MLD 2015 Assassination Thread

[ResilientBeast]

Have at it folks. Everyone is encouraged to review the other teams.

Click to read more...

 

[Iceman]

Coach: Todd McLellan
Captain: Walt Buswell
Alternates: Mike Ricci, Mike Murphy



Ulf Dahlen - Billy McGimsie - Alex Semin
Nick Mickoski - Bill Hay - Rick Kehoe
Murray Craven - Mike Ricci (A) - Mike Murphy (A)
Tomas Holmström - Guy Chouinard - Petr Sykora

Alexei Gusarov - Mike O'Connell
Walt Buswell (C) - George Owen
Haldor "Slim" Halderson - Niklas Hjalmarsson

Ryan Miller
Pelle Lindbergh


Spares: Rob Zamuner, LW/C - Michael Nylander, C - Darren McCarty, RW - Larry Hillman, D



PP1: Semin - McGimsie - Kehoe - Holmström - O'Connell
PP2: Mickoski - Hay - Chouinard - Dahlen - Owen

PK1: Ricci - Murphy - Buswell - Hjalmarsson
PK2: Hay - Craven - Gusarov - O'Connell
​

 

[ResilientBeast]

Coach : Bun Cook, Bobby Kromm

Nikolai Drozdetsky - Herb Jordan - Art Gagne
Don Lever (C) - Alexander Almetov - Wally Hergesheimer
Bob MacMillan - Mike Fisher (A) - Sami Kapanen
Doc Romnes - Dave Gagner - Dmitri Khristich
Tony Granato - Milan Lucic

Rudolph Kampman - Dmitri Yushkevich (A)
Lou Fontinato - Mario Marois
Lars Bjorn - John Van Boxmeer
Fredrik Olausson

John Bouse Hutton
Don Edwards

Power Play 1

Nikolai Drozdetsky - Herb Jordan - Art Gagne
Mario Marois - John Van Boxmeer

Power Play 2

Doc Romnes - Dave Gagner - Wally Hergesheimer
Lars Bjorn - Dmitri Yushkevich

Penalty Kill 1

Alexander Almetov - Don Lever
Rudolph Kampman - Dmitri Yushkevich

Penalty Kill 2

Mike Fisher - Sami Kapanen
Lou Fontinato - Lars Bjorn

​

 

[Elvis P]

The Houston Eagles

Coach: Lindy Ruff
Captain: Gilles Marotte
Alternates: Craig Simpson, Ray Ferraro

Craig Simpson - Ulf Nilsson - Mickey Redmond
Alex Shibicky - Ray Ferraro - Grant Warwick
Loui Eriksson - Peter McNab - Tony Gingras
Nick Libett - Bill Clement - Dallas Drake
Petr Nedved, Yuri Lebedev

Gilles Marotte - Jyrki Lumme
Garry Galley - Mattias Norstrom
Mark Streit - Marty McSorley
Sami Salo, Jeff Beukeboom

Reggie Lemelin
Niklas Bäckström

PP 1: Craig Simpson, Ulf Nilsson, Mickey Redmond, Garry Galley, Jyrki Lumme
PP 2: Loui Eriksson, Ray Ferraro, Grant Warwick, Mark Streit, Gilles Marotte

PK 1: Nick Libbett, Bill Clement, Gilles Marotte, Mattias Norstrom
PK 2: Loui Eriksson, Peter Mcnab, Garry Galley, Jykri Lumme​

 

[seventieslord]

Regina Capitals

coach: Emile Francis

Geoff Courtnall - Mike Ribeiro - Gary Dornhoefer
Shayne Corson (A) - Jason Allison - Marian Stastny
Murph Champberlain - Tomas Plekanec - Jimmy Peters
Morris Lukowich (A) - Pete Stemkowski - Jason Pominville

Jack Evans - Rick Ley (C)
Marty Burke - Bob Murray
Doug Jarrett - Pavel Kubina

Johnny Mowers
Kelly Hrudey

spares: Walter Smaill (D/F), Billy Harris (F), Martin Straka (F), Gordie Roberts (D)

PP1: Courtnall - Ribeiro - Dornhoefer - Murray - Kubina
PP2: Corson - Allison - Stastny - Ley - Pominville

PK1: Plekanec - Peters - Evans - Ley
PK2: Stemkowski - Chamberlain - Jarrett - Burke
PK3: Corson - Pominville - Murray - Kubina

