Honest talk about the San Jose Sharks.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Climate Change

Hey there Jawheads,

I stated on Saturday that I would write a column this week about what kind of trades or moves the Sharks management should or could implement.  I wanted to do this and show you different types of trades/moves that I would consider, but then again, this isn’t fantasy hockey and the intangibles and other factors muddy things up that self-proclaimed sports editorialist, like myself, make sound much easier than what reality has shown.

So here are some trade possibilities and signings I would love to see.  I have some that are going to be classified as unlikely, but a fantasy of mine.  Others will be possible trades, but I’m just shooting for players who have been in the rumor mill before and might be worth checking in on.  Then I’ll show the trades that I think should happen and I’m also going to show you what the new roster would look like after the trades and signings with potential lines. 

Keep in mind; the only people I’m thinking the Sharks should not trade are Couture, Pavelski (even if he didn’t show up this post season), and Burns. 

The fantasy trades I wish could be performed:

1. Jordan Staal for Patrick Marleau++.           
Now before you go ballistic and lose your stools, hear me out.  The Penguins just got knocked out in the first round against a Flyers team that seemed much hungrier than them.  It was a great battle to watch, but I can’t help, but still think that something needs to change for them.  Granted, I think the biggest issue is their defense, but they brought in Neal to play with Crosby, but he (Crosby) ended up hurt and Neal found himself having a masterful season with Malkin.  I find it hard to see them breaking up that duo.  Now Marleau who came into the league as a center has been playing most LW.  Here is why I think he fits for Crosby, he may be a little older, but the dude can still fly and would be someone who could keep up with Crosby on the attack.  Not many can say that and he can shoot.  Plus, he’s a good defensive forward who can kill penalties, something Staal was good at.  So this could be a potential fit if the Sharks can find the complimentary pieces to make it work.

2. Sign the hopefully soon to be UFA Ryan Suter.
I know, I know.  He probably has a much better chance at going to Detroit if he hits the open market.  I don’t know if the Sharks can pull it off, but if they can make some cap room by trading away some of their talent before the draft and during it, they have a good chance at possibly pulling this off.  They could trade some kind of later draft pick to the Predators to get the rights to negotiate with him, but I’d only do that on a conditional basis that they actually sign him.  He would fill out the top end of the Sharks defensive pairing with probably Brent Burns. 

3. Sign Zach Parise UFA.
This move would bring the biggest change as it gives them a star scorer.  Yes, guys like Marleau, Heatley, Cheechoo (huge disappointment over time) have done great scoring alongside Thornton, but some of these guys are dependant on their linemates and that’s always a factor, but some guys know how to create scoring opportunities.  Parise is one of these special players.  I would love to see this, but he’s likely to get a contract cap hit of around 7.5 million based on the fact that there has been an increase of forwards making too much.  The Sharks have been known to pay their players, but alack, rarely do so when it comes to free agents.  That is, if Doug Wilson stays as the GM.  If he doesn’t, the new one may very well go for something like this and lure him in.  We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Here are the moves that are more likely to happen, but are still pretty significant:

4. Trade Ryane Clowe+ for James van Riemsdyk+.
A fellow member of dobberhockey.com brought this idea to me and I thought this was pretty ingenious.  I love that JVR is youthful and still has a ton of upside.  He’s battled some injuries, but so has Clowe. He’s signed for a good long while and Clowe is getting worn down.  The Sharks would lose a bit of tenacity, but would gain a guy who has potential to be fiercely dominant on the ice.  It’s a little bit of a gamble, but one I’d be more than willing to make.

5. Sharks RFA sign Chris Stewart.  
Talk about a guy who has lost all his trade value this year.  He still has the size, the skill, and some serious attitude that would be welcomed on the Sharks.  He isn’t great defensively for a power forward, but he has 1st or 2nd line skills in a puck possession game.  The offer wouldn’t have to be huge as they have a ton of skill coming up and his value is shot with how they’ve dealt with him.  He is a restricted free agent, but could be signed for a fairly decent price that wouldn’t cost too much in draft picks.  Possibly a first and a 3rd if they keep it near what he is making now.  If he doesn’t get a qualifying offer from the Blues then there is no need to worry about the picks, as he would then become a UFA.  I can’t imagine someone not tending a qualifying offer to Stewart, but they really don’t need him.  Crazier things have happened. 

