It’s easy to pick a good team to represent Canada at the Olympics. Canada has enough depth to send a strong B squad if needed. Picking a team that wins is much more difficult.
Whenever so many worthy candidates are involved there are always some surprises and snubs, and Tuesday’s roster announcement was no exception.
Surprises
Chris Kunitz
The most controversial pick, one taken largely because of his chemistry with Sidney Crosby, because apparently the best player in the world is hard to play with. Kunitz is a good player, but one elevated because of Crosby’s transcendence. Over the years many of Crosby’s other wingers have seen a huge bump in production flanking 87, but that doesn’t mean they are Olympic-worthy either.
Mike Smith
It’s hard to get too worked up over a third goalie; unless something goes dramatically wrong Smith won’t see any game time. Regardless, Smith is tied for 22nd in save percentage among qualified goalies, and 12th among Canadian netminders. Apart from his outlier 2011-12 campaign (in which he was terrific), he has been below average the last five years, costing his team over 25 goals more than an average goalie would have allowed.
Dan Hamhuis and Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Both are strong defensive players but largely unheralded. Management’s desire to keep a balanced split between left- and right-handed shots on the blueline may have given Hamhuis and Vlasic the edge over a right-handed defenceman like Brent Seabrook, who was stuck behind Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, and P.K. Subban on the right side.
Others: Jeff Carter, Rick Nash, Matt Duchene
Snubs
Martin St. Louis
Steve Yzerman showed courage leaving his own winger off Canada’s roster, but it might not have been the right decision. St. Louis keeps putting up points as he nears 40, and his speed and skill transfer well to the international ice. He would be the perfect left winger for Crosby, especially if Steven Stamkos can return from injury and play the right side.
Joe Thornton
Tied for fourth in the league in points with Ryan Getzlaf, Thornton also leads the league in assists. Over the last five years only Henrik Sedin has more assists, and he has the luxury of a telepathic connection with his twin. It’s somewhat surprising that teammate Patrick Marleau received the call over Thornton, but Marleau’s ability to shift over to the wing and Thornton’s perceived immobility on the big ice tip the scales.
Claude Giroux and Eric Staal
Slow starts hurt both Staal and Giroux. Over the last three seasons only Evgeni Malkin has more points than Giroux, who has notched 179 points over those years, and Staal has been a virtual lock for 70 points a year over the last decade. Both have improved as the season progresses, with Giroux putting up 38 points in his last 37 games, and Staal with 26 in his last 24.
Others: Logan Couture, Tyler Seguin, Brent Seabrook
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