon
Ilya Kovalchuk - Edgar Laprade - Vladimir Vikulov
Patrick Marleau - Pit Lepine - Bruce Stuart

Jacques Lapperiere - Sprague Cleghorn
Harvey Pulford - Art Duncan
Andrei Markov - Bob Baun

Terry Sawchuk
Gerry Cheevers

Spares: Eduard Ivanov, D; Hamby Shore, LW/D; Thomas Steen, C; Tomas Sandstrom, RW


PP1:
Corey Perry - Howie Morenz
Ilya Kovalchuk - Doug Bentley
Sprague Cleghorn

PP2:
Cecil Dillon - Patrick Marleau - Vladimir Vikulov
Art Duncan - Andrei Markov

PP Spares: Baldy Northcott, Dave Keon, Bruce Stuart

PK1:
Dave Keon - Pit Lepine
Jacques Laperriere - Harvey Pulford

PK2:
Edgar Laprade - Cecil Dillon
Sprague Cleghorn - Bob Baun

PK Spares: Baldy Northcott, Doug Bentley, Howie Morenz, Art Duncan

​

An attempt at self assassination (this is way harder than it sounds)

Morenz is driving the bus, offensively, on this team, and in Bentley, he’s paired with a slick, fast playmaking winger who can be responsible defensively, much like his real life lineman Joliat. These two provide most of what you’d want out of a first line, with the exception of size. Perry admittedly isn’t a first liner if you’re simply counting players, but he does go to the net and into the corners, in order to make his linemates’ jobs easier.

The second line should get bulk of the important matchups, as they’re all quite strong defensively, with Keon in particular as an “ATD Selke†threat. Northcott brings size and toughness, while Dillon’s offensive resume is the strongest of the three. None of them are particularly pass-first players, but they should be able to create extra offense by capitalizing on turnovers and putting in hard work.

Vikulov and Kovalchuk should be a dynamic scoring threat, and Day will want to play them against weaker units to maximize their talents. Laprade is on the line to cover for him defensively, though he should be able to distribute the puck well enough when it’s on his stick.

The 4th line is mainly specialists. Pit Lepine is an excellent defensive forward, Marleau helps the power play, and Stuart is big and scary. As a unit, they should be fast, and none of them are defensive liabilities.

Cleghorn is an average #1 defensemen, and Lapperriere is a similarly qualified #2 who balances his strengths - calm, steady quiet to Cleghorn’s fire. The second pairing should also be in the middle of the pack, with Duncan moving the puck and Pulford staying at home. Bob Baun has to be one of the stronger #5s in the league, while Markov is a complementary puck mover and an average #6.

Sawchuk is one of the best goaltenders in the league. Cheevers is a middling backup, and won’t be expected to be any more than that.

Strengths:
- One of the very best starting goaltenders in the league.
- An excellent coach and a group that will play hard and creatively for him.
- A stacked group of penalty killers
- A very good offensive catalyst in Morenz
- A better checking line than most
- Kovalchuk’s line will be hard to plan for

Will have to overcome:
- Perry is a classic ATD “spear carrier†who will rely on his line mates to create offense
- A workmanlike group of centres who might not score much - this can be corrected for in-game by double-shifting Morenz or moving around Marleau

 

[Namba 17]

Coach: Peter Laviolette
Assistant Coach: Frank Patrick
Captain: Dit Clapper
Alternates: Sylvio Mantha, George Armstrong

Anatoli Firsov --- Cyclone Taylor --- Jarome Iginla
Dean Prentice --- Henri Richard --- Rod Gilbert
Smokey Harris --- Russell Bowie --- George Armstrong (A)
Bob Bourne --- Vladimir Shadrin --- Floyd Curry

Bill Gadsby --- Dit Clapper (C)
Frank Patrick --- Sylvio Mantha (A)
Kevin Lowe --- Yuri Liapkin

Georges Vezina
Chuck Rayner



​

PP1: Cyclone Taylor - Bill Gadsby - Anatoli Firsov - Russell Bowie - Jarome Iginla
PP2: Frank Patrick - Yuri Liapkin - Dit Clapper - Henri Richard - Rod Gilbert

PK1: Sylvio Mantha - Dit Clapper - Vladimir Shadrin - Floyd Curry
PK2: Kevin Lowe - Bill Gadsby - Bob Bourne - George Armstrong

