Forwards ($38.05 MIL)

Line 1:

Phil Kessel (Toronto) $5.4 MIL — Jason Spezza (Ottawa) $7.0 MIL — Joffrey Lupul (Toronto) $4.25 MIL

I like the chemistry shown between Lupul and Kessel up in Toronto; throw in Jason Spezza’s world class play-making abilities, and you’ve got one of the best first lines in the league.

Line 2:

Brad Marchand (Boston) $2.5 MIL — Tyler Seguin (Boston) $3.5 MIL — Max Pacioretty (Montreal) $1.65 MIL

Boston’s duo of sensational sophomores have proven themselves as legitimate top-six forwards in this league. Their speed, coupled with the size and strength of Montreal’s budding power forward would provide a difficult match-up for any D-pairing.

Line 3:

Nick Foligno (Ottawa) $1.2 MIL — Patrice Bergeron (Boston) $5.0 MIL — Clarke MacArthur (Toronto) $3.25 MIL

You have got to love the versatility of this line. All three of these players can be counted on in any situation, including on both sides of special teams.

Line 4:

Daniel Paille (Boston) $1.1 MIL — Gregory Campbell (Boston) $1.1 MIL — Zenon Konopka (Ottawa) $0.70 MIL

Konopka and Campbell are two of the best face-off men in all of the NHL, while Daniel Paille can be a very valuable asset on the penalty-kill. All come at a very reasonable price and provide the team with the necessary grit to excel in today’s NHL.

13th Forward: Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo) $1.4 MIL

Defense ($19.85 MIL)

Pair 1:

Zdeno Chara (Boston) $6.9 MIL — Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) $1.3 MIL

Easily the two biggest no-brainers on this team, Chara and Karlsson provide the perfect balance of defense and offense on the squad’s top pair.

Pair 2:

P.K. Subban (Montreal) $0.85 MIL — Dennis Seidenberg (Boston) $3.25 MIL

Subban and Seidenberg also provide a great mix of offense and defense. Seidenberg’s veteran savvy and poise should be able to assist the young Subban’s development.

Pair 3:

Luke Schenn (Toronto) $3.6 MIL — Andrej Sekera (Buffalo) $2.75 MIL

The youngest pairing of the three, both players should be good enough to one day become top-pair defensemen. Meanwhile, both come at relatively inexpensive cap hits.

7th Defenseman:  Jake Gardiner (Toronto) $1.20 MIL

Goaltenders ($7.75 MIL)

1.) Tim Thomas (Boston) $5.0 MIL

2.) Carey Price (Montreal) $2.75 MIL

Boston’s Tim Thomas is once again putting up Vezina-worthy numbers, furthering the notion that he truly ages like a fine wine. Meanwhile, Carey Price, who comes with a manageable price tag, has also asserted himself as one of the best netminders in the game.

Recap:

Total Salary: $65.65 MIL

Cap Space: $0.00

Representation: Boston 8 , Toronto 5 , Ottawa 4 , Montreal 3 , Buffalo 2

General Manager: Peter Chiarelli (Boston)

Head Coach: Claude Julien (Boston)

– It’s hard to argue with the defending Stanley Cup champion head coach and GM combo.

Home Arena: Bell Centre (Montreal)

– One of the loudest buildings in the league, this one was an easy choice.

– NHL salary cap information courtesy of CapGeek.

Thanks For Reading!

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Sidney Crosby drifts to centre for the opening faceoff as the crowd cheers with anticipation.  We know the disappointing end to last year’s Opening Night story, so let’s skip ahead to something happier, a 6-3 home win over the Atlanta Thrashers (an entity that presently can only be seen with the aid of a time machine) highlighted by two more goals from Crosby: 2010.12.28.  That’s right, find the fast lane on Centre Avenue … No police cars in sight … Achieving 88 miles per hour should be a breeze …  Much like Crosby scoring points seemed to be a breeze by Christmas.

