Speculation: 2018-2019 Sharks Roster Discussion Part II

[Doctor Soraluce]

Yeah, I don’t agree with that at all.

Dillon has shown he’s plenty capable of facing top-4 level competition. He’s taken on top competition at various times this season and looked fine. Hell, he’s been hard matched against world class players like McDavid and Kucherov and he’s been plenty effective against them.

I didn’t watch the Sharks closely until 2009-2010, so perhaps things were different with Murray in the President’s Trophy season. But from what I saw, Douglas Murray was terrible. He was a total liability who lacked the skating and the IQ to be effective at the NHL level and he never played anywhere near the level that Dillon is playing at. And looking at the numbers for Murray’s seasons with Boyle, he never improved Boyle’s numbers like Dillon improves Karlsson’s numbers.

On top of that, we can’t forget that Vlasic has been very ineffective regardless of the competition that he’s faced this season.

I don't disagree that Dillon is better than Douglas was as defender but the only reason Murray was even in the NHL was his intelligence. Dude was probably one of the most intelligent players the Sharks have ever had. I think he was a Mensa member (may have been a joke in a post game interview?) He had a couple (few?) seasons where he was great to watch and extremely effective. He was solid in his own zone, had a good break out pass, defended teammates, won pretty much every fight, and was good for a hits that removed opposing players from the game repeatedly. And he got guys in open ice all the time not just against the boards which frankly takes a decent amount of skill and timing especially considering he wasn't very fast. Guys were looking like they got hit by cars as they stumbled off the ice.

The thing that sold me on Dillon as far as being able to play against tougher competition this season was how he handled Kopitar in a game early this year with EK65 as his partner. He stayed with and caused turnovers from Kopitar on numerous zone entries which frankly shocked me.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

He’s had numerous opportunities over the years and never stuck and has always looked shaky over time. There’s a reason why Dillon is often not out there in critical defensive situations and even with how good he’s been this year that he’s still not seeing 20+ minutes a night.

I wouldn’t even say Dillon has improved this year. It’s his partner that’s improved.

And ever since Martin went down there has been ample opportunities for him that he’s been given and never owned it for various reasons. He’s fine as a third pairing guy and can step into the top four for stretches but that’s it and that’s okay.

I don’t think you can use the coach’s usage of him as a damning piece of evidence towards his abilities when the same coach frequently uses Vlasic and Braun in those situations (frequently 20+ minutes, critical defensive situations) and they’ve both been absolutely terrible. He hasn’t looked very shaky to me for most of the season.

In addition, since the dawn of the new year, he’s played at least 20 minutes in 11 of 18 games and he’s averaging 19:58 per game, and 17:50 at 5V5. And at 5V5, he’s getting 43.68% offensive zone faceoffs, while the team without him is getting 55.19% offensive zone faceoffs. So it appears that the coaching staff is beginning to show more trust in him in the exact situations that you say he is kept away from because he’s a proven failure in them. (He has absolutely crushed those tougher 5V5 minutes since the new year BTW)

There is no chance that Dillon hasn’t improved, regardless of his partner, this season. His performance when not paired with Karlsson and in games where Karlsson doesn’t play at all is a pretty clear improvement on his play in every other season as Shark.

I also don’t think it’s fair to mention what happened last season after Martin went down without considering the context. Dillon and Tim Heed played very well together as a high end 3rd pairing in soft minutes. Then, DeBoer decided to bury Tim Heed and Dillon was subsequently paired with one of two players: a seriously struggling Brent Burns, or Dylan DeMelo. There are a lot of bonafide top-4 defensemen in the NHL who would have done poorly in both of those situations. In the same breath with which you say that Vlasic is a bonafide top-4 defenseman, you must admit that Vlasic next to Dylan DeMelo or last year’s Burns would have also been pretty bad.