Spares: Billy Burch (C/LW), Dallas Smith (D), Harry Hyland (RW)\

1-st line. I like it. Two speedsters and size and grit from the rest one. Both Firsov and Taylor are known for passing abilities, everyone great scorer. It might be more two-way, but I don't see it as a big problem here. Well-balanced, high-quality line.
2-nd line. Another well-constructed unit. Good scoring, enough grit, passing, very good two-way game. I don't see any major lapses here.
3-d line. Probably, I'd like to see more defensively responsible players here, but overall it's not bad - two good scorers and corner diggers. Physicality is there.
4-th line. It's interesting, that Shadrin, who was always praised for his passing game, turned into some 4-th line grinder here He can be some, but it won't use all his abilities here. Anyway - solid defensive line with no scoring.

1-st pair. Very good. Two very strong players here.
2-nd pair. Another two very good defensemen and a very good pair. Everything is in necessary proportion.
3-d pair. And another good pair. With Lowe and Vezina you can live with Liapkin as you #6
Overall - very strong defense, especially considering your goalie.

G - very good.
Backup - very good

Spares - good.

Coach - good enough, fits your offensive roster pretty well.

Pretty solid team overall.

 

[Iceman]

Thanks @sprague, King Forsberg and tony D for the comments. I'll make sure to get back to you all before the end of the week.

Solid group of spares including 2 former #1 picks in Lecavalier and Smith. Given Forsberg's injury history an extra centre was needed. I also like an idea of sitting Sid Smith from time to time and going with a Muller-Smith/Lecavalier-Vaive 4th line.
Peirson can also fill in for Vaive should the coach sit Vaive if his temper gets out of hand. Regehr is a good 1 as well.

Yeah, I like that possibility as well. I purposely didn't get a LW backup because of the versatility of Abel, Stasiuk and Muller. Lecavalier was drafted for the power play and could probably do better than Vaive but that means Smith goes to the bench. I'm not sure yet, for now it'll might stay like this but it gives me some breathing room down the stretch.

My 4th line started out with Sid Smith, who I drafted before Gilles Tremblay because of the value I could get there and the possibility of him moving up the lineup if needed. If one of my players who goes hard to the net gets a puck in the face or a crosscheck to the neck and misses a game or two he can go right in there.

Third line: Good two-way line that could easily be matched up against top opposition. Also, I believe they all played together in real life, and if so, bonus marks for added chemistry. However, this line does look a bit soft, which could be a concern. Provost and Backstrom are elite or above average 3rd liners, while Tremblay is probably average or below average.

Backstrom and Provost most certainly played together. Think they killed penalties together.

Tremblay played with Rousseau.

I didn't pay any extra attention to the chemistry and how their lines might've looked from a season to season basis but it's cool that I got some teammates together without sacrificing draft value. It wasn't my intentions to pair Backstrom and Provost originally but I couldn't pass up on Provost where I got him, most certainly not when I needed someone like him for the PK as well.

 

[ResilientBeast]

1-st line. I like it. Two speedsters and size and grit from the rest one. Both Firsov and Taylor are known for passing abilities, everyone great scorer. It might be more two-way, but I don't see it as a big problem here. Well-balanced, high-quality line.

You're the first to mention it's abilities as a two way line. I see that as a strength since my third line could use some sheltering so I'd be confident sending my first line power on power against some of the units in my division

 

[Dreakmur]

You're the first to mention it's abilities as a two way line. I see that as a strength since my third line could use some sheltering so I'd be confident sending my first line power on power against some of the units in my division

We're getting pretty loose with the definition of "two-way now line", aren't we?

 

[seventieslord]

We're getting pretty loose with the definition of "two-way now line", aren't we?

I think RB misunderstood. Namba said "it might be more two-way", as in, it's not much of a two-way line.

 

[ResilientBeast]

We're getting pretty loose with the definition of "two-way now line", aren't we?

If you check the video study of Firsov it shows he's reliable defensively, Taylor himself wasn't a tire fire and Iginla is all around a good player.

I misspoke it's not a two way line but it's not awful defensively by any stretch

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

A thought about your team's penalty kill. Toe Blake frequently played his depth defencemen at forward on the penalty kill. You have 6 defencemen with good PK resumes, and your top two defenders spent significant time playing at centre. Blake might look at sending out either Kelly or Goodfellow as forwards on the PK.

