BLITZ 07 B LEAGUE - RANKED 1-12

[LA Robbie]

Now we start the controversy! Following KingRaphs B league odds i've listed the B league teams 1-12, not in the order I think they'll finish, but in the order of how strong I feel they are based on my team reviews.

This ranking bares no resemblance to this list i'd do if I was ranking where I think they'll finish. Good examples of this would be that I think Mav is going to have a great season and a great chance of winning it, but i've ranked his team quite low because I think they lack offence. Mav is a good enough player to overcome that I think. I've ranked my own team pretty high, but I'll be aiming for mid-table I think. I don't think I can possibly win it, but in the hands of a better player I think they could be an excellent squad.

It's all opinion anyway. Feel free to comment, criticise, object, argue, whatever. It's going to be a great league for sure however it ends up!

1) St. Louis Mogilny, Ellett, Burke make a great spine. Is the support good enough?

2) Washington Great strength in depth throughout. Do they lack a great winger?

3) Toronto Fantastic balance. Lacking an elite goal scorer?

4) Winnipeg Enormous team! Does is lack a goal scorer though?

5) Quebec Great quality throughout. Does it need more of a physical edge?

6) Tampa Bay Good balance & elite goalie. Does Gary Roberts need help scoring goals?

7) New Jersey Attractive offensive team. Is it too small to play the rough stuff?

8) Ottawa Tough, defensive, physical team. Does it lack a cutting edge?

9) Edmonton Great looking offence.....but can they defend?

10) Calgary Tiny team with pretty looking offence. Is Bourque's brilliance enough to stay tight at the back & carry them into the playoffs?

11) Hartford Monstrous defensive team with Patrick Roy in goal. Will Robitaille score enough points on his own at the other end?

12) Boston Pillaged of their 06 stars, can Gretzky & Jagr carry them to the playoffs are they lacking a regular goal scorer & physical presence?

.............and we're off! Pick the bones out of all that!

[kingraph]

This will all be very subjective as different people prefer different styles.

BUT -- I'm not sure why TOR is so high and HFD so low.

Messier/Gilmour/Thomas vs Robitaille/Juneau/Otto (Messier > Otto, Robitaille > Gilmour, Juneau > Thomas) HFD preferred

Kasatonov/Leetch vs Steve Smith/Doug Lidster (Smith > Kasatonov, Leetch > Lidster) tie

ROY vs Puppa -- this will be a HUGE factor. HFD in a landslide

Personally, I'd take HFD's team.

I'm also not a fan of "depth", but that's again, personal to me.

[Sicarius]

I've yet to play anyone that swaps players in and out barring penalties or injuries. I may start 3 D this year though. I'll probably swap Diduck for Johansson some.

So I don't get the whole depth thing either.

[kingraph]

I've yet to play anyone that swaps players in and out barring penalties or injuries. I may start 3 D this year though. I'll probably swap Diduck for Johansson some.

So I don't get the whole depth thing either.

I know some people do...hokkee comes to mind. He tinkers with the lineup a lot when we play. Ive seen other people put in a good shooter when there is a faceoff in the offensive zone, in an attempt to nail a quick one-timer.

The injury/penalty thing is important though...a 3rd D and 4th winger will get some decent ice time throughout the season. Never 5 & 6, unless for personal reasons.

[LA Robbie]

On depth: Ur reserve D's are big, because at least 1 will play at times almost every game. The other will be called upon sometimes - Always due to injuries or to PK. I don't want a guy coming in i've got no confidence in at the very time when I need to rely on the players.

With the forwards - 2 lines: 1 for chasing the game, 1 for defending the lead, or you could even say 1 for playing smaller teams, 1 for playing bigger teams maybe? On my Washington team for example I can throw Murphy in as a solid all rounder, Momesso in if i'm getting dominated or Granato in if i'm playing a slow D, or if I need something different when chasing the game.

Some have their lines and don't change them regardless of how the game's going or what the score is, I think it's an advantage to have different things to counter the opposition with depending on the situation.

Each to their own, and, yeah, it's all opinions, so some will have Toronto lower than Hartford. I actually really like Mav's team too, but like I said, the ranking was kind of based on the balance and make-up of the team. I think i'd be appalling with that Hartford team cos I need better offensive players & more speed, but yeah, it's awesome on D & like I said, i'll be shocked if Mav isn't right near the top all season. Putting a team low in the rankings doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad team.