The Aftermath
by FTF Staff on Sep 2, 2010 3:00 AM PDT
207 comments
With the Sharks official site reporting that Antti Niemi has signed a one year, $2MM contract with the San Jose Sharks, we thought we'd open up a thread to capture the madness that ensues.
It's likely that the Sharks will remain tight lipped about the rest of their plans for the season, even if they do announce the Niemi signing today. That doesn't mean you have to.
In the comments, please give your responses to the three questions we're posing now:
1) Are the Sharks better today than they were yesterday?
2) What happens to Thomas Greiss?
3) Is this the Sharks team that will start the season in Stockholm (i.e., no other free agent signings or trades)?
As always, we'll be bringing you coverage throughout the day here and on Twitter.
Remember how to breathe...
Go Sharks.
Antti Niemi reportedly set to sign with San Jose for one year, $2.0MM
by Mr. Plank on Sep 1, 2010 2:21 PM PDT
in Armchair GM
343 comments
According to Nick Kyrepos of Sportsnet, the Sharks will be announcing the signing of former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi to a possible one-year deal worth $2.0MM. Multiple sources have reiterated this story as of this posting:
West coast source has confirmed Antti Niemi will sign with the Sharks as early as tomorrow. I hear 2M base, possibly for just the 1 year.
Earlier this offseason we looked at the rumor and ultimately judged it to be nothing but smoke and mirrors-- Doug Wilson's comments on the matter indicated that he felt going with cheap goaltending was the wave of the future in the NHL. Coupled with his offer sheet of Niklas Hjalmarsson, we assumed that he was looking to upgrade the blueline first and foremost, and remained content with a tandem of the recently signed Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss:
If Wilson were to sign Niemi, it would push the Sharks above the threshold Wilson set for himself earlier in the offseason. And, even though the team is relatively set for next year, the GM likely wants another defenseman and a penalty killing forward to replace the loss of Manny Malhotra to Vancouver. There are other needs, and a contract for Niemi would make any other move practically impossible. The just over four million dollars in cap space is a welcome thing to a Sharks team who was up against the cap all last season. It's unlikely they give up that space to fill anything other than a position of need.
>> "Although it's a good story, Niemi to the Sharks has no legs"
Today TCY and I are nothing but dead wrong on this. We looked at quotes, looked at the roster, looked at what we felt the team needed in order to improve, and came to the conclusion that there was no chance Niemi signed with San Jose.
Which was obviously not the case. And for that I owe you, dear readers, an apology.
In regards to the signing, I stand by my original assertion that this makes very little sense for San Jose. Antti Niemi is a league-average goaltender who rode on the coattails of a brilliant blueline in Chicago during their Stanley Cup Finals win. His performance against the Sharks in the Western Conference Finals was nothing but an aberration, a case of a goalie getting hot at the right time. It's akin to signing Chris Osgood two years ago based off the fact that he won a Cup, and discounting the fact that he had an all-world defense in front of him led by future Hall of Famer Niklas Lidstrom.
Sharks President and CEO Greg Jamison Stepping Away from Day-to-Day Operations of Franchise
"Long-time San Jose Sharks President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Jamison announced today he has decided to step away from his position and the day-to-day operations of the highly-successful and well-respected National Hockey League franchise on October 1. The process of finding a replacement will begin shortly."
>>Team Release
Debate Night in San Jose: Will a defensive prospect make the team out of camp?
by FTF Staff on Sep 1, 2010 3:01 AM PDT
in Armchair GM
39 comments
In preparation for the Sharks, which is set to begin in a little over a month, Plank and TCY got into a pretty lively debate over Gmail about the possibility of a prospect making the Sharks roster out of training camp. What follows is a transcript of that conversation.
Plank: Dude, there's just no way any rooks make it right out of camp.
TCY: Wilson wouldn't pump up the system unless he was willing to get a guy in there.
