HFBoards Team Canada 2020: 3C

[Dominance]

Marchand emphatically claims the last spot in the top-6. Now we get to the real competition. Who should be the third line centre?

This series of polls is an exercise to collectively put together the best roster Canada could field if they were to play an international game on New Year’s Day.

The process for filling out the team as follows:

1. Fill the forwards, moving from centre to wing to wing, with remaining centres also eligible. A guy like Giroux might be best deployed higher up in the lineup on the wing; it is up to the voters to decide.
2. Fill the defense. All defenders will be available for each side. Up to the voters to determine the importance of correct handed-ness.
3. Fill the goaltenders.

If we receive a good amount of participation, I may continue to make a 2020 Team Canada B, Team USA, Team Scandinavia, Team Rest of World, and so on as demanded.

Here is the pool of players I will be working with. Open to suggestions (i.e. shifting Giroux to a winger group).

C: Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Bergeron, Tavares, Seguin, Duchene, O’Rielly, Point, Scheifele, Couturier, Giroux, Monahan, Couture, Stamkos, Johansen, Toews, Strome, Dubois, Barzal, Domi, Horvat, Nugent-Hopkins, Kadri, Schenn, Getzlaf, Athanasiou, E. Staal

LW: Marchand, Hall, Huberdeau, Benn, Skinner, Debrusk, Hoffman, Drouin, Kane, Schwartz

RW: Stone, Marner, Reinhart, Marchesseault, Mantha, Anderson, Gallagher, Bailey, Konecny, Smith, Wilson

LD: Giordano, Chabot, Morrissey, Keith, Girard, Theodore, Murray, Nurse, Matheson, Vlasic, Brodie, Chychrun, Sanheim, Dunn, Muzzin

RD: Burns, Doughty, Rielly, Spurgeon, Dumba, Letang, Pietrangelo, Pulock, Parayko, Weber, Subban, Ellis, Barrie, Ekblad, Hamilton, Montour, Makar, Savard, Severson

G: Price, Fleury, Murray, Holtby, Dubnyk, Hart, Binnington, Jones, Smith, Crawford, Blackwood

With that out of the way...who should be Canada’s third line centre?

Hall - McDavid - MacKinnon
Marchand - Crosby - Bergeron
x - x - x
x - x - x

x - x
x - x
x - x

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Click to read more...

 

[Dominance]

My vote went to Tavares.

 

[Trap Jesus]

O'Reilly as the checking center and Tavares as the other scoring line option.

Scheifele is the best player but Tavares-Marner would be a great connection then put Scheifele on LW.

Couturier-O'Reilly-Stone for the last line.

 

[bobholly39]

Tavares.

get a defensive center for the 4th line. 3rd center stick to offense - and Tavares is the best one left.

Poll options are lacking though - to me this is a 2 way race between Tavares and Stamkos. Stamkos should be here.

 

[MackAttack26]

Tavares with Marner and your choice of Scheifele/Giroux/Stamkos/Point as their LW

 

[Dominance]

Tavares.

get a defensive center for the 4th line. 3rd center stick to offense - and Tavares is the best one left.

Poll options are lacking though - to me this is a 2 way race between Tavares and Stamkos. Stamkos should be here.

Probably should have added him to the poll, but I’m pretty sure he is seen as “less of a centre” than the options, if you know what I mean. I think most see him as a winger on Team Canada; he’s pretty much only been deployed there by the national team. Strong option for the left side beside Tavares, or possibly opposite Point (likely my choice for the fourth line RW).

 

[heilongjetsfan]

Knee jerk reaction from a homer: I'm the 1 vote for Scheifele. Objectively, Tavares is probably better, though I don't think it's by a lot. I wouldn't be surprised to see 55 outscore 91 this season.

 

[Dominance]

Knee jerk reaction from a homer: I'm the 1 vote for Scheifele. Objectively, Tavares is probably better, though I don't think it's by a lot. I wouldn't be surprised to see 55 outscore 91 this season.

I agree that it’s close. Scheifele should definitely earn a spot on the team IMO

 

[wetcoast]

O'Reilly as the checking center and Tavares as the other scoring line option.

Scheifele is the best player but Tavares-Marner would be a great connection then put Scheifele on LW.

Couturier-O'Reilly-Stone for the last line.

This is how I would like to make up the team as well but there isn't really a wrong choice in the options listed here.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Knee jerk reaction from a homer: I'm the 1 vote for Scheifele. Objectively, Tavares is probably better, though I don't think it's by a lot. I wouldn't be surprised to see 55 outscore 91 this season.

I think Scheifele is the most awkward fit on the team, but someone who has to be there based on talent. Nobody would argue against Crosby and McDavid as centers and when you consider Tavares-Marner you have to put that in as a combination too. That leaves a role that Toews has always filled as the "checking line", and I don't think Scheifele is the best fit for that. Add in that on RW you already have Bergeron, MacKinnon, Marner and probably Stone in a checking role, so that only leaves LW. I don't know what Scheifele has done in the past, but you already have someone like Giroux that plays a lot of LW. All these things add up to not putting him on the team, but at the end of the day you just have to jam him in there somewhere.

 

[Regal]

I think Scheifele is the most awkward fit on the team, but someone who has to be there based on talent. Nobody would argue against Crosby and McDavid as centers and when you consider Tavares-Marner you have to put that in as a combination too. That leaves a role that Toews has always filled as the "checking line", and I don't think Scheifele is the best fit for that. Add in that on RW you already have Bergeron, MacKinnon, Marner and probably Stone in a checking role, so that only leaves LW. I don't know what Scheifele has done in the past, but you already have someone like Giroux that plays a lot of LW. All these things add up to not putting him on the team, but at the end of the day you just have to jam him in there somewhere.

I agree with everything before this. I like Scheifele, but I'm not sure if he's so much better than any of Canada's other top 15ish forwards that he needs to be jammed in there. Especially if his play is possibly hindered playing the wing on his off side. I think Stamkos is probably the one who needs to be jammed in simply because of getting his shot on the PP.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Stamkos. Who isn't even an option. Very much favorited as a center for team canada as he is the only right handed shot with the big 1-timer. They'd want him for the 1st unit PP, so he'd end up playing in an offensive 3C role

 

[Fugazy]

Tavares.