WC: Roster Talk '11 – USA

[William H Bonney]

Colorado is officially out of playoff contention now. Opens up EJ, Liles, and Stastny as guaranteed targets, among some other options. Also opens up Joe Sacco as well.

 

[magic school bus]

Colorado is officially out of playoff contention now. Opens up EJ, Liles, and Stastny as guaranteed targets, among some other options. Also opens up Joe Sacco as well.

do you think they would want to play? after a season like that, id want to crawl under a rock..

 

[William H Bonney]

do you think they would want to play? after a season like that, id want to crawl under a rock..

My head says "yes" but my gut says "eh". Just to look at it from the player's prospective, it's an opportunity to put a nice finish on a season you'd otherwise love to forget. A chance to get the bad taste out of your mouth by representing your country in some passionate games. On the flip side, you're targeting some players that have essentially been playing in around 25 "meaningless" games to end the season. Will they have mentally checked out already and already started making vacation plans to forget the season?

It's so hard to guess with American players though. This tournament just doesn't register very well in the America hockey community to put it lightly. That said, these 3 players all have substantial history representing our country and none will be free agents so USA Hockey has those factors in their favor. The only other major hurdle is potential injuries before the end of the season. Hopefully USA Hockey will be contacting these guys this week (when they're supposed to announce at least the GM), if they haven't already. Get at them early and get the offer on the table and give them some time to weigh the offer.

I'm always an optimist for this tournament even though the roster process is typically a letdown. These 3 guys would be a great starting point. If they all say no, it'll just be like every other year.

 

[magic school bus]

out of those 3, i think Liles is most likely. hes had a pretty positive yr personally, so he might want to keep it going. i dont see Stastny doing it, and EJ is slightly more likely than Stas.

i do see someone like Duchene competing for Canada. maybe if USA Hockey gets to these guys early, like you suggested, they'll change their minds. it will give them a chance to ask around and see if their friends are doing it.

if the Rangers miss playoffs at the end, id like to see Dubinsky and Callahan, maybe Drury too (hes had a tough yr, but he has some hockey left in him for this season). theyre already gettin geared up for a playoff run, so they should have the energy to compete.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Craig Anderson just signed a new four year deal with Ottawa, so that increases his chances of playing.

 

[William H Bonney]

Craig Anderson just signed a new four year deal with Ottawa, so that increases his chances of playing.

First thing I thought of too. Hopefully he's willing to play, especially with his ability to steal games.

 

[William H Bonney]

Senators and Islanders both officially eliminated. Added players to the running potential lists.

EDIT: The Islanders are not eliminated yet. NHL.com's playoff tracker had them eliminated yesterday but it's fixed today. It's only a matter of time though so I'll leave the players on the list for now.

 

[William H Bonney]

I think Gordon will get the nod. He can devote his full attention to the task and has been apprenticing for this role for quite sometime. Sacco will likely be part of the coaching staff as well.

You nailed it Rabid.

Scott Gordon was just named coach.

Hopefully since he should be able to fully dedicate himself to the gig he can really sell the opportunity to more players than normal. An opportunity at redemption, both as an audition for another NHL gig as well as for last year's disappointment, can be a great motivating factor.

http://usahockey.com/Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=TU_01_03&id=285450

Kevin Allen (USA Today) suspects their won't necessarily be a single GM in charge a la Burke last year due to the tight playoff races. Thinks the advisory committee will all play a role. Paul Fenton, Nashville Assistant GM, was named the Associate GM for Team USA though.

http://www.usahockey.com/Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=TU_01_03&id=301232

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I don't really have a problem with Gordon as the head coach.This job will receive his full, undivided, attention. Hopefully they can attract some good talent this year. He still has ties to the Isles org, so I can see a few of those guys suiting up. Okposo and Montoya perhaps.

 

[usahockey22flyers]

I don't really have a problem with Gordon as the head coach.This job will receive his full, undivided, attention. Hopefully they can attract some good talent this year. He still has ties to the Isles org, so I can see a few of those guys suiting up. Okposo and Montoya perhaps.

