…and so it ends.
Today we will compelte the final 8 rounds of the NOlympic draft, as well as state our line combinations to compete for NOlympic Glory.
Just to recap from last time, our picks were:
Trontario: F – Stamkos, LeCavalier, St. Louis, Penner, Doan, Smyth, Cammalleri, J. Staal, Lucic, Tanguay, D – Campbell, Regher, Beauchemin, G – Price, Turco
Glenitoba: F – Carter, B. Richards, Savard, Fisher, Weiss, Sharp, Horton, Neal, Roy, D – Bouwmeester, Phaneuf, Green, Robidas, Hamhuis, G – Ward
Again, Troy definitely has the advantage in offense, and made some gains in goaltending. But he is still lagging in defense, both from his back end but also from his forwards.
Which brings us to…
Pick #31
Sheldon Souray, Edmonton Oilers
Souray and his slapshot go to Trontario
Troy Says: This is a guy who can quarterback the powerplay and he’s got a booming shot from the point. Unfortunately he’s had to deal with some injuries but if he’s healthy he can be on my team any day.
Glen Says: Solid pick, he would do well on the powerplay. Not sure if I trust him too much more often than that.
Pick #32
Ryan Clowe, San Jose Sharks
Glen Says: I’m going to stretch the rules a bit here…by taking a Newfie…not sure how I feel about it 
Still, Clowe is a gritty winger who has a great reputation for play in high pressure situations, which is more than we cna say for three of his teammates that made Yzerman’s team.
Troy Says: Nice pick Glen, Clowe had slipped under my radar but definitely a solid pick.
Pick #33
Dan Cleary, Detroit Red Wings
Troy Says: Well how funny is it that two Newfie’s are being picked in a row.
Believe it or not Cleary was the first Newfie to win the cup. This guy is the perfect big game player. He’s not going to dazzle you and he won’t skate circles around you but he will wear you down until you make a mistake and then he has the skill to pounce. Last year in the cup finals against Pittsburgh I thought he was one of Detroit’s most dangerous players. He would be awesome on a checking line and on the penalty kill for Team Trontario.
Glen Says: I know I’ve been picking on your last several picks, but this was a legitimate great pick. If I didn’t already have so many checkers I would have taken him for sure.
Pick #34
Mike Riberio, Dallas Stars
Glen Says: Speaking of checkers…I’m going to take someone with little to no checking ability! He officially makes the Dallas Stars Glenitoba’s San Jose Sharks, as I can now have a full line of those players, and one d-man to boot. He brings speed and offense to a team that is lacking it.
Troy Says: Mike Ribiero is definitely a good pick but unfortunately whenever I think of him I always remember him flayling on the ice against Boston in the playoffs pretending he was hurt and since that day I can’t stand him. There’s no denying his talent though and I’m sure he’ll do Glen proud.
Pick #35
Rich Peverley, Atlanta Thrashers
Troy Says: Quick…who has the most GWG in the league this season??? Rich Peverley that’s who! At the time of writing this he’s got 35 points in 43 games and he has 6 game winning goals which leads the league. I think he would be a nice compliment to my Team Canada.
Glen Says: Great Darkhorse pick! He has been playing really well (granted that was with Kovalchuck as a linemate) but I’m sure he could do well in a clutch position with one of Trontario’s many scoring wingers.
Staal Brothers EXPLODE!!!!
Pick #36
Marc Staal, New York Rangers
Glen Says: STAAL BROTHERS EXPLODE~!!!! While Troy took Jordan a few rounds ago, I’m glad to take his slightly older brother. He should help the best defense in the NOlympics get even better.
Troy Says: Another quality pick for Glenitoba. He is a young, solid defencemen and those are not easy to come by in the NHL.
Pick #37
Marc-Andre Bergeron, Montreal Canadiens
Troy Says: With my previous pick I chose Rich Peverley who leads the league in GWG so I with my next pick I’m going with the defencemen who leads the league in GWG, Bergeron. When Andrei Markov went down with a knee injury in the first game of the season for Montreal they needed to find someone to fill the void left by Markov so they signed Bergeron and he has been fantastic. He’s definitely no Markov but he has been very effective on Montreal’s powerplay and I think with the talent that he would be surrounded on Team Trontario he would fit right in.
Glen Says: Definitely a good pick. Every team needs a good powerplay quarterback, and Bergeron can definitely be your man.
Pick #38
Brad Stuart, Detroit Red Wings
Glen Says: Looking up and down my roster I noticed one thing. Not enough proven winners. My roster so far only has 2 Stanley Cup rings, which pales in comparison to Troy’s. Stuart brings proven playoff success, and a veteran presence to a young, but very solid, defense corps. Also he has experience playing a shutdown roll against some very big guns in recent years and he should join Dan Hamhuis as the two d-men I want out there to protect a lead.
Troy Says: Another solid back end pick for Glen. Glenitoba is going to have an awesome defence for sure!
