What to do. Sharks offseason. Value of certain players

[J0e Th0rnton]

 

Well, we can break this down into a full teardown, or simply a partial retool. My guess is partial retool since Thornton flat out stated he wants to retire a Shark unless the fans wanted him to go, and Marleau seemed the same, albeit more open to moving if he is not wanted. The fans and teammates firmly got on Joe's side vs Wilson to the tune of 100 to 1, and Thornton visions himself as an old school "Loyally Stay with the team you love" Sakic/Yzerman type no matter what Wilson wants.

 

Wilson really buggered up deciding to take a veiled shot at Joe in the middle of them trying to fight for the playoffs. Team just won 4 of 5 and are only 3 points out! Better insult Joe and cause some drama!

 

Anyways, when it comes down to it, the Sharks outside of the Thornton line have been awfully inconsistent this season. Thornton is showing no signs of slowing down and his game is really based on strong possession and vision and not speed and wheels. He will likely play at a high level for several more years. Marleau on the other hand, is visibly not himself. Maybe he can bounce back. it does not seem as if he is losing his wheels. But he is tentative and second guessing everything. Thornton has again been the best player on the ice this season after Pavelski. Marleau by contrast, the worst.

 

Both have NMC's for 2 more seasons and claim they will not waive, so for the purposes of this thread, let's assume that is the case. The Sharks position is also flat out that they will not trade youth, picks and good prospects for veterans. They will trade youth for youth. Nothing less.

 

Pavelski: Age 30 signed for 6 million until 2019-20. Versatile and can play either wing and center. PP and PK. 40 goal scorer on Thornton's line. 30 goal scorer centering his own line. Limited NTC. Can choose 10 teams he will not go to. Valuable, but his age somewhat depreciates his value.

 

Couture: 25 years old signed for 6 million until 2019-20. Two way center that plays on the PP and PK and vs opposing teams top lines quite often. Probably one of the Sharks most valuable pieces the Sharks have due to age. Also has a limited NTC and can choose 10 teams nnot to go to. Only kicks in at the start of next season.

 

Vlasic: 27 years old. Another most valuable piece. A solid 1B elite defensive defenseman who is also elite at moving the puck and transitioning from defense to offense. All he lacks is the higher end offense and the shot. Signed unbelieveably for 4.25 million until the 2018-19 season.

 

Burns: 29 years old, signed for 5.75 million until the 2017-18 season. Versatile in the sense that he can be a dynamite power forward if you can find someone who can read the controlled chaos he creates(Thornton is the only one) and a dynamite offensive defenseman who is suspect defensively. This disaster season for the Sharks is turning into his best statistical season strangely.

 

Braun: Kind of Vlasic lite. Very good, but not elite. 27 and signed until the 2020-21 season for 3.8 million.

 

Wingels. 26 years old and Just signed an extension for 2.5 million for 2 more seasons and can move up and down lines with little transition problems. Hits everything that moves, but is streaky at scoring.

 

On to our youth, who are likely staying. Hertl at times this year has been brilliant, despite coming back from knee surgery. This kid has moves. Usually the games he plays center instead of wing. Wilson claims he traded Sheppard and Desjardins because it would give the youth more time to play their natural positions. Namely Hertl and Tierney at center. Of Course, Tmac may not be on the same page as he continued to snub Hertl's chance to play center in favor of Chicago veteran Ben Smith, who came back in the Desjardins trade. Not sure why we did Chicago a cap favor with that trade after getting rid of Sheppard, who played like an ideal 4th line center.

 

Tierney has 2nd or 3rd line center written all over him down the road.  His vision and passing have been a revelation to me when played with offensively capable linemates. Unfortunately, TMac makes sure he is often on the 4th line with John Scott and Barclay Goodrow. Jammer vouched for him before I ever saw him play, and now I believe him.

 

Karlsson. Never heard of him before this season. A free agent undrafted signing who has been playing over his head on the 1st line with Pavs and Jumbo. Looks great with the Joe's. Looks human without them.

 

Nieto. God this kid is snakebitten. He has such wheels and talent, but keeps hitting posts or just waiting too long. I expected him to eclipse his point totals from last year and have been disappointed with his softmore slump.

