Speculation: Summer 2018 Roster Discussion Part V

Status
Not open for further replies.

67 others

Registered User
Jul 30, 2010
2,609
1,714
Moose country
I vividly remember watching him and reading this board and the general sentiment on this board, that I agreed with, was that the effort was there and he was still putting up points but he was just visibly done.
I don't think the car accident was the catalyst as he still blazed points back then and was quick. His injury in 07-08 THERE i noticed a difference in his play after although it did not immediately register on his point totals. He coasted a lot more, relying on linemates and did not have the same hustle.

But word was still out that his conditioning was poor and I do recall a decrease in the effort of the hungry kid I once watched.
 

Lebanezer

I'unno? Coast Guard?
Jul 24, 2006
14,756
10,263
San Jose
That I disagree with.

He scored 50, 50, 41, 39 and 39 goals 5 seasons after that car crash. The word at the time was he became reliant on his shot and stopped bothering with the physical conditioning and effort and it showed
While he was successful after the crash, he significantly decreased his longevity. Those numbers you referenced show how good he was, and that he should probably still be playing. Tearing 3 ligaments in his knee rapidly increased his rate of decline. If he was stupid about conditioning as well he only increased that rate of decline further. When he got to the Sharks, they got 2 pretty good years out of him, but the playoffs in his second season, you could see the effects on his mobility. He was starting to break down at 30, and he really should have easily made it to 1000 games and 500 goals.
 
Last edited:

Maladroit

Registered User
May 9, 2018
980
437
Berkeley, CA
The more I think about it the more committing to a Burns/Couture/Vlasic core into their late 30s is absolute insanity even if they somehow never decline from what they are today (which is impossible). These guys weren't good enough to get it done when they had a prime Thornton, Marleau and Pavelski playing ahead of them in the lineup - how the hell is locking them up with those guys gone going to lead to a Stanley Cup? How are the Sharks going to get pieces of prime Thornton or Marleau's caliber without drafting 1st or 2nd overall?

Some of this is definitely hindsight analysis and I'd be singing a different tune if the Sharks had managed to sign Tavares but the fact of the matter is they didn't and the future of this team looks depressingly bleak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shark Finn

tiburon12

Registered User
Jul 18, 2009
4,600
4,378
While he was successful after the crash, he significantly decreased his longevity. Those numbers you referenced show how good he was, and that he should probably still be playing. Tearing 3 ligaments in his knee rapidly increased his rate of decline. If he was stupid about conditioning as well he only increased that rate of decline further. When he got to the Sharks, they got 2 pretty good years out of him, but the playoffs in his second season, you could see the effects on his mobility. He was starting to break down at 30, and he really should have easily made it to 1000 games and 500 goals.

It was the guilt of banging Spezza's wife that ultimately got to him
 

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
The more I think about it the more committing to a Burns/Couture/Vlasic core into their late 30s is absolute insanity even if they somehow never decline from what they are today (which is impossible). These guys weren't good enough to get it done when they had a prime Thornton, Marleau and Pavelski playing ahead of them in the lineup - how the hell is locking them up with those guys gone going to lead to a Stanley Cup? How are the Sharks going to get pieces of prime Thornton or Marleau's caliber without drafting 1st or 2nd overall?

Some of this is definitely hindsight analysis and I'd be singing a different tune if the Sharks had managed to sign Tavares but the fact of the matter is they didn't and the future of this team looks depressingly bleak.

The only other option really is to not sign these guys and let them walk. Trading any of them wasn't going to get the team anything really.
 

Maladroit

Registered User
May 9, 2018
980
437
Berkeley, CA
The only other option really is to not sign these guys and let them walk. Trading any of them wasn't going to get the team anything really.

As far as I know Vlasic didn't have any sort of trade restriction on his old deal. I'm sure they could have fetched a first round pick and a good prospect for him at the 2017 draft, especially from a team he was willing to sign an extension with. Couture and Burns were trickier due to their NTCs but they probably would have been willing to work with Wilson on a trade to a preferred destination.

But even losing all three of these guys for nothing would have been preferable to being locked into them for almost the next decade when they're all already in their thirties. This is a group of players who weren't even remotely worth building around at their absolute peak - there were better players on the team than Couture, Vlasic and Burns when each of those guys were at their respective peaks and we still couldn't win a Cup.