6. Trade for Rick Nash.
My gut feeling is that Doug Wilson really wanted to snag Rick Nash, but wouldn’t give up Couture or Pavelski to do so.  I wouldn’t and still wouldn’t.  Rick Nash is good, and may have past chemistry with Thornton, but I don’t think banking on the Thornton unit is the way to get that elusive Stanley Cup.  Yet, if DW is still around this is a very likely solution.  If Marleau is a part of this deal then I’d be okay, but if it’s some of our youth, it’s a bad trade. 

7. Trade for Derek Roy and/or Tyler Myers for Thornton
Roy been rumored to be on the block since this forgettable season.  The Sabres looked like a team ready to get in the playoffs and they just missed it.  Some have attributed this to Myers lack of offensive production, but that was never truly his forte.  He has the ability to chip in offensively, but he’s a much better stay-at-home defender.  He would be a welcomed addition, especially if he learns how to use that big body of his and throw it at the opposition a bit more.  The Sabre’s have given Myers quite a boost for the future, but I wonder if they are regretting that cap hit now.  Terry Pegula may approve a trade for Myers if the right package comes back. 

8. Trade for Zack Bogosian using Vlasic+
I used to be a big fan of Vlasic, but Pickles (his well-known nickname) has really disappointed in his offensive production, even this season with being paired with Brent Burns for the majority of the time.  He’s still young and great defensively, but he really makes mistakes at the wrong time.  The last two playoffs I’ve noticed him make mistake after mistake.  He regresses during this time of the year and I don’t know if it’s postseason jitters or the wear and tear of him having stepped up into the NHL at such a young age and been eating minutes for years.  I would really entertain this trade as I think Bogosian has a great future still.  People have been down on him for not having produced quickly enough, but he’s a banger of player and I love that about his game.  He’ll block shots and his offensive game has more upside than Vlasic’s ever did.

9. Trade Joe Thornton+ for Clarke MacArthur and Luke Schenn+
This really should be in the very unlikely section, but Burke wants that elusive big center, and they’ve been dangling Luke Schenn for what seems like forever, but that’s just the Toronto media for you.  They really can afford the defensive loss as they have Jake Gardiner coming up.  The question is, is if this works for the Sharks.  They would get a solid defender, with a decent scoring 2nd or 3rd line winger.  There would have to be some other pieces moved to make this work as I don’t believe Thornton could land these two on his own, but some draft picks moving either way is quite doable as both GMs have never had an issue with trading picks in the past to get the players they want. 

10. Trade Marleau for Okposo+
This would dump Marleau’s contract and bring back a natural winger who is cheaper, but also has a good chance of performing much better in the right situation.  Plus, if the Sharks can get a good draft pick back, this is a win-win.  The main issue is I don’t think Marleau would approve a trade to the Islanders.  So this is a pipe dream, but if he would, especially since the Islanders may move in the near future, he might go for it.  Playing with Tavares would be pretty cool too. 

11. Trade Dan Boyle to the highest bidder for Draft picks/Prospects. 
There are many teams that would give a ton for a guy like Boyle in this day and age.  He is a great leader, competes, and would be a great addition to a team like Montreal.  He could mentor a guy like Subban and they have plenty of draft picks they could send back and/or maybe some young guys.  They’d likely have to make some other moves to get themselves under that cap, but it could potentially be doable.  Maybe they’d send Alexei Emelin back.  He’d be an interesting piece to get a return on. 

So the moves I would strongly encourage and would make if I was in the management would be:

Numbers 2,3,4,5,7,8,10,11.  That’s a lot of movement, and would most likely not happen, but this is what the team could potentially look like.

CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR ROSTER
My Custom Lineup
FORWARDS
Zach Parise ($7.500m) / Logan Couture ($2.875m) / Martin Havlat ($5.000m) 
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Joe Pavelski ($4.000m) / Chris Stewart ($3.250m) 
T.J. Galiardi ($0.735m) / Michal Handzus ($2.500m) / Kyle Okposo ($2.800m) 
Daniel Winnik ($0.950m) / Andrew Desjardins ($0.594m) / Tommy Wingels ($1.000m) 
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Suter ($6.000m) / Brent Burns ($5.760m) 
Tyler Myers ($5.500m) / Zach Bogosian ($2.500m) 
Jason Demers ($1.250m) / Justin Braun ($1.250m) 
GOALTENDERS
Antti Niemi ($3.800m) 
Thomas Greiss ($0.588m) 
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $62,101,500; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (20-man roster): $2,198,500

The Sharks could resign Winnik, and Galiardi, Braun, and Wingels to fill out the bottom lines.  I liked the way Winnik and Galiardi play and they bring some good bottom line depth with some flexibility for some time in the top 6 if need be.  I didn’t trade Havlat as I didn’t see him as truly moveable with his past history and he was one of the best on the ice when healthy this past month.  I also got rid of Doug Murray in the likes of the Myers trade with the picks coming back. 

The bonus about these moves is that the Sharks restock their cupboards with the trades with BUF, NYI, and MTL or whoever is the highest bidder.  I also had Thornton go for Myers with some picks being swapped on both ends.  The team gets younger and the guys like Pavelski and Couture who are the familiar faces get to take their turns leading.  Parise becomes the new captain, with Pavelski and Suter being the assistant captains.

The defense on this team is revamped, and the forwards are much more gritty with some potential scoring prowess.  This is a team I could be excited about and this also leaves room for someone like Alex Stalock to come up the goaltending pipes and sees where he takes the team if he shows he’s ready. 

Again, maybe one percent of this actually happens, but man, I would be a busy manager and would get manager of the year if this were possible.  This is a complete overhaul and many don’t think that is needed, but this is doable.  It would definitely be more complex than I’ve made it, but this is the type of Sharks team I would like to see in the future.  One that has promise in the forward group that could really be physical come playoffs, and a defense that would make other teams think twice. 

Feel free to criticize this and leave feedback.  I had a ton of fun working on this and hope you make it through the journey of reading this.  I just wanted to show you my thought process here and what I think would make a better Sharks team for the future.  

As always,

Go Sharks! 

Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Sharks were drowned by the Blues

I'll say it, the Blues were the better team all series long, and even regular season long.

So the Sharks lost to the better team, but that doesn't take away the fact that this is not sufficient for the team, management, owners, and the fans.

So what to do?


  • No more minor tweaking in the off season.  This needs to be a full on overhaul.  I'm talking just about anyone is available for the right price.  Let's get younger, and lets get some good high-end prospects that are likely to produce soon.  The problem is, we don't have much in the cupboards, but have a ton of talent to trade that's already in the NHL. 
  • Wilson has always been a GM who's been willing to make the big moves, but they just haven't worked out.  I don't know who to replace him with, but I'm really wishing Yzerman had waited to go into the GM business this year.  
  • Don't fire McLellan.  I don't think he's the issue and I think this is more of a player personnel problem at this point.  The core isn't getting it done, so things need to get changed.
  • Management needs to make a plan. They need to make a master plan and outline their goals and present them to the State of the Sharks meeting coming up.  People will be upset, but if they see a plan that is going to be put into affect, things might settle down quickly, but we need to see results. 
Doesn't sound like an easy summer to me.  I just hope the Sharks actually do something and don't just make minor tweaks.  We've run with this core for sometime and it hasn't worked.  Sure, they made it to two straight conference finals, but that's not enough.  The organization can't settle for that as the fans will settle for nothing less than a championship.  

In the upcoming week, I'm going to make a list of trades/moves I would seriously seek out if I'm apart of the management making the deals here.  So stay tuned! 

As always,

Go Sharks!

P.S. Please comment on your own thought you Jawheads and Puckheads. 

Friday, April 20, 2012

Time to blow this thing up (Culture Change).

Well, the end is nigh.  

The Sharks found a way to fall 3-1.  They played poorly or you could say the Blues just shut them down. Either way, I saw a lot of missed passes, Thornton making terrible no-look passes that would go out of the zone ruin the potential for a scoring chance.  Their neutral zone movement was terrible.  To be honest, all I could think about during the game was this team needs to get A-bombed and soon.  

Doug Wilson is going to have one of 2 summers or I should say should have one of these 2 summers.  

