Well, as you may or may not have heard we have some news coming out of San Jose within the last week. The San Jose Sharks organization have opted to not resign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Boyle, who was rumored to have turned down a one year extension. In addition, Martin Havlat was notified that he will not be returning to the Sharks for the 2014-2015 with one year still remaining on his contract he signed in Minnesota. The last piece of news which came as a little bit of a surprise, Brent Burns will be moved back to right defense (presumably due to Boyle's departure).
More along the speculation front, it is assumed that Martin Havlat will be bought out with one of the two compliance buyouts the Sharks obtained during the new NHL collective bargaining agreement ratified last year. A "compliance buyout" is simply "buying" the remaining years and money owed to a player without penalty to the cap payroll with the intent to release the player from team control, however the player is still payed the real money owed by the team. Otherwise the only other option available to the Sharks organization is to trade Havlat, and it is rumored that any prospective team wishing to obtain him would want the Sharks to take back part of his remaining salary.
Moving back to Dan Boyle, it is truly sad to see him let go by the Sharks. A player that always had the desire to win, was so fun to watch his puck movement and skating every time he stepped on to the ice. When Rob Blake retired it seemed that the logical next captain of the team would have been Boyle, who I argue would have been a more vocal leader in the dressing room. Alas, even without the "C" pinned to his chest Dan Boyle helped to form a formidable defense in front of the goaltending. Without Dan Boyle the Sharks string of consecutive playoff appearances may have ended. From the bottom of my heart I wish Dan all the best in his future endeavors.
In further news, both Todd Mclellan (Head Coach) and Doug Wilson (General Manager) have been actively engaging in talks with the media about the future of the team. If you read between the lines of what they have been saying it looks as though Joe Thornton maybe stripped of his captaincy and or traded in the off-season. I have to believe that Patrick Marleau will also be moved, if in fact Joe Thornton is traded away. Something that Wilson said during his interviews that seems to be resonating in the media was his statement of moving a step-backwards to go a step-forwards. When I heard his new philosophy on the team's future I immediately thought that playoffs might not come to San Jose in the 14-15 season.
Of the events that have taken place so far my opinion is this, San Jose will not be a playoff team if both Marleau and Thornton are traded away period. Being a huge fan of Patty and Jumbo I'd hate to see them in any other jersey but our own, but I can understand why a change maybe needed. Next post I will give some thoughts on potential returns for these players.
Links To some of the news from the week.
Doug Wilson call to the media
Dan Boyle call to the media
Yahoo! Sports talk live interview with Doug Wilson
Friday, May 23, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Quick Update
Yesterday (5/11/2014), Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper on twitter) reported that both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators were in the midst of shopping both Dion Phaneuf and Jason Spezza to Western Conference teams. In addition to the tweet Kypreos sent out, he explained on hockey central @noon that the San Jose Sharks could be interested in one of them.
A quick glance at his point totals indicate that his offensive numbers have remained steady in recent years, going from a 44 point year in 11-12 season, 28 points in 12-13 (the lockout shortened season) and 31 points in this past year (13-14). After the back slide Toronto took in the standings post olympic break, the new management is clearly looking to shake up the core of their group via trade.
Enter the San Jose Sharks, clearly needing a roster shake up of their own, we could see a potential match develope here. Depending on the return, could we see Phaneuf in a teal sweater next year? I highly suspect that the Toronto management will be talking to the Sharks about a trade revolving around one player... Joe Pavelski. The reason for this interest in one player stems from the Winter Olympics of 2014, while there Pavelski centered a line that included two Maple leafs players (James van RIemsdyk and Phil Kessel) which arguably was the best line Team USA Hockey employed in the tournament. Just the thought of reuniting this line might make the Maple Leaf Management offer the moon in exchange.
Here is my thought on a possible trade scenario, with the possibility of draft pick swaps as well.
To the San Jose Sharks:
Dion Phaneuf
Jake Gardiner
Nazem Kadri
To the Leafs:
Joe Pavelski
Martin Havlat and/or Tyler Kennedy
Why would this trade be good? Well first off the Maple Leafs get there first line center they have so desperately sought after, they trade Dion Phaneuf who has potential leadership questions and Nazem Kadri who has been the target of much criticism in Toronto. From the Sharks perspective, you have traded for a stabilizing D-Man with great potential in Phaneuf, traded for a future two-way top 3 d-man in Jake Gardiner and replaced Pavelski with a center of the same mold who is younger.
Only time will tell what's on the radar for a potential trade, but where there is smoke surely there is fire.
A quick glance at his point totals indicate that his offensive numbers have remained steady in recent years, going from a 44 point year in 11-12 season, 28 points in 12-13 (the lockout shortened season) and 31 points in this past year (13-14). After the back slide Toronto took in the standings post olympic break, the new management is clearly looking to shake up the core of their group via trade.