​

1916 or earlier: Smaill
1917-1942: Chamberlain, Burke, Mowers
1943-1965: Francis, Dornhoefer, Peters, Stemkowski, Evans
1966-1979: Stastny, Lukowich, Jarrett, Ley, Murray, Harris, Roberts
1980-1994: Courtnall, Corson, Allison, Hrudey, Straka
1995-present: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville, Kubina
in 2015: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville

 

[seventieslord]

give me appropriate time and I will review every lineup with the quality of review you have become accustomed to

(the "week to week and a half" timeline discussed probably IS enough time)

 

[Hobnobs]

Regina Capitals

coach: Emile Francis

Geoff Courtnall - Mike Ribeiro - Gary Dornhoefer
Shayne Corson (A) - Jason Allison - Marian Stastny
Murph Champberlain - Tomas Plekanec - Jimmy Peters
Morris Lukowich (A) - Pete Stemkowski - Jason Pominville

Jack Evans - Rick Ley (C)
Marty Burke - Bob Murray
Doug Jarrett - Pavel Kubina

Johnny Mowers
Kelly Hrudey

spares: Walter Smaill (D/F), Billy Harris (F), Martin Straka (F), Gordie Roberts (D)

PP1: Courtnall - Ribeiro - Dornhoefer - Murray - Kubina
PP2: Corson - Allison - Stastny - Ley - Pominville

PK1: Plekanec - Peters - Evans - Ley
PK2: Stemkowski - Chamberlain - Jarrett - Burke
PK3: Corson - Pominville - Murray - Kubina

​

1916 or earlier: Smaill
1917-1942: Chamberlain, Burke, Mowers
1943-1965: Francis, Dornhoefer, Peters, Stemkowski, Evans
1966-1979: Stastny, Lukowich, Jarrett, Ley, Murray, Harris, Roberts
1980-1994: Courtnall, Corson, Allison, Hrudey, Straka
1995-present: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville, Kubina
in 2015: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville

Why give Corson an A? He was a despised leader from what I recall or is ti to make him happy a la the Habs incident?

 

[seventieslord]

Why give Corson an A? He was a despised leader from what I recall or is ti to make him happy a la the Habs incident?

Well I'm aware his Edmonton experience was a disaster, but he has an A because I see him as my second best leader.

1. He obviously had previously exhibited characteristics that made Edmonton believe he was captaincy material

2. Despite Edmonton, two other teams gave him the captaincy after that

3. This is the mld. Players who have been captain at all are rare. Those who have done it multiple times or for multiple seasons are rarer still. I wouldn't give him a letter in the ATD, but he looks just fine here. (I could have gone with three season bad team captain Pominville, but I wanted the leadership a bit higher in the lineup and spread out. Murray and Allison are my only other single season captains, would they be any better?)

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Yeah, I see giving Corson a letter like giving Lindros a letter

 

[Hobnobs]

Well I'm aware his Edmonton experience was a disaster, but he has an A because I see him as my second best leader.

1. He obviously had previously exhibited characteristics that made Edmonton believe he was captaincy material

2. Despite Edmonton, two other teams gave him the captaincy after that

3. This is the mld. Players who have been captain at all are rare. Those who have done it multiple times or for multiple seasons are rarer still. I wouldn't give him a letter in the ATD, but he looks just fine here. (I could have gone with three season bad team captain Pominville, but I wanted the leadership a bit higher in the lineup and spread out. Murray and Allison are my only other single season captains, would they be any better?)

Pominville is probably a better captain tbh. If you want it higher up I wouldve given it to Allison or Murray. Corsons CV is not even decent for the MLD when it comes to leadership, despite being a captain three times.

 

[Johnny Engine]

Conception Bay Cee Bees

Coach: Eddie Gerard

"Rabbit" McVeigh - Victor Zhluktov (A) - Real Cloutier
Adam Deadmarsh - Syl Apps Jr. - Red Hamill (A)
Pierre Mondou - Sami Pahlsson - Alex Burrows
Ron Murphy - Terry Ruskowski (C) - Rich Preston
Moose Goheen, Mike Knuble, Cliff Koroll

Harry Mummery - Tomas Jonsson
Dave Ellett - Dave Langevin
Dick Redmond - Barry Gibbs
Jason Smith

Roger Crozier
Wilf Cude

PP1: Dave Ellett - Syl Apps - Victor Zhluktov - Real Cloutier - Dick Redmond
PP2: Harry Mummery - Pierre Mondou - Adam Deadmarsh - Red Hamill - Tomas Jonsson

