A hockey team is like a wardrobe, constantly changing and evolving as the years pass. Some items spend years in regular rotation, contributing to the foundation by providing reliability through the rigors of wear and wash. Others falter once the initial excitement fades, spending months or even years without seeing the light of day before being cast off. The best rosters, just as the most complete wardrobes, remain fresh and consistent, staying ahead of the curve and setting the trend, rather than reacting to it.
We’ve all made wardrobe mistakes. During the 90s, I can recall wearing white jeans and purple cargo shorts that weren’t even suitable to be used as painting clothes. Of course, I thought I was styling, presenting a look that was a unique cross between Patrick Swayze and Luke Perry. The San Jose Sharks’ wardrobe has welcomed a few new additions this season, and fans are hoping those new players can make a smooth transition and complement the core, rather than diminishing the look of a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
Some people feel this is San Jose’s most complete roster in franchise history, combining the right mix of youth and experience with exceptional top-end skill and incredible depth. Others feel the club has taken a step backward, losing some integral pieces in favor of a new – but not necessarily better – look and feel. We’re going to sort it out, comparing the current roster to that of both October 4, 2007 (season opener) and April 9, 2008 (playoff opener) determining whether the Sharks are better off with their new look.
Goaltending
Goaltending has arguably been San Jose’s greatest strength since Evgeni Nabokov took over the starting duties in 2000-01, and that stability between the pipes has gone a long way toward making the Sharks one of the NHL’s most successful franchises over that span. There’s no doubt the Sharks are much better off today – with the duo of Nabokov and veteran backup Brian Boucher – than they were at the start of the 2007-08 season.
We’ll probably never know how effective Dimitri Patzold could have been playing in the NHL and that’s unfortunate, but judging by his playing time last season it appears the Kazakh netminder was in slightly higher demand than arsenic-flavored pancakes. However, it’s safe to assume Boucher is a much better option working both the bench gate and spot duty behind Nabokov.
Defense
Goaltending was a breeze. Here’s where things get a little dicey. Let’s start off by comparing the Sharks defensive corps during our three time periods.
Oct. 4, 2007
Matt Carle
Rob Davison
Christian Ehrhoff
Kyle McLaren
Douglas Murray
Craig Rivet
Alexei Semenov
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
April 9, 2008
Brian Campbell
Matt Carle
Christian Ehrhoff
Kyle McLaren
Douglas Murray
Sandis Ozolinsh
Craig Rivet
Alexei Semenov
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Today
Rob Blake
Dan Boyle
Christian Ehrhoff
Derek Joslin
Brad Lukowich
Kyle McLaren
Douglas Murray
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Comparing that April group to the current one, it’s awfully hard to argue the Sharks blueline is better off than it was nearly six months ago. Essentially, the Sharks lost Campbell, Carle, Ozolinsh, Rivet and Semenov, replacing them with Blake, Boyle, Joslin and Lukowich. It looks like a mismatch on the surface, but breaking it down and comparing it piece by piece reveals a massive disparity in talent and depth.
Campbell vs. Boyle
Two of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL, Campbell and Boyle are both one step away from the elite, Norris-contending rearguards. It’s an awfully close comparison, with Campbell holding an edge defensively and Boyle getting the nod offensively. Boyle has a Stanley Cup ring and the admiration of a teal-draped fan base. Campbell doesn’t have a Stanley Cup ring and will be despised by Sharks fans until long after he retires. I’m going to call this one a wash.
Rivet vs. Blake
Rivet isn’t going to be a Hall of Famer like Blake and doesn’t carry the same offensive ability, but he’s better defensively and has a lot more left in the tank. This is also a close comparison, but in the end I have to judge both of these players by the reaction to their departures. In San Jose, people almost unanimously felt Rivet’s departure was a huge blow to the defense. In Los Angeles, season ticket holders were practically offering to pack Blake’s bags and drive him to the airport. Rivet gets the nod.
Carle vs. Lukowich
No offense to Lukowich, but it doesn’t matter if these two are competing in hockey, bass fishing, rock climbing, bocce ball, archery, the ancient pentathlon, the modern pentathlon, knitting or hopscotch; I’m taking Carle every single time. If he’s sick or injured, I’m still taking him seven times out of 10.
Semenov vs. Joslin
He didn’t get a lot of respect around San Jose last season, but if you wouldn’t prefer Semenov as the Sharks’ seventh defenseman over Joslin you must be a Ducks fan.
I suppose I’m old school, but I prefer defensemen to play defense first. San Jose’s forwards were let off the hook for their offensive woes last season because the squad lacked a solid transition game. However, the Sharks were one of the best teams in the league because they limited opponents’ shots and kept them to the outside, away from those dangerous areas in front of the net.
Of course, new Sharks coach Todd McLellan is supposed to open things up offensively this year, which is only going to make life harder for Nabokov. He benefited from that defensive system last season, and it will be interesting to see if cement-footed defensemen like McLaren, Murray and Lukowich can keep up in a more wide-open approach.
Despite the additions of Blake, Boyle and Lukowich, it’s clear that the Sharks defense has taken a major step back from where it was in April. It’s hard to see any improvement offensively, and defensively the Sharks aren’t going to be any better off. In fact, they added three defensemen who were among the worst statistically last season, which doesn’t bode well for their Stanley Cup hopes.
