Average pieces won't even fill the void left by the same high-performing veteran core who provided for tournaments and tournaments. These guys have their shirts dragged to the rafters, they captained NHL organizations and played +1000 NHL games. Being drafted in the first round doesn't get you anywhere in this list, son.
Well, duh. But you didn't have to wait for them to be NHL captains with +1000 games on their belt to be a decisive factor in the NT. You didn't wait for Saku Koivu to be all that at 35 years of age before sending him the NT invitation, and same goes for Selänne. They were as much a factor at 25, with far less experience. Actually, I believe most would prefer the earlier iteration.
And the kids we have now... are exactly at the same point than the former vets were at the same age. Granlund at 22 is pretty much the kid Saku Koivu was when he was 22 years old. Määttä and Ristolainen at 20 are
ahead of the curve as Timonen and Salo were at the same age. Neither was nowhere near the NHL at that point.
As I said earlier, we have kids who are currently growing up to be direct replacements of most the retired vets. Matter of fact, if you watched the games they played in Sochi, Granlund already took his mantle as Saku's successor by feeding the same guy Saku fed in many tournaments before him, helping said guy capture the tournament MVP title. And Määttä + Vatanen played side-by-side with Timonen and Salo, and were not a step behind.
Saku, Teemu and co also didn't need any training wheels when they were starting their respective NT careers, but if veteran presence is absolutely necessary, you can still squeeze a few years out of Mikko Koivu, who isn't necessarily a star player, but is as much a leader as his brother is. So that's covered as well.
Only thing we don't have at the moment is another Selänne. But if it's all one is missing, one does not absolutely need it to win a tournament.
Selänne didn't go 23th with other similar background offensive options taken ahead of him. Why doesn't it reflect on the draft that somehow Finnish are now the new Swedish. Why are Swiss, Danish, Czech offensive prospects ahead in any year other than 2013's Finnish-Russian Barkov junior's introduction and perhaps 2016?
If Laine or Puljujärvi isn't the next Lindros Finnish youth machine is not bringing the results desperately needed. Superstars.
Okay, reality check. Selänne is something else. A phenom. Even a country like Canada is pushing out generational talent like Crosby or McDavid
once a decade. From a population of five million, you may have to wait quite a while longer before another pops up. You can make a good player, and Finnish junior mill is making them by dozens these days, but truly great players are
born.
Besides, hockey is a team sport. You don't need superstars to win in a team sport, all you need is a good enough team. Yes, superstars are nice to have and will make winning easier, but they aren't necessary to win. If you have a team of ten Valtteri Filppulas and then a team with nine Jonne Virtanens and one Teemu Selänne, which team is more likely to win, what do you think? How many titles has Anze Kopitar won with Slovenia?
And didn't I debunk that draft argument once already? Repeating it does not give it any more gravitas, gramps. For emphasis: Who goes where in the draft does not matter
one bit. If you have Team Switzerland with a total of five NHLers who all went high in the draft and then you have Team Finland with 20 NHLers who all went lower than said Swiss, guess who's still got the better team?
Pining after individuals is pointless, because hockey is not an individual sport. For the umpteenth time, what matters far more is the strength in numbers. For example, a depth down the middle that consists of Aleksander Barkov, Mikael Granlund and Teuvo Teräväinen is already better than one that was made up by Saku Koivu, Olli Jokinen and Niko Kapanen. And if Teemu Pulkkinen, Mikko Rantanen and Jesse Puljujärvi develop into solid top-six NHL-level performers, a lineup made up of them is better than one that consists of Teemu Selänne, Ville Peltonen and Niklas Hagman - even if Selänne clearly is the best individual of the bunch.
Therefore, the future looks better than the past. Hockey 101.