The Sharks finnay got a good break with this. Manny Malhotra sign a one year contract worth 700k (Per David Pollack). Stellar deal for someone demanding upwards of $1.5 million in June. This signing really solidifies the third line. McGinn - Malhotra - Mitchell will probably be the new 3rd line and that is a speedy line just begging to give the opposing team fits when they are on the offense. He's just an outstanding third line pker and scores on a decent pace for a 3rd liner. The kind of player you almost want to see in the top 6, but know he is just a slight cut below that. The Sharks really are looking to go bust at the end of this season if they don't make it all the way.
This line-up is getting exciting to watch, just wait until the regular season. Drop the puck already!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Heatley in SJ
Well, after months of almost, it's finally happened. Heatley is in SJ.
Sharks acquire Heatley and a fifth round pick from the Senators in exchange for Cheechoo, Michalek, and a 2nd round pick
This trade was no shock, but still is it the best option for the Sharks? It's difficult to complain about a two time fifty goal scorer, there is no question about that. Heatley's biggest enemy is the 7.5 million dollar price tag that last for five more seasons. That's what makes him scary.
What if the Sharks don't make a good splash in the playoff pool this season? They are all but stuck with Heatley even if they want to rebuild. That is the most pressing issue in the back of my mind. The second issue is the idea they gave up a stellar 2-way player to gain a 1-way player. Sure Heatley can score like no one would believe, but he sure can't back check like that. How will that effect the team? Will they be okay with one more one dimensional player on the team? Are they too top heavy now? Will this be the right formula to push them over the edge or is it just one more step into the black abyss?
Enough questions though, Heatley is a outstanding goal scorer with 180 goals since the lockout. He also has the credit as being a ppg player for Ottawa during the deep '07 Stanley Cup run in which they made the finals. That is important to note, as the Sharks need someone who will turn it on in the playoffs. His scoring ability paired with a stellar center in Thornton is good news. He could very well go on a 60 goal pace and Thornton could go on a 90 assist pace. Not a sure thing, but it's a real possibility.
Finally, it give San Jose one of the best, if not the best, powerplay unit in the league. With Boyle and Blake paired behind Marleau-Thornton-Heatley it looks like hell on ice for the opposing teams penalty killers. That is a line-up I'd expect to see during the Olympic games, not in the NHL.
My opinion is this is a good trade, at the end of the day. The Sharks gain a needed goal scorer and not at the cost of the outstanding two-way play of Patrick Marleau. Yes, losing Michlek and Ehrhoff will hurt (Ehrhoff is important to not as he was a chip in clearing up the salary space for Heatley), but gaining a weapon that will scare the living Hershey squirts out of the opposition is always a good addition.
Sharks acquire Heatley and a fifth round pick from the Senators in exchange for Cheechoo, Michalek, and a 2nd round pick
This trade was no shock, but still is it the best option for the Sharks? It's difficult to complain about a two time fifty goal scorer, there is no question about that. Heatley's biggest enemy is the 7.5 million dollar price tag that last for five more seasons. That's what makes him scary.
What if the Sharks don't make a good splash in the playoff pool this season? They are all but stuck with Heatley even if they want to rebuild. That is the most pressing issue in the back of my mind. The second issue is the idea they gave up a stellar 2-way player to gain a 1-way player. Sure Heatley can score like no one would believe, but he sure can't back check like that. How will that effect the team? Will they be okay with one more one dimensional player on the team? Are they too top heavy now? Will this be the right formula to push them over the edge or is it just one more step into the black abyss?
Enough questions though, Heatley is a outstanding goal scorer with 180 goals since the lockout. He also has the credit as being a ppg player for Ottawa during the deep '07 Stanley Cup run in which they made the finals. That is important to note, as the Sharks need someone who will turn it on in the playoffs. His scoring ability paired with a stellar center in Thornton is good news. He could very well go on a 60 goal pace and Thornton could go on a 90 assist pace. Not a sure thing, but it's a real possibility.