Dillon’s also never really been given a fair chance to grab a role of anything more than a distant #4 (which he was last year) because the coach has a skewed view of Vlasic and Braun based on their past performances. Which is another reason you really can’t judge Dillon for how hard his coach uses him. You can only judge him for how he performs in the minutes he gets. In Dillon’s case, he’s been fantastic in every single role that he has played in this season.

 

[Sharksfan83]

I never liked Dillon. Thought he was a useless pylon who was overpaid for what he brought to the table.

I’m glad to be proven wrong and to be honest he’s probably the guy I prefer to see on the ice when we need a strong defensive presence.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I don’t think you can use the coach’s usage of him as a damning piece of evidence towards his abilities when the same coach frequently uses Vlasic and Braun in those situations (frequently 20+ minutes, critical defensive situations) and they’ve both been absolutely terrible. He hasn’t looked very shaky to me for most of the season.

In addition, since the dawn of the new year, he’s played at least 20 minutes in 11 of 18 games and he’s averaging 19:58 per game, and 17:50 at 5V5. And at 5V5, he’s getting 43.68% offensive zone faceoffs, while the team without him is getting 55.19% offensive zone faceoffs. So it appears that the coaching staff is beginning to show more trust in him in the exact situations that you say he is kept away from because he’s a proven failure in them. (He has absolutely crushed those tougher 5V5 minutes since the new year BTW)

There is no chance that Dillon hasn’t improved, regardless of his partner, this season. His performance when not paired with Karlsson and in games where Karlsson doesn’t play at all is a pretty clear improvement on his play in every other season as Shark.

I also don’t think it’s fair to mention what happened last season after Martin went down without considering the context. Dillon and Tim Heed played very well together as a high end 3rd pairing in soft minutes. Then, DeBoer decided to bury Tim Heed and Dillon was subsequently paired with one of two players: a seriously struggling Brent Burns, or Dylan DeMelo. There are a lot of bonafide top-4 defensemen in the NHL who would have done poorly in both of those situations. In the same breath with which you say that Vlasic is a bonafide top-4 defenseman, you must admit that Vlasic next to Dylan DeMelo or last year’s Burns would have also been pretty bad.

Dillon’s also never really been given a fair chance to grab a role of anything more than a distant #4 (which he was last year) because the coach has a skewed view of Vlasic and Braun based on their past performances. Which is another reason you really can’t judge Dillon for how hard his coach uses him. You can only judge him for how he performs in the minutes he gets. In Dillon’s case, he’s been fantastic in every single role that he has played in this season.

And like I said, he's good in stretches. That since the new year's thing is a month and a half and in the last game, he was not out there to defend the lead in the late stages of it. You absolutely cannot pretend like he hasn't been given numerous opportunities to take hold of a top four spot the past few years. A struggling Brent Burns is still a damn good player but Dillon simply didn't or couldn't learn how to play off of him the way he needed to in order to succeed nor could he defend well enough against what Burns sees to warrant the spot. He's an excellent 3rd pairing guy and I'm fine with keeping him there long term but he's 28 now and this is likely the best version of Dillon we're going to get. On a team like the Sharks, you're never going to get a fair opportunity by your standards. Winning teams don't have those spots open up unless there are extenuating circumstances and the bar is set high in order to keep it. Dillon quite simply hasn't met that bar. He's having a great season this year but when you look at his game and what his skills are, he's simply not going to ever earn a permanent role in the top four because his puck skills aren't up to par for it and his defensive skills and reads aren't up to par for the role. He has a place because it is more than up to par for a 3rd pairing role and he brings a valuable physical element to his game and he's relatively disciplined with his application of it.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

