Confirmed with Link: Bergeron, Lucic, Marshmont, Eriksson, Krejci, Chara and Rask Invited to Olympic Camps
- Thread starter Shaun
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BigGoalBrad
Registered User
- Jun 3, 2012
- 9,955
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Lucic will get consideration. On team Canada he's the probably the only "goon" consideration. He might not drop the gloves but they'd take him to run a Finnish D man into the glass. Its still hockey and he can hit people. Will he get a chance to play with Crosby? No.
Marchand like Lucic is a perfect 4th line fit. Brings speed, skill, and PK ability. I can see him making the team and being a healthy scratch and maybe getting in a game.
Bergeron is a lock but he might be on the 4th line.
Marchand like Lucic is a perfect 4th line fit. Brings speed, skill, and PK ability. I can see him making the team and being a healthy scratch and maybe getting in a game.
Bergeron is a lock but he might be on the 4th line.
As he should. He could do the exact same thing for Canada he did for Boston... give them a new identity.
Neely2005
Registered User
Gobias Industries
Registered User
Lucky? They're returning Olympic champs, with the same goalie they won the gold with...
Maybe not the best goaltending but they sure as heck won't be "lucky" to finish fourth or higher...
Gobias Industries
Registered User
Bmessy
Registered User
Can Lucic's banging style translate well on the large ice? I would love to see him running show on that stage. Imagine Lucic skating into the corner about to blast some dude from Belarus?
Also, I love my Bruins, but Benn should be in over Marchand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V4TfQo9EBg
try not to get excited over that
I wish we gave Seguin++ for that guy
Also, I love my Bruins, but Benn should be in over Marchand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V4TfQo9EBg
try not to get excited over that
I wish we gave Seguin++ for that guy
Good point.
For Canada, I don't think big ice / small ice should matter, but we shall see.
In the World Championships, they won gold in Europe (while handicapped by lots of good players still being active in NHL playoffs) in:
2003
2004
2007
In 2008, the only time the Worlds have been played in Canada, they finished 2nd to Russia.
PS, in 2006 Canada lost to Switzerland (led by 35 year old Paul Dipietro) simply because Martin Gerber was brilliant...anything can happen.
Buckets and Gloves
klaatu barada nikto
- Aug 14, 2011
- 7,578
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Luongo was pretty shaky in 2010...I don't think anyone is deriding him, but if he is #1 in 2014...then Canada's goaltending will rank below:
U.S. (Quick)
Sweden (Lundqvist)
Finland (Rask)
Russia (Bobrovsky)
Canada has way more talent than any of these teams, of course...but goaltending and emotion go a long way towards Olympic wins, there are no 7 game series / wars of attrition there.
Neely2005
Registered User
TootSweet
Registered User
Rask is amazing. I do think Rinne gets the starting job. I'm pulling for Rask though.
Paddington
Registered User
Nobody should be surprised by Marchand's invitation. I doubt he would make the team but I think he's more likely to make it than Lucic. He has already played (well) at the world juniors, his speed and elusiveness would be well-suited for the big ice, and he can play a 4th line/PK type role, which is what he'd probably be asked to do. Aside from the "little ball o' hate" reputation he has, the guy is versatile and effective. Besides, could you imagine the Sedins skating for cover whenever Marchand steps on the ice?
Shaky? It was brodeur who was shaky...Loo had 1.76 GAA/927SV% and made 34 saves in gold medal game...he was very good...
Every save was an adventure with Luongo in the 2010 Olympics...admittedly his stats were strong, but I don't think that anyone watching the games had much confidence in him.
Agree to disagree I guess...if he didn't come in to take over Canada would not have been in final game...I had no problem with him...people were even critical of him on USA tying goal in gold medal game...even though the defense pairing were nowhere to be found...
Trap Jesus
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- Feb 13, 2012
- 28,686
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Forwards
I definitely want to see lines of:
E. Staal-Tavares-Giroux
Nash-Getzlaf-Perry
Giroux could be a great set-up man to Tavares, and Staal is one of those guys that can play with anyone, and he brings a solid defensive presence as well.
Nash should fit in very well with Getzlaf's playmaking ability and is another big body to fit into Getzlaf and Perry's cycling game.
Staal and Nash are somewhat interchangeable on these lines, but I'd go with those combinations as of right now.
I also know I want to see combinations of Crosby-Stamkos and Bergeron-Toews.