Very good point. Montaya has looked solid this year. I've been really impressed and glad for him

 

[cagney]

Not too excited about this decision. The alternatives weren't all that much better though. I'll be happy for him if he makes the most of this second chance.

 

[William H Bonney]

Not too excited about this decision. The alternatives weren't all that much better though. I'll be happy for him if he makes the most of this second chance.

Pretty much my thoughts as well. I don't really see what Gordon has done to earn such favorable status with USA Hockey though. It's kind of baffling. But as you said, the alternatives (Sacco, Capuano) have done less than Gordon so it's tough to criticize them too much.

Hopefully he'll get better results this go-around since he should be dedicating his time 100% to this gig. Even with that, it's tough to swallow bringing back the guy that led us to the relegation round last year. Some new blood when have been nice. The biggest gripe I remember having with Gordon last year (other than the results) was that he didn't change the lines when they showed no chemistry and couldn't score while losing three straight to Germany/Denmark/Finland. Not that it would have worked necessarily but you can't afford to be stubborn in short tournaments (much like Keith Allain in the most recent WJC).

 

[William H Bonney]

Very good point. Montaya has looked solid this year. I've been really impressed and glad for him

Montoya's been pretty good in the games I've seen of him this year. Small sample size obviously but hopefully he's putting it all together later on, not all that unheard of with goalies. I'd suspect Al will be targeted. He's played in the tournament before (2009) and has long ties with USA Hockey. If they could get Craig Anderson and Al Montoya locked up here soon that would be a pretty good start. They could then target a veteran guy like Conklin or Esche or decide to leave a spot open in the hopes that one of the playoff goalies is eliminated and wants to play, although the latter is a bit unlikely. The only hiccup with Al would possibly be that he's an RFA this off-season but at this stage he shouldn't be passing up any opportunities to impress.

We're doomed if Kyle Okposo is in a go-to role for this tournament. He'll most likely be on the team but man is he a frustrating player to watch.

 

[magic school bus]

do you think they use any college players? what are the chances Chris Kreider is used again?

 

[William H Bonney]

do you think they use any college players? what are the chances Chris Kreider is used again?

They shouldn't. Will they? I wouldn't be overly surprised. And that's not to trash Kreider. I actually thought he fit in fine last year and was better than a few of the forwards ahead of him. But in the round robin games, he was only played roughly 7:30/game. For the tournament, he was last among all forwards in total ice time. It's clear they brought him along as an "experience investment" for the future and didn't have any plans on giving him a larger role despite him outplaying at least 4 of the forwards ahead of him. And frankly, we can't afford to do that when we're bringing along guys like Ryan Carter, Eric Nystrom, Tim Kennedy, and Christian Hanson.

Unless they're taking a college player because they feel he can significantly contribute, there's no reason for them to take one. They team would be much better off to take a veteran player in that case.

I'm hoping for a team that's much our 2008 squad than our 2010 squad.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Pretty much my thoughts as well. I don't really see what Gordon has done to earn such favorable status with USA Hockey though. It's kind of baffling. But as you said, the alternatives (Sacco, Capuano) have done less than Gordon so it's tough to criticize them too much.

Hopefully he'll get better results this go-around since he should be dedicating his time 100% to this gig. Even with that, it's tough to swallow bringing back the guy that led us to the relegation round last year. Some new blood when have been nice. The biggest gripe I remember having with Gordon last year (other than the results) was that he didn't change the lines when they showed no chemistry and couldn't score while losing three straight to Germany/Denmark/Finland. Not that it would have worked necessarily but you can't afford to be stubborn in short tournaments (much like Keith Allain in the most recent WJC).

Well, I think USA Hockey wants to see what Gordon can do with (hopefully) a halfway decent roster. We'll see. Frankly, I don't see a lot of options. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sacco and Richards round out the coaching staff. Three distinct voices with differant strengths.

 

[William H Bonney]

Zach Parise is about to come back. He's going to be an RFA but that would be sweet if he wanted to play in the Worlds.

