First I’d like to thank Eklund and the behind the scenes crew for letting me write at Hockeybuzz for the past 15 months. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s been great to write alongside some fantastic writers that don’t get the credit they deserve.

I just can’t make the time commitment to consistent posting anymore so it’s time for someone else to take over and give Sharks fans what they deserve. Thanks to all the readers, Sharks fans and others, who came back with each post. It was much appreciated.

Final Thoughts

- While this team is improved, they will go only as far as their goaltender will take them. They’ve fought through injuries and are only one point back of the LA Kings for the division lead. It’s only going to get better when Couture gets back. It could all be for not, though, if Martin Jones doesn't continue to play well.

- I really, truly, hope that – at some point in the near future – the Sharks staff will realize just how terrible Mike Brown is. Mike Brown makes John Scott look like Henrik Zetterberg, that’s how bad Brown is. Anyone who has paid attention last year knows what I think of John Scott, so let this soak in for a minute. Brown is awful. Stop playing him.

- Joel Ward continues to prove me wrong, which is great for the Sharks. He’s been solid all year and has been a consistent bright spot on the team. He’s on pace to record his best season of his career, at age 34. That’s pretty impressive stuff. He hasn’t hindered the team in any fashion and has been one of the biggest surprises around the entire NHL in my opinion.

- Dainius Zubrus has been about as impressive as a stack of plain Pringles in his first couple of games. This team has serious depth issues up front. They just aren’t good, and that includes Goodrow and Tierney’s play as well. The struggle is real for the majority of the bottom six.

- Where did the Marleau rumors go? I think it was all non-sense to begin with. The rumored list of teams he would go to was hilarious – and impossible to make come to reality. There has to be some bad blood between Marleau and management given the last few years, and the shenanigans that went on. The same goes for Thornton, but I don’t think either player will be going anywhere this year – and probably not next year either. They aren’t easy trades to make, and Wilson would be foolish to send them away for nothing when they can still play.

- The Sharks prospects aren’t having near the collective season that they had last year, and I think that’s more grounding than anything. It’s a weak prospect system in general, but there are some quality depth guys like Dylan Sadowy who have the potential to have a real impact some day for the Sharks. The system is better after last year’s draft, yes, but still average at best compared to the rest of the league.

- Finally, one more time for good luck, Doug – you’re fired.

Thanks again Hockeybuzz readers, writers, and staff. It’s been fun.

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