Throw Kane into the mix and we've committed $30 million in cap space for the next seven years to four declining complementary players with no stars in place and no conceivable way to acquire those stars. The trajectory of this team once Thornton either falls off a cliff or retires won't be pretty but thanks to those four contracts and Jones they probably won't be awful enough to land a top three pick barring lottery luck. It's a bad spot to be in. Everything was contingent on getting Tavares and we missed out. A team with a thirtysomething Logan Couture as its best forward is going nowhere.
 

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
As far as I know Vlasic didn't have any sort of trade restriction on his old deal. I'm sure they could have fetched a first round pick and a good prospect for him at the 2017 draft, especially from a team he was willing to sign an extension with. Couture and Burns were trickier due to their NTCs but they probably would have been willing to work with Wilson on a trade to a preferred destination.

But even losing all three of these guys for nothing would have been preferable to being locked into them for almost the next decade when they're all already in their thirties. This is a group of players who weren't even remotely worth building around at their absolute peak - there were better players on the team than Couture, Vlasic and Burns when each of those guys were at their respective peaks and we still couldn't win a Cup.

Throw Kane into the mix and we've committed $30 million in cap space for the next seven years to four declining complementary players with no stars in place and no conceivable way to acquire those stars. The trajectory of this team once Thornton either falls off a cliff or retires won't be pretty but thanks to those four contracts and Jones they probably won't be awful enough to land a top three pick barring lottery luck. It's a bad spot to be in. Everything was contingent on getting Tavares and we missed out. A team with a thirtysomething Logan Couture as its best forward is going nowhere.

Vlasic had a full no-trade clause on his last deal. The rest is preference which is fine but it's a minority opinion around here. Most would rather get in the playoffs and lose than rebuild.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gaucholoco3

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
Vlasic had a full no-trade clause on his last deal. The rest is preference which is fine but it's a minority opinion around here. Most would rather get in the playoffs and lose than rebuild.

I'm all for winning, playoffs etc. but not the Redwings way, just for the sake of it. You don't win by overpaying your players and mediocre FA's. That's what Wilson is currently doing and it's not gonna work. Ask Ken Holland. Sooner or later you're up against the cap with a trash roster. Only a matter of time.
 
Last edited:

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
I'm all for winning, playoffs etc. but not the Redwings way, just for the sake of it. You don't win by overpaying your players and mediocre FA's. That's what Wilson is currently doing and it's not gonna work. Ask Ken Holland. Sooner or later you're up against the cap with a trash roster. Only a matter of time.

From their perspective, it's not likely that they're doing it for the sake of doing it. They're doing it because it's what is best for their bottom line. Until that isn't the case anymore and they have no real alternatives, this is likely the way they will continue to go. Unfortunately for people like me who do want them to choose the best route for a championship rather than worry about their bottom line, the core moving forward is good enough to compete for a playoff spot and that's probably going to be good enough so long as they make it. The difference between San Jose and Detroit is that San Jose found their replacement defensemen when their star retired. When Lidstrom retired, Detroit had no one that was even of #1 quality. When Boyle retired, the Sharks had Burns waiting. The forwards have shown that they're good enough without Marleau and good enough without Thornton to be a playoff team. Maybe that changes if Pavelski walks after this season but I doubt it. This team isn't dropping from playoff contention until Burns tanks. I don't see that happening in the next few years.
 

Maladroit

Registered User
May 9, 2018
980
437
Berkeley, CA
From their perspective, it's not likely that they're doing it for the sake of doing it. They're doing it because it's what is best for their bottom line. Until that isn't the case anymore and they have no real alternatives, this is likely the way they will continue to go. Unfortunately for people like me who do want them to choose the best route for a championship rather than worry about their bottom line, the core moving forward is good enough to compete for a playoff spot and that's probably going to be good enough so long as they make it. The difference between San Jose and Detroit is that San Jose found their replacement defensemen when their star retired. When Lidstrom retired, Detroit had no one that was even of #1 quality. When Boyle retired, the Sharks had Burns waiting. The forwards have shown that they're good enough without Marleau and good enough without Thornton to be a playoff team. Maybe that changes if Pavelski walks after this season but I doubt it. This team isn't dropping from playoff contention until Burns tanks. I don't see that happening in the next few years.

