GDT - San Jose at Anaheim - Jan 9, 5:00PM

[Cmon_WTF]

I think Joslin has been scratched in 10 of the last 11 games, too, while those worthless veteran stiffs Huskins and Wallin continue to show what they can't do. After the season, Wilson should at least be given an ultimatum by the nameless, faceless ownership group. I doubt that the ownership group has the knowledge or even the stones to do that. As long as the 17,562 teal Kool-Aid drinkers keep showing up thinking that this team is an actual contender, the ownership will be content and complacent with the revenue level. Hopefully, the attendance will steadily drop to a level that hits the financials hard to where ownership will have to take notice and be forced to make changes in the front office, namely the holy GM that assembled this fucking embarrassment of a team.

That ultimatum will only come if the Sharks miss the playoffs. And if they do miss the playoffs that ultimatum will probably come in the form of, "Cut payroll or we will find someone who will."

 

[sjrules99]

Right now, Boston Bruins fans are having a HUGE laugh at the expense of a lot of Sharks fans.....

Well, goodnight gents. I just hope they keep this team in tact (obviously I want the top 3 traded).....I just hope the Sharks FO doesn't try to make any quick fix trades.....this team is not 1 or 2 players away.

I'm not so sure... I think the return of pavs (no shocker that the team struggles so much without him) and a trade for a #1 dman would actually make a huge difference. If dougie had the balls to get rid of my favorite player p) and turn him into a top pairing Dman, then I think we'd see a difference. they also need to turn clowe into the C and take off any letter from jumbo's jersey and just let him go back to playing not 'leading'.

This team isnt all that different from last year. Manny, blake, and nabby are different, but niemi has equaled nabby particularly recently. Logan has stepped up and aptly replaced manny. The biggest difference is the on and off ice contributions from blake. On the ice, he played over 1/3 of the game and was a key cog offensively, defensively, and on special teams. Off the ice, he had instant credibility as captain and SC winner along with future hall of famer. That is the gigantic hole that Dougie completely failed to fill. However, one player of a similar elk would definitely make a huge difference.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

I'm not so sure... I think the return of pavs (no shocker that the team struggles so much without him) and a trade for a #1 dman would actually make a huge difference. If dougie had the balls to get rid of my favorite player p) and turn him into a top pairing Dman, then I think we'd see a difference. they also need to turn clowe into the C and take off any letter from jumbo's jersey and just let him go back to playing not 'leading'.

This team isnt all that different from last year. Manny, blake, and nabby are different, but niemi has equaled nabby particularly recently. Logan has stepped up and aptly replaced manny. The biggest difference is the on and off ice contributions from blake. On the ice, he played over 1/3 of the game and was a key cog offensively, defensively, and on special teams. Off the ice, he had instant credibility as captain and SC winner along with future hall of famer. That is the gigantic hole that Dougie completely failed to fill. However, one player of a similar elk would definitely make a huge difference.

Here's my issue with this logic. The Sharks had both Manny and Logan last year. You're basically stating that Couture > Couture + Malhotra which is false. Malhotra is greatly missed by the Sharks this year, way more so then I expected, and has proven to be worth every penny Vancouver gave him.

Niemi/Niitty = Nabby is debatable but goaltending is certainly the very least of this teams problems right now.

The absence of Blake has been huge at both ends of the ice and will be extremely difficult to replace. And I doubt a mid to late season aquisition of a solid two-way dman will have much influnce on the remainder of this season.

 

[sjrules99]

Here's my issue with this logic. The Sharks had both Manny and Logan last year. You're basically stating that Couture > Couture + Malhotra which is false. Malhotra is greatly missed by the Sharks this year, way more so then I expected, and has proven to be worth every penny Vancouver gave him.

Niemi/Niitty = Nabby is debatable but goaltending is certainly the very least of this teams problems right now.

The absence of Blake has been huge at both ends of the ice and will be extremely difficult to replace. And I doubt a mid to late season aquisition of a solid two-way dman will have much influnce on the remainder of this season.