Enter the San Jose Sharks, clearly needing a roster shake up of their own, we could see a potential match develope here. Depending on the return, could we see Phaneuf in a teal sweater next year? I highly suspect that the Toronto management will be talking to the Sharks about a trade revolving around one player... Joe Pavelski. The reason for this interest in one player stems from the Winter Olympics of 2014, while there Pavelski centered a line that included two Maple leafs players (James van RIemsdyk and Phil Kessel) which arguably was the best line Team USA Hockey employed in the tournament. Just the thought of reuniting this line might make the Maple Leaf Management offer the moon in exchange.
Here is my thought on a possible trade scenario, with the possibility of draft pick swaps as well.
To the San Jose Sharks:
Dion Phaneuf
Jake Gardiner
Nazem Kadri
To the Leafs:
Joe Pavelski
Martin Havlat and/or Tyler Kennedy
Why would this trade be good? Well first off the Maple Leafs get there first line center they have so desperately sought after, they trade Dion Phaneuf who has potential leadership questions and Nazem Kadri who has been the target of much criticism in Toronto. From the Sharks perspective, you have traded for a stabilizing D-Man with great potential in Phaneuf, traded for a future two-way top 3 d-man in Jake Gardiner and replaced Pavelski with a center of the same mold who is younger.
Only time will tell what's on the radar for a potential trade, but where there is smoke surely there is fire.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Updates, Injures and Future Posts
After a few days of reliving that horrible loss in Game 7 of the Sharks-Kings series I think it's time start the post mortem autopsy of this team.
In the last couple of days news had started to trickle out about the various injuries that had occurred while the series wore on. Some injuries included center-man Logan Couture's wrist not fully healing from his wrist surgery that occurred during the olympic break1. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic suffering from both lower-body and upper-body injuries presumably being a leg\knee injury plus a head injury2. Lastly, Raffi Torres returning to action still suffering from soreness due to his ACL injury he sustained in the preseason3. I suspect that in the coming days we will see official updates from the Sharks staff, with my guess being that Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski all had been playing through injuries as well. Not to say that the injuries are a viable excuse for this season's epic melt-down, it does help explain the quick exit a little better.
The philosophies central to the Shark's style of play require them to have possession of the puck, quickly attack through the neutral zone and create a strong forecheck that generates a) chances on net b) turnovers in the opposing team's offensive zone. With each center-man fighting through apparent injuries it was hard to win key faceoffs and start with possession of the puck (as seen in game 3 and on). I conjecture that sometime in this series Joe Pavelski sustained an injury that prevented him from fully executing his responsibilities as a center-man, thus leaving Todd Mclellan no choice but to keep flipping him back and forth on lines.
In another bit of news, the General Manager of the Sharks, Doug Wilson reiterated his belief in the current coaching staff and will recommend to the owner that they all be kept on4. With his comments during the locker-room clear out day, GM Doug Wilson quieted the rumors of a potential head coaching change. It had been suspected that teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks had been keeping tabs on the situation in San Jose, possibly looking for a potential replacement for their respected coaching positions5.In all the articles I had previously mentioned however, one particular message was quite evident it's time for changes in San Jose.
During the next few posts, I will be giving my view on how best to shape the roster with free agent acquisitions and potential trades for the upcoming season. Overall, I will be explaining and investigating ways to improve the forward, defence, goaltending, powerplay and penalty kill situations. In addition, some additional posts will be dedicated to the NHL draft (Specifically Shark's picks) and current prospects in the Shark's development system.
It seems like the off-season always comes too quickly, but this year's offseason feels like a change is in the air.
1 Ryan Dadoun via ProHockeyTalk
2 Kevin Kurz via CSN Bay Area
3 see above
4 Jason Brough via Mark Purdy via ProHockeyTalk
5 Kevin Kurz via CSN Bay Area
In the last couple of days news had started to trickle out about the various injuries that had occurred while the series wore on. Some injuries included center-man Logan Couture's wrist not fully healing from his wrist surgery that occurred during the olympic break1. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic suffering from both lower-body and upper-body injuries presumably being a leg\knee injury plus a head injury2. Lastly, Raffi Torres returning to action still suffering from soreness due to his ACL injury he sustained in the preseason3. I suspect that in the coming days we will see official updates from the Sharks staff, with my guess being that Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski all had been playing through injuries as well. Not to say that the injuries are a viable excuse for this season's epic melt-down, it does help explain the quick exit a little better.
