Armchair GM Draft, 2019 (Rosters only)

[td_ice]

PLEASE POST YOUR ROSTERS HERE.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO UPDATE YOUR ROSTER AFTER EACH PICK.



You can use whatever template or design your want to list your teams. If you aren't sure, you can copy and paste the style from another post you see in this thread.

Click to read more...

 

[Winger for Hire]

The Gentlemen Bastards

Line 1
Keith Tkachuk -- Mario Lemieux -- Brett Hull

Line 2
Patrik Elias -- Peter Stastny -- Pavel Bure

Line 3
Ray Whitney -- Peter Forsberg -- Glenn Anderson

Line 4
Chris Kunitz -- Guy Carbonneau -- Phil Kessel/Blake Wheeler

D Pair 1
PK Subban -- Kevin Lowe

D Pair 2
Brad McCrimmon -- Andrei Markov

D Pair 3
Niklas Kronwall -- Roman Hamrlik

Goalies
S- Curtis "Cujo" Joesph
B- John Vanbiesbrouck

Taxi 1- Blake Wheeler (RW)/Phil Kessel (RW)
Taxi 2- Brent Sutter (C)
Taxi 3- Calle Johansson (D)
Taxi 4- Tie Domi (RW)

PP1
Bure/Elias--Lemieux--Anderson
Subban--Hull

PP2
Tkachuk--Stastny--Hull/Lemieux
Markov--Hamrlik

PK1
Carbonneau--Elias
Lowe--McCrimmon

PK2
Forsberg--Lemieux
Markov--Kronwall

 

[Dr Pepper]

​

INGLEWOOD JACKS
ROSTER

Jamie Benn - Joe Thornton - Jarome Iginla
Gary Roberts - Doug Gilmour - Pat Verbeek
Esa Tikkanen - Saku Koivu - Jere Lehtinen
Alex Tanguay - Mike Fisher - Bill Guerin

Scott Stevens - Brian Rafalski
Derian Hatcher - Mike Green
Miro Heiskanen - Teppo Numminen

Dominik Hasek
Chris Osgood

"Black Aces"
Brian Skrudland
Brenden Morrow
Rick Vaive
Brooks Orpik​

​

 

[sarge88]

The Squaw Valley Precursor

Draft Picks:
1. Ray Bourque
2. Ron Francis
3. Mike Modano
4. Patrick Kane
5. Kevin Hatcher
6. Brent Burns
7. Steven Stamkos
8. Dave Andreychuk
9. Rick Tocchet
10. Carey Price
11. Gary Suter
12. Brian Propp
13. Dave Poulin
14. Steve Larmer
15. Geoff Courtnall
16. James Patrick
17. Scott Mellanby
18. Marc Edouard Vlasic
19. Tuukka Rask
20. Dave Reid

Line 1:

LW - Andreychuk
C - Francis
RW - Kane

Line 2:

LW - Courtnall
C - Modano
RW - Tocchet

Line 3:

LW - Propp
C - Stamkos
RW - Larmer

Line 4:

LW - Dave Reid
C - Dave Poulin
RW - Scott Mellanby


D Pair 1: Ray Bourque - Kevin Hatcher

D Pair 2: Gary Suter - Brent Burns

D Pair 3: Marc Edouard Vlasic - James Patrick

G1: Carey Price

G2: Tuukka Rask

Taxi
1. Dave Christian
2. Normand Leveille
3. Cam Ward
4. Glen Wesley

PP1 - Bourque and Burns

Andreychuk - Stamkos - Kane


PP2 - Francis - Hatcher

Courtnall - Modano - Tocchet


PK1:

Poulin - Propp
Bourque - Hatcher


PK2:

Reid - Francis
Vlasic - Patrick

 

[td_ice]

THE FIGHTING FREMEN OF ARRAKIS

Line 1

Lw-Luc Robitialle C- Messier RW-D. Alfredsson

Line 2
LW-MIchel Goulet C-Dale Hawerchuk RW--Tony Amonte

Line 3
LW--Kirk Muller C-Jonathan Toews RW-Justin Williams

Line 4
LW--Brian Bellows C-Rod Brind'Amour RW--Tim Kerr




D1 Pairing
Chris Pronger-----Erik Karlsson

D2 Pairing
Steve Duchesne----Shea Weber

D3 Pairing
Mark Giordano-----Kjell Samuelsson




G's
S- Martin Brodeur

B- Pekka Rinne

​

Taxi Squad
1. Vincent LeCavalier--C
2. Ron Hextall--G
3. Bob Probert--LW
4. Mike Ramsey--D

​

Forwards
Mark Messier--C
Luc Robitaille--LW
Dale Hawerchuk--C
Jonathan Toews--C
Michel Goulet--LW
Daniel Alfredsson--RW
Rod Brind'Amour--C
Tony Amonte--RW
Kirk Muller--LW
Tim Kerr--RW
Justin Williams--RW
Vincent LeCavalier--C

Dmen
Chris Pronger
Erik Karlsson
Shea Weber
Steve Duchesne
Mark Giordano
Kjell Samuelsson

Goalies
Martin Brodeur
Pekka Rinne

PK Duty
Messier--Toews 1st pair
Muller--Brind'Amour 2nd pair

Pronger--Duchesne
Giordano--Samuelsson


PP Unit--1st
Robitaille-Hawerchuk--Kerr

Erik Karlsson---Shea Weber

PP unit--2nd
Goulet--Messier--Alfredsson

Pronger--Duchene

 

[Shady Machine]

Team Doblett of Fire

Forward Lines:
Line 1: Kariya-Sakic-Hossa
Line 2: Marleau -Datsyuk-Gartner
Line 3: Stevens-Kopitar-Fleury
Line 4: Duchene-Matthews-Kucherov

Defense:
Pair 1: Coffey-Pietrangelo
Pair 2: Howe-Desjardins
Pair 3: Hedman-Kubina

Goalies:
Starter: Braden Holtby
Back-up: Jean Sebastian-Giguere

Extras:
C - Trevor Linden
C - Eric Staal
D - Ed Jovanovski
D - Alexei Zhitnik

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Team Building Strategy

I went into this draft with a pretty specific game plan - I wanted three great pivots, a fwd group full of offensively gifted players that could all really skate plus play a great two way game, and a very mobile blueline that could transition the puck quickly to keep intense pressure on opponents.
When I look over my roster, I feel quite strongly that I accomplished what I set out to do.

The most important thing to me was having three great pivots down the middle, and I was able to get insane C depth with my first three pick when I landed Crosby, McDavid and Lindros.

At that point, I wanted to build around these three using real life chemistry when possible, and to also surround them with great two way players. It’s cool having a guy who can pot 50-60 goals, but most all-time teams are going to have guys that can do that. I wanted something more rare - guys that filled the net, could really skate and were great at both ends.

Forward Lines

I flanked Crosby with two elite two way wingers. Crosby already has great chemistry with Marchand, and adding Kurri, one of the greatest two way guys in NHL history, who also happens to be a 600 goal scorer and third all time in playoff points, makes this an incredibly difficult line to matchup with. This is my number one line and the type of line I can play in all situations.

My second line was built with the mind numbing speed and creativity of McDavid and Bondra. It was important that I had an elite two way player on this line as those two would be playing run and gun all night, so I slotted in one of the best two way guys of our era in Zetterberg.

