ATD #9 Division and Roster Discussion Thread

[Roger's Pancreas*]

Since everyone else is doing it...

Calgary Stampeders
Ted Lindsay (C) - Frank Nighbor - Jack Darragh
Al Secord - Brent Sutter - Rick Tocchet
Steve Thomas - Keith Primeau (A) - Trevor Linden
Gaetan Duchesne - Keith Acton - Paul Holmgren
ex. Rick Kehoe

Brad McCrimmon (A) - Al MacInnis
Herb Gardiner - Phil Russell
Ed Van Impe - Ed Jovanovski
ex. Mark Tinordi, Dion Phaneuf

George Hainsworth
Ron Hextall

Did we break the 30,000 PIM mark?

 

[pitseleh]

Now that the roster is complete:

Nanaimo Clippers

GMs: pitseleh and Hockey Outsider
Head Coach: Jack Adams
Captain: Bobby Clarke
Alternate Captains: Viacheslav Fetisov, Lionel Hitchman, Ivan Hlinka

Reg Noble - Frank Boucher - Sergei Makarov
Woody Dumart - Bobby Clarke - Alexander Maltsev
Jiri Holik - Ivan Hlinka - Johnny Peirson
Ab McDonald - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Leo Labine
Tom Dunderdale, Helmut Balderis

Viacheslav Fetisov - Red Horner
Lionel Hitchman - Ott Heller
Lars-Erik Sjoberg - Red Dutton
Rod Seiling

Clint Benedict
Vladimir Dzurilla
​

I have my own thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses but it'd be nice to get some different perspectives. Any other thoughts on a potential Peirson/Labine swap would be appreciated as well.

 

[shawnmullin]

Pit I don't mind admitting your team is going to cause me to have to do a little bit of research before I comment!

And incidently I have to say from my initial looks here... this is going to be the toughest draft to judge yet.

 

[pitseleh]

Pit I don't mind admitting your team is going to cause me to have to do a little bit of research before I comment!

And incidently I have to say from my initial looks here... this is going to be the toughest draft to judge yet.

I had to take over where Wisent left off.

Seriously though, European hockey has definitely been a weak point for me, so I really wanted to expand my knowledge in that area this draft and I think it's reflected in the team I put together.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Regina review...

Supper's on the stove, so I have time for another review or two...

*70s, you should have one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the draft. Two strong scoring lines, a third line that is definitely capable offensively, and a fourth line that had some good offensive moments.
*First line should be able to score, and potentially score at will against some of the teams that lack defensive presence. Only concern is a physical dimension. Yakushev was big, but used his size to augment his skill game instead of intimidate physically.
*I like Krutov in this role more, a second line offensive gunner playing with a couple guys who can open up room for him. He can stick-handle past anything - except a buffet line.
*Prystai is the only really high-end defensive player. And Muller is very, very good defensively. Outside of that, your third and fourth lines are loaded with good solid players who can score and provide something more than offence. But will these guys thrive in playing a shutdown role? I doubt it. Muller-Prystai would be two-thirds of a strong shut-down line. The third component is missing. McNab might actually be your best bet.
*I think Savard is definitely good enough to be a No. 1 defenceman. And I think he has everything you'd want in an offensive, puck-moving defenceman. Except for one thing: willingness. Part of it might be because he came up in the late 60s, and defencemen still weren't encouraged to join the rush. Would things have been different if he came up five years later? Perhaps, but then he doesn't have a Conn Smythe to his credit.
*It's a good thing you have a tough, smart defence (except for Duchesne), because they'll be on their own a lot of nights. Great blue-line corps. Iffy team defence. And I do have some worries about the ability to get the puck to the forwards.
*Other good news: the presence of Jacques Plante. Gives the forwards a little more confidence to ignore their defensive responsibilities. Plante will steal at least one or two games in a best-of-seven. Best goalie ever.
*Definitely a "Badger Bob" team. He loved his offence. And he's a good positive guy for some of the talent.

OK, my lineup is built. Assassinate it!

The Regina Pats

Alexander Yakushev - Gilbert Perreault - Lanny McDonald (A)
Vladimir Krutov - Vincent Lecavalier - Pat Verbeek
Kirk Muller (A) - Ken Linseman - Marian Hossa
Dan Maloney - Metro Prystai - Pie McKenzie
Billy Gilmour, Peter McNab

Serge Savard (C)- Vladimir Konstantinov
Adam Foote - Steve Duchesne
Bob Goldham - Graham Drinkwater
Mattias Ohlund

Jacques Plante
John Ross Roach

coach:
Bob Johnson

 

[seventieslord]

Supper's on the stove, so I have time for another review or two...