GM Ray Shero’s plan at that point last season was unfolding perfectly.  With a rejuvenated Marc-Andre Fleury a rock-solid wall in net, a revamped defence stonewalling opponents and Crosby tearing a strip through the NHL highlighted by a 25-game points streak, it was unsurprising that Pittsburgh reeled off 12 straight wins and looked like the Stanley Cup contenders everyone expected them to be on Opening Night.

Then, a hit in the Winter Classic happened.

Then, torn knee ligaments happened.

Then, broken bones happened.

Then, torn knee ligaments happened again.

Then, Matt Cooke decided to use his elbows to flip over the already-derailing Pittsburgh train.

Out of this incredibly galling second half of injuries and suspensions, GM Ray Shero was already laying the groundwork for the future.  When Crosby, Malkin and later Dustin Jeffrey were lost for the season, the Penguins adapted and played a more defensive style that not only allowed them to survive, but thrive, finishing with the third-highest point total and third-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference. Yet the second half and playoffs exposed the Penguins as a club with few secondary scoring threats and a horrendously poor power play.

Thus Shero began his summer in winter, when he acquired young winger James Neal and defenceman Matt Niskanen from Dallas in exchange for defenceman Alex Goligoski ahead of the trade deadline.  It would have been a bonus if Crosby recovered in time to play on a line with Neal, but the trade was really about 2011-12 and beyond.  Neal has scored 20+ goals in each of the last three seasons so there is no reason to believe that the “Real Neal” was the man who struggled to score down the stretch with Pittsburgh last spring.

Can veteran newcomer Steve Sullivan (26) inject some life into the moribund Pittsburgh power play this season?

When summer actually began, Shero made much more understated signings than the splash of 2010 when he invested $45-million in the space of a few hours to bring in defencemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek.  Instead, Shero’s first announcement was to disclose the name of someone the Penguins did not sign when he put an official end to talks with Jaromir Jagr and the mini-circus of speculation that had sprung up.

Pittsburgh retained right wing Tyler Kennedy, seemingly the only forward who stayed healthy from start to finish last season, who scored a career-high 21 goals.  Kennedy received a 2-year deal worth $2-million per season.  Versatile Pascal Dupuis who possesses a cannon shot and fellow penalty-killer Craig Adams also both decided to stay in the Pens’ pen for another two years while gritty winger Arron Asham, who had his first season in black and gold interrupted by a concussion, signed another one-year contract.

Mike Rupp, enforcer Eric Godard, forward Chris Conner and 2009 Stanley Cup hero Maxime Talbot all moved on with Talbot cashing in to the tune of $8.75-million over five years, two more years and “a lot more” money than what Pittsburgh offered him, according to Shero.  The Pens’ GM continued to be prudent with forwards in free agency, resisting the temptation to bid for high-priced scorers, mindful that in two summers, the contracts of centres Crosby and Jordan Staal expire.  It would be foolish to tie up too much future salary cap space now when the salary ceilings of 2013, 2014 and the next CBA parameters are essentially unknown.

When he returns from rehabilitating his right knee, the Penguins are looking forward to more handshakes and high-fives with Dustin Jeffrey.

This is why the club’s only major signing on July 1 was 37-year old left wing Steve Sullivan.  Before a back injury sidelined him for 1 1/2 seasons at the end of 2006-07, Sullivan was a reliable source of 20+ goals.  In the twilight of his career, Pittsburgh was able to make a classic low-risk deal for one season at a reasonable $1.5-million.  He has already been praised by head coach Dan Bylsma for his intelligence and hockey sense.  From a strategic angle, the Pens plan to use him on the top line as left wing to Malkin with Neal on the other side.  Sullivan will also appear on the first power play unit manning a point opposite Kris Letang with Malkin, Neal and Chris Kunitz.  If he stays healthy, and it is a big “if”, Sullivan’s value could easily exceed $1.5-million.

Joe Vitale and Richard Park will fill spots on the fourth line vacated by Talbot and Rupp.  Both newcomers will be counted on to uphold the success of the Pittsburgh penalty kill, top-ranked in the NHL last season.

With Godard leaving Pittsburgh, the new sheriff in town is Steve MacIntyre, the 6’6″ 265 lb. heavyweight who spent the past three seasons in Edmonton.

