The Sharks have themselves back in a playoff position after a month+ of hard work and a lot of winning but that doesn't mean they should settle on their current roster as-is. There are holes that still need to be filled for this team to be considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
The problem is, though, Doug Wilson’s history shows he doesn't like to make moves of significance – minus the Dillon deal.
Current Needs
3rd Line Center 4th Line Winger Top Four D Goalie
You could also argue that the Sharks need a top six winger – although I think by filling the other holes they could more than survive with the current group if there were stability in the lines. If I was going after a guy for the top six it would be Jaromir Jagr from New Jersey for reasons I wrote in the Hotstove post a few days ago.
Let’s assume the top six stays the same for argument sake on the look of the bottom six.
In the bottom six I’d like to see Karlsson-Player X- Wingels and Kennedy-Sheppard-Player X as the lines. That’s assuming Kennedy’s healthy. He’s been one of the best Sharks for possession play in the 2014 calendar year and his play is definitely more deserving than others on the team. You can make a roster decision whenever Torres returns as to who will sit, whether it’s the fourth line player-X coming out or Melker Karlsson.
So who is player X for the third and fourth lines? The center for line three would look great if ‘Player-X’ was replaced with Patrik Berglund from St. Louis. The Blues will need some cap space to get superstar Vladmir Tarasenko locked up and Berglund’s name has been floated in rumors. If it’s a cap space kind of deal that could be inviting to the Sharks, who could send a prospect like Noah Rod back. Berglund is a great possession player and generally puts up solid third line numbers.
For the fourth line – and it might be wishful thinking giving the on-ice relationship between these two teams – but Dwight King would be great for San Jose. King has better numbers than the Sharks current band of misfits for the fourth line and I love his energy.
For the top four D I’d like them to go after Andrej Sekera. I think he’s a highly underrated defender who could play great with Vlasic and give the Sharks the chance to put Braun with Mueller – if Mueller ever plays for San Jose again – to create three solid defensive pairs. Sekera’s name is a hot topic in rumors these days so speculating any type of return from San Jose would just attract the villagers complete with torches, so I’ll let you decide in the comments.
Finally, goaltending.
Niemi isn’t a sufficient answer in goal – although with Sekera he could become more serviceable – so the Sharks need to look elsewhere. The odds of Niemi returning after this year I’d have to wager are slim to none but the team doesn’t seem fully committed to giving Stalock a chunk of starts so here we are. Looking for a goalie.
Niemi’s 5v5 save percentage of 92.39% is less than stellar and isn’t going to win them any championships with the current roster. The goalie/top-4 D option might be a case of one-or-the-other so you’ll have to pick your poison on that one. Do you want to shore up the defensive group and take a chance on Niemi one final time? Or do you want to get rid of Niemi – and his expiring contract – while you still can and look for an upgrade? Do the Ottawa Senators want to hand over the keys to the city to Robin Lehner yet? Anderson might be worth inquiring about.
Those are just options for this season. Should the Sharks fail to lift Lord Stanley’s prize in the spring then you’ll most likely see a significant roster shuffle and the management - whether Wilson or his replacement - won’t have much of a choice to do so. There have been more calls for blood from the most recent offseason until now with the Sharks than there has been in their entire history in the league.
Wilson can either choose to make deals now to get this team in a better position for a playoff run, or he can sit back and do nothing while he waits to be fired and watch someone else make the moves he should have made. Either way, the Sharks should be active in the 2015 calendar year.
Thanks for reading.