I think the only reason this roster made the playoffs last year and is pretty much a lock to make it again this year is because the current Pacific is one of the worst divisions the NHL has seen since realignment. There are at least five Central Division teams better than the Sharks right now but it doesn't matter because even if they all make the playoffs there's still a guaranteed spot for the Sharks. If Edmonton ever gets their shit together and/or Vancouver lands Jack Hughes that's gonna change.
 

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
I think the only reason this roster made the playoffs last year and is pretty much a lock to make it again this year is because the current Pacific is one of the worst divisions the NHL has seen since realignment. There are at least five Central Division teams better than the Sharks right now but it doesn't matter because even if they all make the playoffs there's still a guaranteed spot for the Sharks. If Edmonton ever gets their **** together and/or Vancouver lands Jack Hughes that's gonna change.

It doesn't really matter to the bottom line why they made the playoffs. The fact is that they did and they have good reason to believe they will continue to do so. Edmonton and Vancouver will never be able to consistently compete for a playoff spot because their blue lines are garbage. Jack Hughes isn't going to change squat when it comes to Vancouver lol
 

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
From their perspective, it's not likely that they're doing it for the sake of doing it. They're doing it because it's what is best for their bottom line. Until that isn't the case anymore and they have no real alternatives, this is likely the way they will continue to go. Unfortunately for people like me who do want them to choose the best route for a championship rather than worry about their bottom line, the core moving forward is good enough to compete for a playoff spot and that's probably going to be good enough so long as they make it. The difference between San Jose and Detroit is that San Jose found their replacement defensemen when their star retired. When Lidstrom retired, Detroit had no one that was even of #1 quality. When Boyle retired, the Sharks had Burns waiting. The forwards have shown that they're good enough without Marleau and good enough without Thornton to be a playoff team. Maybe that changes if Pavelski walks after this season but I doubt it. This team isn't dropping from playoff contention until Burns tanks. I don't see that happening in the next few years.

For what then if not for the sake of it? They're not gonna win a cup like that. It's never been done like that because it doesn't work. And if Wilson's only goal is an extended playoff streak (again, like Detroit) then Plattner can please fire him right now.
Again, I'm not against winning and a few months ago I wasn't in the rebuild camp but needless overpayments for your own players and average FA's won't lead anywhere. You need to build a solid core and then you can still overpay for the missing pieces.

With all respect for Burns...even if Detroit had Burns instead of Green (not even talking about the additional cap issues that would bring) they still wouldn't be a contender. They overpaid and gambled on terms with too many players...they're one of the worst teams in the NHL and still struggle to sign their RFA's because they're up against the cap for quite a while now. And all that for the sake of a friggin playoff streak without an actual shot at the cup. Stupid. And again. If that's your plan, Doug then please get lost.
 

Maladroit

Registered User
May 9, 2018
980
437
Berkeley, CA
It doesn't really matter to the bottom line why they made the playoffs. The fact is that they did and they have good reason to believe they will continue to do so. Edmonton and Vancouver will never be able to consistently compete for a playoff spot because their blue lines are garbage. Jack Hughes isn't going to change squat when it comes to Vancouver lol

I'm saying it's not something they can count on indefinitely. They're probably going to start missing the playoffs if the division improves even slightly, which could be as soon as 2019-20. This forward group without Thornton and Pavelski is horrendous and there's no help on the way from the pipeline.
 

Barrie22

Shark fan in hiding
Aug 11, 2009
24,795
5,955
ontario
For what then if not for the sake of it? They're not gonna win a cup like that. It's never been done like that because it doesn't work. And if Wilson's only goal is an extended playoff streak (again, like Detroit) then Plattner can please fire him right now.
Again, I'm not against winning and a few months ago I wasn't in the rebuild camp but needless overpayments for your own players and average FA's won't lead anywhere. You need to build a solid core and then you can still overpay for the missing pieces.

With all respect for Burns...even if Detroit had Burns instead of Green (not even talking about the additional cap issues that would bring) they still wouldn't be a contender. They overpaid and gambled on terms with too many players...they're one of the worst teams in the NHL and still struggle to sign their RFA's because they're up against the cap for quite a while now. And all that for the sake of a friggin playoff streak without an actual shot at the cup. Stupid. And again. If that's your plan, Doug then please get lost.

Playoffs mean extra money in playners pockets. Why would he fire wilson?

