Vlasic bankruptcy

Monday, January 09 - Sunday, January 15

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1,082	331 comments	[Video] Oilers get called for too many men with 5 men on the ice. The Kings would score on the subsequent PP.
1,057	120 comments	[Video] Christian Fischer with one of the hardest bar downs I've ever seen
1,039	250 comments	[Video] Bunting kicks Frederic, Frederic slashes him
968	63 comments	On this day three years ago, Pekka Rinne became the most recent goalie to score an NHL goal.
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692	34 comments	[Video] [NJ (4) - CAR 3] Dawson Mercer charges the net with a great individual effort for his 10th
600	56 comments	[Video] Igor Shesterkin with an insane save on Slafkovsky.
521	33 comments	[Video] A friendly neighborhood moment between the Czech and Slovak girls after their game today.
490	67 comments	[Video] Frederik Andersen misplays the puck on a unique clearing attempt leading to an own-goal.
435	46 comments	Kirby Dach reverse hit on Clutterbuck
434	144 comments	[Video] [NYR (2) - DAL 1] Adam Fox scores the game winner in OT
413	18 comments	[Video] Gibby and Z having fun in warm-ups
360	49 comments	[Video] [EDM 6 - ANA 1] Draisaitl scores between the leg on the powerplay
300	46 comments	[Video] Jack Campbell absolutely ROBS Vlasic
272	50 comments	[Video] [WSH 1 - PHI 1] Alexander Ovechkin cleans up the rebound for his 30th goal of the season. He now ties Mike Gartner’s NHL record for most 30-goal seasons
265	14 comments	[Video] Kirby Dach Beats Shesterkin on the Powerplay, He Establishes a New Career High in Points with the Goal With His 27th Point on the Season in Game #44
252	22 comments	[Video] [TOR 3 - BOS 3] Auston Matthews makes a move and snaps it top shelf to even the game up
228	20 comments	[Video] Dustin Tokarski with an incredible save but Blake Wheeler puts in the rebound.

 

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2,831	564 comments	[Image] In the Swiss National League they now call „visual goaltender interference“. It looks like this.
2,748	302 comments	[Image] With last night's blown lead, Vancouver now holds the record for most multi-goal blown leads through 40 games.
2,667	520 comments	[B/R Open Ice] Connor McDavid would like to see the NHL eliminate shootouts and is open to a 10-minute, 3-on-3 overtime format

 

Top Comments

score	comment
3,867	CaptainPeppa said Well that's stupid
2,372	ManyZookeepergame374 said Is the commissioner a goalie?
2,135	TurboViking90 said > One Rangers player, speaking on condition of anonymity, has suggested that while King’s wife’s dark-locks don’t bother him per se, they are another indication of how the organization’s current assis...
2,121	evilt1000 said Maybe even worse is the fact that half the intermission is talking about odds, oveunders, etc.
1,898	CaptainCanada94 said Seriously? What the fuck. No, veto, sorry, I won’t allow it.

 

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score/comments	awards	title & link
0 - 65 comments	1 Gold	Team Trans: The 'life-saving' ice hockey team backed by the NHL
130 - 10 comments	1 Celly	[Video] [Philadelphia Flyers] Travis Konecny gets the hat trick
349 - 261 comments	1 Gold	[PGT] Post Game Thread: Seattle Kraken at Boston Bruins - 12 Jan 2023
245 - 33 comments	1 All-Seeing Upvote	[Mike McIntyre] Cole Perfetti spoke with travelling media here in Pittsburgh about how sick he was last night in Buffalo. “Kind of got fever, chills and then lots of trips to the bathroom, puking. The worst I’ve felt since I can remember.” 3 assists tonight vs Penguins.
2,443 - 476 comments	1 Snek	[SinBin.vegas] on Twitter: Robin Lehner has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy linked to his ownership of an exotic snake farm in Missouri. The filing lists Lehner’s liability between $10-50 million, and lists the same lending agency that was sued in Evander Kane’s bankruptcy.

 

Awarded Comments

awards	score	comment
1 All-Seeing Upvote	84	ehr1c said I truly could not give a fuck about any other team in the league
1 Take My Energy	0	letmesleep said I stopped watching hockey for the most part and this is a big portion of why.