And like I said, he's good in stretches. That since the new year's thing is a month and a half and in the last game, he was not out there to defend the lead in the late stages of it. You absolutely cannot pretend like he hasn't been given numerous opportunities to take hold of a top four spot the past few years. A struggling Brent Burns is still a damn good player but Dillon simply didn't or couldn't learn how to play off of him the way he needed to in order to succeed nor could he defend well enough against what Burns sees to warrant the spot. He's an excellent 3rd pairing guy and I'm fine with keeping him there long term but he's 28 now and this is likely the best version of Dillon we're going to get. On a team like the Sharks, you're never going to get a fair opportunity by your standards. Winning teams don't have those spots open up unless there are extenuating circumstances and the bar is set high in order to keep it. Dillon quite simply hasn't met that bar. He's having a great season this year but when you look at his game and what his skills are, he's simply not going to ever earn a permanent role in the top four because his puck skills aren't up to par for it and his defensive skills and reads aren't up to par for the role. He has a place because it is more than up to par for a 3rd pairing role and he brings a valuable physical element to his game and he's relatively disciplined with his application of it.

And again, in the last game, he wasn’t out there in stretches to defend the lead because he’s rightfully not going to play over two Norris Trophy winners and because Braun and Vlasic get overplayed by the coach. In the games where 1-3 of Karlsson, Braun, or Vlasic haven’t been available, Dillon has played top-4 minutes and he’s done very well in them.

The team being a winning team is irrelevant because they’re not winning because of Braun and Vlasic, they’re winning in spite of them. There are extenuating circumstances to give Dillon a look at top-4 minutes. The circumstances are that Vlasic and Braun have been terrible all season. The one pairing where either of them has done well Braun with Dillon and it’s not some kind of coincidence that Dillon is he one guy who Braun has looked with.

It’s completely wrong to say that Dillon hasn’t earned a spot in the top-4 because of puck skills and defensive reads. His puck skills and defensive reads are better than Vlasic and Braun’s have been this year and those guys are both still playing in a top-4 role. The reason he hasnt earned a top-4 role this season is the same reason that Melker Karlsson and Barclay Goodrow haven’t once been scratched in favor of Lukas Radil and Antti Suomela and the reason is equity from the coaches. Now, some of that equity is based on what these players have done in the past and that’s fair, but in Vlasic and Braun’s case it’s based on stuff they did during and before the summer of 2016. That’s far too distant in the past to justify their spots when Dillon this season has been better than either of them have been in any time frame since then.

Last year’s struggling Brent Burns was not a damn good player at all. He was legitimately more detrimental than a replacement level player for a large portion of the season and he spent most of that portion with Dillon. And I say that as one of Burns’ biggest fans. Dillon couldn’t help a struggling Burns, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a top-4 defenseman; it just means he isn’t a Wookie Whisperer that can help that struggling Burns get his game back. By the time Burns’ game came around, he was playing at a Norris level again and even a washed up Paul Martin could play with him.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

And again, in the last game, he wasn’t out there in stretches to defend the lead because he’s rightfully not going to play over two Norris Trophy winners and because Braun and Vlasic get overplayed by the coach. In the games where 1-3 of Karlsson, Braun, or Vlasic haven’t been available, Dillon has played top-4 minutes and he’s done very well in them.

The team being a winning team is irrelevant because they’re not winning because of Braun and Vlasic, they’re winning in spite of them. There are extenuating circumstances to give Dillon a look at top-4 minutes. The circumstances are that Vlasic and Braun have been terrible all season. The one pairing where either of them has done well Braun with Dillon and it’s not some kind of coincidence that Dillon is he one guy who Braun has looked with.

It’s completely wrong to say that Dillon hasn’t earned a spot in the top-4 because of puck skills and defensive reads. His puck skills and defensive reads are better than Vlasic and Braun’s have been this year and those guys are both still playing in a top-4 role. The reason he hasnt earned a top-4 role this season is the same reason that Melker Karlsson and Barclay Goodrow haven’t once been scratched in favor of Lukas Radil and Antti Suomela and the reason is equity from the coaches. Now, some of that equity is based on what these players have done in the past and that’s fair, but in Vlasic and Braun’s case it’s based on stuff they did during and before the summer of 2016. That’s far too distant in the past to justify their spots when Dillon this season has been better than either of them have been in any time frame since then.

