A Trip Down Memory Lane
by Mr. Plank on Jul 6, 2010 12:33 PM PDT
190 comments
Team Weaknesses: The blueline has a lot of questions surrounding it, and it remains a spot to watch intently this season. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Rob Blake will likely be paired together again as a shutdown line, but with Blake's increasing age and propensity to take "slow" penalties last season (hooking, holding), Vlasic's development will be put to the test. At twenty two years of age it's not out of the question to expect him to make up for Blake's potential declines.
Dan Boyle is known for his offensive skills, and while he is not necessarily a liability in the defensive zone, it's not an area where he flourishes. Douglas Murray is of the opposite mold- a player who is able to shut down the cycle and clear bodies from the front of the net, stand up forwards at the blueline, and provides a nastiness that is lacking on San Jose's backend. Pairing them together might be a good solution, as it will provide Boyle the ability to carry the puck in the neutral zone and work in the lower half of the offensive zone- two aspects of his game where he is found at his best.
After that remains many unknowns- Kent Huskins has not impressed me in the three games I saw this preseason, and will be a question mark going forward. Derek Joslin, who was a frequent call-up during the aforementioned months of injury at the tail end of last season, has made a strong bid for his inclusion onto the roster with his penalty kill time and offensive upside, but his age and lack of a full season in the NHL will bring some obligatory growing pains.
As we head into Month Nine (!!!) of my personal hell known as the San Jose Sharks blueline, I'm a sad little grizzly bear. The once plentiful salmon has been shredded over the last ninety six hours, leaving little but bones and scales floating down the lazy river of dreams.
If I've said it forty seven times I might as well say it again-- Evgeni Nabokov saved the Sharks porous team defense last season, posting a .922 SV% while the eighteen players in front of him allowed the eighth highest total shots against in the NHL. You can't expect that a downgrade in net from a 09-10 Evgeni Nabokov to a 10-11 tandem of Thomas Greiss and Antero Niitty-mahgodyournameishardtospell, coupled with a downgrade on the blueline, is going to get you better results. It's something that I have hammered on for so long here that the whole song and dance has become a convenient outlet for me to bitch about my love life behind the veil of desiring a defensive shutdown specialist.
The pricing on the Niclas Wallin deal makes me angry every time I think about it (she wants me to spend money I don't have on flowers that will die in three days), even if it was meant to give San Jose another trade chip during trade negotiations by making Douglas Murray more available in the trade market. I don't like the fact that the top four as a whole doesn't have a whole lot of physical prowess (she laughs when I take my shirt off) and can't really move the puck up the ice either (I'm infertile). Furthermore, although Rob Blake's retirement comes as no surprise, I think I'm going to miss him more than I thought I would considering his pretty fucking effective underlying statistics and the fact that DW hasn't gotten a replacement for him yet (Viagra at twenty two? Seriously?).
Vlasic, you're the crunchy peanut butter on my sliced granny smith apples. I could eat you every day of the week at any time and never get tired of you, especially when one considers price paid for services. Boyle, you're my Johnnie Walker Black Label. An expensive treat that I'm willing to gorge myself on just because you're one of the best out there on the market.
Everyone else is a thirty rack of Milwaukee's Best. It gets the job done on some nights, but drink too much and you grow a third nipple and start chewing on tanbark for lunch. Then you poop out a pair of 9-Volt batteries and realize that you need to start drinking some new goddamn beer.
Yeah yeah yeah, Doug Wilson is making his phone calls and biding his time, he ain't getting bamboozled and he wants a winner on the ice. I get that.
But right now I'm a sad little grizzly bear.
Someone hold me and tell me I'm special.
Go Sharks.
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FEED THE BEAST!
"Even the Swedes are getting mad."-Randy Hahn
"It's very cozy in the sin bin."-Randy Hahn
DW’s fear of signing UFAs from other teams makes me a sad panda. I understand not wanting to overpay…but when you overpay your own subpar UFAs, and then have to give up assets to get overpaid stars from other teams, is that really better?
I fear DW is happy with the blueline and really, really likes Wallin (like, really REALLY likes him). But it’s still early, so hopefully we’ll see some moves made.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah
but in DW’s mind Joslin, Moore, or Petrecki could be a replacement for Blake…
by PNK on Jul 6, 2010 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions
I dunno, i think he’s looking for more of a veteran type guy (not old necessarily) to replace Blake. I’m sure he see’s that we need another top 4 defenseman, and i think he sees a lack of leadership on the team as well. I bet he’s really interested in Willie Mitchell.
