Bit surprised to have finished last but still will try to get in some arguments for my team:
No worries! The late-year drafts always have a strong set of GMs. No n00bs here.
We seem to meet in the first round a lot. Here's my take on the latest chapter in the battle of Newfoundland. (where's St. Louis anyway, is that near Twillingate? And where's Velociraptor?)
Line 1:
Line 1 features a battle of Russia. Kharlamov is one of the best in hockey history at left wing. Mikhailov seems like a good right winger who has a bit of edge to his game. Wayne Gretzky and Jean Beliveau are 2 of the 3 best centres in hockey history. Gretzky obviously is better but Beliveau may offer a better all around game. Joe Malone and Teemu Selanne should be the goal scorers of their line. Malone offers a good all around game. Overall 2 good 1st lines. Gretzky obviously is the best player here but I have #2 and # 3 in Beliveau and Kharlamov.
Advantage: St.Louis
I would counter that I've built my line better. Beliveau is good all-around, but do you really want your best player picking up defensive slack for a pair of mostly-offense wingers? Plus, I really think a big, strong centre like Beliveau would be most effective with a strong cycling line, and you've got him with a slick Soviet playmaker and a run-and-gun sniper. Conversely, I've surrounded Gretzky with a smart shooter who can think the game on something close to Wayne's level (Malone), and a nasty SOB to watch his captain's back (Mikhailov).
It's not that I think you've built a bad line. Talent is talent, and your guys have loads of it. It's just that when we're dealing with players
this good, fit might be the difference.
Line 2:
Michel Goulet vs. Mike Bossy is a battle of 2 good goal scorers. Goulet offers up a better all around game but Bossy is a heck of a talent. All those 50 goal seasons. Joe Sakic and Marcel Dionne are both very good 2nd line centres. I had Sakic in the ATD this year, great guy who can do it all. Dionne seems to be more of a scorer so you have the advantage with Sakic. Ovechkin vs. Alfredsson is a huge advantage for you. I wonder how he'll feel though about having another goal scorer on his line. That said Ovechkin's a great player and miles ahead of Alfredsson.
Advantage: Shearstown
Ovechkin and Bossy score their goals from different places on the ice. If Sakic has the puck behind the line, he'll have Bossy waiting just across the crease, and Ovechkin locked and loaded in the circle. If OV lets a shot go from way out, you can bet Bossy is looking for the rebound. Having 2 goal scorers just makes this line harder to cover. Ovechkin also brings physicality, while Sakic is the defensive conscience.
Line 3:
Patrik Elias vs. Jere Lehtinen is a battle of decent 2 way guys. Elias is better offensively but Lehtinen is one of the best defensive players in this series. Which player gets to play to their strength more could go a long way to deciding this series. Phil Esposito's one of my favorites all time but I don't quite buy him on a 3rd line. Doug Gilmour is the type of guy who can put a team on his shoulders. I'll be interested to see him vs. Esposito. Reading Smith's bio he seems to be a good 2 way guy, he'll be going vs. John Tonelli who's a good grit guy. Overall this is a battle of 2 way 3rd lines. Esposito's by far the most talented guy on both lines but I still ? his ability to be on a 3rd line.
Advantage: Slight 1 to Shearstown
No, I didn't build a traditional checking line. But your team is going to have to pick their poison - you've got a great checking line, will you use it against Gretzky and the Phantom, OV-Sakic-Bossy, or against Phil and his corner men?
Line 4:
John Leclair vs. Mark Recchi is a battle of players representing the Flyers. These guys where also traded for 1 another. Leclair's a good power forward while Recchi offers more of a 2 way guy. Both are very good players and won't hurt their team. Ted Kennedy's a guy I looked at for this but went with Gilmour to represent Toronto. Hawerchuk represent Phoenix/Winnipeg. He's a solid player who should do well with Nash. Rick Nash vs. Jarome Iginla is a battle of 2 decent power guys. Nash offers a good 2 way game now, Iginla's good all around.
Advantage: Shearstown
Good job waiting for a good two-way Toronto centre. My 4th line's marching order is to go out and play as physically as possible - what's yours?
Defense Pairing 1:
Lidstrom vs. Seibert; I was glad to use my Detroit pick on Lidstrom, guy is among the top 5 defensemen in nhl history, Seibert's a good 1 too but Lidstrom trumps him. Red Kelly's one of the top offensive defenseman in hockey history, he'll go vs. Chelios. Chelios is mean but Kelly's offensive game may be to much for him.
Advantage: Slight 1 to St.Louis.
Very similar pairings. A smooth Red Wing and a tough-as-nails Hawk.
Defense Pairing 2:
Park vs. Chara should be a good battle. Park is better offensively but Chara is an absolute monster on defense who can chip in offensively. Should be a good battle. Weber/Leetch is a good battle. Leetch is more of an offensive guy than is Weber but both guys should help out their teams.
Advantage: St.Louis
Don't have much to say about this, other than that I balance my pair L-R, and you didn't. You might care about that, you might not.
Defense Pairing 3:
Frantisek Pospisil vs. Larry Murphy: Frantisek may be one of the best Czech defensemen of all time, solid all around guy. Murphy's going to be a good scoring defenseman for my 3rd pairing. Niedermayer and Boucher are both similar players so the battle between them is a wash.
Advantage: Tie
Wouldn't Boucher be more similar to Murphy? Used skill and smarts instead of speed, as opposed to Niedermayer, whose skating was his best asset?
Anyway, here's a matchup I intend to exploit. Neither of your guys are especially tough. Will one of them have the job of getting Esposito away from the slot, or winning battles in the corner with Hooley Smith? If not (and Chara seems like more the man for that matchup), then are you sending your third pairing out against Gretzky, or against OV and Bossy? This is why I drafted so many snipers!
Goalies:
We have the top 2 goalies of all time. Roy and Hasek in their primes would have been quite the battle. Shame we never really got to see it. We see it here. Roy's my #1 all time and Hasek is my #2 so a very close battle here. Let me just say that waiting to pick Roy was a strategic move for you. Worters and Fuhr should be a good battle. Worters is one of my favorite early goalies of all time. Fuhr will be a good one for my team. That said given the #1's for both teams neither backup should play much of a factor.
Advantage: Slight to to Shearstown
No argument here.
Coaching:
I have an advantage in coaching. Arbour is one of the best coaches in NHL history, while Sather is more mid level. Sather's a good fit on your team but going vs. Arbor is one of the few advantages my team has on yours.
Advantage: St.Louis
What do you figure Arbour's going to do here? The main challenge you have is stopping my bevy of offensive threats. If you figure Arbour has the answers, what do you think it might be?