 

[magic school bus]

i think thats asking for a lot.

 

[cagney]

Zach Parise is about to come back. He's going to be an RFA but that would be sweet if he wanted to play in the Worlds.

I was actually checking this thread with the thought of mentioning that. Given that he's one of the more passionate players when it comes to representing the US and the fact that he's probably itching to play after the longest stretch without it in his career, I wouldn't be surprised if he played. I think it'd be the perfect opportunity to end things on a potential high note after such a disappointing season.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

I was actually checking this thread with the thought of mentioning that. Given that he's one of the more passionate players when it comes to representing the US and the fact that he's probably itching to play after the longest stretch without it in his career, I wouldn't be surprised if he played. I think it'd be the perfect opportunity to end things on a potential high note after such a disappointing season.

Wasn't Parise pissed that he wasn't asked to play after the Devils were ousted in the first round recently? I think he definitely would want to health/contract concerns aside.

 

[William H Bonney]

Wasn't Parise pissed that he wasn't asked to play after the Devils were ousted in the first round recently? I think he definitely would want to health/contract concerns aside.

Yeah, it was the 2009 tournament after New Jersey was upset by Carolina:

"Nope. They called and said they already had a filled roster," Zach Parise said. "They didn't need my services. I was looking forward to going over there. I was hoping to. Not this year, I guess."

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/04/new_jersey_devils_coach_brent_19.html

To be a little fair to USA Hockey, 2008 and 2009 were actually two of the better squads we've sent in recent times. Those squads weren't like the one last year with over a half dozen forwards that didn't belong under practically any circumstance. But still, in 2009, they took a college player (Colin Wilson), a fringe NHLer that had played more in the AHL that season than NHL (Colin Stuart), and a player free falling in his ability (Chris Higgins). To compound that, Chris Higgins was on the Montreal team that was also eliminated in the first round of the playoffs (Chris Higgins, Joe Pavelski, and Scott Clemmensen were our 3 last additions after the 1st round of the playoffs). Higgins isn't the type of player you jump to offer before letting the rest of the First round play out and see who else becomes available and may want to play...like Zach Parise. I think Team USA management has become so scared of everyone saying "no" that they'll take anyone, anyone that says "yes". It's a new generation of players. Things can and may change. They should always hold at least 1 or 2 spots open till the very end just in case.

I'm really intrigued by the Parise possibility. I wonder if it's something he may have already discussed with the Devils/Team USA. They're targeting for him to come back against the Islanders on Wednesday. That would have him playing in the final 7 games of the year. He's risking it just by coming back for those 7 games as an impending RFA so if he feels good physically in that stint I wouldn't be surprised to see him go to the Worlds.

 

[magic school bus]

looks like the Leafs are out. Ducks probably are a playoff team. and after the Kopitar/Williams injuries, the Kings are not going far in the playoffs.

Kessel
Bobby Ryan
Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson

im counting David Booth out after he got hurt the other night. dude cant stay healthy. he shouldnt go.

 

[William H Bonney]

im counting David Booth out after he got hurt the other night. dude cant stay healthy. he shouldnt go.

Booth is fine. Went to the hospital as a precaution after taking the puck to the neck. He's playing today.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

During the Blues broadcast, Darren Pang mentioned USA Hockey brass has been watching the team. Several candidates: Backes, Oshie, Conklin, and Shattenkirk.

 

[William H Bonney]

During the Blues broadcast, Darren Pang mentioned USA Hockey brass has been watching the team. Several candidates: Backes, Oshie, Conklin, and Shattenkirk.

Backes and Oshie are both locks if they want to go. I think both will. Conklin is a wild card just depending on how the other goalies play out. He'd be a real nice veteran presence though as a backup.

I wonder if Shattenkirk would be sent to Peoria or not, assuming the Rivermen make the playoffs. If not, and before anyone has been named, it's probably a bit too early to pencil him in as a target just because theoretically all available targets are still possibilities.