The Sharks come into the 2011-2012 NHL season in the enviable position of going to the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row. For a lot of teams, that would be considered an amazing success. As any Sharks fan will tell you, it’s not enough for the Sharks.
Doug Wilson went into the offseason knowing he had to make some changes and boy did he ever. So how was this roster made?
Trades
A day after resigning Devin Setoguchi to a team friendly 3 year deal, Seto, Charlie Coyle and the 2011 1st round pick of the Sharks was shipped to Minnesota for Brent Burns. When this deal went down, looking at it in a bubble, I was very concerned that the Sharks gave up way too much youth for a player who had a history of concussions. But in the grand scheme of things, adding a big offensive defensemen who will eat up minutes is going to change the entire look of the Sharks defensive corps for the better. MUCH better
The second deal Wilson made this summer was to ship out Dany Heatley in exchange for Martin Havlet. Injured or not, the Heatley experiment in SJ was a disaster. The first season, he looked very good in stretches but there were other times (like whenever he was on defense) that he seemed to disappear. But he never really clicked with Thornton. The second year, he hurt the Sharks when he was on the ice. Heatley can do one thing. He has a shot that is lightning fast. But he couldn’t skate, he couldn’t pass or control the puck and if there was a defensive play that had to be made and Heatley was the only person that could make it, one always held their breathe. The fact that Doug Wilson was able to find someone who was willing to eat Heatleys contract is incredible but to get a serviceable Havlet back in return was a coup. Havlet brings a lot of speed and playmaking ability to the Sharks. The knock on him is that he is a bit of a band-aid boy and to start the season, sure enough, he has an injured shoulder but even out of the lineup, he is more valuable to the Sharks than Heatley was at the end.
The third deal was again, with the Minnesota Sharks, I mean Wild. The Sharks acquired James Sheppard for a 2013 third round pick. Sheppard, an early 1st round pick, has been quite the disappointment in Minnesota. But a fresh start might be exactly what the doctor ordered. With Minnesota, the pressure was on from the beginning to produce and help carry the team. In San Jose, it will be the exact opposite. He can grow at his own pace because his production is not going to make or break the Sharks. He can focus on one area and grow into the position. The Sharks have always had a good track record of developing young talent and putting them in a situation where they can excel. Look at the players they have traded away recently. Two prime examples: Michalek and Bernier.
Michalek’s numbers his last season with the Sharks: 23 goals, 34 assists in 77 games = .75 ppg
Michalek’s numbers with the Senators: 22 goals, 12 assists in 66 games = .51 ppg
Bernier’s number with Sharks (last full season) – 15g, 16a in 62 games = .5 ppg
Bernier’s numbers with Vancouver – 15g, 17a in 81 games = .39 ppg
Full disclosure, in the small sample size of his time in Buff, Bernier was at .53 ppg in 17 games
So obviously, the Sharks have to be doing something right. Will the same trend hold true for players coming over to the Sharks?
Offseason signings
Michal Hanzus – This might not have been the sexist of signings but this one was, in my opinion, the best signing the Sharks made all offseason. Hanzus comes in and instantly upgrades the penalty kill, an area of GREAT need for the Sharks. He led the league in shorthanded minutes last season for all forwards. He is very good on the dot and most importantly, they stole him from the Kings so that is one less PK player they have to face in head to head matchups.
Jim Vandermeer – Another signing with an eye toward the PK. He is a big physical guy who is going to get a lot of hits but not a lot of points. At $1MM, the risk is low on this signing but the depth is going to be awesome. With the signing of White, he becomes the 7th defensemen and that is pretty sweet
Colin White – New Jerseys cap losses are San Jose’s gain. This signing is huge for the Sharks defense. He may be slowing down but he consistently plays against the top talent game in and game out and is still able to shut them down. At +80 for his career (and a minus rating only 3 times in his career), the shutdown defensemen is going to help out this defense.