 

UPDATED 7/17
Welcome to the Seattle Kraken Reddit Mock Expansion draft. We will be going through all 30 teams alphabetically. Next up is the San Jose Sharks. Below is the general view of whom the Sharks will protect and the Kraken will select. It is definitely not correct and intended to be a starting point for a discussion. Please comment with your thoughts on whom San Jose will protect, whom Seattle will select and/or any side deals.
Kraken pick forward Brent Burns Dylan Gambrell 24, C, RFA 2021, .700m, other considerations: Marleau, True, Burns
Side Deal: For selecting Burns, San Jose retains 3m of his contract per year and sends a 1st round pick.
Click here to view the Seattle Kraken Reddit Mock Expansion Draft Completed teams
San Jose Sharks (protection scheme 7-3-1)
Forwards: 1. Logan Couture 2. Evander Kane 3. Timo Meier 4. Tomas Hertl 5. Kevin Labanc 6. Ryan Donato 7. Rüdolfs Balcers
Defensemen: 1. Erik Karlsson (NMC) 2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic (NMC) 3. Radim Simek
Goalie: 1. Adin Hill Josef Korenar
Forwards: San Jose is in a bit of a bind when it come to the forwards protections list as they only have 5 forwards that meet the exposure requirements (Couture, Kane, Meier, Hertl and Lablanc) and they will want to protect all of them. They will need to either expose 2 from that list, trade with another team, work out a side deal with the Kraken or sign 2 players that played 27 games to an extension. San Jose will have time to figure this out bewteen now and July, so will assume they meet the exposure requirements. There is really only 1 name of interest for the Kraken and that is Dylan Gabrell from Bonney Lake, WA. He is a 24 year old center and will be an RFA at the end of the season. Gabrell was a point per game player in his college days, but that has yet to translate to the NHL. The last 2 seasons with the Sharks he only managed 23 points in 99 games. Sharks had hoped he would take a step up this year and is playing time did increase from 12->16 minutes, but that did not translate to any offensive increase. There are 2 other players on San Jose with Seattle roots, former T-birds Alex True and Patrick Marleau. Marleau is 41 and a UFA and will most likely retire. True is a year younger than Gabrell and had some success in the AHL, but in 19 NHL games has yet to score his first goal. UPDATE 7/15: Dylan Gambrell has been signed to a 1 year extension to fulfill the draft exposure requirements.
Defenseman: With Karlsson and Vlasic having NMC, the last protection slot comes down to Brent Burns or Radim Simek. Simek only averaged 14 minutes a game this year, where Burns was 3rd in the league with just over 26 minutes per game. Simek gets protected here as his contract is more budget frendily. Many mock drafts have the Kraken selecting Brent Burns. Burns has a massive cap hit at 8m for the next 4 years and he is currently 36. Burns does bring some veteran leadership and lightens/improves locker room culture, but that is heavy price and term to pay. For Seattle to take on this contract San Jose would have to throw in mulitiple incentives. The Kraken do need to select 20 players under contract for the 21-22 season and Burns would check this box.
Goalies: Martin Jones is suppose to be the starter, but has not be living up to his 5.7m cap hit the last 2 years. After Devan Dubynk was traded, in comes youngster Josef Korenar and he showed some promise, but his stats are no that appealing. San Jose would like to get the Jones contract off the books so Korenar gets protected. Jones is signed through 2024, so it would be a decent sized commitment. He is 2 years removed from a save percentage that is north of .900. For Seattle to draft Jones, we would need to receive alot of incentives to justify the contract. UPDATE 7/16: Adin Hill acquired from Coyotes and is now protected.
