Update 2:17pm: The Sharks have sent Freddie Hamilton, Troy Grosenick, JP Anderson, Matt Tennyson, Dylan DeMelo, Travis Oleksuk, Danill Tarasov and Melker Karlsson to Worcester of the AHL.
There are now 30 players in Sharks camp.
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A few quick notes on camp before I get into the five predictions.
- The Sharks reduced their roster to 38 yesterday, sending Abeltshauser, Schwartz, Emanuelson and Carpenter to Worcester in the AHL.
- Tierney, Goodrow and Goldobin are making life difficult for McLellan and Wilson as they attempt to piece together an opening day roster. The three youngsters have been the Sharks best players in the pre-season.
- Freddie Hamilton needs to step up his game in the last few days of camp if he wants a roster spot. He has taken a backseat to the three players mentioned above as the pre-season has progressed.
- Taylor Doherty is doing everything he can to make an impression but it’s most likely not going to be enough. McLellan is a big fan of Fedun and Hannan, and the Sharks are still watching Mirco Mueller very closely.
- The next pre-season game is Tuesday against LA.
On to the five predictions.
1. San Jose will have at least three players score 30 goals.
Pavelski, Marleau and Couture will all hit the 30 goal mark this year in a balanced offensive attack. They've all done it before and they are all ready to do it again. I’d even go as far as saying they could all be 35 goal scorers this season.
2. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will not be traded.
The whole idea of trading these two is ridiculous right now. Playoff hopes aren't dead, Stanley Cup dreams are still alive. You don’t discard two of your best players while you’re still trying to win a championship. Sooner or later Doug Wilson will realize that.
3. Alex Stalock will take the number one job officially by the new year.
Antti Niemi won’t play horrible, he just won’t outplay Stalock. All signs point to the Sharks not re-upping Niemi so handing over the reins to Stalock is just a matter of time. Once it happens you can expect Niemi trade rumors to surface as the Sharks try to get something before letting him depart via free agency.
4. Tomas Hertl will score 60 points.
The talented Czech forward will elevate his game on a more consistent basis and benefit from playing on the top line with Joe Thornton once again. He has the tools to do it and he’s going to be an important piece of the Sharks offense in 2014-2015. His PPG averaged over 82 games last year would have sat him at 55 total, so 60 isn't that unreasonable.
5. San Jose will have the NHL's best powerplay.
After a season of disappointment in the extra-man department the Sharks figure out their troubles and put a lethal powerplay system in place. When you play a system that more often than not finds you in one goal games you need to be successful with special teams play. Joe Thornton might even shoot more, who knows.
Thanks for reading!
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