GM: Stephen R
Coach: John Tortorella
Last season: 12th overall. In playoffs, defeated Madrid; lost to Paris
Ins and Outs
(Season 15 to Season 16)
In: Filip Forsberg (waivers), Aleksander Barkov (free agent), Darnell Nurse (free agent), Andrei Kuzmenko (draft), Brendan Perlini (free agent), Rasmus Andersson (free agent), Thomas Novak (draft)
Out: Jake Guentzel (free agent), Andre Burakovsky (trade), Evgeni Dadonov (free agent), Jindrich Barak (free agent), Derek Ryan (free agent), Zach Aston-Reese (free agent), Nikita Zadorov (free agent), Teddy Blueger (free agent), Keegan Kolesar (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Filip Forsberg/Aleksander Barkov/Petteri Puhaaka
Michael Bunting/Ryan Johansen/Andrei Kuzmenko
Kevin Fiala/Mattias Bieber/Brendan Perlini
Jared McCann/Mason McTavish/Marcus Foligno
Esa Lindell/Thomas Chabot
Erik Cernak/Tyler Myers
Darnell Nurse/Rasmus Andersson
Andres De La Garma/Adin Hill
A Question
Another shakeup? Are you really asking that? You do know that Stephen R is the general manager of this team, don’t you? Did you know the people who came up with the saying “Change is inevitable” were Athens fans Theus “Tickets” Costasalotas and Igotta Poopalotis, who were watching a Gods game a few years back. You can count on Stephen making changes every season. A few of the names he brought in this season have the fan base extra ecstatic and excited for the season to begin. Longtime Smurf Aleksander Barkov was signed to see how he looks in … umm, light blue(?) and 5-time all-star Filip Forsberg was waived by Munich and picked up by Athens. Those two together could be prolific. John Tortorella has three hard-shooting right wings to play with them, and it looks like Petteri Puhaaka will get first crack at it when the season starts. Why? Some think it’s because he’s Finnish like Barkov, but others look at the amazing 16-game debut he made with the team late last season when he scored 6 goals and assisted on 6 others. But of all the changes, the most important one might the no change in goal. Andres De La Garma decided to re-sign in Athens and everyone in Greece is extremely happy about that. For whatever reason, the Mexican has been lights out as a God. After playing for Copenhagen for 9 seasons and winning two Cups, he moved along to Athens and his save percentage went up. It rose from 89.4 percent in his last year as a Trident to 90 percent as a God and then he bettered it to 91.5 last season. Only Matt Murray of Oslo did better in Season 15, and then only by a tenth of a point. The defense corps in front of him is experienced and physically strong, with new Gods Darnell Nurse and Rasmus Andersson filling in the third pair behind Nurse’s former Hanover teammate Thomas Chabot, as well as Esa Lindell, Erik Cernak and Tyler Myers.
Rose’s Focus
“Something should be done about the way Aleksander Barkov was treated in Berlin, but I know nothing will be. I can’t tell you how many times Guybrush “Do You” Threepwood has waltzed into our headquarters here in Vienna to talk to Sepp Blatter. I call him “Do You” because he was always asking Sepp questions like, ‘Do you like brandy, Sepp? Do you?’ and “Do you like symphony tickets, Sepp? Do you?’ Why does he care so much about what the league’s director of player safety and discipline likes? Anyway, I heard on good authority that when Barkov arrived in Athens, he barely passed the physical. They say he was grossly underweight, dehydrated, missing some teeth and fingernails, and he had bruises on his wrists and back. Everyone knew Barkov had tons of offensive potential when he entered the league more than a decade ago, but somehow Berlin never played him more than 18 minutes per game. Hmmm. Interesting. He scored 99 points in Season 14, for crying out loud. But don’t you worry, Aleks. Athens will get you fixed up in no time and you will soon see the top line minutes you have always deserved. Maybe you can return some of the pain “Do You” gave you by beating him in the playoffs this year.”
