2010 Sharks Playoff Preview: Nichol, Ortmeyer, Staubitz
by FTF Staff on Apr 7, 2010 3:00 AM PDT
in 2010 Playoffs
Email
Print
The postseason is right upon us, so Plank and TCY thought it would be prudent to highlight each individual player on the Sharks roster heading into these glorious days. It gives us an opportunity to consolidate all the information we've obtained since the beginning of October, as well as examine the team at a micro-level. Each installment in this series can be found here.
There is literally nothing like the NHL playoffs in the entire world of sports-- the passion, the pain, the hope, the despair, the unrelenting feeling that this year could finally be the one. Each and every goal dictates whether or not you'll end up on some godforsaken alleyway in downtown San Jose singing songs to alley cats, or at home with loved ones singing songs of victory and the heroic undertakings of a team that has given meaning to the wild world in which we live in.
Fasten your seatbelts folks.
God save us all.
Scott Nichol
#21 / Center / San Jose Sharks
Jed Ortmeyer
#41 / Right Wing / San Jose Sharks
Brad Staubitz
#59 / Right Wing / San Jose Sharks
6-1
215
Jul 28, 1984
Previous FTF Coverage: FTF Regular Season Cheat Sheet: Line Four... Sharks Gameday: Fourth Line Winger (Mr. Plank)
Go Sharks.
50 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I may get lambasted for this, but.
Staubitz, possibly Ortmeyer, will be a waste of bodies on the bench for the playoffs. Staubitz, for sure. Nichol and Malholtra are necessities, with a good combination of skill and grit, and both can skate on both ends of the ice. Jed has left me suspicious, though he has had his moments.
Playoff time is when your goon element all but disappears, with skill being proving a much more valuable asset than toughness. Toughness is a plus, but when every team buckles down, any extra scoring chance, no matter how frivolous it may seem, is magnified tenfold. That being said, the Wooster kids that have played with Couture and McGinn ( who you can’t argue have made a difference since cracking the top 12) might be a better idea.
Personally, in a playoff environment, my ideal playoff lines would look like this:
Heatley/Thornton/Setoguchi
Marleau/Pavelski/ Couture
McGinn/ Malholtra/ Clowe
Ferriero/ Nichol/ Vesce
This way, the weakest link is Ortmeyer, but his upside is much better than a Staubitz or Shelley ( in perspective) ,
As for the D, my balancing act would consist of pairing like this ( if they’re weird, it’s because I’m looking for a good match for the weaker D man)
Boyle / Murray ( Big O and Big D. Evens itself out.)
Vlasic / Wallin ( Vlasic has great hands, and offensive upside, but is hardly the physical specimen to run around dropping people like a Scott Stevens would.. Pair him with a 0no nonsense defenseman, who plays like protecting his goalie is a priority, and has the skill set to skate the puck a little as a means to clear the zone.
Blake / Huskins ( old man paired with someone who won’t give up an easy one when left stranded)
Face it. Captain Hook has his moments. But as all his detractors may have said throughout the year, Huskins has been a fucking beast. The points may not be there, okay. But if not for Huskins, Nabokov and Greiss would have been up Shit Creek without a paddle many times this year. Travis Moen may have gotten first crack at a lineup spot last year while Huskins recovered from injuires, but just because Huskins was involved in a trade with him doesnt make him the same caliber of player as Moen.
As Blake’s career is all but over, I’ll root for him to waste the extra moments in the offensive zone trying to waste a slapshot with the hopes it’ll create an opportunity. More often than not, it won’t work. But, Blake can contribute offensively, if the puck bounces in our favor. Should it bounce the opposite way, and Blake blows it, there is no single last line of defense I would trust higher than Huskins. There is no glamour in dirty work. Huskins is a vital part of keeping the continuity of an otherwise flashy team with defensive shortcomings.
