Speculation: The Sharks are rebuilding, how do they proceed? Part II

[drunksage]

Continue. Or not.

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[SJGoalie32]

DW specifically said "our kind of rebuild."

"Our kind of rebuild" thus far seems to be make fewer changes than in every other previous year, and fewer changes than almost every other team in the league.

Again I think people are almost over-thinking what he's been saying when he has been really straightforward.

True. I think we were clouding our judgment by expecting there to be more moves and departures than the same old shipping out overpaid/aging veterans, tinkering with bottom 6 forwards, and maybe making a push for one top-6 forward that he has done every single offseason for the past decade. His "rebuild" is the same as his actions every other year, just fewer of them.

Giving the team over to the youth: he left a ton of roster spots open for young Worcester players to try and fill and it certainly sounds like they'll be giving the C to someone else (or removing it completely). This leaves major roster roles for young players, Hertl, Nieto to prove themselves and take over the team.

How so? So far, I count two roster spots (Boyle & Stuart). Havlat was out of the lineup much of last year, even when healthy, so Havlat's departure doesn't open up anything more than an extra seat in the pressbox. And while the #1 goalie position may be officially up in the air, it was kind of up in the air already. That isn't some great "youth movement." It's DW coming to terms with the very real fact that Stalock is probably a straight up better goaltender than Niemi.

There's room for one young defensemen, one young forward, a reserve or two, and DW is willing to open the #1 goaltending job to the better goalie rather than the highest-paid goalie. And perhaps turn the captaincy over to someone who has been with the organization for only 5+ years rather than 10+ years. Hardly a youth movement. Oh, and just wait and see who gets the majority of the ice time next season. I suspect it'll be the same old guys who have been here for years (Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, Couture, Vlasic, Burns.....just with Stuart and Boyle gone).

A rebuild: not going after FAs to fill in the spots that are open makes us weaker than last year. If we're not competing for the cup and instead allowing young players to take real roles on the team and prove themselves that means we're in DW's "kind of rebuild."

So basically instead of overpaying a useless bottom-pairing D-man or bottom-6 forward, we're going to promote a useless bottom-pairing D-man or bottom-6 forward from Worcester.

Finally, he said they're going to be patient and make deals if they're available.

Sooooo.....the same thing he has said and done every year.

Thus far, "our kind of rebuild" is simply an even less aggressive version making mostly the same minor roster tweaks they make EVERY offseason.....just marketed differently to the fans to pretend that anything is different.

Marleau and Thornton want this team to compete so it's up to them to raise their game (and leadership) to another level.

In other words, the same exact thing that has been said of them every single year for the last decade.

Frankly, I think it's a great way to change the culture from one of comfort to one of competition and hopefully, a place where they start playing for each other.

Nothing DW has done in this offseason will have any real impact. The only thing that might is if McLellan actually takes significant shifts and PP time away from certain underperforming forwards who don't do what is asked of them. Until Thornton gets benched for a period or two or gets pulled of the PP unit, nothing is going to change in his game.

If Joe Thornton is unwilling/unable to elevate his game to avoid choking away a 3-0 lead in the playoffs against the Kings, Thornton is not going to change his game due to some vague threat that Andrew Desjardins might get more ice time.

 

[Negatively Positive]

If the Sharks don't make any moves, the only LHD on the roster are Vlasic and Irwin, possibly Hannan if re-signed. I wouldn't be surprised to see a rotating door of Irwin, Hannan, Abelthauser, Mueller, and Doherty for the 2nd and 3rd pairing LHD the whole year. Yes, the latter 3 might not be ready but DW might not give a crap because it might convince Thornton and Marleau to waive.

Vlasic-Burns
Irwin-Braun
Hannan/Mueller/Konrad/Doherty-Demers

Get hyped. Stanley Cup here we come. They better ride Vlasic-Burns like Secretariat if they want to win games.

 

[WantonAbandon]

But Thornton has elevated his game. In the Kings series the Sharks started using Thornton like a classic third line c, by having him take all the critical d zone face offs, because no one else was winning those. Thornton wasn't put in a position to really lead in scoring. The Sharks were counting on the kids, led by Marleau, winning it for them. And backed by Vlasic it was working. Then it all fell apart after Vlasic wasn't there to neutralize the forecheck. This is why Doug Wilson decided that he had to rebuild the blue line and that is exactly what he is doing.

 

[ScottyDont]

Everyone needs to stop including Mueller in this concept of a rotating roster. He's either coming to play in the NHL full time, or he's staying with the WHL another year.

 

[Shark Finn]

By signing Scott ...

 

[rangerssharks414]

I don't think I know the definition of rebuild anymore...

 

[Negatively Positive]

I don't think I know the definition of rebuild anymore...

Playing 4th liners in the top 6.

 

[Nolan11]

Our strategy seems to revolve around bread and circus. Sign a goon or two, a few #7/8 D, introduce ice girls and hope the spectacle distracts us from the truth.