Side Deals: The Sharks are very top heavy and have some large contracts that really limit their flexible beyond there top 2 lines. Kraken would be interested in making a side deal for the following players (Kane, Meier, Hertl). For Kane, I am not sure what the result of his bankruptcy is and ending his contract with the Sharks was on the table, but he was also the Sharks leading scorer. Hertl only has 1 year left on his contract, Meier has 2 years and is still an RFA, and Kane has 4 years left. Since San Jose does not have enough players under contract that meet the draft requirements they would have to expose 2 players they don't want to lose. They would give a late round draft pick (5th or higher) to be able to dicate which of the 2 players we pick (assuming it is one of the 3 players mentioned). Depending the 2 players they expose, Kraken may just decide to take the best availible and forgo the pick. For example if they expose Meier and LeBlanc, it would be better we just take Meier. I am sure the Sharks would want to do something with Burns and Jones, but the price will be steep. If they are willing to pay it then the Kraken should listen. I would think SJ would need to get 1 pick/prospect or salary retainment for every year remaining on the contract. If the Sharks retained 2m per year of Burns' contract and a first round pick, then I would be ok drafting Burns.
Overall: The Sharks are in a bad spot with their roster and have numerous bad and long contracts. I am starting to think they need to do a nuclear option and do whatever is needed to get their four 7m and 8m contracts off the books and start rebuilding. Karlsson is 5th bad contract and whole other level of terrible (almost Skinner level), but Sharks are stuck with this one, as a buyout is not really an option and even if he waives his NMC nobody will trade for that contract. They should be able to trade some of their top 6 forwards and get someting in return to free up cap space and hopefully get some more flexibility in there lineup. The best pick for the Kraken straight from the expansion draft would be Dylan Grambrell, but it is not all that exciting. We could also draft Patrick Marleau as UFA and use that to open dialog to move him to a front office role. Basically it would be to draft him and let him walk, or maybe he wants to go 1 more season. I do think San Jose will want to be active on side deals, but we will need to see how they eventually expose 2 forwards that meet the exposure requirements. Kraken still need D and Brent Burns would be able to eat up alot of minutes even with him aging. Kraken make a side deal to select Brent Burns, where SJ retains 3m of his contract for the next 4 years and sends a 1st round pick. This gets the cap hit down to 5m, which is still not great for 4 years, but for 25+ minutes a night and someone that can run the powerplay is doable. Although it does not affect the cap, Burns' salary is front loaded, so he actualy will make 7m next season and ramps down to 5m in his final year. Update: Based on dicussions, the price for Burns is not high enough to take on his contract, so updating the pick to Bonney Lake native Dylan Gambrell.
Kraken pick forward Brent Burns Dylan Gambrell 24, C, RFA 2021, .700m, other considerations: Marleau, True, Burns
Side Deal: For selecting Burns, San Jose retains 3m of his contract per year and sends a 1st round pick.
Let me know your thoughts on the San Jose Sharks. Who do you think will be selected and why? Any side deals? Any prospects or lesser-known players, you think would be a better pick? If you have a question, feel free to ask. I will try to keep the post updated with the consensus choice and then move on to the next team the St Louis Blues.
Edit: 5/31 - Many people commented that helping out a divisional rival would be against the Kraken's interest, unless the Sharks overpaid and create a deal we just can't pass up. Sharks also are less likely to give up draft picks as, regardless if they admit it, they have to rebuild and draft as many players as they can. For now updating the pick to Dylan Gambrell. 7/15 - Dylan Gambrell has been signed to 1 year extension for 1.1m. San Jose now means the draft exposure requirements. 7/17 - Adin Hill was Acquired and is now protected. Sharks are still a waste land after protections, so pick remains Dylan Grambrell

