I’ve covered the San Jose Sharks during the last three seasons, and I’m often accused of writing negative blogs. In my mind, I’m often just pointing out the facts surrounding a negative situation. Honestly, it’s difficult to find many positives when you’re covering a team known far and wide as the NHL’s biggest chokers of the last two decades. If people want to label me as the downer in the Sharks media, that’s just fine with me, I’ll wear it. I’ll take that over the alternative, which seems to be listing favorite sports movies or taking trips down memory lane rather than questioning management or diagnosing the team’s problems.
Each time I point out Doug Wilson’s shoddy trade deadline track record, shed some light on the Sharks’ depleted prospect system, or question the logic of top-end skill over organizational depth, someone will ask me to come up with solutions rather than highlighting problems. That’s the task I’ve tackled today, listing 10 moves that I believe will lead the Sharks out of the doldrums and into contention. Shark fans have taken a hoof to the groin each of the last four seasons, so I feel it’s time to change course and try to bury some of the painful memories with a radical new direction.
1) Trade Joe Thornton to the Ottawa Senators for Dany Heatley
Why trade Thornton? He’ll never take you to the top of the mountain. Thornton is probably the best player in the NHL who’s never been to the conference final, and there’s a good chance he’ll retire as the best player never to win a Stanley Cup. During his 11 seasons in the league Thornton has played for five 100-point teams, yet he’s never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs. Hockey is still a team sport, and he isn’t entirely responsible, but when you think playoff choker Thornton is the first name that comes to mind.
There’s never been a better time to trade Thornton. He has a couple years remaining on a great contract, and the Ottawa Senators are desperate to move Heatley — a player in the same talent and price range. Nobody ever wants to deal a superstar for a combination of picks, prospects and spare parts. That’s especially true for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, so this would be a great move for both teams. Both players are able to move on, putting the tumultuous past behind them and getting a fresh start.
In Heatley, the Sharks would get a 50-goal scorer who doesn’t appear destined for a third-line checking role — a welcome change in San Jose. Sure he’s a malcontent, but it this point the Sharks would have to welcome that attitude over the lackadaisical attitude displayed by Thornton over the last four seasons. Not only did Thornton ditch the media during the playoffs, leave his teammates to face the music and answer the difficult questions… twice, but also his performance at the State of the Sharks was embarrassing to watch. Of course Heatley is a bit of a loose cannon, but at this point I’d take audacious over docile, combative over complacent. And I’ll gladly take the unpredictable cannon over the guy who refuses to pull the trigger.
2) Trade Patrick Marleau to the Montreal Canadiens for Jaroslav Halak and Tomas Plekanec
At this point, after enduring his perennial springtime disappointment and shoulder shrugs, it’s painfully obvious that Marleau has to go. There are now open discussions in the media about stripping his captaincy, and that’s not a player I want on my team, with or without the C. There are rumors out there that Marleau could be dealt to the Canadiens for Halak and Plekanec. If that deal’s on the table, Wilson needs to jump all over it.
I interviewed Halak for the first time in 2005 when he was playing for the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL. He was in Long Beach because the Canadiens had a logjam at the goaltender position and wanted to get the young Slovak some regular playing time. It was only a half-hour conversation, but I’ve never met an athlete with greater confidence or a stronger desire to succeed. He briefly discussed playing against Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin at the World Junior Championships, and flat-out stated that he belonged on the NHL stage, competing against the best in the world.
Halak’s play has backed up that assertion, and he’s put up impressive numbers everywhere he’s played. Hear me now and believe me later: Halak is a better goaltender than Carey Price and he’s going to be a Vezina candidate in the future. If he’s available along with Plekanec — a second-line center with 70-point potential — as part of a package for Marleau, Wilson would be a fool to turn it down. I’m not sure why the Sharks general manager has shown Marleau so much loyalty up to this point. He’d be better off placing his trust in better players who won’t provide the team so many headaches.
3) Trade Marc-Edouard Vlasic to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Sharp
Sharp has been rumored to be on the trade block this offseason, and he would be a welcome addition to a Sharks team that’s still softer than a kitten’s belly. He’s a competitor, and placing him on the second line could do wonders for Milan Michalek. You have to think the enigmatic Czech winger would play a couple inches taller alongside Sharp; a player would take a stick through the trachea and keep on going.
You give up a good young defenseman in Vlasic, but he’s another soft player who saves his worst performance for the playoffs each season. Obviously the discussion comes down to Vlasic or Christian Ehrhoff, who you would rather keep. In my mind, I stick with Ehrhoff. Sure he runs a little more hot and cold. In fact, Ehrhoff has gone through stretches where he’s been the best Sharks defender and the worst Sharks defender, but he’s able to score from the blueline, has better speed, and plays a lot more physically. Vlasic might be better defensively in the long run; I’m just not sold on his ability to turn his game up a notch.
4) Trade Jonathan Cheechoo to the New York Islanders for a second-round pick
You’d probably be lucky to get the Islanders’ second-round pick for Cheechoo, but stranger things have happened. Ultimately, this is another scenario that backfired on Wilson, who has spent the last two seasons making excuses for Cheechoo rather than dealing him for something worthwhile. Now the Sharks are saddled with a 50-goal scorer whose best days are long behind him.
This move is an important salary dump for the Sharks, and that second-round pick would be a nice score. Assuming my moves would bring the Sharks a Stanley Cup, they would have the final first-round pick of the 2010 NHL entry draft and they’d kick off the second round, giving the team a nice snake-style selection scenario. Cheechoo would obviously be missed, although the sting would have been a lot easier to take one or two years ago when Wilson was able to garner a bigger return.