For my third line, I knew off the bat I wanted to put together the Legion of Doom, and it’s pretty crazy to think about rolling them out there to wreck havoc as a third line. Three guys all over 6’2 and 225 lbs that can all skate, own the boards all night, and play outstanding defensively together. I don’t have to guess how dominant this line could be, I saw it with my own eyes.

I’m really, really happy with how my fourth line came together. I wanted two swift skating big bodies that could control the boards and play a checking role, and one non-stop motor guy with the kind of speed that would cause fits for our opponents. Parise-Arnott-Doan fit the bill perfectly and ended up better than I had originally hoped for.

That gives my bottom six, five huge bodies that can fill the net, own the boards and front of the net, and make life living hell for opponents all night.

Defensive Pairs

On defense I wanted a mobile blueline that could really skate and transition the puck, but I also wanted a physical element that would put fear in the other team and keep the crease clean.

My top pair, Leetch-Foote was exactly what I was hoping to put together. They will be the KIRKS anchor that can be relied on in all situations.

My second pair of Doughty-Kasparaitis will put tremendous pressure on any line they are matched up against, with Doughty controlling the ice and Kasparaitis ensuring opponents are wary of crossing our blueline with their head down. It’s a match made in hockey heaven.

My third pair of Josi-Seth Jones is a real life pair that had chemistry together in Nashville. This will be an extremely mobile pair that transitions the puck quickly and helps fuel a relentless attack all over the ice.

Goalies

In goal the KIRKS have Barrasso who was one of the best money goalies of all time, and no one has yet to even sniff his 14 playoff wins in a row. Best of all, he was a phenomenal puck handler, making it very difficult for opponents to start cycles by dumping pucks, and his ability to pass the puck made him the all time leader in points among goalies.

Our backup, Moog, is ideal for coming off the bench cold. He won 7 playoff games in a row as a backup coming off the bench as an Oiler.

Taxi Squad

On our taxi squad we have two great all around pivots that both scored over 1000 points in Damphousse and Weight. Either can center a scoring or shutdown line when injuries occur. Richer is another big body that can really skate and bury the puck. Our seventh defenseman is Brian Campbell, a gifted puck mover that has his name on the cup.

Final Thoughts

I honestly believe if there was a way to do this draft in real life and play a season + playoffs, the KIRKs would be impossible for any all-time team to handle in a seven game series.
This roster has an almost perfect blend of size, blazing speed, grit, character, and elite two way players that would mount a relentless attack that would put teams on their heels and leave them gasping for air, shift after shift.

If your team can’t skate, they will get blown off the ice by the McDavid and Crosby units. If your team isn’t big, the Legion of Doom and Arnott lines will grind them into dust.

And because of our collection of elite two way forwards, we can matchup the Crosby, Lindros or Arnott lines against your best, and every inch of ice will have to be earned through frustration and mistake free hockey.

When I look over this roster and imagine how they would be deployed agt other rosters, I’m extremely confident in believing that the KIRKs are an almost perfectly balanced team that will be a matchup nightmare for any opponent. Simply put, they were built to exploit any weakness your roster has.

Lineup

Line 1: Marchand-Crosby-Kurri
Line 2: Zetterberg-McDavid-Bondra
Line 3: LeClair-Lindros-Renberg
Line 4: Parise-Arnott-Doan

Pair 1: Leetch-Foote
Pair 2: Kaspar-Doughty
Pair 3: Josi-Jones

Goalies: Barrasso
Bckup: Moog

Reserves: Damphousse, Weight, Richer, Campbell.

PP 1
Lindros
Kurri Crosby
Leetch Doughty

PP 2
LeClair
Bondra McDavid
Josi Jones

PK 1 - Leetch, Foote, Parise, Zetterberg
PK 2 - Doughty, Kaspar, Marchand, Arnott

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Bjugstud Biggies

Write up:

My team building strategy was to match the style of play with a complimenting player. For example, Yzerman can score and pass but he's a solid playmaker that can find his wingers and is relentless at both ends of the ice, adding a physical element of Clark and a winger with slick hands and a solid shot in Palffy adds toughness, responsibility, and creativity all in one line.

The second line is my Russian 5. Unless you were living under a rock in the 90s, that trio is all kinds of bad ass. Russians were the king of puck movement and dominating with possession, they'll not only beat your ass with keep away, Freddy Fed will own your ass defensively and offensively while Almo rips shots top corner and Slava sneakingly gets in the soft areas to bang in rebounds and be open for some sweet dishes by the two Legends.

The third line, I mean...it's the twins, they made Anson Carter relevant when he slipped into being a nobody and on this line I've added a pretty slick and hard working winger in Khristich to make sure their passes are not wasted when they're dominating a team with their possession. Oh and don't forget, while Henrik is an elite passer, his brother is one hell of a goal scorer. Absolute Legends.

The fourth line would be an amazing third line. Holik was not only an amazing shut down Center that always worked his ass off, but he was a beast at the two way game. Broten is one of the top American born players for production and Russ Courtnall is a burner that plays like current NHL future HHOFer Bryan Rust, but on offensive roids.

My defense? What can I say, some will out score your forwards like Phil and Zubie, and then there are two or three that will decapitate your soft headed wimps.

My goalies - You mean two with 4 cups total. That's all you need to know.

Taxi squad, I mean that taxi squad is lit. Janney is one of the most underrated playmakers to ever play the game, you talk about a lot of passers but the guy had some of the softest hands in the game, so soft, the Patriots Kraft once tried to solicit him. Then you have a monster in Tinordi and Primetime and one of the best Slovaks to ever play the game, may he rest in peace.





Line 1
Wendel Clark, Steve Yzerman, Zigmund Palffy

Line 2
Slava Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny

Line 3
Dmitri Khristich, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

Line 4
Neal Broten, Bobby Holik, Russ Courtnall

D Pair 1
Ulf Samuelsson, Phil Housley

D Pair 2
Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Zubov

D Pair 3
Larry Murphy, Freddie Olausson

Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury
Mike Richter

Taxi 1- Mark Tinordi
Taxi 2- Pavol Demitra
Taxi 3- Craig Janney
Taxi 4- Keith Primeau


Powerplay 1.
Clark, Yzerman, Mogilny
Left point - Zubov, Right point - Fedorov
Powerplay 2.