The philosophies central to the Shark's style of play require them to have possession of the puck, quickly attack through the neutral zone and create a strong forecheck that generates a) chances on net b) turnovers in the opposing team's offensive zone. With each center-man fighting through apparent injuries it was hard to win key faceoffs and start with possession of the puck (as seen in game 3 and on). I conjecture that sometime in this series Joe Pavelski sustained an injury that prevented him from fully executing his responsibilities as a center-man, thus leaving Todd Mclellan no choice but to keep flipping him back and forth on lines.
In another bit of news, the General Manager of the Sharks, Doug Wilson reiterated his belief in the current coaching staff and will recommend to the owner that they all be kept on4. With his comments during the locker-room clear out day, GM Doug Wilson quieted the rumors of a potential head coaching change. It had been suspected that teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks had been keeping tabs on the situation in San Jose, possibly looking for a potential replacement for their respected coaching positions5.In all the articles I had previously mentioned however, one particular message was quite evident it's time for changes in San Jose.
During the next few posts, I will be giving my view on how best to shape the roster with free agent acquisitions and potential trades for the upcoming season. Overall, I will be explaining and investigating ways to improve the forward, defence, goaltending, powerplay and penalty kill situations. In addition, some additional posts will be dedicated to the NHL draft (Specifically Shark's picks) and current prospects in the Shark's development system.
It seems like the off-season always comes too quickly, but this year's offseason feels like a change is in the air.
1 Ryan Dadoun via ProHockeyTalk
2 Kevin Kurz via CSN Bay Area
3 see above
4 Jason Brough via Mark Purdy via ProHockeyTalk
5 Kevin Kurz via CSN Bay Area
Thursday, May 1, 2014
The Inaugural Post: Cliffs of Despair
Here before us lies the monumental precipice of disappointment and radical change.
It’s among
these mixed emotions that I launch the inaugural post of the “Puck Sharks Blog”
this blog’s “mission” is to provide an inside, opinionated and unbiased view of
the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks.
First I would like to make mention of the inspiration for
this blog, Jeff Marek (of Roger’s Sports Network), Greg Wyshynski (of Yahoo!
Sports and NBC), the “Puck Daddy” staff , the "Dudes on Hockey"
podcast and my girlfriend who have all helped spark the creative embers in myself.
I can still recall Jeff Marek’s voice saying “Go out there and start a blog or
podcast! Get your voice heard because the only way we can grow hockey is by
getting it to places it has never been.”
So with all that being said I would like to introduce myself,
my name is Erik Landi. I will be the man behind the computer offering up my
voice to the masses and hopefully in the future will have an expanded offering
of media from across various sources. In addition, I would like to set up a
comment section for fan reaction and input, so you the reader can have your
voice heard as well.
On to the meat of this post, as you may have guessed from
this ominous opening message I witnessed the utter collapse of the San Jose
Sharks in round 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. By now we all have heard ad
nauseam how historic this comeback by the Los Angeles Kings was and that the “choker”
label is well deserved by the Sharks. However, diving a little deeper into this
series I have come to realize a few things from my vantage point.
- The defensive systems of the Sharks failed to properly adapt to the King’s offensive zone forecheck and zone entries during the last 5 games (and even during spurts in games 1 and 2). Another problem I found very strange stemming from the d-corps was the “light” play in front of the goal crease, on more than one occasion the defencemen let opposing players setup in front of the goal tender and whack away at the puck until a whistle was blown. Lastly, the Sharks failed to get the puck deep on offensive zone dump-ins which directly led to inexcusable line changes, and odd men rushes.
- FACEOFFS, FACEOFFS, FACEOFFS! In the beginning stage of this series (games 1,2,3) the Sharks center men were strong in the faceoff dot winning key draws in the offensive and defensive zones, sans James Sheppard who looked awful all series. During the games later in the series the Sharks top faceoff men (I’m looking at you Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Logan Couture) continually lost faceoffs to the point where it seemed like injuries were playing a factor, something was just not right with these guys. The Sharks by the way were tied for the second best faceoff percentage in the regular season and ended in 9th place during the playoffs.
- Last but certainly not least was the deployment of lines\personal in the entire series was horrendous. For the last year and a half the management\coaching staff had preached about rolling 4 lines with center depth. Earlier in this season Todd Mclellan iced lines that included Tomas Hertl/Joe Thornton/Brent Burns, Patrick Marleau/Logan Couture/Martin Havlat (when healthy), Tommy Wingles/Joe Pavelski/Matt Neito and Mike Brown/Andrew Desjardin/Tyler Kennedy. When these lines stayed relatively intact the team was at its deadliest, flaunting speed, Puck Skills and a physical nature. With the return of Raffi Torres and Adam Burish some extra nastiness was injected into the high tempo game the Sharks wanted to employ.Why was the formula continually changing during the series? Specifically Pavelski being flipped around lines, Havlat being inserted in such a physical series and keeping Raffi on the fourth line. Not forgetting to mention the goalie flip flop.
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