Last year’s struggling Brent Burns was not a damn good player at all. He was legitimately more detrimental than a replacement level player for a large portion of the season and he spent most of that portion with Dillon. And I say that as one of Burns’ biggest fans. Dillon couldn’t help a struggling Burns, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a top-4 defenseman; it just means he isn’t a Wookie Whisperer that can help that struggling Burns get his game back. By the time Burns’ game came around, he was playing at a Norris level again and even a washed up Paul Martin could play with him.

It's also because even Vlasic and Braun are better than Dillon in those situations. And I completely disagree with the idea that Dillon's puck skills and defensive reads are better. All three of them are crappy at it. And it's nonsense to say that struggling Burns wasn't a good player. That is utterly ridiculous.

 

[LA Shark]

And again, in the last game, he wasn’t out there in stretches to defend the lead because he’s rightfully not going to play over two Norris Trophy winners and because Braun and Vlasic get overplayed by the coach. In the games where 1-3 of Karlsson, Braun, or Vlasic haven’t been available, Dillon has played top-4 minutes and he’s done very well in them.

The team being a winning team is irrelevant because they’re not winning because of Braun and Vlasic, they’re winning in spite of them. There are extenuating circumstances to give Dillon a look at top-4 minutes. The circumstances are that Vlasic and Braun have been terrible all season. The one pairing where either of them has done well Braun with Dillon and it’s not some kind of coincidence that Dillon is he one guy who Braun has looked with.

It’s completely wrong to say that Dillon hasn’t earned a spot in the top-4 because of puck skills and defensive reads. His puck skills and defensive reads are better than Vlasic and Braun’s have been this year and those guys are both still playing in a top-4 role. The reason he hasnt earned a top-4 role this season is the same reason that Melker Karlsson and Barclay Goodrow haven’t once been scratched in favor of Lukas Radil and Antti Suomela and the reason is equity from the coaches. Now, some of that equity is based on what these players have done in the past and that’s fair, but in Vlasic and Braun’s case it’s based on stuff they did during and before the summer of 2016. That’s far too distant in the past to justify their spots when Dillon this season has been better than either of them have been in any time frame since then.

Last year’s struggling Brent Burns was not a damn good player at all. He was legitimately more detrimental than a replacement level player for a large portion of the season and he spent most of that portion with Dillon. And I say that as one of Burns’ biggest fans. Dillon couldn’t help a struggling Burns, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a top-4 defenseman; it just means he isn’t a Wookie Whisperer that can help that struggling Burns get his game back. By the time Burns’ game came around, he was playing at a Norris level again and even a washed up Paul Martin could play with him.

I agree with most of this. However Brent Burns in the first half was not below replacement level. Ask a replacement level player to play the time and role Burns does and you would have seen a truly detrimental player.

 

[tiburon12]

Completely agree with @JoeThorntonsRooster on Dillon. Some of you guys are eager to paint him as the Douglas Murray to Karlsson’s Boyle but I think Dillon is better than Murray ever was. Dillon is a better skater, puck-carrier, and makes better decisions in transition. He’s no world-beater but I honestly don’t think he’d be out of place in the top-4 long term, assuming he doesn’t decline significantly.

Agree. That's the luxury of Dillon. He may be the bottom end of a top 4 D, but his is a top top end 3rd pairing guy. Which gives me pause because i really like the Dillon-Karlsson pairing, but i think i'd rather have Dillon on the 3rd pair and maximize his value (though i suppose having Karlsson Burns and Vlasic on different pairs gives us the best matchups).

