Team Europe remains one of the most intriguing of the eight teams in the tournament, and it will be intriguing to see what general manager Miroslav Satan does with his remaining forward selections, given that there are a handful of emerging young players who could fit nicely with this hybrid squad. The squad's first 16 selections were revealed in March, with the final seven to be named on May 27. My final seven picks are in bold.
Forwards
The Team Euro management team left five open forward spots because there are more options to pick from. That said, you have to figure there'll be lots of youthful faces on this roster, including Rieder and Ehlers, whom I selected over a veteran such as Marian Gaborik, who suffered through an injury-plagued season with the Los Angeles Kings. Niederreiter can play up and down this lineup too. There is speed and skill here, and there's good depth down the middle. But how much finish is there? The top point producer on Team Europe is Kopitar, who had 74 points, including 25 goals. The next highest-scoring forward was Zuccarello, who had 61. In short, it's going to be offense by committee for the Euros.
Defensemen
Top-end talent and veteran savvy dominate the Team Euro's back end, but the depth is going to be an issue, and that might explain why five defenders were named back in March. I have Ehrhoff on the squad, even though he had a miserable season with the Los Angeles Kings and then with the Chicago Blackhawks. Missing the playoffs might mean Chara will be fresh, which would be key, because he and fellow Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will have lots of heavy lifting to do for this team.
Goaltenders
I have to wonder about Jaroslav Halak and his health, as he missed the last part of the regular season and all of the playoffs with injury. Luckily, his replacement for the New York Islanders, Thomas Greiss, qualifies as a member of Team Europe and might challenge Frederik Andersen for starts, given his strong play in the postseason.