Powerplay 2.
Palffy, H. Sedin, D. Sedin
Murphy, Housley

Pk 1.
Center - Fedorov, Winger - Courtnall
Samuelsson, Zubov

Pk 2.
Center - Holik, Winger - Clark
Konstantinov, Olausson​

 

[KIRK]

THE SKATING JABRONIS

Picks:

1. Nicklas Lidstrom - D
2. Alex Ovechkin - LW
3. Evgeni Malkin - C
4. Duncan Keith - D
5. Slava Fetisov - D
6. Sergei Makarov - RW
7. Pat LaFontaine - C
8. Jonathan Quick - G
9. Ryan Getzlaf - C
10. Mark Recchi - RW
11. Claude Giroux - C/LW
12. Paul Reinhart - D
13. Corey Perry - RW
14. Sandis Ozolinsh - D
15. Nicklas Backstrom - C
16. Dan Boyle - D
17. Chris Drury - C/LW
18. Hakan Loob - RW
19. Mike Vernon - G
20. Vladimir Tarasenko - RW
21. Igor Larianov - C
22. Vladimir Krutov -LW
23. Alexei Kasatonov -D
24. Ryan Miller - G

The Skating Jabronis:

Line 1: Ovechkin - Malkin - Tarasenko
Line 2: Krutov - Larianov - Makarov (The KLM Line)
Line 3: Giroux- LaFontaine - Recchi
Line 4: Drury - Getzlaf - Perry

D Pair 1: Lidstrom - Keith
D Pair 2: Fetisov - Kasatonov
D Pair 3: Ozolinsh - Boyle

Starting Goalie: Quick
Backup Goalie: Vernon

The Non-Skating Jabronis:

1. Backstrom
2. Loob
3. Reinhart
4. Miller

 

[Asuna]

Thicc Johnsons

Sorry ladies and gents, no long writeup from me, but I'll explain some of my thought process here. With my team, each pick, I wanted to take the best player I thought was available. Additionally I wanted to have a personal connection with a player I picked, ie: played with him a lot in a video game, favorite player, etc. I also wanted to have a sort of balance in my lineup, left/right defenseman pairings, everyone in their natural position. But all in all, this was a fun thing to do, thanks everyone for making it happen!

Line 1
Ilya Kovalchuk
Wayne Gretzky
Teemu Selanne

Line 2
Dany Heatley
Adam Oates
Alex Kovalev

Line 3
Markus Naslund
Pierre Turgeon
Todd Bertuzzi

Line 4
Martin Straka
Marc Savard
Milan Hejduk

D Pair 1
Sergei Gonchar
Kris Letang

D Pair 2
Mathieu Schneider
John Carlson

D Pair 3
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Kimmo Timonen

Goalies
Henrik Lundqvist
Sean Burke

Taxi 1- Daniel Briere
Taxi 2- Robert Lang
Taxi 3- Oleg Tverdovsky
Taxi 4- Joe Pavelski

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

1st Line
C-- Mats Sundin
LW- Mirolsav Satan
RW- Martin St. Louis

2nd Line
C-- Denis Savard
LW- Tomas Holmstrom
RW- Jason Pominville

3rd Line
C-- Jeremy Roenick
LW- Ryan Smyth
RW- Claude Lemieux

4th Line
C-- Dale Hunter
LW-Shawn Burr
RW-Dino Ciccarelli

Defense 1
LD- Scott Niedermayer
RD-Chris Chelios

Defense 2
LD- Darryl Sydor
RD- John Klingberg

Defense 3
LD- Bryan Marchment
RD- Marty McSorley

Goaltender 1 - Patrick Roy
Goaltender 2- Roberto Luongo

Taxi 1- LW- Steve Thomas
Taxi 2- C- Joe Juneau
Taxi 3- D- Ryan McDonagh
Taxi 4- G- Mikka Kiprusoff


Good luck and have fun everyone!

 

[BMC]

THE HAB HATERS

1. Grant Fuhr, G
2. Zdeno Chara, D
3. Al MacInnis, D
4. Joe Nieuwendyk, C
5. John Tavares, C
6. David Pastrnak, RW
7. Ryan Suter, D
8. Brent Seabrook, D
9. Taylor Hall, LW
10. Joe Mullen, RW
11. Tim Thomas, G
12. Bobby Carpenter, C
13. P.J. Axelsson, LW
14. Owen Nolan, RW
15. Rick Nash, LW
16. Rasmus Dahlin, D
17. Bobby Ryan, RW
18. Sergei Samsonov, LW
19. Matt Grzelcyk, D
20. Joel Otto, C
21. Martin Lapointe, RW
22. Johnny Boychuk, D
23. Loui Eriksson, LW
24. Logan Couture, C

 

[Winger for Hire]

Just a quick bump so it doesn't fall too far down.

@Fenway can you drop in with your lineup?

 

[Fenway]

BOSTON BURPING ZAMBONIS

LINE 1
Brendan Shanahan LW Patrice Bergeron C Jaromir Jagr RW

LINE 2
Brandon Saad LW Tyler Seguin C Cam Neely RW

LINE 3
Patrick Sharp LW Johnny Gaudreau C Brendan Gallagher RW

LINE 4
Max Pacioretty LW David Krejci C Mark Stone RW

DEFENSE 1
Rob Blake Dustin Byfuglien

DEFENSE 2
Andrew Ference Jeff Brown

DEFENSE 3
Torey Krug Charlie McAvoy

SG Eddie Belfour
BK Corey Crawford

​

 

[sarge88]

The Squaw Valley Precursor


Andreychuk – Francis – Tocchet
G. Courtnall – Modano – P. Kane
Propp – Stamkos – Larmer
Reid – Poulin – Mellanby

Bourque – K. Hatcher
Suter – Burns
Vlasic – Patrick

Price
Rask



Overview
The plan for Squaw Valley from the beginning was to design a team and not simply a collection of talent. Each defense pair has a natural right and left handed player and the forwards are a diverse collection of players who complement each other.

DEFENSE
At defense, Ray Bourque leads the way, as he will man the left side for 28 – 30 minutes per game in all situations. Behind Bourque are a solid, talented and tough group with good size and defensive awareness.

Defense Pair 1: Ray Bourque (C) – Kevin Hatcher
Bourque, the best defenseman eligible in this draft is the cornerstone of the franchise and will be the Captain. He’s paired with Kevin Hatcher, a large, talented, tough, work horse, who scored over 220 goals, including a 34 goal campaign in 92-93.

Defense Pair 2: Gary Suter – Brent Burns
The second pairing features Brent Burns and Gary Suter. Burns, a Norris Trophy winner, is as offensively talented as they come, is an above average skater and a monster of a man. Suter, who played in the shadow of guys like Bourque, Coffey, etc. from the mid 80’s until the early 2000’s, is a very underrated player who has a great combination of toughness and skill and scored nearly 850 points and almost 1,400 PIM.

Defense Pair 3: Marc Edouard Vlasic – James Patrick
The third pair also works well together as James Patrick will man the right side with Marc Edouard Vlasic on the left. Patrick a 20 year veteran who finished his career with 639 points is a solid player with good skating, defense and puck moving skills. Vlasic is simply a solid, defensive defenseman who can anchor a penalty killing pairing.
Taxi: Glen Wesley

Forwards

Up front, while there were possibly players with better “stats” available when each pick was made, the goal was to craft a team that worked well together. Few of the forwards are one dimensional and those that are (Courtnall, Reid) are also good team-mates who know their roles. I’ve shuffled the lines a bit and deviated from draft position when settling on final combinations to maximize production.

Line 1: Dave Andreychuk – Ron Francis (A) – Rick Tocchet
This line has amassed over 1,600 goals and 4,000 points combined. They also bring an element of toughness, with Tocchett leading the way with nearly 3,000 PIM himself. Andreychuk is among the greatest goal scorers of all time, and a huge net-front presence. He’s the all-time PP goal leader and had over 1,100 PIM himself. Francis is 5th all-time in NHL scoring and can play in all situations. A great leader and quiet professional, he will likely lead all forwards in ice time for the Precursor.

Line 2: Geoff Courtnall – Mike Modano – Patrick Kane
This line is among the fastest in this exercise. Modano is top 25 in NHL scoring and one of the most gifted players ever when handling the puck at top speed. Geoff Courtnall is a player who can match Modano’s speed and is a lethal goal scorer, with seven 30+ goal seasons and 799 career points. On the right side is Patrick Kane, one of the most productive and heralded players of the 2000’s, with over 900 points and a solid 4-5 more productive year ahead of him. If this line were playing today, I’d envision Courtnall with a solid 35+ goals and Modano and Kane each with 90+ points.

