Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Imaginary Rebuild

August 31, 2014, 9:11 AM ET [18 Comments]
Tim Chiasson
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Earlier in the off-season GM Doug Wilson said that the Sharks were prepared to rebuild and fully ready for the pain that comes with that process. Here we are inching closer and closer to the start of camp and these are the notable moves by the veteran general manager in his “rebuild”:

Additions

F John Scott (FA)

Subtractions

Brad Stuart (Trade w/ Colorado Avalanche)
Dan Boyle (Trade w/ New York Islanders)
Martin Havlat (Amnesty buyout)

Maybe it’s just me but I fail to see how any of those moves, or all of them combined, warrant the title of a rebuild. Normally you would see all, or most, veteran and impact players shown the door. The above names feature two players that weren't expected to return (Boyle/Havlat) and a player who was on the bubble (Stuart).

The Buffalo Sabres are in a rebuild. They stripped their team of impact players and loaded up on prospects and picks as they opened up the window toward the future. The Sharks, on the other hand, opened up the window to the future just far enough to fit Stuart, Boyle and Havlat out through the crack before they slammed it shut again.

If you were to sit down and project lines for the 2014-2015 San Jose Sharks it would look very familiar, which isn’t the case for a team that’s rebuilding. It could be that Wilson, when he made those comments, was confident he could convince Thornton and Marleau to waive their NMC to aid him in what now is an imaginary rebuild.

Earlier this month head coach Todd McLellan talked about the word ‘rebuild’ having different meanings and that such was the case in San Jose, referring to minor tweaks within the organization to build off of what was already there. The word ‘rebuild’ in hockey is a pretty cut and dry term. There’s a reason why general managers around the league avoid using the term unless they fully intend to tear down the walls of a team in favor of a new frame.

This team needs exactly what they needed last year: playoff hardened depth. They need that hard working, vocal player (or two) that has seen the inside of a Stanley Cup Final locker room recently. After a 111 point season they certainly don’t need a ‘rebuild’ centered solely around trading two 70+ point players with no plan to replace their production while still remaining competitive.

With the Sharks icing an almost identical roster as last season the expectations remain the same as they've been for the last decade: playoffs, and comfortably. Despite the panic around the most recent collapse this is still an exciting group of players who have a very high ceiling as a team. The fact that Wilson came out and proclaimed rebuild means nothing now and the outlook on San Jose should remain unchanged, much like the roster.
Join the Discussion: » 18 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Tim Chiasson
» San Jose Sharks: Final Thoughts
» San Jose Shark Thoughts: Zubrus, Jones, Couture, Burns
» San Jose Sharks: Better, Worse Or No Change Under DeBoer?
» San Jose Sharks: Thoughts On Marleau, Barracuda, Goaltending
» San Jose Sharks: Marleau Isn't Going Anywhere