The trade deadline is fast approaching and the rumors are flying around like dust in the wind. I can't imagine any team has been mentioned more in the rumor mill than the San Jose Sharks - and for good reason.
The teal and black are going to make the playoffs. I feel confident in saying that. Where my confidence waivers is on just how long they can stick around.
They very clearly have offensive deficiencies and a great example of that is their very own captain. Joe Pavelski's averaged nearly 30 goals a season for his entire career. This season he is on pace for half that and truth-be-told he will be lucky to get even that many.
San Jose is 11th in the Western Conference is goal scoring with 150 goals. Of the eight teams currently holding a playoff spot in the West they rank dead last in that same category.
The best team in the Western Conference and the Sharks opponent this evening is averaging more than half a goal more per game (3.38) than San Jose (2.83). Brent Burns, a defenseman, leads the team in points (44) and Logan Couture is the only Shark with 20 or more goals. Vegas has three players with 20 or more goals and Jonathan Marchessault has 19.
The old adage is that defense and goaltending wins championships. The Sharks have plenty of that. The undeniable flaw with that line of thinking is that a team still needs to score more than the opponent to win games. And that's the rub with San Jose. They are bringing pea-shooters to fight against clubs packing major heat in today's run-and-gun NHL.
Long story short... the Sharks need to make a move to even have a chance to win a round this spring. Whether it's Max Pacioretty, Evander Kane, Rick Nash or someone else - it's going to be an upgrade. And I'm not overly opposed to a mainstay going the other way. As far as I'm concerned, the only untouchable's should be Brent Burns, Marc-Edourd Vlasic, Couture and Martin Jones
What's you gut say? Is there smoke behind all this trade rumor fire and who is on your untouchable list?
Thanks for reading, Steve