Have the Sharks made enough changes to the roster?

[LadyStanley]

http://tealpuck.com/2015/07/how-well-have-the-changes-to-the-roster-improved-the-sharks/

Are they enough? Or are there other issues that will impact results?

Click to read more...

 

[OrrNumber4]

There are the obvious unknowns. The coaching staff, the goaltending, the chemistry of the new players...plus there is always the chance that one of the older players just falls off this year. Of course, anything can happen, but you can see a lot of shatterpoints for the Sharks's season.

Fundamentally, the Sharks have issues. Their best players are still inferior to the best players on a host of other teams.

 

[DonskoiDonscored]

This team hinges on how much Thornton drops off.

 

[OrrNumber4]

This team hinges on how much Thornton drops off.

I think that even if JT doesn't drop off at all, there isn't enough.

You also have to wonder if Marleau will recover, if Nieto can get his game going...which versions of Dillon/Braun/Wingels will show up?

 

[DG93]

I think that even if JT doesn't drop off at all, there isn't enough.

You also have to wonder if Marleau will recover, if Nieto can get his game going...which versions of Dillon/Braun/Wingels will show up?

Don't forget how much Ward/Martin will fall off given that they're old and whether Hertl takes the next step...

 

[The Ice Hockey Dude]

http://tealpuck.com/2015/07/how-well-have-the-changes-to-the-roster-improved-the-sharks/

Are they enough? Or are there other issues that will impact results?

The teams success this year mostly depends on goal tending - Jones to actually
be an NHL starter and play well. From there the rest of the players need to have very good
seasons individually.

Key Players to watch...
1) Patty, can he come back from a sub par season and score 30
2) Jumbo, as leadership transitions to Pavs and others, can he continue to be a productive player while gaining another year
3) Hertl and Neito, lets call them 3rd year NHLers, can they still get better and contribute more and perhaps have break out seasons.
4) Martin and Ward, and the rest of the roster for that mater, can they fit into the system under new the new coach.

 

[TheDanceOfMaternity]

7th or 8th seed, out by 2nd round, at the very very best.

 

[T0uGh C0oki3]

7th or 8th seed, out by 2nd round, at the very very best.

That's pessimistic.

 

[Kcoyote3]

I care about nothing next season except:

Jones winning the starting job and performing well
Making the playoffs

I do not want a lost first round pick with three shots for it to be top 3. That would be disastrous for this franchise right now.

 

[Goldenshark]

7th or 8th seed, out by 2nd round, at the very very best.

That sounds about right. The defense still stinks on this team, it's just average to good at best, it's not great and never has been, ever.

 

[Juxtaposer]

That sounds about right. The defense still stinks on this team, it's just average to good at best, it's not great and never has been, ever.

This sentence makes my head hurt. The defense stinks because it's average to good at best? That doesn't sound stinky.


For me, the three biggest keys are 1) Jones, can he be an average starting goaltender; 2) Coaching, will they be aggressive enough offensively, will they fix up the PK, will they utilize the roster correctly; and 3) Logan, can he get back to being the defensive stud he was in '13-'14.

If Raffi can come back, that would be a huge bonus. Obviously Hertl, Nieto, and Tierney need to step up and Marleau needs to rebound. But those things seem reasonably certain to me.

 

[Led Zappa]

We are just about spending to the CAP with what most would agree are all good to very good contracts. The coaching staff and this team need to perform like it.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

EVERY team has question marks.

 

[Goldenshark]

This sentence makes my head hurt. The defense stinks because it's average to good at best? That doesn't sound stinky.


For me, the three biggest keys are 1) Jones, can he be an average starting goaltender; 2) Coaching, will they be aggressive enough offensively, will they fix up the PK, will they utilize the roster correctly; and 3) Logan, can he get back to being the defensive stud he was in '13-'14.

If Raffi can come back, that would be a huge bonus. Obviously Hertl, Nieto, and Tierney need to step up and Marleau needs to rebound. But those things seem reasonably certain to me.

I'm optimistic this team will definitely be better than last year and make the playoffs, but the Sharks defenses have always been average to good in the regular seasons and then when it counts they get exposed and stink it up. We've all seen it happen and nothing they've done so far gives me confidence it will change unless a miracle happens and Jones plays out of his mind and goes on some kind run like Giguere did in 2003 playoffs.

 

[Nolan11]

If jones stalock step up to give us decent goal tending, we will make the playoffs. But have we made enough moves? No definitely not. Our roster is much better but our competition keeps making leaps to our steps.

We now have four top line players, no true second liners, six middle six tweeners and a couple of decent fourth liners. We need two of the tweeners to catch on fire and prove they are legit top six fwds. If those two are nieto and hertl, we may have some cap issues with their bridge contracts to contend with.

