GM: Chris Patton
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Last season: 2nd overall. In playoffs, lost to Dublin
Ins and Outs
(Season 13 to Season 14)
In: Danny Dekeyser (free agency), Cam Atkinson (waivers), Jared Spurgeon (Belfast), Jing Wang (free agency), Brett Leason (free agent), Ville Koivunen (draft), Bobby Farnham (free agent), Kyle Burroughs (free agent), Kyle Capobianco (free agent), Connor Dewar (free agent), Aleksandr Kisakov (draft)
Out: Andrej Meszaros (retired), Brent Burns (retired), Roman Polak (retired), Kyle Okposo (free agent), Lars Eller (retired), Colin Wilson (free agent), Rhett Rakshani (free agent), Eric Tangradi (retired), Justin Fontaine (retired),
Potential Lineup
Gabriel Landeskog/Nathan MacKinnon/David Pastrnak
Ondrej Palat/Sean Couturier/Mitch Marner
Tyler Ennis/Brett Howden/Vladimir Tarasenko
Jing Wang/Laurent Dauphin/Scott Sabourin
Alex Pietrangelo/Slava Voynov
Jakob Chychrun/Danny Dekeyser
Patrick Wiercioch/Layne Viveiros
Alexander Salak/Scott Wedgewood
Three Questions
1. Are the Giants pleased with their Season 13 season? They were thrilled. And they were poised to press for Cup No. 5. Notice the word “were” in those sentences. The first-round loss to Dublin, a team that included Matt Duchene, Jonathan Huberdeau and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, all of whom Belfast waived at the beginning of the season, had to sting the Giants to the core. Coach Alain Vigneault put on a brave face, but he had to be fuming. Still, the Giants had a wonderful season, finishing second overall. They had seven forwards score at least 22 goals during the season and they had the lowest goals against average (2.62) in the league. They were also second best in the league in both shots per game and shots allowed per game. That tells you they were working very well.
2. Do they still have cap problems? Belfast grew from a modest beginning after the initial draft of Season 1 into a powerhouse. They have always done well on the ice and have 4 EURO Cups to prove it. Getting the talent to fit under the league salary cap has been a perennial issue, though, for General Manager Chris Patton. The same can be said for Season 14. Once the pre-season came along, free agent goalie Alexander Salak, 33, was locked in for another 4 years at nearly $6 million. That put the team $4 million over the league salary cap and $2 million over the “suspension gap” listed on Websim’s Player Management screen … with a sixth defenseman position yet to fill. As a result, cheaper players were shifted into the lineup and unless things change before the start of the season, Belfast will be extremely weak in four spots that will see the least amount of ice time, namely the fourth forward line and the backup goalie. But that’s not a new situation in Northern Ireland. For years, the talent up top has covered up for such shortcomings.
3. How far can the Giants go this year? Belfast fans will have to tie their hopes and dreams to eight players who need to stay healthy … or else. Alexander Salak is a top goalie in the league and he will get a workout – about 70 games – before the playoffs. He can’t get hurt. Alex Pietrangelo, 34, is a four-time winner of the Best Defenseman Trophy and by far the most valuable defenseman on the team. He can’t get sick or hurt. The top line will shred some teams’ top lines and they need to stay healthy; but that second line – Sean Couturier, Ondrej Palat and Mitch Marner – could be the key to the season. Its OV ratings of 84 to 88 are good enough to play top-line minutes on most teams, which means they should dominate most second lines they come across during the season. They really need to stay healthy. If you haven’t picked up on the theme here, injuries to the big eight players on the Giants could keep them from where they want to go. Good health, conversely, could bring a fifth Cup to Belfast.
Rose’s Focus
“How can you not be drawn to watch Nathan MacKinnon out there? His speed, sudden shifts and obvious power are frankly awe-inspiring. No wonder he won Player of the Year last season with his 48 goals and 110 points. Playing with fellow stars Gabirel Landeskog and David Pastrnak helped a lot. And he needed the help. I say that not because I’m into blasphemy, but because MacKinnon is poor at winning faceoffs (44 percent win percentage). Despite the fact Belfast was giving up some offensive zone time when he took draws in front of the opposing goal, they still scored a ton. And despite the fact he lost more defensive faceoffs than other centers would have, they were still the stingiest defense in the league. Belfast and MacKinnon were great last season and they would have been even better, perhaps champs, if he was better in the faceoff circle.”