*70s, you should have one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the draft. Two strong scoring lines, a third line that is definitely capable offensively, and a fourth line that had some good offensive moments.
*First line should be able to score, and potentially score at will against some of the teams that lack defensive presence. Only concern is a physical dimension. Yakushev was big, but used his size to augment his skill game instead of intimidate physically.
*I like Krutov in this role more, a second line offensive gunner playing with a couple guys who can open up room for him. He can stick-handle past anything - except a buffet line.
*Prystai is the only really high-end defensive player. And Muller is very, very good defensively. Outside of that, your third and fourth lines are loaded with good solid players who can score and provide something more than offence. But will these guys thrive in playing a shutdown role? I doubt it. Muller-Prystai would be two-thirds of a strong shut-down line. The third component is missing. McNab might actually be your best bet.
*I think Savard is definitely good enough to be a No. 1 defenceman. And I think he has everything you'd want in an offensive, puck-moving defenceman. Except for one thing: willingness. Part of it might be because he came up in the late 60s, and defencemen still weren't encouraged to join the rush. Would things have been different if he came up five years later? Perhaps, but then he doesn't have a Conn Smythe to his credit.
*It's a good thing you have a tough, smart defence (except for Duchesne), because they'll be on their own a lot of nights. Great blue-line corps. Iffy team defence. And I do have some worries about the ability to get the puck to the forwards.
*Other good news: the presence of Jacques Plante. Gives the forwards a little more confidence to ignore their defensive responsibilities. Plante will steal at least one or two games in a best-of-seven. Best goalie ever.
*Definitely a "Badger Bob" team. He loved his offence. And he's a good positive guy for some of the talent.

nooooooo! This sounds almost like the reviews of my last team. (See all the bold items in the quote) I thought I did a lot better putting together my third and fourth with more defensive types instead of the Smyths and Mellanbys and Langenbrunners.

I got McNab as a top-6 fill-in. I didn't really consider him for the bottom-6. I don't see him as that type. Am I wrong? Hossa is excellent defensively and the type of speedy third liner that you want to have, to capitalize on the turnovers the other two create.

Duchesne is definitely a defensive liability in this context, but like Galley, Driver, Larson, Gonchar, etc, he had to go sometime, right? He provided an element I didn't yet have aside from Savard, and I think I offset his limitations well with Foote. Imagine what you'd think of the D-corps' ability to get the puck to the forwards without Duchesne! But yeah, I'm glad you like my defense overall. I try to make a point of getting that 5th guy before almost anybody else.

I hope it isn't held against me that I have a Maloney instead of a Probert (I wanted the fighting ability and took the most talented guy that I could, who could fight well), a Muller instead of a Keane (same defensively, but Muller had considerably more talent), and a Hossa instead of a Schmautz (again, they bring the same kind of skill sets, but Hossa is more on the talented side) - I have some pretty big offensive numbers down there but I really looked this time for a good mix of the skill sets found in successful bottom sixes - Speed, offense, grit, toughness, and agitation.

 

[nik jr]

Lada Togliatti

ivan
tonelli--(A)gretzky--(C)cook
bobrov--federko--middleton
marcotte--kasper--preston
murdoch--goyette--sandstrom
redmond

(A)cleghorn--schoenfeld
howe--patrick
hajt--marois
gusev

lumley
vanbiesbrouck
xxx


::


i see this team as an offensive team with a strong transition game. cleghorn and howe will both get 30+ minutes per game. both great skaters and great in all 3 zones. i think they are the keys to the team.
not a defensive team, but none of my D are weak defensively. cleghorn's dirty play notwithstanding, i am relying more on fundamentals than nastiness for defense.

i think of lumley as sort of the ed belfour of the late '40s- early '50s, a great goalie, but overshadowed by others (sawchuk, durnan, etc), as belfour was overshadowed by roy and later hasek and brodeur.

i want goyette to get some shifts on the 2nd line in place of federko. my 4th line won't see that much TOI, but goyette is too good to play such limited minutes, especially since he's not on the PP.
i think goyette's seasons with NYR and STL showed he's not that much weaker than federko offensively.

i've decided to move tonelli to the 1st line. i originally had him on the 2nd b/c i had bun cook penciled on the 1st line, to create a sort of super bread line, and b/c he helps cover for federko, but i think tonelli's grit and defensive play is important to the 1st line. the 2nd line will suffer a bit, but goyette will see some time there, and adds some defense.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Wanderers review...

I've christened this team the Amazing French Canadians. (Waiting for reck to post a Jacques Rougeau pic).

*Scoring won't be a problem. I've always had concerns about loading up on guys who played in the late 10s and early 20s (talent was spread across different leagues, goalies didn't leave their feet - probably the most important rule change from this draft's perspective). But no denying talent of Malone, Pitre and especially Lalonde.
*Bernie Geoffrion is one of the best clutch scorers. Ever. Eight straight post-seasons with at least 10 points is incredible. Even better in the O6 era.
*Three lines that can score. Third line is all right defensively. Damphousse and Gagne definitely weren't liabilities.
*We really wanted Ken Mosdell for our third line.
*The blue-line is a big concern. Eric DesJardins appears to be your No. 1. He might be a low-end No. 2, but he's best-suited to No. 3 duty. Talbot and Johnson are also suited to being No. 3's. Even Patrick can log top three minutes.
*Team defence is also a concern. Vachon and Chabot were at the bottom few picks for my No. 1 goalie spot. But is either going to be the No. 1 you need behind your team? No. You're going to need to win a lot of high-scoring games. No easy chore in your division.
*Cecil Hart is a very underrated coach.