Line 3: Brian Propp – Steven Stamkos – Steve Larmer
This line is very intriguing as many younger GM’s in this league may not be very familiar with Propp and Larmer. For comparison sake, both are similar to a Bergeron, as none of the three have top end skills, but at the end of the day, they are just amazing and complete hockey players. Most importantly both Propp and Larmer proved to be capable of defending against some of the greatest offensive players of all time throughout the 80’s and 90’s, while being consistent scorers. Propp had over 1,000 points while being one of the best penalty killers in history. He will be paired on the PK with his former partner Dave Poulin. Larmer quietly amassed 441 goals and 1012 points in 1006 NHL games. Stamkos among the most prolific goal scorers of all time has averaged about a goal every other game in his nearly 11 seasons.

Line 4: Dave Reid – Dave Poulin (A) – Scott Mellanby
Starting with the unheralded Dave Reid. Reid was one of the best penalty killers of the 80’s and 90’s scoring 28 career SHG and using his size and reach to his advantage. Reid’s on ice intelligence cannot be overstated. Simply listen to him break down the game on NHL Network for 5 minutes and you’ll understand. Dave Poulin anchors this line and the first PK unit and he is among the smartest, most tenacious and team first players of all time. Poulin himself had 39 career SHG and is a tremendous face off man. Rounding out line 3 is RW Scott Mellanby. Mellanby is all grit and heart. Not tremendously gifted in any area, he is a grinder’s grinder who found a way to score 364 goals and 840 points while battling his way to nearly 2,500 PIM.
Taxi: Dave Christian, Normand Leveille

While there were players available with better statistics at every pick for line #4, the goal was to establish a well-rounded line of players who would accept and flourish in their role. I wasn’t going to try to jam a guy into a checking line role who wasn’t responsible defensively or didn’t have a reputation as a team-first guy.

Goal

In goal, the Precursor took two of the best goaltenders of the past 10+ years in Gold Medal winner Carey Price and SC Finalist Tuukka Rask. Both have won a Vezina as well. Price has 311 Career wins and a SV % of .918 and GAA of 2.47. Rask broke the Boston Bruins record for wins with 250 and has a stellar .922 SV % and GAA of 2. 27. I am comfortable playing either goaltender at any time.
Taxi: Cam Ward

Special Teams

Our penalty kill is among the strongest ever assembled with Poulin, Propp, Francis and Reid up front and Bourque, Hatcher, Burns and Vlasic on the back end. In fact, there are 4-5 players that are not being used on the PK, that would likely be among the top penalty killers on most other teams in; Kane, Suter, Modano, Larmer and Stamkos.
The first power play will feature Bourque and Burns hammering shots from the point with Stamkos, Andreychuk (The All Time PPG leader) and Patrick Kane up front.
The second unit includes Modano and Hatcher at the point with Francis, Courtnall and Tocchet up front.

Intangibles
As with most teams in this league, our lineup is stocked with team captains and alternates. With Bourque, Modano, Francis, Poulin, Tocchet, Mellanby, Stamkos, and Hatcher all serving as captains and most of the rest of the team serving as alternates at some point. This team is also among the toughest in this league, with Tocchett, Mellanby, Hatcher, Suter, Burns and Andreychuk all with over 1,000 career PIM. Tocchett and Mellanby were among the most productive power forwards of their era and had enough skill to play with the most productive 1st or 2nd line forwards of their day. As for team speed: Modano, Kane, Courtnall lead the way, as they are all among the fastest skaters of their respective eras.
Stamkos, Poulin, Propp, Patrick, Hatcher, Bourque, Burns and even Tocchet were average to slightly above average skaters.

 

[Dr Pepper]

INGLEWOOD JACKS
ROSTER

Jamie Benn - Joe Thornton - Jarome Iginla
Gary Roberts - Doug Gilmour - Pat Verbeek
Esa Tikkanen - Saku Koivu - Jere Lehtinen
Alex Tanguay - Mike Fisher - Bill Guerin

Scott Stevens - Brian Rafalski
Derian Hatcher - Mike Green
Miro Heiskanen - Teppo Numminen

Dominik Hasek
Chris Osgood

"Black Aces"
Brian Skrudland
Brenden Morrow
Rick Vaive
Brooks Orpik
​

Were it not for Samuel L. Jackson making my team's name rather iconic, I could've named this team the Inglewood Bruisers.

Because I built this team not only as an exercise in combining offensive skills and defensive mastery, but also with the intention of making it incredibly tough on any team that lines up against them.

Starting from the net out:

Some may say there was no better goalie than Dominik Hasek. Tough to argue, either, as he is the all-time leader in Vezina Trophy wins ever since they changed it essentially from the Jennings Trophy to what it currently stands for today. An MVP award for the best goalie in the league. He won it six times, a number that may never be topped. Why? The current "leading" Vezina-winner has two. So we're content that the Dominator can bring this standard of excellence to our roster on any given night. Or every night, probably. But if he's for whatever reason thrown off his game, Chris Osgood can step in and perform admirably in his place. No Vezinas to his name (runner-up once), but three Stanley Cup rings with the vaunted Detroit Red Wings tells me he knows something about what it takes to win it all.

As far as defense goes, sure we don't have a Nick Lidstrom or anything but the Jacks' blueline knows how to lead. Scott Stevens was one of the most respected, and also one of the most feared captains of his time, known for bone-crushing hits and wearing the C on his jersey with pride. Derian Hatcher wore the C as well, and while he wasn't quite as legendary as Stevens was he's still a Cup champion. Their partners, Brian Rafalski and Mike Green, respectively, bring a more offensive presence while also providing great on-ice chemistry. The third pairing of Heiskanen and Numminen, while never having shared the NHL ice together, should still be fun to watch as they bring speed and responsible defending into the mix. If needed, veteran Brooks Orpik can add some extra sandpaper as the 7th d-man as well.

Up front, I'm not sure if a tougher group of forwards exists in this draft. Proven winners both at the NHL level and internationally, the forwards on the Inglewood Jacks can bring some lethal firepower and still have some time to steal your lunch money if they feel like it. No slouches defensively, either, with four Selke trophies to speak of. More than half of them served as longtime Captain of their respective teams, as well, including all three forwards on the top line, right down to the Black Aces (Morrow, Skrudland and Vaive).

So basically I've assembled a roster comprised of ass-kicking, goal-scoring, shot-blocking, bone-crunching warriors.

Good luck.

 

[KIRK]

THE SKATING JABRONIS ROSTER WRITEUP

Ovechkin-Malkin-Tarasenko
The KLM Line (Krutov-Larianov-Makarov)
Giroux-LaFontaine-Recchi
Drury-Getzlaf-Perry

Lidstrom-Keith
Fetisov-Kasatonov
Ozolinsh-Boyle

Quick
Vernon
​

Draft Philosophy: The Skating Jabronis management emphasized in the draft puck possession and chemistry. Every pick and every combination served to create a team designed to win hockey games by owning the puck:

Ovechkin-Malkin-Tarasenko: The talents of each player speak for themselves. Malkin and Ovechkin have had a long and storied history together in international play. As @Shady Machine has noted, it's sometimes a spotty history when they play the stacked Canadian teams, but as I replied-- and he agreed-- the spotty history is NOT due to an issue with Malkin and Ovechkin but instead due to inexplicable RW choices by Russian coaches and to the overall weakness of Team Russia defenders. The Skating Jabronis management has eliminated this issue (and then some) by (a) drafting Tarasenko, a perfect fit for their RW who complements both plays and helps to crystallize a dynamic trio and (b) drafting the most mobile and arguably the most talented defense among the 12 teams.