I don't disagree that Dillon is better than Douglas was as defender but the only reason Murray was even in the NHL was his intelligence. Dude was probably one of the most intelligent players the Sharks have ever had. I think he was a Mensa member (may have been a joke in a post game interview?) He had a couple (few?) seasons where he was great to watch and extremely effective. He was solid in his own zone, had a good break out pass, defended teammates, won pretty much every fight, and was good for a hits that removed opposing players from the game repeatedly. And he got guys open ice all the time not just against the boards which frankly takes a decent amount of skill and timing especially considering he wasn't very fast. Guys were looking like they got hit by cars as they stumbled off the ice.

The thing that sold me on Dillon as far as being able to play against tougher competition this season was how he handled Kopitar in a game early this year with EK65 as his partner. He stayed with and caused turnovers from Kopitar on numerous zone entries which frankly shocked me.

I loved Murray. I was at the game when he yard sale'd Bouchard.

You are spot on in saying his greatest strength, beyond actual physical strength, was his IQ. He was never a fast skater, but rarely got beat 1-1 (before his decline with age). His positioning was outstanding and IIRC that's why he meshed so well with Boyle.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

I loved Murray. I was at the game when he yard sale'd Bouchard.

You are spot on in saying his greatest strength, beyond actual physical strength, was his IQ. He was never a fast skater, but rarely got beat 1-1 (before his decline with age). His positioning was outstanding and IIRC that's why he meshed so well with Boyle.

Yeah lots of big dudes who can't skate very fast never make it to the NHL. He did because he was smart. Looks like he graduated Cornell and was one of the inventors of the keg tap that has multiple hoses off it. Crazy... Apparently had good advanced stats during his time as Boyle's partner.
Ex-Shark of the Week: Douglas Murray

 

[Patty Ice]

Yeah lots of big dudes who can't skate very fast never make it to the NHL. He did because he was smart. Looks like he graduated Cornell and was one of the inventors of the keg tap that has multiple hoses off it. Crazy... Apparently had good advanced stats during his time as Boyle's partner.
Ex-Shark of the Week: Douglas Murray

Uber Tap which should have been his nickname because it was just so perfect for him and his hitting ability. But the knuckleheads here insisted on calling him Crankshaft which was dumb. And yes, I'm still salty about it much like how people insist on the CHtwins instead of the much more creative albeit longer nickname of C + C Scoring Factory.

 

[jakeytown]

Agree. That's the luxury of Dillon. He may be the bottom end of a top 4 D, but his is a top top end 3rd pairing guy. Which gives me pause because i really like the Dillon-Karlsson pairing, but i think i'd rather have Dillon on the 3rd pair and maximize his value (though i suppose having Karlsson Burns and Vlasic on different pairs gives us the best matchups).



I loved Murray. I was at the game when he yard sale'd Bouchard.

You are spot on in saying his greatest strength, beyond actual physical strength, was his IQ. He was never a fast skater, but rarely got beat 1-1 (before his decline with age). His positioning was outstanding and IIRC that's why he meshed so well with Boyle.

Prime Murray was so awesome. I also love how Brent Burns is in the box near the end of that video lol

 

[tiburon12]

Uber Tap which should have been his nickname because it was just so perfect for him and his hitting ability. But the knuckleheads here insisted on calling him Crankshaft which was dumb. And yes, I'm still salty about it much like how people insist on the CHtwins instead of the much more creative albeit longer nickname of C + C Scoring Factory.

I'm pretty sure Crankshaft is a more PG13 reference too lol

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

I'm pretty sure Crankshaft is a more PG13 reference too lol

I'm not so sure this is true...

 

[Boy Hedican]

I'm not sure we'll see both 44 and 65 on this team next season. DB is trying to force that, and while its been better it hasn't been great. Pickles was responsible for a few turn overs last night because he hesitated and was a step behind the forecheck when a hustling and far more athletic Dillon would have been on his horse and lately has been making very good, very low danger smart plays while playing with EK65. He's a complimentary D man in every sense and at least when he takes offensive chances he doesn't throw muffins at the goalies chest, stopping any momentum the team and EK65 have. I don't care if Dillon isn't a LEGIT top 4, not sure what that means anyway, but he's playing very well with EK65's unique playing style.

