Why every EU team can/can't win the Continental Cup!

[Matt_O 896]

Helsinki Titans

 

Can: Offense + Goaltending

Alexander Pepper is having a career year up to this point, and is arguably the leagues best goalie. They also have a killer trio of Kronos Bailey, Julian Borwinn, and Dan Wilinsky, all of which are in the top 10 for points. 

 

Can't: Defense Depth

While a top pairing of Wilson and Crosby is fairly nice, the rest of the D leaves some to be desired. While Guillaume Fontenette has a high ceiling, an aging Dan Montgomery and a high floor, low ceiling player in Mitch Matthews could give them some troubles against elite second line players around the EU, and trust me, there are plenty of them.

 

Riga Reign

 

Can: Offense

The lineup of Svoboda, Kastelic and HHH is fearsome, even with HHH struggling (as per usual). Elias Dahlberg is also lighting it up on the second line, with 20 goals, good enough for fifth in the league. 

 

Can't: Defense

They used the S66 and S67 drafts to select high quality defenseman in Hackett and Tate, and traded for Joseph McWolf from the Americans.If Ryan Kastelic didn't switch to center, this wouldn't be an issue for them. That being said, had Kastelic not made the change, their offense could have ended up being incredibly underwhelming. While the future looks bright for their D core, the present doesn't look as fondly (still is solid)

 

Malmo Nighthawks

 

Can: Matt Thompson

Thompson has been the driving force behind Malmo's success all year, with the league leading 27 goals. With the exception of Ryan Sullivan Jr. and Matthew Materazo (kind of), most of the heavy lifting has been left to Thompson. He has 12 more goals than the next highest on the team. If Malmo does anything come playoff time, it is probably due to Matt Thompson.

 

Can't: Young defense + young goalie

While the defense has been quite solid for Malmo on both the offensive and defensive side of things, the group is likely just too young. Jerry Garcia has quickly emerged as a solid player, but the first overall pick in Condor Adrienne, as well as Hugh Chan and Rusty Shackleford likely won't be enough to stop high powered offenses come playoff time. Goalie Michael Johnson is also playing very well, but his lower TPE totals compared to other goalies may catch up to him in the long run. 

 

 

Moscow Menace

 

Can: Offense

I don't know what it is with Moscow, but my god can they put up goals. They sit first place in the league in goals, with Podrick Cast and Randoms leading the way. This is with Jet Jaguar having a disappointing season (so far). Scoring goals is not their weakness.

 

Can't: Goalie

They have an inactive Owen May starting most games, and the future seems to lie with Raymond Bernard. Neither goalies have TPE totals that eclipse 500, which could really hurt them come playoff time. They have allowed 105 goals so far, the 4th most in the league, only ahead of the two expansion franchises and New York. This will be a major hurdle for them.

 

HC Davos Dynamo

 

Can: Defense

Smitty Werbenjagermanjenson is making his case as the best defenseman in the league, with 45 points in 35 games. They also drafted Charlie Paddywagon in S66, and traded for Shawn Glade and Elasmobranch Fish over the offseason. They have allowed the least amount of goals so far, with only 81 goals against. Elite play from Finn Davidson also helps.

 

Can't: The rest of the conference

It seems that Davos will be the poster boy for all the members that think we should still have crossover. While they sit just two points out of a spot, this is just how it seems. Despite having a really solid roster, a roster which would likely finish second in the NA (possibly even first) has to sit home because the EU is just too good. And that is a shame. 

 

Prague Phantoms

 

Can: The First Line

The top line of Prague has been quite successful in spite of their low TPE totals. Scotty BigShotty, Don Draper and Willie Dredge all sit with more than 25 points, and both BigShotty and Draper are flirting with point per game totals. If they want any shot at the playoffs, it will be through these guys.

 

Can't: Literally everything

The team is garbage. They have a bright future for sure, but as of right now, they suck. The first line is not even good, but they are the only bright spot on this team. Bruce Grimaldi has struggled in net during his rookie season, and the entire defense is just plain awful. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Matt_O

[ColeMrtz 571]

41 minutes ago, Matt_O said:

Can't: Literally everything

oof

[Nykonax 1,550]

1 hour ago, Matt_O said:

The lineup of Svoboda, Kastelic and HHH is fearsome, even with HHH struggling (as per usual). Elias Dahlberg is also lighting it up on the second line, with 20 goals, good enough for fifth in the league. 

wtf @hedgehog337 why am i not on the 1st line

[ShawnGlade 1,002]

Every team's can't: Defense

 

Davos's Can: Defense

 

*Still out of a playoff spot*

[Victor 10,528]

16 hours ago, ShawnGlade said:

Every team's can't: Defense

 

Davos's Can: Defense

 

*Still out of a playoff spot*

Offense wins championships.

[okochastar 81]

On 10/1/2019 at 3:49 AM, Matt_O said:

Helsinki Titans

 

Can't: Defense Depth

While a top pairing of Wilson and Crosby is fairly nice, the rest of the D leaves some to be desired. While Guillaume Fontenette has a high ceiling, an aging Dan Montgomery and a high floor, low ceiling player in Mitch Matthews could give them some troubles against elite second line players around the EU, and trust me, there are plenty of them.

 

I thought I might've gotten good enough to be a second pairing guy already, but that shows how mad the attributes system really is

[Nykonax 1,550]

On 9/30/2019 at 6:49 PM, Matt_O said:

They also drafted Charlie Paddywagon in S66, and traded for Shawn Glade

this aged well

[majesiu 58]

18 hours ago, Nykonax said:

this aged well

but at least turned out well so far with HC on 3 game win-streak