Just for those who say TC is insanely stacked, I would have to ask why they feel that way. I don't see the upcoming team as strong as 2002 or 2010. There is goaltending issues and Staal and Giroux have been terrible this year. These guys are normally locks for the team. Then the Stamkos injury.\Throw in the international ice surface issue and I see a team more like 2006 than the gold medal winning teams. I truly hope I am wrong but my enthusiasm for the Olympics is pretty muted this year.
On the right side the only lock for the team is Corey Perry. Why can't Little play the right wing? As great as he has been, there is not a 'stacked' right side for him to compete with. The other right wingers I would have picked were Stamkos to play with Crosby and Bergeron to play on a line with Toews. It's thinner there now.
I would have to put the top 4 centers as Crosby, Toews, Bergeron and Getzlaf. Tavares can play the left side.
Sure, compared to two of the greatest teams to ever be assembled in the history of international hockey this team is not stacked. Compared to their competition, they are insanely stacked. There will probably be 3 or 4 players left off Team Canada that would be first line/pairing on all but one or two teams in the tournament.
As far as the way Team Canada stacks up, I think it is unlikely Bergeron gets played at center. He'll take a lot of faceoffs, but skate on the right side. I'd say Crosby, Toews, and Thornton are locks at center. The last center spot will go to Getzlaf, Tavares, or Staal. Staal may be left off the team altogether, but the other two will be on but could be shifted to wing. After that Perry, Bergeron and a presumably healthy Nash are locks. So that is at least 8 spots locked in (assuming Staal doesn't make it). In the 4 remaining slots, St. Louis seems pretty probable, especially given the big ice. Sharp also seems likely, at worst as a 13th or 14th guy. Then you end up with a group of Couture, Duchene, Giroux that if they produce in the next few months will probably be there.
Then there's a group of Richards and Staal who were there last time, plus less likely guys like Seguin, Benn, Lucic, Ladd, Neal, Carter, Marleau, recovered Stamkos. So best case scenario Little slots into that group, for the sake of argument, maybe even at the top end. But that is like 9 guys or so, for 1, 2, or 3 spots.