"Team Canada is set to name their team on Wednesday, and recently there's been plenty of debate on who should be included. While the majority of the team is rather simple to assemble, the last few roster spots are very tough decisions, and frankly, there's going to be a ton of deserving players staying home to watch."
"New York Islanders rookie defenceman Matthew Schaefer has been turning heads all season long with his skating abilities, poise with the puck, and wisdom beyond his years. The 18-year-old blueliner has recorded 24 points in 39 games so far this season, averaging 23:47 of ice-time per game, which leads the Islanders. There's a ton of speculation he'll be one of the defenceman selected on Wednesday, which means Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard could be on the outside looking in."
"Bouchard certainly has some flaws on the defensive side of the puck, but there's no denying his ability to join the rush and provide secondary scoring from the back end. The Oilers' defenceman has 37 points in 39 games this season, and is on the bubble to make the team. With Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews, and Shea Theodore as locks, the rest of Canada's blueline is in question. Drew Doughty or Colton Parayko? Can Bouchard play a complete game best-on-best? Have Thomas Harley and Travis Sanheim done enough this season to warrant selections? Will Schaefer be brought to Milan, even as an extra defenceman for the experience? Lots of good problems to have for Canada's management team, but some really tough dec"
Roster submissions for the upcoming Olympics force difficult final selections for Team Canada, with the squad announcement scheduled for Wednesday. The majority of the roster is straightforward, but the remaining defence and depth spots present tough decisions that will leave many deserving players off the roster. The holiday roster freeze has ended, reigniting trade discussions across the NHL. Matthew Schaefer's rookie season has elevated his profile with strong skating, puck poise, and 24 points in 39 games. Evan Bouchard offers offensive upside with 37 points in 39 games despite defensive concerns. Multiple veteran and emerging defencemen compete for the remaining places.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]