Very good point one, one I was sleeping on. You're right, Blake probably will.

 

[seventieslord]

I actually just decided today to do the same thing. Not because I have a coach who does it, but because I have a player who did it his whole career.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

MONTREAL "AAA"

Coach: Scotty Bowman


Joe Malone - Mark Messier (A) - Didier Pitre
Veniamin Aleksandrov - Pat Lafontaine - Paul Henderson
Ken Hodge - Niklas Backstrom - Gordie Drillon
Bob Gainey (A) - Jonathan Toews - Terry O'Reilly
Camille Henry
Charlie Simmer

Denis Potvin (C) - Doug Wilson
Jean Guy Talbot - Albert Leduc
Craig Hartsburg - Bert Corbeau
Vasili Pervukhin
Reijo Ruotsalainen

Ken Dryden
Normie Smith




PP1:
Messier
Backstrom-Malone-Wilson
Potvin

PP2:
Drillon
Lafontaine-Toews-Aleksandrov
Talbot

PK1: Toews-Gainey-Potvin-Wilson
PK2: Henderson-Lafontaine/Messier-Talbot-Leduc


*Bowman, of course, would be double-shifting his top guys occcasionally, so Malone, Messier, Lafontaine would get more 5-on-5 ice. Potvin would get TONS of ice time, and he would have Wilson and Talbot out there quite a bit. Lafontaine would likely play the point on the powerplay as he did in Buffalo (which is why I went with an umbrella for PP2).

Montreal AAA review

A rookie entry, when you're a rookie in the ATD the reality is you're entering a gun fight with a knife against GM's who have years more experience.

Offense:

Very solid top line that I quite like. Malone - Messier was a top line duo for me a few years ago, Newsy Lalonde very well may have re-incarnated as Mark Messier. Pitre excels at the speed game, packs a shot, and is also big and cant be pushed around. Other than that, little else is knows about his intangibles.

Whoa, whats going on here on this second line? Drillon needs to be back up here asap. With Drillon instead of Henderson it is still pretty wonky, Lafonataine would not be my choice as Centreman for GD who is brutal defensively.

If you keep Drillon here this reads as an attacking third line. Hodge at left wing is a 'wtf' moment, also it seems like this line will be crummy in the other area's of the ice when theyre not scoring. Tweaks on lines 2 and 3 needed big time.

Relatively, your fourth line is your strongest line. Thats not the way you want to go about things.

Defense:

Denis Potvin is a horse, and he will need to be because he's going to have to average the most icetime in the league possibly. Doug Wilson is acceptable at best as a top unit player.

Bottom four defense is another major issue with this Expansion franchise. Neither of Talbot or Battleship should be in a top four battling the best players on other teams consistently.

Ok bottom pairing that salvages things slightly but they dont really stand out either. Hartsburg brings a little bit of offense from D to the team.

Goaltending:

A strength of the team with Dryden, #7 on most peoples lists including mine. He's a Jewel of an asset.

Coaching:

Elite, with the best resume of all time. Bowman is a top choice to get anything you can out of this team.

Overall:

The ATD is a very broad spectrum of knowledge that takes years to learn. A fine first time entry, the club actually isn't hopeless, with elite coaching, a stud #1D and a very solid Malone-Messier-Pitre top line. But there are incredibly glaring issues on units two and three at even strength. All things considered, about a normal first time draft, stick with it and watch how much you improve over the years its very noticeable.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Thansk for the review, apologies for the delay.

Montreal Review:

Geoffrion will be the main trigger man for this line, he was similar in some ways to Bossy, correct? Should fit like a glove with Trottier. Elias has every capability of a top unit glue guy, but like I criticized Foyston, when your rating is under 80 at 25 teams it starts to seem scrubbish. Trottier-Geoffrion is a strong duo.

Geoffrion was not exactly like Bossy (less of a pure "Heatley-like sniper" than Bossy), but many similarities exist.Trottier-Geoffrion should work well.

As for Elias, he is there as an hybrid (offensive and defensive) support.TheDevilMadeMe argued that Elias was great at adapting his game to his linemates, which makes categorizing his style of play very hard.

Another thing about Patrik Elias is that I don't think many forwards have had their roles changed as many times as he has. Basically, Elias was always the guy asked to fill the gap wherever the Devils were weak.