I’m not too high on Leach, but I’m not low on him, either. Like Huskins, he does his job. The X factor, and best part of this, is Jason Demers. He’s shown his offensive an defensive upside. He could fit with any other defenseman, IMO, except Boyle. He gives the Sharks flexibilty, and touch to boot. I think his defensive tendencies and skating ability would probably make him a perfect partner for Wallin, but I’m not sure who to throw under the bus at this point.
All food for thought, but I guess that’s just me.
I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.
by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Apr 7, 2010 5:23 AM PDT reply actions
Personally
I’d keep Blake and Vlasic together.
I liked Demers early in the season, but as time went on I became aware of some of his defensive weaknesses. I’d rather see him in a role like last night, as a 7th defenseman playing as a forward on the 4th line and seeing some time at the point on the PP.
I still don’t know what to make of Wallin.
by PNK on Apr 7, 2010 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Agreed about Vesce, but not sure about Ferriero. He has played well when he was up, though that’s the point of contention right now. If he’s not up now, I don’t think he’ll be good enough to go for playoffs. Next year, we’ll let him fight for a spot.
"It's a lumberjack convention out there." Drew Remenda 3/4/10
Jon Casey fan since '84
If McGinn-Couture-Ferriero is not a line next year
I’d be mildly surprised
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Likewise.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
by ZeroIndulgence on Apr 7, 2010 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions
I could see that shaking out, but what about Zalewski or Clowe with them?
With all the history between Couture and McGinn, why did it take McLellan so long to put them on the same line? Doesn’t he read this website?
"It's a lumberjack convention out there." Drew Remenda 3/4/10
Jon Casey fan since '84
Because Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz had/have one way contracts
As for Zalewski, I’m not sure. He may earn a spot at training camp, but that’s no certainty. I see Ferriero making the team because someone made the comment about him early in the year that the coaching staff kept looking for a reason to cut him from the Opening Night roster, but he never gave them one. That sort of player just seems to be a sure fire bet to stick with the big club next year. I don’t know enough about Zalewski to say the same.
Clowe? I’m still worried that he’ll be the Cheechoo of this offseason contract wise. His post season performance could go a long way to changing that. In my mind, he and Devin Setoguchi, and maybe Manny Malhotra are fighting for the same roster spot. Neither of them is a third liner, and neither will be paid like a third liner. I just don’t know how we can keep them all at the money they are due.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
yes
staubitz is not a playoff shark, completely agree.
but i tend to like what we saw last night in calgary with Mcginn-Couture-Clowe.
and ortmeyer is a much better option than vesce for sure and probably ferriero too.
which leads to the 7 d-men idea. it worked well last night, with demers even drawing some time at wing.
but is that viable for the playoffs? it certainly creates some matchup nightmares for the other team, when clowe or thornton is skating alongside a couture and mcginn line.
and thank you for backing up huskins- the dude has been money, and for all the hate, and calls for him to be benched in the playoffs (WTF?) he is been all that this team needed him to be.
"Devin Setoguchi’s haircut has released the dragon" ~Drew Remenda
For some reason I have a feeling Jumbo is going to be a goddamn beast this year. Sharks are going to be tied 1-1 in the series going on the road for game three in the first round, and five minutes into the second he is just going to take over. ~Plank
"He (Iginla) thinks he’s a pretty tough guy, so why not?" ~ Ryan Clowe
by Jay Fin Anderson on Apr 7, 2010 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions
While Ferrerio is an offensive upgrade over Ortmeyer
Ortmeyer is a MUCH better penalty killer. Take Ortmeyer out of the lineup, and you force Marleau, Pavelski and Malhotra to play much more time shorthanded. All three are excellent PKers, but you want them playing at ES and on the PP.
I’m with you on your D pairings. Leach is great as an injury fill in. I’m willing to play Demers in early games at home, but if he dresses in any series past Game 2, I’d be worried.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
I definately want Ortmeyer on the ice in the playoffs. I just think the defensive aspects of his game cannot be overlooked. Pairing him with Nichol would provide some energy, and we could play them against other team’s scoring lines and wear them out (Tiger Woods style). It could free up HTML (Who McL seems to want to keep together in the playoffs) to get some shifts against other lines. Also, as Elvis said, his PK contributions are pretty important.