 

Mueller. Is a 19 year old rookie who is either riding the pine, or playing top 4. Has potential to be a Vlasic type.

 

 

What are these pieces worth do you think? Obviously not all of them would go, but if Wilson wants to rebuild, he is going to need to move guys to eventually convince Jumbo and Marlov that the rest of their tenure will be spent rebuilding.

 

Wilson made commets that we have ample cap room and he has plans to use it this summer. However, the UFA list is slim pickigs this summer. He HAS to be planning offer sheets to someone.

 

Who do the Sharks target on the goalie front? If Wilson resigns Niemi, he should be fired on the spot and Stalock has regressed badly. It HAS to be on the RFA front or trade front. Dubnyk is the only goalie playing well who is going UFA and Minny has been great with him to the point they would be crazy not to resign him.

 

RFA targets would be guys like Bernier, Holtby, Hammond(Where did this come from?), Darling, Jones. A lot of whom teams would likely match, or are kids unproven backups. Trade targets. Ottawa looks more and more likely with this Hammond kid on fire. Anderson might be up for grabs

 

Our defense has glaring potholes. #1 being that nobody but Burns is an offensive threat. #2, our bottom pair has consisted of Hannan, Irwin and Tennyson. Irwin is actually playing better as the year goes on. But is still "Meh". Tennyson is okay for a bottom pairing guy, but it is disasterous when he is with Hannan/Irwin. It is crazy that I would rather he be paired with a 19 year old Mueller who makes rookie mistakes than one of those two.

 

 

Forwards: Offense has been inconsistent outside of the Joe and Joe connection. Having so many centers means some need to play out of position. Granted, Pavelski and Marlov can generally do it with no ill effects. Hertl on the other hand, shines when at center, but is inconsistent at wing. Stop putting Ben Smith as his center TMac. Let Hertl and Tierney play center on their respective lines and stop icing John Scott. Not sure why Couture/Marleau have been so inconsistent this season. When it comes down to an important defensive faceoff, it speaks volumes that Thornton gets iced instead.

 

 

I have seen some crazy trade proposals in the past few weeks, so i figured I would ask here lol.

 

One oilers fan suggested if the Oilers lose the lottery and draft #3 overall, they trade Taylor Hall and their 3rd overall pick for Couture, Vlasic and San jose's first round pick. Apparently, Noah Hanafin is projected to go 3rd overall and looks like he will be a very good dman.

 

I'd be lying if I said I shot the idea of trading Couture and Vlasic for Hall and Hanafin down. It would break my heart to trade Vlasic.

 

 

Overall, before trades, I would rather they fire WIlson and TMac. TMac is a very good coach. But he has lost the room. WIlson is good at talking guys into hometown discounts(And then trading or insulting them), but NEVER gets free assets on the UFA market or fills the right holes with any more than a band aid. UFA's are the only times you can add to your team without giving up assets. Of course you have to overpay. That's the sacrifice. But it is one that Wilson only uses for 4th line shrubs

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

JoeT...

 

Obviously not knowing the Sharks as well as you, I will post an answer starting backwards from how you posted.

 

First off, the team just needs to decide whether McClellan is the man that should be behind the bench. Some sort of gauge from the players must be taken, maybe some sort of extended talk with the man to see what he envisions vs what the Sharks as an organization envisions for the immediate and long term future of the team.

 

If there is any hesitation on the part of McClellan or there are things that he says that either management or players aren't too keen on, perhaps it IS time for him to go.

Things like this were recognized in New York with the Rangers, in Tampa Bay with Guy Boucher, and probably most recently with Barry Trotz in Nashville.

Its not so much an indictment of that coach being "bad", but perhaps that coach is no longer a fit for THAT team or vice versa...and since it is easier to replace ONE guy as opposed to 24, well, you know how that goes...

 

Next, the young group.

If there are any in that young group that still hold promise, if I am SJ, I DO NOT hit the panic button and start trading guys off left and right.

Obviously, not ALL young talents and prospects are gonna pan out, but once the Sharks understand what direction they want to take (and I assume any direction taken is one of win now), and whom they want to lead the group from behind the bench, then weeding out the young talents or prospects will become easier.