Finally, a player this space is tabbing to become a major contributor to the Penguins once his rehabilitation from torn knee ligaments is complete is Dustin Jeffrey.  The 23-year old centre/wing scored 7 goals in 25 games last season and demonstrated good on-ice intuition and anticipation.  In addition, as the saying goes in baseball, “Speed never slumps.”  The same could be true in hockey and Jeffrey’s skating ability was a memorable facet of the skill set he showed before his season ended in Philadelphia.  His interception/breakaway goal in overtime in Boston immediately jumps to mind.

EXPECTED OPENING NIGHT LINE COMBINATIONS AND DEFENCE PAIRS

Steve Sullivan – Evgeni Malkin – James Neal
Chris Kunitz – Jordan Staal – Tyler Kennedy
Matt Cooke – Mark Letestu – Pascal Dupuis
Joe Vitale – Craig Adams – Arron Asham

Kris Letang – Deryk Engelland
Paul Martin – Zbynek Michalek
Matt Niskanen – Ben Lovejoy

(This assumes D Brooks Orpik, LW Steve MacIntyre and RW Richard Park are scratched).

As promised, here is Part 2 of Six thoughts on the Penguins after six games: 

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4. Defenceman Paul Martin liberated from New Jersey Communist Dept. of Defence. After an even 400 regular season games over six seasons with New Jersey where he produced a stellar composite +55 rating, selections to two U.S. Olympic teams and the 2004 U.S. World Cup team, Martin still toiled in relative anonymity with the robotic Devils under their stifling defence-first system.  Yet he was a responsible defender, posting a 42/43 takeaway/giveaway ratio in his last full season in 2008-09.  Only six other NHL defencemen who matched or bettered his 42 takeaways had fewer than 43 giveaways that year.  Martin also was New Jersey’s workhorse on the blueline leading the team in minutes per game in both 2007-08 and 2008-09, putting in significant time on the club’s main power play and penalty kill units. 

Last evening in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh D Paul Martin (inside red circle) draws two Flyers then passes to Mark Letestu who scored seconds later from the slot giving the Penguins a lead they would not relinquish.

So far in Pittsburgh, Martin has tied for the team lead in points with 6 on 1 goal and 5 assists while logging ice time similar to his workload as a Devil.  Yes, the sample size is incredibly small but Martin’s forays deep in the offensive zone must make him feel as if he has fled East Germany.  On opening night, his play to set up the first-ever Penguins’ goal at Consol Energy Center had the appearance of one walking through the Berlin Wall.  He skated the puck almost to the bottom of the near circle before flipping a backhand saucer pass across the goalmouth to Tyler Kennedy who promptly scored.  Last night in Philadelphia, he drew Chris Pronger and Claude Giroux toward him along the near half-wall, then zipped a pass to the open Mark Letestu who got into the slot and swept the puck into the Flyers’ net. 

5. Speaking of Mark Letestu, is he a coach’s dream? Has #10 done anything wrong yet?  When he was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to make his NHL debut last November, he received glowing praise from head coach Dan Bylsma who had worked with him in the AHL. 

Whenever there was a challenge or a bump he kept trying to get better, kept adjusting and kept listening to what (former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) coach (Todd) Richards, coach (Todd) Reirden and myself said to him along the way … He continues to improve and add to his game.  Off the ice, quickness-wise and strength-wise, he got much better over the three years.  Last year he really took over as a guy late in the year who was a student of the game and learned every nuance of what we are trying to do as a team. That adds to how he can add offense to the team – on the power play or five-on-five … 

This is a guy who has earned a chance to add some skill to an NHL team.  He is going to get that chance tonight. Every small part you play as a coach in that process, you feel like a parent graduating a kid to the next level.  He has earned it and has worked hard.  I’m looking forward to his chance. 

