Olympics: Could USA be the favorite heading into PyeongChang 2018?

[Gary Nylund]

Just noticed this thread. I LOL'd when I got to the Jeremy Bracco part. It's questionable whether or not he lands a spot on the Leafs by then, let alone helping knock Team Canada off the throne.

Crosby has a long way to go becoming "prime" again..

Nope.

 

[613Leafer]

I wouldn't call the US THE favourite, but they definitely appear to be closing the gap.

They need one of Eichel/Matthews to become a legit superstar centre, which they've lacked. And they could really use multiple of Jones, Ghost, Hanafin, etc becoming legit elite #1 guys. Canada has a blueline full of legit #1 guys, so the US needs a few more guys to jump to that level.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I wouldn't call the US THE favourite, but they definitely appear to be closing the gap.

They need one of Eichel/Matthews to become a legit superstar centre, which they've lacked. And they could really use multiple of Jones, Ghost, Hanafin, etc becoming legit elite #1 guys. Canada has a blueline full of legit #1 guys, so the US needs a few more guys to jump to that level.

That's the way I see it as well. Here's hoping that the next World Cup has National teams only and that someone (maybe the US) can be a worthy opponent for Canada in an exciting 3 game final.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Finland will be much better than now.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Finland will be much better than now.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

No lol.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

I think they are definitely second.

 

[al secord]

If Canada and U.S. and A players switched jerseys.

 

[JackSlater]

Assuming NHL participation, USA will be a lot closer to favourite in 2022 than in 2018. USA has done a very good job lately of producing high end players, but those players will be better in 2022 than in 2018. I can't see any way for USA to possibly be the favourite in 2018. That's basically 1.5 years from now.

 

[Harry22]

2 years and 3 months left.

1 year and 3 months

 

[Rebels57]

If Matthews and Eichel become as good as expected, USA will ice a team that can go toe to toe with Canada with no problem.

 

[BeersHockey]

Canada is still the favorite, but the gap is closing. As a group, America has the best goaltending in the world.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Olympics? LoL if you think the NHL is allowing them to play in them in 2 years.

Your Olympic hockey is going on now, so enjoy them.

 

[heilongjetsfan]

1 year and 3 months

For me, Seoul is a 1 hour flight at about $120. My son's first live game is going to be at the Olympics. He'll be 3 and a half years old and hopefully rocking a tiny Team Canada jersey with Scheifele's 55 on the back!

 

[westc2]

The gap is definitely getting closer as more USA superstars emerge.

Canada already has a full team of superstars, so all they aren't going to get much better.

It would help if Team USA would stop picking a bunch of grinders for their team though.

 

[HanSolo]

Olympics? LoL if you think the NHL is allowing them to play in them in 2 years.

Your Olympic hockey is going on now, so enjoy them.

Pretty much. This tournament for me is pretty much confirmation that the NHL won't be going. Unless the NHLPA makes a massive stink about it and they bend I just don't see it.

 

[Cleatus]

When you look at the array of talent they could suddenly be putting out there:

C
Jack Eichel
Tyler Johnson
Auston Matthews
Dylan Larkin
Kyle Connor
Paul Stastny
Joe Pavelski
Derek Stepan
Brandon Dubinsky
Kevin Hayes
Anders Lee

RW
Patrick Kane
Phil Kessel
Blake Wheeler
Craig Smith
Alex Tuch
Jeremy Bracco
Brock Boeser

LW
Max Pacioretty
Johnny Gaudreau
Nick Foligno
Justin Abdelkader
Jimmy Vesey


LD
Noah Hanifin
Ryan McDonagh
Justin Faulk
Keith Yandle
Alex Goligoski

RD
Erik Johnson
Seth Jones
John Carlson
Kevin Shattenkirk
Jacob Trouba

G
Ben Bishop
John Gibson
Connor Hellebuyck
Jon Gillies

In terms of raw talent, they seem to have a bigger pool to draw from than either 2010 or 2014. I'm sure I forgot a few names, too.

I love how this guy listed Abdelkader, Foligno, and above all, Vesey over JvR. Considering past chemistry, he's likely going to play on a line with Phil Kessel again (hoping Auston Matthews centers this line).

But yes, the American lineup in 2018 is going to be incredibly challenging for team Canada.