 

Perhaps those young talents that are still good players, but may not fit the Sharks long term, may have enough value to net San Jose some other decent prospects and or picks which SJ can then stockpile away in their juniors and AHL system to simmer.

I figure, and this is just me pulling odds out of my rear end, for every 5 or 6 'good prospects' maybe one or two actually work out in the long run for any given team, thus San Jose needs to find out which ones they like now and in about 4 years or so, and trade off the rest while their value is high, while getting decent returns on them.

 

Defense.

I agree the San Jose defense has glaring holes.

Honestly, and again you would know better than me, I have always felt that way for a few seasons now with this team.

And when I say 'defense', I mean just that. Not offensive defensemen, or hitters, or special teams specialists....Sharks have had good luck in those areas.

Talking about pure, coverage type, positionally sound defensemen.

 

I know those don't grow on trees, but San Jose needs to find ways to get those onto the team...whether its via development or trade (perhaps some of those young forwards with high value in a deal with a team who seems to have an extra actual defenseman or two), that needs to be introduced to this team.

 

If I were to take a guess, I would say your 'core four' defensemen right now are Burns, Vlasic, Mueller, and Braun probably?

Not bad...but who in that group really qualifies as a long term steady, positional shut down type D-man?

If the answer is "None", well, there is place San Jose management can start with regards to helping cover up some holes in the team.

 

I will include goaltenders as part of the defense, because, well, without goalies, it really doesn't matter how good your D is.

How confident is the organization with Alex Stalock?

Niemi is a UFA and he is making around 4 mil....would the Sharks be willing to keep him around at that rate or a higher one? Doesn't seem likely to me.

If they are confident enough in Stalock, perhaps San Jose can swing a deal of some sort (again, using some of their young forward assets) to get an under 25 yr old goaltender from someone else who may have a few in the pipeline....the Lightning and Senators are good examples of this, teams with several NHL goalies or near ready NHL ready goalies that maybe could be had for the right price.

 

If confidence is NOT high with Stalock, the Sharks my want to let Niemi walk, and set aside a little treasure trove for an established or near established UFA/RFA type who just needs the right fit in front of him.

Maybe a Michel Neuvirth, a Jacob Markstrom, Devan Dubnyk (if he doesn't re-sign with the Wild), a Viktor Fasth, Jhonas Enroth, or a Karri Ramo.

 

As for your forwards group, seems to me those guys are mostly locked in for the long haul, with Thornton, Pavelski, and Marleau leading the way once again.

Only way San Jose should subtract from that group, would be if they could fix holes on defense or in goal for the team.

Maybe identify a good solid grinder type or two and consider making an offer to a team who has an abundance of pure goal scorers who haven't quite peaked yet and make them a two fer deal and maybe throw in a pick or prospect, depending on the goal scorer.

 

My outsider's view of your San Jose Sharks anyways.

Seems to me this team has had the talent and ample opportunity to win over the last decade or so and simply hasn't due to some missing ingredient or two.

High time San Jose figured out what that is, and fix it, even if it means parting with some pieces now that they wouldn't otherwise.

If the team intends on winning with Thornton and Marleau leading the way, that needs to happen now....those guys can still play at elite levels...but for how much longer?

[J0e Th0rnton]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

 

 

Next, the young group.

If there are any in that young group that still hold promise, if I am SJ, I DO NOT hit the panic button and start trading guys off left and right.

Obviously, not ALL young talents and prospects are gonna pan out, but once the Sharks understand what direction they want to take (and I assume any direction taken is one of win now), and whom they want to lead the group from behind the bench, then weeding out the young talents or prospects will become easier.

right now, Wilson claims we are a "tomorrow" team. He won't trade prospects or picks unless we are getting youth in return. But nor will he add to the team. Most people think he is trying to get JT and Marlov to waive. Which won't happen. Not many people may have seen it, but JT's brother and agent had a pretty straightforward lashing out on twitter and have dug their heels pretty much guaranteeing Joe will not waive so long as the fans still want him there. it was pretty one sided that the fans want Joe to stay and want Wilson's head instead of vice versa, so he won't waive.

 

 

Defense.

I agree the San Jose defense has glaring holes.