I'm double down that its 4/65 in the playoffs after one terrible 44/65 shift.

Edit: additionally, I'll declare I've been a fan of 44 since he came into the league and never considered trading him until now. If he can't play with our super star Norris d-men, I'd move him out.

 

[Agent Zub]

I've honestly never seen a player neutralize Karlsson like Vlasic is able to.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I'm not sure we'll see both 44 and 65 on this team next season. DB is trying to force that, and while its been better it hasn't been great. Pickles was responsible for a few turn overs last night because he hesitated and was a step behind the forecheck when a hustling and far more athletic Dillon would have been on his horse and lately has been making very good, very low danger smart plays while playing with EK65. He's a complimentary D man in every sense and at least when he takes offensive chances he doesn't throw muffins at the goalies chest, stopping any momentum the team and EK65 have. I don't care if Dillon isn't a LEGIT top 4, not sure what that means anyway, but he's playing very well with EK65's unique playing style.

I'm double down that its 4/65 in the playoffs after one terrible 44/65 shift.

Edit: additionally, I'll declare I've been a fan of 44 since he came into the league and never considered trading him until now. If he can't play with our super star Norris d-men, I'd move him out.

I think we have to keep in mind that there's a difference in competition levels for 44-65 when compared to 4-65. Also, they're still working out the kinks since they've only played with each other about 12 games or so and only these past three games since October? If our options are 44-65 against better competition and 4-61 as the sheltered 3rd pair or 44-61 shutdown role and 4-65 sheltered 3rd pair, I'm taking the former. Karlsson makes Vlasic win his evens shifts and Dillon makes Braun win his evens. The other way around involves a marginal improvement on the wins for Dillon and EK65 while making the shutdown pair a huge loser at evens. I get that there are warts and I get that Dillon has been better with Karlsson in their role when they're a pairing but Vlasic-Karlsson and Dillon-Braun is better for the team.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I think we have to keep in mind that there's a difference in competition levels for 44-65 when compared to 4-65. Also, they're still working out the kinks since they've only played with each other about 12 games or so and only these past three games since October? If our options are 44-65 against better competition and 4-61 as the sheltered 3rd pair or 44-61 shutdown role and 4-65 sheltered 3rd pair, I'm taking the former. Karlsson makes Vlasic win his evens shifts and Dillon makes Braun win his evens. The other way around involves a marginal improvement on the wins for Dillon and EK65 while making the shutdown pair a huge loser at evens. I get that there are warts and I get that Dillon has been better with Karlsson in their role when they're a pairing but Vlasic-Karlsson and Dillon-Braun is better for the team.

You act as if giving hard competition to 4-65 is some sort of impossible mission that they’re not up for.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

You act as if giving hard competition to 4-65 is some sort of impossible mission that they’re not up for.

It is an impossible mission. It would be asking DeBoer to do it and we both know he won't. lol

 

[Agent Zub]

I think we have to keep in mind that there's a difference in competition levels for 44-65 when compared to 4-65. Also, they're still working out the kinks since they've only played with each other about 12 games or so and only these past three games since October? If our options are 44-65 against better competition and 4-61 as the sheltered 3rd pair or 44-61 shutdown role and 4-65 sheltered 3rd pair, I'm taking the former. Karlsson makes Vlasic win his evens shifts and Dillon makes Braun win his evens. The other way around involves a marginal improvement on the wins for Dillon and EK65 while making the shutdown pair a huge loser at evens. I get that there are warts and I get that Dillon has been better with Karlsson in their role when they're a pairing but Vlasic-Karlsson and Dillon-Braun is better for the team.

Karlsson-Dillion is a fantastic shut down pair and the best pairing in the league.

Vlasic just isn't good player this season honestly. He drags everyone around him down. He should be playing sheltered minutes.