They only had couture for 25 regular season games. Granted he was a big bonus in the PO's, but the sharks were far far better even without him last year. They do miss manny, but it's blake that has been the big difference. Wallin is a total disaster comparably (gee, didn't see that one coming???) but one top Dman makes a super duper difference (see ANA when niedermeyer retired, then even worse when pronger left or the disaster in NJ largely from losing martin). Dougie could move for a dman and it could be a huge change.

However, since he obviously wont touch the big 3 or pavs, clowe, or cooch, then he's gunna have to pull off that miracle with seto as the number 1 trade bait, and I dont know how much he can land.... maybe paired with vlasic? we'll see soon though unless things change in the next week or two.

 

[Destroydacre]

1 goal in three games since Clowe's outburst.

1 goal in two since Wilson's "not good enough" meeting.


Now I won't fault Clowe because he's a player and was just upset and rightly so, but my God Wilson, you of all people should know that there's only one outcome when you put pressure on this team. Just like in the playoffs.

 

[Cbrower91]

Pretty much they need a dman who can make the long pass. The team lacks it, and it's killing the offense.

Boyle can carry it, but he can't make the long pass, so the team isn't far away from being back in contention.

Its wether or not dwill is wuilling to make the trade to get that piece. Trading seto and palvelski for kaberle would help.

Losing pavs will hurt but couture makes up for some of that loss

 

[Cbrower91]

Oh yeah and clarke mccarthur as well, sharks need a guy who goes to the net for dirty goals. So pavelski and seto for mccarthur and kaberle

 

[shrksfn9192]

That ultimatum will only come if the Sharks miss the playoffs. And if they do miss the playoffs that ultimatum will probably come in the form of, "Cut payroll or we will find someone who will."

That will be the one main positive of missing the playoffs, to get the complacent, marshmallow ownership group of its ass to make the necessary changes. A steep drop in attendance would help, too, but that's too much to ask from those who keep going to the games and financially support the current crap produced by the organization.

 

[shrksfn9192]

It’s one thing to lose games and still be able to score some goals to keep things interesting, but this team has been lifeless and boring for long stretches this season, even with the so-called world class offensive skills of the Big 3. 117 goals scored in 43 games for an average of 2.72 goals per game just doesn’t cut it with the supposed offensive talent here. The offensive talent has been nothing but offensive so far this season.

 

[sjrules99]

Pretty much they need a dman who can make the long pass. The team lacks it, and it's killing the offense.

Boyle can carry it, but he can't make the long pass, so the team isn't far away from being back in contention.

Its wether or not dwill is wuilling to make the trade to get that piece. Trading seto and palvelski for kaberle would help.

Losing pavs will hurt but couture makes up for some of that loss

DW would be fired on the spot for that deal. pavs and seto for a rental?

Not to mention, it's pretty obvious that losing pavs hurts a ton. 5 goals in the last 5 games? shut out 3 times in the last 8 with two 1 goal games to boot? Granted, I'm not saying that pavs in the lineup would have changed the fate of the team that much, but I dunno if it's totally unrelated either.

We'll what happens when he gets back...

 

[Cbrower91]

Assuming he will be back in time to help, don't forget prior to his injury he was slumping terribly as well.

I have serious doubts it has anything to do with him that is the problem with the offense, it has to do with the fact that no one on the defense can make an outlet pass. Unless Pavelski moves to D and starts making the long pass i doubt he will have a huge impact.

It will likely be minimal, if anything it will open up some ive for Coutrue and Clowe, so those 2 will continue to produce but it doesnt help the other 3 slugs on the top line at all.

Seto's development has stalled, so its pretty much a wash at this point to move him, R Wil likes him so it's not a huge deal. The Loafs are dying for a center to play with Kessel, you gotta give to get, they arent going to want an older player with a big contract.

Essentially it will be Pav's for Kaberle, your assuming it's a rental situation, and i don't blame you considering D Wil's inability to get guys signed after he has traded for them.

Not to mention Maccarthur as been doing quite well and he could easliy replace seto, and probably bring double the production the sharks are getting out of seto at a minimum.

Forwards arent the problem with the sharks ability to score right now, it has everything to do with defense's inability to get the puck up to the forwards from within their own zone.

