GM: Carl Choiniere
Coach: Bruce Cassidy
Last season: 4th overall. In playoffs, lost to Belfast
Ins and Outs
(Season 14 to Season 15)
In: Sam Bennett (trade), Karri Ramo (free agent), Alex Debrincat (trade), Stefan Elmer (free agent), Jake Muzzin (free agent), Martin Necas (trade), Nikita Kucherov (trade), Yegor Milovzorov (free agent), Jacob Josefson (free agent), Casey Cizikas (free agent), Calvin Thurkauf (free agent), Mike Hoffman (free agent), Mauro Neurauter (trade), Cory Schneider (free agent),
Out: Tyler Seguin (trade), Tomas Hertl (trade), Jonathan Toews (trade), Max Noreau (free agent), Jakub Vrana (free agent), Olivier Roland (free agent), Dillon Dube (trade), J.T. Compher (free agent), Frederik Gauthier (trade), Nick Spaling (retired), Cal Petersen (free agent), Adam Erne (free agent), Daryl Boyle (free agent), Christian Jaros (retired)
Potential Lineup
Alex Debrincat/Connor McDavid/Andreas Johnson
Calvin Thurkauf/Sam Bennett/Mike Hoffman
Pavel Buchnevich/Jacob Josefson/Nikita Kucherov
Niklas Danielsson/Casey Cizikas/Martin Necas
Viktor Antipin/Zach Werenski
Jake Moverare/Stefan Ulmer
Jake Muzzin/Yegor Milovzorov
Matt Murray/Cory Schneider
Three Questions
1. Did the Tyler Sequin Era really end? For 12 seasons, Tyler Seguin was the most dangerous Outlaw in Oslo. In 5 of the last 6 seasons, he racked up 90 or more points and in Season 11, he led the league in scoring and was voted MVP. He was so good, Connor McDavid couldn’t get over him on the team depth chart. But Seguin, 33, is in Helsinki now, McDavid centers the top line and Sam Bennett – only the league’s leading scorer last season – is in town too thanks to a monster trade between Oslo and Helsinki. There are lots of new faces in town, actually. Eight of the 12 forward slots are filled by players acquired in the off season. Three of the six defensemen are new, as is the backup goalie. Yes, the Tyler Seguin Era has ended and it might be a while before this team comes together and shows whose era we’re in now in Oslo.
2. What surprises you about Matt Murray? Oslo’s goalie was absolutely great last season. Matt Murray won 48 games, had a 2.48 goals against average and a save percentage of 91.5. That save frequency was just under the 91.9 mark he had three seasons ago when he led the league and earned a trophy. He has been a Northern Conference All-Star for three straight years now. Murray put on one of the best goalie shows the league has ever seen in Season 14 and he was somehow overshadowed by the miraculous year Martin Jones had in London. Oslo rewarded Murray with a long-term $9.6 million contract this off season. If he stays with the Outlaws until the end of it, he will have put in 10 years with the team. In the previous seven seasons, Murray has been the starter, logging at least 67 games each year, and if you remember, the team was … well, lousy when he started with them. He took a beating back there for a while. He faced more than 2,000 shots in 67 games in his first two seasons. But what didn’t kill him made him stronger and he has put together a good career. Here’s the surprising part: he’s not even 30 years old yet. Murray should be a dominant goalie in the conference and league until the next time he’s ready to talk money with GM Carl Choiniere.
3. Which Outlaws are the hardest to coral? Oslo has a lot of weapons. Sam Bennett has been inconsistent in his career, but he led the league in scoring so you automatically have to be defensive when he’s on the ice. But Bennett might not even make the top line in Oslo, where Connor McDavid is the new king of the hill. Whoever centers the top line could have two jets to throw the puck to. Alex Debrincat can fly, but Andreas Johnson is a half-stride faster; and defenseman Zach Werenski might be able to beat both of them in a sprint. On that topic, the team has four defensemen with speed ratings of 90 or better, and two of them – Werenski and Jacob Moverare – have all-star games on their resumes. Oslo also has seven forwards with shooting ratings of 90 or higher. Like we said, a lot of weapons. The Outlaws seem to have all the bases covered for great run at the championship this season.
Rose’s Focus
“Oslo General Manager Carl Choiniere is obviously trying to get my attention. He’s not very subtle. It seems like every e-mail I get has his initials right at the top. Then, this off season, he sends more than 14 new player forms to the office for me to process. It took me the better part of a week to get the Oslo roster changes into the system. And at the bottom of every form, “Carl Choiniere, Esq.” Oh brother. Yes, Carl, I know you’re there, but I’m not interested. The desperate look doesn’t quite do it for me. I get where that’s coming from, though, because everybody from Oslo seems desperate these days. The Outlaws suffered more than most teams for years in the league basement and they’ve recently looked like a league powerhouse. They keep just missing. But they might not have a lot of time. Two of their three best defensemen and their two best centers could all ask for budget-breaking deals a year from now. In other words, desperation might be the best look for the Outlaws right now.”