Plank: I'm not quite sure I get the thought process. Unless someone has a lights out camp, which I think is unlikely, the seven you see now are who they go with to start the year. Guaranteed management doesn't want to pay a guy NHL money if he's going to sit in the minors-- right now they have their top six, and unless a trade happens before camp begins, it seems pretty set.
TCY: I'm not saying they would necessarily send a guy directly to the minors. Regardless, I don't think Jay Leach is a lock for the seventh spot.
Plank: Why bring up a guy (Joslin, Moore, Petrecki) if he's just going to sit on the bench? Riddle me that Tom Riddle.
TCY: Because if one guy struggles, which is very possible, then it's okay to swap because of cap space. In addition, if one guy really impresses in camp, they make room for him.
Plank: I completely agree with the possibility of a prospect joining the team at a later date, but why don't you just call him up from Worcester during the season. I think you're overlooking getting playing time in the minors.
TCY: I know this is an issue, but I think they can work around that. I think if a guy impresses in camp they find a way to make it work. Either by riding him as a scratch and getting him intermitent playing time, or by rolling seven defenseman, which is something that McLellan was all for last year.
Plank: If someone struggles during the middle of the season then I call an AHL player up-- playing time is much more valuable to these guys than sitting on the bench and waiting for a guy like Huskins, Demers, or Wallin to falter. Furthermore, I don't really buy the camp argument. I think you may be putting a little too much value into having a strong camp for a blueliner this year. For the forwards it will be important because there's open roster spots. If a guy impresses he goes to the top of the list for call-ups, and then you roll into the year keeping him in mind.
SB Nation Expansion Draft: The Sharks We Left Behind
by Mr. Plank on Aug 31, 2010 3:00 AM PDT
in Special Features
42 comments
That's right, Mr. Plank here with another commentary. Didn't think the SBN suits would have me back perhaps.
At one point I was sipping cocktails in some Tijuana alleyway with a broad named Alexis. Fine lass, a bit on the talkative side, but you get what you pay for and I wasn't paying a dime. She was a chef at some upscale restaurant in downtown San Francisco, real high class stuff, liked her scotch old and her men young. She liked a lot of things. I guess I was one of them, but I didn't pay enough attention on the account of the booze and incessant buzz of the power lines overhead.
Those power lines fueled the entire city. It hummed and we hummed. Oh to be young again. Oh to be young enough not to realize when you've grown old and bitter. The irony of the sun.
I lit my pipe, kissed her delicate nose, and took a taxi to the airport where the promise of worldwide connection awaited.
Chasing the power lines. Always chasing those goddamn power lines.
I'm always on the run.
*****
If you aren't yet aware, SBN's NHL page has set up a mock expansion. In this hypothetical scenario, the League has expanded to 32 teams, returning to Winnipeg and Quebec for one last shot at revitalizing the Canadian markets we all know and love.
So how does this effect the Sharks? Under the rules of this expansion, the Sharks have the option to protect a certain number of players from the clutches of the two new franchises-- anyone left unprotected is free game for Quebec and Winnipeg to obtain:
Ground rules on protected lists:
1) Teams can protect either "1 goalie, 5 defensemen and 9 forwards" OR "2 goalies, 3 defensemen and 7 forwards."
2) If you go the two goalie route, at least one goalie left unprotected must have played in at least 10 games last season OR 25 games in the last two seasons combined. One game = at least 31 minutes.
3) Each team must leave unprotected at least one defenseman who appeared in 40 games last season OR 70 games in the last two seasons combined.
4) Each team must leave unprotected at least two forwards who appeared in 40 games last season OR 70 games in the last two seasons combined.
5) Players who have played in 49 or fewer games are automatically exempt and do not need to be protected.
It's an interesting critical thinking exercise at this point in the offseason, what with training camp coming up quick around the corner. After the jump is my list of players to protect, the impeccable rationale behind it, and an invitation for you to call me a fool and try to sway me when FTF submits it's final list to SBN.