On the Elias-Arnott-Sykora line of 1999-2001, Elias was the primary puck handler. But then Arnott was traded during the 2001-02 season for being lazy and Sykora was traded after the playoffs for refusing to play through an injury. The two fastest, most skilled players on the team heading into 2002-03 were Elias and Gomez, and Gomez's entire game revolved around puck possession. So Elias not only had to adjust to Pat Burns' more defensive system, but he also had to adjust to playing as more of a shooter while Gomez carried the puck. Probably a big reason his numbers were down in 2002-03 in particular before rebounding in 2003-04 as he got used to his new role (IMO, Elias should have gotten a lot more credit for playing two-way hockey for a defensive-minded club in 2003-04 compared to Kovalchuk and Naslund who put up a few more points playing one-way hockey for more offensive-minded clubs).

Claude Julien took over in 2006-07 and wanted each line to have a forward who played like something of a defensive midfielder in soccer. On every other line, it was the center, but Scott Gomez couldn't play strong defense, so on the Elias-Gomez-Gionta line, Elias was the player who hung back as the defensive safety valve of the line. Then Gomez left via free agency and the Devils were desperate for centers, so Elias starts playing some center. Played center for most of 2011-12, when he finished 10th in overall league scoring and made David Clarkson look like a legit top 6 player (Parise and Kovalchuk played on a different line centered by either Travis Zajac or Adam Henrique).

Anyway, the point of this long-winded post is that for a lot of star forwards (for example, Ilya Kovalchuk), the team bends over backwards to cater to what they do best. For Elias it was the reverse, he had to cater his skills to whatever gap the team had and adjust to various philosophies from the coaching carousal that was the Devils of the era. From primary puck handling winger, to shooting winger, to the defensive winger on his line (while still leading his line in scoring), then constantly switching between C and LW, depending on team needs.

Here Elias will be asked to do many things but only in a supporting role.Whether it is making plays through puck control, scoring a goal here and there or playing good defensively, he can support the strong duo through his adaptative skills, described above by TDMM.

Anyway, take note Thompson is 1st on my LW chart.I switched them in the lineup to distribute the talent throughout my Top 9.My top three lines will play roughly the same ES icetime.

Good overall 2nd line. Modano is always a player you want on your roster. Thompson could easily play on a top line and has two-way qualities about him similar to Modano, they are a little soft however which makes Anderson a decent finish to the line and the top 6. Glenn brings jam around the net and he'll stick up for his line mates, but he's a below average 2nd liner IMO.

While my team is build around Harvey from the defense, one of it's greatest strenght is a strong two-way center line.Modano saw insane minutes under Hitchcock in every role.Anderson is a strong ES scorer and won't play on the PP.He's fine as the net crasher/energy guy beside Modano and Thompson, regardless of where he ranks among 2nd line wingers at ES.

Really feels like a third scoring line. They're going to have to be because I don't know how good they are defensively. Well, Fredrickson was a very good all-around player that was big and tough and Amonte was a great skater. Amonte's Selke record is severel lacking for supposively having this defensive ability.

Fredrickson completes my concept of building my forward group around a two-way center line.Fredrickson was good defensively, and Benn and Amonte were capable.This makes the line good defensively by committee.

Fredrickson and Benn brings size, Fredrickson and Amonte brings speed, and all players bring good offense.This will be a nightmare for many 3rd pairings.

Take note that my forward group is more than the sum of it's parts, and since an assassination is often reviewing by parts, it doesn't do justice to the synergy of the team, especially the synergy with Al Arbour.My first three lines are two-way and it will never be easy to play against any of them, which makes the whole group tiring to compete against.

Defense:

Very strong top pair that could Rival mine. The games between our teams could turn into blood baths, lol. Harvey is Harvey, the consensus 2nd best D of all time. Excellent chemistry with Weber the big right hand shot, these two should be nasty and dominant out there.

Harvey will see 30 minutes a game.Will control the play for half a game.Having the luxury of playing with Harvey, Weber will be able to concentrate on his defense and physicality, and scoring goals with his slap shot.

Strong #3 in Buck and then a pretty meh #4 in Hatcher. The chemistry is fine, I just dont know if they stand out as above average. Hatcher sure adds to the theme of ass-kicking from the defense.

Not sure what it is with you guys and Hatcher.Derian Hatcher was a tower of size and brutality for many years in the 90s.He was a strong leader and a great PKer.