What impressed me immediately about Letestu last season in his short stint with the Pens was his hockey sense, anticipating the play and going to the spot on the ice where the puck would likely travel to.  During the pre-season, the humble Letestu took nothing for granted, even as opening night approached.  “I worked hard this summer just to have a camp like this … I got a little bit of work left to do in the preseason, but so far so good … I just need to keep playing the way I have been and hopefully force somebody to keep me here.”  The versatile centre/right-wing has posted a respectable 35-36 mark on faceoffs thus far, taking 21.8% of draws for Pittsburgh, second-best to Sidney Crosby. 

Letestu appears on the scoresheet five times after six games.  His three goals, all from different spots on the ice, and two assists illustrate his varied skills, tenacity and willingness to accept physical punishment for the betterment of the team.  Against Montreal, he scored on a wrist shot from the dot of a faceoff circle.  In New Jersey, he stood in front of the net and backhanded a rebound of a point shot for a power play goal, and yesterday in Philadelphia as previously mentioned, he moved into the slot and won a scramble for the puck which he swept into the goal just before being tackled by Pronger.  Last Friday, he notched two helpers, both times hustling behind the net to get the puck to pass to open teammates while getting hit by Islanders into the end boards. 

6. It’s never easy to go home again. The Pens’ next opponents are Sergei Gonchar and the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night at Consol Energy Center.  The classy veteran defenceman will skate on Pittsburgh ice for the first time since that fateful Wednesday night back in May when the Penguins bowed out of the playoffs, losing Game 7 of the second round to Montreal as Mellon Arena went dark for the final time.  Perhaps it is better that Gonchar comes back to a new rink and does not have to look at the spot on the ice where Montreal’s Travis Moen breezed by him for a backbreaking shorthanded goal. 

In the emotion of the moment and in subsequent days, fans unfairly blamed that play as being the key turning point that cost the Pens the season, piling on Gonchar and calling him old, slow and a poor defender.  There were many other factors in that game and series which cost the Pens a shot at repeating as Stanley Cup champions: an inability to match the speed of Montreal’s forward corps, an inability to penetrate Montreal’s iron-clad defence and goaltender Jaroslav Halak. 

In the same way that the first memory of Hall of Fame baseball player Willie Mays is not an old centerfielder falling down in the outfield as a New York Met in the last month of his career, Penguins’ fans should let go of Gonchar’s defensive mistake in the playoffs and remember his steady organization of the power play, his grittiness during the 2009 playoff series versus Washington, his series-winning goal against Philadelphia one round earlier, his leadership on the ice as alternate captain and off the ice as Evgeni Malkin’s “billet”.  There are many more happy Gonchar memories that could be listed but Pens’ fans in the arena or at home tomorrow should stand and applaud when he takes the ice.

Back after another long absence due to my real job, let’s look at the Nashville-Chicago series from the perspective of the Predators.  How can Nashville win this game?  Read on.

Shots on Goal

During the entire regular season, Nashville was 12^th in the League in averaging 30.6 S/G (Chicago was first with 34.1 S/G).  Chicago was also tops in the League by averaging a low 25.1 SA/G while Nashville was 8^th in that category by averaging 29.2 SA/G.

Against each other, however, Nashville only averaged a paltry 22.8 shots a game, while Chicago only dropped to 31.7 shots.  Nashville’s team defense had a fair impact on Chicago, but Chicago’s team defense had a much larger impact on Nashville.

For Nashville to win, they must reach average right around 30 shots a game while limit to Chicago to around the same amount.  To do that, they will have to battle against Chicago’s ability to possess the puck offensively as well as consistently moving their own feet in the offensive zone in order to get clear looks on net.

Contain Chicago Goal Scorers

Everyone knows the offensive skill and talent that Chicago brings to the table.  In looking at the previous six games with Chicago (three included Marian Hossa), Nashville had trouble containing Kane (3G), Toews (1 G, assisted Kane often), Dustin Byfuglien (3G), and the Ladd/Kopecky combination (3G, multiple assists).  For the three games in which he played, Hossa was limited to a single point (1A).

Klein and Hamhuis had the most trouble containing the Chicago forwards (particularly Byfuglien as he scored 2 of his 3 goals on that pairing).  Weber and Suter also had some difficulties.  That said, defense starts with the forwards.  Chicago realizes that which is why they lead the league in SA/G.  The Nashville forwards have to play defense equally as well as Chicago’s.

