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Ever since the Penguins won back to back cups, I’ve noticed that the league has been emphasizing the philosophy of having grit and heaviness. This is evident as all the recent cup champions and teams that make it far in the playoffs have players who are big, physical and relentless on the forecheck. We’ve seen teams that were more or less known for their finesse start to get bigger and tougher, and as a result, they’ve started to significantly improve in the playoffs.
Tampa is an example of this as they brought in the likes of Coleman, Goodrow, Maroon and Bogosian and soon became the most dominant team in the league. Even Toronto, whose GM has been known for believing only in finesse, has brought in several heavy players (Thornton, Simmonds, Vesey and Anderson) this offseason.
Due to this, I’ve decided to ask the hypothetical question of whether a team of grit can beat a team of the most skilled players in a best of 7 series?
**Imagine every player in their prime.**
In order to make team grit, the players need to be big (minimum 6 feet 190 pounds), physical, heavy on the forecheck and dirty areas, and competent defensively.
Team Grit:
Hall - Thornton - Stone
Benn - Getzlaf - Perry
M. Tkachuk - B. Tkachuk - Wheeler
Landeskog - J.Miller - Svechnikov
Pacioretty, Wilson
Chara - Weber
Byfuglien - Doughty
Muzzin - Parayko
Weegar
Rask
Lehner
Team Skill:
Ovechkin - Crosby - Malkin
McDavid - MacKinnon - Kane
Matthews - Tavares - Eichel
Draisaitl - Stamkos - Kucherov
Bergeron, Toews
Hedman - Karlsson
Keith - Pietrangelo
Josi - Theodore
Hamilton
Price
Helleybucyk