Home Rink:
Coach: Cecil Hart
Captain: Newsy Lalonde
Alternates: Jean Ratelle, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Lester Patrick

''Phantom'' Joe Malone - ''Newsy'' Lalonde (C) - Didier Pitre (Hey, we just picked the scoring Top 3 of the NHA!)
Michel Goulet - Jean Ratelle (A) - Boom Boom Geoffrion (A)
Simon Gagne - Vincent Damphousse - Frank Finnigan
Louis Berlinquette - Ken Mosdell - Harry Hyland

Jean-Guy Talbot - Eric Desjardins
Lester Patrick (A) - Ernie ''Moose'' Johnson
Georges Mantha - Albert ''Battleship'' Leduc

SPARES : Hy Buller, Pierre Mondou, Pierre Bouchard
NOTE : Georges Mantha can play LW as well.
NOTE : Comment on Harry Hyland possibly on the 3rd line still applies.

Rogatien Vachon
Lorne Chabot

 

[God Bless Canada]

nooooooo! This sounds almost like the reviews of my last team. (See all the bold items in the quote) I thought I did a lot better putting together my third and fourth with more defensive types instead of the Smyths and Mellanbys and Langenbrunners.

I got McNab as a top-6 fill-in. I didn't really consider him for the bottom-6. I don't see him as that type. Am I wrong? Hossa is excellent defensively and the type of speedy third liner that you want to have, to capitalize on the turnovers the other two create.

Duchesne is definitely a defensive liability in this context, but like Galley, Driver, Larson, Gonchar, etc, he had to go sometime, right? He provided an element I didn't yet have aside from Savard, and I think I offset his limitations well with Foote. Imagine what you'd think of the D-corps' ability to get the puck to the forwards without Duchesne! But yeah, I'm glad you like my defense overall. I try to make a point of getting that 5th guy before almost anybody else.

I hope it isn't held against me that I have a Maloney instead of a Probert (I wanted the fighting ability and took the most talented guy that I could, who could fight well), a Muller instead of a Keane (same defensively, but Muller had considerably more talent), and a Hossa instead of a Schmautz (again, they bring the same kind of skill sets, but Hossa is more on the talented side) - I have some pretty big offensive numbers down there but I really looked this time for a good mix of the skill sets found in successful bottom sixes - Speed, offense, grit, toughness, and agitation.

I don't think Galley and Driver are ATD worthy. Especially Galley. And I probably wouldn't pick Duchesne or Gonchar, either, but that's preference. You did need someone who can move the puck, but I think there were better guys out there.

I like McNab's defensive game. He's actually pretty good, and was a kreuzer favourite for the two-way line. He can play all three positions.

Hossa's good defensively. Not excellent defensively. If he was excellent defensively, he'd be up for the Selke, because he'd be the type that voters love for that role.

I won't hold it against you that you went with Maloney over Probert (I'd do the same, both Maloney's were better players), and I'd go with Muller over Keane, too. Muller actually is really, really good defensively, good enough to play on a shut down third line. Only concern is he was better at left wing than centre. I would go with Schmautz over Hossa for the role you have Hossa in - Schmautz wasn't big, but he was an excellent skater, with good skill, strong defensive awareness and toughness. And he scored at nearly a point-per-game clip in the playoffs.

 

[arrbez]

Well, I might as well put my team up on the chopping block here (I have one more pick to make, but it'll be a depth forward and probably not too exciting).

I went into this draft planning to go speed, speed, speed with my scoring lines. Last draft I had great firepower with my Espo top line and Hull+Oates on line two, but I couldn't for the life of me argue that those two lines had any sort of speed. I wanted to be the one out-skating teams this time, rather than being outskated. I was also looking for strong defensive play from my scoring lines this time.

So with the glaring exception of Nels Stewart on both fronts (Nels saves his energy for scoring and punching), I believe I've succeeded. I think I have a very strong defensive presence on all my lines, and a number of players who can absolutely fly out there. I feel I have a significant physical element as well for such a speedy group. I didn't sacrifice a whole lot in the way of size.

On the back end I don't have an elite ATD group, but I think it's very solid and is augmented nicely by my defensive forwards. I have both Jason Smith and Jack Laviolette waiting in the wings depending on matchups, or if I choose to move either Siebert or Anderson to forward.

In net I feel Giacomin is a serviceable #1. Five consecutive all-star selections and Hart runner-up is plenty solid in my books. My backup Normie Smith had a short peak, but it was downright dominant. Great performances in back to back cups, and Busher Jackson and Red Horner both call him the best goalie they ever played against. So while I don't have any illusions of my goaltending winning me a series ala Plante or Hasek, I don't think they'll lose one for me either.

And finally, I think Hap Day is just one of the best coaches of all time, and I was happy to grab him when I did.

