Max Pacioretty - Ryan O'Reilly - T.J Oshie
Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Rickard Rakell
Andrew Mangiapane - Jordan Staal - Josh Leivo
William Carrier - Jordan Weal - Troy Terry
Alex Edler - Alex Pietrangelo
Devon Toews - Dylan DeMelo
Dmitry Kulikov - Radko Gudas
Elvis Merzlikins
Craig Anderson
I won’t try and sell my team. I‘m open to breakdowns of any kind. I’d love to hear any opinions!
Sure, I'll give it a go!
Max Pacioretty - Ryan O'Reilly - T.J Oshie
Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Rickard Rakell
Andrew Mangiapane - Jordan Staal - Josh Leivo
William Carrier - Jordan Weal - Troy Terry
Probably one of the premier offensive units in the game. Three pivots who've been in the Selke conversation, two with Cup rings to date. The top line is a healthy mix of two-way ability and high-end offense. They'd be a nightmare to play against.
The second line is strong. The pairing of Couture and Rackell would be tough to handle, though the obvious weak link of a 40 year old Patrick Marleau exists, I'm not convinced he process to be much of a hindrance.
The pairing of Jordan Staal and Andrew Mangiapane on the third line makes them an interesting shutdown option. The latter with plenty of speed to burn suggests this line would give opposing defensive units some grief. Leivo doesn't add much for me here either way.
And if there's a weak line, it's the fourth who would probably see about 8 minutes a night considering the depth ahead of them. Carrier puts people through walls, so he might make a name for himself in a playoff series. Jordan Weal is an average depth C. And Troy Terry looks like a promising secondary scorer in the future, but overall I think this is a fourth line you'd probably have to monitor.
Alex Edler - Alex Pietrangelo
Devon Toews - Dylan DeMelo
Dmitry Kulikov - Radko Gudas
A defensive unit with an absolutely stellar top pairing led by one of the NHL's premier defensemen. Edler is a good puck-moving compliment, who'd probably thrive offensively playing with the best partner he's seen in his entire career.
The second unit is a good mix of puck-moving ability and astute defense. No big names here, just a quiet 20 minute second pair. The third unit of Kulikov and Gudas is a unit built for the playoffs. Plenty of grit, plenty of physicality. Overall a bottom four capable of playing 20+ minutes a night, if needed.
Elvis Merzlikins
Craig Anderson
A good young starter backed up by an over-the-hill but still competitive veteran. They're not pretty, but they should get the job done most nights.
Overall I think this is a team full of veterans who'd be pushing for those one or two last shots at a Cup. Depth in all the right places, a reliable D unit and plenty of scoring options would make this team a Cup contender in real life.
Well done.
