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The New Sharks Team

I think it is safe to say that last year’s Sharks team was not a very good one. After barely making playoffs, they get bounced in the first round by the St Louis Blues in five games. The penalty kill was almost dead last in the league and scoring was down significantly from the previous year. The free agent list this year was fairly weak, at best, and yet the San Jose Sharks have only signed Adam Burish and TJ Galiardi. They also signed two new assistant coaches, one of which won six Stanley Cups as a player and one as a coach and appeared in the finals last season. Relatively minor changes, so what should Sharks fans expect for the upcoming season?

Being that it is just August, I really don’t think Doug Wilson is done dealing away people to finalize the roster for the upcoming season. And following last season’s trends of defensive teams going the distance in the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks defense has been bolstered tremendously with the addition of former Shark, Brad Stuart. Add in the addition of Larry Robinson as an associate coach and I think the Sharks blue line will be the best they have ever had. It also happens to be the most expensive defense in the entire league, so it better be good! I would expect the team to play a more tight defensive game to save Niemi from being exploited, as I don’t see him as an elite goaltender in the NHL. The better team-defensive game will help him succeed and increase his performance from last year. The problem that concerns me about the team, however, is the third and fourth lines which need some tweaking before beginning the next year.

With the trade of Rick Nash last week, Sharks fans are relieved to know that the saga of him possibly coming to San Jose is now over and that Logan Couture will remain a Shark for the foreseeable future. I still think Shane Doan will be a great addition the Sharks’ third line but I don’t think his asking price will be a viable option for the Sharks unless the move some more pieces around for cap space. Having said that, his price may not be that bad for the leadership he brings to the team along with his skills. Hopefully the team and front office atmosphere will convince him to lower it and join the boys in teal.

The San Jose Sharks’ third line also needs to receive more minutes in games to relieve the top two lines of harder minutes. Giving the top two lines more quality time with starts in the offensive zone as opposed to the defensive zone will produce better results and more scoring opportunities. Joe Thornton has turned into one of the best two-way forwards in the league, but I miss the days of 100+ points and dominating foes in their end. The Sharks need old Jumbo to return to his scoring ways and Marleau, Pavelski and Couture to keep scoring 30+ goals. With the third and fourth lines taking the harder defensive minutes away from the top two lines, this might be a reality. The Sharks should also utilize these grinders for penalty killing to keep the top guys fresh for powerplays. It isn’t exactly rocket science, but it definitely makes sense and other teams are already using this philosophy.

Believe it or not, Doug Wilson is an extremely smart general manager. He hasn’t built a Stanley Cup winning team yet, but he has fielded the best team that he can without overpaying for too many players. Signing high-priced free agents in the first couple of weeks of free agency will do nothing for any team – no one wins a cup in July. Last year’s failures could be more attributed to McLellan and his staff being outcoached with the system clearly not working than not getting the right players. Look for the Sharks to become a more defensive team as well as a few more signings/moves to fill out the fourth line to add forward depth. The Sharks are still looking very good for next season and the longer off season break due to an early exit from playoffs may actually do wonders for the team. Remember, they got to the Conference championship in back to back years, meaning the players have played about 18 months of hockey in a 24 month span.

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