Speculation: 2021 Sharks Offseason Roster Discussion part III

[Herschel]

I wouldn't have a problem going this route. I just don't know if the team actually does it. If the rumors are to be believed, Kane and Labanc are on the trading block, they're looking for a 3C, and to address the goaltending. It would seem to me that the most likely move on defense is exposing Simek, maybe even making a deal with Seattle to ensure he's the one taken, and open that spot up for competition.

I agree with trying to take PK load off of Burns and Karlsson. I'd be alright with getting a more solid option to play across Karlsson but Knyzhov has a lot of the tools you'd like to see playing with him. He just needs more seasoning and more patience.

I'd really like to see Karlsson paired with Ferraro just not as a shutdown unit.

 

[STL Shark]

I wouldn't have a problem going this route. I just don't know if the team actually does it. If the rumors are to be believed, Kane and Labanc are on the trading block, they're looking for a 3C, and to address the goaltending. It would seem to me that the most likely move on defense is exposing Simek, maybe even making a deal with Seattle to ensure he's the one taken, and open that spot up for competition.

I agree with trying to take PK load off of Burns and Karlsson. I'd be alright with getting a more solid option to play across Karlsson but Knyzhov has a lot of the tools you'd like to see playing with him. He just needs more seasoning and more patience.

I agree on Knyzhov, I just think that on a good team he's playing on the 3rd pairing rather than the 2nd pairing. Just for fun, let's say the following happens:

DW buys out Jones and Vlasic
Seattle takes Donato
Simek and Labanc are traded (not sure the return but their caps are gone)
DW acquires Khudobin via trade and signs Driedger to a 3x3 in UFA to solidify goaltending.
RFAs are re-signed to the deals we assume are coming.

Would leave $15.3 million in cap space to be allocated to a top 4 LD, bottom pair RD, 3C, and maybe even another top/middle 6 winger. Feel like you could drastically improve the team with that amount of cap space even without thinking of what you're getting back in the Labanc deal. Add in the goaltending tandem improvement by leaps and bounds compared to the last few years and I think that could be the shrewd move needed to turn things around. The counterpoint would be that the team is still an injury to Hertl/Couture away from imploding on itself again, so if that happens you just married yourself to a steep buyout for years to come without much of anything to show for it. Tough line to toe on either side, but if you're not rebuilding you may as well jump in with both feet to trying to compete (without giving up future 1st rounders).

 

[Hodge]

I disagree with this, the moves that DW made, or didn't make, suggest there is recognition of the situation. It would have been very easy for DW to justify adding at the TDL last season to make a run at a playoff spot.

The moves that he makes this offseason will likely tell the same story. I suspect that outside of a blockbuster big move he is going to add a goalie and 3C without using 1st or 2nd round draft picks. This is likely going to decrease the quality of players available but fits a long term plan to restock.

We'll see. Honestly the less he does this offseason (outside of moving the big contracts which I don't expect) the more confidence I would have that he understands the situation he's put himself in. Like if he trades a 2022 2nd for Adin Hill and signs Danault to a $35 million contract that would be infuriating. But if he rolls with a goalie tandem of UFA/Jones or UFA/Korenar and brings in Tierney as the 3C then the stealth tank is on.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

The stealth tank is the best route to go. No one expects anything of us anyway so we might as well go all in for the Wright/Savoie/Bedard/Michkov and others in the next couple of years. Combine that with some of our current prospects becoming at worse decent players then we won't even have to sign them to pay raises until some of our big current contracts are expired anyway (assuming not a single one is bought out/traded/retires)

 

[NiWa]

@STL Shark But if we buy out Vlasic, we'll have a cap penalty of 2M for the next decade! He could just as well retire before the 5 remaining years on his contract are up.
We could keep while he can still make it as 3rd pairing D to reduce the tail end of that buy out.

Jones is a different story as he's purely negative (salary aside).

 

[Juxtaposer]

That Wild move is absolutely bamboozling. There must have been something going on off the ice to basically pay them the same as their contract would be for them not to play for the Wild.

Parise is done, but Suter should be able to find a decent contract from someone.

 

[Negatively Positive]

Hope Suter doesn't sign with Vegas for cheap.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

That's some massive coin going on the books years 2-4. $13 million in dead cap space for 2022-23 and $15 million in dead cap space for the two seasons after that.

Are these numbers right? I read it was like 7mil at it's peak. I just can't imagine them being ok with 15mil in dead cap for any year. Just wow.

 

[Gunnin54]

Parise and Suter got bought out

 

[Hodge]

Parise is dead cap whether he's on the books or not. Can't even send him to the AHL.

Buying out Suter is a bit more questionable but they may have feared cap recapture if he were to retire in a year or two.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

It's hard to know how set in stone ownership's position on this is because I doubt Wilson has ever suggested a long term rebuild to them. If a different GM came in and laid out how hopeless any chance of even getting substantial playoff revenue out of this roster is and the benefits of a long term rebuild in that regard maybe they would change their tune.

The argument against firing Wilson is that nobody would be able to come in and fix this mess overnight. That's fair. But to me the greater concern is that there appears to be no recognition org-wide that this even is a mess to begin with. That's the perspective an outside hire could provide. Minnesota's ownership was fine letting the team toil in mediocrity for a decade until Guerin came in and decided to change course.

You just don't know that. If DW doesn't do anything of substance this off season I might lean your way a little but I don't get the defeatist comments or attitudes prior to the summer milestones where stuff is most likely to happen. "Oh whoa is me, nothing is ever going to be good and the team will always suck". Sounds like Vegas in the playoffs.

So if it's fair that a new hire can't fix it overnight why would you expect DW to be able to do it overnight? The argument against firing DW has more to do with him building mostly competitive teams for 20 years which only a couple other GMs have even been able to do for that long. What you think they should recognize they already do. I guarantee it. They needed to be able to make some moves to make changes though. This off season offers a unique opportunity to adjust rosters if a creative GM can find solutions. So far DW has shown a very high aptitude for creativity. The manner the acquired Jones was unique, the trade of that guy that EK65 hates to Florida, the way he used Sharks cap space to get extra picks at the last TDL... From my perspective he's one of the most creative guys in the job right now. Frankly I'm dying to see what kind of shenanigans he has planned for the next few weeks. Might not be much, might be major. I'll reserve judgment until we actually have a clue instead of just condemning the whole thing in advance. Seems pointless IMO.