Again, my team is build as a "synergetic block".Not as a sum of it's part.Isolated, Hatcher doesn't look that good, and if I was building from the "sum of it's part" perspective, I would have taken Wentworth instead of him.

But with Harvey, Boucher and Weber in the bag, I decided to fill the last piece of the puzzle; a tall, physically strong and vicious leader who is a great PKer.

My defense corps is very intimidating and will be tough to play against, especially with Harvey controlling the game.

Just another wild comment about my leadership; I'm aware Hatcher isn't the greatest captain, but he is fine especially with the secondary leadership.My leadership concept is a "humanly-primitive" one; you have a bunch of tough guys on the defense, and the tallest, strongest and most vicious is the captain.This gives a whole new importance and dimension to the physicality of the whole team.An emphasis on it is being made.

Third pair won't have to worry about helping to generate offense - that's Harvey, Weber, and Buck's job...they're here to crush bones and protect the net.

Just to add to what I said above, Ted Green wraps this whole thing up with his physical reputation, making my defensive squad perhaps the most physical in the draft (if not, not far).

Goaltending:

The netminding and defense in our division really was something else this year. Frank Brimsek is the fourth best goaltender in this division, thats insane. Where would Price rank here today? It's something worth looking into.

Yes, insane goaltending in the division.I will trust Brimsek not to lose any game.

As for Price, I chose him for his attitude when asked to be a back-up; exemplary.

Coaching:

This is why we take Blake and Arbour when we did - with the insane run on coaches that follows. This team has elite coaching with Arbour and he should love riding the top unit axis of Harvey-Trottier-Geoffrion, just like Potvin-Trottier-Bossy.

Yeah there are many similarities etween my lineup and those NYI teams.Harvey will play insane minutes, just like Potvin did under Arbour.Besides Geoffrion, all the wingers are more or less interchangeable (not really, but on a macro level it looks like it).The centers are all responsible defensively, and you have that Trottier-Arbour connection.

Overall:

You know I think the world of your hockey knowledge and skills as a GM Reen. Another strong team here, we knew our division as going to be a pitbull fight. This is a team with all kinds of character and toughness, very good goaltending, great coaching. Id have liked to have seen another elite goalscorer other than Geoffrion. THere doesn't seem to be a dedicated checking unit on this roster which will indeed take away some of the production you can expect out of Trottier and Modano. Some minor issues but overall another strong entry.

Thanks for the kind words.I reciprocate.

No unit is dedicated to checking.All the team must check and play responsibly defensively, as well as produce offensively.This is one block, one whole, from Arbour to the two-way center line to the rock-hard defense to Brimsek.

 

[VanIslander]

Brockville Invincibles
A team in the 1st pro hockey league, the FHL (1908)

GMs: Namba 17 & VanIslander

coach Punch Imlach

Toe Blake (C) - Frank Nighbor - Boris Mikhailov
Tom Phillips (A) - Jean Ratelle - Mike Gartner
Esa Tikkanen - Jacques Lemaire - Rick Middleton
Red Berenson - Marty Walsh - Blair Russel
Rusty Crawford, Victor Shalimov, Jack Darragh

Moose Johnson - Brad Park
Leo Boivin (A) - Joe Simpson
Ulf Samuelsson - Jiri Bubla
Jerry Korab

Billy Smith
Harry Lumley
​

PP1 - Ratelle - Gartner - Mikhailov - Boivin - Park
PP2 - Blake - Nighbor - Middleton - Simpson - Bubla

PK1 - Nighbor - Phillips - Johnson - Park
PK2 - Berenson - Tikkanen - Boivin - Samuelsson

 

[Iceman]

Coach: Anatoliy Tarasov
Assistant Coach: Billy Reay

George Hay - Newsy Lalonde (A) - Bill Cook (A)
Vladimir Krutov - Ted Kennedy (C) - Aleksandr Maltsev
Rick Nash - Neil Colville - Harry Oliver
Tony Leswick - Steve Kasper - Frank Finnigan
Dave Trottier, Claude Giroux

Hod Stuart - Tim Horton
Jim Neilson - Red Horner
Rod Seiling - Pat Egan
Gennadiy Tsygankov