I wont even get started on the lack of point shots

 

[Cbrower91]

I think Joslin has been scratched in 10 of the last 11 games, too, while those worthless veteran stiffs Huskins and Wallin continue to show what they can't do. After the season, Wilson should at least be given an ultimatum by the nameless, faceless ownership group. I doubt that the ownership group has the knowledge or even the stones to do that. As long as the 17,562 teal Kool-Aid drinkers keep showing up thinking that this team is an actual contender, the ownership will be content and complacent with the revenue level. Hopefully, the attendance will steadily drop to a level that hits the financials hard to where ownership will have to take notice and be forced to make changes in the front office, namely the holy GM that assembled this fucking embarrassment of a team.

Dropping attendance just means the owners will slash payroll to the cap floor, and people and the bay area will keep showing up to watch a lesser product, because all the other bay area teams will be worse then the sharks.

 

[sjrules99]

Assuming he will be back in time to help, don't forget prior to his injury he was slumping terribly as well.

I have serious doubts it has anything to do with him that is the problem with the offense, it has to do with the fact that no one on the defense can make an outlet pass. Unless Pavelski moves to D and starts making the long pass i doubt he will have a huge impact.

It will likely be minimal, if anything it will open up some ive for Coutrue and Clowe, so those 2 will continue to produce but it doesnt help the other 3 slugs on the top line at all.

Seto's development has stalled, so its pretty much a wash at this point to move him, R Wil likes him so it's not a huge deal. The Loafs are dying for a center to play with Kessel, you gotta give to get, they arent going to want an older player with a big contract.

Essentially it will be Pav's for Kaberle, your assuming it's a rental situation, and i don't blame you considering D Wil's inability to get guys signed after he has traded for them.

Not to mention Maccarthur as been doing quite well and he could easliy replace seto, and probably bring double the production the sharks are getting out of seto at a minimum.

Forwards arent the problem with the sharks ability to score right now, it has everything to do with defense's inability to get the puck up to the forwards from within their own zone.

I wont even get started on the lack of point shots

That's a real biggy. The sharks D is a black hole offensively or at least in terms of shots. SOOOO many shots wide or blocked that it kills me. That's the big difference with the loss of blake who had one of the best point shots in the league for years and years. Boyle can skate but his shot is so-so. Braun actually had the best shot of the entire D arguably so he may be back up sooner rather than later if he learned a bit about how to play in front of his own net. That's why bouwmeester is attractive to me. His salary is huge, but he can definitely shoot as evidenced by double digit goals 3 straight years with FLA (for some reason way down in CGY but with jumbo and the sharks forwards, I would bet his number would rise right back up). He can obviously score and he's pretty solid in his own end as well and he may well be available shortly if calgary continues to struggle.

 

[Cbrower91]

That's a real biggy. The sharks D is a black hole offensively or at least in terms of shots. SOOOO many shots wide or blocked that it kills me. That's the big difference with the loss of blake who had one of the best point shots in the league for years and years. Boyle can skate but his shot is so-so. Braun actually had the best shot of the entire D arguably so he may be back up sooner rather than later if he learned a bit about how to play in front of his own net. That's why bouwmeester is attractive to me. His salary is huge, but he can definitely shoot as evidenced by double digit goals 3 straight years with FLA (for some reason way down in CGY but with jumbo and the sharks forwards, I would bet his number would rise right back up). He can obviously score and he's pretty solid in his own end as well and he may well be available shortly if calgary continues to struggle.

My thing with Bouwmeester is the same argument i had about Oli Jokeagain, he was getting huge minutes in florida. He got moved to Calgary and that changed his minutes and then his production dropped like a hammer.

I honestly dont see enough of Boumeester to really say much about him, the few times i have seen him, it didnt look like his outlet pass was much to talk about.

Of course with the slugs in calgary, it may not be an option for him. I know he is more of a pinching/slashing type dman in the offensive zone, which the sharks already have in Boyle.