Honestly, and again you would know better than me, I have always felt that way for a few seasons now with this team.

And when I say 'defense', I mean just that. Not offensive defensemen, or hitters, or special teams specialists....Sharks have had good luck in those areas.

Talking about pure, coverage type, positionally sound defensemen.

 

I know those don't grow on trees, but San Jose needs to find ways to get those onto the team...whether its via development or trade (perhaps some of those young forwards with high value in a deal with a team who seems to have an extra actual defenseman or two), that needs to be introduced to this team.

 

If I were to take a guess, I would say your 'core four' defensemen right now are Burns, Vlasic, Mueller, and Braun probably?

Not bad...but who in that group really qualifies as a long term steady, positional shut down type D-man?

If the answer is "None", well, there is place San Jose management can start with regards to helping cover up some holes in the team

Well, Vlasic is one of the consensus top puck moving defensive defensemen in the league. Braun is solid and Vlasic lite. Mueller projects to turn out somewhere between that range, but is still a rookie. Burnzie is a meh to bad defensively. Irwin and Hannan are  trainwrecks defensively. With only Niemi behind them, well,.....

 

 

I will include goaltenders as part of the defense, because, well, without goalies, it really doesn't matter how good your D is.

How confident is the organization with Alex Stalock?

Niemi is a UFA and he is making around 4 mil....would the Sharks be willing to keep him around at that rate or a higher one? Doesn't seem likely to me.

If they are confident enough in Stalock, perhaps San Jose can swing a deal of some sort (again, using some of their young forward assets) to get an under 25 yr old goaltender from someone else who may have a few in the pipeline....the Lightning and Senators are good examples of this, teams with several NHL goalies or near ready NHL ready goalies that maybe could be had for the right price.

 

If confidence is NOT high with Stalock, the Sharks my want to let Niemi walk, and set aside a little treasure trove for an established or near established UFA/RFA type who just needs the right fit in front of him.

Maybe a Michel Neuvirth, a Jacob Markstrom, Devan Dubnyk (if he doesn't re-sign with the Wild), a Viktor Fasth, Jhonas Enroth, or a Karri Ramo.

Yeah, I am hoping we see an offer sheet to Bernier or someone if that is the best UFA's out there.

 

 

As for your forwards group, seems to me those guys are mostly locked in for the long haul, with Thornton, Pavelski, and Marleau leading the way once again.

Only way San Jose should subtract from that group, would be if they could fix holes on defense or in goal for the team.

Maybe identify a good solid grinder type or two and consider making an offer to a team who has an abundance of pure goal scorers who haven't quite peaked yet and make them a two fer deal and maybe throw in a pick or prospect, depending on the goal scorer.

Yeah, Couture too lol. They definitely need another scoring winger. Prefferably a good grinding forechecker. Vrbata would have been my target last season for UFA forwards. Wilson did nothing of course(outside of John Scott and resigning Brown and Hannan), despite having 8 million in cap space. Not even a shot at Niskanen.

 

 

My outsider's view of your San Jose Sharks anyways.

Seems to me this team has had the talent and ample opportunity to win over the last decade or so and simply hasn't due to some missing ingredient or two.

High time San Jose figured out what that is, and fix it, even if it means parting with some pieces now that they wouldn't otherwise.

If the team intends on winning with Thornton and Marleau leading the way, that needs to happen now....those guys can still play at elite levels...but for how much longer?

I never was confident in our blueline and goaltening. Despite how stacked the Sharks looked, it was usually because of Joe Thornton inflating lesser players like Michalek, Setoguchi and Clowe giving the false look of stacked. Marleau, when he was a good center, did not have to worry about top defense and checking because all eyes were on Jumbo Joe.

 

Wilson always plugged in a bandaid instead of surgery to defense. The first year Thornton was there, the playoff blueline consisted of a top pair of preissing and Hannan. Then Mclaren and a straight from college Matt Carle, rookie Gorges, and AHL Davison and murray splitting time.

 

The first "big" defense plug he tried was trading Gorges(And the Pacioretty pick) for Rivet. #1 Dman Rivet? Ugh. A season later, Bernier and a 1st(Tyler Ennis) was being shipped for Brian Campbell, which looked like a good move. Campbell of course played 20 games and bolted when he realized defensive supporting cast included Semenov, Murray, Carle and an injured Mclaren. Thornton scored 96 points this season, with the next best Shark scoring 55. One man can only do so much.