Andy Murray – A fourth line player and help on the PK. Are you sensing a pattern here? His jersey is not going to sell. His name is not going to be cheered with great ferocity. But he is going to make the penalty kill all that much better
Brad Winchester – Brad came in on a tryout to help push the kids and he ended up winning a spot. He is going to provide energy and he is going to fight. And honestly, who doesn’t like a good scrum every now and then?
Quick rundown of the remaining players on the active roster
Joe Thornton – The playmaker of the team. He is not going to shoot but he can create with the best of them. Last season, he really started to change his game to become a force on defense and ended up leading the league in take-aways. It did help that Datsyuk was hurt for a while but who cares about that.
Patrick Marleau – Marleau has become a fixture on the left side for Thornton. He has been the model of consistency there and as a hybrid shooter/playmaker, he and Thornton work very well together in the puck possession cycle.
Joe Pavelski – With the departure of Setoguchi and Heatley, a huge hole opens up on that first line. What that line needs is someone who is just going to shoot the puck. Someone who is going to get in front of the net and cause havoc. Someone who is not afraid to get dirty. Enter The Big Pavelski as he is affectionately called in San Jose known for his big game play. He led the team in sog last season and if he does indeed stick on that top line, I can only see things getting better for him.
Logan Couture – You can take this to the bank. This kid will be the best player on the Sharks within the next 3 years. But this kid is so unassuming and so easy going, he is not going to try and take control of the team to satisfy his ego. He is quite happy with letting the old guys run the team and stepping up to lead when he needs to. His presence makes everyone around him better and that is the mark of a good player. He could play with anyone on the team or even a traffic cone and make them better.
Ryane Clowe – Clowe has really come on strong over the last couple of years and his chemistry with Couture is a sight to behold. Last year, these two lined up with Heatley for quite a bit the second half of the year and on the PP and it really hurt them because they had to make up for Heatley’s lackluster play. This season, with an actual third player on their line, I can see Clowe taking a big step forward.
Torrey Mitchell – You want speed? Mitchell has speed. A few years ago, Mitchell broke his leg in training camp and it took over a year and a half to heal. At the end of last season, you could see his speed was really starting to come back. He played on the top line a couple of times and when he did, you could see him pushing Thornton to speed up his game and it really made a considerable difference. I had a chance to see him in training camp and I have to say, he looked AMAZING. I expect a breakout year from him this year.
Jamie McGinn – There have always been high hopes for this kid but he really took a step back last season with 1 goal and 5 assists in 49 games. He likes to skate hard and can be very physical. In deep leagues that count hits, this is a kid that you should definitely be looking to take a chance on. If he can hold down that third line duty, you could see a mini-breakout out of him.
Andrew Dejardins – Young kid that came into the playoffs last season and really impressed the coaching staff basically winning the 4th line center position and making Nichol expendable. He’s not going to light up the score sheet but he is going to give the team a shot of energy and play a smart, responsible game with a goal or two here and there.
Dan Boyle – He’s been the heart and soul of this team since he came over from Tampa Bay running the PP and leading the team in minutes year in and year out. He was second in the NHL in TOI last season and I really think that the additional of Burns is going to help him out tremendously. It will reduce his minutes and let him focus on being the offensive force on the blue line he was born to be. He is getting up there in age but I still believe he has a couple of very good years in him.
Douglas Murray – Hits leader and prototypical stay at home defensemen. He’s not going to score (6 goals in his career) but he is going to allow Boyle to roam which is exactly what he needs to do on that line.
Marc-Edward Vlasic – The first year that Blake played with Vlasic, Pickles took a huge step forward. Blake allowed Vlasic to play his game. He will be solid defensively, he’s great with his stick and when the opportunity presents itself, he will move up and take a chance on offense. Since that first year, Vlasic has had to shoulder much too much of the load of the second line. He has pressed and his play has shown that. Well the addition of Burns is going to be like the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders. He could even see a little time on the 2nd PP. Look for a good season from this 23 year old kid.