I think a Braun recall is probably the best cheapest option at this time, but i dont think Dswindle is going to do it based on pride

 

[Cmon_WTF]

That's a real biggy. The sharks D is a black hole offensively or at least in terms of shots. SOOOO many shots wide or blocked that it kills me. That's the big difference with the loss of blake who had one of the best point shots in the league for years and years. Boyle can skate but his shot is so-so. Braun actually had the best shot of the entire D arguably so he may be back up sooner rather than later if he learned a bit about how to play in front of his own net. That's why bouwmeester is attractive to me. His salary is huge, but he can definitely shoot as evidenced by double digit goals 3 straight years with FLA (for some reason way down in CGY but with jumbo and the sharks forwards, I would bet his number would rise right back up). He can obviously score and he's pretty solid in his own end as well and he may well be available shortly if calgary continues to struggle.

If you're expecting a solid point shot from Bouwmeester then I'm afraid you'll be pretty disappointed. He's not good at getting shots off to begin with and when he does they are often blocked or well off target. He's great at moving the puck but if you're expecting him to create something with his shot you're going to be left wanting.

 

[filosofy29]

Yeah, Rules, Bouwmeester sucks bro. He's soft as Joe Thirnton, makes close to as much.....except the softie plays defense. Go watch 5 Calgary games and let me know what youy think. I used to love Mr. Bouw, but the dude sucks.....seriously. I do agree though, in my humble opinion Korky's trade was baaad.

 

[shrksfn9192]

As of today: NHL Hockey Power Rankings - Week 15 - National Hockey League - ESPN

 

[Cbrower91]

One thing that makes me question your guys arguments of patty vs palvelski. Is that you all claim patty was just a 60pnt guy prior to joes arrival, which is true.

However look at the talent level and supporting cast he had to work with and he still managed 60pnts a season.

Look at the team and how its been the last 3 or 4 years. The talent level is vastly superior and pavelski is only barely a 60pnt guy.

If he were on a lesser talented team he'd be lucky to hit 40pnts in a career year.

Just saying the argument works both ways and you maybe overvaluing his actual skill level.

Even at the collegiate level he was on a stacked team

 

[sjrules99]

One thing that makes me question your guys arguments of patty vs palvelski. Is that you all claim patty was just a 60pnt guy prior to joes arrival, which is true.

However look at the talent level and supporting cast he had to work with and he still managed 60pnts a season.

Look at the team and how its been the last 3 or 4 years. The talent level is vastly superior and pavelski is only barely a 60pnt guy.

If he were on a lesser talented team he'd be lucky to hit 40pnts in a career year.

Just saying the argument works both ways and you maybe overvaluing his actual skill level.

Even at the collegiate level he was on a stacked team

honestly, it's impossible to know barring a trade to a non-stacked team. You might be right that on a lesser team, he wouldnt have the production. That's likely true for just about anyone not named Joe Thornton.

However, Don't forget that pavs is young, relatively speaking. he's 26, and in just his 4th full NHL season. He's no baby rookie anymore, that's for sure, but he's also not 29 and in his prime. Patty is not a bad player, and any team would be happy to have him, just perhaps not for 6.9M, ranking him as the 18th highest paid player in the entire league. He's been worth that kind of money once or twice in his career (last year he was worth it particularly vs. chicago, and maybe 06-07 and possibly 05-6, but that's pushing it). He's only had one 40 goal season in his entire career (last year), so he's hardly an elite player and he's only performed up that kind of salary a couple times in his 13 years career and he's had a lot of disaster years like 07-08 and this year where he's not worth 4 million.

If pavs got 7M, he'd be a horrible investment and I'd clamor to get rid of him. However, the salary difference and cap hit difference means that they have to be judged on different scales.

Simply put, patty has never been anywhere near as dominant and jumbo or heater throughout his career, yet earns nearly the same salary (within 600k of each).

The real test will be to see what happens when pavs gets healthy. if he comes back and they continue to get shut out regularly, then that answers the question. If he comes back and ignites the offense, then there yah go. We'll see...

 

[Cbrower91]

Heatley has never not been paired with another elite level player.

In atlanta it was he and kovolchuk. In ottawa he and spezza. So, I don't think that argument holds water.

Same as thornton, samsonov and glenn what's his nuts lol.

I think in terms of being surrounded by talent patty and joe are close in whom they've been surrounded with throughout their careers.

Heatley has had a free ride with superstar talent his entire career. So is he really worth his contract? Not really.

All being said I'm not loyal to anyone shark anymore outside of couture