Staal was a beast in the playoffs, and he has had as much, if not more playoff success (performance) as any Canadian forward outside of Crosby. 43 points in 43 games including 19 goals. Thornton fans may pause at selecting Toews and cite his only scoring 69 points last year. But, he notched 34 goals after going the entire month of October to start the season without a goal. Plus, everyone raves about his two-way game and he’s a player that is going to get better in his 3rd season and make another possible leap. What you see is what you get with Joe at this point. Toews scored more goals in his first playoff run than Joe has had in four playoff runs with the Sharks.

Sure, Canada is going to need a balance of scorers and playmakers. But, goal-scoring was a real problem last time out, and it seems like guys such as Staal and Toews have more to offer than Thornton. Nash/Getzlaf/Heatley is going to be one of their top 2 lines, reprising the World Championship success (hopefully). Four years ago, that was Gagne/Thornton/Nash. Getzlaf has replaced Joe as the playmaking centre — in the last 2 years, Thornton has just 4 more assists than Getzlaf — with more grit and playoff success. Crosby/Iginla/??? will be the other top line, with Sid at wing or centre.

Making the team strictly as a centre has to be as difficult as being goalie for Team Canada.

Joshhatrick – with all due respect, I think the podcast/blog is more about creating a discussion than creating an objective scouting report. The dudes just talk, and you and the rest of us draw our own conclusions about their ideas and opinions.

SJ should take advantage of the match-up problems having 3 scoring centres presents. We can mix and match the accompanying wingers, but at virtually all ES minutes, you will have either Thornton, Marleau, or Pavs on the ice. In a way, it’s the same strategy Anaheim used at ES on defence for Pronger and Niedermayer — they don’t usually play together so one of them is always on the ice. Pittsburgh generally rolls out Crosby/Malkin/Staal separately. Yzerman/Federov, Sakic/Forsberg, Lecavalier/Richards, all generally played separately at ES.

If a team decides to play SJ strength against strength, then Pavs draws the easiest defensive pairing and forward line. Having 3 lines anchored by centres that can score like SJ tilts matchups in their favour as someone is going to draw a 3rd unit. Especially with the salary cap, it’s hard for teams to even field 2 lines with strong 2-way pivots and we have 3. I just feel like we should be making teams match up with us, instead of us turning a luxury — having 3 centres — and making it more conventional. If Pavs is as good a two-way centre with hockey sense that everyone keeps saying, that makes the 3rd line an actual threat to score and not just dump the puck in and give the 1st two lines breathers. I like Mitchell and I wouldn’t banish him to the 4th line, but play him on the 3rd with Pavs.

I agree with the point made in the podcast about faceoffs. But, maybe Joe was getting thrown out more last year because he knew he could with Marleau backing him up. Despite being criticized for his faceoff ability when he first got traded here, he’s been pretty good in the circle throughout.

As for Joe carrying an inferior winger with him, well, he’s been doing that his whole career, basically, and making it work. And making his linemates a lot of cash in the process. He makes anyone a threat with the coverage he draws and his passing. If Cheechoo is on the roster, he only has value if he plays with Joe. Ironically, last year’s wingers were probably the best line he’s played with (as a full unit) and he had a pretty pedestrian season by his standards. Anyway, at the end of the day, it’s just line combinations as we wait for real news to trickle in.

Guys, really? Again, do you know how to assess talent? Do you watch other games? Pominville is not the same as Michalek. There is a huge difference, or else why would there be a difference in how the perform, their production? Pominville is smaller, but he’s more skilled. Just because they’re both fast does not make them the same type of player. Just because Michalek is fast doesnt mean he’s “dynamic” like one of you said, more “dynamic” than Sharp, just because he’s faster. Sharp and Pominville are both more dynamic than Michalek because, and this is especially true with Pominville, they have better, faster hands, and better balance on their skates.

Pominville is a shootout specialist. He can puckhandle. Michalek can’t deke a goalie to save his life. He has improved but his hands are nowhere near as fast or accurate as Pominville’s. And what goes hand in hand with that is skating ability. And i’m not talking speed. I’m talking the type of balance and agility that makes one just a better skater in the sense of figuring skating. Pominville is better on his skates. Remember how Michalek always used to get knocked down every time a defender came close to him? That’s because he wasn’t very good at skating. He’s improved but he’s tstill no natural like Pominville is. Pominville can produce more regularly and against ebtter opponents because he does have that ability to weave in and out of defenders, deke goalies into giving up room to shoot the puck, get around his defender to create 2 on 1′s close to the net, to create passing lanes.

The same is true with Derek Roy and Connolly.

No offense but I think you two could really use a scout/talent analysis correspondent to help with your show, someone to who sees a lot of every team in the NHL and who watches games in a certain way that is different from the way most watch the game. Someone who actually pays close attention to each individual area of each player’s game and can give your listeners a real idea of what certain players are good at and what they aren’t. It’s not that you guys are bad. You’re pretty spot on 60% of the time or so, but the rest of the time it hurts the show. I just don’t think you guys pay attention to certain parts of the game.

I mean, besides heart, and all that, can you tell me why Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry were better than Setoguchi, Marleau, and Thornton? Like what specifically about the players on anaheim’s top line is different than the players on the sharks top line simply in terms of talent? Marleau is supposed to be one of the fastest players in the league, with an amazingly quick release (so ive heard anyway), a great skater, so then what makes Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan better than him? What makes Getzlaf better than JT? What makes Ryan and Perry better than Setoguchi? Just in terms of skill. In terms of ability (no heart, or attitude, just in terms of skill).

Do you know? And that only involves players you watched a lot in sharks games this year, and in the playoff series. What about more abstract guys on Montreal, Florida, like Booth, Weiss, Horton, what do they bring to the table? Etc. I doubt you can give accurate scouting reports on most of these guys, so you should consider getting outside help. I would help you guys scout and bring in quality gem players but now I know you’d just end up trading them all for Jarko Ruuto right away anyway so what’s the point? But I’m sure there’s someone out there.

Vlasic for Ruuto?

I’m sorry but I’m done listening to your podcast guys.

yor welcome