THE INGLEWOOD JACKS

Hap Day

Hooley Smith - Sergei Fedorov - Guy Lafleur
Bun Cook - Nels Stewart - Jeremy Roenick
Joe Klukay - Pit Lepine - Jamie Langenbrunner
John Sorrell - Jack Marshall - Odie Cleghorn

Brian Leetch - Babe Siebert
Art Coulter - Jimmy Watson
Tommy Anderson - Ivan Tregubov

Eddie Giacomin
Normie Smith​

Extras: Jason Smith, Jack Laviolette​

So there it is. Not as flashy as my last entry, but I think it's much more versatile from top to bottom. Thoughts?

 

[Leaf Lander]

GM
Coach: Punch Imlach
Captain:Tedder Kennedy
Assistant:Scott Stevens
Assistant:Gary Roberts
Assistant:Mats Sundin
Assistant:George Armstrong



#7 Gary Roberts---#13 Mats Sundin------#22 Rick Vaive
#14 Stu Barnes ----- #11-Murray Oliver---#12 Peter Bondra
#25 Patrik Elias----#9 Teeder Kennedy ---- #10 George Armstrong
#18 Bob Davidson---#25 PeterZezel------#11 Bob Nevin
#71 Evgeni Malkin

#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake
#21 Bobby Baun---#33 Al Iafrate
#18 Garth Boesch --#15 Tomas Kaberle
#2 Ian Turnbull

#30 Martin Brodeur
#31 Curtis Joseph
#1 Frank McCool

Power play Units
Squad 1
#25 Patrik Elias----#9 Teeder Kennedy---#12 Peter Bondra/#14 Stu Barnes
#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake

Squad 2
#7 Gary Roberts---#13 Mats Sundin------#22 Rick Vaive/#71 Evgeni Malkin
#2 Ian Turnbull--#15 Tomas Kaberle

Penalty kill Units
Squad 1
#18 Bob Davidson---#11-Murray Oliver-----#10 George Armstrong
#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake/#13 Mats Sundin

Squad 2
#14 Stu Barnes -----#25 PeterZezel------#11 Bob Nevin
#21 Bobby Baun---#18 Garth Boesch/#15 Tomas Kaberle

 

[Sturminator]

- As you acknowledged yourself your second pairing could cause some problems but you have a nice plan to minimalize the problem. But it could cause another problem in your players being to busy defending rather than scoring goals. With Northcott playing a defensive role you only have Selanne and Smith to score on your second line.

-Dryden is of course one of the best ever. Burke is an ok back-up. He won't cause trouble in the locker room for being the number 2.(Not as e.g. Tom Barasso and Eddie Balfour would do.)

Thanks, Jungo. I don't see the 2nd pairing or transition offense/defense being problems on this team. First, it should be noted that the left wing lock is really a forechecking system and does not affect transition offense. Barber, Northcott, Kilrea, etc. will still be free to attack into the zone when the Isotopes are able to cross the blueline with speed and will play normal offensive roles when the puck is cycled (which this team should be good at). It is when the puck is dumped in that they will be asked to drop back on line with the defensemen while the centers and right wings forecheck. It's a wasteful system offensively only if you've got superstars on the left wing.

It is also worth noting that Dave Burrows and Zdeno Chara are interchangeable as the #4 defenseman next to Stuart depending on the matchup. Both will get substantial minutes on the 2nd pairing during the regular season so chemistry with Stuart shouldn't be a problem for either man. Chara will be the #4 against teams with slower, more powerful attacks (especially on the 2nd line) while Burrows will get the nod against speedier teams that are more dangerous in transition. Burrows doesn't have anything like Chara's hand skills and he's not as dominant physically or in his own zone (few are), but he was a strong shutdown player and a great skater, especially backwards. The left wing lock and the ability to exchange these two players based on matchups should minimize Springfield's vulnerability in transition.

Burke will only see ice in the playoffs if Dryden is getting bombed and Keenan decides to pull him, as he is prone to do. In the regular season, Burke is a below-average backup, but in the playoffs that becomes irrelevant, as he will not start a single game. Drafting a top-flight backup for Ken Dryden was not one of our priorities. One of the benefits of drafting a stud modern goalie is that his backup is essentially nothing more than regular season window dressing.

Bobby Smith's regular season scoring record is below average, but he's a different animal in the playoffs. Not counting guys who were higher picks, Smith may be the ideal postseason center for Selanne. Baldy Northcott's got a retro Conn Smythe to his name, as well. Not an overwhelming regular season 2nd line (though Selanne is the best 2nd line RW not named Geoffrion), but a unit that should be able to raise its level of play when the chips are down.

I don't have the time right now, but I'll write a review of your team later.

 

[Sturminator]

LL, "Tedder" Kennedy is one of the most amusing typos I've ever seen. You might want to change it to reflect Teeder's real nickname, though.

 

[Sturminator]

As for Reise... EB had suggested moving him to the bottom pair and moving St. Laurent to the second pair. Do you agree with that sentiment?