KLM (Krutov-Larianov-Makarov): This line was probably the best line in hockey during the 1980's and arguably one of the greatest lines ever in the history of hockey. The writeup will be extended, as some here may be unfamiliar with the individual players and the legend of the line itself. While history records that Gretzky and Lemieux were 1 and 2 in scoring at the legendary 1987 Canada Cup, Makarov and Krutov were 3 and 4 (both tied Lemieux for the most goals of that series). The dynamic of the line was, in a word, PERFECT:

Makarov is arguably the greatest Russian winger ever and outside of Jagr arguably the greatest winger of the Gretzky era. He turned Gary Roberts into a 50 goal scorer by assisting on 40 of them. With a low center of gravity, dazzling hands, and incredible vision, Roberts said that outside of Jagr, Makarov was the hardest player he ever tried to knock off the puck. As noted when I drafted him, Makarov came to the NHL at 31, won the Calder, and enjoyed a successful run in Calgary and then San Jose (when he and Larianov helped lead a memorable upset of heavily favored Detroit in the 1994 playoffs).

Krutov literally was nicknamed TANK. He had a brief stint in the NHL in the early 90's, when out of shape and homesick, he chose to return home. BUT, in his PRIME, Krutov was a beast on the forecheck.

Larianov is a name more familiar to people, but the Larianov the NHL saw for several years, as with Makarov, was the older version. The PRIME Larianov of the 1980's was as great a 200 foot center as there was. And, in the Soviet system, he was the PERFECT man to center Makarov and Krutov, willing to play positional, deep-defensive zone hockey and making perfect transition passes. He was the glue, both technically and psychologically, that kept the machine running.

When The Skating Jabronis management talks about a team built on puck possession and chemistry, we speak perhaps first of the KLM line. Here they are at the peak of their powers, lining up against an all time greats line of GRETZKY-MESSIER-LEMIEUX in 1987:



Giroux-LaFontaine-Recchi: This line just strikes The Skating Jabronis management as a wonderful mix of high end talent, speed, and 200 foot play. Giroux is an elite 200 foot player with whom everyone is familiar and who has enjoyed his most successful individual season on the LW. Recchi brings to the table a 1500 point career (plus almost 150 playoff points) and a history as a tenacious forechecker. And LaFontaine was, in a word, a magician with the puck. A 1000 point scorer (1.17 PPG), he's the perfect player to help crystallize a line with Giroux and Recchi and to augment The Skating Jabronis possession game.

Drury-Getzlaf-Perry: The history of the Getzlaf-Perry duo is well known. As a duo, they are 200 foot animals. They play a heavier game but are highly skilled and control the puck. The Skating Jabronis wanted to add a LW who would help complete a line that collectively could rival the Legion of Doom line recreated by @Mr Jiggyfly. In Drury, we found that player. While a C for much of his career, Drury enjoyed great success in Colorado on the LW earlier in his career. He's a tenacious, never say die 200 foot player who is as clutch as it gets and in the opinion of The Skating Jabronis management is the ideal complement for Getzlaf-Perry.

Lidstrom-Keith: Lidstrom is arguably the greatest defenseman of the Gretzky era (along with Ray Bourque). 7X Norris, 4X cup winner, 12X all star, 10X first all-star, and 2002 Conn Smythe winner. Keith is among the greatest defensemen of the post 2005 lockout era. 2X Norris, 3X cup winner, and 2015 Conn Smythe winner, he is an ideal stylistic and physical complement to Lidstrom.

Fetisov-Kasatonov: If Lidstrom and Bourque are the 2 greatest defensemen of the Gretzky era, then Fetisov almost assuredly is the 3rd. Sergei Gonchar rightfully called him the Russian Bourque. Prime 1980's Fetisov, like prime 1980's Makarov, was as great a player as you'd find at his position anywhere in the world at that time or since. And, as someone once said, IF Fetisov was the Russian Bourque, then Kasatonov was the Russian Potvin. Just the perfect complement for Fetisov in international play in the 1980's. Simply put, Fetisov-Kasatonov is arguably the greatest hockey defensive pairing of the 1980's. Along with the KLM line, they were known as 'The Green Unit' . . . they were the defensive pairing on the ORIGINAL Russian 5.

Ozolinsh-Boyle: When your defense has Lidstrom and Keith and Fetisov and really two perfect pairings, a coach isn't going to ice the 3rd pairing very often. So, The Skating Jabronis went with an offensive pairing, in the idea that they'd mainly see the ice together at ES behind the Drury-Getzlaf-Perry line and other times may see some additional individual shifts with Lidstrom or Keith or Fetisov, who management anticipates being the team's 25-30 minute defensemen.

Goal: The Skating Jabronis goaltending tandem of Quick-Vernon brings to the table a tremendous record of big game accomplishments. They are 2 of only 5 Gretzky draft eligible goalies to have won The Conn Smythe. Quick's work in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs is among the greatest playoffs work ever by a goalie, and Vernon's 1997 playoffs is one of the few to rival that.

Special Teams: The Skating Jabronis PP units consist (a) of their 1st line and Ozolinsh-Boyle (Ovechkin left circle, Malkin right circle, Ozolinsh and Boyle up top, Tarasenko down low) and (b) of the KLM line with Lidstrom and Fetisov (a more roving, less stationary PP with a lot of player interchanging). On the PK, lead units include Giroux-Drury and Getzlaf-Perry and Larianov-Krutov up front and Lidstrom-Keith and Fetisov-Kasatonov on the blue line.

Reserves: In a Backstrom-Loob duo, The Skating Jabronis have two of the greatest Swedish forwards available to play at a moments notice. Defenseman Reinhart is among the most talented offensive defensemen of the early 80's. He was the catalyst for a great Calgary PP and sometimes played 30 minutes a night, with both regular shifts on D and then added shifts at C because of his talent and smarts. Finally, Ryan Miller, who's record speaks for itself, is The Skating Jabronis third goaltender.

Summary: Overall, The Skating Jabronis are proud to offer a team that will bring a dynamic, possession-oriented, chemistry driven brand of hockey to the ice. With some of the greatest players and combinations of the draft, management looks forward to icing this squad against the best other general managers have to offer.

 

[td_ice]

The Fremen wanted to design a team that not only could present challenges,, but also have the ANSWERS to the challenges presented to us. Our front office wanted players that were not only talented, but were proven winners. We wanted to be a team that would be very hard to play against. A matchup problem for any team it faces. The Fremen FO feel they have accomplished their goals on all fronts.


We knew there would be problems presented by the all time greats of the game, and we know that no team is going to entirely stop these guys. Therefore, we wanted the last line of defense to be super strong. And with so few elite goalies around, getting one of those was a high priority. So when these players gets their chances, and they will, we will have Martin Brodeur front and center, in goal.