 

GOD our defense sucked.

 

What is it with WIlson and Dmen first round? Even with first round drafts, he always busts. Ty Wishart and Nick Patrecki were our only 1st round Dmen in recent memory.

 

2008-09The best thing he ever did was trading for Dan Boyle. GOD I loved Boyle. Lukowich coming with him was ok too because he was miles better than Murray, Semenov, Davison. Even signing a 39 year old Blake made me cheer! 43 year old Claude Lemieux? not so much. Ehrhoff was starting to come into his own and Vlasic had become a rock.

 

Warren Strelow died this year though, and our goaltending coaching has never been the same. Toskala and Nabby looked great under Strelow. Not so much after. Hands down, best defense we ever had. Until the playoffs. Blake's age was badly exposed and poor Vlasic was encourged to play more offensively, and that is just not his strength. Boom, 1st round exit. Ron Wilson had made such questionable matchup decisions in the playoffs and the players just hated him. FIRED

 

2009-10. Word up! Bye Ehrhoff! Glad to see you suddenly have 40-50 point +30 seasons right after we extend and then trade you to make room for Hetley! A rookie Demers, and acquisitions of Kent Huskins and Nick Wallin will save the day though....WTF Doug Wilson? We had a lot of good forwards, so why not sacrifice defense to get one more? And then plug in Huskins and Wallin? Oh wait, Wallin has a cup in Carolina as a 7th Dman, Huskins a SC as a 7th Dman. That must be the key! other teams spare parts. Rookie Derek Joslin may pan out too!

 

And on and on. Can't forget later saviours like Vandermeer and Colin White. Oh, and Ian White. If you go get a slam dunk acquisition like Burnsie, you don't pair him with Vandermeer and White dude....

 

But hold the phone! Hannan and Stuart want to come back? After all these years? Hooray! 10 years ago maybe.....Now they are dinosaurs.

 

 

Edit: The worst part is, Edmonton offered Pronger for Carle, Michalek and a 1st and Wilson said NO.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

One big thing I did leave out, maybe because I thought it was understood, was that yes, the Sharks DEFINITELY need to stop with the big, lumbering, yesteryear type players.

 

In theory, having big bulky guys like Scott, Hannan, etc makes sense...you know, have an intimidating presence for other teams to have to deal with.

Problem is, the league has evolved in such a way that, outside of a straight up fight, a guy like John Scott serves LITERALLY no purpose...and what is the use of big defensmen like Hannan if they are basically pylons to even the mid ranged skilled forwards that are found in the league today?

 

And if the forwards are like Tarasenko, Getzlaf, or Ovechkin....guys who can skate but ALSO big themselves, then that the size of a pylon-like player becomes an even bigger albatross.

Say hello to Mr. Hal Gill.

 

So yea, Sharks need to get with the times and not have guys on the team solely because they are "big".

The times the team will really need a guy like John Scott are outnumbered many times over by the times they could use a good hockey-first guy....even if that hockey first guy is 6'0 190 compared to Scott's 6'8 250

[Podein25]

When faced with the question, "What to do?," you can do worse than take the advice of whichever Flyer fan and Forum member said it first: FIRE ALL THINGS!

[yave1964]

Wilson: Fired. Gone.

McClellan: Fired. Good coach but new blood is needed.

Niemi: not a chance in Hell of him returning.

On to players: Marleau cannot be traded. Too late, he has slipped and slipped badly. Even if he waived his NMC the Sharks could only deal him if they ate salary.

Essentially one Joe has gotta go.

The two best players on the team, Thornton and Pavelski both play the same position. One could be dealt to fill multiple holes. 3 defenseman, four or five forwards and a gaping hole in net, a bunch of prospects that are playing in the NHL because the team needs bodies. It is dark in San Jose.

Nieto, Goodrow, Karlsson, Hayes, Tierney, all are likely lower end second liners or good solid second liners so with a little luck and holding onto what they have and better goaltending they could be a 6-8 seat next year. Is that enough?

