GM: Svein Haugsmoen
Coach: Alain Vigneault
Last season: 5th overall. In playoffs, defeated Paris; lost to Minsk
Ins and Outs
(Season 17 to Season 18)
In: Henrik Haapala (waivers), Michael Bunting (free agent), Matt Dumba (free agent), Jared McCann (free agent), Mackenzie Blackwood (free agent), Haydn Fleury (free agent), Daniel Sprong (free agent)
Out: Mattias Sjogren (free agent), Nick Schmaltz (free agent), Ryan Murray (free agent), Miks Indrasis (free agent), Cam Fowler (free agent), Petr Vrana (free agent), Mats Rosseli Olsen (free agent), Alex Wennberg (free agent), Mads Eller (free agent), Erik Gudbranson (free agent)
Potential Lineup
David Pastrnak/Nathan MacKinnon/Mitch Marner
Henrik Haapala/Pavel Zacha/Reto Suri
Michael Bunting/Ryan Hartman/Jared McCann
Daniel Sprong/Kjetil Martinsen/Andreas Johnson
Justin Schultz/Matt Dumba
Nikita Zadorov/Roope Laavainen
Jake Dotchin/Travis Sanheim
Braden Holtby/Hayden Hawkey
A Question
Are the Giants going up or down? Belfast remained a strong team in Season 17, but caution, Giants fans: their goals for and against averages both dropped a smidge on the team statistics ladders while their special teams suffered noticeable drops. You don’t want to keep going in that direction. It looks like Coach Alain Vigneault will try to pour on the offense again this season, and again, Nathan MacKinnon’s line – with David Pastrnak and Mitch Marner – will decide how far the team goes. But we think the Giants will have a better supporting cast this season. They have a chance to put together an intriguing trio of players who play a similar, pesky brand of hockey in Jared McCann, Michael Bunting and Ryan Hartman. Whether the coach decides to form that line remains to be seen, but those three would certainly break up momentum and other teams’ rhythm. On defense, the big question is how will it go without Ryan Murray and Cam Fowler back on defense. Matt Dumba and Travis Sanheim will replace them and the team is banking on the fact they are a total of 9 years younger than Murray and Fowler to be the equalizing factor. They might have more gas in their gas tanks. So, as has been the case so many times in the past, it appears Belfast’s success will rest on how good their depth is past MacKinnon, Marner and Pastrnak.
Rose’s Focus
“Braden Holtby has risen to the rank of goalie god in the EURO League, in my humble opinion. He has certainly made the Rose’s Favorites list. After playing in Stockholm for 14 seasons, Holtby ended up in Northern Ireland last season to prove he is still wonderful. As a 37-year-old, he posted a goals against average of 2.84, and that’s the fourth best of his illustrious career. He could move into the No. 2 spot in all-time wins this year. But you know what? I think his season – and perhaps Belfast’s – relies on his backup goalies. Holtby played in 45 games last year while sharing the net with Alexander Salak. It was Holtby’s lowest games played total ever and I think the lighter workload helped him. It’s hard to maintain your physical stamina when you get old. Even I don’t get around as well as I used to, although the men never seem to complain. Salak is now gone and Mackenzie Blackwood, 30, and Hayden Hawkey, 31, will have to protect Holtby by playing in the neighborhood of 35 to 42 games, I think. Blackwood was signed late in the off season and he got about half of Gothenburg’s starts the last two seasons, so he might be able to fill in adequately. But he has never wowed me and I don’t like his hairstyle or facial hair. Call it a personal preference, but my personal preferences seem to affect how guys play on the ice. That’s been proven. Can “The Hawk” soar to that challenge? Maybe Hawkey will emerge as the best goalie of the three of them, I don’t know. He showed two years ago that he has talent (2.65 GAA and 90.6 save pct.) but he only played 19 games that season and none last year. He definitely qualifies as unproven talent. I’m telling you Belfast and Braden need either Blackwood or The Hawk – perhaps both – to come through for them.”