What pinkfloyd is talking about has nothing to do with winning cups. That would be an extreme bonus for platner. Just making the playoffs and being swept still makes platner an easy couple million.
 

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
Playoffs mean extra money in playners pockets. Why would he fire wilson?

What pinkfloyd is talking about has nothing to do with winning cups. That would be an extreme bonus for platner. Just making the playoffs and being swept still makes platner an easy couple million.

Maybe...but it's rather short sighted...they're not gonna better like that...it can only get worse. So why not build something serious to become a real contender? Even if they miss the playoff once or twice...if it leads to several conference finals or even more that would easily make up for it. Also, the Detroit model leads to missed playoffs, too. In the end you're losing but can't even rebuild properly because of too many bad contracts/clauses and a lack of quality prospects. A few years ago the Griffins were one of the AHL's top teams...Detroit should have gone all in or started a rebuild back then.
 

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
For what then if not for the sake of it? They're not gonna win a cup like that. It's never been done like that because it doesn't work. And if Wilson's only goal is an extended playoff streak (again, like Detroit) then Plattner can please fire him right now.
Again, I'm not against winning and a few months ago I wasn't in the rebuild camp but needless overpayments for your own players and average FA's won't lead anywhere. You need to build a solid core and then you can still overpay for the missing pieces.

With all respect for Burns...even if Detroit had Burns instead of Green (not even talking about the additional cap issues that would bring) they still wouldn't be a contender. They overpaid and gambled on terms with too many players...they're one of the worst teams in the NHL and still struggle to sign their RFA's because they're up against the cap for quite a while now. And all that for the sake of a friggin playoff streak without an actual shot at the cup. Stupid. And again. If that's your plan, Doug then please get lost.

How is it not clear to you that they're doing it to make money when I specifically reference their bottom line? They're not running this franchise solely to win a Cup. Their TV deal sucks to such an extent that the only reasonable avenue for them to make as much money as they can to counteract that deal is by competing, being a playoff team, selling tickets and getting playoff money. Maybe after the 2027-28 season the team can rebuild after a renegotiated TV deal that probably gets them 10-20 million more a year but until then or until Hasso shows a different mindset, this is likely the way it will be.

The Sharks situation isn't the same as Detroit's. Detroit is getting a new arena with pretty good revenue streams and has a TV deal worth 30 mil a year. The Sharks pale in comparison on both the arena and TV deal fronts since they're not getting a new arena until 2025 at the earliest and will be getting a pitiful 7 mil a year until 2028 on their TV deal (thanks Greg Jamison). If they don't continue competing, they will have almost no legitimate revenue stream and will lose a crap ton of money on this team when fans don't show up for the rebuild.

So when it comes to the rosters, the idea isn't to worry about whether they're contenders or not. The question for the Sharks is merely whether they can make the playoffs or not. In Detroit's case, their playoff hopes were lost because the depth behind Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom was always pretty shallow. Their blue line after Lidstrom was always subpar. The difference between a 35 point Green and a 75 point Burns would be massive for them. In Datsyuk's last year, they had no top line talent around him. Zetterberg was in decline and they had really nobody else. The Sharks may not have the franchise caliber center to anchor the team but they still have top line talent rather than a bunch of middle six forwards. We can say what we want about the shortcomings of Pavelski, Couture, Hertl, and Kane but they are top line talents. They're just not franchise caliber talents. That's still more than what Detroit can say after Datsyuk and Lidstrom.
 

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
The thing is...they won't be able to keep up their playoff streak for 10 more seasons...not if they continue to throw too much money/term/clauses at mediocre players. I don't think that's gonna be possible. I may be wrong but I say that may work 4-5 seasons at best so if Wilson continues to do what he did the last few years the Sharks will probably be a +/- 50% playoff team until their TV-deal expires.

With a proper rebuild on the fly (like Tampa for example) that percentage would likely be higher. Wilson could also try to fix the team via trades and only keep players willing to win with the Sharks. It's been done before...could also lead to a few missed playoffs but that would (or would have since it would be difficult after Wilson's latest moves) be my preferred route.
 
Last edited:

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
I'm saying it's not something they can count on indefinitely. They're probably going to start missing the playoffs if the division improves even slightly, which could be as soon as 2019-20. This forward group without Thornton and Pavelski is horrendous and there's no help on the way from the pipeline.

