2013-2014 Offseason Speculation

[MrChangoT97]

Strickland saying the Sharks are showing interest in Gerbe.

why?

Much rather have Gomez,

 

[Cmon_WTF]

why?

Much rather have Gomez,

Cheep forward depth

 

[rares]

why?

Much rather have Gomez,

Gomez is greedy and probably wants lots of money... or at least "lots" compared to what he's actually worth.

And the Sharks are already over the cap, aren't they? (Havlat on LTIR will help with that so it shouldn't be a problem, but I think they're currently slightly over the cap -- too lazy to look it up).

 

[MrFlyingV]

Strickland saying the Sharks are showing interest in Gerbe.

Gerbe or Gerber?

I'd do Gerber for Havlat since he is pretty much a baby

 

[SJVP408]

It's kind of depressing to see all the notable UFAs go East, or rather, not go West. Mike Ribiero and Andrew Ference are the only multi-million dollar contracts to sign to a West team (PHX,EDM). On the one hand, it makes the talent pool a little more shallow and easier for the Sharks in the West. On the other hand, it shows how hard it is to lure UFAs westward.

 

[RaiderZar]

Is it not time to at least think about disbanding the core of Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski-Boyle? I know most or all have NMC's, so DWill's hands are a bit tied. Aside from not even making it to the Championship game (or series, in this case), this team reminds me of the Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills. Great core of players, just never won the big one.

 

[SJVP408]

Is it not time to at least think about disbanding the core of Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski-Boyle? I know most or all have NMC's, so DWill's hands are a bit tied. Aside from not even making it to the Championship game (or series, in this case), this team reminds me of the Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills. Great core of players, just never won the big one.

If Doug was forward thinking, he'd try to get young assets for those players. If Doug is loyal to a fault, which he is, then he will have one more go at the Cup with this core. And no team is more fail, yet so successful as those Buffalo Bills.

We should look at OTT and how they were able to quickly rebuild after many successful seasons of making the playoffs, but not winning the Cup (at least they made it to the Finals though). I hope the Sharks can rebuild/retool in a similar manner.

 

[SoPortland]

If Doug was forward thinking, he'd try to get young assets for those players. If Doug is loyal to a fault, which he is, then he will have one more go at the Cup with this core. And no team is more fail, yet so successful as those Buffalo Bills.

We should look at OTT and how they were able to quickly rebuild after many successful seasons of making the playoffs, but not winning the Cup (at least they made it to the Finals though). I hope the Sharks can rebuild/retool in a similar manner.

You guys are morons if you think they should trade Thornton or Marleau at this point. They're loyal to a fault as well. I would not be surprised if they took a decent paycut and an extension at the end of this season, regardless of how it goes. And regardless, their production to pay is well within the value.

Boyle? We can argue about that... but that would force Burns back into being a defenseman.

Right now... outside of bottom 6 forward depth, I don't see the Sharks making any major moves until the trade deadline. Why? Because they damn well don't need to at this point. They're one of the top teams in the West at this point.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

You guys are morons if you think they should trade Thornton or Marleau at this point. They're loyal to a fault as well. I would not be surprised if they took a decent paycut and an extension at the end of this season, regardless of how it goes. And regardless, their production to pay is well within the value.

Boyle? We can argue about that... but that would force Burns back into being a defenseman.

Right now... outside of bottom 6 forward depth, I don't see the Sharks making any major moves until the trade deadline. Why? Because they damn well don't need to at this point. They're one of the top teams in the West at this point.

How long to you stick with a core that has constantly come up short? At some point you have to plan for life after Thornton. Moving those players while they still have significant value would go a long way to accomplishing that and at the same time minimize how long it takes the team to get back to being competitive.

Some on here believe the time to plan for post Thornton and Marleau is now and they have a valid argument. The Sharks don't have the prospect pool and will not spend the money on free agents to be able to afford loosing Marleau and Thornton for nothing.

