Ingredients for successful playoff team

[Deathbyoompa]

First off I would like to thank a whole bunch of posters over in prospects thread. Very informative for the most part. Special thanks to Sid is me and vintage Canuck. Excellent info put forth by both. 

 

Mostly curious what cdc’ers view as essential playoff ingredients?

 

These are the things I believe are necessary to achieve a deep run.

 

1. Goaltending (good to elite)

2. A top 6 that produces 

3. Grittiness throughout line up.

4. Secondary scoring from bottom 6( 1 of whom needs to step up like a Claude Lemieux type playoff performer)

5. Top 4 dmen (3&4 great, 1&2 great to elite)

6. Good coaching

7. Good old fashion luck, hockey gods favour, good bounces whatever ya want to call it.

 

How I see the canucks as stacking up at this point.

 

1.bit of an unknown at the moment. Demko could step up in a couple of years. As it stands now Marky won’t cut it.

2. I think Bo and Brock will produce in the playoffs but, not looking to good for second line production.

3. Actually think nucks aren’t doing to bad in this department. We don’t have a lot of huge players but, we have our share of smaller gritty forwards. Plenty of guys willing to take a hit to make a play.

4.) This one is probably the hardest part. Finding players who can score in playoffs is difficult even for top 2 lines. Finding that gem playoff performer is even harder. 

5.) Nucks need to find a 1,4 to compliment Tanev and elders at 2&3

6. Coach Green seem like he could be the guy. Another season will help with that evaluation.

7. Just the way it goes.

 

Hopefully everybody is having a glorious day.

[Fanuck]

31 minutes ago, Deathbyoompa said:

 

Mostly curious what cdc’ers view as essential playoff ingredients?

 

European skill + NA heart!

[goalie13]

I was listening to an interview with Brian Burke the other day.  He was telling a story about early in his career as a GM.  He went to Islanders' GM Bill Torrey and asked him what it takes to build a Stanley Cup Champion.

 

Mr. Torrey replied that you need to win four rounds in the playoffs, and you need enough size to beat a big team and enough speed to beat a speed team. You're going to play a team that relies on puck recovery and special teams, so you need good special teams, and you need goaltending.

[Nucker 67]

Speed kills

 

 

[bigbadcanucks]

You need 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies that can produce.

Then you need a system that allows all of your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies to beat the other team on the ice and in the back alley.

Then you need a little chemistry/magic among the 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

Then you need good health for your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

 

And voila...you have a successful playoff team.

[PhillipBlunt]

2 minutes ago, bigbadcanucks said:

You need 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies that can produce.

Then you need a system that allows all of your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies to beat the other team on the ice and in the back alley.

Then you need a little chemistry/magic among the 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

Then you need good health for your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

 

And voila...you have a successful playoff team.

How many players do you need again?

[Rick Blight]

You need exceptional special teams and players that will refuse to be outworked by the opposition.

[JM_]

Every other GM must be crushed in a trade. And some tanking I think. 

[smithers joe]

a team, also has to peak at the right time. if all those go right for you at the right time, you might have a winner. 

[RonMexico]

Get hot at the right time. Momentum can carry you right to the Finals...ahem Vegas.

[Deathbyoompa]

43 minutes ago, smithers joe said:

a team, also has to peak at the right time. if all those go right for you at the right time, you might have a winner. 

Hopefully the nucks can get the right timing in the future. 

[EdgarM]

2 hours ago, goalie13 said:

I was listening to an interview with Brian Burke the other day.  He was telling a story about early in his career as a GM.  He went to Islanders' GM Bill Torrey and asked him what it takes to build a Stanley Cup Champion.

 

Mr. Torrey replied that you need to win four rounds in the playoffs, and you need enough size to beat a big team and enough speed to beat a speed team. You're going to play a team that relies on puck recovery and special teams, so you need good special teams, and you need goaltending.

 

1 hour ago, Rick Blight said:

You need exceptional special teams and players that will refuse to be outworked by the opposition.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. I am not a believer of you need this or that player but more of a team that is all on the same page and all have the strong desire to win. Vegas is a good example of this and if they win, a lot of GM's will be wondering if they should still be handing out those 10-12 million dollar contracts out like they are nothing.

