2014 - 2015 Expectations & Predictions

[RaiderZar]

Dateline: San Jose, CA July 11, 2014

Based on the positive moves of other teams & the lack of anything meaningful by DW, I have very low expectations for this team in the upcoming season. I predict a 9 - 10 place finish in the West. The good news, our dismal playoff performance streak ends, as we miss the playoffs altogether.

 

[MrChangoT97]

Your W R O N G !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Its cup or bust!

Honestly I can't make a prediction, until I figure out WTF Doug Wilson is doing?

 

[caliraftdude]

Honestly I can't make a prediction, until I figure out WTF Doug Wilson is doing?

No one, and I mean NO ONE can figure out what the fuck he is thinking... none of his moves outside of wingles and sheppard make any sense at all. ANA got better LA stayed good, CHI got better, St. Louis got better and we - well, I think we got worse actually.

 

[RaiderZar]

So, based on the off-season signings, it appears we are becoming the new BUF or CAL. We will end up in top 5 in PIM, no doubt. At least that aspect should be entertaining.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

They will be good enough to make the playoffs and loose in the 1st round.

 

[Likewall32]

They will be good enough to make the playoffs and loose in the 1st round.

Wellat least this is a team that shou, d lose in rd1 versuses previous teams that shouldve won but still lost in rd 1

 

[RaiderZar]

They will be good enough to make the playoffs and loose in the 1st round.

IDK. I think NAS and/or ARI can sneak in this year, with all others (except 1) repeating in 2015. I really think we can drop to #10. Niemi is an abortion.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

IDK. I think NAS and/or ARI can sneak in this year, with all others (except 1) repeating in 2015. I really think we can drop to #10. Niemi is an abortion.

Top three in each division make the PO's. If the Sharks roster remains close to what it is currently none of Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary will pass the them. Phoenix has a slim chance, but that's all it is, a slim chance.

As Likewall states, they've gone from a team that should compete for the cup but looses in the 1st round to a team that should loose in the 1st round and looses in the 1st round.

 

[RaiderZar]

Top three in each division make the PO's. If the Sharks roster remains close to what it is currently none of Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary will pass the them. Phoenix has a slim chance, but that's all it is, a slim chance.

As Likewall states, they've gone from a team that should compete for the cup but looses in the 1st round to a team that should loose in the 1st round and looses in the 1st round.

 

[23sharks]

Top three in each division make the PO's. If the Sharks roster remains close to what it is currently none of Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary will pass the them. Phoenix has a slim chance, but that's all it is, a slim chance.

As Likewall states, they've gone from a team that should compete for the cup but looses in the 1st round to a team that should loose in the 1st round and looses in the 1st round.

Agreed. Unless they trade Patty and Joe for prospects and picks who won't help the team this year, they still get to the playoffs....and probably lose in the first round.
With the way they lost last year, it's easy to forget how good of a team they were till the implosion. They were one of the top 5 teams in the league....Prob is there are 3 teams in the West they can't beat: LA, Chicago, and prob Anaheim. With the new playoff rules, do you want to keep beating you head against the wall and hope you can beat both LA and Anaheim, and then probably play Chicago to try to get to the Finals?? This team, as currently constructed, can't beat the 3 of them. That's why I'm fine w starting over....but don't half ass do it. If you are gonna rebuild, let's get to it. Not just let Boyle leave, and trade Stuart for a 2nd and 6th round pick. Burrish and Kennedy need to be next. I know that moving Joe and or Patty will probably not happen, at least not now. If they trade away enough guys, and don't play well at the beginning of the season, maybe they'd agree to be dealt by the deadline, or next offseason.

 

[madcap9999]

Welcome to the SJ Sharks Country Club. PM and JT won't leave and they will enjoy their plush digs and play just well enough to get the team into the PO's for another letdown. The fans need to let their voices be known - we don't want those cancers here.

 

[caliraftdude]

Welcome to the SJ Sharks Country Club. PM and JT won't leave and they will enjoy their plush digs and play just well enough to get the team into the PO's for another letdown. The fans need to let their voices be known - we don't want those cancers here.

meh - I don't see those guys as cancers, I mean.. lets be fair here.

JT improved his game and I thought last year (not the 3-0 collapse, the year prior) showed some heart and hustle - it wasn't dominant but it was far better than previous years. Patty and Pav just evaporated and we had ZERO depth anywhere else. Patty has always been very active community wise and I don't think is capable of shit talking to anyone.