Summer 1: He blows up this team's core because the core just can't hack it and go anywhere.  This really was the last chance with the older vets getting long in the tooth.  Marleau? Should be Gone.  Thornton? I'm not sure either way, but if we get something awesome for him, I'm interested.  Pavelski? Where are you dude? You didn't even show up these playoffs and that's terrifying.  Boyle?  He could go for the right package of young defense.  

Summer 2: Wilson gets fired and spends his days mourning on the beach with cocktails.  Not too bad for him really.  Someone has to take the fall and I don't think it's McLellan, though it could be him.  

What do you all think should happen?  I'm quite curious to hear as I think we need some fresh faces that changes the culture of this team. 

As always,

Go Sharks!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Down the Blues

The Sharks realize that this is truly a must-win game.  A loss puts them on the brink of elimination.  A win, ties the series.  You see how pivotal this game is now?

So what needs to happen?

We need to see Marleau, Thornton, and Pavelski have a big game.  These guys did a little in the first game, but since then haven't gotten on the scoresheet enough points-wise.  This team success begins and ends with this line.  The other line of Clowe, Couture, and Havlat have been making chances, but again, they need to get on the scoresheet more.  They aren't the big guns the first line should be (though they've been the better line, in my opinion).  Niemi also needs to steal the game if the scoring stays as stingy as it has, and it probably will stay that way with the Blues system being stingier than a fat kid with his cheez-its (Wait a second, that hits too close to home). 

Sharks just need to work harder.

Some Notes:
I'm loving what I'm seeing from some of the bottom units and Burns and Boyle.

Don't get me started on Vlasic.  I've noticed something about him and remembered I had issues with his play last playoffs.  Something gets in his head during April.  Hopefully he'll find some sort of redemption here tonight.

Murray is still slow.

Marleau has at least started finishing checks.  That's a good sign.  He still needs to pack his bags at the end of the season and get outta here!

Things are getting ugly and it's a league-wide epidemic.  Officials are not calling blatant penalties (Hit on Hossa), and I hate when coaches get fined for saying what needs to be said.  Refs should be held accountable and should be fined for crap like that.  Not the other way around like it is.  It's complete garbage that coaches get fined for those kinds of comments.  Especially when it's 10k versus Shea Weber getting 2.5k for his blatant misconduct.  I'm a fan of Weber, but there should have been more there.  At least 1 game for that incident with Zetterberg.  Oh and not to mention coaches get paid way less than players, but their fines always seem so much higher, that's right the most a player can be fined is 2.5k.  A crazy world we live in, people.

Here's to hoping the Sharks win tonight and I don't have to have too many good beers.

As always,

Go Sharks!

Friday, April 13, 2012

European Invasion and a response to the nay-sayers!

I'll come out and say it, Niemi and Havlat were by far the best players in last night's game for the Sharks.  Without Niemi's heroics, the Sharks would have been beaten and beaten badly.  They were not the better team, but Niemi stole a win for them.  I love writing that as I've been rather down on him this season.  The Sharks got away with a lucky win and hopefully they come back on Saturday a little more energized and show the Blues how to really play playoff hockey.

Here is something I want to address for those who are Sharks haters:

The Sharks are not a soulless team.  Sure they aren't the roughest team, but they do have guys who play hard, and play with a lot of energy and soul.  Guys like Pavelski are gamers in the playoffs.  Couture has shown this so far.  Clowe.  No one can deny that Clowe has as much heart as most in the NHL.  That play from the bench just shows how much he wants to win, sure it was in bad taste, but it's more indicative of his desire to win than him being a soulless player.  Can I forget about Dan Boyle? That dude keeps on playing and he's smart, and plays the entire game to the best of his abilities.  Burns is showing he doesn't mind hitting people and he's joining the rush quite often.  Again, that's not soulless.

Now there are some that question Marleau and Thornton.  I agree about Marleau, he does occasionally provide the much needed goal, but this season he's been so quiet, I forget about him at times.  Thornton is trying to be a leader and he was going after Backes.  That's not soulless, people.  That's a guy trying to inspire his team.  Sure that top line was held off the scoresheet, but he was pivotal in Havlat's first goal as he was the one in front of the net screening Halak.  I generally don't think guys who go to the front of the net are soulless.

