Greeley: Projecting Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Olympic Roster – Version 2
It’s been just four weeks since releasing our first projection of Team Canada’s men’s hockey entry for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but that’s provided us and Hockey Canada one additional month of data, evidence and valuable information for the selection process.
To be sure, the first month of the season hasn’t changed anything for Team Canada’s top players. It’s the last cuts that are making their final cases for the roster.
That said, I’m ready to make some changes to our initial projection:
Forwards
In: John Tavares, Zach Hyman
Out: Mark Scheifele, Mathew Barzal
John Tavares
Tavares has had a great start to the year and as a point-per-game player in this young season, I believe he’s played his way back on the team. The pressure in Toronto has not gotten to Tavares. If he can bring the same leadership he has shown with the Leafs to Team Canada, then he will prove to be a very valuable member of the team. His motivation will be high. Tavares suffered a knee injury in Sochi in 2014 during the quarterfinals and though he owns a gold medal, he never got the chance to play in the gold medal game.
Zach Hyman
Is Hyman simply Chris Kunitz 2.0? In late October, Hyman was placed on a line with Connor McDavid and the two have been exceptional together. It would be easy to say “anyone can be good with McDavid” but in a short tournament, instant chemistry will be critical and Hyman has proven that he is a match with No. 97. Will Doug Armstrong take a sure thing in terms of chemistry with Hyman or will he opt for a higher-end skill player in Mathew Barzal or the size of Mark Scheifele, who can slide from center to the wing?
Fortunately for me this is not my final roster so let’s have some fun and pencil Hyman in for now!
Forwards:
1. Connor McDavid*
2. Sidney Crosby*
3. Nathan MacKinnon
4. Patrice Bergeron
5. Brad Marchand
6. Mark Stone
7. Mitch Marner
8. Sean Couturier
9. Ryan O’Reilly 📉
10. Brayden Point
11. Steven Stamkos
12. John Tavares 📈
13. Jonathan Huberdeau
14. Zach Hyman 📈
Last Cuts: Mark Scheifele, Mathew Barzal, Taylor Hall.
Defense
On the blue line, Team Canada has to be concerned with Drew Doughty’s injury. Doughty injured his knee on Oct. 27 and is out for 6-8 weeks. An eight-week hiatus would take Doughty out until Dec. 27, allowing just two weeks or so of NHL play before the roster selections must be made around Jan. 10. Doughty started off the year reverting to old form, mentioning his motivation for the Olympics, so we will keep him on the roster for now with an eye toward the injury.
Defense:
1. Alex Pietrangelo
2. Cale Makar
3. Dougie Hamilton
4. Shea Theodore
5. Darnell Nurse
6. Josh Morrissey
7. Aaron Ekblad
8. Drew Doughty ⛔️
If Doughty is unavailable:
Morgan Rielly: Rielly has been as advertised all season – a strong, puck-moving defenseman that can get the Leafs out of the zone. He was rewarded with a rich $60 million contract extension last month. This selection will come down to fit for Doug Armstrong. Does Team Canada need more mobility or are they looking for someone that can shut down elite offensive players? If it is more of a shutdown role, I think Rielly will miss out on Beijing.
Thomas Chabot: The Senators have been ravaged by COVID-19 of late, so it’s difficult to make a totally accurate assessment over these last two weeks or so. To date, it’s hard to not notice the effortless manner in which Chabot rips off 27 or 29 minutes per night. He is efficient and more often than not this season, Chabot has been on the right side of the puck for a growing Ottawa team.
Brent Burns: Six weeks into the NHL season and Burns is the leading scorer among Canadian-born defensemen and that has grabbed the attention of many in the Western Conference. At 36, I did not anticipate that Burns would be in the mix, but he is off to a better start than Colton Parayko and a few others that are vying for that last spot on the blue line.
Goaltending
Team Canada’s goaltending depth will benefit from Mackenzie Blackwood’s new fully-vaccinated status, which will allow him to travel to Beijing. Blackwood is off to a strong start statistically for the Devils and seems to be picking up right where he left off last season. It’s still a major question mark as to who will start Game 1 for Team Canada.
Goalies
1. Darcy Kuemper
2. Mackenzie Blackwood 📈
3. Jordan Binnington
Goaltender knocking on the door:
Carter Hart: Hart seems to have reverted to form, where he was two years ago for the Philadelphia Flyers. He has been very good as of late and is certainly making Team Canada take notice. His recent 2-1 win on the road vs Carolina is exactly the type of game both Philadelphia and Team Canada are looking for from Hart.
Also keep an eye on Marc-Andre Fleury, as the Blackhawks have clamped down defensively, providing a more accurate depiction of the reigning Vezina Trophy winner’s game.
Potential Lineup:
Hyman – McDavid – Bergeron
Marchand – Crosby – MacKinnon
O’Reilly – Point – Stone
Huberdeau – Couterier – Marner
Extras: Tavares / Stamkos
Theodore – Pietrangelo
Nurse – Doughty
Morrissey – Makar
Ekblad / Hamilton
Kuemper / Blackwood / Binnington