Now that the trade deadline has passed, I thought I'd go through and give my personal perspective on how each Sharks player has performed so far this season. Obviously this is just my opinion based on watching each game this season, so please feel free to disagree:)
*Note: I'm not including all stats, only the ones that stood out to me, I will also assign a letter grade based on how I believe a player is performing relative to their current potential*
EDIT: For those who thought the grades were generous, I've added a numerical gradescale that corresponds to the letter grades, perhaps this will help clear up what the letters mean to me. A+=11 (exceeding expectations), A=10, A-=9, B+=8, B=7, B-=6, C+=5, C=4, C-=3 D+=2, D=1, F=0
Forwards:
Evander Kane: (42 GP, 16 G, 35 P, -2) In my opinion, Kane has been the best player on the Sharks this season. He passes both the eye test and has contributed admirably on the scoresheet. Alot has been made of his past issues and more recently his bankruptcy. Many also questioned the 7x7 contract he received. I believe he has earned that contract so far. He has consistently put up goals, he currently leads the team in points and has put the most shots on goal this season (140). He not only leads the team in goals but also in primary assists with only 6 of his 19 being secondary. He also seems to have reigned in the PIMs as well averaging just under 1 PIM/GP this season (his career average is about 1.3). In terms of eye test, he doesn't seem to take too many shifts off, he's been physical (3rd on the team with 71 hits), and reliable defensively (only -2, I know not a great stat, but it does say something about his play considering the team's poor goal differential). There have been a number of occasions where he has been absolutely dominant on the ice using his speed and physicality to great effect, often resulting in goals for. Grade: A (10/10)
Tomas Hertl: (36 GP, 26 P, 12 G, 4 PPG, Sh% 16.4) Coming off of a long layoff and a knee injury last season, I would be willing to give Hertl a bit of a pass in terms of production this season, however he started the season strong with 6 points in his first 3 games, and then proceeded to have only 1 point in his next 8 games. His season has been characterized, I think, by some streakiness and lack of consistency. Obviously, missing some games with injury doesn't help, but he seemed to be struggling a bit to find his offensive rhythm this season. Since returning to the lineup on March 12 he's had 15 points in 19 games which is better, but watching him play has been a bit frustrating at times. When he's on his game he is a dominant player. I think back to highlights from previous season where he demonstrates tremendous use of his size and strength to take the puck to the net and I haven't seen as much of that this season which is a bit disappointing. I'm hoping that down the stretch and into the future we start to see him pick it up a bit and get back to that dominant power-forward game that he is capable of. He's second on the team in points so I don't want to be too harsh to him, but I really think his ceiling is much higher than we've seen from him this season. To his credit, he leads the team in PPGs with 4, however his Sh% seems a bit inflated at 16.4%, I'd like to see him shoot more when he has the chance. Grade: B- (6/10)
Logan Couture: (42 GP, 26 P, 14 G) Couture started the season hot and led the team in goals for quite a while. Right now, however, I think he's playing hurt and it has definitely affected his performance. He hasn't had a goal in his last 12 games and only has 3 points in that span. It's a bit tough to evaluate his season because of an unknown injury that might be slowing him down. Based on his hot start I would say he was clearly one of the best players on the team, but as of late he's been much less effective and the team has definitely missed his goal scoring ability. At this point I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume his recent lack of production is due mostly to injury, hopefully he heals up fast and can get back on track. Grade: B+ (8/10)
Timo Meier: (40 GP, 25 P, 8 G, Sh% 6.6, 1.93 Giveaways/60) Meier has frustrated the hell out of me this season because he has every skill and physical ability to make him a top player in the NHL and yet he seems to completely disappear for games at a time. When he's been on his game he is a force, but his consistency has been sorely lacking this season. In his defense, he seems to have been somewhat snake-bitten this season as he leads all regular forwards with 11.2 Shots/60 and only has 8 goals to show for it. The eye test has been far less kind to him, however, as most nights he has me cursing at my TV for brutal turnovers, poor puck management, and apparent lack of effort. His 1.93 giveaways/60 is the highest on the team among forwards and it's not only the number of turnovers but they often occur in the neutral zone where they lead to odd man rushes the other way. 25 points in 40 games isn't awful, but considering his salary and the high expectations the organization and we as fans have for him, this has been a disappointing season for Meier so far. If this team is going to be successful, he will need to be a key contributor with much more consistency. Grade: C- (3/10)