Finally, it give San Jose one of the best, if not the best, powerplay unit in the league. With Boyle and Blake paired behind Marleau-Thornton-Heatley it looks like hell on ice for the opposing teams penalty killers. That is a line-up I'd expect to see during the Olympic games, not in the NHL.
My opinion is this is a good trade, at the end of the day. The Sharks gain a needed goal scorer and not at the cost of the outstanding two-way play of Patrick Marleau. Yes, losing Michlek and Ehrhoff will hurt (Ehrhoff is important to not as he was a chip in clearing up the salary space for Heatley), but gaining a weapon that will scare the living Hershey squirts out of the opposition is always a good addition.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Dear Me, There Goes Our Defense.
San Jose sends Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to Vancouver for Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi
Didn't see this salary dump coming, maybe because you shouldn't salary dump a second pairing defenseman! Good gosh, the Sharks have Cheechoo eating up three million on the third line but decide they should trade Ehrhoff instead. They could have walked away from Kent Huskins, no questions asked, but instead reward him with a %*)@% 1.7 million dollar contract this season and trade off Lukowich. What is going on here, a precursor to getting Heatley? That only scares me more. No matter what happens now, the Sharks are getting screwed. I liked most of the changes this team has made so far, then Wilson had to go and screw this up. No even a draft pick for Ehrhoff, he had to get a injury bitten defenseman and a worthless center instead. At least get a prospect that could make a impact in the NHL.
Vancouver got a good deal, even if they are 2 million over the cap as of now. Their defense was really shored up with Ehrhoff and the newly sign Schneider. They look to be a team that wants out of the second round of the playoffs. To bad they Sharks aren't following suit.
Seriously what's going on here? No matter how you slice it, Doug Wilson made a stupid move right now in getting rid of these guys. Sure Joslin was ready for the NHL and Moore is close too. So trade Lukowich and let Huskins go, give them opportunity to fight for the last defensive spot on the roster. Don't let the 1.7 million dollar man become a top 4 defenseman by default.
Didn't see this salary dump coming, maybe because you shouldn't salary dump a second pairing defenseman! Good gosh, the Sharks have Cheechoo eating up three million on the third line but decide they should trade Ehrhoff instead. They could have walked away from Kent Huskins, no questions asked, but instead reward him with a %*)@% 1.7 million dollar contract this season and trade off Lukowich. What is going on here, a precursor to getting Heatley? That only scares me more. No matter what happens now, the Sharks are getting screwed. I liked most of the changes this team has made so far, then Wilson had to go and screw this up. No even a draft pick for Ehrhoff, he had to get a injury bitten defenseman and a worthless center instead. At least get a prospect that could make a impact in the NHL.
Vancouver got a good deal, even if they are 2 million over the cap as of now. Their defense was really shored up with Ehrhoff and the newly sign Schneider. They look to be a team that wants out of the second round of the playoffs. To bad they Sharks aren't following suit.
Seriously what's going on here? No matter how you slice it, Doug Wilson made a stupid move right now in getting rid of these guys. Sure Joslin was ready for the NHL and Moore is close too. So trade Lukowich and let Huskins go, give them opportunity to fight for the last defensive spot on the roster. Don't let the 1.7 million dollar man become a top 4 defenseman by default.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A Nation Without A Leader
It's everywhere, Marleau has lost his captain status! Oh my, he's gonna get traded for sure now! Don't take my word for it, look at what everyone else seems to think: TSN's article with a bunch of over reactive comments.
Never mind the fact he has not been approached about waiving his NTC and said he was willing to give up his captaincy if it was in the best interest of the team. No, that means nothing, what means something is the pitiful speculation from hockeybuzz and senschirp that's claiming he's been approached and asked to move it. Weak speculation sites claiming he is heading to Ottawa or Montreal have more truth in them then Marleau himself, the same websites that have given a 24 hour ultimatum for a Heatley trades several times and have said Dan Boyle was offered in a package for the same person. Those sites are all so much more reliable then Patrick Marleau coming out and personally saying he has not been asked to waive it.