Marleau, Big Joe, Little Joe, Wingels, Hertl and Couture make a very solid top six, the kids can make the forwards a strength, Burns, Vlasic, Braun and Dillon are nowhere near enough on the back end. And the untested Grosenick and Stalock could be a disaster.

Trading one of the big boys for a top pair defenseman and maybe a goalie or a top six forward makes the team better.

I do not believe the team as presently constituted can win a cup, that ship has sailed. Tough decisions must be made. They still have talent but trading a Joe likely gives them the best chance to get back on top, but only the right trade. I wouldn't let Wilson be the one though. Whoever becomes the next GM should use the opportunity to make a signature move to start the retooling process.

[J0e Th0rnton]

An in Depth look at each Sharks player and the Sharks cap room.

 

Thornton 6.75 million

Marleau 6.66 million

Pavelski 6 Million

Couture 6 Million

Wingels 2.5 million

Torres 2 million (LTIR)

Ben Smith 1.5 Million

Brown 1.2 Million(Why DW, Why?)

Karlsson RFA (Resign him. Playing over his head, but damn nice find. Making the minimum now, but give him John Scott's Salary on top of what he makes now +. Around 2 million seems fair)

Nieto ELC

John Scott 700k (Why Wilson? Why? let him walk)

Tierney ELC

Hertl ELC

Goodrow ELC

Burish (Buried in minors)

Tarasov RFA (Maybe a two way AHL contract)

 

Defense

Burns 5.57 million

Vlasic 4.25 Million

Braun 3.8 Million

Mueller ELC

Irwin UFA (Ugh. been playing decent down the stretch, but let him walk)

Hannan UFA (Gift Basket off to the sunset with you)

Dillon RFA (resign him. Not great, but not bad either. given his performance, I don't expect him to make more than 2.5-3 million)

Tennyson ELC

 

Goalies

Niemi (BYE. 3 years too late)

Stalock 1.6 million. but you are a backup.

 

Depending on the TMac blender of the day, Our lines look something like:

 

Karlsson/Thornton/Pavelski

Marleau/Couture/Wingels

Hertl/Tierney/Nieto

?????/Smith/?????

 

Vlasic/Braun

Dillon/Burns

Mueller/??????

 

??????

Stalock

 

We have some holes to fill. Most important is Goalie. Offer Dubnyk 6x6 if he does not immediately resign for the Wild or get the 3rd round pick back and offer sheet someone. ANYONE. Bernier Maybe? Or try to steal a Chicago backup as both impressed me in games I saw in ways Niemi never did with them(We did do Chicago a cap favor taking Ben Smith for some reason that made no sense). I was one of the only pro Dubnyk people around when he went to the Wild, and told people he was better than his old record showed. Now he is showing what he can do.

 

Vlasic/Braun is a nice idea. Really. but putting your top two defensive Dmen together gets your bottom D exposed in away games when people realize "hmmmm, I can put Crosby out since Irwin/Hannan are on the ice...." Fortunately, we should have no Irwin/Hannan next season. Unfortunately, we need to fill a spot and Tennyson was not the guy to do it.

 

I don't have Capgeek, but I can do some math. Counting Demers 1.115 million we ate in the trade, as well as all other factors(guys buried in minors, guys no longer here like Kennedy and Sheppard and guys who are walking UFA like Niemi, Irwin, Hannan), the Sharks have something to the tune of 15-16 million in cap room. After resigning Karlsson/Dillon, probably 11-12 million.

 

Plattner seemed to give Wilson the go ahead to do his partial rebuild, and Wilson even suggested before the season we would miss the playoffs, so despite my grandest wishes, Wilson likely does not get fired.

 

TMac is another story. He is a terrific coach. But by this point, he is like the boss that is your old buddy. Nobody listens or buys in to him, nor does he bench or discipline them if they don't. He continually uses his line blender and does not let chemistry take hold. Makes perplexing line Matchup choices and did things like sitting Stalock even though he got a shutout the previous game(Who does that? A Shutout = give him another start)

 

Should he be fired? Yes at this point. No idea who we would replace him with. I wanted Laviolette last year, but that ship has sailed.

 

But with this ABUNDANT cap space, which Wilson said he planned to use this summer to season ticket holders, he better have a plan in place.