Glad to hear that from you and from nik, hope it'll carry some weight

Thanks to nik for his review as well! Always nice to get good and constructive feedback on this fun process.

I would like to point out that having Reise and Durnan on the same team is something of a moral victory given that Reise scored the most infamous goal against of Durnan's career.

I also consider Bill Durnan a solid top-10 goalie, especially as Leo Reise will only be shooting pucks at him in practice.

 

[Evil Sather]

Leaf Lander: I've never reviewed your team so I hope you can think I'm not doing so critically and just bashing an HF Icon to make me cool like the rest of these fools.



First thing off the bat: You have what would have to be considered the worst 1st line in the draft. Kennedy is all sorts of great in a lot of ways, but *maybe* a bottom end #1C and that might be generous. I don't think you could have taken two worse wingers to play with him either, they're going to be at the goal line while he's still getting across the blue line (ok its not that bad but stylistically they don't match up at all, Bondra is the worst 1st line guy maybe ever). What the hell has Patrik Elias done to deserve a 1st line spot? Ten years, ONE 40 goal season, ONE 90 point season, ONE 1st team LW spot. Zero internationally. That's it? The only way I see it working is if Kennedy plays defensive concience always and and you try to continually rush Bondra and Elias up the wings. I don't know. The strange thing is Elias-Kennedy is a HELL of a 3rd line by themselves.

That said I love your 2nd line and I think its a top 5 2nd line in the draft. Offers a bit of everything, consistancy, effort, skating, skill, nastiness. If they get a good forecheck going there's VERY few defenses that can stop it.

3rd line is solid, if a little nondescript. Armstrong was probably a reach, but it'll do the job. Your love affair with Peter Zezel continues and I am all in favor of it, Stu Barnes is a *GOLDSTAR* choice for a 4th liner. Nevin is too good for a 4th line IMO and if it wouldn't throw everything out of whack I'd stick him on the 1st and kinda roll 2 2nd lines with Bondra playing a lot of PP and not much else. Nevin to me is a RW version of Bert Olmstead, and Bertie was good enough for Beliveau.

Your D is huge, mobile, mean, skilled, and if you had a different brain in Al Iafrate, I'd love it. No one will keep their heads down against that D, especially that top-4. Yikes.

Brodeur is fantastic, top-5 at the moment and maybe higher. You'll find no one who thinks more highly of him than I do.

I think the 3rd goalie is a waste, generally. But pick who you like. Malkin is a nice 13th forward, screw the haters, you lacked a gamebreaking forward and got him super late. Good job.

The one thing that REALLY sticks at me is your forwards being more responsible than your defense, generally speaking. I have no idea how that dynamic works because I can't think of a situation like it.

GM
Coach: Punch Imlach
Captain:Tedder Kennedy
Assistant:Scott Stevens
Assistant:Gary Roberts
Assistant:Mats Sundin
Assistant:George Armstrong


#25 Patrik Elias----#9 Tedder Kennedy---#12 Peter Bondra
#7 Gary Roberts---#13 Mats Sundin------#22 Rick Vaive
#18 Bob Davidson---#11-Murray Oliver-----#10 George Armstrong
#14 Stu Barnes -----#25 PeterZezel------#11 Bob Nevin
#71 Evgeni Malkin

#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake
#21 Bobby Baun---#33 Al Iafrate
#18 Garth Boesch --#15 Tomas Kaberle
#2 Ian Turnbull

#30 Martin Brodeur
#31 Curtis Joseph
#1 Frank McCool

Power play Units
Squad 1
#25 Patrik Elias----#9 Tedder Kennedy---#12 Peter Bondra/#14 Stu Barnes
#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake

Squad 2
#7 Gary Roberts---#13 Mats Sundin------#22 Rick Vaive/#71 Evgeni Malkin
#2 Ian Turnbull--#15 Tomas Kaberle

Penalty kill Units
Squad 1
#18 Bob Davidson---#11-Murray Oliver-----#10 George Armstrong
#4 Scott Stevens---#4 Rob Blake/#13 Mats Sundin

Squad 2
#14 Stu Barnes -----#25 PeterZezel------#11 Bob Nevin
#21 Bobby Baun---#18 Garth Boesch/#15 Tomas Kaberle

 

[papershoes]

here's the st.catharines teepees roster:

GM's: Johnny O and papershoes
Coach: Al Arbour
Captain: Dave Keon
Alternates: Kevin Lowe, Darryl Sittler, Kris Draper

#11 Sweeney Schriner - #27 Darryl Sittler (A) - #10 Bill Mosienko
#19 Markus Naslund - #14 Dave Keon (C) - #17 Mike Foligno
#20 Bob Pulford - #33 Kris Draper (A) - #41! Rene Robert
Gordon Roberts - Frank Fredrickson - Paul MacLean
Dan Bain, Clint Smith

#7 Paul Coffey - #4 Kevin Lowe (A)
#3 Lionel Conacher - #5 Lennart Svedberg
Harry Mummery - Bert Corbeau
Doug Bodger