I’d also love it if Marleau was dropped to the second line, and Seto moved up…but I don’t see it happening. At least not at first.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
by ZeroIndulgence on Apr 7, 2010 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Well, Marleau hasn’t been playing well lately. He might be skating well, but he’s not fighting for space in front of the opposing goalies. I see a lot of effort out of Setoguchi lately, so it might be time to instill some fire into the HT part.
"It's a lumberjack convention out there." Drew Remenda 3/4/10
Jon Casey fan since '84
I can’t imagine they would bring up Vesce or Ferriero for the playoffs. What we see right now is what we are going to get.
As for Huskins, I think the idea that he receives a lot of shit on here might be a bit outdated (at least on FTF). He’s been good in his role, and I think the majority has become to come around to accepting him for that. Can’t say I trust him more than Vlasic as a last line of defense however.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Brad Staubitz probably shouldn’t dress in the playoffs because he’ll only see two minutes of ice time and take a slashing penalty.
that’s what i was thinking when i saw his name in the title
MeThinksSports where the only semi-good thing is the poll...
Same.
I was surprised his name was there, so I only expected one line.
"I think people were ready to watch some hockey. We took up enough of everyone’s time."
-Jody Shelley after 87 seconds of hockey fighting against Cam Janssen
Yeah, I wrote him off months ago in terms of dressing for the playoffs. There literally is no value there.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I have actually been quite pleased with Ortmeyer this season, but now that Couture seems to have a permanent spot on this team, Ortmeyer is kind of the odd man out.
by Icing On The Power Play on Apr 7, 2010 8:20 AM PDT reply actions
I think there will be injuries (I think Jed is injured right now) and Jed will definitely see ice time in the playoffs.
He’s a good defensive forward who always skates hard. Some times you just need guys that will hound the puck and tire out their defensemen. It may not pay off on their shift but it’ll give the better offensive guys a little more space on their shift.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
After seeing how the playoff race is shaking out (for the standings); I can’t help but root for the Sharks and Detroit to keep winning to so we don’t have to meet 1st round.
by ilooklikeafat16 on Apr 7, 2010 10:01 AM PDT reply actions
Brad Staubitz probably shouldn’t dress in the playoffs because he’ll only see two minutes of ice time and take a slashing penalty.
You could almost say the same for Rob Blake. About the slashing penalty that is.
Meh, more likely a hook.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by Matthew_Taylor on Apr 7, 2010 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions
and surprisingly our team only took hooking penalties except for captn hook himself…he took a delay of game penalty…oh how the world turns :P
"The coaches should tell the goalies to do the splits and then windshield wipers. That's how you'll block shots every time." - Peeny 3.13.10
"Hockey players wear numbers because you can’t always identify the body with dental records."—Anonymous
by mssjsclowie29 on Apr 7, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I made the point above in a response to a comment, but I'll reiterate here
Plank may have to check the numbers to see if this is a true statement, but I believe Ortmeyer is a valuable Penalty Killer. If you dress him, he and Scott Nichol can eat up defensive and shorthanded minutes, reducing those same minutes for the likes of Marleau and Pavelski, and to a lesser extent, Malhotra.
7 D is nice with the X factor Demers offers, but his primary benefit is on the Power Play. It’s very tough to gauge how many Power Play opportunities we’ll get, and given that the idea of having 7 D is to spread the minutes from an overworked blueline, I’m not sure how much benefit we get in that regard from Demers. He was very good last night, but I don’t know that you play him on the PK, especially in a critical game. That means Boyle, Murray and Vlasic are still going to have to do the heavy lifting, and we still hope Boyle plays most of the Power Play.
Then again, with his perceived exhaustion post Olympics, maybe the break on the PP Demers provides will help.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Orts most definitely is a suitable penalty killer, not a stand out but one who will be able to do all of the things you mentioned. It is the price you have to pay for dressing seven defenseman— the hope is that Mitchell can contribute in that area, and Thornton/Heatley can pick up some of the slack.