Guess we have to pray Hamilton and abeltshauer really break out next season. Sheesh. Well, at least we got some picks for Stuart.

 

[SJFanQC]

By having our Left D be Vlasic, Irwin, Fedun while our Right D is Burns, Braun, Demers.
By adding Scott to Burish and Brown.
That's three players that will take ice-time Wingels, Sheppard, Torres, Desjardins, Kennedy and rookies would be better served getting. That line would combine for no shots and -10 per game.

 

[noexult]

By signing Scott ...

This makes sense...

 

[MetalMind]

If someone said "sign Brown and Scott to play with Torres, Desi and Burish in the bottom 6", that person is a wizard.

 

[ChompChomp]

Would getting an LHD on the cheap like Shane O'Brien be a horrible move at this point?

 

[Hatrick Marleau]

Buyout John Scott

 

[ChompChomp]

What's really frustrating is even with the UFA scraps (i.e., people who didn't sign on frenzy day), the Sharks could put together a really good team, especially loaded on D (Each pairing pairs an offensive Dman with a solid defensive dman, and each pairing has an LHD), with cap space to spare:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
Still available players
FORWARDS
Tomas Hertl ($0.925m) / Joe Thornton ($6.750m) / Radim Vrbata ($3.500m)
Patrick Marleau ($6.667m) / Logan Couture ($6.000m) / Matt Nieto ($0.759m)
Raffi Torres ($2.000m) / Joe Pavelski ($6.000m) / Tommy Wingels ($0.900m)
James Sheppard ($0.950m) / Andrew Desjardins ($0.750m) / Mike Brown ($1.200m)
John Scott ($0.700m) /
Adam Burish ($1.850m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($4.250m) / Jason Demers ($2.000m)
Tim Gleason ($3.500m) / Justin Braun ($1.250m)
Anton Volchenkov ($4.000m) / Brent Burns ($5.760m)
Matt Irwin ($1.000m) /
GOALTENDERS
Alex Stalock ($1.600m)
Ilya Bryzgalov ($1.500m)
BUYOUTS
Martin Havlat ($0.000m)
BONUS OVERAGE
$175,000
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,985,833; BONUSES: $590,833
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $5,014,167

 

[Juxtaposer]

Gleason and Vochenkov are terrible. Basically Stuart and Murray.

 

[Le Rosbeef]

Our nightly All-Scratch line is going to be one heckuva show!

 

[ChompChomp]

Gleason and Vochenkov are terrible. Basically Stuart and Murray.

In your opinion, who out there, that is an LHD, is not terrible? Maybe it's an incorrect observation, but I get the sense you don't like anybody who is available and is an LHD.

 

[SactoShark]

The Reggie Dunlop Rebuild

 

[Juxtaposer]

In your opinion, who out there, that is an LHD, is not terrible? Maybe it's an incorrect observation, but I get the sense you don't like anybody who is available and is an LHD.

Correct. There are zero good UFA LHD left.

 

[Friday]

The Reggie Dunlop Rebuild

Nailed it

 

[one2gamble]

The opposite of DW is doing right now would be a good start

 

[Gigante]

What's really frustrating is even with the UFA scraps (i.e., people who didn't sign on frenzy day), the Sharks could put together a really good team, especially loaded on D (Each pairing pairs an offensive Dman with a solid defensive dman, and each pairing has an LHD), with cap space to spare:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
Still available players
FORWARDS
Tomas Hertl ($0.925m) / Joe Thornton ($6.750m) / Radim Vrbata ($3.500m)
Patrick Marleau ($6.667m) / Logan Couture ($6.000m) / Matt Nieto ($0.759m)
Raffi Torres ($2.000m) / Joe Pavelski ($6.000m) / Tommy Wingels ($0.900m)
James Sheppard ($0.950m) / Andrew Desjardins ($0.750m) / Mike Brown ($1.200m)
John Scott ($0.700m) /
Adam Burish ($1.850m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($4.250m) / Jason Demers ($2.000m)
Tim Gleason ($3.500m) / Justin Braun ($1.250m)
Anton Volchenkov ($4.000m) / Brent Burns ($5.760m)
Matt Irwin ($1.000m) /
GOALTENDERS
Alex Stalock ($1.600m)
Ilya Bryzgalov ($1.500m)
BUYOUTS
Martin Havlat ($0.000m)
BONUS OVERAGE
$175,000
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,985,833; BONUSES: $590,833
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $5,014,167

There's only so much cap space in that roster because Shep, Wingels and Demers don't have their raises factored in. That will eat up all remaining cap space.

 

[SharksFan1]

After acquiring Jonh Scott and Tye McGinn and resigning Brown it looks like DW strategy is to tank and acquirer high draft picks by playing a bunch of boarderline 4th line face punchers since he can't dump the aging stars.

 

[spintops]

Or Scott and Brown will play on Thorntons wings until he is willing to waive to go anywhere else. Maybe Thornton can get Scott up to 4 points this season.