PK1: Charles McVeigh - Sami Pahlsson - Harry Mummery - Tomas Jonsson
PK2: Terry Ruskowski - Alex Burrows - Dave Langevin - Barry Gibbs​

 

[Hedberg]

EHC Pikes Oberthurgau

Gerard Gallant - Billy Taylor - Carson Cooper
Fred Scanlan - Harry Trihey (A) - Arthur Farrell
Andre Boudrias - Mike Rogers - Scott Mellanby (C)
Don Maloney - Jozef Golonka - Claude Larose
Ted Hampson - Alexei Zhamnov

Dan Hamhuis - Adrian Aucoin (A)
Doug Bodger - Petr Svoboda
Kim Johnsson - Steve Chiasson
Brad Maxwell - Sylvain Cote

Olaf Kolzig
Sean Burke

Coach: Rudy Pilous

PP1: Gallant-Taylor-Cooper-Aucoin-Chiasson
PP2: Scanlan-Trihey-Farrell-Bodger-Johnsson
PK1: Rogers-Maloney-Hamhuis-Svoboda
PK2: Golonka-Larose-Aucoin-Johnsson

 

[ResilientBeast]

Tuesday I'll spend a couple hours assassinating every team that's posted in this thread by then.

 

[ResilientBeast]

So only 6 teams have posted here, if you haven't posted here by tonight/tomorrow I won't have time to review your team.

 

[tony d]

Time to get this party started:

Coach: Todd McLellan
Captain: Walt Buswell
Alternates: Mike Ricci, Mike Murphy

Todd Mclellan's as good a choice for a coach as any. He's one of the better ones in real life now and is a solid MLD coach right now.

Captains all look good, Buswell and Ricci are good leaders while Murphy brings some grit

Ulf Dahlen - Billy McGimsie - Alex Semin
Nick Mickoski - Bill Hay - Rick Kehoe
Murray Craven - Mike Ricci (A) - Mike Murphy (A)
Tomas Holmström - Guy Chouinard - Petr Sykora

Line 1: Dahlen was always a favorite of mine, didn't do anything overly well but still had a solid career. Mcgimsie looks like a good goal scoring centre, those can be hard to build around but I think Dahlen will be a solid hand to have for your team. Semin's good as well but has shown to be incosistent at times. Overall a solid 1st line.

Line 2: Mickoski got a look from me and hawkman for our team, solid pick, good goal scorer and playmaker. Bill Hay reads as a great all around, always good to have those on your 2nd line. Had Kehoe in a draft before, very solid player. Overall a good 2nd line that I like more than your 1st line.

Line 3: Craven is another guy I always liked, solid guy who did everything well. Mike Ricci is as good a 3rd line centre as you can have in the MLD. Mike Murphy's a solid 2 way guy. Overall a good checking line that won't hurt you offensively either.

Line 4: This reads as more of an offensive line, Holmstrom will be a really good net guy for the line. Chouinard's going to be the playmaker for this line and should put up some good numbers for your team. Sykora's another guy I always liked but will get incosistent, overall a solid line here as well.

Alexei Gusarov - Mike O'Connell
Walt Buswell (C) - George Owen
Haldor "Slim" Halderson - Niklas Hjalmarsson

Defensive Pairing 1: Gusarov is a solid anchor for your defense, he's a good defensive defenseman for sure. I've had O'connell twice including in my first MLD, very solid performer. Overall a good 1st pairing.

Defensive Pairing 2: Buswell looks like a good 1 as well, he served as Canadiens captain in the 30's which is a bonus, he's better defensive than offensively. Owen will be the offensive guy on this pairing, him and Buswell should complement 1 another quite well.

Defensive Pairing 3: The 3rd pairing is not a classic shutdown pairing but rather the typical offensive guy defensive guy pairing. Halderson seems to be a good 1, Hjalmarsson's good but not MLD good just yet, your team might suffer a little from not having a classic shutdown pairing.

Ryan Miller
Pelle Lindbergh

Solid tandem, both guys would be weak #1's in this but overall they will complement 1 another quite well. I expect them to platoon a bit on the season with 1 of them taking the reins for the team in time for the playoffs.

Spares: Rob Zamuner, LW/C - Michael Nylander, C - Darren McCarty, RW - Larry Hillman, D

Solid group of spares who can step in when needed.


