GM: Svein Haugsmoen
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Last season: 5th overall. In playoffs, defeated Stockholm; lost to Copenhagen
Ins and Outs
(Season 16 to Season 17)
In: Braden Holtby (free agent), Ryan Hartman (free agent), Andreas Johnson (free agent), Rope Laaveinen (free agent), Jake Dotchin (free agent), Andreas Eder (free agent), Joey Daccord (draft), Nikita Zadorov (free agent)
Out: Tomas Jurco (free agent), Nikita Zaitsev (free agent), Alexander Burmistrov (free agent), Tyson Barrie (free agent), Michael Bournival (free agent), Daryl Boyle (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Nick Schmaltz/Nathan MacKinnon/Mitch Marner
Miks Indrasis/Ryan Hartman/David Pastrnak
Petr Vrana/Pavel Zacha/Andreas Johnson
Mats Rosseli Olsen/Kjetil Martinsen/Reto Suri
Justin Schultz/Ryan Murray
Cam Fowler/Roope Laavainen
Nikita Zadorov/Jake Dotchin
Alexander Salak/Braden Holtby
A Question
How valuable is Coach Alain Vigneault? Despite undergoing some relatively big changes last season, Belfast remains a top-tier team. The Giants were 5th in goals in the league last season and 7th-best in goals against. The special teams were 4th (powerplay) and 3rd best (penalty killing) in the league. A lot of that credit has to go to the coach, Alain Vigneault, regarded by most as the best coach in hockey. In seven attribute categories he has 100s in six and a 98 rating in the other column. Expect Vigneault to pour on the offense again this season. In his view, if you are better at passing and scoring than another teammate – even if that teammate excels defensively – then you get the better ice time. It looks like he is going with newcomer Ryan Hartman to center the second line with Miks Indrasis and get this, David Pastrnak. It’s hard to imagine Pastrnak on a top line, but they also have Mitch Marner, who was the second-line wing last season. Now Marner’s playmaking skill will be merged with Nathan MacKinnon’s electrifying game on the top line. Deciding on Marner or Pastrnak for the second line is a nice luxury to have. Back to Hartman for minute. He pushes fellow centers Pavel Zacha and Kjetil Martinsen down a line each from where they were last season, although Zacha should get ample time on the second powerplay unit. Hartman also has a 77 OV rating and we bring that up because of all the team’s starters, 77 is the lowest rating. The team fell into an upgrade on the third defense pair when they signed Jake Dotchin and Nikita Zadorov as free agents. Both were traded from Bern to Kosice, but then Kosice bought out both of their contracts. Vigneault will have great depth this season and opponents should plan on being under pressure for 60 to 65 minutes per game when they see Belfast on the schedule.
Rose’s Focus
“When I look over the Giants roster, I immediately think of my own figure. Talent on top with MacKinnon and the forwards, solid in the back with Alexander Salak and now Braden Holtby in goal, but thinner in the middle with the defense corps. Belfast’s roster has an hourglass figure, too. The big question for me with this team is how well will the defense fare. Ryan Murray, Justin Schultz and Cam Fowler can all move and pass the puck with the best of them. That will help the forwards immensely and the team has shown many times that its top concern is scoring goals. But still, leaving defense as an after-thought seems to be asking a lot of your goalies. Oh wait, this team has two legends back there. I looked it up and Holtby is third all-time in wins and Salak is sixth. Holtby played in Stockholm the last 14 seasons. It will be interesting to see how he and his career 90.5 save percentage handle the change of scenery. Salak has been in the league for 15 years and his save percentage is even a little better at 90.7. OK, now I see why Belfast is going with the hourglass figure model. That quite a nice rear end you have there, Svein Haugsmoen.”