Kevin Labanc: (42 GP, 24 P, 10 G, 3 PPP, 106 SOG) I haven't hated Kevin Labanc this season. I believe his 56 point season two years ago was perhaps a bit of an overachievement for him which would make sense because that team was the highest scoring in franchise history, that season was likely an outlier and not the norm. At 25 years old he has some room to improve, but I think he's reaching his prime now and I wouldn't expect him to suddenly become a superstar. I think we know what he is at this point, a good, not great, middle six forward with powerplay upside. I think he's a little underqualified to play on the top line in the NHL and that he would be ideally deployed on a second or third scoring line. He's on pace this year for a little over 40 points in an 82 game season which about his career average. At best, I think he could score up to 70 points with exceptional linemates, but I wouldn't expect more than 40-50 in a normal season. He has flashes of brilliance and also some awful lapses in judgement. He has improved his defensive game, though he still won't be killing penalties any time soon. I know alot of people don't like his contract, but I think he has been close to earning it this season for the most part, especially compared to other players with similar scoring rates, though as a player who is known for his powerplay ability, 3 points on the powerplay is an underachievement and he can stand to improve that number. Overall, he's been ok. By the eye test, he's seemed to give good effort most nights, though there are still some areas of his game to clean up. I am happy to see that he is shooting more than he has in past years. He has a good shot and should be pushing 20 goals yearly. Grade: B- (6/10)
Ryan Donato: (42 GP, 19 P, Sh% 6.3) In his first season with the Sharks, I've liked Donato's game for the most part, though his point and goal totals are a little disappointing. There are a number of games I can think back to where he has been all over the puck in the offensive zone but hasn't necessarily come up with a goal. I think this is reflected in his low shooting percentage at 6.3% and his 10.19 shots/60 which is second on the team after Meier. Perhaps, like Meier, he seems to be a bit snake-bitten. He leads all regular players with 6.22 iHDCF/60 and 1.14 ixG/60 so I think there are goals in his future if he keeps this up. My biggest criticism of him is that I don't think he plays a very strong physical game. While he is tenacious and does throw the body a fair bit, he seems to get muscled off of the puck a little too often and could use his body to greater effect to protect the puck, especially on the cycle. He's close to 0.5 points per game which, for a middle six forward, is not bad. I think he has potential to be even better still, but I think the effort has been there. I think he is a bit out of place when he's played on the top line and ideally belongs on a second or third line where he might thrive against weaker competition. Grade: B (7/10)
Rudolfs Balcers: (27 GP, 13 P) Picking Balcers up off of waivers this season was a great move by Doug Wilson and Balcers has not disappointed. At 13 points in 27 games, he is 1 point away from his career high in 9 less games and has looked solid. That's about a 40 point pace over a full season. He's demonstrated great speed and offensive instincts and doesn't seem to be a defensive liability. I don't expect him to be top line player any time soon, but he has shown he can compliment skilled players like Hertl and Meier and I think at his best he is good scoring depth that can play up and down the lineup as needed. He'd probably be most effective on the third line of a good team, but he's done well with the opportunities he's had this season. Grade: A- (9/10)
John Leonard: (36 GP, 12 P, 3 G, 52 Shots) Let me start by saying that I like John Leonard. He's done fairly well to stay in the lineup this year and earn the roster spot. With that said, there are some obvious areas for improvement. First of all he needs to shoot the puck more. Leonard has a wicked shot and I think he can very likely become at least a 20 goal scorer in the future, but he simply isn't taking enough shots or hitting the net enough. There have been a number of opportunities this season where I think he has passed up a good shooting opportunity or has missed the net in a good scoring position. I think this is mostly a confidence issue that will resolve itself in time and I am relatively optimistic about his future with the team. He's also shown great speed this season which he can certainly use to his advantage with more confidence and experience. Another criticism I have is his decision making with the puck which is about what you would expect from a rookie. He has turned the puck over on a number of occasions leading to chances or goals against. Again, with time and experience, these issues will resolve themselves, but for this season it's still an area of improvement. Overall I think he's had a satisfactory rookie season and I look forward to watching his development. Grade: C+ (5/10)
