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 1^st or 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 2^nd or 3^rd 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!