 

[TheWayToRefJose]

It's still a bit worrying about the radio silence on resigning EK, even though that's how it always is with DW

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Karlsson-Dillion is a fantastic shut down pair and the best pairing in the league.

Vlasic just isn't good player this season honestly. He drags everyone around him down. He should be playing sheltered minutes.

They're not utilized as a shutdown pairing here for the most part. The seven game stretch that Vlasic was out with Karlsson in the lineup they did to some extent but they also just put Burns and Karlsson out there like every other shift to compensate. It also helped that they hit a soft spot in the schedule and everyone was clicking.

And I can even give you the argument that Vlasic should be playing sheltered minutes but I'm not convinced that he can do that playing with Braun so he has to play with Burns or Karlsson and I think Karlsson is the best option here.

 

[hockeyball]

It's still a bit worrying about the radio silence on resigning EK, even though that's how it always is with DW

Not really. I'm still very confident he's going to re-sign. I think he'd have to be pretty freaking unhappy to want to move again, especially given the teams success and his popularity with the players. It's not like he can really say "I want to go to a better team" at this point, or for more money, or better weather, etc. I guess he could HATE the travel schedule, but that's usually overblown to be honest.

I'd feel a lot better if he purchased property and moved his family and stuff, but short of that I think it's just quiet because there is nothing to be said. He want's 8 years, if he didn't he'd have signed already, and they are just waiting for the deadline to pass.

 

[Boy Hedican]

It's still a bit worrying about the radio silence on resigning EK, even though that's how it always is with DW

totally DW - but I wouldn't be shocked if part of the deal workings is figuring out our top 4. Im not kidding when I say if EK65 and 44 can't make it "work" to the way EK65 wants to plays the game, and we should all agree he's a special player who should be given the room to fly, then DW needs to do something about that and it could mean ship out 44.

completely hear say, but from someone who actually knows sharks players personally due to his professional connection, 44 isn't exactly a locker room / culture guy and hasn't exactly been well liked. Not a cancer at all, just more of a loner. I wonder how sharing a locker with 2 Norris Dmen has affected his psyche. He could easily move on to a team and be the guy he wants to be again without being so overshadowed here. Just some thoughts.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Not really. I'm still very confident he's going to re-sign. I think he'd have to be pretty freaking unhappy to want to move again, especially given the teams success and his popularity with the players. It's not like he can really say "I want to go to a better team" at this point, or for more money, or better weather, etc. I guess he could HATE the travel schedule, but that's usually overblown to be honest.

I'd feel a lot better if he purchased property and moved his family and stuff, but short of that I think it's just quiet because there is nothing to be said. He want's 8 years, if he didn't he'd have signed already, and they are just waiting for the deadline to pass.

The travel thing takes time adjusting to but once you do it's not a big deal. I do remember Paul Martin talking about it when he first came over from a lengthy career on the East coast and I assume the same adjustment happened for Karlsson but since he's so much better that it's hard to notice it. lol

 

[Boy Hedican]

Not really. I'm still very confident he's going to re-sign. I think he'd have to be pretty freaking unhappy to want to move again, especially given the teams success and his popularity with the players. It's not like he can really say "I want to go to a better team" at this point, or for more money, or better weather, etc. I guess he could HATE the travel schedule, but that's usually overblown to be honest.

I'd feel a lot better if he purchased property and moved his family and stuff, but short of that I think it's just quiet because there is nothing to be said. He want's 8 years, if he didn't he'd have signed already, and they are just waiting for the deadline to pass.

The rational me believes this. The sharks fan in me is skeptical. But it all makes sense for him to stay. DW and Hasso have proven to be all in on winning year after year. Considering EK65 came from one of the worst managed team in the league he should be jacked to be here. I was hoping he'd have a career year here to make that easier, and I know he's mentioned he doesn't care about personal accolades, but I'm confident if he signs he'll have some brilliant seasons here.