GM: Frank Petrucci
Coach: John Stevens
Last season: 16th overall. In playoffs, lost to Copenhagen
Ins and Outs
(Season 14 to Season 15)
In: Jakob Chychrun (trade), Neal Pionk (trade), Logan Thompson (trade); Philipp Grubauer (trade); Brett Howden (trade); Oskar Lindblom (trade); Artem Zub (trade); Nick Ritchie (trade); Kyle Turris (trade); Michal Kristoff (trade); Jack Campbell (free agent); Anton Lazarev (free agent), Mark Garside (free agent), Marcus Kruger (free agent)
Out: Sergei Mozyakin (trade), Steven Stamkos (free agent), Artemy Panarin (free agent), Sidney Crosby (retired), Nicklas Backstrom (free agent), John Klingberg (free agent), Brad Marchand (free agent), Simeon Varlamov (free agent), Alex Stalock (retired), Martin Fehevary (trade), Alexander Volkov (trade), Evgeny Svechnikov (free agent), Bobby Brink (trade), Matt Banning (trade), Morgan Frost (trade), Brandon Davidson (free agent),
Potential Lineup
Milan Lucic/Brett Howden/Patrik Laine
Oskar Lindblom/Jason Dickinson/Gustav Nyquist
Nick Ritchie/Kyle Turris/Anton Lazarev
Lucas Raymond/Dylan Cozens/Drake Batherson
Shayne Gostisbehere/Jakob Chychrun
Jake Gardiner/Philip Larsen
Derek Forbort/Neal Pionk
Philipp Grubauer/Jack Campbell/Logan Thompson
Three Questions
1. Is Amsterdam known for its turnovers? The city? No. The hockey team? Yes. Before last season, 20 roster spots were turned over, the team dropped seven places in the standings and they again lost to Copenhagen in the first round of the playoffs. Fans of the Ajax are seeing another do-over now as new General Manager Frank Petrucci reshapes the team with a whole new wave of new faces. The overhaul is affecting every position and at first glance, the team should be good all over the lineup except for the top forward line, unless Patrik Laine can lift his linemates, who at the moment could be Milan Lucic and Howden. But one thing that remains and keeps Ajax fans excited is a very strong young forward line that is growing up with the team in Lucas Raymond, Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson.
2. Who will keep pucks out of the Amsterdam net? The Ajax signed Jack Campbell to a no-movement clause early in free agency, signaling that either Philipp Grubauer or Logan Thompson will be exposed to waivers. But both of those goalies were the first pieces GM Frank Petrucci brought in through trades. There is an 8-year age difference between Grubauer and Thompson and one would think Thompson would have the most long-term value. For the time being, Ajax has a three-man rotation proposed, but it also has to send a player or two down to get under the salary cap.
3. Where do they look strongest? The defense corps has a great mix of players, especially with prospect Owen Power about to join this group. Offense-leaning Shayne Gostibehere, Jake Gardiner and trade acquisition Jakob Chychrun have the ability to ignite scoring rushes, while Derek Forbort and Philip Larsen will be happy to stay at home and protect the back end, although Power might push one of them to the bench. Chychrun and Neal Pionk look to be primary building blocks for this team. They are both established players who will log mega minutes and they are about the same age. In fact, this team looks strong when you look at players in the 26-27 age bracket. In addition to Chychrun and Pionk, they have Patrik Laine, Brett Howden, Oskar Lindblom, Jason Dickinson, Logan Thomson and others on board who are in that age range.
Rose’s Focus
“To most people around the league, Milan Lucic is a mean monster who just won’t go away. He’s 37 now, but to my knowledge, no player has ever called him “old man” to his face. The guy is huge, mean and he can still knock you out. But I am not afraid of him. He is the only player who has never sent me a birthday or Christmas card and the next time I see him, I am going to give it to him but good. If I ruin his reputation as the toughest person in the league …. well, he should have been more considerate to me, that’s all I’ll say about that. The way the roster is shaping up in Amsterdam, Lucic might be asked to skate more minutes than he has since he was in Minsk 6 or 7 years ago. He won’t score 40-plus goals and 100-plus points like he did back then, but he still has the skills to go way over the 45 points he scored last season at 12 minutes per game. A lot of people have missed this, but Lucic has become an accomplished passer with a 91 PA rating. He could be the Adam Oates to Patrik Laine’s Brett Hull this season.”