Nobody is counting on anything indefinitely. That's a straw man. They're probably going to start missing the playoffs if the division improves even slightly? Based on what? I don't think you have given much thought to what the other teams in this division are doing if you honestly believe that. The teams outside of the playoffs in the Pacific would need to improve dramatically to compete and I don't think any of them have. Anaheim is practically in the same position as the Sharks when it comes to their competition level. The Kings aren't going to be much different. Vegas will probably regress to some extent. The Sharks already showed they can compete and win a playoff round without Thornton. I don't think Pavelski is the type of player that can't be replaced if needed. Horrendous to describe a forward group that we have little idea on besides Hertl, Couture, Kane, Tierney, and Karlsson under contract with Meier and Labanc as RFA's is taking quite the leap of faith. They may not have much in the pipeline but there will be trade and free agent options for them to pursue.
 

Pinkfloyd

Registered User
Oct 29, 2006
70,238
13,611
Folsom
The thing is...they won't be able to keep up their playoff streak for 10 more seasons...not if they continue to throw too much money/term/clauses at mediocre players. I don't think that's gonna be possible. I may be wrong but I say that may work 4-5 seasons at best so if Wilson continues to do what he did the last few years the Sharks will probably be a +/- 50% playoff team until their TV-deal expires.

With a proper rebuild on the fly (like Tampa for example) that percentage would likely be higher. Wilson could also try to fix the team via trades and only keep players willing to win with the Sharks. It's been done before...could also lead to a few missed playoffs but that would (or would have since it would be difficult after Wilson's latest moves) be my preferred route.

Nobody is going to take you seriously when you refer to the guys that they've signed long term as mediocre. Just because they're not one of the best ten players in the league doesn't mean they're mediocre. Stop with the gross exaggerations.

Plus Tampa didn't do some rebuild on the fly. Tampa rebuilt after they ran Boyle out of town and have been more or less competing off of that with Stamkos and Hedman. And they've gotten some big hits but it wasn't some rebuild on the fly plan when they hit on someone like Point or Kucherov. The only pick that really qualifies for something like that is Drouin turned into Sergachev.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sharksrule04

Maladroit

Registered User
May 9, 2018
980
437
Berkeley, CA
Nobody is counting on anything indefinitely. That's a straw man. They're probably going to start missing the playoffs if the division improves even slightly? Based on what? I don't think you have given much thought to what the other teams in this division are doing if you honestly believe that. The teams outside of the playoffs in the Pacific would need to improve dramatically to compete and I don't think any of them have. Anaheim is practically in the same position as the Sharks when it comes to their competition level. The Kings aren't going to be much different. Vegas will probably regress to some extent. The Sharks already showed they can compete and win a playoff round without Thornton. I don't think Pavelski is the type of player that can't be replaced if needed. Horrendous to describe a forward group that we have little idea on besides Hertl, Couture, Kane, Tierney, and Karlsson under contract with Meier and Labanc as RFA's is taking quite the leap of faith. They may not have much in the pipeline but there will be trade and free agent options for them to pursue.

Trade and free agency options are fine if you need to add second and third line forwards. Without Thornton and Pavelski (whether they retire/leave or simply decline further) the Sharks don't have a first line. I have no idea how they acquire those players save for the Tyler Seguin pipe dream which almost certainly won't come to fruition.

Anaheim, LA and Vegas aren't who I'm worried about. If Raanta is for real Arizona is on the cusp of taking a big step forward. They already have a better blueline in place than we do and Keller is a stud. Edmonton has the best player in the league and you have to figure they'll fall ass backwards into contention on the strength of McDavid and Draisaitl alone sooner rather than later. Calgary added forward depth which was their achilles heel last season. I don't think the Sharks will miss the playoffs next year but 2019-20 and beyond seems like a bleak time for this franchise.
 

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
Trade and free agency options are fine if you need to add second and third line forwards. Without Thornton and Pavelski (whether they retire/leave or simply decline further) the Sharks don't have a first line. I have no idea how they acquire those players save for the Tyler Seguin pipe dream which almost certainly won't come to fruition.

Anaheim, LA and Vegas aren't who I'm worried about. If Raanta is for real Arizona is on the cusp of taking a big step forward. They already have a better blueline in place than we do and Keller is a stud. Edmonton has the best player in the league and you have to figure they'll fall ass backwards into contention on the strength of McDavid and Draisaitl alone sooner rather than later. Calgary added forward depth which was their achilles heel last season. I don't think the Sharks will miss the playoffs next year but 2019-20 and beyond seems like a bleak time for this franchise.