Charlie Gardiner
Dave Kerr

PP1
Newsy Lalonde - Aleksandr Maltsev - Bill Cook
Pat Egan - Hod Stuart

PP2
Vladimir Krutov - Ted Kennedy - Harry Oliver
Tim Horton - Red Horner

PK1: Steve Kasper - Frank Finnigan - Jim Neilson - Tim Horton
PK2: Neil Colville - Tony Leswick - Hod Stuart - Rod Seiling

Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Lalonde |14| 5 | 0 | 19
Cook| 14 | 5 | 0 | 19
Hay | 14 | 0 | 0 |14
Krutov| 14 | 2 | 0 |16
Kennedy| 14 | 2 | 0 | 16
Maltsev | 14 | 5 | 0 | 19
Nash| 12 | 0 | 0 | 12
Colville| 12 | 0 | 3 | 15
Oliver| 12 | 2 | 0 | 14
Leswick| 6 | 0 | 3 | 9
Kasper| 6 | 0 | 4 | 10
Finnigan | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10
TOTAL | 138 | 21 | 14 | 173

Defensemen Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Horton | 19 | 2 | 5 | 26
Stuart| 19 | 5 | 2 | 26
Neilson| 15 | 0 | 5 | 20
Horner| 14 | 2 | 0 | 16
Egan| 12 | 5 | 0 | 17
Seiling | 13 | 0 | 2 | 15
TOTAL | 92 | 14 | 14 | 120

​

Leadership:

Really solid set of personel that you put fourth as leaders on this team. Kennedy seems like a Yzerman-like leader, maybe not in a longevity sense but as a tremendous hard worker on the ice and the resumé that they have as leadership.

Have you considered giving a letter to a dman? Have those guys have one of their own to go to if they are having a tough set of games.


Coaching:

I think you have a team your coach can work with. I think most of your players should be able to buy into the more methodical way of playing hockey.


Special Teams:

I think your first unit PP unit should be really tough to play against in most situations but do they have that game breaking offense to be a lethal threat on the PP?

Your 2nd PP is pretty solid though, these are some of your A class players on your team put fourth as a special teams unit.

PK wise you look pretty set to go but I have questions, is Finnigan 1st PK material? What do we know about his abrasiveness?

First line:

Cook and Lalonde are phenomenal players that would make any team better. They bring physicality and are really tough to play against on top of providing great offense. What does George Hay bring to this line? If he is there to bring offense, I think he is better as a 2nd line winger but if his two-way game is strong enough I think he would compliment Cook and Lalonde well.

Second line:

I had Kennedy last year and while offensively might not be a 1st line center, with the right personnel he very well could be with his 200 foot game and reasonably hard nosed for a player of his small stature. You got him on a 2nd line however which will probably do him wonders. Gives you a good one-two punch down the middle and is a guy that would probably buy into Tarasov's system better than anyone. He will help fill a lot of the holes in Maltsev's game to make him an effective threat on the right side.

3rd line:

Decent two-way line. Colville was a guy I really wanted myself actually. ;-)

4th line:

You like many others decided to go with the 4th line shutdown line which may or may not pay dividends down the line, we'll see but you have a good set of personnel that I think will work well together, not much more to it.

1st pairing:

Decent first pairing. Horton is another guy I always wanted but things never line up.

They bring good two-way game but can they keep Richard and Jagr (both in your division) from taking over? Other than that, I think they will do just fine. They don't have that elite ATD dman but there is no weak link here with an below-average #1 and an above average #2.

2nd pairing:

This is an interesting pairing. It seems a bit like a traditional defensive-offensive pairing but in a sense it's not. I think that the focal point here is to have a tough, physical and hard-nosed defensive pair to play against that will chip in offensive when there is room for it (Horner).

3rd pairing:

One of the better first pairings in the draft imo. No real weakness here and on top of that you managed to fill out holes on your special teams which is really nice further into the draft. Other than Neilson, I'm glad that they are getting similar ice time as Horner at the very least.

Goaltending:

Average to slightly-above average starter. Should the job well in a good tight system. Your backup is kinda meh, I think you could've afforded to pick one earlier. While he didn't miss much as a starter, what is his role here?

Overall:

I think you have a strong entry here. You decided to draft in the 2nd round thrice and it's gonna be interesting to see if it will do you any justice or not.

Positive: Dark horse for best depth down the middle. Great depth defensemen.
Negative: Lack of game breaking ability from the back end and perhaps on the wing other than Cook.