I decided to add up last year’s plus-minus totals from each team’s top 6-7 defensemen heading into the season and the statistics are shocking. Thirteen of last year’s 16 playoff teams post a total in positive figures. Eleven of the 14 teams that missed the playoffs carry a negative total. Detroit is the top team in the league, thanks to defensive wizards like Lidstrom and Rafalski. Edmonton is the worst, hampered by the monster minus totals of Visnovsky and Smid. San Jose ranked third last, mainly because of Blake, Boyle and Lukowich.
Now, I can anticipate the argument that all three played for terrible teams last season, contributing to their horrible plus-minus stats. However, in the case of the Lightning, Boyle and Lukowich provided the team’s top defensive pairing, meaning they were major contributors to Tampa Bay’s dismal record. Boyle was an astonishing -29 in 37 games. While he might have scored 25 points, if he’s not on the ice witnessing more goals than he’s preventing he’s not doing his job as a defenseman.
Rob Blake improved on his -26 in 2006-07 with a -19 last year, but it was still the worst plus-minus among defensemen on the team. Also, just because you play for a poor team doesn’t mean your plus-minus has to be horrendous. Mike Lundin played 81 games for the Lightning last season, finishing with a +3. In Los Angeles, defensemen Kevin Dallman, Peter Harrold and Jaroslav Modry ended up in positive figures despite playing for one of the worst teams in the league.
Detroit: +76
Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart, Kronwall, Lilja, Ericsson, Lebda
Chicago: +66
Campbell, Seabrook, Barker, Sopel, Keith, Wisniewski, Walker
Anaheim: +43
Niedermayer, Pronger, Schneider, Beauchemin, O’Donnell, Montador, Huskins
Dallas: +43
Zubov, Boucher, Daley, Robidas, Grossman, Niskanen, Fistric
Pittsburgh: +38
Gonchar, Whitney, Orpik, Sydor, Gill, Eaton, Scuderi
Calgary: +37
Phaneuf, Regehr, Aucoin, Sarich, Warrener, Vandermeer, Eriksson
Ottawa: +33
Phillips, Smith, Volchenkov, Schubert, Lee
New Jersey: +31
Martin, White, Salvador, Vishnevski, Mottau, Greene, Oduya
Washington: +25
Green, Poti, Pothier, Morrisonn, Jurcina, Schultz, Erskine
Montreal: +22
Markov, Hamrlik, Bouillon, Dandenault, Komisarek, Gorges, O’Byrne
Carolina: +21
Pitkanen, Gleason, Corvo, Kaberle, Wallin, Seidenberg
Philadelphia: +21
Timonen, Hatcher, Rathje, Jones, Coburn, Eminger, Parent
Columbus: +8
Commodore, Tyutin, Backman, Hejda, Klesla, Russell, Tollefsen
Colorado: +5
Hannan, Liles, Clark, Salei, Foote, Leopold
Nashville: +5
Weber, Suter, De Vries, Hamhuis, Zanon, Koistinen, Klein
New York Rangers: +5
Redden, Rozsival, Kalinin, Mara, Girardi, Staal, Pock
Vancouver: -1
Bieksa, Salo, Mitchell, Ohlund, Krajicek, Davison, Edler
Phoenix: -4
Jovanovski, Morris, Sauer, Michalek, Yandle, Hale, Jones
Toronto: -16
McCabe, Kubina, Kaberle, Finger, Colaiacovo, White, Stralman
Florida: -20
Bouwmeester, Boynton, Van Ryn, Allen, Skrastins, Ballard, Murphy
Minnesota: -20
Johnsson, Burns, Schultz, Zidlicky, Skoula, Bergeron, Foster
Boston: -24
Chara, Wideman, Ward, Ference, Stuart, Alberts, Hnidy
Buffalo: -24
Rivet, Spacek, Lydman, Numminen, Tallinder, Paetsch, Sekera
Los Angeles: -25
Preissing, Johnson, Gauthier, Greene, Harrold
New York Islanders: -33
Streit, Sutton, Witt, Martinek, Gervais, Campoli, Meyer
Atlanta: -38
Hainsey, Havelid, Exelby, Klee, Enstrom, Valabik
St. Louis: -40
Brewer, McKee, Johnson, Jackman, Weaver, Wagner
San Jose: -43
Boyle, Blake, Ehrhoff, McLaren, Lukowich, Vlasic, Murray
Tampa Bay: -46
Carle, Kuba, O’Brien, Ranger, Picard, Lundin, Smaby
Edmonton: -58
Visnovsky, Souray, Gilbert, Staios, Grebeshkov, Smid, Strudwick
Numbers don’t always tell the whole story, but these ones don’t bode well for the Sharks or anyone trying to make a case that the defense is better than it was in April. In fact, you could make an argument the Sharks defense was better last October than it is today. Of course, they didn’t have a clear-cut offensive defenseman like Boyle or Campbell to lead the charge from the blueline, but they had comparable depth and might have had better overall team defense.
Either way, the defense has undergone a major overhaul this summer and some might wonder if the changes were even necessary, considering defense was one of the team’s strengths last season. I’m not going to shift the Seven jeans or Kenneth Cole shirts out of my wardrobe just yet, because change for the sake of change just doesn’t make a compelling argument… in fashion or hockey.
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