Convert Shots into Goals

Martin Erat, Dan Hamhuis, and Joel Ward were especially effective scoring goals against Chicago’s defense.  It will take more than those three to push Nashville past Chicago.  Nashville fans can take some optimism from the fact that almost all of the games against Chicago were prior to Colin Wilson’s recent contributions and Hornqvist cranking up.  Even so, the Predators need the Legwand line to at least stay E for the series and get points from two of Arnott, Sullivan and Dumont.

On the negative side, Nashville is going through a severe goal-scoring drought right now.  It’s severe enough that Rinne posted two losses even though they were shutouts (Phoenix and Detroit).

Take Advantage of Health

Nashville must be able to take advantage of their health advantage.  They have practically a completely healthy team.  Chicago’s injuries to Campbell (especially) removes a player that has had past success against Nashville while also forcing another Predator Killer in Byfuglien to the blueline and out from in front of the Predator goalies.  This should provide significant help in both producing shots and limiting Chicago’s shots.  Nashville must press this advantage.

Win Goaltending Battle

Rinne played three regular season games against Chicago, going 1-2 with a 0.924 SV% and 2.33 GAA.  Those are actually good numbers at a time when Rinne was not playing very well overall.  Since the Olympic break, however, Rinne has been on a tear.  For Nashville to win, he has to continue at his current pace and hope that Nashville picks up their recent scoring woes.

Nashville only played Antti Niemi once.  Niemi posted a 4.00 GAA and 0.750 SV% in that game.  He also won (Ellis posted a 5.00 GAA and 0.828 SV% as Nashville collapsed early in the 3^rd period, fought back, and then succumbed in the final minute- six total 3^rd period goals scored).  If Niemi plays that poorly against Nashville again, then Chicago will lose and/or be forced to turn to Huet.  Of course, Niemi has recently tightened his grip on the starting role and has been playing at a level near that of Rinne recently (albeit over a smaller set of games and time).  The battle between Rinne and Niemi will certainly be one to watch, but less so I believe than the other factors above.

Summary

If Nashville can achieve at least three of those four things, they should win this series.  It’s a tall order for sure with perhaps converting their shots into goals being the toughest right now.

Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis must certainly lead the blueline and defensive efforts- and I expect them to do just that.  Pekka Rinne must continue to play very well- and I expect him to do that.

Ultimately, however, I believe this series will be won or lost by the Predator forwards- both defensively and offensively.  If they can’t keep Chicago’s shot totals down and/or to the outside as well as being able to convert their own scoring chances, Nashville will lose.  If they can do both, Nashville wins as I have little doubt about the abilities of the blueline and goaltending.

The Penguins' official website had some interesting things to say (top panel) about Pascal Dupuis early Tuesday evening. By midnight, the dubious ownership of the Penguins was erased and hockey-relevant (bottom panel) information was inserted.

In a five to ten second span on Monday evening during the middle of the second period at Detroit, a sequence by the surging Red Wings in the Penguins’ zone stood out as a microcosm of the problems plaguing Pittsburgh over its past seven games.  Henrik Zetterberg took a pass in the far circle from Nicklas Lidstrom, shook off Sergei Gonchar, then started cutting towards the slot.  Suddenly, Todd Bertuzzi back-skated to the lip of the goal crease and set his 6’3″ 245 lb. frame as a screen.  Sidney Crosby, 5’11″ 200 lb., standing in front of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, was unable to dislodge the bigger Bertuzzi.  Zetterberg fired a backhand shot from the slot and continued to the net.  Before Mark Eaton and Mike Rupp of the Penguins could get to the loose puck, Zetterberg pounced on his own rebound and deposited the biscuit into the net.  Fleury never had a chance to make the stop due to Bertuzzi’s screen and the inability of the Penguins to move him away to give Fleury an unobstructed view of the puck.

