Hull = OV
Gretzky >= Lemieux
Richard < Howe
Messier =< Makarov
Morenz < Beliveau
Lafleur = Jagr
Mikita =< Crosby
Esposito =< Clarke (especially as a 4C)
Orr > Harvey
Shore < Bourque
Potvin >= Lidstrom
Kelly < Fetisov
Roy < Hasek
Team B has better forwards and goaltending, A has better D (mainly because of Orr). B has more physicality and nastiness up front with OV, Howe and Clarke vs really just Messier for A. I also feel down the middle they are more "balanced". Team A Gretzky is all offense, but that's fine because he's the GOAT. But Mikita and especially Esposito are 2 guys who aren't good defensively so it's basically having 3 offensive minded Cs. But with B there's Lemieux as the offensive dynamo, Beliveau and Crosby both bring elite offense with good D and Clarke is the perfect 4C as arguably the best defensive/2 way C ever. So I'll say B even though it's close and usually not smart to go against Gretzky.
Good analysis - but honestly in a matchup like this you can't even pick a winner like that. It comes down to intangibles, more than ranking players 1 by 1. Lafleur is what....10th best player here maybe? And for all we know he could be above and beyond 3x better than anyone else and score 18 points in those 7 games and be the differentiator. Or Ovechkin. Or Mikita. etc
I'm looking at goalies - and in a high stakes matchup (especially 7 game series, not just one off single game) - I can't see Roy, and especially Roy/Plante duo shitting the bed. Hasek when good is maybe better than anyone, but I think he's a bit more volatile/unpredictable, and I think Hall isn't as good as the others, so I give slight edge to team A.
Next looking at forwards....like I said practically anyone of them is good enough to completely take over and be the MVP. If you played 100 games? Sure, Gretzky, Lemieux etc differentiate themselves since they're the best, but small sample sizes are unpredictable. Some big game players on each side include:
Gretzky, Richard, Lafleur...maybe Messier
Lemieux, Beliveau, Crosby....Howe/Clarke
It's hard to bet against Gretzky in big game/series. He's always been the top scorer in every single playoff/international tournament in his prime, so you know he's going to show up. I also really, really like both Lafleur and Richard in big game situations. Messier obviously has big game experience and success too.
I think Lemieux is great - but slight edge to Gretzky in big game situations. Beliveau also great, but I somehow like both Richard/Lafleur slightly better. Don't think any of Crosby/Howe/Clarke are a big enough differentiator in big games. So again - leaning slightly team A for forwards
Defense...Harvey, Bourque, Lidstrom...maybe the 3 more consistent high end defensemen of all-time taking into account longevity. But for big game peak, I think I like both Orr (obviously) and Potvin above any of them. So again - slight edge to team A.
So - i'll go team A.