[Rob_Zepp]

3 minutes ago, EdgarM said:

 

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. I am not a believer of you need this or that player but more of a team that is all on the same page and all have the strong desire to win. Vegas is a good example of this and if they win, a lot of GM's will be wondering if they should still be handing out those 10-12 million dollar contracts out like they are nothing.

THIS^^^.

 

Skill alone gets you nothing.   The team that best plays like a team is the team that usually has success in a team sport...and hockey is the ultimate team sport.    

 

Look back at every SC champion for quite a while and with a few exceptions, no one line carried any team or one goalie or.... etc. etc.    Three or four lines having success, including key unsung heroes, are what wins championships.   Players will to walk over hot coals for one another and who check their ego at the parking lot to the rink.  

[Beluga Whale]

2 hours ago, bigbadcanucks said:

You need 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies that can produce.

Then you need a system that allows all of your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies to beat the other team on the ice and in the back alley.

Then you need a little chemistry/magic among the 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

Then you need good health for your 20 to 22 really, really, really good players and goalies.

 

And voila...you have a successful playoff team.

what if the players are really, really good but not really, really, really good? Is it still enough?

[TheGuardian_]

The highly skilled and consistent guys get the team to the show in the regular season, in the playoffs with different calls, unless that highly skilled guy is big, tough or has a "wingman" the team needs to rely on the bottom six guys.

In the playoffs the skilled ones you hope control the PP but they are not enough unless the team is playing the trap all the time.

 

The Sedins get you there, the nasty guys get you over the hump, one line teams rarely win. The Nucks did great until Kesler was hurt and the second line evaporated. 

[Alflives]

5 minutes ago, TheGuardian_ said:

The highly skilled and consistent guys get the team to the show in the regular season, in the playoffs with different calls, unless that highly skilled guy is big, tough or has a "wingman" the team needs to rely on the bottom six guys.

In the playoffs the skilled ones you hope control the PP but they are not enough unless the team is playing the trap all the time.

 

The Sedins get you there, the nasty guys get you over the hump, one line teams rarely win. The Nucks did great until Kesler was hurt and the second line evaporated. 

Nasty, hard nosed guys with elite skill, like Peter Forsberg are best:)

[WHL rocks]

Gotta take Tkachuck if he's available at 7.. I think he'll be long gone but if hes there you gotta take him.. 

 

Canucks need a piece like him on this team. 

[Deathbyoompa]

Team chemistry is definitely important. A bit of an intangible really. 

 

It appears as tho there are 2 types of team chemistry. 

 

Built through years of a teams core playing together 

 

or the more instantaneous type where players just seem to read off each other to an amazing degree.

 

Hope the Sedins send off helped the nucks with the chemistry side of the game.

[IBatch]

The only team to win a cup without star power and very good goaltending that I recall was 93 MTL, which reminds me a little of Vegas, elite goaltending can win it all.  LA first cup a bit too.  Quick was unstoppable.  Thomas a bit too, most saves ever and highest saves above average ever, by a large margin.

 

Without that two premier centers and a well balanced team seems to work too.  

 

Bottom line is aside from the 93 MTL team, it takes a star laden lineup in all positions, plus great depth and some luck to win it all.  Since expansion every cup winner, MTL, Boston, PHI, MTL, NYI, EDM, MTL, EDM, CAL, EDM, PIT, MTL, NYR, NJ, COL, DET, DAL, TB,CAR, ANA etc, have all had a dominant line-up with considerable to border line unfair star power.  Except for maybe 93 MTL and LAs first cup which were won primarily on goaltending.

 

Vegas is winning primarily on goaltending, and an ability to make the most of their chances.  The cap era might change things up a bit, but PIT and CHI have won the most, and both teams have some big names....TB and WSH too.  

[Jägermeister]

5 hours ago, RonMexico said:

Get hot at the right time. Momentum can carry you right to the Finals...ahem Vegas.

Vegas has been hot all season.  Literally and figuratively.