Red Fisher Conference Quarterfinals: (1) Winnipeg Jets vs (2) New York Americans

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
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New York Americans

New_York_Americans_Logo.svg


Coaches: Anatoli Tarasov, Billy Reay
Captain: Boris Mikhailov
Alternate Captains: Sid Abel, Anze Kopitar, Brad Park

Paul Kariya-Stan Mikita-Boris Mikhailov
Sid Abel-Steven Stamkos-Rod Gilbert
Gordon Roberts-Anze Kopitar-Ace Bailey
Dave Balon-Don Luce-Blair Russel

Spare Forwards: Lynn Patrick, LW, Terry O'Reilly, RW

Borje Salming-Brad Park
Babe Siebert-Bob Goldham
Vasili Davydov-Joe Hall

Spare Defense: Lars-Erik Sjoberg

Bernie Parent
Sergei Bobrovsky

PP1
Stamkos-Mikita-Mikhailov
Kariya-Park

PP2
Roberts-Abel-Gilbert
Salming-Hall

PK1
Luce-Bailey
Salming-Goldham

PK2
Kopitar-Dave Balon
Siebert-Park

Well, I am sure every GM says it this time of year, but I have to say it- I am really excited about this team.

Coaching and Leadership
This has historically been a weaker part of my teams, but not this year; Tarasov and Reay fit well with my team- an attacking team with a strong defense- with Mikhailov and Abel leading on the ice and in the locker room, I don’t think we have any concerns on that front.

1st Line
This is one of the strongest lines in the draft, in my opinion. Offensively, it has it all- 2 very capable puck carriers that can beat you with a pass or a shot in Kariya and Mikita to go with puck-winning and defensive ability in Mikita and Mikhailov. VsX isn’t the end-all-be-all, but this unit has a 7 year score of 278.7 (if you give Mikhailov an 86, which is roughly the same score as Iginla. I think he should be higher, but I will make that case at another time). As far as negatives- it is not a very physical line. Mikita and Mikhailov are pretty ornery and won’t back down from anyone, but this line wont be a physically punishing unit.

2nd Line
I haven’t run the numbers for all of the teams, but again, this unit has to be one of the more offensively potent 2nd lines out there, with a 7-year VsX of 253.4, with the potential to increase with Stamkos’ current season- it is basically a suped-up GAG line, with Abel playing the ‘driver’/’digger’ role (as he did in real-life) and defensive safety-valve. Stamkos brings top-notch sniping and underrated playmaking, while Gilbert does the same thing he did alongside Ratelle and Hadfield. Everyone can pass (to varying degrees), and everyone can score. I should add that Abel will take the lion’s share of faceoffs. The downside to this line is that I don’t think it is very strong defensively, nor, like the top line, will it be a physically punishing squad. While I don’t think Stamkos and Gilbert are bad defensive players, they don’t seem to be much more than average in that respect. Abel is above average, but still, the unit as a whole is below average in that regard.

3rd Line
Building around Kopitar, my 3rd line is predicated on strong 2-way play. Kopitar has to be one of the upper-tier 2 way 3rd line centers at this point (in terms of total offensive and defensive package), and Roberts and Bailey add additional size and ability to the unit. Getting VsX out of the way (and giving Roberts a 74, as per a number I saw thrown about last year)- 217.7, not including the bump that Kopitar is going to get this year. Each player is well-above average in size, and while maybe not a punishing line, they can each play the body well and effectively.

4th Line
This line is mainly for defensive situations. It could use more physicality, but I think in terms of skill and ability, this line is above average among the other 4th lines in the league.

Spares
It is unfortunate that most people (I assume) pay little attention to spares, because I think I landed 2 players here that could very easily be regulars; Patrick in particular should be a very solid second-liner, but his extreme dislike of the physical game relegates him to spare-status in a draft this size. However, because he is so talented, I have no problems with him taking over for Kariya when Kariya is injured. O’Reilly adds some muscle without being useless offensively. I didn’t draft a center because I have a couple wingers who played center- Abel and Russel can both shift to center.

1st Pairing
While I missed out on one of the elite number 1 defensemen, in a draft this size Park is still an average to above-average one who is very well-rounded. Salming is a low-end number 1/elite number 2 who is also pretty well rounded, so this should be one of the better 1st pairings in the league. Simply put, it is a plus pairing across the board- defensive ability, physicality, skating, passing, and shooting.

2nd Pairing
I follow up my 1st pairing with another strong unit, with Siebert being a high-end number 3/low-end number 2, and Goldham being a solid number 4. Siebert brings the physicality and offensive skills, while Goldham is the stay-at-home shot blocker with a good outlet pass. Stylistically, I really like this pairing.

3rd Pairing
Again, I think I hit on meshing styles, in much the same way as I did on my second pairing- Davydov plays the role of defensive safety-valve (though many people have written about his passing and skating abilities), while Hall plays the role of offensive driver with a (wicked) mean-streak.

Spare
Sjoberg is an undersized defender but brings a physical presence and strong offensive game. He is a spare, but I don’t have a problem with him on my bottom pairing in the event of injury.

Goaltenders
I am below average here, I wont try to argue the point. However, Parent is not weak to the point that I think he puts my team at a significant disadvantage, especially in the playoffs (where Parent shined). Bobrovsky is a bit of a mercurial case, with very high highs and pretty low lows. However, few backups can boast of 2 Vezina’s/1st Team All-Star nods and 2 Top-5 Hart voting finishes in a 30 team league. His playoff record is quite poor… but I (or rather, Tarasov and Reay) wont be starting our backup in the playoffs. Bobrovsky is there to spell Parent in the regular season, and to keep Parent fresh for the playoffs. Bobrovksy certainly has the record for that.

