USA Olympic team selection thread.

[element1286]

Oshie's a center...so that changes things.

Hmmm...guess you can't have too many centers.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Oshie's a center...so that changes things.

Backes has been his number 1 linemate this season as per behindthenet.ca

 

[pixburgher66]

Gotta love Joe Haggerty being sore about Martin/Orpik making it instead of Torey Krug. I really like Krug as a player, and I admit that Orpik was a bubble guy, no doubt...but I don't think Krug had any shot. Too young, needs a bit of work on the defensive side of the puck. I think he'd excel with a good D-partner, but I really don't think he was ever much in the conversation. Not a lot of the younger guys were. Haggerty just decided to pick on the two Penguins players because he's more obsessed than Dup, super genius. Martin deserves to be there. Zero doubt in my mind.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Hmmm...guess you can't have too many centers.

team has a dearth of playmaking centres

 

[pixburgher66]

Hmmm...guess you can't have too many centers.

Five centers, that's what management wanted. In other words: some wingers got pushed out merely on position.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I hope it's US/CAN in the final again and we demolish them. Yep.

I am sensing a GERMANY/ITALY world soccer type thing again for you & Mischa, Sly


prepare to cry!

 

[element1286]

team has a dearth of playmaking centres

Yeah, definitely a weakness, wings are skilled though.

 

[pixburgher66]

I guess it comes down to a roster squeeze becasue the elder statemen Brown and Callahan are having less than stellar seasons, and if they didn't have the experience of previous Olympics and being captains with good leadership cred in the NHL, they don't deserve to be on the team on pure performance.

I tend to think Brown and Callahan are sort of repetitive players, but I do think their previous stints with the US team helped their case. Still, they piss people off. Not every line needs to be a scoring line. How many times have we seen "All-Star" type teams fail? As Pens fans, we know this concept intimately. This isn't me endorsing not having a guy like Bobby Ryan out there, because he's been one of my favorite non-Pens for awhile. Him, Parise, Iggy. However, if the US management went in trying to have more than scoring lines, I can see why they didn't choose him (not that I'm happy about it). The top four wingers: Kane, Parise, Kessel, JvR. That's a hard group to break into...and if the US management didn't want him on a 3rd/4th line role, he had to beat out one of those guys...and apparently he didn't. *shrugs* It's one way of approaching it.

 

[dash]

I hope it's US/CAN in the final again and we demolish them. Yep.

 

[pixburgher66]

team has a dearth of playmaking centres

Yeah...yeahhhhh. So much talent on the wings, but pretty weak up the middle. I guess the top two would be Kesler and Pavelski? Or is Stastny better? I guess Stastny is good...but I have a negative view of him because he's overpaid a bit.

 

[Comeds]

Maybe they didnt take Ryan because of cap reasons.

 

[element1286]

Yeah, they are similar, nothing wrong with guys that fit a role.

JvR, who is a very good player, but given the choice in a vacuum, I'd take Ryan. But you can't deny JvR's size and his ability to play with Kessel I suppose.

 

[dash]

Maybe they didnt take Ryan because of capital reasons.

The selection process needs senator reform.

 

[element1286]

Yeah...yeahhhhh. So much talent on the wings, but pretty weak up the middle. I guess the top two would be Kesler and Pavelski? Or is Stastny better? I guess Stastny is good...but I have a negative view of him because he's overpaid a bit.

Isn't Kesler more of a goal scorer, who can effectively check opposing forwards? At least he played that role last Olympics from what I can remember.

I'd put Statsny and Pavelski as the top 2 centers.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

There's a reason why David Poile has never won anything come playoff time. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think this team has a chance at the Gold. No Keith Yandle, Bobby Ryan or Kyle Okposo? What the hell is Derek Stepan doing on this roster ahead of either of the forwards I mentioned above. I call it bullshit.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Yeah...yeahhhhh. So much talent on the wings, but pretty weak up the middle. I guess the top two would be Kesler and Pavelski? Or is Stastny better? I guess Stastny is good...but I have a negative view of him because he's overpaid a bit.

the notion of kesler as a "playmaking centre" made me do this

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Isn't Kesler more of a goal scorer, who can effectively check opposing forwards? At least he played that role last Olympics from what I can remember.

I'd put Statsny and Pavelski as the top 2 centers.

correct ... canucks have been trying to find him players to play with for years ... doesnt use his teammates as per Vigneault

 

[element1286]

I agree about Yandle and Ryan, not sure what is so special about Okposo though. 40 pts in 41 games this year, is that because he is actually better? Because the previous 4 years are nothing special, nothing better than what Stepan has done.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

correct ... canucks have been trying to find him players to play with for years ... doesnt use his teammates as per Vigneault

I'd put Kesler on the same line with Wheeler.

 

[esls79]

Parise has been ok in Minnesota, but hasn't been the same player he was in New Jersey - that being said, he's still near the top of the pile for US wingers, but I'd rather have Bobby Ryan over him at the present moment. And definitely Bobby Ryan over Ryan Callahan or Dustin Brown - Brown may be having the worst season of his career - he's on pace for something like 30 points and he doesn't even hit much anymore (Hertl not withstanding). An NHL captain brings intangibles that work better in the NHL playoffs than in the Olympics if you ask me.

The article had pretty much all the US brass say that Bobby Ryan's power play numbers were the weakest of the bunch - I wonder why - in Anaheim, he never had a chance with the top powerplay unit as Getzlaf, Selanne and Perry would eat all the minutes - any wonder why he may have wanted out of there? The part I found most insulting was having Callahan as a lock the entire time and even having him penciled in as a top six while basically having Ryan on the outside looking in the entire time. You don't need NHL leadership (Brown and Callahan) in a short goalie driven tournament like this - you need a hot goalie, goal scorers, and possibly decent shootout shooters. That's about it - Ryan may not be good at shootouts or a goalie, but he's a goal scorer and has that going for him over Brown and Callahan.