Halifax review
This team hasn't been reviewed yet. It's a shame that your busy season at work is always during the second half of the ATD, because you always get off to such a strong start. Anyway, I think this is a really interesting team.
Sorry for the delay gents, here are the Citadels:
Thinking of switching Patrick and Harper.
Coaching and leadership
Pat Burns prefers defense over offense, but most of all, he demands hard work and accountability. He'll love your defense, but could have issues with Dionne or Pete Mahovlich when they go through their lazy spells.
George Armstrong is one of the most legendary leaders of all-time, and was a very great pick for you, considering not all that many other natural leaders in the rest of your team. Alf Smith is a decent A at least.
Forwards
Dionne is a great offensive #1 C in the regular season, but teams had a history of shutting him down in the playoffs when they could focus on him, so I wish you had gotten him better wingers to take the pressure off him. I think you know by now what I think of Cashman - great grinder and glue guy, but not all that much of a scorer at this level. Conacher is a good goal scorer, but nothing else - this line will really depend heavily on Dionne to create things.
Morris is a decent offensive-minded C and St. Louis is an excellent player for a 2nd line. Alf Smith is somewhat interchangeable with Cashman IMO - probably a better playmaker but not as big. This line seems really pass-happy to me.
Suggestion:
Cashman - Dionne - St Louis
Conacher - Morris - Smith
I like this set up better for a few reasons:
1) It gives Dionne as skilled playmaker on the wing, so he doesn't have to create everything himself. Dionne could both score and pass himself.
2) If you're going to draft Cashman, might as well get full use of his bodyguard abilities.
3) It lets you play Cashman on the correct side - every since seventieslord used him as a RW in ATD2011 based on a few quotes that he sometimes played on the right side, everyone seems to use him there. But Cashman's prime was on Esposito's LEFT side.
4) Morris and Smith were both pass-first players, so I like Conacher as their shooter. Alf Smith played RW at least as much as LW, IIRC.
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IMO, Armstrong is an elite 3rd liner - excellent in corners, strong defensively, better scorer than most checkers here, and very clutch. He was slow, but it didn't seem to hurt his performance in real life much. Laprade is a decent 3rd line C - small, fast, puck ragger, decent playmaker. Could have trouble defending bigger Cs, but a good 3rd liner otherwise. Bruce Stuart kind of brings the unit down - he was a HUGE man (basically a Lindros or Chara size compared to others in his era) and really fast too, but I don't know much about his defensive game and his offensive game is just so-so. I love him as a 4th liner, don't like him so much on a checking line.
Good two-way 4th line. Mahovlich could be lazy at times, but at his best, he was a pretty good two-way player who could fight. Also a very big man.
Solid group of spares, not entirely sold on Jaroslav Jirki in the main draft, but it doesn't matter all that much.
Defense
Your first pairing might be the most physical pairing ever constructed in the ATD - yikes. Shore is elite and IMO Ching Johnson is one of the top defensive minded #2s in this thing. Excellent first pairing. The only downside is that they will be prone to penalties.
Your 2nd pairing is also physical and strong defensively with Stanley providing a decent outlet pass. Stanley's an elite #3; I see Harper more as a #5 in a draft this size, but they even out to about average. Will be strong in their own zone, but not so good outside it. Stanley's slow skating could be an issue.
Third pairing is a bit offensive-minded, though I guess Timonen was pretty stay-at-home at even strength. Patrick is an excellent #5 and Timonen is a solid #6.
You asked about switching Patrick and Harper - I would do it. I see both as weak #4s, excellent #5s in a 28 team draft, but like the fit better with Patrick next to Stanley.
You got Jack Portland as a #7? Damn... he's better than most #6s in this thing, IMO. Great physical stay at home guy with a good All-Star record and lots of career value.
Goaltending
Sawchuk can be overrated IMO, but he's still a very strong goalie here - one of the near-consensus top 7. Connell is a below average backup... if that matters to anyone.
Special Teams
Your emphasis on defense, goaltending, and physicality gave you a pretty weak PP no matter how you set it up, but I think I have an idea that can make it better.
St. Louis needs to be next to Dionne on the first PP - not only is the fit better, but he's clearly a better overall offensive player than Roy Conacher. Leave Morris-Conacher as the basis of the 2nd unit. As for the net guys... I honestly have no idea. I almost want to say Rick Nash on the first PP, not that he'd be good there, but he might be less bad than the other options. I'm not at all convinced that Cashman or Alf Smith was better offensively than George Armstrong.
Shore is an excellent PP guys; the rest of the defensemen are fine for their roles - any issue with your PP is with the forwards.
Your PK forwards are average, though I would have preferred something better considering how many penalties your team will likely take - ideally someone to bump Armstrong to the second PK and St Louis to being a spare.
PK defensemen are very strong - Johnson is elite, and you have 3 more guys who could be on the first unit (which is good because your defense will be very penalty prone). So no matter how your arrange them, your 2nd PK pair will be well above the norm.
Overall
I like: Excellent first pairing that is mega-physical. Overall, a strong group of defensemen 1-7 backed up by Terry Sawchuk. You lack a strong #4 but make up for it with an elite #3.
I have concerns about - your "glue guys" really don't provide that much offense; this especially hurts your PP. I don't see a left wing who is particularly strong defensively (Cashman and Smith are okay, but not guys I would count on as checkers at this level). Team could be prone to penalties - not just from the defense but also guys like Wayne Cashman and Alf Smith, especially without much secondary leadership (though Armstrong is a fantastic captain). Dionne may struggle in the postseason if he is "the guy."