It's not about winning now its about moving forward with the teams future.

 

[Cbrower91]

How long to you stick with a core that has constantly come up short? At some point you have to plan for life after Thornton. Moving those players while they still have significant value would go a long way to accomplishing that and at the same time minimize how long it takes the team to get back to being competitive.

Some on here believe the time to plan for post Thornton and Marleau is now and they have a valid argument. The Sharks don't have the prospect pool and will not spend the money on free agents to be able to afford loosing Marleau and Thornton for nothing.

It's not about winning now its about moving forward with the teams future.

Only one i would keep is Marleau ship the rest of them out, none of those guys have the speed to play of todays game except patty.

 

[SoPortland]

How long to you stick with a core that has constantly come up short? At some point you have to plan for life after Thornton. Moving those players while they still have significant value would go a long way to accomplishing that and at the same time minimize how long it takes the team to get back to being competitive.

Some on here believe the time to plan for post Thornton and Marleau is now and they have a valid argument. The Sharks don't have the prospect pool and will not spend the money on free agents to be able to afford loosing Marleau and Thornton for nothing.

It's not about winning now its about moving forward with the teams future.

So you just want to blow it all up right now and go for picks and prospects? Cool.

And anyone say their time has come and gone is just grasping at straws. They're still top 6 forwards in this league. If you want to suck for a while... go right ahead. But I'm fairly certain Wilson, nor ownership are ever going to go that route. And this is Couture's team now. They're just along for the ride.

 

[SoPortland]

Only one i would keep is Marleau ship the rest of them out, none of those guys have the speed to play of todays game except patty.

Yeah man, that Thornton is such a scrub. Ship him off guys. Let's do it.

 

[snowsurfer13sss]

Yeah man, that Thornton is such a scrub. Ship him off guys. Let's do it.

You dont understand... Its about getting value for players while you can. Sharks wont ever be able to land FA's so the Sharks must draft well and trade their way up. Trading Joe hurts the Sharks for a season or two but ultimately would help them for a decade if done for blue chip prospects and 1st round picks.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

So you just want to blow it all up right now and go for picks and prospects? Cool.

And anyone say their time has come and gone is just grasping at straws. They're still top 6 forwards in this league. If you want to suck for a while... go right ahead. But I'm fairly certain Wilson, nor ownership are ever going to go that route. And this is Couture's team now. They're just along for the ride.

You don't only get picks and prospects for them. You also get good young players, top six forwards and top four dmen, who are already contributing at the NHL level as well. No one wants to trade Thornton because they think he's a scrub. They are saying if Wilson was truely planning for life after Thornton he should be looking to move them while they are still contributing at a high level so he could maximize his return. Maximizing the return on players like Boyle (maybe too late for him already) and Thornton means the team will stay competitive with young NHL players as well as bolster its future with picks and high end prospects.

Wilson has said he won't do a full blown rebuild. He'll just do what he refers to as a roster reset but how do you reset when loosing guys like Thornton and Marleau when you have no prospect pool to replace them and cannot sign any free agents? How long is the team going to struggle when that happens? For some its a matter of sacrificing the now for the betterment of the future. Struggle for one or two years now instead of five or six down the road.

The tourch is being passed to Couture but if you think this is his team you are sadly mistaken. You don't need to look any further than this last playoffs for proof of that.

 

[RaiderZar]

You don't only get picks and prospects for them. You also get good young players, top six forwards and top four dmen, who are already contributing at the NHL level as well. No one wants to trade Thornton because they think he's a scrub. They are saying if Wilson was truely planning for life after Thornton he should be looking to move them while they are still contributing at a high level so he could maximize his return. Maximizing the return on players like Boyle (maybe too late for him already) and Thornton means the team will stay competitive with young NHL players as well as bolster its future with picks and high end prospects.

