Ok. I'm REALLY late to the game here. Thanks to the wonderful coverage by CBC Bold, I finally got to watch both ice dance events. My thoughts on the top 10:
Davis/White: deserved to be a little lower in the SD, but win the FD. I think at this competition they definitely deserved to win. I do think they will be hard pressed to repeat that achievement going forward. They are so good - technique, style, choice of music - but when I compare with Virtue/Moir, they are missing a certain musicality, oneness, smoothnesss that Virtue/Moir have. I'm not sure that can be trained. It's intangible, natural talent.
Virtue/Moir: what can I say? They are simply exquisite. Unique in the world. The SD was sublime. The FD maybe wasn't quite the same perfection because this is the first competition for the program, but I am just stunned at the complexity, musicality and level of quality. And a huge departure from last year's program. They were not the best this week, but I don't know any other team that could recover from serious surgery in both legs and still compete like that 6 months later. I really hope they continue to compete because I am excited to see how this still very young team will grow and develop and leave their mark on the sport. They really are once-in-a-generation team, right up there with the previous all-time greats.
Shibutani's: I probably would have had them lower in the SD, behind Weaver/Poje. They are a tremendously good team with clean feet, speed, musicality, and all the great stuff it takes to succeed in this sport. But all of this is very much still in development, and I think they were over-scored. I'd have them switch places with Weaver/Poje for this time.
Pechalat/Bourzat: My heart aches for this team. They really deserved to be 3rd, except for the errors in the FD. They are such good skaters, have worked really hard all season, and I feel really bad for them. Generally, I've always liked this team. They are creative and interesting, and I hope they stick around and we see a lot more of them.
Weaver/Poje: At LAST! I think they finally were mostly rewarded for their work. The SD is one of the best in the world this year, and I think they should have been 4th after the SD. They should have won the bronze after the unfortunate fall by the French. They put together 3 wonderful programs, and were able to skate clean. As predicted in other threads, when they skate clean they are the 2nd place Canadian team. It's been a long time coming for them, and perhaps some vindication for them after Nationals, when many felt they should have won the title. I hope this great finish will give them confidence going into next season, which will then result in cleaner programs all year. I also hope they choose music for both the SD and FD next year that showcases their strengths. I was not a great fan of their disjointed, somewhat tacky FD choice this year. These 2 have a great opportunity to have a very spicy, hot latin number for the SD, and perhaps something romantic and flowing and classic for the FD next year, along the lines of the SD this year.
Bobrova/Soloviev: I think they are the number 1 Russian team right now. I love their style and look. They are going to have to step up their game if they want to retain that position, since the other Russian teams are coming up quickly, including a couple of them at Junior.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov: I think they are over-rated today, but do have lots of potential. She is absolutely gorgeous and a fabulous skater. He needs a lot more work yet. The SD was much better than the FD. The problem with SD, in my opinion, is that the music was way too big for the waltz. It was missing the light, flowing nature of the other top dances. They are a little more like Davis/White, and should take their cue from them to tone down the drama just a little for something like this SD. Davis/White used music from an opera, but it was not quite as jarring. In the FD, it just wasn't that good, and wasn't nearly as difficult as the others. Like someone else stated further up-thread, they need new coaches, different music, and re-packaging - and focus and training away from the adoring public. They are going to have to do these things, since there are a number of really good Russian teams, including at Junior, and they will need to do much better than this year if they want to be the top Russian team.
Cappellini/Lanotte: So glad to see them back, after not a very good year for them. I hope they have some stability, health and consistency next year, since I really like this team. Like Weaver/Poje, they will be able to bring the "hot and spicy" factor to the SD. It was interesting to hear Paul MacIntosh interviewed with PJ on Bold. If you look at Virtue/Moir and Weaver/Poje, they both have the solid technique, posture and soft knee action, which produces great edges and quality skating. Most people would agree they learned that from Paul. I recall Tracy Wilson has commented on this in the past. Perhaps Cappellini/Lanotte and perhaps a couple of other teams (like the Spanish team, for example) would benefit from spending a year or two training with him.
Chock/Zuerlein: Their FD is so much fun. I noticed he toned down the makeup and hair for this competition. No matter. It was still very enjoyable. Like Canada, the US has an embarrassment of riches in ice dance. With Samuelson/Bates back in action next season, will Chock/Zuerlein find their way to the world stage? I'm thinking they will have to wait in line, not unlike Paul/Islam in Canada. (I share the opinion above that perhaps Paul/Islam are little over-rated. Time will tell how they develop. If they want to grow and solidify their position as the "next in line", I think the most important thing for them is to find their own unique style. Although Paul does look very similar to Virtue, Paul/Islam need to find their own unique niche. In Canada, we have 3 wonderful teams that are all very different and very good. Islam/Paul need to leave their own mark in order to be taken seriously over the long-term. In a crowded US field, I think Chock/Zuerlein do this very well.)
Crone/Poirier: Well. What were they thinking putting Vanessa in that horrible dress again, and putting her hair up? They finally had it right at Nationals, and then they bring back this horrible look in the SD? What I love about this team is their williingness to try new things and be daring. Their opening lift in the SD is spectacular, and I've always liked their FD. Unfortunately, with the small mistake on the twizzle, a bit of tentativeness, and lack of connection, they were dumped down to 10th. They do a lot of great things technically. However, I do agree with others that they are missing connection and packaging. They are so very talented, and I agree with Paul MacIntosh's comment that they could change the sport. But to do that, they need to fix some core things that many others on this and other threads have noted. I think Krylova/Carmelengo would be a great choice for them for the next year. They need to not get stuck, but grow and improve, and a coaching change is I think the best idea for them. (And a side note, thinking of stagnation, looking at the #5 team in Canada, I think they should go to BC to Wing/Lowe. I'd love to see what they would do with Ralph/Hill.)