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Quite frankly, watching the Penguins’ skaters either unable to clear bodies from in front of Fleury or giving up clear breakaway chances has become a common, painful sight during the past two weeks.  The Penguins started off the month of March 4-0-0 but since the afternoon of that fourth straight win, have posted a mediocre record of 2-3-2.  Unfortunately, two of the regulation time losses occurred at New Jersey and the Devils, winners over Columbus last night, have posted a 5-2-1 record during the same time span and find themselves back atop the Atlantic Division with 90 points – the same number as Pittsburgh – but with one less game played.

The Penguins have deviated from three basic “Hockey 101″ concepts.  First, defencemen must be more cautious, look up and weigh the risk before making cross-ice passes in the neutral zone.  Second, both forwards and defencemen must do a better job of making life difficult for opposing forwards attempting to establish screens in the low slot and goal crease area.  Finally, the Penguins have to be more physically aggressive in the offensive zone by creating traffic in front of the opposing goal to block the goalie’s vision, to prepare for second-chance shots off rebounds and to get ready to make deflections of shots.

When Alexei Ponikarovsky was acquired at the trade deadline, he was expected to be a net-front presence and he has performed mostly as advertised, scoring two goals and four assists in nine games as a Penguin.  Earlier in the season during a stretch when the power play was starving for goals, Cooke was designated to be the man to stand in front of the net.  The pesky winger was reasonably effective in that position and it will be necessary for either Cooke or whichever teammates the coaching staff tab, to reprise that role, willing to pay the physically punishing price to generate more scoring chances for the Penguins.

One player I think should be used more often on the top forward lines simply due to his imposing build is Mike Rupp.  Coach Dan Bylsma has previously experimented with using Rupp on Crosby’s line.  I thought it was a creative, logical idea then and I would like to see it tried again.  However, a Chris Kunitz-Crosby-Rupp trio would displace 19-goal scorer Pascal Dupuis from the first line and lead to multiple repercussions.  I will properly leave the nuts and bolts of forward combinations to the coaches but continue to advocate for nightly traffic jams in front of the enemy net.

This evening at Washington, it does not get any easier.  While many in the media will trot out the tired “Crosby vs. Ovechkin” phrase to lead off their stories, the bigger issue for the Pens will be whether they can consolidate their skills in all the areas mentioned above and continue to receive exemplary work from the penalty killers.  The Pittsburgh penalty kill has shot up to third best in the NHL on the road and they will need to be sharp against the Capitals’ top-ranked power play.  One man to watch in particular will be Jordan Leopold, also acquired in advance of the deadline, who the Penguins intimated was brought in specifically to help contain Ovechkin and the relentless Washington attack.

Watching Monday night’s game against Detroit, I couldn’t help but think back to the underrated contributions of big Hal Gill.  The 6’7″ 241 lb. defenceman, now with Montreal, was often derided for his “wet-cement”-like skating and his poor puck-handling ability but his skill at clearing out opponents who tried to block or harrass Fleury, was unquestioned.  Who can forget Gill laying down the law to Sean Avery in the 2008 playoffs or flicking aside Jeff Carter to prevent rebound scoring chances in 2009?  Despite their smaller stature relative to the towering Gill, the Penguins’ 2010 defence corps must play with the same mentality as Gill and work just as hard at making life easier for Fleury.

There aren’t many games remaining for the Penguins to see where they stand relative to other legitimate Cup contenders before the playoffs start.  Tonight’s game will most certainly be a good comparison and like Monday night, will continue to give us a better idea of what we will likely see from the Penguins come April 14.

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As noted by Damien Cox in this morning’s Toronto Star, there were two newsworthy items that were publicized ahead of tonight’s puck drop at 7.30p EST/4.30p PST: Head coach Mike Babcock has named Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo as Canada’s starting netminder for tonight’s game against Norway.  Martin Brodeur, the putative number 1, will be in net for Thursday’s game against Switzerland.  Personally, I have no qualms inserting Luongo in net for tonight’s game as he is perfectly capable of assuming number 1 duties on any squad to face any strength of opposition and really, should not face much competition against Norway.