The real problem with these guys is that they are BOTH on the team and BOTH relied on to be leaders - thats a management fuck up imho. If Patty played on the Red Wings we would all be wondering why we didn't keep the 80 goal scorer (or why he didn't do it here). Patty needs to be what Selanne was to ANA the last couple of years. Joe is a great setup guy but he is NOT a power forward or leader type of guy. If the pressure is kept off of him he can absolutely destroy other teams.. we saw that for the first three games of the Kings series.

The failure of management to recognize what these guys are and how to assemble the correct pieces around them is a major issue. I used to get pissed that neither were really stepping up.. well, after a few years it seems obvious to everyone but Sharks management that they NEED different pieces around ONE of these guys. But you cannot pay these guys 12-14 million/year and keep expecting them to become something else..

 

[MrChangoT97]

Is it training camp yet?

 

[RaiderZar]

Is it training camp yet?

Do you think this the squad we will start the season with? WTF happened to the major changes DW spoke of right after our epic PO collapse?

 

[Slimpikins]

I thought that Wilson's comments were uncharacteristically reactive so I am comfortable in him taking the next season or season and a half to make the transition from the old guard to the younger core. I would rather he take his time to find the right return for Marleau and Thornton than just try and ship them off to the first suitor.

All that depends on what he is ultimately able to get for them and whether or not they agree to trades or block them with their NMC. If they want they can completely dig their heels in make this process extremely difficult. It may end up being a shit return but I still think that taking the time to do full due diligence is the right move.

 

[Likewall32]

Just sign krug to an offer sheet and ill be happy

 

[Slimpikins]

I wouldn't mind that one bit. He had a solid year in Boston and helped out their power play. Bruins are near the cap, I like it.

 

[RaiderZar]

Turns out it’s all the media’s fault there’s been so much speculation about San Jose trading Joe Thornton and/or Patrick Marleau.

In an interview with NHL.com, Sharks coach Todd McLellan, like his boss did a month ago, tried to clarify the “rebuild” to which the team has apparently committed after blowing a 3-0 series lead versus the Kings in the first round of the playoffs.

“We want to reset the hierarchy and culture in the organization, and that’s really where the term rebuild came from,” said McLellan. “We feel we have a tremendous talent pool. We feel the players that are with our organization are part of the solution and not the problem now. As a staff, we talked about the ability to push and win as much as we can while we get younger, while we adjust the roles a little bit and give some of the younger players more responsibility.

“The term or the word used like that can be confusing at times. I think a lot of people, especially in the media, immediately went to, ‘Well, they’re going to trade Thornton and Marleau.’ That’s not the case. We believe that those two are part of the solution, not part of the problem. That got a lot of play media-wise. That’s not what we were about. We think we have a very good hockey club and we think we need to tinker with a few things and continue to push forward.”

We wrote about this last week during San Jose Sharks Day on PHT. Is the club being forced to do all this clarifying because the media did, indeed, jump to conclusions about Thornton and Marleau? Or, is all this clarifying actually backtracking after the pair of veteran forwards refused to waive their no-movement clauses?

We’ll leave that for you to decide.

Do all Canadians talk, yet say nothing???

 

[sjrules99]

they shopped both Both pulled thier NTCs, and probably the right deal wast out there. Its wise not to trade them for nothing and if the right return isnt offered, then it's smart not to trade.

That said, I cant see how dropping havlat, boyle, and stuart and adding Jon scott and promoting a few rooks is somehow going to change the culture of the team or somehow make them significantly better. Even passing down the C to cooch is not really gunna matter. At the end of the day, the big two are still there and they will still get all the big faceoffs and PP time at the end of the game, and they will still choke. I am glad dougie didnt toss them away for nothing, but I am equally disappointed he couldnt pull off a solid deal and truly get younger, faster, cheaper, and deeper. I was willing to watch a younger team struggle to make the PO's knowing that they were armed with a bunch of sub 25 year olds just poised for greatness. Chicago and Pitt took a few years after drafting their big studs to win the cup. I would be fine fielding a competitive team even if less "guaranteed" if it mean have a better long term future and having new faces to franchise.

The giants won two world series within 5 years of Barry Bonds' retirement. Was that a coincidence? maybe. Was it just luck? maybe. BUT, maybe it was because they got new faces for the franchise. New leaders who knew how to play well when it matters most. New players who had the fire and youth to make that last push. Who knows, but I could see the sharks being a very similar team. Talented, always knocking on the door, but with the wrong leadership and with the wrong 'stars'.

2008 giants stunk (the year after bonds)
2009 was good, not great. (88-74)
2010 = champs.

The Sharks could quite easily follow the same path. It's time...

 

[MrChangoT97]

WoW!?!?!?!?!

confused, but hey I dont give a F*CK!?!?!?!

all I care about is watching Sharks Hockey, and pray for a CUP bound team next year.