Dylan Gambrell: (38 GP, 11 P, 38 Shots) I really didn't think much of Gambrell before this season, but he has impressed me this year and I don't think his numbers really reflect his improvement as a player. As was reported, he worked on his strength on the puck in the offseason and it has really shown in his game this season. He seems to be playing with much more confidence and maturity this season. While in past seasons he looked out of place on the NHL roster, this season he has held his own, even if his numbers aren't particularly kind to him. Like Leonard, however, he does need to shoot the puck more. With only 38 shots total and 3.8 shots/60 he shoots the least out of all regular forwards on the team. Considering this, he has done well to score 5 goals, but he is fully capable of more if he shoots the puck more often. I think that this season he has proved that he belongs in the NHL. His ceiling is still to be determined, but I think there are some good signs that he can be a consistent 3rd line center in the NHL. Grade: B- (6/10)
Patrick Marleau: (42 GP, 8 P) If he wasn't about to break the all-time games played record I'm not sure that he would warrant a roster spot on this team. I love Patrick Marleau and he is an absolute legend, but he is definitely not the player he once was. He clearly has good game sense and his speed is still surprisingly good, but his puck skills and strength on the puck are really letting him down at this point in his career. I hate to say it, but he looks like he's just hanging on long enough to break the record. This is likely why he wasn't picked up by a contender at the deadline to chase a cup. So many times this season I have seen him worked off of the puck or miss a hard pass. He also, understandably, doesn't look willing to sacrifice the body to make a play. Of course at this point he doesn't want to risk injury, but there are times where it's painfully obvious that he is lacking tenacity and willingness to fight for the puck. I'm sure he is a great person to have in the locker room and his experience is invaluable to the young players on the team, but after this season I'd be surprised if he re-signed next season. I think his spot would best be filled by a young player who is hungry for ice time and willing to earn the minutes. I don't say any of this to take away from his career and achievements, but eventually there comes a time . . . Grade: C (4/10)
Matt Nieto: (28 GP, 7 P, 5 G) Nieto is a good depth player with PK ability. I like him, though unfortunately he has been injured for a while now. He was contributing well enough with 5 goals in his first 28 games which is about his career average, however 2 assists seems a bit low. Obviously his game is not all about points as he is primarily a 3rd/4th line forward and is one of the team's main penalty killers. Like some other players on the team, I think he has been playing too far up the lineup at times which isn't necessarily his fault. On a good team, I think he is a decent 3rd liner or great 4th liner. I think he's done what he's been expected to do when he's been in the lineup, obviously there's always room for improvement, but he's been adequate. Grade: C+ (5/10)
Defensemen:
Brent Burns: (42 GP, 25 points, 98 Shots) I don't think any player on the Sharks has missed Joe Pavelski more than Brent Burns. The Burns shot / Pavelski tip combo was highly effective and it's been missing from his game the past couple of seasons. This season in particular, Burns has been shooting the puck alot less than usual. His 5.31 shots/60 is the lowest it has been since 2010-11, his last season in Minnesota. This isn't necessarily a problem but his ixG/60 of 0.27 is the second lowest of any season in his career. I'm not sure if this is reflective of decline due to age, or the loss of Pavelski, or the coaching change. I do know that those rates are at least partially influenced by the fact that his 26:21 TOI/GP is the highest of his entire career. At 36 years old, his ability to eat up all those minutes is rather impressive. No, he's still not the greatest defender in the world, but 25 points in 42 games is still a respectable mark for Burns at this point in his career and with his 8mil/year contract it's not the worst value I've ever seen, not even the worst on this team, unfortunately. Burns is obviously not paid for his defensive play and, in all seriousness, I don't think he gets enough credit for what he does do defensively. He currently leads the team with 71 shots blocked this season. I think the effort is there on the defensive end and he's made some world class plays on offense this season, especially on the highlight reel goals he scored earlier this season. As the highest scoring defenseman on the Sharks right now, it's hard to grade him harshly for this season, though like most players on the team he could always be better. Grade: B (7/10)
Nikolai Knyzhov: (42 GP, 7 P, 60 Hits, 72 Hits taken) Knyzhov has had an impressive rookie season. He pretty much came out of nowhere this season and made the team ahead of a number of other players who were expected to be in the conversation. He's demonstrated great skating ability, a strong physical game, a willingness to mix it up in the corners, an ability to move the puck and some offensive upside. I have absolutely loved what I have seen from Knyzhov this season and I'm excited to see how he develops from here as he's only 23 years old and defensemen tend to develop a little later than forwards. One area of improvement might be discipline as he's second on the team with 16 penalties taken this season. That being said, he's done well to be physical with 60 hits and is second on the team with 72 hits taken meaning he is willing to take a hit to make a play. Solid rookie season from Knyzhov and a tough assignment playing alongside Karlsson. Grade: A- (9/10)