It’s really a matter of picking and choosing between what unit needs the most help at a given time, and you can approach it on a situation by situation basis. By my eyeball account the penalty kill has been the most consistent unit from start to finish while the power play has struggled at times. That leads me to think Demers in that spot brings more to the table than Ortmeyer.
If Ortmeyer dresses, I’m largely fine with it. He doesn’t drag the team down. But the potential of Demers on the point has a lot of value, and I think it’s an option that should definitely be heavily considered, especially if the PP hits a rut.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Ortmeyer-Nichol-Mitchell
That’s a 4th line I could get behind. Good on defense, tenacious, all PKers, and will be hard to play against. You can put them against a top scoring line and give your stars a break here and there…and it won’t be a liability. The PK is so important in the playoffs, and I think I really like that the Sharks can roll like 5 pairs of PK forwards. No one’s going to get overworked.
Then, if you wanna roll 7 D men, with Demers getting some PT in there, then Mitchell or Orts can be the odd man out for a game. I’d side with Mitchell sitting out, injuries aside, just because I think he still hasn’t been quite as good as everyone else yet this year.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
The only thing I see that line missing is size
Nichol PLAYS like he’s 6’4" 240#, but Mitchell does not. Jed plays reasonably well for his size, but he’s not Clowe or Malhotra.
I think that’s the best 4th line we can afford to ice, and they’re going to play most of our PK time with Malhotra being the second man on the top 2 pairings anyway. If we flipped Mitchell in the offseason for someone bigger, I’d be sad, but I’d consider it a necessary evil. Ideally, we flip Mitchell for a D prospect and call up McLaren.
Actually, scratch that. In the offseason, Mitchell gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes awesome.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
I’m not a big Mitchell fan. If we flipped him for a draft pick and saved some cap space for next season and called up McLaren, I would not be sad at all. I actually wish McLaren had gotten more NHL playing time down the stretch so he couldda played with Nichol and Ortmeyer in the playoffs. But at this point, that’s unrealistic.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
by ZeroIndulgence on Apr 7, 2010 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions
I would have agreed before the Olympics— hell, I even went to the depths of considering playing Staubitz over him for a day or two. But Mitchell has really improved in these last fifteen games, and I think he brings more to the table than Ortmeyer does.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Mitchell’s lack of size really bothers me. I like his speed, but he gets bodied off the puck so much that its hard to rely on him for any puck possession when he’s on the ice. And in the playoffs, when every inch of ice is contested, I’d rather have the bigger body banging around on the 4th line. Just personal preference.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
by ZeroIndulgence on Apr 7, 2010 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I really hope that Ortmeyer works some magic for the playoff's
Goc v. Colorado, Rismiller v. Nashville
That’s the kind of Magic we are going to need!
"iaT"S FUCKINGE LIEK CONICO DO MAYO!!!!!111"
Mr. K. 5/5/2009
Apparently McLellan is trying to fit Demers in as a forward and on the point on the power play. It seems a bit late in the season to do this, but it’s still far and away better than playing Staubitz.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Staubitz should be sitting in the seats directly behind the opposition bench
…holding up an iPad with the Tootoo Staubitzing playing on a constant loop. That way if anyone effs with the big guns, they know exactly what to expect when he dresses in the next game.
"Who were you rooting for in the Olympics?" - Drew Remenda
"I wanted Team India to go all the way." - Manny Malhotra
Interesting photo choice for Nichol
You praise him, but pick a photo that makes him look like he’s sucking an invisible dick.
Juan Carlos Perez, please start hitting.
youre lucky its just a head shot. you dont want to see what other invisible things hes doing
Garlic fries 08
by operation carrot on Apr 7, 2010 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
That was delightfully
graphic thank you
"The coaches should tell the goalies to do the splits and then windshield wipers. That's how you'll block shots every time." - Peeny 3.13.10
"Hockey players wear numbers because you can’t always identify the body with dental records."—Anonymous
by mssjsclowie29 on Apr 7, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Haha, I asked about that before the season started – apparently, SBN chooses the pictures, and the mods have no control over it. Hence why he’s still a Predator in that pic.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Vesce or Mitchell?
