Last week Bob and Brendan were talking about how they would rank the Canadian teams going into 2018/19 on Oilers Now and I wanted to get into it then but I was under the weather. So what better time to dig in than now?
Before we get into it I want to point you in the direction of THE MOST comprehensive “Who to Watch” guide for the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup going on in Edmonton and Red Deer right now!
You’ve got to check it out. You won’t find a better checklist of players to watch for each team!
WHO TO WATCH AT THE 2018 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP
Who will be the best Canadian team next season?
By “best” I don’t necessarily mean where they’ll finish in the standings at year’s end. I’m just looking at the rosters at the moment and letting you know how I’d rank them in terms of roster talent.
Of course, we all know that a good roster on paper might not mean f*ck all when it comes to how it performs on the ice.
Here are my rankings. If you click on the links you’ll be taken to their line combinations on Daily Faceoff’s site.
I’ve probably lost a good portion of you already putting the Flames ahead of the Oilers and I was hard pressed not to put Calgary at no.1 because I like their forward group more than any of the other teams in Canada from a depth perspective but Winnipeg’s top-6 is simply miles ahead of any of the other teams’ coming from a production POV. Yes, even better than Toronto’s…
On the whole, I like Toronto’s forwards more than Edmonton’s but I like Edmonton’s defense more than Toronto’s. At their peaks, Talbot and Andersen are a wash. So it’ll probably come down to special teams but the Oilers and the Maple Leafs are in their own bracket.
I think that Vancouver will be competitive but not quite there yet. There’s a big gap between them and Edmonton but they’ve got some really nice young talent coming up to play for them next season in Elias Pettersson, Adam Gaudette, and perhaps Jonathan Dahlen will join them as well.
Montreal is just a shit show right now. I can’t make heads or tails of their roster and its direction. They’ve got probably the best goalie in the world on their team but they’ve got nothing dynamic going on in the forwards or the defense. If Shea Weber can get healthy, that’ll help but I’m not sure how much, to be honest.
Ottawa… Well all I can say about them is that at least the tire fire as moved East and folks are talking about them instead of Edmonton.
NO.1 – WINNIPEG
What I like: Their top 6 is outstanding. Wheeler, Ehlers, Laine, Little, Scheifele, and Connor… That’s an embarrassment of riches right there. Actually, if you toss in Perreault and Roslovic, their top 8 forwards are VERY good. I’m not as sold on Nic Petan as the 3C but Adam Lowry as 4C is icing on the cake.
The defense is staggeringly good. If Ben Chiarot is your weakest link and his backup is Joe Morrow (you might remember him from the Tyler Seguin trade), you’re pretty sorted. They’ve still got to re-sign Josh Morrisey but it’s only a matter of time.
Connor Hellebuyck is a massive advantage for them. Hopefully, he’s not the next coming of Jim Carey though.
What I don’t like: I’m not sold on Marko Dano, Nic Petan, or Brandon Tanev in their bottom 6. I think they could use some veteran options down there. That said, if they use Andrew Copp instead of Petan on the 3rd line, I think they’ll be pretty sorted.
Laurent Brossoit as their backup was an interesting choice. He couldn’t cut it in Edmonton. I’m not sure how moving to Winnipeg is going to change things. I might’ve moved someone for a more experienced backup if I were GM.
Prospects coming? Yes, absolutely. Brendan Lemieux, Mason Appleton, and Kristian Vesalainen are amongst their better forwards on the brink of breaking into the big team on forward. Sami Niku, Logan Stanley, and Tucker Poolman could fill in on a bottom-pairing role in Winnipeg starting next season and they’ve got Eric Comrie starting for their AHL affiliate. He shouldn’t need that much more seasoning in the AHL.
Free agents after this season: Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor (RFA), Patrik Laine (RFA), Marko Dano (RFA), Andrew Copp (RFA), Brandon Tanev, Jacob Trouba (RFA), Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot, Joe Morrow (RFA), and Laurent Brossoit (RFA).
(source)
In a 7-game series, would they beat the Oilers? Anything can happen in a 7-game series, especially when Connor McDavid is out there but all things equal and if the rosters are at their best, a 7-game series matchup between these two clubs would probably go seven games with the Jets coming out on top.
I don’t think the Oilers have the soldiers that Winnipeg does and even though McDavid could turn the tide at any moment, the Jets’ defense is that much better at shutting down the opposition’s forwards.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
