GM: Svein Haugsmoen
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Last season: 8th overall. In playoffs, defeated Oslo; lost to Dublin
Ins and Outs
(Season 14 to Season 15)
In: Sergei Mozyakin (trade), Justin Faulk (trade), Tomas Jurco (trade), Reid Boucher (trade), Louie Domingue (free agent), Nikita Zaitsev (free agent), Erik Gudbranson (free agent), Kjetil Martinsen (free agent), Evgeny Solomonov (free agent), Michael Bournival (free agent), Vladislav Namestnikov (free agent), Mads Eller (free agent), Anthony Nigro (free agent), Daryl Boyle (free agent), Dominik Simon (free agent)
Out: Ondrej Palat (trade), Evgeny Malkin (retired), Jakob Chychrun (trade), Brett Howden (trade), Sean Couturier (buy out), Danny Dekeyser (waivers), Cam Atkinson (free agent), Ryan Callahan (retired), Layne Viveiros (waivers), Patrick Wiercioch (waivers), Jared Sturgeon (free agent), Vladimir Tarasenko (buy out), Andrei Loktionov (free agent), David Perron (free agent), Michael Frolic (free agent), Scott Sabourin (free agent), Scott Wedgewood (buy out), Bobby Farnham (retired)
Potential Lineup
Gabriel Landeskog/Nathan MacKinnon/David Pastrnak
Tyler Ennis/Sergei Mozyakin/Mitch Marner
Evgeny Solomonov/Kjetil Martinsen/Tomas Jurco
Michael Bournival/Vladislav Namestnikov/Reid Boucher
Alex Pietrangelo/Justin Faulk
Slava Voynov/Nikita Zaitzev
Daryl Boyle/Erik Gudbranson
Alexander Salak/Louis Domingue
Three Questions
1. What will the Svein Haugsmoen Era look like? Fans in Belfast got used to seeing their team be in extreme salary cap difficulty all the time, then wriggling out to play very well on the ice. The previous teams were all top heavy, with very poor depth and they were dependent on players staying healthy. Of course, the plan yielded 4 EURO Cups in 14 seasons, so who are we to criticize? New General Manager Svein Haugsmoen looks like he is taking a different approach. Louis Domingue is the best backup goalie this team has seen in years, and it looks like the fourth forward line will be players with OV ratings over 70 for the first time in memory. How did he get there? The new GM probably did not enjoy trading away Ondrej Palat, but the move resulted in getting two forwards for the price of one and a draft pick for next year. Haugsmoen also waived and/or bought out 7 players to remake the roster and to get under the salary cap.
2. Can they compete with the other Northern Conference teams? Sure they can. They are loaded with talent all up and down the lineup, although they might find themselves relying heavily on a couple players past their prime. The Giants still have the awesome forward line of Nathan McKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and David Pastrnak to get them revved up and keep the opposition on their heels 22 minutes per game. Piling up 80 points in a season is not too difficult for those players. And they still have Alexander Salak in goal to end plays in the other end of the rink. The addition of Sergei Moyakin at half his $9 million salary is wonderful, especially when you consider he will be skating with Mitch Marner most games. But the keys to the season might be Tyler Ennis, who will play on the left wing with Mozyakin and Marner; and defenseman Justin Faulk, who will play top minutes with legendary Alex Pietrangelo. Ennis is 36 now and while he always tended to let other teammates go into the dirty areas of the rink, he’s even more protective of his weakening bones now. Faulk is 33 and back to his original team now. He played well the last two seasons in Zurich, but his shot blocking seemed to decline last year as did his plus/minus rating.
3. How about long-term? Belfast was never a team to load up on youth. New GM Svein Haugsmoen inherited a roster that had Jing Wang as his best U25 player and the Chinese winger’s PO rating is a run-of-the-mill 77. But prospect Shane Pinto will graduate to the team shortly with an 83 PO rating and he might be able to step right into the lineup. Jonatan Berggren will also help in future years with his 78 PO and Shane Wright is the brightest star on the team’s horizon, but the Giants will have to wait one of two more seasons for him to get to the team. Still, a couple really good players will not be nearly enough to keep the Giants buzzing around the top of the league. Rebuilds were never a thing in Belfast before, but we’re having trouble seeing how a major rebuild can be avoided now. Haugsmoen’s predecessor always managed to trade off a superstar for one or two future superstars, or add great talent at the expense of the team’s future. Whether the talented Chris Patton had a plan to keep it going or not, it seems like the future assets cupboard is pretty bare in Belfast these days.
Rose’s Focus
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. These are pairs of people who always seem to show up together. But they aren’t as close as Evgeny Solomonov and Kjetil Martinsen seem to be. When the Norwegian Martinsen came to Bratislava in Season 12, the Belarusian Solomonov was already on the team and Coach Lindy Ruff had them be roommates on away trips. The next season, both left Bratislava as unrestricted free agents. Martinsen signed with Paris. Solomonov also signed with Paris. This off season, they were free agents again. Martinsen signed a long-term deal with Belfast. Solomonov also signed a long-term deal with Belfast. And as the season nears opening day, they are even penciled in on the same line, with Czech Tomas Jurco as their right wing. I don’t want to say you can’t pry these guys apart because I’m afraid you’ll take it the wrong way. I’ll just say even Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are envious of how close Kjetil and Evgeny have become.”
