Here we go:
First line is great. Like it a lot.
Second line... like it less. I'm not a huge fan of Stastny in this format, but he's probably a low end 2C here. Martinec is fine, but Holik seems miscast in a second line role. Probably get some bonus with Martinec if they played on a line together (I'm assuming they did internationally?), but it's a slight hole.
Really like the third line though. Probably not a ton of offense coming from it but should work well.
Fourth line... I don't buy Tkachuk as an ATDer yet. But that's my only note.
On D - that first pair seems like a slightly less psychotic version of the Stewart/Cleghorn pair. I don't think Derian Hatcher is a top pairing Dman here, even when considering splitting up Quackenbush and Shore.
Second pair - feels like you have two rushing Dmen here, on top of having Shore as a rushing Dman on the top pair. I think this is especially notable because Charlie Gardiner is not an elite goaltender in this format - fits more in that muddy middle. So there's a lot of chances for Dmen to get caught up ice.
Third pair - Don't really love Kevin Hatcher as a regular either but I'm pretty hard on DPE Dmen reps in general so take that with a grain of salt.
Gardiner is fine - middle of the road guy. Helleybuck is certainly building a hell of an ATD resume right now.
Overall - really strong team but (as with all teams) there are some holes.
Thanks for the review, Macho! It's nice to see someone taking the time to review some of the rosters assembled.
1) Thanks for the compliments regarding the first line. I was happy about the way it came together, and think it can stand with anyone's in the field
2) Jiri Holik does have less-than-normal offense among scoring line wingers in small ATDs, but he doesn't look out of place among others who hold the #2 LW position in the Hewitt Division (R. Conacher, Zetterberg, K. Tkachuk, Shutt, Noble). Plus, Holik is an elite defensive conscience, tasked with muting the impact of Makarov (among others) in International Best-on-Best play. Here, he's joined by contemporary linemate Martinec (perhaps the top living Hall of Fame eligible player not in the Hall) in addition to countryman Stastny, who's still the top Center his nation has ever produced and the second highest scoring NHL player of the 1980s.
3) Team's fortunes shouldn't rise or fall on difference of opinion on Matthew Tkachuk, who, last year, showed that impressions of him being a playoff non-performer deserve a big re-think. Plus, he's really irritating to play against which is never a bad thing from an ATD 4th-liner!
4) A good way of looking at the D. Hatcher/Shore synergy is comparing Hatcher to Shore's real-life partner. He's bigger, more mobile, no less physical, and uncowed by big moments. (Captaining Stanley Cup Dallas is well-enough known, but less well-known is 1996 World Cup of Hockey coming-out party... 2nd among Ds in +/- (behind Leetch but ahead of Chelios) as 2nd youngest player on Team USA). Studs like Orr, Harvey, Potvin, Bourque are examples of all-time great defensemen achieving greatness with lesser lights on their pairings. So I'm confident that Hatcher won't be a drag on Eddie Shore.
5) Quackenbush was described previously by TheDevilMadeMe as "Lidstrom-lite". Though no amount of squinting is going to turn him into Lidstrom, it is definitly a fair way of looking at his style. His positioning and stick-activity in his own zone are excellent, and his hockey IQ and anticipation figure to keep him from being caught up-ice.
6) As with Tkachuk, our team performance is not likely to revolve around consideration of contributions from Kevin Hatcher, who's on roster primarily for auxiliary help on the special teams.
7) With Charlie Gardiner, from most people's ratings I'm sure he's a middle-third start in the regular season, but I believe his value goes up big time come playoff time. Gardiner is still one of the most underrated goalies of all time and is an excellent choice for any championship-contending ATD team.
Finally, this Winnipeg squad invested more capital than ever in securing their bench-boss, Lester Patrick, who has a case for most innovative hockey mind of all-time, and with Bill Cook as Captain...is there a better Coach-Captain dynamic in the entire league than Patrick and Cook? I doubt it and I feel that Winnipeg is well-positioned for full buy-in from its player. A forthright assessment of the squad has to count this as a strength, I think.
Anyways, this is easily the best ATD team I've assembled in the past five years, so we'll see what happens in regular season and playoff voting!
