For the Sharks to win the cup, you have to believe...

[Alwalys]

Saying he's the best relative to his role is a nonsensical statement....John Scott is the best player in the league relative to his role (enforcer). It means nothing.

Invalid analysis yet again. We need look no further than the Sharks for the relevance of the statement -- The idea of Pavelski as 3rd line center has been a major point of discussion for years ... and the team did the best it ever did when he was there. He provided a big advantage for the Sharks in that role, and of course it matters.

You have to be willfully ignorant, aka driving an agenda, to deny that.

Marcus Kreuger is in fact one of the best defensive forwards in the league. The reason Chicago can deploy its top lines so favorably is because they have him anchoring an extremely heavily defensively tasked line. He is also a PK specialist which keeps stars from PK time, the way Pavelski and Marleau do (and even Thornton did, some seasons). Though the F to D comparison is imperfect, Kreuger has similar benefits to Chicago that Vlasic has for the Sharks. And we know how important Vlasic is to the team, despite there being other more individually skilled players.

This is a team game, in case you didn't realize it yet. Depth matters, and it matters more than ever in the modern era.

 

[hohosaregood]

The Sharks will win the cup if Thornton aims more saucer passes into the net.