Jason Demers – In the year and a half that Demers has been playing in the NHL, he has taken some significant steps forward. He is not the best defensive player but his offensive skills project to being a PP QB someday. He has great vision and will help with the breakout because of his ability to find that breakout pass. He will be on the 2nd PP unit.
Antti Niemi – My strength is not in evaluating goalies but Niemi certainly grew on my this last season. He has the ability to get nuclear hot for long stretches at a time and stop absolutely everything. He is great at making the spectacular saves but the knock on him is that he gives up the soft goals that he should have no problem with. Look for a better season out of him now that the defense in front of him is that much stronger
The kids that can help
Tommy Wingles – This kid has impressed the coaching staff for the last two seasons during the preseason so much so, that he has earned a spot on the roster both times. Last year, his play tailed off considerably when the season started but he brings a lot of hustle and isn’t afraid to get dirty. He is going to get the opportunity of a lifetime to start the season since Havlet will miss the season opener and get to play with Couture and Clowe. After that, all bets are off. Long term, this kid could be a third line player and a force on the PK.
Justin Braun – He is not making the team to start the season but that’s only because Todd McLellan does not want his skills to erode by sitting on the bench. He wants this kid to get 20-25 minutes a night and be the leader down in Worcester. He is going to be a good one. When Braun first came up last season, he looked overmatched on defense but his shot always seemed to make it through traffic and get on net. Well within a couple of games, he made adjustments and was a serviceable defensemen so give him a little more time to marinade at Worcester and I believe that he could be very useful for this team.
So how is this all going to line up you ask? Well, wonder no more
Marleau – Thornton – Pavelski
Clowe – Couture – Wingles
McGinn – Hanzus – Mitchell
Winchester – Dejardins – Murray
Havlet
Boyle – Murray
Burns – Vlasic
Demers – White
Braun - Vandermeer
PP Units
Marleau – Thornton – Pavelski – Boyle – Burns
Clowe – Couture – Wingles – Boyle - Vlasic
A couple of notes here
1. Havlet will slot onto the second line with Clowe and Couture (and PP2) once he is cleared to play which will be any day now. Those top two lines are built extremely similar to each other and I believe that they will succeed. They both have a speed threat (Marleau and Havlet), they both have a playmaker who loves to pass (Thornton and Havlet). They both have a guy to get in front of the net and take a ton of shots (Pavelski and Clowe) and they both have a hybrid playmaker/shooter (Marleau/Couture)
2.Looking at the defensive pairings, each pair has a stay at home guy and someone who is not afraid to go all offense on the other team. That second unit is going to be leaned on a lot more heavily this year rather than tiring out Boyle.
3. With the quality of the defensemen that the Sharks have (is there a better 1-6 in the league?), I can see the Sharks rolling out 7 defensemen quite regularly during the regular season and especially into the playoffs. Burns used to be a forward so that will give McLellan a lot of flexibility.
So wrapping this up, we are going to look at the team leaders in each category
Goals – Skating on a line with Thornton and Marleau, I can see Pavelski getting 40-45 goals this season. Marleau will not be far behind with 35-40
Assists – Look for Thornton to lead the team yet again with 65-70 assists this season
+/- - All of the Sharks look good but if I had to pick one, it would be Couture. Thornton forces a lot of passes so they lead to odd man rushes at times and that leads to goals
PIM – Of the regulars, Clowe is going to be the guy that is going to get you tons of PIMs (100+)
Power Play Points – This one is going to be Thornton again at 35-40. Marleau, Pavelski and Couture are going to be up there in goals at around 12-15 but Thornton is going to get 30-35 assists.
SOG – Pavelski will break 300 sog this season. Marleau will be around 260-280.
Hits – Murray is your guy with 200 hits
GWG – Marleau/ Pavelski/Couture are each going to have 8-10 GWG a piece.
Blocks – Look for Vlasic and Murray to both be in the neighborhood of 150-160 blocks with Boyle right behind them at 120-130 blocks.
That’s all folks. Hope this helps
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