As always,

Go Sharks!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Big Game on the Road

I cannot stress how much of a big deal it would be to steal one of these away games in St. Louis for the Sharks.  Their road record is 17-17-7.  So they've been horrendous on the road, less than .500.  So snagging at least one of these road games to begin the series will be a huge boon to them.

I read earlier today that Dan Boyle thinks that the first 10-15 minutes of the game may be the craziest and just after that may be an indicator of how the series will be.  I disagree.  The Sharks have been terrible in the first couple periods and have been pulling third period heroics to get them where they are.

So expect a crazy 1st period, but really look to see how the Sharks finish.  That's always been their undoing, until the past couple weeks where that is where they are playing their best.  This is going to be a tough series and the system under Hitchcock is very stingy with opportunities.  So the Sharks will need to win the small battles and get some lucky bounces.

I love the playoffs and the Sharks have done fairly well in the past couple seasons by making it to the Western Conference Finals.  If they're going to make it that far they need a little bit of luck, but they need to be consistently dominant, not something I've seen.  They tend to have certain lines or players play great against certain teams to only disappear against the other opponents.  Maybe this year they'll be able to use that underdog label to their advantage and do some more damage than they ever have before.

As always,

Go Sharks!

Monday, April 9, 2012

The future Sharks moves

Regardless of how the playoffs come and go, I feel that something needs to change in the locker room.  I write this before the playoffs start so it's not reactionary to an early season exit, or even if they do wonderfully well, thus that clouding my future judgement of what this team needs.

The team has clearly shown this season that there is something wrong in the locker room.  Many fault Joe Thornton mostly for his playoff performances, but his last one was fairly good.  He was the biggest player in upsetting Detroit both times they've knocked them out in the 2nd round.  He's still a stud player and can control the play.

So who needs to go?

Marleau is the first that comes to mind.  For a guy who has a cap hit over 6 million he needs to come with serious leadership qualities, and I don't think he has these.  You can't just be a body that plays once in awhile.  I used to defend Marleau for years.  He has all the tools to be a complete stud and for whatever reason he just doesn't use these tools consistently.  So I say, trade him for the best package of youth you can get. If you can get a high first rounder for him, then fire away Doug Wilson.

I don't want to see this person go, but I think with the addition of Brent Burns, it is worth looking at now, rather than later.  Dan Boyle is one of my favorites and he could bring in a great return right now from the right team.  If they wait any longer his value diminishes as he's getting older, but he's still a stud power play quarterback.  I would imagine a team like Edmonton would love him and they have some great youth to send back.

Both of those guys would bring in some great tools to help build the team for the future and not just now.  Pavelski and Couture are the two forwards who will lead the forward core for years to come, unless one is traded.

This brings me to the next section of this.  I think Pavelski may get traded to help land Rick Nash to play alongside Thornton.  I don't mind going after Nash (though his cap hit is atrocious), but giving up either Pavelski or Couture is a big mistake.  They're both heart and soul guys on this team, which the team lacks right now.  Now, if this trade involves the possible 1st overall pick, which would land them Yakupov, then I'd be interested in seeing how this trade plays out.

The Sharks need to consider their future at this point period.  They are ranked by many hockey institutions as having the worst or least skilled prospect pool.  The last promising prospect that had me excited was Charlie Coyle, who was used in the Brent Burns trade.  I'd do that trade again as Burns is huge for the Sharks blueline core.  After him, the cupboards are quite bare and Doug Wilson needs to consider stockpiling somehow.

One, idea that I've had, and it is a long shot, is try to lure Zach Parise.  Hear me out, if the Sharks do trade away Marleau for youth up front or for the blueline, then this is quite feasible.  I'd rather have Parise than Nash by a long shot.  Here is why it won't happen, Doug Wilson isn't a big spender in July.  He prefers to trade and that is why Nash is much more likely to happen.

So think about it Jawheads and let me know what you think should happen.  I don't have the answers, but I know something needs to happen to help this team become more consistent with their gameplan.

