Following Wednesday's announcement that Hockey Canada had selected blue-liner Jay Bouwmeester to replace the injured Duncan Keith, the Twitterverse was quick to offer its expertise:
I'm honestly not sure if Jay Bouwmeester is one of the 30 best Canadian defencemen right now let alone top 8 https://t.co/UiyOtRPisz
— Matt Cane (@Cane_Matt) August 24, 2016
Forget stats; You don't need a copy of Hockey Abstract to know that Bouwmeester is a surprising choice to replace Keith (but get one anyway)
— Rob Vollman (@robvollmanNHL) August 24, 2016
I get that Canada wants with their proper handedness…
— dom luszbxhsyxb (@omgitsdomi) August 24, 2016
But I’d take Subban or Letang with their sticks flipped upside down before Bouwmeester
Given Team Canada's commitment to left/right defensive balance, that immediately ruled out the likes of Kris Letang and P.K. Subban, both right-handed shots. Those roles are already filled by Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, and Shea Weber.
With handedness in mind, here's the top three left shooters who are a better fit than Bouwmeester to join the Canadian squad:
Mark Giordano
The anchor of the Flames' defensive unit, Giordano is the most curious omission from Team Canada's left side. Tallying 56 points last season, Giordano scored more points than any left-handed defensemen on the Canadian roster, including Bouwmeester (19 points). Giordano's production stacks up against Marc-Edouard Vlasic's 39 points and Jake Muzzin's 40 points. Even Keith, with 43, scored fewer points than "Gio."
The veteran defender offers strong offensive instincts, leadership, and a tenacious style of play. Last season, Giordano finished 13th in Norris Trophy voting (sixth among Canadian defensemen), while Bouwmeester didn't crack the top 20.
T.J. Brodie
Another Calgary Flame, Brodie is an agile young defenseman who burst onto the scene in recent years, finishing last season with a career-high 45 points.
A strong puck mover and excellent skater, Brodie is a quick defender who is valuable on the powerplay. Strong on his skates and in the offensive zone, Brodie is the model of new-age defensemen, while his defensive game is also no slouch. The question remains what Bouwmeester offers that Brodie doesn't.
Francois Beauchemin
Though an aging defender at 36, Beauchemin could offer a valuable veteran presence to the Canadian blue line, where the current oldest (pre-Bouwmeester, who is 32) is 31-year-old Burns.
But Beauchemin can still compete, and he too topped "J-Bo's" numbers last season, scoring 34 points, among his career best. Points aside, Beauchemin offers a simple, yet tough style from the back end, coupled with a heavy point shot. He also tops Bouwmeester in the advanced stats game. Though he falls behind as a playmaker, Beauchemin is the clear winner when it comes to goal scoring and production, and he's also ahead in shot suppression and overall possession.
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