Sharks' Joe Thornton looking to stay in San Jose
Joe Thornton has fallen hard for the San Jose lifestyle. And that's funny considering he didn't even think it was possible for him to be here in the first place.
Nothing would make me happier.
3 days ago
Angy
36 comments
3 recs
The Fourth Period Exclusive: Sharks Off Season Report
by FTF Staff on Aug 28, 2010 9:40 PM PDT
in TFP Exclusive
10 comments
Recently, Mr. Plank (Jason Plank) and TCY (Matt Taylor) were added to the staff of The Fourth Period. Throughout the year, the two will collaborate on pieces exclusively for the magazine and the website. In an effort to continue to bring the readers of Fear the Fin the best Sharks coverage, all articles written for TFP Online will be linked here.
Please feel free to discuss the article in this thread, but make sure to visit The Fourth Period throughout the year for more exclusive Sharks and NHL coverage.
San Jose Sharks Off Season Report
Last offseason, San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson was faced with a roster that failed to advance past the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a result, Wilson took to overhauling the team, clearing out the bottom six forwards and bringing in high profile goal scorer Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators.
Using the momentum from that aggressive off season, the revamped Sharks made it past Colorado and Detroit in the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference finals for only the second time in franchise history. However, San Jose was outmatched by a superior Chicago Blackhawks squad on the Western Conference's biggest stage, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in a mere four games.
The 2010 playoff run would have been considered a failure if the team didn't make it into the final four, and even though San Jose was convincingly swept by Chicago, the loss wasn't viewed as a typical Sharks playoff meltdown. The stalwart play of Blackhawks goaltender Antii Niemi stymied the Sharks potent offensive lineup; coupled with various injuries up and down the San Jose roster, and some questionable goals against allowed by Evgeni Nabokov, it appeared that San Jose was always just one big play away from getting back into the series.
And yet, Wilson still had some important decisions to make heading into the 2010-2011 season.
Read the rest of the article here, at The Fourth Period.
As always, Go Sharks.
Willie Mitchell signs with Los Angeles
by Mr. Plank on Aug 25, 2010 4:18 PM PDT
in Armchair GM
217 comments
2 years, $3.5MM a pop.
1) auscbailkvhwiodjkvbdjsbvujbvuvub
2) That might be one year too many for a guy coming off a concussion, but if Mitchell remains healthy during the next two years, there is no argument worth listening to that should ever make you think he won't be worth the cash. As I mentioned before, only Chris Pronger, Zdeno Chara, and Marc Staal faced a higher quality of competition last season while giving up less goals against at even strength. He's a premier shutdown defenseman that immediately turns Los Angeles into a legitimate top five team in the West (Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose, and Chicago being the other big guns). The Pacific Division just got very interesting.
3) Again, back to the concussion issues. God forbid Mitchell take another lump this year and be forced out of action, but if he does, Los Angeles puts him on the LTIR and suddenly has $3.5MM in cap space to work with if they want to add another blueliner. The notion that just because he's one hit away from the end of a career affects nothing but the amount of money the organization will be paying out of pocket for his services-- in other words, the injury risk seems a bit overblown to me, and factors very little into my assessment of the deal considering cap space immediately is freed up if he goes on LTIR.
4) My guess is that Doug Wilson wasn't the only one in the Sharks organization who dipped his toes into negotiations with Mitchell and his agent. I would assume that Sharks upper management cited their concerns over Mitchell's injury history and had some sort of sway (however small) over how high San Jose was willing to go in the bidding war. It's unlikely they were willing to take a plunge into concussion territory and risk having to pay a guy $3.5MM to sit in the press box for the next two years if he gets injured.
5) Mitchell is everything the Sharks need, and he was a free agent. This is a basic idea, but one I feel needs to be stated here-- your roster improves with the signing of Mitchell and you lose nothing except Jay Leach (who would be demoted to Worcester and put San Jose under the salary cap ceiling). That's the beauty of a free agent signing-- the loss is only cap space, and not roster players/futures.