And we knew to minimize the challenges our goalies would see, we would have to be VERY STOUT on D. So moving out from goal, we wanted a defensive corps up to the task at hand. We knew that this league, regular season and the playoffs would feature some of the best power forwards over the last 40 years. Guys that play not only a "heavy" game, but a heavy and skilled game. And to combat that, we wanted BIG, SKILLED, HEAVY, DEFENSIBLY RESPONSIBLE defensemen that could skate well. But there aren't many that can check off all those boxes. The Fremen believe they have such Dmen. 6-6, Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, 6-4 Shea Weber, 6-6 Kjell Samuelsson. We believe we will be one of the best equipped teams to handle lines like, "The Legion of Doom". Super Mario's line. The Malkin/Ovie/Tarasenko line, The Thornton line, with Benn and Iginla. And other great players and lines that present a significant challenge to any defense with their combination of size and skill. So when playing against such lines, our coach will have the option of combining 2 of those 3 dmen, and be able to match up well. Those mentioned players, and others of that ilk, have the ability to physically dominate other teams, with size and skill. We have the players that won't be dominated in that facet of play. And will present their own problems for opposing lines/matchups. These guys aren't just big, for size sake, but are big and talented.



Also targeted, were very good defensive forwards, in having the ability to employ a shutdown line. But one that could also take advantage of good defensive play and counter. We feel we did this with our 3rd line. A line that can be used to specifically matchup on a top line, be hard to play against, and have the ability to add secondary scoring. Toews centering a Kirk Muller, and Justin Williams will provide just that. And in late in game, while protecting a lead, we can double up on centers, having Rod Brind'Amour with Toews and one of the wingers. Giving us 2 center men on the ice for any important face-offs Those players just mentioned have a combined 7 Stanley Cups, and 2 Conn Smythe's among them. Defensively strong players that could also lead a team in playoff scoring. Which is what Toews and Justin Williams did on their cup teams. And Kirk Muller was 2nd in playoff team scoring when he won the Cup with the Habs.


Every team has elite players, and matchups will be key. The Fremen believe with their draft plan in place, knowing the challenge faced, have assembled a team that is up to the challenge.


Lw-Luc Robitialle C- Messier RW-D. Alfredsson

Our top line features the Captain, Mark Messier, the only player to captain two different franchises to Stanley Cup victories. Lucky Luc, a natural goal scorer, one of the best LW's in history. And the excellent two way play of Alfie, Daniel Alfredsson.


LW-Michel Goulet C-Dale Hawerchuk RW--Tony Amonte


Our 2nd line, is a "finesse" line of 3 scoring beasts. Goulet, another premier LW in NHL history with 7 seasons of 40 or more goals, and 5 of those over 50. Dale Hawerchuk, overshadowed by the best centers of his era in Gretz, Mario, and Messier, was nonetheless a terrific player over his career. And Tony Amonte was consistent scorer and two way player.

LW--Kirk Muller C-Jonathan Toews RW-Justin Williams

I've already mentioned this trio of playoff warriors. They will give our coach the option playing matchups.


LW--Brian Bellows C-Rod Brind'Amour RW--Tim Kerr

With the first 3 lines getting the lion's share of minutes, the 4th line participants themselves, will still have tremendous value. Especially in the special teams department. Tim Kerr, one of the best net front presence players of all time, will be planting his ample self very near the blue paint on first unit PP. Brind'Amour will be jack of all trades. Can move up to any of the lines if injuries happen. Will be used on the PK. And in late game situations, to have a line with 2 centers, protecting a lead, and provide face-off insurance. Bellows also will see PP time, mostly on the 2nd unit, and be a great fit to move up if injuries befall any of our LW's.


D-1 Pairing

Chris Pronger-----Erik Karlsson

Pronger was definitely a big target of ours going into the draft. We wanted at least one of Pronger, Chara, or a Derian Hatcher. His size and strength will be needed against some of the behemoth power forwards that we will face. Pronger was tough SOB, and very talented. He was the defensive bedrock of a dominant Ducks Cup winning team. And in Erik Karlsson, we have one of the premier offensive defensemen of his era. In his prime, before injuries hit, his wheels were extraordinary. And he can be a one man zone entry when things get clogged up, especially on the PP. At times when facing some of the heavier teams, our coach will move Karlsson to D-2, and bring up Shea Weber, to have a twin towers of defense.

D-2 pairing

Steve Duchesne----Shea Weber

Duchesne was a very mobile, very slick, good two way defensemen. Able to make a great first pass, and skate the puck out of the zone. He can play in all situations. And will do so, EV, PP and PK. Shea Weber is a beast. One of the hardest shots in NHL history. His shot is lethal and will be working his magic on the PP. He has averaged over 24 minutes a game in his career, and can also be trusted to play in all situations. A fixture on various Team Canada entries into international play. Which is impressive considering all the options they have.

D-3 pairing

Mark Giordano-----Kjell Samuelsson

Giordano is having a Norris type season. He is another Dmen on our team that can excel in all situations. He is very adept offensively as well on defense. In Kjell we have a defensive defensemen that has an enormous wing span and uses it to his advantage. 6-6, 230 pounds, he can easily size up against the biggest forwards this tournament has to offer. Very happy to have Kjell on the team.


Goalies.

S- Martin Brodeur-Our starter, and one of the game all time greats in the net. 3 time Stanley Cup winner. Won several Vezinas and Jennings trophies. And the Calder. Even though the trapezoid is in effect, he will still have that great ability to handle the puck, which might even be more pronounced in difference, between him and most other goalies.

B- Pekka Rinne--a big goalie at 6-5, that can move well. Can easily handle as many games as our coach will give him to keep Marty fresh for the playoffs.

Reserve- Ron Hextall--Won the Conn Smythe despite not winning the Cup.


Our other 3 reserves players--We have a big bodied 6-4 Vincent Lecavalier, adding to our desire to be strong down the middle, he will be able to step in at a moment's notice and fill in well. Bob Probert will be chomping at the bit if needed. Whether as a deterrent or a nuclear option, we love that Probert could not only demolish you when throwing hands, he could also play the game. Mike Ramsey, a defensive defensemen that is a tremendous shot blocker. We wouldn't hesitate to put such a player into the lineup.


(our PK and PP unit deployment is in our 1st roster post)

 

[Winger for Hire]

The Gentlemen Bastards

Team Overview

Instead of going into the draft with a set philosophy in mind, I decided to sit back and see what the draft brought to me and work with it from there. I did not want to have to forsake an attractive draft pick in the important mid stage of the draft in order to keep a philosophy intact. In doing this I think I was able to put together a teams with units/lines/pairings with vaguely similar styles, but enough differences that that it would be hard to shutdown with a certain style of play or a bulk of a certain type of player.

Offence

My fortunate draft position of 1.1 mostly dictated my eventual focus of building my offense from the center outwards, all the way down the lineup. My first three picks of Mario, Stastny, Foresberg helped me form a solid play-making core for my offense. These three pivots are Top 5 in assists per game and points per game, so I've assured that each scoring line has a world class facilitator as well as moved Forsberg to a role where minutes can be managed to offset his injury history and possibly find some easier defensive match-ups.

