Speculation: 2020-2021 Sharks Roster Discussion Part 8

[Karl Prime]

Burns started his pro career as a defenseman after going through juniors as a forward.

Ah yes, my bad. Nevertheless, I would say it's still not that comparable because Burns became a D-man at the pro level whereas Merkley has done it his whole hockey life.

 

[STL Shark]

Ah yes, my bad. Nevertheless, I would say it's still not that comparable because Burns became a D-man at the pro level whereas Merkley has done it his whole hockey life.

And Burns was already a quality D-Man in the NHL at age 20. Even if his offense never came along, his size and skating combination were going to propel him to be a top 4 D-Man on an NHL team. Merkley does not have any redeeming attribute if the offense does not come along which is what makes him a risky boom/bust prospect.

 

[Kcoyote3]

It’s been fun wasting two years with this core because our goaltending is horrible and we didn’t address our offense during that time. Hopefully big changes coming to the goalie situation.

 

[tealzamboni]

I could write a lot on what's good and what's not good with Merkley, but I feel like it can be best summed up by just saying he needs to work on his effort level. Especially in the defensive zone.

Any chance Coe fits at D?

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

It’s been fun wasting two years with this core because our goaltending is horrible and we didn’t address our offense during that time. Hopefully big changes coming to the goalie situation.

I don't think anything happens in 2021-22. The better prospects in Merkley, Wiesblatt, Robins and Bordeleau are still unlikely to make an impact next year. Next year may end up being another refresh year with the difference that we may see one or two 'core' players be moved to load up on even more picks/prospects.

Better to just eat Jones salary for next season and maybe buy him out the year after. Though, if there is one person to be moved (or bought out) it should be Vlasic.

 

[Hobocop]

Any chance Coe fits at D?

I'm not sure why they'd move Coe to D, but he is solid enough in his own end.

The upside of the OHL getting canceled this year is Coe staying on in the AHL. His development has been a bright spot for us.

 

[Nolan11]

I don't think anything happens in 2021-22. The better prospects in Merkley, Wiesblatt, Robins and Bordeleau are still unlikely to make an impact next year. Next year may end up being another refresh year with the difference that we may see one or two 'core' players be moved to load up on even more picks/prospects.

Better to just eat Jones salary for next season and maybe buy him out the year after. Though, if there is one person to be moved (or bought out) it should be Vlasic.

I agree, barring a miracle, the needle is not going to move much for this team in 21-22. Might as well hold on to Jones for one more season, possibly buying him out the following year so we can extend Hertl.

IMO, best we can hope for is DW moving one plus value player this offseason for some value (so not Vlasic or Jones, but maybe one of Burns/Couture/Kane/Meier, etc.) that makes our team slightly worse for 21-22. A small finger on the scales could easily tilt this team int a lottery pick top 5 (untli three teams above us win, which would be true shark-luck). If we could free up a little cap space and make our team worse, with say only a 1-2 year cap dump coming back, our flexibility in 2-3 years would allow us to build back better.

 

[Cas]

I agree, barring a miracle, the needle is not going to move much for this team in 21-22. Might as well hold on to Jones for one more season, possibly buying him out the following year so we can extend Hertl.

Seems to me that doing what they did with Dubnyk (trading for an established goalie with an expiring contract and running them with Jones as starting options) might be useful - gives Korenar and Melnichuk most of another year in the AHL to continue to season (neither seems NHL ready yet), with the option to trade the new guy at the deadline. You're looking at Fleury, Kuemper, Koskinen, Holtby, Greiss, Merzlikens, and Korpisalo with significant salaries.

Plenty of free agent goaltenders this offseason, too.

 

[Friday]

With how good the drafts are the next two years it's definitely time to trade 2 or 3 of the core guys and ride this into the ground. Hertl would be worth a boat load this offseason or even at the deadline.

I also wonder what Kanes perceived value is because his contract is great and his on ice effort / production is great. But obviously comes with off ice red flags and financial issues.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Seems to me that doing what they did with Dubnyk (trading for an established goalie with an expiring contract and running them with Jones as starting options) might be useful - gives Korenar and Melnichuk most of another year in the AHL to continue to season (neither seems NHL ready yet), with the option to trade the new guy at the deadline. You're looking at Fleury, Kuemper, Koskinen, Holtby, Greiss, Merzlikens, and Korpisalo with significant salaries.

