Team Canada At The 2014 Winter Olympics: Editor In Leaf’s Picks
Jeff Langridge’s Picks
Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
LW C RW
Jamie Benn Sidney Crosby Steven Stamkos
Patrick Sharp Jonathan Toews John Tavares
Logan Couture Patrice Bergeron Martin St. Louis
Matt Duchene Ryan Getzlaf Corey Perry
Extras: Joe Thornton & Jordan Eberle
LD RD
Marc-Edouard Vlasic Shea Weber
Jay Bouwmeester Alex Pietrangelo
Extras: Dion Phaneuf & P.K. Subban
G
Jeff’s Explanation:
As for the forwards, my big omission is Claude Giroux. My two picks that I think could make big differences are Thornton and Eberle. Thornton because of his experience and size and Eberle because of his speed and clutch ability, especially in international play.
You might think I’m being a homer, but my picks of Phaneuf and Bernier are not because they are Maple Leafs.
Not everyone likes the plus/minus stat but the fact that Phaneuf leads a Leaf team in that stat when he is playing against the opposition’s best players, some of whom are playing on Canada’s top two lines, speaks volumes.
Bernier is one of the goalies simply because his stats say that he is one of the best Canadian goalies in the league this year, ahead of others who might be bigger names. However, if Luongo is unable to make the team, I would include Corey Crawford in his place.