5) Put Kent Huskins on the trading block
I don’t want to knock Huskins too much, and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s going to be a reliable bottom-pairing defenseman. However, a number of defensemen who are better than Huskins have signed for less money this offseason.
Andrew Alberts, CAR - $1.05
Nick Boynton, ANA - $1.5
Jack Johnson, LA - $1.425
Lukas Krajicek, TB - $1.475
Paul Mara, MTL - $1.675
Jay McKee, PIT - $800K
Steve Montador, BUF - $1.55
Shane O’Brien, VAN - $1.6
Karlis Skrastins, DAL - $1.375
Keith Yandle, PHX - $1.2
Clearly Huskins’ agent is a genius, taking a 30-year-old player with less than three years of NHL experience who’s coming off an injury-plagued season and getting him more money than established NHLers like Nick Boynton, Paul Mara and Jay McKee. Either Huskins’ agent is a genius or Wilson is a terrible negotiator. I’ll let you decide, but it would be in the Sharks’ best interests to try and get that contract off the books as quickly as possible.
6) Sign Dominic Moore for $1.5-$2.5 million
Tom Kostopoulos would have been perfect for the Sharks third-line right wing role. He was always tough to play against when he was in Los Angeles and played well for Montreal each of the last two seasons, but Wilson missed the boat on him and several other free agents who weren’t named Scott Nichol that could have made the Sharks better. Honestly, Nichol will offer a little more sandpaper than Goc or Plihal did, but that’s the type of low-impact player the Sharks need to bring up through the system rather than signing at 34 years of age.
Mike Peca might not be a bad fit for around $1 million if you want an experienced grinder, but Dominic Moore would provide better defensive play and has enough offensive punch to make that third line stand up. I’m going to set a very conservative number of $1.5 million for Moore, but he could sign for up to $2.5 million. Luckily, my moves have freed up enough cap space to make this a real possibility.
7) Sign Jeremy Roenick for $750,000
He’s rumored to announce his retirement any day now, bringing to an end one of the most entertaining, turbulent and inspirational careers in the history of professional sports. There’s not doubt he’s headed to the Hall in a couple years, and the hockey world will enjoy him in some capacity — coaching or broadcasting — for years to come. I just don’t think he’s ready to hang up the blades just yet.
Let’s bring the old warrior back for one more kick at the can, with a few conditions. The first is that he’s not allowed to make any public announcements at HP Pavilion at the end of the year. It was awkward and a little sad to see the 39-year-old Roenick addressing the home crowd at the end of a 13-point, 42-game season. He’s the designated bullhorn of the team, but it really wasn’t his place. The second condition is that he takes as many days off as he needs to play well. At 80 percent he can still be a valuable contributor. Trying to play at 50 percent is going to make him a liability out there.
8) Sign Joe Pavelski to an extension
Pavelski’s market value is going to skyrocket this season. He’s going to fill Joe Thornton’s massive shoes on the first line, play for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics, and put up over a point per game playing between Heatley and Setoguchi. That means he needs to ink a four-year, $16 million deal sometime during the season rather than a four-year, $24 million deal during the next offseason. I’m not sure if Wilson owns any negotiating pants, considering the way he doles out big money and no-trade clauses, but he’d better find some and strap them on to get a deal done with Pavelski.
9) Sign Devin Setoguchi to an extension
You can basically repeat the same scenario for Setoguchi, without the huge shoes to fill or the Olympics participation. Luckily, with my moves the Sharks will have plenty of space to re-sign each of these players. Looking at the big ticket items (more than $1 million) coming off the books next offseason, you have Nabokov, Blake, Plekanec, Pavelski, Lukowich and Setoguchi freeing up $16 million in salary.
Nabokov won’t be back in 2010-11 and Halak’s arrival makes him deadline trade bait. Blake likely won’t return for another year, especially after the Sharks win the Cup and he can retire on top. That leaves $16 million to re-sign Pavelski, Setoguchi, Plekanec and Lukowich. Get on it early and Wilson could save himself some money, before two-thirds of the top line blows up and demands Scott Gomez money.
10) Name Dan Boyle captain
This is a no-brainer. Boyle was the only Sharks player who really stood up during the team’s playoff debacle against the Ducks. Hopefully with the C on his sweater he can hold guys directly accountable, rather than alluding to certain unnamed players who need to step up their game. Plus, this is the one move that almost everyone can agree with. I know there are a few holdouts who think Torrey Mitchell or Ryane Clowe would make a good captain, but they’re probably the same people who believe both Thornton and Marleau should return for another year.
In conclusion, here’s my projected 2009-10 San Jose Sharks roster:
Heatley-Pavelski-Setoguchi
Sharp-Plekanec-Michalek
Clowe-Mitchell-Moore
Shelley-Nichol-Roenick
Staubitz
Boyle-Lukowich
Blake-Ehrhoff
Murray-Huskins
Nabokov
Halak
At a price tag of $55.25 million, the Sharks will have enough cap flexibility to call up Jamie McGinn or Derek Joslin, and they can patch injury holes with long-term solutions rather than 43-year-old experiments. Plus, they have three lines that can score, rather than relying on a top-heavy first line at the expense of depth and cap space. My third line combined for 97 points last season, and that’s with a center who missed the entire year. It’s a considerable step up from last season’s roster, producing a more balanced attack with increased toughness and a reduced price tag.
Doug Wilson hasn’t done anything significant yet but there’s still time to revamp his roster, making changes to improve the team while staying under the salary cap. My plan doesn’t guarantee success, but when you compare it to the Sharks’ current projected roster — featuring the same underachieving players who have made excuses during the last four seasons — it’s a huge step in the right direction.
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