Radim Simek: (36 GP, 5 P, 8.48 Hits/60) Simek has continued to be a physical presence on the Sharks blueline this season. His 8.48 hits/60 is the highest rate on the team among regular players. He has been usurped by Mario Ferraro this season as Burns' regular partner, though I think that has more to do with how good Ferraro is rather than Simek losing a step. I don't think Simek is ideally a top pairing defender and probably fits best on the third pairing. He has done well enough with Vlasic to stabilize the bottom pair this season and be defensively reliable. I like his effort, though he's clearly not the most skilled defender and lacks some offensive upside, but I'm perfectly happy to have him on the bottom pair and he's earned that spot well enough. Grade B+ (8/10)
Marc-Edouard Vlasic: (37 GP, 5 p) Clearly he is not the player he used to be. I am happy to see that he's been separated from Erik Karlsson because I don't think that was working for anybody. He's been ok with Simek, but certainly hasn't been playing up to his contract. At his best this season he's been ok, but he's obviously no longer one of the top three defenders on the team and it's unfortunate that his contract is eating up so much cap space for the service he provides. At 34, I wouldn't be surprised if his dropoff is due to age, but I think alot of it has to do with the loss of his steady partner Justin Braun a couple seasons ago and having to play alongside Erik Karlsson. With that said, he simply isn't as good as he used to be and I haven't really liked watching him this season. When he first started playing with Karlsson I gave him the benefit of the doubt for the dropoff in his defensive play, but at this point I'm having a hard time doing that and it's tough to see how he provides real value to this team, especially considering his contract. Grade: C (4/10)
Erik Karlsson: (38 GP, 17 P, 79 Shots, 6 PPP) I love Erik Karlsson, I think he's probably the most skilled player on the team, he's an amazing talent and is incredibly fun to watch. Karlsson is also the most frustrating player on the team. 17 points for 11.5 million is more than a little underwhelming. Based on the eye test, I'm frankly shocked that he only has 17 points. He's clearly a very skilled player, but for some reason the points just aren't there. Unfortunately, for all of the world class offensive plays he makes, there seems to be a world class blunder to match. Karlsson has the dubious honor of leading all of the Sharks regular players with 2.67 giveaways/60. In his defense, because of his skill with the puck he does handle it more than most players on the team and is therefore more likely to give it away while trying to make a play. To his credit, he also leads the team in takeaways with 32 total. I think his main issue in the defensive zone is trying to be too creative with breakout passes and turning the puck over in his own end which often has led directly to goals against (see the last game against the Ducks where he had two such plays). I think he's actually not a bad defender away from the puck and while defending the rush, I think he just gets a little carried away with his creativity in the defensive end and should make the simple play more often, or at least while he's under heavy pressure. Offensively, I've seen alot of good things from Karlsson this season and it's a bit puzzling that he only has 17 points while Burns has 25. Sure, he could shoot more as they often say on the broadcast, he has as many goals as Burns currently with about 20 fewer shots. I wonder if part of his offensive decline this season has something to do with the systems employed by Boughner this season, though it's really hard to say. He is incredibly frustrating to me because the talent and skill is clearly there and visible almost nightly, but somehow the points aren't coming and he still makes brutal turnovers in his own end leading to goals against. The worst part about Karlsson is his contract, but I think we all knew that. Hopefully he starts getting more points soon. Grade: C- (3/10)
Mario Ferraro: (42 GP, 14 P, 126 Hits, 83 Hits taken, 27 takeaways, 68 shots blocked) For my money, and the Sharks' money for that matter, I think Mario Ferraro is the best all-round defenseman on the Sharks currently which is either a great thing considering this is only his second season, or a terrible thing considering we have 26.5 million in cap allocated for Burns, Karlsson, and Vlasic. I'm a glass half full kind of person so it's incredibly exciting to see the steps Ferraro has taken this season. He is an absolute joy to watch every night. Never a shift off. he leads the team in hits by a wide margin with 126 total, he leads the team also with 83 hits taken, he is second in shots blocked with 68, and second with 27 takeaways. His 14 points are nothing to sneeze at either. He has 100% earned every penny of his ELC and every minute of ice time he has played this season, 