Line 1: Tkachuck-Lemieux-Hull

I could put almost any two eligible wingers on Mario's line and it would be workable. However, I decided some actual talent would work even better. To avoid defenses focusing solely on Mario, I grabbed Brett Hull (he of 700+ goals) to help provide another point of focus for the defense. Hull is right up there with Ovie as a pure goal-scoring maestro. Leave him too much space and the puck will find his way to him and that shot will more than likely find the back of the net. Tkachuck give the line it's power forward that will thump and grid and go to the net for rebounds and screens. There's not a way this line will not be able to score.

Line 2: Elias-Stastny-Bure

I want to say that a fair amount of time for this line will be spent springing Bure in transition, but that's just my NHL '94 nostalgia. This line, however does pack some hefty scoring punch, operating very similar to the first line, but with less shot-and-crash and more possession and perimeter scoring. All three players can and will play a 200 ft game with Elias being the one tasked with being the defensive conscious of the line, allowing Bure and Stastny to make the offensive zone their playground with their stick-handling, elusiveness and creativity.

Line 3: Whitney-Forsberg-Anderson

Here's where I feel my draft strategy is really going to pay dividends. Forsberg is realistically a low 1st line/high 2nd line center in this format. Having him centering my 3rd line is going to make for some favorable match-ups. Foppa and Whitney are both playmakers, first and foremost so the default method of attack here will be to gain possession in the offensive zone and allow Anderson to set-up shop in front of the goalie and cause havoc, throw shots on net and let Glenn pick up those garbage goals. Anderson also learned from being teammates with Gretz how to work behind the net, so that will also be a favored way of attacking. Either way, possession and volume will be the name of the game for this trio.

Line 4: Kunitz-Carbonneau-Kessel

This is, in my opinion, the premier shutdown line in the league. Guy spent his career actually being the guy tasked with shutting down Mario, Gretz, Messier, Yzerman, etc, so I don't see a need to change his role in the slightest. However I think it's wise to give him on of the better fore checkers and bangers in recent memory in Chris Kunitz to make sure he doesn't have to bear the entire load of the shutdown role. Throwing Phil The Thrill on the line might keep the line from meeting ultimate shutdown status, but it also allows the line to be capable of scoring and not being a one dimensional line. Phil should be able to thrive in a role where almost all of the defensive responsibility is handled by the other 4 skaters, allowing him to be the one that keeps the opponents honest.

Defense

I decided to forego the high end flashy, scoring defenders; partly by design and partly because the draft dictated that. Despite not selecting my first blueliner until almost into double digit rounds, I feel I have a very solid and capable blueline. My focus was on positionally sound and high IQ defenders. None of them have to worry about being integral parts of the offense, but they all have track records of being able to put in 10+ goals and 35+ points without being liabilities and constantly jumping out of position. Every single defensive selection has been touted as having good to excellent first pass out of the zone and is able to start the attack from deep in their own zones. As a bonus, almost every defender selected can throw hits, stand-up skaters, and move forwards out from in front of the net. Overall, my blueline's main focus is stopping the attack and quickly turning the play the other way with sound positioning and smart passing. I like to think I have a defense of Gonchar like players, can run the offense from the blueline while not needed to be the focus without sacrificing being an effective and strong defender.

Pair 1: Lowe-Subban

I took the classic approach to this first pairing and put together a defensive rock and a slightly offensive minded boomer. Subban has a booming shot and likes to be involved in the offence while Lowe's legacy was being the stay-at-home guy that anchored 6 Cup winning teams. I feel this pairing is pretty straightforward.

Pair 2: McCrimmon-Markov

Brad McCrimmon paired with Mark Howe to form one of the most dominant defensive pairing of the 80s. Since I wasn't able to put that pairing together, I grabbed a reasonable facsimile to act as a Howe-lite in Markov. Both players in this pairing are very good in terms of positioning and smarts while not being offensive anchors. Neither are huge goal scorers from the blueline, but they both know how to facilitate goal scoring from back there.

Pair 3: Kronwall-Hamrlik

This pairing can bring the lumber. Kronwall makes it hell to enter and exit the zone and Hamrlik is a big side of beef as well. Both can, and will, play a very physical game while not being out of position. Hammer is a very underrated defender as he's smart and positionally sound, allowing Kronwall more freedom to step up and make those big, booming Kronwall checks. Again, like the other pairings, not offensively blessed, but both have run powerplays and can help the offense.

Goalies

I waited a awhile to select Cujo and Beezer, but I don't think that makes them a weak pairing. Both will be buoyed by a defense that will very seldom be caught pinching and every line having some sort of defensive conscious, keeping odd-man rushes almost non-existent. Not sure what else can be said, as I feel these two netminders speak for themselves.

Special Teams

Power Play

The power play will have a plethora of options, but the main unit will be:

Bure/Elias--Lemieux--Anderson
Subban--Hull

Anderson parking in front of the net; Mario working the half wall; Bure or Elias darting into the soft middle of the ice; Subban working the blueline and unleashing his heavy slapper; and Hull roaming the weak side looking for opportunities to unleash a one-timer or to pounce on a carelessly kicked away rebound.

On the 2nd unit, Mario and Hull will take turns double shifting, making the 2nd unit almost as potent as the first.

Penalty Kill

Carbonneau will lead this unit with his strong faceoff skills and defensive game. Elias' underrated defensive game will be put to use here, as well as a threat to take the puck the other way. Lowe and McCrimmon are a solid pairing that have no qualms clearing space in front of the net.

The 2nd unit will be just as strong in the middle with Forsberg, but will see some risk taking with Mario being on his wing. With Mario being 4th all-time in shorties, the defense will have to be on their toes to make sure Mario doesn't get a step behind them. To help jailbreak Mario, this unit will have Markov and Kronwall who both have very good outlet passes, but are also strong in their own end.

Taxi Squad

Blake Wheeler will see time rotating with Kessel on the 4th line to give it a different look when needed. Blake will bring more of a gritty game and power forward to that line and bring it closer to a ultimate shutdown line. He'll also be a fine sub for Glenn Anderson who will be taking a beating over the season, filling just about the same skillset.

Brent Sutter is an all around centerman who can score, pass, and defend. He can be a playmaker or be a grinder. He'll be able to fill in for any line that needs it.

Calle Johansson is pretty much the exact same defender as everyone else on the roster and can seamlessly slide into any of the pairings.

Tie Domi is the token enforcers and Mario's best friend. He'll pop in now and again to make sure Ulf and ilk stay relatively in check and sane. He'll also taste test all of Mario's food and drink as well as babysitting Austin.

 

[Shady Machine]

Doblett of Fire team writeup:

Overview and Draft Philosophy: Team Doblett of Fire focused on building a team that would excel in any NHL era from 1979-today. Regardless of the era, one common skillset that can break any defensive scheme is speed and puck possession. As such, I focused on building a team that could skate, particularly on the wings and defense. Wingers like Kariya, Hossa, Marleau, Gartner, Fleury, Duchene are all speedsters (to varying degrees). Defensemen like Coffey and Howe are two of the best all time in transition on the back end along with good skaters in Pietrangelo, Desjardins, Hedman, and Kubina wasn’t a slouch either.

Up the middle, I wanted dynamic offensive skill to go along with significant defensive conscience and leadership. Combined, team Doblett of Fire starting centers boast 5 Selkes, 6 Lady Byngs, 6 Stanley Cups, 1 Ted Lindsay, 1 Hart, 1 Conn Smythe, and 1 Calder.