 

First and Foremost a goalie. Dubnyk is the only UFA goalie worth a damn. Otherwise it is offer sheet/Trade route. Defense is also thin.

 

The Sharks primary need is to balance their pairings. We have 1 offensive Dman. Burns. Also, we cannot afford a trainwreck bottom pair again. We got away with Boyle/Hannan as bottom pair last season by sheltering their icetime. Vlasic was able to cover for Demers and Braun was able to cover for Stuart. Vlasic going down was a death knell as Demers was exposed and Boyle/hannan had to log more minutes. this season, it was basically "Whenever Hannan and Irwin are on the ice, we are buggered. A 19 year old rookie Mueller making rookie mistakes quite a bit paired with Burns STILL looked better than either of them.

 

One name stands out. Mike Green. His best days are behind him yes. But he is still a very serviceable offensive Dman looking at topping 40 points on the Caps 3rd pairing this season. because Holtby is also RFA and due for a raise, Caps fans have come to terms with not being able to keep him. With Green, the Sharks could balance their pairings a bit. Vlasic can cover for anybody. Even wild man Burns. Braun managed to make Stuart look decent enough to get a 2nd round pick. All Shark fans rejoiced at his departure, while Colorado hated him within a month lol.

 

TMac likes to play defense almost 20 minutes a game each. At most, 21-22 for Vlasic/Burns. The pairings each see nearly 20 minutes of icetime a game at the start of the year. Which sucks with Irwin/Hannan, but granted, even TMac started cutting their icetime because of how bad they were.

 

Pairings of

Dillon/Burns

Vlasic/Green

Mueller/Braun

 

Mueller looked better recently and will be bigger and better next season.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Wilson: Fired. Gone.

McClellan: Fired. Good coach but new blood is needed.

Niemi: not a chance in Hell of him returning.

On to players: Marleau cannot be traded. Too late, he has slipped and slipped badly. Even if he waived his NMC the Sharks could only deal him if they ate salary.

Essentially one Joe has gotta go.

The two best players on the team, Thornton and Pavelski both play the same position. One could be dealt to fill multiple holes. 3 defenseman, four or five forwards and a gaping hole in net, a bunch of prospects that are playing in the NHL because the team needs bodies. It is dark in San Jose.

Nieto, Goodrow, Karlsson, Hayes, Tierney, all are likely lower end second liners or good solid second liners so with a little luck and holding onto what they have and better goaltending they could be a 6-8 seat next year. Is that enough?

Marleau, Big Joe, Little Joe, Wingels, Hertl and Couture make a very solid top six, the kids can make the forwards a strength, Burns, Vlasic, Braun and Dillon are nowhere near enough on the back end. And the untested Grosenick and Stalock could be a disaster.

Trading one of the big boys for a top pair defenseman and maybe a goalie or a top six forward makes the team better.

I do not believe the team as presently constituted can win a cup, that ship has sailed. Tough decisions must be made. They still have talent but trading a Joe likely gives them the best chance to get back on top, but only the right trade. I wouldn't let Wilson be the one though. Whoever becomes the next GM should use the opportunity to make a signature move to start the retooling process.

Not really. Pavelski has been a Superstar winger the past 2 years playing with Jumbo

 

Quite honestly, with their age, Neither Joe would bring back a top pairing Dman. Couture is likely the only piece who can do that. And I would do it. Hertl looks better at center than at Wing anyways and Tierney has been solid.

 

Couture is also the only one whose no trade clause has not kicked in yet. And quite honestly, he has been streaky and not himself lately. Maybe trading and demoting his two best buddies on the team(Burish/Demers) had something to do with it. but Couture also strikes me as a bit of a beta and was disappointed when he did not get a letter. Both Joe's come off as Alpha's and both Joe's have been the only effective line this season until recently, as Tierney/Hertl have started to click.

 

Mind you, I don't want to lose him either. I like Coots.

 

I am hoping to give Goldobin a shot next season. Dynamic offensive abilities, a bit lacking defensively. But Thornton/Pavelski/Couture/Marleau can generally cover for anyone. Thornton is an unheralded backchecker and defensive faceoff specialist.