So the Cuda roster as it stands at this moment (using line combos from their last game)
Viel - Suomela - Gambrell
Dahlen - True - Perron
Halbgewachs - McCarthy - Martin
Letunov - Hensick - Weinger
ex/inj: Clifton, Wiederer, Chartier, Fonteyne, McAuley
J. Middleton - DeSimone
Fitzgerald - Roy
K. Middleton - Wood
ex/inj: Gregoire
Bibeau
Korenar
Shark contracts in the ECHL
Fwd:
Schoenborn
Def:
Brodzinski,
Donaghey
Players in
Blue are RFAs this offseason
Players in
Red are UFAs this offseason
Players in
Gray are AHL contracts
Players in
Gray Italics are expring this offseason
I'm not bothering with Barracuda contracts that are in the ECHL. They're non-factors from a Shark perspective.
The Cuda set that's currently under contract for 2019-2020+, based on the current lineup, is (for the purposes of this I'm not futzing with the line combos yet):
Viel - _______ - _______
Dahlen - True - _______
Halbgewachs - _______ - _______
_______ - _______ - _______
ex: Wiederer, _______
J. Middleton - _______
_______ - Roy
_______ - _______
ex: Gregoire
Bibeau
Korenar
That's 9 players under contract, leaving room for a likely set of:
9 forwards
4 defencemen
0 goalies
to fill those ranks from the available RFAs/UFAs/Cuda players/other FAs
Looking at the amateur prospects, here's where the team stands:
Expiring NCAA rights:
Marcus Vela (C)
Jake Jackson (LW)
Jake Kupsky
Ending CHL rights:
Gregor
Blichfeld
Eligible for either the AHL or over-age CHL season:
Chmelevski
Chekhovich
Ineligible for the AHL:
Kotkov (will be entering his age 19 season)
Merkley (will be entering his age 19 season)
Alright, it's hypothetical decision time. Here's the slate of free agents, expiring rights, and CHL assignment questions presented on the whole:
Forwards (14 + 3 Barracuda)
Suomela
Gambrell
Chartier
Perron
Letunov
Martin
Schoenborn
Clifton
Blichfeld
Gregor
Chmelevski
Chekhovich
Vela
Jackson
McCarthy
Fonteyne
Weinger
Defencemen (5 + 1 Barracuda)
DeSimone
Wood
Fitzgerald
Brodzinski
Donaghey
Goalie (1)
Kupsky
Blue are RFA
Red are UFA
Orange are required pro assignments (under contract)
Green are potential pro assignments (under contract)
Purple are expiring draft rights (unsigned)
The worst case scenario would be that the Sharks would only need to clip 4 forwards and 1 d-man from the list above to accommodate all the other players on said list on the Barracuda. I'm not sure of the rules/logistics, but I imagine they could also get out from under those two Cuda contracts (Viel, Gregoire) if they wanted to with little issue. So just in terms of cramming everyone on the roster, it's not
that bad.
but let's look at this a little bit more pragmatically.
Of the forward set, I would bet that:
- Suomela, Gambrell, Chartier, and Perron are easy decisions to re-sign.
- Letunov seems like he's probably a re-sign, but I suppose there's the outside chance he decides to head to the KHL rather than be an AHL depth guy. Let's assume he sticks around.
- I could see Martin being left unqualified if they need more room. We'll default to projecting him to be unqualified.
- Neither of Vela nor Jackson will be signed
- Clifton will be allowed to walk as an UFA
- Schoenborn will not be qualified and will become an UFA
- On the Barracuda front I would imagine that they would like McCarthy back as he's the captain and a young team needs veteran leadership. Fonteyne and Weinger are roster filler at this point. But with that said, if the choice came down to retaining McCarthy or making room for a necessary Sharks addition, the latter is going to win out.
On defence:
- DeSimone and Wood seem like easy re-sign decisions
- Brodzinski is an easy non-QO
- Donaghey is having a nice season in the ECHL and probably warrants a re-sign if for no other reason than to see if he can play at the AHL level
- Fitzgerald likely has very little, if any upside beyond being AHL filler, but he does seem to be steady enough to be the kind of player the org would want as AHL stabilizer
- Keaton Middleton is a tough call. On the one hand he's having a decent season and he has NHL draft pick pedigree ('16 4th rounder by Toronto) but on the other hand he's been a bottom pairing guy all year and would probably be expendable in the face of other, better prospects. I'd be re-signing him and perhaps that means pushing one of Donaghey or current AHL 7th Thomas Gregoire down to the ECHL
In net:
- Kupsky has had good GAAs, but has struggled record-wise, posted low save %s, and appears to have lost his starter's job at Union College this season. It wouldn't surprise me to see him go un-signed to leave room for other, better potential goalie prospect signings/acquisitions
In terms of the Sharks, their situation is the following
Pending UFA
Fwd: Pavelski, Thornton, Nyquist, Donskoi, Haley
Def: Karlsson, Heed
Pending RFA
Fwd: Meier, Labanc
Def: Ryan
I don't want to get too deep into hypothetical Sharks transactions, but let's assume that at minimum both RFA forwards are re-signed, they lose 2 UFA forwards, and 1 of the UFA or RFA d-men (either through non-signing or trade). In the process they replace those forwards with the re-signed Gambrell and Suomela and the two remaining d-men are kept and the team carries 7 D instead of 8 with no additional Cuda guys moving up (most pertinently, Jacob Middleton).
Now let's assume things unfold that way. Adding in the necessary promotion of Blichfeld and Gregor, but ignoring the potential promotions of Chekhovich and Chmelevski and Cuda FAs, this is where we would stand in terms of a hypothetical lineup before considering anyone on the Cuda right now earning a permanent call-up to San Jose:
Viel - Chartier - Perron
Dahlen - True - Blichfeld
Halbgewachs - Gregor - _______
Letunov - McCarthy - _______
ex: Wiederer, _______
J. Middleton - DeSimone
Fitzgerald - Roy
K. Middleton - Wood
ex: Donaghey
ECHL: Gregoire
Bibeau
Korenar
At this point we're left with 2 regular lineup spots and 1 reserve forward spot to fill. In theory this would allow for the pro assignment of Chekhovich and Chmelevski, but the question becomes then whether or not you want them getting limited minutes in checking line roles when both are skill forwards. You can solve one of those issues by moving Viel down to the 4th line, more in line with where he likely belongs, but then you're still stuck with one of Perron, Dahlen, Blichfeld, Chmelevski, or Chekhovich stuck on the 3rd line. I already don't like that Halbgewachs is forced into that position given that he's shown a bit of scoring pop and is probably held down as much by a pair of linemates who have a combined 43 points this season (McCarthy and Martin) as he is the limitations of his skillset as a pro. Some of that might be remedied in my hypothetical lineup by virtue of Halbegewachs/Gregor/whoever being far more skilled than Halbgewachs/McCarthy/Martin, but who's to say that Sommer still won't be a stickler and deploy them like a checking line?
I guess if we assume both Chemelevski and Checkhovich come up, the optimal starting point for a roster would be:
Chekhovich - Chartier - Perron
Chmelevski - True - Blichfeld
Halbgewachs - Gregor - Dahlen
Viel - Letunov - McCarthy
ex: Wiederer, (empty)
J. Middleton - DeSimone
Fitzgerald - Roy
K. Middleton - Wood
Donaghey
Bibeau
Korenar
That's actually not as bad as I thought it would be at the outset.
) (Karlsson trade)