Wilson has said he won't do a full blown rebuild. He'll just do what he refers to as a roster reset but how do you reset when loosing guys like Thornton and Marleau when you have no prospect pool to replace them and cannot sign any free agents? How long is the team going to struggle when that happens? For some its a matter of sacrificing the now for the betterment of the future. Struggle for one or two years now instead of five or six down the road.

The tourch is being passed to Couture but if you think this is his team you are sadly mistaken. You don't need to look any further than this last playoffs for proof of that.

Great summation, CMon. But remember, we're all morons.

 

[SJVP408]

You guys are morons if you think they should trade Thornton or Marleau at this point. They're loyal to a fault as well. I would not be surprised if they took a decent paycut and an extension at the end of this season, regardless of how it goes. And regardless, their production to pay is well within the value.

Boyle? We can argue about that... but that would force Burns back into being a defenseman.

Right now... outside of bottom 6 forward depth, I don't see the Sharks making any major moves until the trade deadline. Why? Because they damn well don't need to at this point. They're one of the top teams in the West at this point.

I don't think it's the popular thing to do, but you have to think about the future of the franchise, life after Jumbo and/or Patty. There are two ways to rebuild: suck like shit for 4-5 years and draft high for multiple years (CHI) hoping you get some franchise players, or quickly retool and get back into playoff contention (OTT).

If you can guarantee me two Cups in four years like how CHI did it, then let's ride PattyJo into the dirt and think about rebuilding later when the Sharks draft in the top 5, all the while the fanbase has to suffer through miserable seasons and Couture/Burns prime years are wasted. Since you cannot guarantee that, I feel the forward thinking philosophy should be explored, at the very least. The return for Jumbo and Patty is only going to diminish as each month passes.

There are only two reasons why I think they shouldn't be traded. One is that the general fanbase will not like it. Two is that since they have NMCs, they will not return their true value in a trade. IMO, those are short term pains compared to the 4 or more years that we'd have to endure as we look to draft high and hope we land a Toews/Crosby/Malkin.

 

[SoPortland]

these guys are on one year contracts. .. no gm in their right mind is giving up the farm for a rental.

[MOD EDIT] lower your price to picks and prospects at best.

if these were three year contracts... you may be onto something.

let's also conveniently ignore the fact these guys all have NMC in their contracts. Boyle is really the only one you can move.

Put down the pipes guys. you're being foolish.

 

[SoPortland]

The tourch is being passed to Couture but if you think this is his team you are sadly mistaken. You don't need to look any further than this last playoffs for proof of that.

Would you mind clarifying? kind of want to hear this in depth analysis and criticism of their season...

 

[Cmon_WTF]

these guys are on one year contracts. .. no gm in their right mind is giving up the farm for a rental.

[MOD EDIT] lower your price to picks and prospects at best.

if these were three year contracts... you may be onto something.

let's also conveniently ignore the fact these guys all have NMC in their contracts. Boyle is really the only one you can move.

Put down the pipes guys. you're being foolish.

I let the first one go but if you want to keep posting on the Sharks board stop with the name calling. Name calling and personal attacks are not something I'll allow here.

As for the return on a player like Thornton all you have to do is look at what other players with similar contract situations have returned. Jared Staal returned a solid young center, a top ten pick in a good draft, and an elite level defensive prospect. Thornton is a much better and much more valuable player than Staal is.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Would you mind clarifying? kind of want to hear this in depth analysis and criticism of their season...

Of the Sharks 25 goals scored in the playoffs Thornton was on the ice for 19 of them while at the same time only being on the ice for 3 goals against. A far better ratio than any other player on the team. Thornton, Marleau, and Pavelski were double shifted when the team needed a goal before Couture. Thornton was put on the ice to take all the defensive zone faceoffs late in games. Thornton was also the primary go to when the Sharks need to score late.

Couture took huge strides as far as being part of the leadership group but the team won't be his team until he takes over that role of being the go to guy in the most important situations both offensively and defensively.