Anaheim is definitely getting better...not that they'd be very good anytime soon but if the trend continues then they're gonna outperform the Sharks sooner or later. I think Vegas overachieved last season and it's gonna be difficult for them to repeat that immediately but they have one of the league's top coaches, top assets and tons of money so they'll be competitive for many years. The Alberta teams are trash and run by idiots..not worried about them short term. McDavid isn't the best NHL-player either...just the best scorer. Arizona is gonna be good once they have a new ownership group with money as well as a completely new front office and coaching stuff. They have no clue and no money....not a good foundation. Just like McDavid, Keller is overrated. His allround game is even worse than Barzal's or Gaudreau's. Their best players and assets (except Chychrun) are all still from the Maloney era.
 
Last edited:

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
11,640
5,417
Nobody is going to take you seriously when you refer to the guys that they've signed long term as mediocre. Just because they're not one of the best ten players in the league doesn't mean they're mediocre. Stop with the gross exaggerations.

Plus Tampa didn't do some rebuild on the fly. Tampa rebuilt after they ran Boyle out of town and have been more or less competing off of that with Stamkos and Hedman. And they've gotten some big hits but it wasn't some rebuild on the fly plan when they hit on someone like Point or Kucherov. The only pick that really qualifies for something like that is Drouin turned into Sergachev.

I don't care what happened there earlier...but 16/17 Yzerman did something very smart when he unloaded some vets after his team got hit hard by injuries with nearly all top players missing significant time. They easily could have made the playoffs and never found out what they had in guys like Point or Gourde. Wilson, if in that position, would have done the exact opposite. He would have added players to grind out a playoff spot.
Yzerman also didn't start to hand out big contracts until he knew he had the core that he needed. Since he took over in I believe it was 2010 he made almost zero mistakes. Very impressive and patient GM'ing. He showed everybody how to build a successful team from scratch. Wish Wilson would show a bit more patience instead of just throwing money, term and clauses at everybody still able to skate. He has to stop now and go back to what he did before. He used to be a very good GM but so was Holland. I'm worried.

Kane is mediocre. Burns and Vlasic aren't...but they're gonna be before their contracts expire. So the Sharks are gonna be huge trouble if Wilson doesn't stop now...again...it may all work well for +/- 5 years...but then this ship is gonna sink like Detroit's did.
 
Last edited:

TomasHertlsRooster

Don’t say eye test when you mean points
May 14, 2012
33,360
25,417
Fremont, CA
It doesn't really matter to the bottom line why they made the playoffs. The fact is that they did and they have good reason to believe they will continue to do so. Edmonton and Vancouver will never be able to consistently compete for a playoff spot because their blue lines are garbage. Jack Hughes isn't going to change squat when it comes to Vancouver lol

The Sharks played 29 games against their division and they went 21-5-3. I don’t think that’s sustainable even if the Pacific only marginally improves. They played 53 games against every other division and went 24-22-7. They basically are relying on completely crushing their division in order to be a playoff team.

On top of that, it’s hard to say that Edmonton and Vancouver’s blue lines will be trash forever. There’s no guarantee of that at all; they just drafted Bouchard and Quinn Hughes respectively and by the time those guys develop, Vlasic and Burns will probably be well into the decline that they’ve already started.

I think the only reason this roster made the playoffs last year and is pretty much a lock to make it again this year is because the current Pacific is one of the worst divisions the NHL has seen since realignment. There are at least five Central Division teams better than the Sharks right now but it doesn't matter because even if they all make the playoffs there's still a guaranteed spot for the Sharks. If Edmonton ever gets their **** together and/or Vancouver lands Jack Hughes that's gonna change.

Honestly, I think that, along with 33 year old Joe Pavelski putting up a heroic performance in the 35 regular season games after Joe Thornton got injured are the two biggest reasons we made the playoffs with 100 points last year and I don’t see either of those things as long term sustainable. And with every passing day, it feels like the organization doesn’t consider Pavelski part of the long term solution. This team with Pavelski and 47 games of Thornton isn’t a playoff team outside of them demolishing their own division, but suddenly we’re going to replace Pavelski and Thornton and be a contender? I don’t see it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hinterland
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->