Enough of that, I am most interested in who'll be the next captain. Going back to the State of the Sharks I'd have to feel like Thornton is the leading candidate, but going to the playoffs I'd think Boyle would be the leading candidate. I'm excited to see what's going to unfold now.
Never mind the fact he has not been approached about waiving his NTC and said he was willing to give up his captaincy if it was in the best interest of the team. No, that means nothing, what means something is the pitiful speculation from hockeybuzz and senschirp that's claiming he's been approached and asked to move it. Weak speculation sites claiming he is heading to Ottawa or Montreal have more truth in them then Marleau himself, the same websites that have given a 24 hour ultimatum for a Heatley trades several times and have said Dan Boyle was offered in a package for the same person. Those sites are all so much more reliable then Patrick Marleau coming out and personally saying he has not been asked to waive it.
Enough of that, I am most interested in who'll be the next captain. Going back to the State of the Sharks I'd have to feel like Thornton is the leading candidate, but going to the playoffs I'd think Boyle would be the leading candidate. I'm excited to see what's going to unfold now.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
5 Moves I Wouldn't Make, and 5 Moves I Would Make To Improve The Sharks
The 10 Moves I Would Make to Fix the Sharks - Ryan Garner
I'm not sure in what way Garner is trying to fix the Sharks, fix them so they will be top 10 eligible for the upcoming draft?Well, this was so pitiful I felt the desire to write up my own thoughts and critique this guy's while I'm at it. So without further adu, five moves I wouldn't make:
1. Trade Joe Thornton (Or Patrick Marleau or Milan Michalek) to the Ottawa Senators for Dany Heatley
Rumor has it the Sharks offered Cheechoo and Ehrhoff for Heatley and Ottawa turned it down, gosh darn it! Well, I wouldn't offer much more in a package for Danny boy aside from tossing in a few draft picks. I'm not surprised Ottawa has turned that down as it really looks like Ehrhoff and some miscellaneous fodder for Danny "I can score 50 goals when I feel like it" Heatley. Now, I'm not knocking Heatley, he's an outstanding goal scorer, but trading some of our top talent for him seems more like a lateral move then an improvement. Besides if Ottawa is desperate to move Heatley like so many claim and Heatley is having dreams of sun burns and teal sweaters dancing in his head like so many claim, why should they Sharks offer Murray a equal quality package for what Murray thinks he is worth?
First with Thornton. The whole point to getting Heatley is to play him with an elite playmaker, he has one in Ottawa now and he has had his best years in Ottawa. Logic would conclude that he is at his peak when he has someone to pass him the biscuit. Beside, why would Ottawa want Thornton? Do they want to watch a powerplay lineup that passes the puck for 2 minutes and doesn't shoot? That team doesn't have a strong need for one more playmaking center.
Second Marleau and Michalek. In respect to Marleau what you'd gain on offense with Heatley you'd lose on defense from the absence of Marleau. The Sharks are better off with a stronger defense forward then offensive forward in this respect. Then Michalek is in a similar boat, he's good defensively, and still (roughly) a 60 point player while still in his youth. If Michalek goes in a package I'd want to see another body that can play 3rd line or better minutes coming back for him. I am not trying to overrate Milan in any way, but just emphasizing that Heatley has defensive issues and it would not be wise to trade solid defensive top 6 forwards for him without getting good defensive forwards back.
2. Trade Patrick Marleau to the Montreal Canadiens for Jaroslav Halak and Tomas Plekanec (even if Montreal includes the traditional second rounder)
Take what I outlined for Marleau in the previous paragraph and apply it here. What advantage do the Sharks have to trade a 1st line LW/C for a second line, on a good night, center and a sometimes great goaltender? Is the hope that Halak turns out to be much more then he's shown so far? Is Plekanec a future star center? While Halak does intrigue me as a potential number one I do not think the Sharks should trade for him to back-up Nabokov. Greiss needs his chance and this should be the 23 year old's chance to make it or break it in 09/10.
