When talk about the Ryan who isn’t on Team USA subsides, there should be substantial chatter about another Ryan who is.
Bobby Ryan’s omission from America’s Olympic team has stoked questions about the team’s ability to score goals, but with the likes of Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel on board, we’re not convinced that’s a blatant trouble spot. The ability to prevent goals, however, might be a different story and that’s where the play of defenceman Ryan McDonagh will have a huge impact on Team USA’s fortunes.
From the outset of the selection process, the U.S. seemed set up front and in the crease. (That latter notion has taken at least a slight hit with the injury troubles of the Los Angeles Kings’ Jonathan Quick and the entirely uninspiring season Detroit Red Wings puckstopper Jimmy Howard has turned in.) But when it came to the blueline, the options were much thinner and that’s reflected by the eight defencemen who were selected. Beyond Ryan Suter—Ryans everywhere!—there’s no established NHL stud. St. Louis Blues D-man Kevin Shattenkirk is a slick puck-mover, but isn’t big and plays fewer than 20 minutes a game. Brooks Orpik is an ornery old vet and his Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Paul Martin—currently recovering from a fractured tibia—remains a highly serviceable, cerebral blueliner. Still, none of those names—nor those of youngsters Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes, Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks or John Carlson of the Washington Capitals—are synonyms for security.
McDonagh can be.
From this corner, the New York Rangers D-man is the only guy beyond Suter who has all the tools to stop the world’s best on the biggest stage. McDonagh doesn’t use his stout six-foot-one, 213-lb.–frame to go chasing hits all over the ice, but he’s sufficiently strong and mean to make an impact physically. His mobility is terrific and with 23 points through 41 games, he’s basically on the score sheet every other game, no small achievement from the back end. At 24, McDonagh is right at that age where he’s ready to become a lead horse on even the best of teams.
How Team USA coach Dan Bylsma chooses to deploy his defence remains to be seen. What can be counted on is the fact Suter will continue to spend half the game on the ice, just like the NHL’s leading minute-muncher does with the Minnesota Wild. The guess here is that someone other than McDonagh will be paired with Suter in an attempt to create some balance. That would leave the former to anchor another duo that will be counted on to stop teams’ second-best scoring lines, which will be led by people like Ilya Kovalchuk, Jonathan Toews and the Sedin twins.
That’s a tall order, but one McDonagh is ready to take on.