Swedish Olympic Men's Hockey Team

With the Olympics quickly approaching, many hockey fans are lamenting the fact that NHL players will not be making the trip to Beijing to compete. However, that won’t stop us from speculating about what teams might have looked like, and who could have come out on top. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a potential version of the Swedish team.

The Roster

Analysis

This is another team that’s exceptionally impressive on paper. The forwards may not be as strong at the top end as some other contenders, but the forwards have great depth, which would complement a great blueline and solid goaltending.

Up front, this team’s first line has two guys currently having career years in Landeskog and Nylander, along with the ever-reliable Backstrom, who recently returned from injury. The next three lines are relatively even, with a couple of NHL All-Stars in Zibanejad and Kempe. At the bottom of the lineup, I’ve made a strategic choice to include Eriksson Ek rather than the more talented Pettersson. This will allow them to have a potential shut-down line that could be very useful against a top-loaded team like Finland.

Sweden’s defense corps would be led by perennial Norris candidate Victor Hedman. The entire unit is balanced enough that they could afford to roll three pairs against weaker teams, but against stronger squads you could expect to see Hedman for an exhausting 30 minutes per night on the international-sized ice. I’ve included Erik Karlsson despite his struggles over the past few years because he’s looked much more like himself this season, and there’s nothing quite like playing for your country to inspire greatness from an aging star.

The Swedes have a true difference maker in goalie Jacob Markstrom, who is fourth among starting goalies in GAA and fifth in save percentage. The scariest part about Markstrom’s game is his potential to completely stonewall the opposing team, illustrated by his league-leading five shutouts. This is the kind of X-factor that would give Sweden the potential to win on any given night.

Overall, this Swedish team is very strong and would have been in medal contention, especially if someone was able to step up and lead the way in terms of goal-scoring.

*Sources: QuantHockey, NHL.com