With Bergeron and Toews, Bergeron should be taking all of the draws on the right side and the neutral zone, and Toews should be taking everything on the left side. I'd prefer Bergeron on the right side when not taking draws, but I'm very comfortable in his versatility to play anywhere. I'm not as sure about Toews, but I figure he'd be on the left-side most of the time.
Crosby is obviously the first line center. I also know that I want Stamkos to play with him, but I'm not sure which side that should be on. A ton of people want to bring in St. Louis to play with Stamkos, but I think I'm against bringing him entirely at this point. Having St. Louis and Stamkos as wingers would surely affect that dynamic, and I don't really like St. Louis' game compared to his bigger and more well-rounded competition.
Either way, I am looking for a similar player to fill in the first line wing spot as I am for the checking line wing spot.
With Crosby and Stamkos, you need a player with a good defensive game that can do more of the dirty work to give Crosby and Stamkos more space, and you need him to be versatile to allow Stamkos to become more acclimated to whichever wing he feels comfortable playing.
With Bergeron and Toews, you obviously want a player that is great defensively to complete the checking line trio, and you want him to have the versatility to move around if he needs to.
That leaves me with: Couture, Sharp, M. Richards, J. Staal, Ladd, Marchand and, if he was included on the Camp Roster, Benn as the main candidates.
At this point, I think a guy like Couture would be a great fit on the top line because I think he brings the most offense and versatility to the table. He's a really smart player that can fit in seamlessly with a lot of players.
Richards would be great for the checking line as well. He brings a more physical style of defense to the table as opposed to the more cerebral Bergeron and even Toews. He'd be better suited to the left side, which is a bit of a drawback, but most of these guys are anyways.
As for extra forwards, I heard Canada is likely to bring two. Having one Swiss Army Knife in case of injury and one more high-risk/high reward type of guy in case things go South for the team seems to be a good way to go. Benn would honestly have been perfect for the Swiss Army Knife-type of player but since he's not on the Camp Roster, I'll go with Sharp. As for the high-risk/high-reward guy, I'd probably go with Hall. His speed on the big ice surface could be a great fit. Plus, I don't have any natural left-wingers on the team (I think Nash is a natural right-winger), so that would always be good to have.
Defense
Weber, Doughty, Keith, Pietrangelo are locks and there's no real use discussing anything about them other than Pietrangelo being able to play the left side and Keith being a natural on the left side.
Pietrangelo-Weber
Keith-Doughty
Mix those 4 up anyway you want, but those are your top 4. Personally, I like Pietrangelo and Weber's size in more of a shutdown role, and then Keith and Doughty (who played together at last Olympics) being a really good puck-moving pairing that are also capable of shutting teams down.
Subban should probably get the right-spot on the bottom pairing. He's a bit high-risk/high-reward, but he has shown flashes of having a good defensive game, and he could be really effective on the big ice.
The big area of competition will be on the left side of the bottom pairing. All I know is that whoever gets it should be left-handed and play a reliable game if he's beside Subban. That means I think the competition for this spot will be between Bouwmeester, Hamhuis, Vlasic and M. Staal if he's healthy and looks good out there. I'm actually a big fan of Bouwmeester's game so I'd give him the spot. He's a tremendous skater, which can always help on the big ice, and he brings a very solid all-around game to the table. I'm not against any of the other guys I mentioned though, and I actually think one of them should be an extra as only having two left-handed defensemen is a bit ridiculous. Hamhuis would be the best pick as of this moment, I think.
I'm 50/50 between Letang and Seabrook. Letang is basically the ultimate high-risk/high-reward type of player, but the thing is, I'm not sure if Canada needs that much upside. Seabrook is a guy you can just plug in on the right side and not have to worry about him, plus, he has that chemistry with Keith. I do like the idea of having one extra being a guy you can plug in seamlessly and one wildcard though, so I'll lean towards Letang as of this moment.
Goalies
Easily Canada's Achilles' Heel. I thought it was going to be Price, Luongo and Ward, but with Ward being left off the Camp Roster, I really don't know who should fill in as the third goalie.
I like the idea of Price starting on a very short leash and Luongo being the back-up.
For the third goalie, normally I'd like to see a young guy make the trip as kind of a protege for the Olympics to come, but I think I'd refrain from doing that this time for a couple reasons. Firstly, Canada doesn't have a guy like that right now. Holtby might be the closest to that, but I really do not have that kind of confidence in him at this point. Price should be that guy for the next 2-3 Olympics anyways if all goes according to plan. Secondly, Price and Luongo, as talented as they are, have been known to be basket cases. You want a guy that is known for being mentally stable and at least consistent enough to come in and do an adequate job (which might be all that Canada needs from their goalies). That's why Ward would have been perfect. With him out of the picture, I don't really know who they should turn to. Out of those 5 guys, Crawford has at least proven something this year under pressure so I guess I'd go with him.
