Confirmed with Link: Sharks acquire D Leon Gawanke from Winnipeg for Artemi Kniazev

[Gecklund]

Thrun should definitely start in the AHL and it looks like he will since we have 7 other defensemen on one-way contracts. Cicek probably belongs in the ECHL, it's crazy he played NHL games.

Who cares about one way contracts? Cicek is fine in the AHL.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

wow im a little surprised as i was under the imptrssion when someone said he's not going to sign and so it opens up a roster spot to get tyler myers lol

 

[Hodge]

Who cares about one way contracts? Cicek is fine in the AHL.

I really don't think the plan is to pay any of Burroughs, Simek or Knyzhov millions of dollars to play for the Barracuda.

 

[Gecklund]

I really don't think the plan is to pay any of Burroughs, Simek or Knyzhov millions of dollars to play for the Barracuda.

You literally said yesterday who cares about burying Burroughs. Knyzhov will also be in SJ. If it’s anyone it’s MacDonald that’ll be in the AHL but I think we will see another D for F move.

 

[Friday]

wow im a little surprised as i was under the imptrssion when someone said he's not going to sign and so it opens up a roster spot to get tyler myers lol

Why would he come back from an AHL deal? Why do the Sharks need so many average d men

 

[STL Shark]

Thrun should definitely start in the AHL and it looks like he will since we have 7 other defensemen on one-way contracts. Cicek probably belongs in the ECHL, it's crazy he played NHL games.

Given the way they deployed Thrun once he signed, I’d be surprised if he starts in the AHL. 20 mins a night, paired with Karlsson, and playing special teams. At 22, he should be in the NHL unless he just flat out can’t hack it.

 

[Jargon]

Thrun should definitely start in the AHL and it looks like he will since we have 7 other defensemen on one-way contracts. Cicek probably belongs in the ECHL, it's crazy he played NHL games.

I’m willing to bet thousands of fake dollars that Thrun plays in the NHL from game 1.

 

[Desert Eagle]

If we can sign Gawanke he and Mukhamadullin, Thrun and Okhotyuk should form a strong top four on the Cuda. Grier has completely rebuilt our horrid AHL defense in 4 months.

Gawanke is RD, but all 3 others are LD per CF.
Gawanke and Laroque (will he play in AHL next season?) are only two RD in Cuda ATM.
Probably McDonald will be there too.

 

[Hodge]

You literally said yesterday who cares about burying Burroughs. Knyzhov will also be in SJ. If it’s anyone it’s MacDonald that’ll be in the AHL but I think we will see another D for F move.

It's not that the Sharks can't afford to pay a player millions to play in the AHL if it comes to that but that's certainly not the plan going in. MacDonald is on a two-way deal so I wasn't counting him.

Given the way they deployed Thrun once he signed, I’d be surprised if he starts in the AHL. 20 mins a night, paired with Karlsson, and playing special teams. At 22, he should be in the NHL unless he just flat out can’t hack it.

Promises were likely made to get him to sign but I don't see how he beats out Ferraro, Vlasic or Knyzhov on the left side.

 

[Gecklund]

It's not that the Sharks can't afford to pay a player millions to play in the AHL if it comes to that but that's certainly not the plan going in. MacDonald is on a two-way deal so I wasn't counting him.

Promises were likely made to get him to sign but I don't see how he beats out Ferraro, Vlasic or Knyzhov on the left side.

Thrun easily was better than all 3 in his sample size albeit small.

 

[Hodge]

Thrun easily was better than all 3 in his sample size albeit small.

Okay. He's still not beating them out for a roster spot. Which one of those guys do you see the Sharks waiving?

 

[Hobocop]

Gawanke is RD, but all 3 others are LD per CF.
Gawanke and Laroque (will he play in AHL next season?) are only two RD in Cuda ATM.
Probably McDonald will be there too.

Cicek played on the right frequently last season. He doesn't seem to be as good there as on the left, but somebody's probably going to be playing on their off side this season.

There is still also Ethan Frisch on the right, who I am going to go to bat for all offseason.

 

[Gecklund]

Okay. He's still not beating them out for a roster spot. Which one of those guys do you see the Sharks waiving?

MacDonald. And like I said I think they move a D for a F. I’m guessing Ferraro. Right now I see the defense something like:

Knyzhov-Karlsson (or offensive RHD we get in trade)
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic-Burroughs
Simek (if healthy)

Shakir-MacDonald
Ohtokiuk-Gawake
Cicek-Laroque
Pulli/Guryev

If Simek isn’t healthy he’s the 7D and then move Frisch somewhere in there.

 

[Hodge]

MacDonald. And like I said I think they move a D for a F. I’m guessing Ferraro. Right now I see the defense something like:

Knyzhov-Karlsson (or offensive RHD we get in trade)
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic-Burroughs
Simek (if healthy)

Shakir-MacDonald
Ohtokiuk-Gawake
Cicek-Laroque
Pulli/Guryev

If Simek isn’t healthy he’s the 7D and then move Frisch somewhere in there.