 

[cbzblaze]

Pretty much. This tournament for me is pretty much confirmation that the NHL won't be going. Unless the NHLPA makes a massive stink about it and they bend I just don't see it.

Well, we know Ovechkin is going for sure.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

The only way that they even remotely compare to Canada is on the wings. Otherwise they fall far behind everywhere else.

Canada is the favorite assuming everyone is eligible.

The gap in talent and especially in terms of the depth of the pool is coming down though recently for Team USA.

In any event even if people want to treat Price as a God, it isn't just on the wings. The USA has been deep at goalie for years now and arguably their top 3 at this point for a couple tournaments now is just as good or better than what Canada brings.

2018 is pretty early, but what has held USA hockey back since the generation in the 90's is they have been underwhelming at center. That problem should disappear shortly. A generation of guys that grew up with the USMNTDP is really starting to pay off.

For the record I don't think the NHL will participate in the next Olympics though I think they will go to China even if they sit the next one out. So actually at the next one I would think Russia will be the substantial favorite and the USA college kids will be better than what Canada sends.

 

[HanSolo]

Well, we know Ovechkin is going for sure.

One stubborn player is not enough.

 

[kingsfan28]

Olympics? LoL if you think the NHL is allowing them to play in them in 2 years.

Your Olympic hockey is going on now, so enjoy them.

Exactly. Unless things drastically change, the NHL won't be at the Olympics and I'm perfectly fine with that.

 

[heilongjetsfan]

I'm not! I moved to China in 2009, missing the Beijing Olympics, from Whistler and therefore missing Vancouver 2010. I'll be back to Canada in 2020, so I won't get to see the 2022s either. Korea is a 1 hour flight from where I'm at though, so I wanna see real hockey, cos I'm going for sure.

I actually kinda hate this tournament. It just seems like a giant cash grab and not a real showcase of our sport. IMHO what would be best is for the WHC to be moved to mid/late August. Well after the cup has been handed out and players who went deep in the playoffs have recovered, but before training camps so NHL teams won't be affected by players missing camp.

Without the NHL involved in the Olympics, who do we send? Beer leaguers? CHL kids? Retired NHL players? If the Euro leagues don't follow suit, will the North American teams be among the weaker teams, or do we have enough players over there to build a competitive team?

I know originally the Olympics were meant to be amateur athletes, but almost none of them are anymore. You can't perform at a high level without training full-time, and you can't devote your life to a sport unless you're getting paid for it. Who wants to travel to the other side of the planet, pay triple or more for their hotel and shell out hundreds of dollars per ticket just to see a bunch of schmucks bumble around on the ice?

 

[J15]

Canada is still the favorite, but the gap is closing. As a group, America has the best goaltending in the world.

Right now absolutely not. Canada has the undisputed best duo in the world. As good as Quick and Schneider are, there is a clear separation between them and Price/Holtby. The way I see it Price>>Holtby/Schneider>Quick.

In the future it's closer. I'll give you Demko, Gibson and Hellebuyck look good but I think a good argument can be made to take Vasilevskiy, Samsonov and Sorokin over them.

 

[LarKing]

The favorite? No.

However, we've lacked true star centers for a while now. If Eichel/Matthews/Larkin hit their potential that will become a strength instead of a weakness. Then add in Kane, Pavelski, Wheeler, etc on the wings and it's a great offense.

On D we really need guys like Ekblad and Hanifin to develop into superstars. We've always had a lot of top pairing guys but not many real superstars like Canada can ice 6 of at a time. Schneider is as good as anyone these days except for a pre-injury Price (we'll have to see how he does this year).

So while we're definitely not the favorites I think the next Olympics, assuming nhl players play, will be our best chance for gold in a while.

 

[BeersHockey]

The favorite? No.

However, we've lacked true star centers for a while now. If Eichel/Matthews/Larkin hit their potential that will become a strength instead of a weakness. Then add in Kane, Pavelski, Wheeler, etc on the wings and it's a great offense.

On D we really need guys like Ekblad and Hanifin to develop into superstars. We've always had a lot of top pairing guys but not many real superstars like Canada can ice 6 of at a time. Schneider is as good as anyone these days except for a pre-injury Price (we'll have to see how he does this year).

So while we're definitely not the favorites I think the next Olympics, assuming nhl players play, will be our best chance for gold in a while.

We also need Ekblad to renounce his Canadian citizenship