Scanning the San Jose Sharks roster, you’ll find players who might contend for the Art Ross, Richard and Norris trophies. You’ll also find a few players who don’t have the maturity or ability to be regulars in the National Hockey League. So, after six games the question seems valid: Is the Sharks roster half full or half empty?
For those preferring the half full approach, we can point to the dangerous foursome of Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Thornton. To say they’re powering the San Jose offense would be a huge understatement. Through six games those four players have combined for 31 points in 24 total games, an incredible 1.29 points per game, and one of them has had a hand in 19 of the Sharks’ 20 goals this season. That amount of production is remarkable, and the imbalance of the team’s scoring is simply staggering.
That leads us into the half empty approach. Currently, 10 Sharks forwards (Ryane Clowe, Benn Ferriero, Manny Malhotra, Jamie McGinn, Frazer McLaren, Scott Nichol, Jed Ortmeyer, Jody Shelley, Brad Staubitz and Steven Zalewski) have combined for four points in 46 total games. That’s an uninspiring 0.08 points per game, highlighting the Sharks’ massive disparity in talent and secondary scoring. Obviously, offense isn’t the primary objective for most of those 10 players, but the group has been completely ineffective in that role thus far.
It’s hard to imagine those early trends continuing much longer. Clowe can’t look like a poor man’s Mark Bell for the entire season, and the return of Joe Pavelski will ignite some additional offense on the second line. Plus, if Torrey Mitchell ever returns to the lineup it should add some speed and skill to the Sharks’ third line, which is about as scary as pillow fight at the moment.
In addition, San Jose’s top four forwards can’t carry the offense the way they have because it’s too easy for skilled defensive teams to shut down a single player or single line, especially if there isn’t any real threat posed by the other three. Either the top line will have to be split up and spread around or Todd McLellan will have to figure out a way to generate offense from his depth lines. Considering what we’ve seen through the first six games, it doesn’t appear likely.
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Speaking of McLellan, he couldn’t figure out how to bust the Phoenix Coyotes’ trap last night during San Jose’s 1-0 shootout loss. He also couldn’t inspire much more than a pedestrian effort out of his team, which needed another stellar performance by Evgeni Nabokov to salvage a point. You really have to give the Coyotes credit for their surprising start. They bounced back from a shutout loss at home on Saturday, and they’ve only given up four goals in the last four games. However, it’s still a game the Sharks should win long before a shootout factors into the result.
Three Studs
3. Rob Blake – Blake has taken some lumps so far, but you have to give him credit for playing a responsible defensive game and doing some of the dirty work. He played over 23 minutes and led all Sharks defensemen in hits (5) and blocked shots (4). Blake also wasn’t guilty of standing around in front of the net while forwards buzzed around him, which has become something of a trademark.
2. Scott Nichol – Honestly, if you could put Nichol’s heart in Thornton’s body you would have the best player in the NHL. You’d have a player tougher than Crosby and more dynamic than Ovechkin, who was fearless and dominant on every inch of the 200x85. Nichol stalks people on the forecheck, and dishes out hits that make you forget he’s only slightly larger than Miley Cyrus.
1. Evgeni Nabokov – For the second night in a row, Nabokov was the one who kept the Sharks from a blowout loss. He wasn’t spectacular last night, and didn’t really have to be, but he was steady and didn’t allow many second chances. He’ll have to keep it up as the Sharks head out on their six-game road trip, because the Capitals (3.67), Rangers (4), Thrashers (4) and Flyers (3.8) are averaging a lot more goals per game than the Coyotes (2) and Wild (2.4).
Three Duds
3. Benn Ferriero – I suppose the bloom is officially off the rose. It turns out Ferriero is the 2009-10 version of Brandon Bochenski, coming out of nowhere to earn a roster spot in training camp only to wither away in the regular season. In 2005, Bochenski scored 13 points in 20 games with Ottawa before he was returned to Binghamton. Ironically, with one point through six games, Ferriero is on pace for 13 points this season.
2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic – It appears the grace period is over for Vlasic. For the last couple years, we’ve been able to excuse his defensive lapses because he was the phenom defenseman, cracking the NHL roster and earning his keep at 19 years of age. He stood out as the worst Sharks defenseman last night, turning the puck over and playing tentatively in his own zone. Now 22, Vlasic’s defensive stagnation and lack of physical play have become growing concerns.
1. Ryane Clowe – Clowe has become a mainstay on the dud list because his poor play is hurting his linemates. He’s been prone to turnovers in the neutral zone, hasn’t had much impact physically, and hasn’t put himself into position to score or create havoc in front of the net. During the offseason, Doug Wilson was dangling Clowe for a top 10 draft pick. At this point, teams could probably get him (and his four-year, $3.625 million cap hit) for a song.
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Thanks to Mike and Eddie for joining me last night on a rare home edition of the SharksBuzz Postgame Show. With the Sharks on the road, we’ll fire it up several times over the next couple weeks, beginning Thursday night after the Sharks-Caps game. Make sure you join us after the marquee East-West matchup, and tune in to any of the previous episodes below.
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