yave1964 Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 2016-17 A QUICK LOOK BACK: After a season where every single thing went right, a trade for a young goalie in Jones, a deep playoff run that nearly ended with the organizations first Stanley Cup, the Sharks hit the season determined to build upon it and Mikael Boedker was brought in to shore up the middle six. Logan Couture coming off an injury plagued season was hoped to return healthy. The season was a bit of a mixed bag, they went 46-29-7 for 99 points a very solid season. Brent Burns was the leagues MVP thru the first half but faded a bit down the stretch. Boedker was a near disaster early but started finding his way as the season went on. Pavelski was his usual brilliant self. Jumbo Joe Thornton scored a career low 7 goals but was still a near elite setup man. Marleau bounced back with 27 goals. Martin Jones was very good, not great but very good but faded a bit in the second half. As for what went wrong, defenseman Martin, Braun, Schlemko and Dillon played nearly every night and contributed zilch on offense, a measly 12 goals between the four of them putting too much pressure on Burns. Joel Ward had a bad year. As for the kids, Karlsson, Tierney, Labanc, Meier, Donskoi and Sorensen none were particularly bad per se but none stood out or were particularly interesting. Several may be good down the road but all were simply meh last season. Wingels seems to be a shadow of himself and was dealt away, Hertl could not stay healthy. They lost in the first round to the young energetic Edmonton Oilers in seven spirited games. So far this offseason they have lost Schlemko to the Knights and traded young Mirco Mueller a big puck mover to the Devils to avoid losing him for nothing. FREE AGENTS JUMBO JOE and MARLEAU The two long time faces of the franchise are both free agents and the Sharks have decisions to make both financially and PR wise. Thornton slipped this past season whereas Marleau bounced back at least scoring wise with 27 goals. MICHAEL HALEY, has somehow turned little skill into a career. OFFSEASON QUESTIONS: 1) WHAT TO DO ABOUT MARLEAU AND THORNTON? Both would like to come back, both clearly have something left in the tank. It is a matter of whether the Sharks can afford it with a huge UFA class staring at them next season and if they think the kiddie crew could replace the two iconic vets production at a cheap price. That is the clinical dollars and cents part, the other and bigger part is what happens to the Sharks if they tell either or both to find somewhere else to play how much animosity it would create among the fan base. The feud between GM Wilson and the two vets has went from simmer to boil to simmer over the years. Tough decisions ahead for all. 2) MARTIN JONES AND VLASIC ARE BOTH FREE AGENTS NEXT YEAR. HOW MUCH DO THEY COMMAND AND DO YOU RESIGN BOTH? Both were huge in the SCF run, both were very good this past season and both are entering the final year of bargain contracts. The term of new deals for Joe and Marleau likely will affect the ability to resign these two. 3) IS THE WINDOW CLOSED? On the plus side Jones, Burns and Pavelski make a very nice trio who are all elite or nearly so. That said there are a ton of question marks. The kids are alright but none have shown signs of stepping into key roles, the two grizzled key vets are either leaving or nearly ready to, The advantage that they have is the West is entering a bit of a down turn (save for the Oilers and maybe the Ducks) with long time rugged contenders Chicago, St. Louis and the Kings looking more and more as if their particular window is either closed or nearly so. I personally do not believe the window is quite closed but it is nearly so. If Joe ends up centering the Leafs third line and Marleau returns on a three year deal and they lose either Vlasic or Jones next offseason then yes, the window may be closed for awhile. 4) CAN THEY FIND SOME OFFENSE FROM THE BACK END ANYWHERE ELSE? Vlasic the year before was a breath of fresh air but this year he returned to his usual great defense mediocre offense ways and the other four simply played defense and brought nothing more to the table. The kid with some offensive upside in Mueller is gone, Tim Heed a late blooming Euro is more shadow than substance. If they are to find someone to take the pressure off of Burns they will need to go outside of the organization. As a whole, Burns outscored the rest of his blue line counterparts 29-20 all by himself. The hope is that with Schlemko gone that Dylan Demelo steps into a scoring role on the back end. I just do not see it. An organization with more question marks than most, a quality and class team must make decisions on the two most popular players in team history with a look towards next season when two fo their most important pieces are staring down huge raises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Someone is getting paid!