We're into the second half of the hockey season, and the push for the playoffs begin!

Team Canada Watch UPDATED

Written by: Jesse Michael on 5th November 2009

Team Canada Watch *UPDATED* | read this item

Some interesting developments to this week’s roster.

There has been a change – on defence – with some major players on forward in jeopardy of losing their spots to others who have been lights out so far this season.

A few names have been shifted around, with one being added to the mid-card section. Not a Leaf player (are ya kidding me?), but someone they have been up close and personal with over the past few seasons.

	Forwards
Rick Nash	Sidney Crosby	Jarome Iginla
Eric Staal	Ryan Getzlaf	Corey Perry
Dany Heatley	Joe Thornton	Jeff Carter
Brendan Morrow	Mike Richards	Jordan Staal
	Jonathan Toews

*denotes new addition

Highlighted Players:

Eric Staal: Now that Staal is out with an injury, it is really uncertain whether he will make this team or not. The only good news for Staal is that Yzerman has pushed the deadline back. This gives him time to fully recover, and come back with a vengeance. If he can pull the Hurricanes out of the gutter, he will definitely secure a spot.

Jonathan Toews: Toews still hasn’t returned from injury, but he’s very close. If he returns to the pace that he was on before he got hurt, then he’s got a spot on my Team Canada 100%.

Ryan Getzlaf: What’’s wrong with Getzlaf? Granted he has 12 points in 13 games, but one goal? ONE goal? This guy will be counted on to score goals for the 2010 team. His spot really isn’t in jeopardy, but he desperately needs to start finding the back of the net again.

Defencemen
Scott Niedermeyer (C)	Shea Weber
Jay Bouwmeester	Dan Boyle
*Chris Pronger	Mike Green
Duncan Keith

Highlighted Players:

Shea Weber: Just as Weber starts to pick it up, he gets injured. He shouldn’t be out very long, and when he gets back, he will be counted on to drag the Predators out of a major rut in the Western Conference.

*Chris Pronger: Pronger is playing as strong as ever. He has 11 points in 12 games and is a +8. He jumps ahead of Dion Phaneuf on my squad, who could be bumped in favour of the more experienced Pronger.

Goalies

Martin Brodeur

Roberto Luongo

Marc-Andre Fleury

*Taxi Squad: There will be no taxi squad this year. Players can be added up until the Olympics only if a roster player is injured.

Bubble Players

Standouts

Ryan Smyth: He is up to 19 points in 15 games; good enough for sixth overall in the entire league. I’m still hesitant to put him onto my squad, but if he continues to put up numbers, there is no way that he can be ignored any longer.

Patrick Marleau: It seems as though getting rid of the “C” on Marleau’s jersey was the best thing that could have happened. He has 22 points in 17 games, and is making a major case to make the squad. Playing with Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton has also helped, as this could be a projected line for the Olympics if they continue their solid chemistry.
-

Mid-Card

Brad Richards: Another solid week for Richards, as he pushed himself into the top ten in scoring in the league. Richards has 13 assists and 18 points in 13 games played. If he stays un-injured, he could push players like Jordan Staal or Jonathan Toews off the projected roster.

Steven Stamkos: Another solid week for Stamkos. He started it off against the Senators, scoring a beautiful goal, en route to a 5-1 win. He has scored 11 goals on the season, pushing him into a tie for second overall in the league. If he keeps up this pace, guys like Ryan Getzlaf and Eric Staal should be worried.

Martin St. Louis: St.Louis regressed a bit this past week. Although he had two assists, tying him for seventh overall in the league, in three games, he lacked the jump that pushed him to an explosive start to the season. As long as he and Stamkos keep clicking, St.Louis will get a solid look for the team.

*Jason Spezza: Spezza returned from his back injury to lead the Senators to a 3-2 overtime win against the Lightning Thursday night. He scored his first goal of the season, and added two assists, to push his point total on the season to 11. Most impressive is that Spezza is playing more responsible in his own zone, and has had experience playing on the 4th line at the World Championships a few years ago. It is possible to toy around with the idea of Spezza stealing a 12th or 13th spot from someone. Just not yet.

Rough-Go’s

Vincent Lecavalier: Scoring his second goal of the season in front of Team Canada brass on Tuesday against the Leafs didn’t do anything to harm his status. But other than that, he looked lost and enthused the entire game. Steven Stamkos has passed him as the go to player on the Lightning, and Lecavalier still can’t score. Was demoted last week to the fourth line to try and wake him up.

Topics: Brad Richards, Chris Pronger, Eric Staal, Jason Spezza, Jonathan Toews, Martin St. Louis, Men's Hockey Team, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Smyth, Shea Weber, Steven Stamkos, Team Canada, Vancouver 2010, Vancouver Olympics, Vincent Lecavalier, Winter Olympics

Latest Headlines

In The News

Sarnia’s Kujawinski ready for U-17 Hockey Challenge

Sarnia’s Kujawinski ready for first taste of international competition at the U-17 Hockey Challenge, competing with Team Ontario at the end of the month in Windsor, Ontario