3. Trade Marc-Edouard Vlasic to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Sharp
Sure, I like Sharp, don't we all? At the Price tag of Vlasic though, nah. I just didn't know that a 22 year old defenseman with three years of playoff experience (and the first one being a killer good one) qualifies as a playoff underachiever. I thought defensemen didn't round out their games until they've lost their baby fat.
4. Put Kent Huskins on the trading block
So we sign a soon to be UFA to a stupid contract (I'll give that one) just so we can trade him before the ink dries on the contract? What kind of dog and pony show is Doug Wilson running here?
5. Sign Dominic Moore for $1.5-$2.5 million
So the Sharks (hopefully) lose a 3rd liner they are paying $3 million, only to gain a third liner getting 2.5 million? Is cap space meaningless to another GM beside Glen Slather?
So with that out of the way, here are the five trades I'd make to improver the Sharks:
1. Trade Jonathan Cheechoo to the New York Islanders for Richard Park and a 3rd round selection in 2009 (condition 2nd if Cheechoo surpasses 30 goals)
The Sharks get a good penalty killer and 3rd line winger and a draft pick for Cheechoo. I like Cheechoo and think he is worth much more then that, but it would fit the best within the Sharks salary constraints as they'd be shedding $3 million and only gaining $0.8 million in return. additionally I'd have to think the age difference (Park - 33 and Cheechoo 29) would have to be in consideration with New York as the are obviously looking to get younger and Cheechoo would help that a bit.
2. Trade Jody Shelley to the Buffalo Sabres for a 4th round pick (or 5th) and then offer Roenick a 1 year $725,000 deal
The big thing here is to get a big, bulky body off the team as Nichol and Staubitz are tough enough to anchor down the 4th line. In return the Sharks offer Roenick the money Shelley make while he was on the roster. If he does decide to retire leave the spot open for Ortmeyer to win it.
3. Trade Brad Lukowich to the Florida Panthers for Brett McLean, then trade McLean and a 5th round draft pick to the New Jersey Devils for David Clarkson.
Unsure how realistic this is as a three team trade, but I believe Clarkson would be one of the players that would fit perfectly in all situations on the Sharks, and with a $800,000 price tag he's not too expensive.
4. Resign Torrey Mitchell for $1 million and Thomas Greiss for $700,000
Both of these players need to be signed to good contracts. Preferably a multi-year for Mitchell and a 1-year for Greiss.
Remove the captains "c" from Marleau and give it to Dan Boyle
Marleau would be better and more free (I believe) without the "C" as a weight on his shoulder. Boyle has shown his passion and drive without a letter on his jersey, give him one and see if he passes it on to his teammates.
After this, the line-up would look roughly like this:
Marleau - Thornton - Setoguchi
Michalek - Pavelski - Clowe
Clarkson - Mitchell - Park
Staubitz - Nichol - Roenick/Ortmeyer
Boyle - Huskins
Blake - Vlasic
Ehrhoff - Murray
Nabokov
Greiss
Roughly: 54.8M/56.8M
$2-2.3 million in wiggle room for San Jose. Not a bad deal in case of call-ups, training camp surprises, or injuries. While this keeps the majority of the team in tact it does change it up a bit as three or four new faces are in the locker room and the team adds some toughness and a bit of fire on the bottom lines. This line-up is every bit a deadly during the regular season and more deadly in the playoffs, I believe. This doesn't tie the team down in terms of salary this season or next season, and gives them a good chance of contending for the cup for more then just next season.
Minor detail: I had another trade idea bringing Tootoo to San Jose, but I am not sure how willing Nashville is in giving up Jordan.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Five More
Sharks official release
Doug Wilson has been burning up the phone lines getting deals done with Ryan Vesce, Joe Callahan, Danny Groulx, Dwight Helminen and Jed Ortmeyer. Vesce is returning from last year in which he looked decent playing ten NHL games but not getting a point, I'm glad to see his attitude is staying with the team for at least one more year.Of the three new guys, only Groulx is clearly a Worcester signing as the other three are considered NHL caliber. Callahan as a 7th defenseman or injury call up, and Helminen and Ortmeyer as fourth liners.