6) Am I surprised the Sharks balked at a two year deal worth $3.5MM per? Not especially. Wilson and Co. are notorious for playing it close to the vest during free agency, with the GM himself citing "the frenzy" of free agency that causes teams to overpay for players. The term was likely the issues that made the team balk, and as much as it hurts to say, I can respect that. I don't agree with it, but I can respect it.
7) Along those lines, there's no telling if $3.5MM for two years would have even got Mitchell to come to San Jose-- maybe he wanted to live in Los Angeles, enjoyed the culture of the Kings dressing room more than the Sharks, or felt more comfortable with their coaching and training staff. There are a lot of factors involved which we have no idea of.
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9) Doug Wilson has enough depth on his blueline. The Sharks still need an impact top three guy to come in and log heavy minutes, which will cost you at the trade table.
10) Right now, right here, at this moment in time, San Jose has two legitimate trade pieces to work with if they want to acquire a top three defenseman-- Douglas Murray and Ryane Clowe. A top three defenseman will likely run you a roster player and futures, so if you're looking to make an upgrade, it's probably safe to say that these are the two pieces who will be involved in negotiations.
11) Trading Douglas Murray leaves you with a hole on the blueline-- again, back to the free agency point, signing a guy costs you nothing but cap space, while trading for a player costs you talent within the organization. If Murray leaves, Wallin is still in the top four (which I am not a fan of). Either that, or you pray Jason Demers can really turn the corner this year defensively and get you twenty minutes a night.
12) That is, unless Wilson finds a bargain deal in free agency and signs a guy like Mike Mottau or Paul Mara. Then you have enough top four talent to move Murray and futures for a top three blueliner, pushing Wallin to the bottom pairing and restoring order to the Force.
12) Trading Ryane Clowe probably makes the most sense. He has more value than Murray, has term left on his contract (which is a big plus for teams who are rebuilding and shopping their best defenseman), and clears enough space for the Sharks to go after free agent wingers like Owen Nolan. That being said, it still opens up a hole in the top six of the Sharks, meaning Logan Couture gets bumped off that third line and joins Joe Pavelski on the second. I'm completely fine with that provided San Jose gets a third line center to fill Couture's hole*.
*You gotta pay the troll toll, if you wanna fill that boy's hole.
13) Another option is to extend another offer sheet to a guy like Marc Staal (NYR) or Matt Niskanen (DAL). The Stars are in a load of financial trouble right now and could experience some issues matching an offer, while the Rangers would dump Redden into the minors and match Staal's. Either way, that's another option before the season begins before we focus exclusively on potential trades.
14) The butterflies in my stomach have turned to scorpions, hope swallowed by the sun. My wound is no longer geography, but the cautious tongue of my benevolent overlord.
Farewell my prince. Best of luck in smoggy Los Angeles.
Go Sharks.
217 comments | 1 recs |
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Pacific Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Jose
|
82 | 51 | 20 | 11 | 113 |
|
Phoenix
|
82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 107 |
|
Los Angeles
|
82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 101 |
|
Anaheim
|
82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 89 |
|
Dallas
|
82 | 37 | 31 | 14 | 88 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 6:21 AM PDT)
Sharks Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
@
Anaheim
|
Wed 09/22 | 7:00 PM PDT |
|
Anaheim
|
Fri 09/24 | 7:30 PM PDT |
|
@
Phoenix
|
Sat 09/25 | 7:00 PM PDT |
|
Phoenix
|
Sat 09/25 | 7:30 PM PDT |
|
@
Vancouver
|
Tue 09/28 | 7:00 PM PDT |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Chicago
|
Sun 05/23 | L 2 - 4 |
|
@
Chicago
|
Fri 05/21 | OT - L 2 - 3 |
|
Chicago
|
Tue 05/18 | L 2 - 4 |
|
Chicago
|
Sun 05/16 | L 1 - 2 |
|
Detroit
|
Sat 05/08 | W 2 - 1 |
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