PP1: Semin - McGimsie - Kehoe - Holmström - O'Connell
PP2: Mickoski - Hay - Chouinard - Dahlen - Owen

PK1: Ricci - Murphy - Buswell - Hjalmarsson
PK2: Hay - Craven - Gusarov - O'Connell

No comments here, looks solid to me.

Final Thoughts: solid team overall, good luck.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Coach: Todd McLellan
Captain: Walt Buswell
Alternates: Mike Ricci, Mike Murphy



Ulf Dahlen - Billy McGimsie - Alex Semin
Nick Mickoski - Bill Hay - Rick Kehoe
Murray Craven - Mike Ricci (A) - Mike Murphy (A)
Tomas Holmström - Guy Chouinard - Petr Sykora

Alexei Gusarov - Mike O'Connell
Walt Buswell (C) - George Owen
Haldor "Slim" Halderson - Niklas Hjalmarsson

Ryan Miller
Pelle Lindbergh


Spares: Rob Zamuner, LW/C - Michael Nylander, C - Darren McCarty, RW - Larry Hillman, D



PP1: Semin - McGimsie - Kehoe - Holmström - O'Connell
PP2: Mickoski - Hay - Chouinard - Dahlen - Owen

PK1: Ricci - Murphy - Buswell - Hjalmarsson
PK2: Hay - Craven - Gusarov - O'Connell
​

Looks like a solid team, good coaching McLellan has been a reliable coach for his entire NHL tenure. Not sure how he stacks up here but it certainly won't be a weakness.

First Line
Ulf Dahleen is here to be a defensive conscience and his stats don't make him look out of place as a first line glue guy here. McGimsie is an excellent offensive top center here IMO and will put in work for your squad during the regular season. 2/3 of a solid top line but I can't help but feel like Semin will struggle as a top line winger here. He brings nothing besides scoring at all, while he is in the top 6 offensive wingers according to VsX mentioned in the draft thread I have a hard time picturing him on a top line as one of your premier offensive weapons. Since in Washington he was always second fiddle to Ovechkin and seldom drew top checking. Still a solid line.

Second Line
Kehoe is a streaky goalscorer but still a solid offensive option for your second line, and Hay is another solid offensive center. Much like your first line the same formula is used. No real complaints they all seem average for their role and will contribute a decent amount of scoring to your squad.

Third Line
Your checking line features 3 gritty defensive specialists who are going to play a hard nosed game against your opponents best players. I have a hard time ranking defensive players but these three seem to form a very solid checking line.

Fourth Line
A collection of spare parts, but will be able to pot a couple against weaker 4th lines and 3rd D pairings. Could come in clutch. Solid Line

First Pairing
Two solid, two way guys here who know how to protect their own end. Both are mobile so they'll be able to defend against the speedier lines in this league. Creative offensively too, this a very solid pair that's extremely well rounded and will be seeing heavy minutes.

Second Pairing
Has a more offensive guy and defensive guy theme here and both will be fine in their roles of handling lesser opponents while being able to give as well as they get. Owen seems to come highly regarded and Buswell will IMO make a fine captain, since your line up is littered with former captains.

Third Pairing

Two giants who can handle any of the larger forwards in the league, both are competent moving the puck, which will allow them to relieve pressure if they get missmatched against opposing top lines. Another pair that's solid and doesn't wholey rely on one partner to do either the offense or defense.

Goaltending
Miller has Vezina from a voting era, which seems to be a scarcity in this MLD he should provide steady goaltending throughout the season. Pelle Lindbergh had a short peak, but as a backup he's obviously the one with the highest peak. This is a solid tandem featuring a workhorse goaltender and a short peak guy.

Overall, solid team overall. No major weaknesses stand out to me, still not a fan of Semin that high but he works well on that line. Good luck moving forward

 

[Hobnobs]

Regina Capitals

coach: Emile Francis

Geoff Courtnall - Mike Ribeiro - Gary Dornhoefer
Shayne Corson (A) - Jason Allison - Marian Stastny
Murph Champberlain - Tomas Plekanec - Jimmy Peters
Morris Lukowich (A) - Pete Stemkowski - Jason Pominville

Jack Evans - Rick Ley (C)
Marty Burke - Bob Murray
Doug Jarrett - Pavel Kubina

Johnny Mowers
Kelly Hrudey

spares: Walter Smaill (D/F), Billy Harris (F), Martin Straka (F), Gordie Roberts (D)

