What are the Sharks missing to win the Stanley Cup?

[senfan266]

I'm looking at their roster and they have very good forwards and defensemen. But it seems their weakness is the goaltender Antti Niemi who is just average. Do they need to make a trade for an elite goalie like Roberto Luongo as the final missing piece?

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[Alwalys]

I'd say we need a goalie that we know is capable of winning the Cup.

 

[Grave]

Forward Depth / Faster Forwards who aren't slow or terrible defensively.

Burns to stop scaring families in the northwestern woods.

 

[noexult]

I'd say we need a goalie that we know is capable of winning the Cup.

He is on the roster atm...at least he has shown that he can

 

[Hertl Power]

Being healthy at the right time with all cylinders running. Forward depth so we don't have to rely on our top 6 and offensice dman. Better pk and a consistant pp. And a system to beat the blues that we didn't have last year.

 

[Alwalys]

He is on the roster atm...at least he has shown that he can

You see what I did there

 

[CBJenga]

He is on the roster atm...at least he has shown that he can

 

[ilikeblocks]

The team looks really good IMO - the only team in the west to come out and completely dominate. This could finally be there year.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

The team looks really good IMO - the only team in the west to come out and completely dominate. This could finally be there year.

Simmer down there turbo!! We are 2 games in ..

 

[JPE123]

I'm not a sharks fan but a hockey fan. I think they have best first 2 lines in the league. I like this team a lot. Brad Stuart is a good D addition. Maybe a little more consistent play from Niemi. But I do like this team.

 

[Arrch]

I don't see how you can really fault Niemi at this point: 2 of the three goals last night came from youngsters who hadn't scored a goal in the NHL yet; that's just a cross that Sharks goalies have to bear.

Seriously though, Niemi has only given up a single even strength goal. If we can get the penalty kill worked out, the only problem we'll face will be scoring depth and the Blues.

 

[Dicdonya]

I don't see how you can really fault Niemi at this point: 2 of the three goals last night came from youngsters who hadn't scored a goal in the NHL yet; that's just a cross that Sharks goalies have to bear.

Seriously though, Niemi has only given up a single even strength goal. If we can get the penalty kill worked out, the only problem we'll face will be scoring depth and the Blues.

I dont think anyone is talking about niemi this year, but instead talking about his faults from last year. Which is why if he can be consistently as good as the first two games this year, we would all be stoked. So far he's looking real strong in net, I hope it's more then just a hot start.

 

[HOOCH2173]

What are they missing?! Well heart of course. Right? Tin Man Joe?

 

[Wedontneedroads]

The team looks really good IMO - the only team in the west to come out and completely dominate. This could finally be there year.

Pull back on those reigns a bit we beat up on Calgary and Edmonton, both of which could be in serious contention for the #1 pick this year.

Wasn't Robinson supposed to help with the PK? Have we killed a penalty yet?

 

[NWShark*]

I'd say we need a goalie that we know is capable of winning the Cup.

You mean like niemi who already won a cup....?

 

[RainbowDash]

You mean like niemii who already won a cup....?

Stop quoting him. Hes on most people's ignore lists.

 

[likewall32]

What have they been missing? Adaptable coaches. With Larry Robinson, they might finally have it. Now it just seems like they need to focus on the penalty kill.

Player-wise, they're actually kind of set. Because of the shortened season, relying on one guy to do most of the work in net throughout the regular season and then again in the playoffs might not burn the Sharks as much as it has in years past.

A scoring third line would probably put them as close to favorites as they could be.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

I dont think anyone is talking about niemi this year, but instead talking about his faults from last year. Which is why if he can be consistently as good as the first two games this year, we would all be stoked. So far he's looking real strong in net, I hope it's more then just a hot start.

Niemi played behind a banged-up defense and a terrible PK last year. He's not an elite goalie, but if the D can get healthy and back to where it should be, he can be good enough to take this team far (check his stats from 2010-2011 for evidence of this).

 

[DG93]

Forward depth...with Matt Irwin emerging as a guy who could be the #7 D-man, maybe you can trade Murray for 3rd liner. You could probably trade a prospect or a pick for another 3rd liner or sign Gomez. I think they just need 2 more bottom-6 guys...

 

[Dicdonya]

Niemi played behind a banged-up defense and a terrible PK last year. He's not an elite goalie, but if the D can get healthy and back to where it should be, he'll be good enough to take this team far (check his stats from 2010-2011 for evidence of this).

I agree for the most part with this. However he did also have some glaring faults last year, like poor rebound recognition, and letting in some very soft goals at some very bad times. He also seems to be faster getting out of the butterfly this year which was an issue last year IMO. This year so far though he is looking really solid which is very encouraging considering our defense is not even at full strength yet.

 

[Crazy Joe Divola]

Gomez, clearly.

 

[Arrch]

I dont think anyone is talking about niemi this year, but instead talking about his faults from last year. Which is why if he can be consistently as good as the first two games this year, we would all be stoked. So far he's looking real strong in net, I hope it's more then just a hot start.

Niemi wasn't the problem last year, either. During our mid-season collapse, we were suffering from a terrible bout of Inverse Eberle (Low PDO). The first round Blues exit certainly can't be put on Niemi.

An upgrade in net would certainly benefit us, but it's not what is going to lose us a cup.

You mean like niemii who already won a cup....?

That's the joke...

 

[Eid Ma Clack Shaw]

Luck.

 

[Dicdonya]

Niemi wasn't the problem last year, either. During our mid-season collapse, we were suffering from a terrible bout of Inverse Eberle (Low PDO). The first round Blues exit certainly can't be put on Niemi.

An upgrade in net would certainly benefit us, but it's not what is going to lose us a cup.



That's the joke...

I certainly never said he was the reason, I want to make sure I'm clear on that. He also certainly was not the solution either which is why if he can play all year like the first two games this team will be way better off.

 

[Lazyking]

I think they need a little more scoring depth and overall speed.. I don't think they have alot of trade pieces that would make them them a cup team tho.