The Sharks are back in action tonight against the Anaheim Ducks – the NHL’s top club – but they’ll do battle without Tyler Kennedy, Tommy Wingels and Justin Braun.
Braun and Wingels are still out from injuries incurred prior to the All-Star break and Kennedy joins them in the latest of his hurt problems on the season.
The loss of Kennedy is a big one for the Sharks depth group. He’s been a quality addition to the lineup when he’s played. Outside of his wild fascination with taking low-percentage shots he’s a player who is solid with possession and brings a much needed energy to a team that sometimes lack’s that trait.
San Jose is 3-0-1 against Anaheim this season, accounting for 30% of the Ducks regulation losses, so they can take that confidence into the game – although the task at hand is considerably more difficult with the injuries they’re dealing with.
The Sharks need to find consistency while they struggle – even more than usual – to put together a serviceable lineup. They’re also going to need players to step up. That list includes Patrick Marleau, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto. Those players need to start finding a groove, if only for these few games whilst injured players rest.
On defence, without Braun, there should be more pressure on Brent Burns to shore up his defensive game. Brenden Dillon and whoever ends up playing with him again need to be a reliable pair. No funny business – strictly defense. Scott Hannan and Matt Irwin are going to have to figure out how to play hockey for a few games and Mirco Mueller, should he make his way into the lineup, needs to readjust quickly to life in the NHL.
I’m extremely interested to see what the lines are going to look like throughout the game. Will McLellan do the SAP Shuffle, or will he settle on something consistent early on? For the sake of getting a win I would hope it’s the latter.
Tonight’s game should be entertaining as usual when these two clubs meet.
Trade Deadline Approaching
We’re almost only a month away from the trade deadline and while Doug Wilson has said he’s not making any moves for the sole purpose of a playoff push that doesn’t mean he should sit back and do nothing.
If there are UFA’s that Wilson doesn’t plan to make use of beyond this season he needs to deal them. The list of players isn’t full of prominent names that carry the Sharks every night so the impact would be minimal to deal a few.
While I like both James Sheppard and Tyler Kennedy’s contributions to the bottom six this season if there is no plan for them in San Jose beyond 2014-2015 then they need to be shipped out for a draft pick.
Andrew Desjardins, Matt Irwin, Scott Hannan and the rest of the UFA group deserve the same fate. Turn these players into assets. Take the Tim Murray approach to the deadline. Murray said this on the NHL Network earlier this week:
“‘I’m not here to rip this team apart, but I’m going to tell you that we’re not going to lose a pending free agent for nothing.…
A third, fourth or fifth round pick might seem like garbage but you never know, maybe it’s recyclable garbage that can be moulded into an actual hockey player.
AHL Heading West
Dave Pollak reported that the AHL is expected to announce, in a press conference later today, the relocation of five NHL affiliates to California.
Including the Sharks, the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames are all expected to shift their minor league affiliates to the West Coast.
“The Kings are transferring theirs from Manchester, New Hampshire, to Ontario; the Ducks affiliate is reportedly headed to San Diego; and the Flames are shifting their team from Glens Falls, New York, to Stockton. The Oilers are bringing their team to Bakersfield from Oklahoma City.… – Dave Pollak (San Jose Mercury)
Hockey is alive and well in California.
The move is great for the game and the teams involved as it puts their call-ups closer to the big club and more easily accessible. The benefits will be exponential not only for ease of access but for the development of the Sharks prospects.
Thanks for reading.