PP1: Courtnall - Ribeiro - Dornhoefer - Murray - Kubina
PP2: Corson - Allison - Stastny - Ley - Pominville

PK1: Plekanec - Peters - Evans - Ley
PK2: Stemkowski - Chamberlain - Jarrett - Burke
PK3: Corson - Pominville - Murray - Kubina

​

1916 or earlier: Smaill
1917-1942: Chamberlain, Burke, Mowers
1943-1965: Francis, Dornhoefer, Peters, Stemkowski, Evans
1966-1979: Stastny, Lukowich, Jarrett, Ley, Murray, Harris, Roberts
1980-1994: Courtnall, Corson, Allison, Hrudey, Straka
1995-present: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville, Kubina
in 2015: Ribeiro, Plekanec, Pominville

Strong team as usual Seventies. Ill do a mini review of it. I havent followed the MLD too closely so I might be a tad off on some players but here we go.

1st line: Personally never liked Riberio but I think he works well on this line. Playmaker to a speedy Courtnall and warrior in Dornhofer keeping the line in check. This line has everything except maybe above-average defense but it makes up for this with having two forechecking wingers.

2nd: Still not a fan of Corson being a leader. He is a decent 2nd liner tho. Brings a physical element which frees up Allison to deliver crisp passes to a another speedy winger. A lesser version of your 1st line. Bonus: Corsons shadowing was pretty good at times.

3rd: A defensive aggressive hitter, a two-way PKing center and a tough up and down winger. A very good checking line. Will wear opponents down and kinda reminds me of "the grind line".

4th: An offensive punch that will we good to have around when the top line is resting. Probably the fastest line in the MLD.

1st pair: Correct me if Im wrong but both were defense first Ds right? I know Evans was a bit more all around. I guess its a rear guard in case the first line slips up and Riberio decides not to work home. In any case both were tough warriors and I think they could carry the puck.

2nd: Two tough defensemen again here. But I believe both were better at moving the puck. Dont know too much about Burke but Ive watched a lot of Murray on tape. Honestly this might be your best pairing.

3rd: Kubina was one of my favorites and I always wished him well during his career. Good bottom pairing guy here. Garrett was a very good defensive defenseman who knew how to move the puck out of the zone.

Goalies: Mowers is one of the best goalies in this. Hrudey will have very little to do but is cabable if Mowers needs rest or is injured.

PPs and PKs looks good and you have everything covered with your spares.

 

[seventieslord]

My camping trip for extended an extra day. Keep up the reviews, keep the thread going. I promise it well be worth it. I'll be doing seven.

 

[tony d]

So what's the deal with this? I'm off at 12 for the weekend so I can get a few in but hopefully we'll see more action here and again 2 teams have yet to post their rosters.

 

[seventieslord]

I'm doing a ton tonight.

 

[ResilientBeast]

I'll be doing a few more tomorrow

 

[tony d]

Good stuff guys, just wondering. I would have done a few more this week but with my going on vacation next week wanted to get a work project done so I'm off now until Tuesday so I'll do some this weekend.

 

[seventieslord]

OK, might not be doing "a ton" tonight, but I'm done all my preliminary work, the research to make sure I have my opinions on the squads straight. And I'll be doing at least two, maybe more depending on how fast they go.

 

[seventieslord]

coach Brian Sutter

Slava Kozlov - Pierre Larouche - Billy Gilmour
Jimmy Gardner - Slava Bykov - Andrei Khomutov
Steve Vickers - Mikko Koivu (A) - Ryan Callahan
Dutch Hiller - Ron Sutter (A) - Pat Flatley
Gus Bodnar, Normie Himes

Howard McNamara (C) - Albert Langlois
Joe Cooper - Leo Reise, Sr.
M-E Vlasic - Brent Burns
Doug Crossman, Weldy Young

Normie Smith
Gerry McNeil​

reping every era in an all-time draft:
1916 or earlier: McNamara
1917-1942: Reise, Sr.
1943-1965: Bodnar
1966-1979: Vickers
1980-1994: Bykov
1995-present: Burns
in 2015: Vlasic

Lately we've gotten so divergent in our judgments on players that I have rarely liked a team of yours - but having reviewed the league this time around, I have you in the top half. There's lots to like here.

