Roster Decisions: Dmitry Osipov

[Uncle Winty]

What are your thoughts on whether Dmitry Osipov fits into the 2016-17 roster? Obviously, he is a good enough player to take one of the the three OA positions, but as a two-spotter, can the Giants afford to keep him? They should get a good player with their very high pick in the upcoming Import Draft & I suspect that this year's Giants may need Bondra's scoring more than Osipov's defence. Of course, this is assuming Osipov elects to return for his OA season.

[Lucic]

I would absolutely keep Osipov if he decides he wants to return. I'm sure he could make money playing pro if he chooses that path. Assuming the NHL is still his ultimate goal I would guess he would like to play in North America if possible. With Thomas and Lang now under contract the overage situation for the Giants becomes a lot more clear (although it still wouldn't shock me if one of those guys is returned at some point down the line). So basically you are left with Foster and Osipov and room for one more (unless either Thomas or Lang is sent down almost right away, which I would deem unlikely at this point). The two spotter issue doesn't bother me because Osipov is good enough to justify keeping. I thought Bondra was going to be a real good player at the start of last season (based on what I saw during preseason) but he was more or less a disappointment. If the Giants can upgrade their euro situation with yet another high pick, I'd be all for selecting another and letting Bondra go. Although it would be easier to either release or trade Osipov (as Bondra can't be traded). Ultimately it comes down to what Osipov wants. If he wants to return I'd take him. If he doesn't, keep Bondra, (or hell, use both euro picks if you think you can upgrade) and at least use the first selection in the euro draft and hope you don't end up with yet another dud.

[Giantsfan]

The Giants have had so many dud Euros over the last six-seven years. The best ones since Repik have usually been players acquired via trade in their last year. Osipov has vastly improved in the last 3 seasons. He's a shot blocking machine, a guy who plays through pain & while not a big point producer, he is such a solid stay at home guy that if would be a shame to not see him return as a 20 yr old. They finally have a solid Euro so I wouldn't trade him especially since they are weak on defense & he's the only physical player they have on defense.

[Uncle Winty]

I completely agree with that assessment of Osipov, and think his chances of returning are improved by the lack of returning 96's league wide. But, with the Giants drafting so high at the Import Draft this season, and the fact that Bondra finished strong (eight goals and five assists in the Final 15 games), makes it a difficult decision for the Giants brass. It seems like a good problem to have...

[Giantsfan]

Sure, Bondra finished strong but overall he was such a disappointment considering he was a Hawk draft pick. With another new coach it'll be interesting to see how he starts out. Can he build on his strong finish? I'm excited for this season but they sorely need size & toughness. Without those assets, this team goes nowhere.

[MeszarosFan]

IMO it makes sense to have two 20 year olds on the back-end and one 20 year old forward. The last time it happened was with Schira and Berube back in 2008. The back-end has been the Giants weakness for the past several seasons, and even with Osipov they will continue to be weak there. If they lose him it will be a disaster. Frankly I think this will be another poor year for them and I think it's unlikely they even make the play-offs. The GM and coaching changes could be a positive, but other than that the same mismanagement team is still in place. How long before Toigo starts to interfere again? My guess is not very long, and that will be the kiss of death for this team.

[Lucic]

I completely agree with that assessment of Osipov, and think his chances of returning are improved by the lack of returning 96's league wide. But, with the Giants drafting so high at the Import Draft this season, and the fact that Bondra finished strong (eight goals and five assists in the Final 15 games), makes it a difficult decision for the Giants brass. It seems like a good problem to have...

The real problem there is they can't trade Bondra. So they would have to just release him, select another euro at #4 and keep Osipov. It sucks to lose an asset for nothing. On the other hand they can trade Osipov, possibly get something for him and keep Bondra and whatever player they select. I can understand how both scenarios could be appealing to Hanlon. Ultimately I think as long as Osipov wants to return, I would keep him around. If that means losing Bondra so be it. He didn't do enough last season to make me think he has to be kept. At least with Osipov you know what you are going to get. Can't say the same about Bondra.

[scrunt]

The real problem there is they can't trade Bondra. So they would have to just release him, select another euro at #4 and keep Osipov. It sucks to lose an asset for nothing. On the other hand they can trade Osipov, possibly get something for him and keep Bondra and whatever player they select. I can understand how both scenarios could be appealing to Hanlon. Ultimately I think as long as Osipov wants to return, I would keep him around. If that means losing Bondra so be it. He didn't do enough last season to make me think he has to be kept. At least with Osipov you know what you are going to get. Can't say the same about Bondra.

I was thinking along the same lines. But the more I look at it, the more I think moving Osipov is the way to go.

I really like Osipov's heavy game. But I also think Hanlon's European connections and no. 4 Euro draft position should result in a top quality player. At least as good as Osipov anyway (though maybe not right away) but with the potential for more than one year of service. So any return in a trade of Osipov would be a net gain, plus it would open up another overage spot, and there are usually a few decent 20 year olds available every year, some at a low cost (or free, if Ben Thomas comes back).

I see that the Giants signed Byram, so that is a great start on year 8 of the rebuild (i.e the 2017-18 season). A healthy Benson would be a major benefit this season, but otherwise I don't see much else in the way of improvement. So, as I have been saying for a few years now, the Giants should be looking long term by moving current assets for future potential.

If Hanlon can get a commitment from a top Euro player before the draft then that might set the direction. Bondra has a fresh start with a new coach and GM, so I think there is upside there. If we get a high calibre Euro that is young enough to be around for at least two years (i.e. through 2017-18 at least), I would not mind seeing Osipov traded. I think he had more value at last year's deadline, when his style of game would have been attractive to a Memorial Cup contender, but he still has to be worth something, even if it is a conditional draft pick. For a team that is at the bottom of the Euro draft order, the pickings would be slim, so Osipov might be seen as a better option.

[Lucic]

So any return in a trade of Osipov would be a net gain, plus it would open up another overage spot, and there are usually a few decent 20 year olds available every year, some at a low cost (or free, if Ben Thomas comes back).

Normally I would agree. But this year is the exception. The 96 age group league wide is very weak. There aren't a lot of quality players returning (which is why earlier this week Moose Jaw acquired two 20 year old's you wouldn't normally see in the league as overagers). I thought there was a good chance Thomas or Lang returned until they were signed. Now who knows? I think Thomas need more time in junior but NHL teams don't look at things that way anymore. Although the other side of that argument is that maybe a team would really value Osipov more than usual because there isn't a great crop of players available? That is the other side of that coin. Hard to say. They do need an anchor on the back end and if it isn't Osipov I don't know who else would replace him. The defense looks quite awful especially if he isn't in the picture. Bondra seems more expendable to me because there is enough potential talent up front to fill in whatever gap might be left in his absence. The same can't be said on defense.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Don't care about the two-spotter issue; if Osipov wants to return, I have him back. Bondra was a huge disappointment, so if Hanlon thinks they can improve on him with the high Euro pick, adios Rado.