2023-24 NHL Season Thread.

[Tradewind]

I would have taken Thornton over Nash (well, half the team, but Nash would be the first I'd drop) and Seabrook over Hamhuis. St. Louis I would have liked to see as well, but I guess they felt he's too old.

Yeah Thornton is a bigger miss than St Louis, especially with Marleau on the team. Kunitz/Crosby, Thornton/Marleau...seems like obvious pairings to me!

So Taylor Hall doesn't make it, but Jeff Carter does? And Nash, he hasn't even gotten 10 goals yet... Leaving out Giroux is an even bigger disgrace.

Taylor Hall is also -12. For Giroux, too little too late is my guess, Canada has lots of good centers and he has spent most of the season sucking. Can't just take a team full of centers. You've already got Bergeron, Crosby, Duchene, Getzlaf, Toews, Tavares.

[Greeney]

I would take Carter over Hall any day. Big, fast, defensively responsible, and has arguably the quickest wrist shot in the game.
Still hate Kaberle for not waving his no trade clause.

Kaberle refused to waive his no-trade clause last season, when interim GM Cliff Fletcher had worked out a deal to send him to Philadelphia for Jeff Carter and a first-round pick.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey..._leafs_gm.html

<_<

[Tradewind]

I just hope it's a solid outing. Not another round of Turin, where they went with old shooters is all. So far I'd say we have the strongest lineup as long as the goaltenders show up.

We need Vezina contender Mike Smith, not Butt-Goal Smith.

[BicycleMafioso]

Personally, I hope Canada doesn't advance past the round robin(?).

[Greeney]

I just hope it's a solid outing. Not another round of Turin, where they went with old shooters is all. So far I'd say we have the strongest lineup as long as the goaltenders show up.

We need Vezina contender Mike Smith, not Butt-Goal Smith.

Mike Smith is only playing if Luongo and Price get injured IMO.
Sweden's line up looks pretty stacked as well.

[Elgefar]

Yeah Thornton is a bigger miss than St Louis, especially with Marleau on the team. Kunitz/Crosby, Thornton/Marleau...seems like obvious pairings to me!



Taylor Hall is also -12. For Giroux, too little too late is my guess, Canada has lots of good centers and he has spent most of the season sucking. Can't just take a team full of centers. You've already got Bergeron, Crosby, Duchene, Getzlaf, Toews, Tavares.

Taylor Hall plays on the second worst team in the league, with no defense and no goaltending at all. He can't carry the team on his own. And while he wasn't exactly a lock on the team, more worthy than Jeff Carter. The +/- category is such a broken stat anyway so using it against him is a bit idiotic.

Anyhow Giroux is an adept two-way player who could've played alongside Getzlaf and Perry on the third line, and one who is much more more deserving of a spot than Nash who has done diddly squat this year.

Also there are plenty of centers that will play as wingers like Stamkos, Duchene and Tavares.

[Rennadrel]

Mike Smith is only playing if Luongo and Price get injured IMO.
Sweden's line up looks pretty stacked as well.

Luongo's chances in net hang by a thread. I seriously wanted to smack Yzerman for selecting someone so prone to choking under pressure. If he so much as gets shown up by Price or Smith in the round robin play, he won't see another game.

[Tojara]

They put a big emphasis on natural wingers and defense shooting on their natural side. I see a lot of people complaining about selections without taking into account what they were putting an emphasis on.

Raw talent there were better options than what was picked, but Canada has such an expansive list of centers and not a whole lot of natural wingers, which is why some of the selections are surprising to some. Speed makes such a big difference on international ice which is why seeing somebody like Thorton being left off makes some sense to me.

Honestly the roster looks fairly solid, I probably would have made room for Giroux but we have so many god damn centers. I don't think Hall is experienced enough for the Olympics yet. There are plenty of forwards on the current roster who are excellent two way players, and I just don't think Hall fits the bill of being a great two way forward, at least not yet. 2018 he will probably be a lock.

I assume Toews will get the C with Crobsy and Bergeron getting an A.

What they do in goal I have no idea. It's Luongo's job to lose IMO and the moment he falters they will likely jump all over Price.

I'm not surprised Subban made the team. He's probably going be used very sparingly, and honestly he's going to be a fourth pairing anyways. Arguing over who is on the fourth pairing really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things a whole lot. They likely won't use Subban much and he will probably be used on the PP. Weber and Subban on the points during a PP is going to be beastly.

[Rennadrel]

Rick Nash has to be the biggest WTF for Team Canada. He has been garbage the last couple of years, what is he going to offer this team when he can't even play up to his contract in the NHL?

[Elgefar]

If Hockey Canada are dumb enough to start Price, Canada will exit in the quarterfinals. He can't handle pressure.

Well Tojara, the reason we are complaining is that better players are being left at home because they had the misfortune of being a center man or being a right-handed shooter. It's a bit pathetic tbh. Funnily enough some of the guys they have chosen as "wingers" were center man when they were drafted; Sharp and Carter for example.

In Giroux's case, he is a better two-way player than Nash for example and ironically he has had quite a lot of experience as a winger when he played with Briere, Carter and Richards.

[Stommped]

Forget Letang... Giroux AND Couture don't make the team??? That's even more puke worthy. Maybe I'm biased cause I've watched a lot of the Sharks the past two years, but Couture is easily one of the best snipers on the planet.

[Greeney]

I'm not surprised Subban made the team. He's probably going be used very sparingly, and honestly he's going to be a fourth pairing anyways. Arguing over who is on the fourth pairing really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things a whole lot. They likely won't use Subban much and he will probably be used on the PP. Weber and Subban on the points during a PP is going to be beastly.

Vlasic and Hamhius are my guess for fourth pairing.

[Masqerader]

I am fine with Team Canada.. with the exception of Hamhuis over Seabrook.

Russia has the weakest looking line-up of the major hockey countries, Fins and Swedes close behind

- - - Updated - - -

Rick Nash has to be the biggest WTF for Team Canada. He has been garbage the last couple of years, what is he going to offer this team when he can't even play up to his contract in the NHL?

I disagree, he has size and speed.

Thornton was a victim of numbers, and well he is a slow skaters, and of course only room for so many centres


How well a person doing stat wise doesn't mean anything. Do you deserve consideration based on stats? Yes. A spot? No?

[Raleik]

The center depth on Canada is so ridiculous it's not even funny. Tavares and Getzlaf will be your 3rd and 4th centers, like wtf.

[Zeoni]

Don't know how you can criticize any moves by Canada, look at the fucking roster. It honestly won't matter who gets left off, it's going to come down to the goalie losing the tournament for us or not.

[Greeney]

The center depth on Canada is so ridiculous it's not even funny. Tavares and Getzlaf will be your 3rd and 4th centers, like wtf.

I wouldn't be shocked if one of them were wingers. Toews and Bergeron are the best two way centre's in the league excluding Datsyuk, and Crosby is a given.

[Zeoni]

Personally, I hope Canada doesn't advance past the round robin(?).

What a shocker!

[Greeney]

One more point for Jagr and he passes Super Mario.

[Masqerader]

I hope the Leafs fire Caryle soon. He pretty much is the reason Garbo and McCarthur are gone, but signed Clarkson

[Greeney]

Giving up two points to two teams who played back to back games. Ridiculous.