Mitchell’s had his chance. And whooaoaoaaaaaaa nelly, he’s fast! So was Shean Donovan.
I bet you Vesce, given the same opportunity as Mitchell, would have ten more goals in a regular season than Mitchell. Mitchell is dead to me. Dead weight. Cut, release, waive. WHatever. Waste of space.
I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.
by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Apr 7, 2010 3:22 PM PDT reply actions
My Ideas.
Offense:
Seto to 1st line and Marleau to 2nd
Keep Ortmeyer and get rid of Staubitz
Heatley/Thornton/Seto
Marleau/Pavs/Clowe
McGinn/Malhotra/Couture
Mitchell/Nichol/Orts
Defense:
Keep Blake-Vlasic → It’s working! Might wanna use Wallin instead of Murray sometimes w/ Boyle
Boyle-Wallin/Murray
Blake-Vlasic
Huskins-Murray/Wallin
And with that, Good luck folks, and GO SHARKS!!! =D
Go Sharks!
Staubitz
It takes twenty-seven or twenty-eight guys to win in the playoffs. Ask Bitzy’s teamates over the years what he brings to the table and it’s a helluva lot more than all you so called hockey experts would know. He’s taken some bad penalties at times but never question the heart and desire something that even this year S.J. lacks.Give a guy like him seven or eight minutes a game and I will bet everyone will be surprised. Past record indicates when there is a possibility of twenty-eight games in the playoffs you’re not going far with a fourth line that only plays a couple of minutes in blowouts either way. Look at the Clarksons , Byfugliens and Prusts of the world. Three guys who when got a little more ice time proved their worth. If Stauby signs with someone else next year(unrestricted) anyone who signs him will find they will get a guy who can play useful minutes and doesn’t go through the motions. I’ll put up with bad penalties occasionally becaus guys of that ilk in the new N.H.L. are hard to find
The problem is
The bad penalties aren’t “occasionally” happening. They’re happening frequently with 2-3 minutes of ice time… triple that and triple the stupid penalties he takes.
The guy plays physical and makes very poor decisions.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
No one’s criticizing Staubitz’s heart or desire— the guy never takes a shift off and always brings his all to the table. But like Evilducks says, he makes poor decisions that often result in penalties. You can’t have that out of your lower line guys.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
This year
There are a lot of guys on the team I can say that about. Nichol, Ortmeyer, Couture, Malhotra… All of those guys play all out all the time, and they don’t continually take stupid decisions.
Last year, maybe we needed more Staubitz, but the heart and grit is covered by guy with better hockey sense this year.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
For some reason, Staubitz is no longer listed on Behindthenet.ca. But last time I checked, he led the league in penalties taken per 60 minutes. The last thing we should want to do is give him more ice time.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by Matthew_Taylor on Apr 7, 2010 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Is that you, Brad?
Nah… I’d expect more of these “///////////”
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by Matthew_Taylor on Apr 7, 2010 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Friday’s Three Stars: Blackhawks lose seventh straight; Wings win nineteenth straight at home
- Puck Previews: Blackhawks reeling; Sabres streaking; Holmstrom’s 1000th game
- Will Teemu Selanne remain with the Anaheim Ducks through the trade deadline?
- Nikolai Zherdev takes stick to crotch, elbow drop in KHL game (Video)
- Puck Headlines: Accused coach Pravilov dead; more Tim Thomas heat; Junior team goes nuts post-shootout
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- WHL Roundup: A look at Friday's games
- Franson scores winner as the Giants edge the Silvertips 3-2
- Ross with goal and assist to lead the Winterhawks over the Americans 4-2
- Wedman, Aviani and Valcourt lead the Chiefs over the Thunderbirds 5-4
- Elynuik scores winner as the Cougars beat the Oil Kings 5-4 in OT
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
