The result of a tweet missing a few key words was Joe Thornton trending on Twitter. Endless tweets of speculation soared through the internet after this initial entry:
Kevin Kurz @KKurzCSN • 3h3 hours ago Thornton skating this morning between Brown and Desjardins. Kind of odd #SJSharks
Immediately talks started that Thornton was traded and everything spiraled out of control from there. What that tweet was missing were three key words: Orange practice jersey.
Throughout the pre-season the Sharks’ players who weren't going to dress for the night’s match-up donned orange jerseys during the morning skate. It’s nothing new and it’s not a “player’s been traded… jersey of shame. Normally when a player is dealt they get pulled from the ice; for those of you who didn't fly off the rails you already knew that.
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The Sharks are in Arizona to face the Coyotes in their second-to-last pre-season tilt tonight. Alex Stalock is getting the nod in goal for the Sharks and the Goodrow-Tierney-Wingels line is set to go again in what’s been a common theme for the pre-season so far.
Tierney and Goodrow are getting a significant, and consistent, look on the third line for San Jose. They've impressed everyone in camp and have done a solid job in a role playing position. They might be forcing the hand of McLellan and Wilson with their strong play. First round pick Nikolay Goldobin is travelling with the team but it doesn’t look like he’s going to suit up for either of the final pre-season games which could lead to speculation he’s going to be returned to Sarnia in the OHL.
It’s going to be a big night for Tye McGinn as he gets to line up next to Hertl and Pavelski in the Sharks top-six in his bid to make the lineup. Even though McGinn in the top-six during the season will never happen it’s a pretty good opportunity to display some versatility and a nice reward for a solid performance in camp thus far. If the Sharks don’t keep Goodrow there’s a good chance that McGinn is in that third line spot.
The Sharks have 30 players left in camp and have to get down to 23 by the season opener against LA. Todd McLellan has said that roster spots are still up for grabs but with the amount of one-way contracts you have to believe that’s a limited statement. Sheppard, Kennedy and Torres’ injuries will play a factor in who’s kept for opening night. With that being said it’s still a crap-shoot as to what the bottom six is actually going to look like against LA. Time is ticking so we should find out soon who is staying and who is going. I’m thinking Sunday is the likeliest day for a look at the roster.
What say you? Is Goldobin as good as gone? Will Goodrow/Tierney make the opening night roster?
One final note:
Both of the Sharks final pre-season games won’t be broadcast but can be heard via 98.5 KFox at http://www.Kfox.com/player
Thanks for reading.
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