PP
I think my PP units are above average, but not elite. On my top unit, Mikita, Park and Kariya should be able to drive defenses crazy finding the open shooter (ideally Stamkos or Park), with Mikhailov provind screens and getting greasy garbage goals. The second unit is set up in much the same way, with Gilbert, Salming and Siebert (or Hall, I haven’t really decided) distributing the puck to each other or Roberts, and Abel being the net-front presence.

PK
Like my PP units, I think my PK is pretty strong all the way around. Luce is one of the best, and Kopitar is easily a top PK player who I have slumming it on the second unit. The defensemen are all above-average as PKers as well, with Salming, Goldham and Davydov being well-noted shot blockers.
 

Claude The Fraud

Registered User
Apr 2, 2008
696
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i_jetsold.jpg


GM

Claude The Fraud

Captain
Bob Gainey
Assistant
Larry Robinson
Serge Savard

Head Coach
Joel Quenneville

Roster
#14 Brendan Shanahan - #21 Peter Forsberg - #22 Mike Bossy
#10 John LeClair - #26 Peter Stastny - #9 Glenn Anderson
#23 Bob Gainey - #17 Walt Tkaczuk - #92 Rick Tocchet
#11 Brian Sutter - #12 Brent Sutter - #15 Pat Verbeek
Extra
#91 Dennis Hull - #16 Trevor Linden

#19 Larry Robinson - #18 Serge Savard
#2 Derian Hatcher - #65 Erik Karlsson
#32 Paul Reinhart - #4 Kevin Hatcher
Extra
#27 Mathieu Schneider - #24 Robert Svehla

#1 Tiny Thompson
#31 George Hainsworth

PP1
#14 Brendan Shanahan - #21 Peter Forsberg - #22 Mike Bossy
#65 Erik Karlsson - #32 Paul Reinhart

PP2
#10 John LeClair - #26 Peter Stastny - #9 Glenn Anderson
#4 Kevin Hatcher - #19 Larry Robinson

PK1
#23 Bob Gainey - #17 Walt Tkaczuk
#19 Larry Robinson - #18 Serge Savard

PK2
#11 Brian Sutter - #12 Brent Sutter​
#2 Derian Hatcher - #4 Kevin Hatcher​
 
Last edited:

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
2,660
2,143
Alright, let's get this ball rolling.

Coaching- Honestly, I don't see what is special about Coach Q. I see a coach that has racked up a bunch of wins, but with very strong teams. Sure he won cups with Chicago, but was that coaching? Or was that having Kane, Keith and Hossa on some pretty sweet contracts? Along with role players like Saad, Sharp, Big Buff, etc. And, outside of his stint with the Blackhawks, his teams crumbled in the playoffs. I think Tarasov is a a significant advantage.

1st lines- While I do think your line has all the pieces, I do think mine is on another level, and it starts at center. Mikita is simply head-and-shoulders above Forsberg, by just about every metric. The winger positions are a different story. Shanahan and Mikhailov bring the boardplay/netfront components to their lines, and I think Mikhailov is a cut above Shanahan. He plays a cleaner game, and had far more league-wide recognition (granted, Soviet League vs NHL, but still. Kariya vs Bossy, however, is definitely a win for your team. Looking VsX (using 86 for Mikhailov)- 278.7 for my team, versus 264.1 for yours. That gap of 14 is rather sizeable.

2nd Lines- This one is a bit closer. Again, I dont see any chemistry issues- each line looks pretty well put together- but these lines are put together quite differently. The playmaking from my line comes from the wings, with Abel doing with dirty-work along the boards and in the corners, and Gilbert being a strong playmaker from the right side. Stamkos is the trigger man here, and has one of the best shots in history. Your team is built a little more traditionally in that the center is doing the puck-carrying, while Leclair is the primary goal scorer. In terms of VsX (not counting Stamkos' current season)- 253.4 for me, 242.1 for you.

3rd lines- I wont even go to VsX for this one, 2 completely different lines. My line is a 2-Way line, yours is full-bore defense. I think you have a very strong defensive unit here, but it wont do much offensively. I do think that this line would be less effective against my first line (where Kariya can act as primary puck-carrier if need be) as opposed to against my 2nd. I feel comfortable lining my line up against either of your top 2 units- the physicality, size, and ability is there to compete.

4th lines- Looks like a wash. Your line is a pain to play against, but will take some penalties. My line is more of a defensive/2way unit that really wont see much ES icetime.

1st Pairing- You have the chemistry going for you, and your #1 is stronger than mine... but I think the difference between Salming and Savard brings this back into my favor. In any case, 2 very strong pairings.

2nd Pairing- You certainly found the right stylistic partner for EK, but I think that Hatcher is a weak #4 in terms of talent. So while I can see Siebert and Karlsson being equals, or at least close, I think the Goldham/Hatcher difference gives me the edge.

3rd Pairing- Clear advantage for my team.

As a whole, I think you have the advantage at 1D, I have the advantage at 2, 4, 5, and 6, and our 3s are equal.

Goalie- Seeing as this is the playoffs- I definitely like Parent over Thompson.

Special Teams: I think you have the advantage here. Your top PK unit is superb.

All-in-all it is a good matchup, but (obviously, since I am biased) I think I have the stronger team. Stronger offense from the top 2 lines, a better defensive corps, and a better goalie should see the Americans make it to the next round.
 

ChiTownPhilly

Not Too Soft
Feb 23, 2010
2,095
1,381
AnyWorld/I'mWelcomeTo
Goalie- Seeing as this is the playoffs- I definitely like Parent over Thompson.
Good News! Parent has arrived at the point where his historical playoff performances are relevant!
Mikita is simply head-and-shoulders above Forsberg, by just about every metric.
Bad news: Mikita has arrived at a point where his historical playoff performances are relevant.






 

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