Larouche is nothing special as a first line MLD center, but look around at the rest and he holds his own, at least offensively. You got a great bargain on him too, taking him when you did. On the other hand, he could have fell to the AAA and no one would have cared. As far as offensive wingers in this draft go, I think you got the second best one in Kozlov. It's not just his offensive numbers, it's his decent defensive game and his playoff success - both team-wise and individually. Gilmour completes the line well, at least from a skillset perspective. This is as well-built an MLD line as you will find to complement a pure goal-scoring center. It's not loaded with physicality or defense, but it has at least a bit of both, and two good possession guys to serve the center. Gilmour's offensive numbers mean he should in most circumstances be nowhere near an MLD first line, and he is by no means a good first liner but this is a good use for him here.

Bykov was another pretty good value. He's pretty standard fare for an MLD 2nd liner. Khomutov I've never been too thrilled with, but looking around the rest of the league, I like his offensive case a little better than most of these other one-dimensional guys. Gardiner is just way out of his depth here. He's got the offensive numbers of a Mike McPhee level player. Can you imagine putting Mike McPhee on a scoring line anywhere? Me neither. He also does not have a very fleshed out case for intangibles, despite being loosely known as that kind of players. However, regardless of the info on his toughness, defense and leadership one could find, he's just not a scoring line player. He hurts the offensive potential of this line greatly.

Koivu is most likely the best 3rd line center in this draft. I like his two-way potential better than anyone else here. He's not that much ahead of Plekanec, mind you. Those two are the only legitimate two-way threats centering third lines in this draft. Vickers I've never loved as much as you, but he looks ok as a 3rd line scorer here. He's a battler and he played on a very successful even strength line, though he had by far the weakest defensive reputation of the trio. Callahan got a well-deserved jump to an MLD bottom-six. he'd have looked excellent on a 4th line but he's not bad here, either - top half at least. he's one of four who bring a great total package of scoring, defense and toughness/physicality. This is an effective two-way third line that is not deficient in any area.

Sutter's about average for a 4th liner here. There are a few who bring intangibles at his level but can chip in more offense. Hiller is an excellent speedy grinder for a 4th line - probably the best in the draft. Flatley is OK. Standard MLD 4th liner. Nothing really deficient here.

Actually, if you were able to get scoring line glue guys who could help on offense (Gilmour and Gardiner just pale in comparison to Benn, Dornhoefer, Gallant, Dahlen, Warwick, Corson, Lever, Mickoski and Deadmarsh), there would be nothing wrong with this group of forwards at all.

As usual, not a fan of your D. I think it's made up of a number of questionable selections. McNamara is by no means bad, but I think just about everyone else was able to get a more qualified #1. I've got Reise and Cooper as your #2 and 3, and that's not good because they are probably both AAA players when we're talking about an 8-team MLD. Vlasic just isn't there yet when you compare him to other players with longer careers of being more important to their teams. Langlois came out of nowhere, as I said before. Burns just had his 2nd excellent season but he's really a 20 minute, 700 game player on his career; that's not particularly standout, and when you consider his playoff record... yeah.

Normie Smith is an excellent goalie in the MLD with a record that stands up pretty well, as short as his career was. McNeil is at least an average backup and as I mentioned before, was a strong pick when you made it.

Sutter was not only a worthy promotion from the AAA, but looks really good among these coaches. Earlier I singled out 10 head coaches from this year's draft who could drop and I wouldn't care, and Sutter is among five who could easily take their places. Is there enough in the way of intangibles up front? I'm not sold on the fit, but he is a great coach with a proven record of success and respect.

The spares concern me. They're not bad players at all. Himes and Bodnar are among the next-best centers, Crossman among the next-best defensemen and Young a multi-positional star. But your forwards are in a heap of trouble if and when one gets injured. (in reality you never have your best 12 all healthy, there's always one or two of them on the sidelines). Looking at your lineup, I don't see a single forward who is known for playing multiple forward positions. In the spares, two who are exclusively centers, and a rover (so, another center). If you lose a center, yeah you're golden. But what if you lose a winger? what if you lose two? You've got two centers with no wing experience playing wing. That's a recipe for disaster.

I think you made the best choices for captains and assistants - I have nothing to add there.

I see no special teams listed, but your PP defensemen are a major concern. Again. Burns and Reise will do the trick on the first unit, but it's scary to think of who will try to use to man the second unit. It's gonna be ugly back there. Your penalty killing, however, will have no problems, assuming you put the right guys on it. But you do have the right guys.

