GM: Rocky H (7th GM in team’s history)
Coach: Mike Sulllivan (replaced Craig Berube after Season 6)
Last season: 10th overall, (in playoffs, lost to Athens)
Ins and Outs (Season 6 to Season 7)
Out: Patrick Marleau (free agent), Travis Zajac (free agent)
In: Daniel Sedin (free agent), Teddy Purcell (free agent), Clayton Keller (draft), Alexander Nylander (draft), Oscar Lindberg (draft)
In Place (Key players signed past Season 7)
Cory Schneider, G; Talgat Zhailauov, C; Fyodor Malykhin, LW; Filip Forsberg, LW; Sean Monahan, C
Three Questions
1. Things seem to be looking up in Munich. Will they get better? The improvement in all areas from Season 5 to Season 6 was easy to see, especially when the streaky team was on a roll. For the first time in three seasons, the Dire Wolf scored more goals than they let in, and the corresponding shots-per-game averages went in the same positive direction. Penalty killing success went way up and powerplay efficiency went way, way up. The off-season addition of free agent Daniel Sedin to join twin Henrik was surely a good move. The only net change in Munich since Season 6 is Daniel Sedin and Teddy Purcell are in and Patrick Marleau and Travis Zajac are gone and unemployed now. And there is a new coach. Craig Berube was let go and Mike Sullivan is guiding the team in his place. Those don’t seem like negative changes, but for some reason, Munich has gotten off to a terrible 1-6-1 start. Once the Sedins get it together, and once the team embraces Sullivan as their coach, things will turn around, but the Dire Wolf can’t let too much ground slip beneath their feet.
2. Isn’t Cory Schneider by himself enough to make it to the playoffs? Munich is blessed to have one of the league’s best goalies in Cory Schneider. Durability is a slight concern – the goalie has never appeared in more than 58 games in a season – but that’s the only concern. Schneider’s focus, reflexes and technique consistently keep his save percentage in the 90.5 to 91.0 range and he is tied for 11th all-time in shutouts even though he is the only one in that lofty group who hasn’t hit the 300-games-played mark yet. With average to slightly above average play from the rest of the team, Munich should reach the playoffs, thanks to Schneider’s ability alone. If his teammates play out of their heads, then Schneider is the kind of goalie who could carry them far into the playoffs. The real concern for Coach Mike Sullivan might be what’s in front of Schneider on the ice. The defense corps is still young with two 23-or-younger blueliners starting every game. The old guy back there is Ryan Wilson at age 30. The defensemen represent a good mix of speed and toughness, puck skills and defensive ability. But as a group, they seem to lag behind the goalie and forwards in effectiveness.
3. The forwards seem slick and fast, but is that enough? With teen-agers Alexander Nylander, Clayton Keller and Kaspari Kapanen in Juniors and the minors, it looks like Munich has a future that includes slick playmakers up front. For a glimpse at the team’s future, have a look at its present. Filip Forsberg and whirlwind Talgat Zhailauov are working with Craig Smith or Teddy Purcell on a line that screams speed and creativity. The next line showcases the Sedin twins and Tomas Flesichmann or Purcell, all players considered to have above-average stickhandling and passing skills. Line three features a lot of the same, with future stars Sean Monahan and Fyodor Malykhin – both 23 – trying to work some puck magic with Purcell or Fleischmann. The first hint of size and toughness comes when either Gareth Roberts, Derek Dorsett, Kyle Clifford or Jordan Caron finds his way onto the fourth line. The forward crew will put together scoring plays with aplomb and they proved last season that they are taking the team in the right direction, but fanciness seems to be the only real weapon and other teams might find it easy to defense such a one-dimensional group of forwards. Then again, this group could be among the league leaders in scoring if they get it going.
History
Season Place PTS PP % PK % SPG SAPG GPG GAPG PIM
Season 6 10 90 18.3 84.2 28.74 31.72 3.13 3.09 9.54
Season 5 21 60 12.50 78.2 26.55 33.70 2.48 3.57 9.67
Season 4 21 70 17.0 83.0 26.46 34.98 2.96 3.51 12.99
Season 3 5 103 18.4 85.6 30.66 31.72 3.40 2.74 12.24
Season 2 4 104 21.4 82.9 29.95 30.85 3.22 2.63 11.82
Season 1 5 104 19.0 84.0 32.62 28.73 3.50 2.88 9.41
Top Draft picks
Season 1: Jonathan Quick, G, current age 31. Games played: 399; Save Pct 91.4
Season 2: Talgat Zhailauov, C, age 27. GP 386, Pts 230, +13
Season 3: Andrew Shaw, RW, age 25. GP 211, Pts 52, +7
Season 4: Radko Gudas, G, age 26. GP 197, Pts 44, -2
Season 5: Fyodor Malykhin, LW, age 23. GP 129; Pts 64; +6
Season 6: Jack Eichel, C, 20. GP 43; Pts 26; -4
Season 7: Clayton Keller, C, age 18.
Trade History
Season 1 (picks without years listed are from initial draft)
Traded Round 8 pick (used to draft Tomas Fleischmann), Round 10 pick (James Wisniewski), and Round 16 pick (Nikita Nikitin) to Dublin for Round 9 pick (used to draft Joe Corvo), Round 11 pick (Milan Hejduk) Round 13 pick (Josh Bailey) and $10,000
Season 2
Traded Tomas Zaborsky and Brooks Laich to Copenhagen for Dany Heatley and David Bolland
Traded Anton Babchuk to Stockholm for Magnus Johansson
Season 4
Traded 2015 Round 3 pick (David Pastrnak) to Berlin for Ryan Wilson
Traded Dion Phaneuf to Copenhagen for Mark Giordano, Nikita Zadorov and Charlie Coyle
Season 5
Traded Jonathan Quick to Belfast for Cory Schneider and Filip Forsberg
Traded Mark Giordano to Minsk for two 2017 Round 3 picks (Calle Jarnkrok and (later traded – Oliver Kylington))
Transactions after the start of Season 5:
Lost Steve Downey (waivers)
Signed Francois Beauchemin (free agent)
Signed Denis Gribko (free agent)
Traded David Bolland and 2017 Round 2 pick (Petr Mrazek) to Copenhagen for T.J. Brodie and Gareth Roberts
Season 6
Traded Braydon Coburn and 2017 Round 3 pick (Oliver Kylington) to Gothenburg for Patrick Marleau
Traded Jack Eichel, Charlie Coyle and 2018 Round 2 (Sam Steel) pick to Stockholm for Sean Monahan, Craig Smith, Jindrich Barak, Cody Ceci and 2018 Round 1 pick (Alexander Nylander)
After Season 6 started: Claimed Miks Indrasis on waivers.
Season 7