Final Roster
Couture-Crosby-Stamkos
E. Staal-Tavares-Giroux
Nash-Getzlaf-Perry
Richards-Bergeron-Toews
Extras - Sharp, Hall
Pietrangelo-Weber
Keith-Doughty
Bouwmeester-Subban
Extras - Hamhuis, Letang
Price
Luongo
Extra - Crawford
I definitely want to see lines of:
E. Staal-Tavares-Giroux
Nash-Getzlaf-Perry
Giroux could be a great set-up man to Tavares, and Staal is one of those guys that can play with anyone, and he brings a solid defensive presence as well.
Nash should fit in very well with Getzlaf's playmaking ability and is another big body to fit into Getzlaf and Perry's cycling game.
Staal and Nash are somewhat interchangeable on these lines, but I'd go with those combinations as of right now.
I also know I want to see combinations of Crosby-Stamkos and Bergeron-Toews.
With Bergeron and Toews, Bergeron should be taking all of the draws on the right side and the neutral zone, and Toews should be taking everything on the left side. I'd prefer Bergeron on the right side when not taking draws, but I'm very comfortable in his versatility to play anywhere. I'm not as sure about Toews, but I figure he'd be on the left-side most of the time.
Crosby is obviously the first line center. I also know that I want Stamkos to play with him, but I'm not sure which side that should be on. A ton of people want to bring in St. Louis to play with Stamkos, but I think I'm against bringing him entirely at this point. Having St. Louis and Stamkos as wingers would surely affect that dynamic, and I don't really like St. Louis' game compared to his bigger and more well-rounded competition.
Either way, I am looking for a similar player to fill in the first line wing spot as I am for the checking line wing spot.
With Crosby and Stamkos, you need a player with a good defensive game that can do more of the dirty work to give Crosby and Stamkos more space, and you need him to be versatile to allow Stamkos to become more acclimated to whichever wing he feels comfortable playing.
With Bergeron and Toews, you obviously want a player that is great defensively to complete the checking line trio, and you want him to have the versatility to move around if he needs to.
That leaves me with: Couture, Sharp, M. Richards, J. Staal, Ladd, Marchand and, if he was included on the Camp Roster, Benn as the main candidates.
At this point, I think a guy like Couture would be a great fit on the top line because I think he brings the most offense and versatility to the table. He's a really smart player that can fit in seamlessly with a lot of players.
Richards would be great for the checking line as well. He brings a more physical style of defense to the table as opposed to the more cerebral Bergeron and even Toews. He'd be better suited to the left side, which is a bit of a drawback, but most of these guys are anyways.
As for extra forwards, I heard Canada is likely to bring two. Having one Swiss Army Knife in case of injury and one more high-risk/high reward type of guy in case things go South for the team seems to be a good way to go. Benn would honestly have been perfect for the Swiss Army Knife-type of player but since he's not on the Camp Roster, I'll go with Sharp. As for the high-risk/high-reward guy, I'd probably go with Hall. His speed on the big ice surface could be a great fit. Plus, I don't have any natural left-wingers on the team (I think Nash is a natural right-winger), so that would always be good to have.
Defense
Weber, Doughty, Keith, Pietrangelo are locks and there's no real use discussing anything about them other than Pietrangelo being able to play the left side and Keith being a natural on the left side.
Pietrangelo-Weber
Keith-Doughty
Mix those 4 up anyway you want, but those are your top 4. Personally, I like Pietrangelo and Weber's size in more of a shutdown role, and then Keith and Doughty (who played together at last Olympics) being a really good puck-moving pairing that are also capable of shutting teams down.
Subban should probably get the right-spot on the bottom pairing. He's a bit high-risk/high-reward, but he has shown flashes of having a good defensive game, and he could be really effective on the big ice.
The big area of competition will be on the left side of the bottom pairing. All I know is that whoever gets it should be left-handed and play a reliable game if he's beside Subban. That means I think the competition for this spot will be between Bouwmeester, Hamhuis, Vlasic and M. Staal if he's healthy and looks good out there. I'm actually a big fan of Bouwmeester's game so I'd give him the spot. He's a tremendous skater, which can always help on the big ice, and he brings a very solid all-around game to the table. I'm not against any of the other guys I mentioned though, and I actually think one of them should be an extra as only having two left-handed defensemen is a bit ridiculous. Hamhuis would be the best pick as of this moment, I think.