 

[seventieslord]

Coach : Bun Cook, Bobby Kromm

Nikolai Drozdetsky - Herb Jordan - Art Gagne
Don Lever (C) - Alexander Almetov - Wally Hergesheimer
Bob MacMillan - Mike Fisher (A) - Sami Kapanen
Doc Romnes - Dave Gagner - Dmitri Khristich
Tony Granato - Milan Lucic

Rudolph Kampman - Dmitri Yushkevich (A)
Lou Fontinato - Mario Marois
Lars Bjorn - John Van Boxmeer
Fredrik Olausson

John Bouse Hutton
Don Edwards

Power Play 1

Nikolai Drozdetsky - Herb Jordan - Art Gagne
Mario Marois - John Van Boxmeer

Power Play 2

Doc Romnes - Dave Gagner - Wally Hergesheimer
Lars Bjorn - Dmitri Yushkevich

Penalty Kill 1

Alexander Almetov - Don Lever
Rudolph Kampman - Dmitri Yushkevich

Penalty Kill 2

Mike Fisher - Sami Kapanen
Lou Fontinato - Lars Bjorn

​

A very solid team that could very well be the biggest threat to my own.

Lever is a solid captain and both your assistants were frequent letter wearers. Bun Cook is, to me, quite clearly the second best coach in this draft. He was a man among boys in the AHL. Kromm would be an OK head coach on his own, so adding him as an assistant is only gravy for the coaching situation.

Herb Jordan is a pure offensive center, but one of the two or three best in this thing. He's a good start if you can get him the right linemates. Drozdetsky is about average for a first line winger, bringing mostly goals just like Jordan. Gagne was an excellent pick when you got him, but is his two-way resume fleshed out quite enough? And does he have the playmaking ability to complete the line effectively? This is probably the most talent packed onto one line that we have in this MLD. And maybe that's enough to carry it, damn the concerns. But if the lack of intangibles as a group and lack of playmaking kills the flow, it could be much less than the sum of its parts.

Second line is a little boring. Almetov and Hergesheimer are just OK for their roles. Lever looks excellent as a 2nd line glue guy though. He's a standout and the first line could use a guy like him.

Fisher is not quite a two-way threat at this level, but is one of the better defensive players here, and can put in the odd point. MacMillan looks like an excellent third liner, in fact, having had the chance to compare he and Lever side-by-side in the past, I think he is the better player. Why not make he and Lever the scoring line glue guys opposite Gagne and Drozdetsky? Use MacMillan on the first line cause it needs his playmaking. Take Hergesheimer right out, and replace MacMillan on the 3rd line with Granato, or keep Herg there as a PP specialist if you need that. Kapanen? meh. Never known as a great defensive player, really blah offensive record, not physical, nothing special in the playoffs. Screams AAA spare to me. Not sure why he keeps getting taken as high as he does. He's just fast, that's all.

Very unconventional fourth line. What is its purpose? Romnes is typically a center, how often was he actually a LW? Gagner had some grit but was brutal defensively. Khristich is an all-around MLD force and an embarrassment of riches down there. However, most people will tell you he's not a traditional 4th line type. I'm not sure that's fair, and I myself have snuck him onto a 4th line. But when I did it, he had, by far, the weakest intangibles on the line. And in this case he has, by far, the strongest intangibles on yours. That says all you need to know about this fourth line.

my ideal lineup for your forwards would look like this:

MacMillan - Jordan - Drozdetsky
Lever - Almetov - Gagne
Khristich - Fisher - Kapanen
Lucic - Gagner - Granato

With Hergesheimer and Romnes out. And yes I know they're better players in a vaccuum than Granato and Lucic, but that looks more like a hockey team.

Really strong defense overall. Marois is nothing special as a #1 but far from bad. It's in the 2-4 spots that the team really shines. Kampman, Fontinato and Yushkevich are all well above average for their spots in the lineup. There's a big dropoff to Bjorn and JVB, but your top-4 makes the grade.

Hutton is a top-3 starter here. I like that you were able to get some passages on him. It's still really sparse on general accounts of where he ranked in the hierarchy of the game and how important he was to ottawa compared to their other stars. I'm ranking him above my own guy Mowers just based on gut alone. Edwards is a strong backup.

Your group of spares is nothing special, but they can be used to improve your starters right now IMO, so they're at least that good.

PP1 is explosive. PP2 is not ideal on the backend, and the front will have to change if you take my advice. PK looks good except for Kapanen. He barely killed any penalties in the NHL; are you sure you can't do better than him?