If two fwds jump into second liners and Tennyson or whoever steals that third pair RHD spot also shows they can play legit second pair minutes , than we might go far in playoffs. To get cup we'd need jones to play out of his mind too.

It's always possible but with this roster it seems unlikely this season. Hopefully DW continues to play it smart and deals some expiring contracts at the TDL and brings in picks. What we can't afford is him going all in for a rental. Don't panic dw, we will be good enough for you to keep your job.

 

[hohosaregood]

I'm optimistic this team will definitely be better than last year and make the playoffs, but the Sharks defenses have always been average to good in the regular seasons and then when it counts they get exposed and stink it up. We've all seen it happen and nothing they've done so far gives me confidence it will change unless a miracle happens and Jones plays out of his mind and goes on some kind run like Giguere did in 2003 playoffs.

The Sharks team defense has always performed adequately or better than so in terms of GAA but the defense in itself was never actually "good". This is probably the best makeup that the defense has had in like 5+ years.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

If jones stalock step up to give us decent goal tending, we will make the playoffs. But have we made enough moves? No definitely not. Our roster is much better but our competition keeps making leaps to our steps.

.

How so? Sharks improved a couple of glaring holes without losing a single player of significance. All of Ana, La, Chi lost key players and added less than they lost.

 

[TheHockeyRant]

When all is said and done this teams future depends on Martin Jones. We can talk about aging veterans and devoping youngsters all day but SJ needs a new franchise goaltender to depend on AKA Nabokov.

 

[TheHockeyRant]

Also SJ just needs to be one of the top 3 teams in the Pacific. Don't even bother with the Central or the east.

ARI still blows
EDM probably will still suck as their D isn't good and neither is goaltending. TMac isn't going to right ship over night
CGY looks good on paper but they may turn into the 2015 Avs.
VAN probably won't change much from last year which is good for SJ.
LA got worse by losing Williams and Stoll, a soon to be declining Lucic only replaces Beleskys production probably won't help a team that needs someone to replace Voynov.
ANA is the only team that may have improved due to the pick up of Hagelin. Getting Bieksa was probably dumb but they won't be much worse on D for it.


So when all is said and done SJ could very well finish 2nd in the division. If Martin drops off and Jones doesn't work while the other teams all improved then SJ could potentially finish 6th. No way they finish below ARI.

 

[weastern bias]

When all is said and done this teams future depends on Martin Jones.

Future? I don't know about that

The success of this offseason and impending regular season? Absolutely, his performance is the linchpin

 

[PacificOceanPotion]

Martin Jones needs to play out of his mind

 

[SoftDumpInTheCorner]

ARI still blows
EDM probably will still suck as their D isn't good and neither is goaltending. TMac isn't going to right ship over night
CGY looks good on paper but they may turn into the 2015 Avs.
VAN probably won't change much from last year which is good for SJ.
LA got worse by losing Williams and Stoll, a soon to be declining Lucic only replaces Beleskys production probably won't help a team that needs someone to replace Voynov.
ANA is the only team that may have improved due to the pick up of Hagelin. Getting Bieksa was probably dumb but they won't be much worse on D for it.

Agree with ARI and EDM. I do question CGY as their forward depth is ok, the defense is solid but the goaltending is questionable. VAN got worse by trading away their best asset in Eddie Lack. LA will be back in playoff contention, Doughty will carry that defense and the forward group is solid. ANA is the top dog now but can they sustain the type of regular season they had last year, my guess is a unsettling yes.

At this point, I would like the Sharks to improve their overall team defense before anything else, boring hockey doesn't bother me cause the only thing that matters is wins. Plus there are two greenhorns in net that need all the help they can get.

PAC results:
ANA
LA
SJ
CGY
EDM
VAN
ARZ

 

[Helistin]

Anaheim will be good but I think they have to come back to earth a bit. Last season they set the new NHL record with 33 wins in one-goal games (33-1-7). No way anything close to that is happening again.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

I think the guy I'm interested in a lot this season is Hertl. Considering he was healthy throughout the year, he wasn't the guy we hoped he would be. Maybe it was lingering issues with the legs but I am curious to know if he got his conditioning up this summer and is back to being the guy who looked fast and dangerous in his first year. I'm not expecting a 4 goal repeat performance, but I would like to see Hertl be at least a 20-25 goal scorer.

I also hope the new guys fit in nicely and watching Jones be that #1 starter will be interesting as the season progresses.

 

[magic school bus]

Didn't change the defense enough for my liking. Still needs another piece at least.