As always,

Go Sharks!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Don't be singin' the blues

After watching tonight's game, I'm thoroughly convinced that playing the Blues is a much better matchup than playing the Canucks. Here's why:

1). Youth Infusion: The Blues, though they do have so me veterans, have a lot of young studs who haven't experienced Stanley Cup Playoff hockey.  As we saw tonight, the Sharks overcame obstacles, yet again, to find a way to win.

2). Streaking Sharks: The Sharks are coming into this series with two upset wins.  I say that they are upsets because they have come from behind and that's not an easy thing to do, and suggest that the team is willing to battle to find a way to win.

3). McLellan vs. Hitchcock: This is going to be a great matchup.  Hitchcock is a great defensive coach and is very much about having a system, whereas McLellan has his puck possession style, he's a master tactician in gauging other teams.  How else do you suggest the Sharks have found ways to send Detroit packing the past two seasons? This will be a great battle and I believe The Grey Man can win.

4). Big Pavelski and Dan Boyle: I love these two guys. Boyle came up big tonight, twice.  He's on it and he's the true leader of this team.  Pavelski always brings his game during the first round.  I think he's going to be huge and it's going to be tough for guys like Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk to find ways to shut him down with Jumbo Joe making room for him.

I have to admit, I'm excited to see the youth movement and how this plays out, but I really do think that this will be a lot of low scoring games, with the occasional lop-sided win.

I predict the Sharks in 6 because of their playoff experience and I truly believe that will trump St. Louis.  I just don't see Halak or Elliot going crazy, though that could happen.  Once the Sharks get their game going, they can beat any team in the league, lets just hope it's not 3 games into the series.  As long as they bring their best efforts from the first puck drop on, they have this series and it really is up to them.  That's been the theme this year.  Their fate is in their hands and no team is in their way, but themselves.  Sure, other teams have played better, but there is no reason why the Sharks can't match any other team in the Western Conference.  It just takes some heart and some lucky playoff bounces in their favor.

As always,

Go Sharks!

King me!

If you didn't watch the matchup against the Queens...I mean Kings on Thursday night, you need to watch tonight's game to see the second act.

Last week we saw multiple Gordie Howe Tricks and I'm calling one of those a Clowe Trick.  Ryane Clowe, whether you love him or hate him, brought his game and fought for the win. Literally.  He had 2 fights, a goal, an assist, and broke up a play from the bench.  He'll be a huge target tonight.

What tonight means:
1). We find out who the Sharks play in the first round.  It will be either Vancouver, St. Louis, or Chicago (Yikes!).  I can't tell you who I would rather play.  I might say Chicago, because their goaltending is the weakest and Captain Serious (Toews) hasn't played, yet.

2). We find out if the Sharks truly are ready for the playoffs.  The last game they looked terrible in the first half.  The guys on CSNCA were talking about how they were in the penalty box too much and couldn't get a rhythm going, but they were a few steps behind a hungrier team, but they did prevail in the end and stole the win in the shootout.

Here's what to look for tonight:
1). Big Hits!

2). Fights!

3). Not nearly as much scoring.  10 goals was a lot to ask for and I don't imagine that replaying itself out.

4). Clowe will back himself up and maybe we'll see some more feistiness from the Sharks like Thornton again.  Loved seeing him go at it with Doughty.  Neither are fighters, but it was just cool to see them go at it for once.

I expect the lineup to stay the same, with the minor change of someone filling in for Mitchell tonight.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tonight's Game

It seems a bit redundant at this point in the season, but this is a must-win.  The Sharks are battling against Dallas and even an overtime win would drop them down to 9th with only 2 more games after tonight's contest.

So what happens is essential in further defining the race for the last spots in the illustrious playoffs.  This is a weird place for Sharks fans since the lockout.  Prior to that the Sharks did well and actually had just made the Conference finals that year, but many of us remember the early years where the Sharks had to battle hard to just make the playoffs and it's been a long time since I've had to feel this way.

I'm assuming Niemi will be in.  He got a shutout last game and I didn't get to see it, but I read many reports that stated how well he played.  He does generally bring it in the playoffs from the few years he's been in it.  So hopefully we see that and they actually make it.

So if you get it on your telly, watch tonight's game.  It should be really good as these are 2 teams that could easily be winning the division that is tougher than the record shows.

As always,

Go Sharks!