#1 Terry Sawchuk
Riley Hern

Power play units:
PP1: Markus Naslund - Darryl Sittler - Bill Mosienko - Paul Coffey - Lennart Svedberg
PP2: Sweeney Schriner - Frank Fredrickson - Mike Foligno - Lionel Conacher - Rene Robert

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Bob Pulford - Dave Keon - Lionel Conacher - Kevin Lowe
PK2: Mike Foligno - Kris Draper - Harry Mummery - Bert Corbeau

note: we are currently deciding between a couple forward combinations (the one above, and the one below):

forward combo #2
#11 Sweeney Schriner - #27 Darryl Sittler (A) - #10 Bill Mosienko
#19 Markus Naslund - Frank Fredrickson - #17 Mike Foligno
#20 Bob Pulford - #14 Dave Keon (C) - #33 Kris Draper (A)
Gordon Roberts - Dan Bain - #41! Rene Robert
Clint Smith, Paul MacLean


i plan on posting a self-evaluation later today, along with some reviews of other teams

 

[God Bless Canada]

Might as well put my full roster out..


Coach: Lester Patrick
Bobby Hull - Butch Goring - Jari Kurri
Paul Kariya - Mickey MacKay - Babe Dye
Harry Watson - Craig MacTavish - Cliff Koroll
Stan Jonathan - Mel Bridgman - Duane Sutter
Dave Schultz - Erich Kühnhackl

Jack Stewart - Alexei Kasatonov
Ching Johnson - Stefan Persson
Petr Svoboda - Kevin Hatcher
Mike Milbury

Tony Esposito
Chico Resch

I already commented extensively on your team. I will applaud you for putting Kurri back on the top line. Now if only you could do something about that centre spot. You go from having, potentially, the top first line in the draft, to have a really good first line. I really like Goring, but not as a first line guy.

Dye's skating will always concern me, but he's better off on a line with Kariya than Hull.

A very tough team to play against, with a rough-and-tumble defence. Looking forward to your Esposito arguments. (Especially if we play each other in the first round).

 

[chaosrevolver]

I already commented extensively on your team. I will applaud you for putting Kurri back on the top line. Now if only you could do something about that centre spot. You go from having, potentially, the top first line in the draft, to have a really good first line. I really like Goring, but not as a first line guy.

Dye's skating will always concern me, but he's better off on a line with Kariya than Hull.

A very tough team to play against, with a rough-and-tumble defence. Looking forward to your Esposito arguments. (Especially if we play each other in the first round).

Im wondering about MacKay. He was a great goal scorer ad im wondering about switching him to first and Goring to second. It might work but then I have basically three goalscorers on the first line which could work, but also might not.

 

[pitseleh]

Im wondering about MacKay. He was a great goal scorer ad im wondering about switching him to first and Goring to second. It might work but then I have basically three goalscorers on the first line which could work, but also might not.

I would do that personally. MacKay is not a very good first line center either, but I think he's a much better fit there. That line would have a tremendous amount of speed. I also see Dye left behind the play lined up alongside speedsters like MacKay and Kariya.

Neither Kariya or Dye were particularly good defensively either, so giving them a guy who is willing to backcheck (not that MacKay wouldn't) would make up for some of that.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

Donair City Loch Ness Monsters

Coach: Father David Bauer​

Arena: Donair City Shizzle Civic Memorial Donaratorium

The Lineup
Goal

Glen Hall All time iron man won one cup, should have won many
Pete Peeters



Defence:
Dit Clapper 13 years captain of Bruins, 3 stanley cups, 7 time all star
Dave Langevin rock hard blueliner, 4 consecutive cups

Reijo Routsalainen 2 time cup winner who was good enough that80s
Oilers airlifted him in to help them win 2 of their five Don't let his brief
NHL career define his skill, because if you saw him, you know he was sick with talent
Paul Reinhart effective Canada cup member in 81, great puck mover

Wade Redden Good all round rearguard
Randy Gregg 2 time Olympian, 2 time canada cup, five Stanley Cups
B]LW Charlie Simmer[/B] scored 111 goals in 129 games over 2 seasons, on a good team he's got a chance to prove what a performer he can be
B]C Peter Stastny[/B] International legend second to only the truest elite of his generation
B]RW Glen Anderson[/B] Those who didn't actually witness the Oilers dynasty are quick to pass Anderson off as a passenger on that train. This man was as clutch as ever played, and would do whatever it took to win Fourth in playoff points. Six time cup winner

LW Mats Naslund With one stanley cup, this Olympic champion and Lady Byng winner was slick but no coward
C Mike Modano One of my real thorns as an Oilers fan, no one can refute the two way skills of this speedster, who has one cu/I]p to date
RW Real Cloutier This two time winner of WHA scoring title would absolutely light it up with these cats up front

LW Esa tikkanen A two way dynamo and four time cup winner ultimate pest, playoff clutch player
C Kent Nilsson Has enough offensive talent to go with one cup to make your head spin. With the talent on this team, will be motivated to new heights.
RW Ales Hemsky[/BPlenty of talent to play with the big boys, will his head follow?