MacDonald is not on a one-way contract. I was referring to Vlasic, Karlsson, Ferraro, Benning, Knyzhov, Burroughs and Simek as the 7 on one-ways. If the Sharks trade Karlsson without getting a defenseman back I could see Thrun starting the season on the main roster.

 

[Gecklund]

MacDonald is not on a one-way contract. I was referring to Vlasic, Karlsson, Ferraro, Benning, Knyzhov, Burroughs and Simek as the 7 on one-ways. If the Sharks trade Karlsson without getting a defenseman back I could see Thrun starting the season on the main roster.

Thrun showed better than all of them in his small sample size.

 

[Hodge]

Thrun showed better than all of them in his small sample size.

Like you said, a small sample size. If Thrun kills it in the AHL the first month or so I'm sure the Sharks will try and create space for him but it doesn't make sense to pencil him in right now barring injury or a Karlsson trade that doesn't return a NHL defenseman.

 

[Gecklund]

Like you said, a small sample size. If Thrun kills it in the AHL the first month or so I'm sure the Sharks will try and create space for him but it doesn't make sense to pencil him in right now barring injury or a Karlsson trade that doesn't return a NHL defenseman.

I don’t understand why we wouldn’t pencil him in and let other guys try to beat him out. There’s training camp. I’d imagine Gawanke and Mukhamadullin are in the same position. They’ll be given multiple chances to win spots in the NHL. If it works great! If not then oh well we got some other shit we can use to fill the space. I just don’t see any of those guys beating out Thrun.

 

[OrrNumber4]

MacDonald should be in the AHL. His experience will be very valuable.

 

[Hodge]

I don’t understand why we wouldn’t pencil him in and let other guys try to beat him out. There’s training camp. I’d imagine Gawanke and Mukhamadullin are in the same position. They’ll be given multiple chances to win spots in the NHL. If it works great! If not then oh well we got some other shit we can use to fill the space. I just don’t see any of those guys beating out Thrun.

Players on one-way deals are the incumbents that players on two-way deals need to beat out. This is how it's always been. We wouldn't have signed Burroughs to that contract if Thrun was a lock.

Also with Kniazev gone we can basically call the entire 2019 draft a write off, as was the 2018 draft. DWJr's resume just keeps looking better and better.

 

[stator]

I believe DWsr traded away almost all of the 2019 draft picks. So it was a family affair, not just DWjr.

But Merkley is a UFA right now. So there's a chance the Sharks could salvage 2018 draft somwwhat.... lol.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Players on one-way deals are the incumbents that players on two-way deals need to beat out. This is how it's always been. We wouldn't have signed Burroughs to that contract if Thrun was a lock.

Also with Kniazev gone we can basically call the entire 2019 draft a write off, as was the 2018 draft. DWJr's resume just keeps looking better and better.

I don't know if that's fair. For example, who after Merkley in 2018 would have been a notable upgrade? Miller, I suppose (and to be fair to you that would have been a typical Burke pick). I'd consider Sharangovich to be a top-six player that the Sharks missed out on.

Same with the 2019 draft; who after Kniazev did the Sharks really miss out on? Admittedly I'm not as familiar with that draft...

 

[Hodge]

I don't know if that's fair. For example, who after Merkley in 2018 would have been a notable upgrade? Miller, I suppose (and to be fair to you that would have been a typical Burke pick). I'd consider Sharangovich to be a top-six player that the Sharks missed out on.

Same with the 2019 draft; who after Kniazev did the Sharks really miss out on? Admittedly I'm not as familiar with that draft...

There were quite a few players taken immediately after Kniazev who seem to be tracking a lot better including Nikita Okhotyuk.

 

[Kcoyote3]

From the 2013-2019 drafts the Sharks only have Ferraro and Labanc on the Sharks roster, and in the system only Hamaliuk, Spirodonov and Chmelevski's rights remain.

 

[Friday]

From the 2013-2019 drafts the Sharks only have Ferraro and Labanc on the Sharks roster, and in the system only Hamaliuk, Spirodonov and Chmelevski's rights remain.

I forgive them for the all in years. But thats also brutal

 

[NiWa]

As mentioned earlier in the quoted interview, Gawanke was pretty adamant he doesn't want to go back the AHL with the Manitoba Moose again. He's played there for 4 years without getting any looks in the NHL and felt the time he had put in meant he deserved a chance over others.

He's an offensive RD with a good shot (20 goals last season), I think if Karlsson gets traded (and opens up an RD spot), it would seem much more likely he'll give it another shot on a two-way deal.
If Karlsson stays, and he sees any threat for being at least RD #4 in the system (Karlsson-Benning-Burroughs-Gawanke), he likely won't go for it.