Aly Dhanani – Contributor
Well, I have to say Canada. They have the most talent of any team in the tournament, and no doubt a chip on their shoulder from Friday night’s exhibition game loss against the United States. Once their forward corps gets going, watch out. Jamie Benn was a bigger loss than some people think, as Benn was the only power forward in the lineup, but Canada still has, like twenty other superstars who can raise their game and make up for it.
My only concern is the bottom defense pairings. Can Jay Bouwmeester and Jake Muzzin keep up with the elite pace of the World Cup? That said, Canada has three all-world goaltenders in Carey Price, Braden Holtby & Corey Crawford.
Honorable Mentions: North America, US, Finland
Impact player is a difficult question, as every team is full of top-tier players who are all capable of making a big impact. For this question, I’m going to give you one goalie and one player as my answer. Jonathan Quick was amazing in net on Friday and if he keeps playing like the way he is now, I think USA is just as big of a contender as Canada. Matt Murray is also very crucial to North America’s success.
Generally, goalies are the difference makers in international tournaments. So, choosing a player who would make the biggest impact is hard. But I see a good candidate for tournament MVP in Erik Karlsson. The Swedes have no dynamic forwards on their roster who can carry the puck from blue line to blue line. The Sedin twins and Henrik Zetterberg used to, but they are aging and will get most of their points on power plays, not off the rush. But in Karlsson, Sweden has that crucial component on defense who can join the rush, carry the puck up the ice, and act as a 4th forward.
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