LW Bob Probert An exceptionally capable player, who once potted 29 while spending 398 minutes in the box, he will drive fear into the wimpy little forwards of the opposition.
C Kevin McLelland Capable of scoring a timely goal, this four time cup winner fears absolutely no one and competes every time
RW Kelly Buchberger[/B A two time cup winner, BUcky is a consumate team player who scores rarely but big. Will take a beating for a team mate any time. All heart all the time

HEalthy scratches:

Gary Nylund
Michel Briere

__________________​

 

[vancityluongo]

VCL, I think this is definitely your best team yet. You didn't make a big screw up this time, and I see a lot more confidence. I remember, in your first draft, you were always trading down. A lot of reasons for that, I think we would both agree. Anyways, on to the hacking...

*As I've said before, best checking line in the draft. Best defensive RW in Provost. Should be in the HHOF. High-character, durable, faceoff ace at centre. In the top three for that role. Gritty winger to work the boards in Parise. Not as good defensively as Henderson, but fits better with the line.
*An effective first line. Sakic's the driving force. He can score, he can pass, and he has two pretty damn good goal scorers to pass to. Conacher led the league in goals once, and was second four times. We know what Kerr can do, especially in front.
*I think you did a better job of surrounding O'Connor with talent than we did. Ovechkin was hit or miss in the playoffs, but he showed you can't intimidate him.
*If Pronovost-Potvin isn't the best pairing in the draft, it's in the top five. Both give you skilled, two-way defenders who play a rough-and-tough style.
*Macoun has his work cut out for him as Flash Hollett's conscience.
*I don't know if there has been a more underrated defenceman in the 20-plus years I've been watching the game than Calle Johansson. Washington consistently had one of the best defence corps in the league through the 1990s. The common thread? Calle Johansson.
*Holocek doesn't get the credit he deserves, either. One of the top international goalies ever.
*It's not an ideal Sather team. Your previous teams were better suited to Sather. But scoring won't be a major issue for your team, either.
*I fully expect you to win your first series this time, unless you get a really bad match-up.

Hacking? That seemed like to me a really positive review...the only thing you said was that Sather wasn't really suited to this team. I'm definitely not complaining though, thanks for the post!

I think the thing that seemed strange to me is I picture both Kerr and Conacher as the type of player who use their size and strength as presences in the slot/in front of the net. Honestly, I don't know enough about how Conacher played, so I'm going to assume he was more of a big bodied goal scorer/corner man.

Meh, I'll throw in another Canucks reference: you can never have too much grit from your scoring forwards ie. Sedins, Naslund, Raymond...

 

[God Bless Canada]

Stampeders review.

Unlike the CFL's Stampeders, this team is loaded with grit, toughness and heart. And unlike the CFL's Stampeders, offence will be a problem for the ATD Stamps. Thoughts...

*Similar to my question for TC: Where will the goals come from? It's a different team from Glace Bay, of course. Glace Day is more about smarts and defensive savvy; Calgary is probably the roughest and toughest team in the draft. But scoring will be a big issue.
*I love Terrible Ted. That's no secret. Second best LW of all-time. He's the only game-breaker on this squad. I think Darragh and Nighbor are better served on the second line. Sutter should be on a third or fourth line. Outside of the 100-point season, he was over a point-per-game once in his career. Playing in the 80s and 90s.
*Even though he doesn't naturally fit into your team, I think trading Cowley was a mistake. A Lindsay-Cowley-xxxxx line, with Nighbor and Darragh on a second line, would be outstanding.
*Your third line will be one of the toughest to play against in the draft. One of my favourite lines. Tough and physical. Linden's one of the best playoff performers to never win a Cup. Thomas wasn't big, but he played tough. Primeau is the big two-way centre every team wants.
*Good to see Holmgren's stock increasing each draft.
*The McCrimmon-MacInnis tandem is one of the best in the draft. We know what Mac can do. McCrimmon is very underrated. He was Lidstrom's mentor when Lidstrom first entered the league. Combines MacInnis' skill and McCrimmon's rock-solid play in his own zone.
*Your bottom three defencemen mirror your team: big and tough. Watch for Jovanovski's brain farts.
*With the team you've got in front of him, Hainsworth might face as many shots as he did in 1929 when he had 22 shutouts.
*Quick refresher: who's your coach.

Since everyone else is doing it...

Calgary Stampeders
Ted Lindsay (C) - Frank Nighbor - Jack Darragh
Al Secord - Brent Sutter - Rick Tocchet
Steve Thomas - Keith Primeau (A) - Trevor Linden
Gaetan Duchesne - Keith Acton - Paul Holmgren
ex. Rick Kehoe

Brad McCrimmon (A) - Al MacInnis
Herb Gardiner - Phil Russell
Ed Van Impe - Ed Jovanovski
ex. Mark Tinordi, Dion Phaneuf

George Hainsworth
Ron Hextall

Did we break the 30,000 PIM mark?