I'm 50/50 between Letang and Seabrook. Letang is basically the ultimate high-risk/high-reward type of player, but the thing is, I'm not sure if Canada needs that much upside. Seabrook is a guy you can just plug in on the right side and not have to worry about him, plus, he has that chemistry with Keith. I do like the idea of having one extra being a guy you can plug in seamlessly and one wildcard though, so I'll lean towards Letang as of this moment.
Goalies
Easily Canada's Achilles' Heel. I thought it was going to be Price, Luongo and Ward, but with Ward being left off the Camp Roster, I really don't know who should fill in as the third goalie.
I like the idea of Price starting on a very short leash and Luongo being the back-up.
For the third goalie, normally I'd like to see a young guy make the trip as kind of a protege for the Olympics to come, but I think I'd refrain from doing that this time for a couple reasons. Firstly, Canada doesn't have a guy like that right now. Holtby might be the closest to that, but I really do not have that kind of confidence in him at this point. Price should be that guy for the next 2-3 Olympics anyways if all goes according to plan. Secondly, Price and Luongo, as talented as they are, have been known to be basket cases. You want a guy that is known for being mentally stable and at least consistent enough to come in and do an adequate job (which might be all that Canada needs from their goalies). That's why Ward would have been perfect. With him out of the picture, I don't really know who they should turn to. Out of those 5 guys, Crawford has at least proven something this year under pressure so I guess I'd go with him.
Final Roster
Couture-Crosby-Stamkos
E. Staal-Tavares-Giroux
Nash-Getzlaf-Perry
Richards-Bergeron-Toews
Extras - Sharp, Hall
Pietrangelo-Weber
Keith-Doughty
Bouwmeester-Subban
Extras - Hamhuis, Letang
Price
Luongo
Extra - Crawford
Oh my oh my I wish I could remember who was arguing with me a few months back that there was absolutely no way Marchand was getting the invite to rep Canada in the Olympics, I am not sure if it was on the main board here or someplace else but boy do I feel vindicated.
ElkabombKid9
Registered User
Love Bergeron to death, and I know Marchand has no shot, but it would be interesting to see him with a Getzlaf or a more offensive center.
TCL40
Registered User
- Jun 29, 2011
- 25,792
- 945
Bergeron IMO is a lock.
I think if Canada thinks about needs Marchand could make the team-he has three things in his favor-
1. Speed (I think big ice and Marchand would be a plus)
2. PK abilities especially paired with Bergeron and the fact that he plays with Bergeron.
3. Julien-this not because Julien is going to demand his player gets on the team but because Julien knows him well and knows Marchand can score while playing in an energy capacity and is IMO part of one of the best shut down lines in the league. Julien doesn't have to be told this-he knows this.
I still think he has to prove he should get a spot above others but he has world junior cup experience and IMO is very likely to make it or be among the final cuts.
I think Looch is too slow for big ice and am not real convinced he has a real shot at making it but who knows?
I think if Canada thinks about needs Marchand could make the team-he has three things in his favor-
1. Speed (I think big ice and Marchand would be a plus)
2. PK abilities especially paired with Bergeron and the fact that he plays with Bergeron.
3. Julien-this not because Julien is going to demand his player gets on the team but because Julien knows him well and knows Marchand can score while playing in an energy capacity and is IMO part of one of the best shut down lines in the league. Julien doesn't have to be told this-he knows this.
I still think he has to prove he should get a spot above others but he has world junior cup experience and IMO is very likely to make it or be among the final cuts.
I think Looch is too slow for big ice and am not real convinced he has a real shot at making it but who knows?
Caper Bruins fan
Registered User
I would rather see Bergeron rest also.I hope Lucic makes it,the Olympic atmosphere would do him wonders,it would be a nice tuneup before the playoffs and might help Milan to consistently come to play throughout the entire year, not just the playoffs. I am kind of on the fence as far as having Marchand on the team,I wouldn't mind him getting the rest either.Obviously, I am not a huge fan of Olympic hockey,always a company man.Go Bruins!!
Caper Bruins fan
Registered User
As he should. He could do the exact same thing for Canada he did for Boston... give them a new identity.
Love that pic!!