Plenty of free agent goaltenders this offseason, too.

It depends on what their intentions are though. If they want to develop the goalies they have, they likely need one as backup/1B and one starting in the A.

 

[Cas]

It depends on what their intentions are though. If they want to develop the goalies they have, they likely need one as backup/1B and one starting in the A.

I also didn't consider that the Sharks have "too many" goalies - Jones, Korenar, Melnichuk, Sawchenko, and Emond, plus maybe Harvey on an AHL deal. Might have to get rid of one anyway.

 

[tiburon12]

With the playoffs realistically out of the picture, i think the team needs to start reworking their gameplan and start taking some risks.

First and foremost, i'd break up the Karlsson and Knyzhov pairing and put Ferraro with Karlsson. It's time for Karlsson to be put in a position to be the offensive dynamo the team needs him to be, and Ferraro can be a great anchor to focus on the defensive side of things while Karl goes gambling.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Jone5 is a perfect goalie for tanking so if DW is OK to tank (“reset” as DW names it) one more season he shouldn’t buy him out yet. Team may split 50/50 Jones and prospect (or player from FA like Drieger) and get one more lottery pick on much stronger draft-2022. Just buyout Jones after 2021/22 season with less number of contract years.

 

[tiburon12]

Shocked the Sharks are not last. But maybe that's because this is %. Sharks rarely win faceoffs!

 

[CupfortheSharks]

With the playoffs realistically out of the picture, i think the team needs to start reworking their gameplan and start taking some risks.

First and foremost, i'd break up the Karlsson and Knyzhov pairing and put Ferraro with Karlsson. It's time for Karlsson to be put in a position to be the offensive dynamo the team needs him to be, and Ferraro can be a great anchor to focus on the defensive side of things while Karl goes gambling.

Right now, Boughner tries to get Ferraro- Burns out against the other teams best line. If you make this switch, which pairing would you suggest get the toughest defensive assignment?

 

[Gecklund]

Right now, Boughner tries to get Ferraro- Burns out against the other teams best line. If you make this switch, which pairing would you suggest get the toughest defensive assignment?

Ferraro-EK

 

[CupfortheSharks]

Ferraro-EK

I would love to see that. Let’s see what Karlsson does with the tough defensive minutes when we are clearly out of the playoffs. I suspect that would help our tanking efforts.

 

[Barrie22]

Ferraro-EK

So switch the pairings up, so karlsson can focus more on the offensive side of the game. But then put him out against the other teams best forwards so he has to focus more on the defensive side of the game due to who he gets matched against. This does not make sense in the slightest bit.

 

[Jargon]

I was opposed to trading the core of this team and doing a full tank but now I’m all for it. I find myself excited by players like Gregor, Leonard, etc. and wildly frustrated by Meier, Couture and the other vets.

I love Hertl, for example, but he gets injured whenever he starts to take off and it’s getting to the point where I think maybe it’s time to move on and just reboot the entire thing.

 

[hohosaregood]

I was opposed to trading the core of this team and doing a full tank but now I’m all for it. I find myself excited by players like Gregor, Leonard, etc. and wildly frustrated by Meier, Couture and the other vets.

I love Hertl, for example, but he gets injured whenever he starts to take off and it’s getting to the point where I think maybe it’s time to move on and just reboot the entire thing.

The thing that kind of sucks is knowing that all those guys will probably take off like crazy once we trade them.

 

[Dicdonya]

The thing that kind of sucks is knowing that all those guys will probably take off like crazy once we trade them.

I doubt that with Cooch, since Cooch is who he is, and has had plenty of time in his career to elevate him game alongside great players but has been consistently a 55-65pt player, but Hertl and Meier definitely could. Hertl especially

 

[tiburon12]

Should we?

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Should we?

I would prefer not to but I don't think the next coach will matter much. If DW is continuing a pretty uneventful refresh, they are going to continue to lose.

 

[Anomie2029]

Should we?

No.

 

[Crazy Joe Divola]

No.

yes. The guaranteed memes would sustain us