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said: Someone is getting paid!!!!!! I love Vlasic and stand by him being the single best defensive defenseman in the league, with great puck moving skills in the transition game. If he applies it, he also has good offense. That said, I still barfed at the amount per year. 7 million a year. For 8 years. And he is 30. He is now the highest paid defensive defenseman of all time. I am trying to figure out why he is getting this amount and nothing comes to mind. If you told me 6 million a year I would have said its steep for a defensive defenseman, but Vlasic is the best so he is worth it. Is Wilson trying to Effff over other teams with very strong defensive defensemen a few years down the road as they use this contract as a comparable? Is he thinking "Well, they are paying McDavid 13.25 million and Draisaitl X million a year. This way they will lose Larsson?" Is it a reward for all those hometown discounts Vlasic took for years? I just don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Share Posted July 1, 2017 @J0e Th0rnton Agreed on the term for Vlasic but at least it is over. There will be no distraction all season. Jones a very solid contract/signing. Thornton one year contract. Marleau the only piece still out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyClarkeFan16 Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Vlasic is the rock of the San Jose defense. I get that Burns will get all the publicity because of the numbers he puts up, but it's Vlasic that holds everything together. What baffles me is that he isn't used in an offensive role. His rookie year, he really showed he had some offensive chops and instead, he's been thrust into a shutdown role where he's remained ever since. Baffles me that that kind of skill is wasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 1 minute ago, yave1964 said: @J0e Th0rnton Agreed on the term for Vlasic but at least it is over. There will be no distraction all season. Jones a very solid contract/signing. Thornton one year contract. Marleau the only piece still out there. Yeah is aw it the moment it broke. I was biting my nails on jumbo. Marlov I am not attached to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Just now, BobbyClarkeFan16 said: Vlasic is the rock of the San Jose defense. I get that Burns will get all the publicity because of the numbers he puts up, but it's Vlasic that holds everything together. What baffles me is that he isn't used in an offensive role. His rookie year, he really showed he had some offensive chops and instead, he's been thrust into a shutdown role where he's remained ever since. Baffles me that that kind of skill is wasted. Not true. He has been given offensive freedom a few seasons. but he tends to regress to his defensive tendencies despite showing flair offensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Big Joe gets a 1 year 8M deal to stay with the Sharks, it also has a NMC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I'm kinda surprised Marleau didn't take this deal with the Sharks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 49 minutes ago, hf101 said: I'm kinda surprised Marleau didn't take this deal with the Sharks. I hear ya, HF...but if I can play Devil's advocate...errr, excuse me, Maple Leaf advocate: --- San Jose, team and city that pretty much gave him the keys to the city and where he is iconic... 5M per year, 2 yrs. --- Toronto, young exciting and CANADIAN team who may win sooner than people think (or not)... 6.25M per year, 3 yrs. Marleau is Canadian. From Saskatchewan, mind you, but Canadian nonetheless. And like it or not, there is something to these Canadian boys and being able to play for teams like the Habs and Leafs. Add to that Toronto is paying him 1.25M more per year and threw in an extra year, well, we are talking about an aging Marleau playing with a bunch of high profile youngsters...and getting 8.75M MORE to do so. You can kinda see why he went the way he did. Not that he would be in the 'poor house' playing for a "measly" 5M per year, but the Leafs simply offered him a heck of a lot more to go play for, and please, try to hold back your nausea, "Canada's Team". How many 37 yr old NHL players at the tail end of their useful spans can say they have an offer like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 16 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: I hear ya, HF...but if I can play Devil's advocate...errr, excuse me, Maple Leaf advocate: --- San Jose, team and city that pretty much gave him the keys to the city and where he is iconic... 5M per year, 2 yrs. --- Toronto, young exciting and CANADIAN team who may win sooner than people think (or not)... 6.25M per year, 3 yrs. Marleau is Canadian. From Saskatchewan, mind you, but Canadian nonetheless. And like it or not, there is something to these Canadian boys and being able to play for teams like the Habs and Leafs. Add to that Toronto is paying him 1.25M more per year and threw in an extra year, well, we are talking about an aging Marleau playing with a bunch of high profile youngsters...and getting 8.75M MORE to do so. You can kinda see why he went the way he did. Not that he would be in the 'poor house' playing for a "measly" 5M per year, but the Leafs simply offered him a heck of a lot more to go play for, and please, try to hold back your nausea, "Canada's Team". How many 37 yr old NHL players at the tail end of their useful spans can say they have an offer like that? I agree with most of that and yeah Tronno has some nice pieces in place but no way are they closer than the Sharks who are one year removed from the Cup run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 16 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: Marleau is Canadian. From Saskatchewan, mind you, but Canadian nonetheless. I figure there's a joke in there somewhere, but not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 9 minutes ago, Podein25 said: I figure there's a joke in there somewhere, but not sure. LOL....no, there isn't. Though after I posted that yesterday I can see how that might be viewed as such. My only point there was to say that Marleau isn't the usual Ontario boy who wants to play for the Leafs, but rather a Western Canadian, who geographically would be closer to places like Cgy, Edm, Wpg, or Van...but who would STILL love to be a part of the Leafs who seem to have the highest profile of the Canadian franchises. Relax. There was NO slight intended to Saskatchewan boys... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 1 minute ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: LOL....no, there isn't. Though after I posted that yesterday I can see how that might be viewed as such. My only point there was to say that Marleau isn't the usual Ontario boy who wants to play for the Leafs, but rather a Western Canadian, who geographically would be closer to places like Cgy, Edm, Wpg, or Van...but who would STILL love to be a part of the Leafs who seem to have the highest profile of the Canadian franchises. Relax. There was NO slight intended to Saskatchewan boys... No worries. I think he went where the $$$ was though, as simple as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 7 minutes ago, Podein25 said: No worries. I think he went where the $$$ was though, as simple as that. Ok, cool. I mean, because I am sure I could always come up with a sheep joke or two if it would make things better.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Podein25 said: No worries. I think he went where the $$$ was though, as simple as that. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/03/purdy-the-sharks-best-partnership-ever-breaks-up-and-well-see-who-regrets-it/ Thornton ever the team player offered to take much less than the 8 million he got if Wilson augmented Marleau's deal. Marleau still walked. Not surprising. Jumbo was signing contracts for 7 million dollars hot off a Hart trophy and outscoring his teammates 96 to 55 being next closest while UFA's like Gomez and Drury got 6.5-7million dollars. This is when he could have been making close to Crosby/Ovechkin money on the open market. Meanwhile Marleau scored 48 points in 2007-08 and was awarded with a 6.3 million dollar contract. Jumbo has forever been way better a player making just barely more than Patty because he was willing to take those hometown discounts while Patty was not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 2 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: Ok, cool. I mean, because I am sure I could always come up with a sheep joke or two if it would make things better.... I'm deadly serious about sheep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 On 7/3/2017 at 5:22 PM, J0e Th0rnton said: Jumbo has forever been way better a player making just barely more than Patty because he was willing to take those hometown discounts while Patty was not really. Class act.... I wish him luck.... ....except against the Flyers and Sharks!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 On 7/3/2017 at 5:22 PM, J0e Th0rnton said: Jumbo has forever been way better a player making just barely more than Patty because he was willing to take those hometown discounts while Patty was not really. So WTF is going on in San Jose??? They are sitting 3rd from the bottom right now. Patty is playing well in Tronno....5 points in 5 games so far??? Jones 881 save percentage looks ugly to go with a 3.92 gaa.....what gives?? Tanking already??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said: So WTF is going on in San Jose??? They are sitting 3rd from the bottom right now. Patty is playing well in Tronno....5 points in 5 games so far??? Jones 881 save percentage looks ugly to go with a 3.92 gaa.....what gives?? Tanking already??? 4 games in. Not hitting the panic button yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 1 hour ago, J0e Th0rnton said: 4 games in. Not hitting the panic button yet Certainly no time to panic. So what is going on i've only watched the Flyer game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 4 hours ago, OccamsRazor said: So WTF is going on in San Jose??? They are sitting 3rd from the bottom right now. Patty is playing well in Tronno....5 points in 5 games so far??? Jones 881 save percentage looks ugly to go with a 3.92 gaa.....what gives?? Tanking already??? I drafted Jones. End of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 I really like the kid line of Tierney, Timo Meier and Labanc, they push the puck and have that youthful enthusiasm that a team needs from a middle six group. The problem as I see it is Little Joe needs to carry the load more with Marleau gone and I am not sayin the pressure has gotten to him but he seems to be pressing. He will come around. I think the move they made that might just bite them in the tail is Mueller being donated to the Devils, I heard a few people say he blew it in his chances on the Sharks back end but he only got a few games and IMHO he will be an NHL steady middle pair defender for the next five to ten years. Anyway, patience, they will get it together and @AJgoal I offered you a deal with Gibson in it for Jones, I have Jones in Nahana and like to have the same players in both leagues whenever possible.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I don't trade this early in the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FD19372 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 6 minutes ago, AJgoal said: I don't trade this early in the season. When do you start trading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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