22:29/game to be exact. The future of the Sharks' blueline is bright with Ferraro on the team and I have nothing negative to say about him. Sure, he makes mistakes here and there, but who doesn't? And he more than makes up for them with his obvious effort each and every shift, his willingness to sacrifice the body, and his skill. He has legitimate offensive upside to compliment a solid defensive game. No, he probably won't be the next best defenseman in the NHL and I don't expect him to win a Norris anytime soon, if ever, but his effort and dedication to the team are a breath of fresh air especially during this past two seasons which have been anything but fresh. Don't sleep on Ferraro as a future captain and leader. He is easily my favorite current player on the team and I'm looking forward to many great seasons to come. Grade: A (10/10)
Goaltending:
Martin Jones: (28 GP, .900 SV%, 3.14 GAA) I'm not gonna go into too much depth here as I have too much to say about the Sharks goaltending, ask me sometime. Suffice it to say, Jones has had a better season so far, though I still wouldn't consider him nearly one of the best in the league. I do believe he's serviceable. Grade: C+ (5/10)
Other Players:
Sasha Chmelevski: I'm a little disappointed that he's only had two games this season as he's a player I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the future. I thought he looked good in his first couple games. Unfortunately he had a bad turnover that led to a goal in the one game and was benched afterward, but I still think he's got NHL potential and hopefully he gets another chance down the stretch this season.
Marcus Sorensen: After scoring 17 goals two seasons ago, his 1 goal in 27 games this year isn't looking great. At 29 years old, it might be time to send him on his way after this season. I like him as a player and he's had good moments for this team, but I think some younger players probably deserve a chance over him at this point.
Noah Gregor: He's got great speed and I'm a bit surprised that he's only had 3 points in 17 games. I think there is still potential for him to become an NHL regular, but for whatever reason it's not there yet. Maybe next year.
Fredrik Handemark: He hasn't been particularly impressive to me. The only goal he scored was a nice one as he stripped the defender before shooting it past the goalie, but I'm not convinced that he's a legitimate NHL player. At 27, he's not a young player anymore so I'm not holding my breath for much improvement.
Nicholas Meloche: With limited ice time he hasn't accomplished too much stats wise, but he hasn't been a defensive liability and has held his own. If I had to predict, I could see him becoming a bottom pair NHL defender in the future, right now there just isn't a spot for him on this team and likely won't be in the future with Merkley coming up on the right side. But who knows, if Burns goes to Seattle, it's possible that he could earn a spot next season.
Christian Jaros: I know he's had some NHL experience with Ottawa, but in his four games with the Sharks this year, I really haven't liked his play. He had a few moments where he made an offensive pinch leading to more zone time, but he made some pretty bad mistakes on the defensive end. Perhaps it's too early to judge, but at least for the rest of this season while Vlasic is out, I'd rather see Meloche than Jaros.
Kurtis Gabriel: You have to love the energy and toughness he brings to the lineup and he's shown a few flashes of skill, but at age 27 I can't see him sticking as an NHL regular. I'm perfectly happy to see him in the lineup against certain teams where a little more grit might be needed, especially against the Golden Knights so that Kane can focus on putting the puck in the net and Gabriel can feed fists to the muffin man:P
Jeffrey Viel: I'm not sure what to make of Viel yet. He's done well enough at the AHL level and probably deserves the call up. He's had some chances in his 8 NHL games, but still no points to show for it. I've liked his grit, but I can think of other young players who will probably earn the roster spot over him in the future. I'm not holding my breath on Viel, but I'd be happy to have him prove me wrong. He seems like a good guy.
Conclusion - What the Sharks need
I think the biggest hole on the Sharks is not actually at depth positions, but on the top lines. In my opinion, the Sharks have a good bunch of depth players, the problem is they are not being deployed as depth players because the team lacks top end talent to fill out the top lines. The biggest need, I think, is a bona fide #1 center and a proper top 6 RW. Whether or not they fill those needs through the draft, free agency, or through trade remains to be seen, but I think it's fairly obvious that some money needs to be freed up on the blue line and used to fill those top line holes. Ideally I'd like to see Vlasic move on and keep Burns, though I think it's far more likely that we lose Burns and keep Vlasic as that Vlasic contract will be hard to move. Either way, the money that is freed up can help pay for top end talent. At this point, I think we need to just ride out Jones' contract and hope that one of the goalies in our system can develop into an NHL starter.
If you got here, thanks for reading! What are your thoughts?