GM: Steve Yung
Coach: Michel Therrien
Last season: 4th overall. In playoffs, defeated Geneva; defeated Athens; lost to Berlin.
Ins and Outs
(Season 15 to Season 16)
In: Colton Parayko (trade), Alex Pietrangelo (free agent), Kris Letang (free agent), Andre Burakovsky (free agent), Brendan Gallagher (free agent), Anze Kopitar (free agent), Kevin Shattenkirk (free agent), Derek Stepan (free agent), Patrick Wiercioch (free agent), Tobias Brighenti (free agent), Carson Soucy (free agent), Carey Price (free agent)
Out: John Tavares (free agent), Ryan O’Reilly (free agent), Erik Karlsson (free agent), Chris Kreider (free agent), Shea Weber (retired), Anthony DeAngelo (free agent), Adam Larsson (free agent), Tanner Jaillet (free agent), Samuel Girard (free agent), Brandon Hagel (trade), Alexander Burmistrov (free agent), Kent Johnson (trade), Simon Despres (free agent), Jakub Zboril (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Brendan Gallagher/Steven Stamkos/ Evander Kane
Ondrej Palat/Logan Couture/Brandon Saad
Andre Burakovsky/Derek Stepan/Andrey Bykov
Artemy Panarin/Brandon Sutter/Jakub Voracek
Ken Kuusk/Alex Pietrangelo
Colton Parayko/Kris Letang
Brenden Dillon/Tobias Brighenti
Chris Driedger/Isak Posch
A Question
Are the Rouge Eiffels better this season than they were last year? That’s a tough question because Paris set the bar so high again last year when they finished 4th overall, just 8 points from Copenhagen at the top of the heap. But they are just as good this year. General Manager Steve Yung has brought in some very big names this season to give his French fans a lot to be psyched about. But we see improvements farther down the depth chart, like on lines 3 and 4 and especially on defense, where 2-time all-star Colton Parayko and 8-time all-star Alex Pietrangelo join 5-time all-star Ken Kuusk. Six-time all-star Kris Letang has made a return to Paris, but he’s 39 now, so give him some leeway, Paris fans. Watching Letang fade will be good practice for what’s about to happen after another Cup run or two. Of the five centers on the roster, the youngest – the babies of the group – are 36. The right wings are ages 34 to 37 and the left wings are between 30 and 35. If Paris was in the U.S., this team would be sponsored by the AARP. We’re getting way ahead of ourselves, but a rebuild will come at some point and Paris has to consider themselves lucky to have superb young goalies Chris Driedger 26, and Isak Posch, 20, to build around.
Rose’s Focus
“After GM Steve “Shufflemaster” Yung did another major remake of his team, I was looking over Paris’ lineup … yep, I know all these guys. Stamkos, Pietrangelo, Couture, Kuusk, Kane … I know hockey and I know who all the best players are including that backup goalie Isak Posch. He is supposed to be great some day. Uh … wait. Tobias Brighenti. Who is that? I feel like part of an Italian restaurant’s menu just fell in front of my eyes. What’s a Tobias Brighenti? The 27-year-old Italian defenseman gets into the starting lineup ahead of veterans Patrick Wiercioch and Kevin Shattenkirk? Oh, I see. He’s cheap and there’s a salary cap. But a closer look shows he might be able to handle the job. Brighenti put in a full season in Edinburgh two years ago and he got into about 50 more games sprinkled in over four other seasons. He has a solid body and he adds toughness to this lineup. Plus he plays a smart defensive game. He could be an interesting story this year and I will keep an eye on him.”