 

[Hockey Outsider]

nooooooo! This sounds almost like the reviews of my last team.

I like this team a lot better. In the last draft, you had great personnel but I thought that you took too many of certain types of players (slow skaters; shoot-first forwards) and not enough of others (playmakers). This time you have great balance.

You have (IMO) the best goalie in the draft, playing behind a very tough, smart defense. Your blueline should minimize scoring chances and intimidate opponents while doing a reasonably good job of staying out of the box. The blueline also features a lot of veteran experience and I like that you were able to take Foote, Konstantinov and Goldham-- three very similar players. I'm not a huge fan of McDonald but you still have a very fast, dangerous #1 line. Like GBC said, your team lacks an elite shutdown forward but your bottom two lines have a good mix of solid defensive players, toughness, and scoring ability.

Weaknesses? You're probably asking Duchesne to fill too big of a role offensively-- I wouldn't want him to be on the ice for 20+ minutes per game given his mediocre (at best) defense... but at the same time, you need somebody on the blueline to make breakout passes so your top two lines can utilize their speed. Your second line is potentially inconsistent-- I don't see Verbeek being much of an offensive catalyst in the ATD and Krustov and Lecavalier were both quite inconsistent at times.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Nanaimo's review...

*Who is pit's co-GM? HO, or Wiser? This isn't a team, it's the United frickin' Nations. Is it the Clippers, or the Red Army?
*Anyways, in all seriousness...
*Best 1-2 punch down the middle outside of Kingston. Clarke and Boucher are outstanding playmaking, two-way centres. A contrast in styles; Clarke could be vicious, while Boucher was as clean as it got.
*Noble's an important guy to play with Boucher and Makarov. That line needed some grit.
*A Dumart-Clarke-Maltsev line might have the best plus-minus in the draft.
*Third line will be tough to play against. Peirson had a couple 50-point seasons in the early 50s. That's impressive for a third line guy.
*Was Starshinov physical? If not, you'll be relying on Labine for the physical presence on that line. As much as I like Ab McDonald, he wasn't much for physical play.
*Fetisov's a rock. I think he's the best non-North American defenceman ever. Skilled. Tough. Aggressive. A leader. A star in the few best-on-best tournaments we saw him.
*Hitchman, Heller, Horner and Dutton are all very tough to play against. Horner led the league in PIMs seven times.
*Goaltending rates among the best in the draft. Benedict is a star. Dzurilla's one of the best back-ups in the draft.
*Tough question time: has Jack Adams been brushing up on his Russian? I smell a language barrier. Perhaps Tikhanov as a translator would be a wise investment. And can some of these Russians get along with the ultra-stubborn Adams?

Now that the roster is complete:

Nanaimo Clippers

GMs: pitseleh and Hockey Outsider
Head Coach: Jack Adams
Captain: Bobby Clarke
Alternate Captains: Viacheslav Fetisov, Lionel Hitchman, Ivan Hlinka

Reg Noble - Frank Boucher - Sergei Makarov
Woody Dumart - Bobby Clarke - Alexander Maltsev
Jiri Holik - Ivan Hlinka - Johnny Peirson
Ab McDonald - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Leo Labine
Tom Dunderdale, Helmut Balderis

Viacheslav Fetisov - Red Horner
Lionel Hitchman - Ott Heller
Lars-Erik Sjoberg - Red Dutton
Rod Seiling

Clint Benedict
Vladimir Dzurilla
​

I have my own thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses but it'd be nice to get some different perspectives. Any other thoughts on a potential Peirson/Labine swap would be appreciated as well.

 

[pitseleh]

*Who is pit's co-GM? HO, or Wiser? This isn't a team, it's the United frickin' Nations. Is it the Clippers, or the Red Army?

**Was Starshinov physical? If not, you'll be relying on Labine for the physical presence on that line. As much as I like Ab McDonald, he wasn't much for physical play.

I appreciate the review GBC. Just to address this point:

Starshinov was famous for his goals scored in front of the net and on the rebounds. His trademarks were wicked shot on the net from any angle and a feisty character, his love to play physical and hard-hitting hockey.

http://www.chidlovski.com/personal/1972/yroster/ru08.htm

From "The Red Machine":

Starshinov, the most outstanding of the three forwards, was a man of peasant stock whose bear-like strength allowed him to hold position in front of the enemy goal. His style approximated that of Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers, but he had twice the heft of Clarke. He was probably the most effective Russian against Canada in the decade. In the Soviet league, where careers were usually shorter than in the NHL, especially for forwards, Starshinov was an exceptional iron man. He played from 1957 to 1975, scoring 404 goals in 510 league games.

They also detailed how he wanted nothing more than to play the NHL players because he loved the tough, physical brand of hockey they played. Unfortunately, by the time the '72 Summit Series rolled around, he was old (by Soviet standards, because they expected players to be worn out by 30) and wasn't at a level where he could effectively contribute.