Pick #39
Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
Troy Says: I’ve decided to take Duchene as my 13th forward because this kid seems to have a lot of talent. He was the 2nd overall pick in last year’s draft and he has been a solid part of Colorado’s surprising play this season. I’ve listened to this kid during interviews and he seems to have a great head on his shoulders and he has a very interesting talent. If you ask him the name of any famous NHL player he can tell you the exact type of stick that he uses. More importantly though I’m taking him now as a 13th forward to give him some experience but I can easily see this kid moving up the depth charts quickly if any of my other picks falter.
Glen Says: Damn good late round pick my friend! He would make a great 13th forward, and not just as a young player but because of his versatility. He can do a little bit of everything, and I will be shocked if he does not play a big role in the real Team Canada in 2014.
Pick #40
Steven Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
Glen Says: Can you say Carey Price 2.0? Mason was considered a favourite to be the third goalie late last season after his barely believable rookie season, he seems to have hit a bit of a wall with his inconsistent play in his sophmore year. That being said, I still think that he is the best option available in goal this late in the game. And I feel like he could easily step into a game or two and help out Cam Ward if it was needed.
Troy Says: Mason is a very talented goalie and even though he’s hit the sophomore slump the talent is there so another good pick.
Pick #41
Michael Del Zotto, New York Rangers
Bringing the Intensity to Trontario
Troy Says: Looking at my defence corps I’ve noticed that there is a lot of
experience in that group so I’m going to add a little youth to mix things up. Del Zotto is a rookie playing in the huge market of New York and he’s in the top 15 in NHL scoring for defencemen so this kid has a lot of potential.
Glen Says: Great pick! He is a likely candidate to win Rookie of the Year, and I considered taking him, but opted for some experience instead. He is going to big deal in a few years I think.
Pick #42
Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
Glen Says: Remember a few picks ago when I said that I didn’t have enough Cup rings? Well now I’ve just doubled them. Osgood is not a spectacular goalie, but he can be solid when it counts, as has been evidenced in the past two playoffs. More importantly perhaps, he adds a great veteran presence to a locker room that needs one.
Troy Says: Well I must say I definitely didn’t expect Glen to pick Osgood. Glen and I have spent many evenings making fun of him but as Glen said he can be solid when needed and the veteran presence cannot be overlooked. He may not be the most spectacular goalie but he usually gets the job done.
Pick #43
Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche
Troy Says: I know, I know…..this would have been a great pick 8 years ago but in trying to round out my defence I’ve noticed that I’m a little heavy on the offensive side of things so I need a solid shutdown guy and Foote can still fill that role. He’s not the player he used to be but much like Glen picking Osgood he is still a reliable guy who will add a great presence in the locker room.
Glen Says: I don’t want to say that Foote was the last person you would take…but he certainly wasn’t far off. I would have taken Jovonaski to fill that role, but I see where you’re going with that one.
Pick #44
Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils
Glen Says: I know that I said that I had my checking line locked up a while ago, but I changed my mind. Zajac is emerging as one of the best defensive forwards in the league, while still being able to contribute offensively. This also frees up the likes of Fisher, Sharp, and Roy to add a bit more offense if need be.
Troy Says: Zajac is a very good young player who looks like he may become a star in the years to come.
Pick #45
Dwayne Roloson, New York Islanders
Troy Says:With my last pick I’ve decided to take Roloson. Roloson has a 17-7 record with the Islanders who are a young and improving team but they still have a ways to go. Roloson has the ability to steal a game every now and then and I think he would provide some great leadership on Team Trontario.
Glen Says: Roloson really is amazing isn’t he? He’s a zillion years old and seems to get better all the time. He has been playing great for the Islanders, and really, how many people can say that?
Pick #46
Jonathan Tavares, New York Islanders
Pumped to be part of Glenitoba
Glen Says: THIS is who else can say that they are playing great for the Islanders. He really has adjusted to the pro-game quickly, much faster than I thought he would. The kid is on pace to push 30 goals as a 19 year old, playing for the Islanders. Just imagine what he could do with someone like Riberio or Savard feeding him the puck?
Troy Says: Excellent pick. Tavares is all that and a bag of potato chips. You’re totally right Glen, if he can put up these kinds of numbers on a crappy Islander team imagine what he could do on an all-star team like Team Glenitoba. I’m sure Tavares will be all over the 2014 team if NHL players participate.
So that just about does it for our teams. Here are our possible line combinations:
TRONTARIO
Forwards:
Cammalleri Lecavalier St. Louis
Tanguay Stamkos Doan
Lucic Peverley Penner
Smyth Staal Cleary
Duchene
Defence:
Souray Bergeron
Beauchemin Regehr
Foote Campbell
Del Zotto
Goalies
1. Carey Price
2. Marty Turco
3. Dwayne Roloson
GLENITOBA
Sharp Savard Carter
Neal Riberio B. Richards
Clowe Weiss Horton
Zajac Fisher Roy
Tavares
Defence:
Bouwmeester Phaneuf
Hamhuis Stuart
Green Robidas
M. Staal
Goalies:
1. Ward
2. Mason
3. Osgood
So which team is better? Or is it too close to call? How do these teams stack up against the Americans or Czechs?
Until next time,
G