Team Doblett of Fire didn’t prioritize goaltending early in the draft, as I felt that the biggest focus should be acquiring players that could help keep the puck out of our end zone consistently and go on the attack. That said, I wanted a consistent, proven starter and two big game goalies and believe I got them with Braden Holtby and Jean-Sebastian Giguere.

Forwards:
Like my fellow GM’s, complimentary skillsets was an important focus when constructing the forward combinations. Each line is meant to have a dynamic offensive threat, speed, defensive conscience, and x factor (in some combination). As one can read in the overview, traditional toughness wasn’t a huge focus of the team because I wanted my team to play hard between the whistles. That said, I built my 3rd line around size and tenacity with Fleury bringing the speed element.

Line 1: Kariya-Sakic-Hossa
This line has speed, skill, playmaking ability, finishing ability, and defensive conscience. In total, the line played 3,676 regular season games with 1,552 career goals and 3,764 career points. Per 82 games, this line averaged 35 goals and 84 points per player during their careers. This is especially impressive considering all 3 players played a significant portion of their careers during the “Dead Puck Era”.

Kariya is one of the most dynamic offensive players of the mid 90’s to mid 2000’s. If not for concussion issues, Kariya could have put up another 200+ career points. The guy could skate and see the ice at an elite level and was extremely elusive. Early in his career, he drew comparisons to Gretzky in how he could see the ice and think the game. A few examples of those comparisons:
· 1994 Olympics American Head Coach Tim Taylor likened his skating and playmaking ability to Gretzky's
· Kariya's linemate, Chris Kontos, described his on-ice vision as "Gretzky-like."
· Canadian head coach Tom Renney heralded him as "thinking and playing at a better speed than anybody else," adding that his teammates "are usually a half-step behind him
· Following his first NHL goal against Winnipeg, Jets head coach John Paddock told reporters, "Like with Gretzky the puck seems to following him around... It looks like he's cherry-picking, but he's not. That's just great instinct."

Joe Sakic is one of the best offensive centers in NHL history. His shot off the rush was lethal and extremely deceptive as he could fire the puck while skating at near full speed. Sakic is a great skater with good vision and as mentioned, a great shot. The combo of Kariya-Sakic will be extremely difficult to defend. While Team Doblett of Fire is filled with former captains, Sakic will be the leader of this team with his ability to unite players into a team through example.

Rounding out the top line is Marian Hossa, an extremely versatile elite 2 way winger. Hossa has fairly good size at 6’1 207 which helps him protect the puck and win pucks in the battle areas. He’s a great skater and extremely diligent defensively. He brings a defensive conscience to the top line while having the skill and speed to excel with elite players like Kariya-Sakic.

Line 2: Marleau-Datsyuk-Gartner
This line is extremely versatile. With Datsyuk at center, I feel comfortable throwing this line over the boards against any team’s top lines. His insane skill along with his ability to generate turnovers will allow his wingers to move up the ice for counter attack chances. Marleau brings speed, finishing ability (15 20+ goal seasons), and a very good 2 way game plus the ability to fill in at center if Datsyuk gets thrown out of a draw. On RW, this line has one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history in Mike Gartner. With his speed and shot, the defending team will have to always have their head on a swivel with him on the ice. I envision this line seeing a lot of fast break counter attacks of turnovers generated by Datsyuk and both Marleau and Garnter have the skill and finish to take advantage.

Line 3: Stevens-Kopitar-Fleury
This is the closest line I have to a traditional shutdown line, but I believe still fits the model of my team. Stevens brings size, physicality, and net front. In his peak, Stevens was one of the best power forwards of his era. He also had pretty soft mitts in the traffic areas and will help this line grind down low and maintain possession. Kopitar is one of the best centers of the last decade. He can flash offensive dominance while bringing Selke level defense. While not particularly physical, his size is a big advantage in the offensive zone. Fleury brings speed, tenacity, and additional offensive punch to this line with over 1,000 career points.

Line 4: Duchene-Matthews-Kucherov
One of the other focuses of my team was to have a mix of players from different decades/eras of the time period in the draft. My 4th line is comprised of the young guns of this decade. Although a short sample size, Matthews career results are extremely good and I think he is proving this year that it isn’t a fluke. Through 2.5 seasons, he has already scored 104 goals (.53 GPG). If he maintained that pace, obviously a long way to go, that would place him top 20 all time. Duchene brings speed, skill, a solid 200 foot game, and position flexibility having played wing and center extensively in his career. On RW, Kucherov is a dominant offensive force in the league today. This line will get heavy o zone starts with the ice time they get and in my opinion, will be a match up nightmare for some of my opponents.

Reserves: Trevor Linden and Eric Staal both bring positional flexibility and extremely accomplished careers offensively. Linden is revered as a terrific leader with Vancouver and can bring a lot to the locker room, even when he’s not in the lineup. Staal provides another big time goal scorer that I can put in the lineup when there are injuries or match ups dictate needing that.

Defense
My strategy was to build a dynamic blueline that can really skate, transition the puck, and contribute offensively while providing balance with solid 2 way defenders. I also put a premium on having even pairs of left handed shots and right handed shots. My pairings bring balance on that front.

Pair 1: Coffey-Pietrangelo
Coffey is the most dynamic offensive blueline in this league and will be a major catalyst to the transition and offense of this team. Pietrangelo is a solid 2 way defender that can cover for Coffey while having the skating and skill to keep up with him.

Pair 2: Howe – Desjardins
Similar to pair 1, this group features an elite offensive dman in Howe with a very good 2 way defender in Desjardins that can move the puck while letting Howe do his thing.

Pair 3: Hedman-Kubina
This paid brings size and strength while also providing offensive ability from the back end. I envision this pair playing shutdown in certain situations, particularly against a bigger physical line.

Reserves: Ed Jovanovski – Possibly my most physical defender. He will come into the lineup depending on match ups. He can also contribute offensively and moves the puck well. Alexei Zhitnik – Brings a great shot blocker and shutdown ability along with fairly solid offensive production during his long career.

Goaltending
Holtby has a Vezina, Jennings, and Stanley Cup while is consistently one of the top starters in the league over the last 7 years. Holtby also boats stellar playoff stats with a 2.04GAA, .929sv% in 81 playoff starts. He recently became the 2nd fastest goalie (from a GP perspective) to 250 career wins behind only Ken Dryden.

Giggy similarly boasts stellar playoff stats with a 2.08GAA and .925sv% in 50 career starts. He is also one of only 5 players (2 goalies) to win the Conn Smythe playing on the losing team in the Cup Finals. Several years later he won the Cup with Anaheim, so he was clearly a goalie that shined brightest on the biggest stage.

PP 1:
Stevens (Net Front) – Sakic (right half wall) – Kariya (down low/behind net in Gretzky like fashion)
Gartner (Left Half Wall) – Coffey (up top)

PP 2:
Hossa – Datsyuk (down low) – Kucherov (right half wall)
Desjardins (left half wall) – Howe (up top)

PK:
Forward Duos:
Datsyuk-Hossa (11th all-time SH goals)
Kopitar-Fleury (9th all-time SH goals)
Marleau-Sakic (16th all-time SH goals)
Duchene - Gartner thrown out occasionally (48th all-time SH goals)

Defense Duos:
Howe (33rd all-time SH goals and no. 1 Dman)-Desjardins
Hedman-Pietrangelo