The most interesting of the new signings would have to be Jed Ortmeyer, the highest possibility of one of these new guys wearing teal at the beginning of this season. A guy with limited talent but a good amount of hustle to make up for it. He works his butt off continually and plays a good penalty kill too. The top of his ability is on the third line, so he's not someone you expect to see on the score sheet often... or even sometimes really. But the important thing is his penalty killing and his desire to stand up for teammates. With only 53 NHL games to his name in the last two years with Nashville and being sent down the the AHL for the bulk of last season he has to be eager to avoid that again and stick on the fourth line in San Jose.
Doug Wilson may have been pretty quite on the new players front, but I've liked what he's done with it so far (Not including the atrocious contract supposedly given to Ken Huskins) for his limited cap wiggle room.
Doug Wilson has been burning up the phone lines getting deals done with Ryan Vesce, Joe Callahan, Danny Groulx, Dwight Helminen and Jed Ortmeyer. Vesce is returning from last year in which he looked decent playing ten NHL games but not getting a point, I'm glad to see his attitude is staying with the team for at least one more year.Of the three new guys, only Groulx is clearly a Worcester signing as the other three are considered NHL caliber. Callahan as a 7th defenseman or injury call up, and Helminen and Ortmeyer as fourth liners.
The most interesting of the new signings would have to be Jed Ortmeyer, the highest possibility of one of these new guys wearing teal at the beginning of this season. A guy with limited talent but a good amount of hustle to make up for it. He works his butt off continually and plays a good penalty kill too. The top of his ability is on the third line, so he's not someone you expect to see on the score sheet often... or even sometimes really. But the important thing is his penalty killing and his desire to stand up for teammates. With only 53 NHL games to his name in the last two years with Nashville and being sent down the the AHL for the bulk of last season he has to be eager to avoid that again and stick on the fourth line in San Jose.
Doug Wilson may have been pretty quite on the new players front, but I've liked what he's done with it so far (Not including the atrocious contract supposedly given to Ken Huskins) for his limited cap wiggle room.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Nichol a Shark
Sharks official release
After days of speculation fueled by David Pollack's blog in while Nichol would be signing with the Sharks, it is official. One year at $750,000, a good deal for a fourth line person that will supply depth in teal. A guy who reminds others that big things can come in little packages (5'9"). His faceoff abilities and penalty killing will be a welcomed addition to team teal, essentially replacing Marcel Goc as the new bottom line center. He's nothing special, but he's more then adequate for the bottom line and a decent signing by Wilson, who has remained frustratingly silent so far this off season. He only played 43 games last season with Nashville due to a concussion that former Shark, now Canuck, Rob Davison gave to him with a brilliant neutral zone check. He won't be scoring many goals and he won't be that guy to push the Sharks over the edge (although he'll do a good job of pushing the opponent over the edge at times) but he'll certainly help the team out when they need to stop goals. The biggest concern would have to be his discipline, which can go uncontrolled from time to time, but that is part of being a pesky player that the opponents hate to see on the ice with their good players.
After days of speculation fueled by David Pollack's blog in while Nichol would be signing with the Sharks, it is official. One year at $750,000, a good deal for a fourth line person that will supply depth in teal. A guy who reminds others that big things can come in little packages (5'9"). His faceoff abilities and penalty killing will be a welcomed addition to team teal, essentially replacing Marcel Goc as the new bottom line center. He's nothing special, but he's more then adequate for the bottom line and a decent signing by Wilson, who has remained frustratingly silent so far this off season. He only played 43 games last season with Nashville due to a concussion that former Shark, now Canuck, Rob Davison gave to him with a brilliant neutral zone check. He won't be scoring many goals and he won't be that guy to push the Sharks over the edge (although he'll do a good job of pushing the opponent over the edge at times) but he'll certainly help the team out when they need to stop goals. The biggest concern would have to be his discipline, which can go uncontrolled from time to time, but that is part of being a pesky player that the opponents hate to see on the ice with their good players.
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