Secondly, the forward line combinations and defence pairings were announced with the surprising move of Patrice Bergeron up to the top-line as right wing with Rick Nash on the left side and Sidney Crosby at centre.  Bergeron was not an invitee at last summer’s Canadian orientation camp, but his solid two-way play must have made an impression on the Team Canada decision-makers.  Another reason Bergeron may have been moved up to the first line is his prowess at faceoffs.  The 24-year old Boston Bruin forward has won 57.4% of faceoffs this season, to lead all members of the Canadian squad and trails only Mikko Koivu of Finland among Olympians.  Crosby’s well-documented improvement at faceoffs this season will give the Canadians a Plan A and Plan B should either Bergeron or Crosby get thrown out of the circle on a key draw.  Additionally, Crosby and Bergeron played together on the vaunted 2005 Canadian World Junior team and again on the 2006 Canadian World Championship squad.

From Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail, the forward line combinations and defence pairs, at least for tonight, are as follows:

Rick Nash – Sidney Crosby – Patrice Bergeron

Patrick Marleau – Joe Thornton – Dany Heatley

Corey Perry – Ryan Getzlaf – Eric Staal

Brenden Morrow – Jonathan Toews/Mike Richards – Jarome Iginla

Scott Niedermayer – Shea Weber

Brent Seabrook – Duncan Keith

Chris Pronger/Drew Doughty - Dan Boyle

I have no disagreement with the way that coach Babcock and his assistants have drawn up the forward trios and defensive combinations.  In a short tournament and with just one formal practice yesterday for the Olympic teams to get acquainted, it is imperative that forwards feel comfortable and familiar with their linemates on the ice.  By keeping the entire San Jose top line together on the second line and two Anaheim forwards on the third line, Canada should be confident knowing that many of their forwards will possess that intangible advantage of anticipating or “sensing” where their linemates are on the ice, having played much of the NHL season together.

An underrated but shrewd move is dropping Jarome Iginla to the fourth line.  After the opposition rolls out its best blueliners and best defensive forwards head-to-head to contend with the trios of Crosby and Thornton, there exists the possibility of a favourable mismatch for Canada when Iginla jumps onto the ice.  In all likelihood, his line will regularly face weaker opposing forwards and defenders or later in games, fatigued double-shifting top units.  A powerful physical presence and gifted scorer like Iginla will be able to take advantage of these situations especially alongside Toews, one of the NHL’s best at winning faceoffs.

One player I excitedly anticipate will thrive is 24-year old, B.C.-native, Shea Weber, quietly establishing himself as one of hockey’s premier defenceman.  The right-shooting Weber toils in relative obscurity in Nashville but possesses one of the hardest shots from the blue line and led all Western Conference defencemen in goals last season with 23.  This season, he is once again at the top of the Western goal-scoring chart with 11, in a five-way tie with fellow Canadian Olympic D-men Drew Doughty, Dan Boyle, Duncan Keith and German team member Christian Ehrhoff.

Statistical source: nhl.com

MOBILE USERS:
2010 Canadian Winter Olympic Hockey Roster Selection

LAPTOP/DESKTOP USERS:
2010 Canadian Winter Olympic Hockey Roster Selection

The roster announced today (injury replacements can be made until Feb. 15, 2010):

G Martin Brodeur, NJ
G Roberto Luongo, Van
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Pgh

D Chris Pronger, Pha – Asst. captain
D Shea Weber, Nas
D Brent Seabrook, Chi
D Scott Niedermayer, Ana – Captain
D Dan Boyle, SJ
D Drew Doughty, LA
D Duncan Keith, Chi

F Sidney Crosby, Pgh – Asst. captain
F Jarome Iginla, Cgy – Asst. captain
F Jonathan Toews, Chi
F Rick Nash, Cbs
F Eric Staal, Car
F Mike Richards, Pha
F Brenden Morrow, Dal
F Dany Heatley, SJ
F Joe Thornton, SJ
F Ryan Getzlaf, Ana
F Patrick Marleau, SJ
F Corey Perry, Ana
F Patrice Bergeron, Bos

Let the debate, criticism and arguing from coast-to-coast-to-coast begin!