If the Sharks do sign Willie Mitchell you have to figure that punches Murray’s ticket out of town— DW loves his puck movers, and a Murray deal would clear some space for him to try and target a guy in that vein.
I would love Big Willie Style in teal.
"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
reading between the lines...
I can see Murray being dealt this offseason. When DW re-signed Wallin to that god-awful contract, DW was quoted as saying he liked “Wallin’s physical presence”, which, to me, means DW sees Wallin as a possible Murray replacement. And, I think Murray’s inability to handle >20 minutes effectively probably showed the org that he’s not a real top 4 dman. Wallin certainly isn’t but I’m hoping to hell, DW finds 1 or 2 real top 4 dmen.
I.e., Wallin replaces Murray as the #5 dman.
by IsThisTheYear? on Jul 6, 2010 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions
The waiting on this is the worst. It is worse then waiting on the Heatley trade or for Marleau and Pavelski to sign. It’s worse because we just don’t know if DW feels that bolstering the blueline is a must. I mean, he has to, right? But who knows… he could literally do nothing! But he won’t right?
Maybe EVERYONE is waiting on Kovalchuk and LeBron to make their decisions.
Milwaukee's best
Makes you thirsty for Natty Ice.
"iaT"S FUCKINGE LIEK CONICO DO MAYO!!!!!111"
Mr. K. 5/5/2009
I'm more of a Keystone Ice fan
"Even the Swedes are getting mad."-Randy Hahn
"It's very cozy in the sin bin."-Randy Hahn
Back in the olden days of FTF
a certain pair of dudes got themselves wasted on the stuff, and later comparisons between Semenov and Natural Ice were born.
http://www.fearthefin.com/2009/5/22/884299/in-defense-of-semenov-again
"iaT"S FUCKINGE LIEK CONICO DO MAYO!!!!!111"
Mr. K. 5/5/2009
its
too bad sharks fans will be drinking “nitty” ice all season, while we sorely miss the sweet sweet, sometimes sour taste of the great “nabby” ice.
Dude, lemme getchur keys.
I don’t think we’ll miss Nabby ice much at all other than in that “we use to drink that a lot back in college” sense.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
ya
my thoughts exactly, I needed a witty vehicle for my internet creativity though lol
Dude, lemme getchur keys.
not to mention
that Nabby ice had the guarantee that no matter how much you drink, there will be no cup hangover.
see what I did there wink wink
Dude, lemme getchur keys.
speak for yourself … some of us will … :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" -- Benjamin Franklin
I think that pretty much proves my point. There will be nostalgia and “we loved that guy” miss, but I don’t think our goal tending will drop off as much as people seem to think.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I definitely think the goaltending will drop off from where it was last year (Nabby with a career year and all), but compared to Nabokov’s career average, I don’t think it will be much different. Maybe just more inconsistency from Niittymaki compared to Nabokov.
Nabby would likely regress as well, anyways, so this was the season to get out of dodge.
"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
My nabby sweater
will continue to be broken out occasionally for games.
That in mind I think there is something to be said for the sanity of Sharks fans now not having to worry “as much” every time a shot is blasted from the circle with a forward in front of the goal.
That is all predicated on Nittymaki actually being able to do what DW brought him in for mind you.
Dude, lemme getchur keys.
Probably true, but man i’ve been watching the save highlights for Niitty and i’m getting pretty excited about seeing what he looks like next year. I thought he was supposed to be a big butterfly style shotblocking goaltender, and he kind of is, but he also looks to have really great reflexes. I honestly think he could turn into our very own Craig Anderson (as DW has said) if we put some quality defenseman in front of him.
Here’s a link to his recent save highlights for anyone who wants to watch them: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlp=8467511
Niitty has moments of brilliance, but holy hell does he ever have his downswings. I’ve had him on my fantasy team two years in a row, and there are weeks when he’ll put up .850’s like it’s nobody’s business.
Tampa’s defense was also comparable to San Jose’s last year in terms of shots against, and if DW decides to go into next year with what he has in place right now, I don’t think he’ll become our Craig Anderson. Anderson was amazing for the last three seasons. There was a track record there, unlike Niitty’s recent performances.
Again, he’s not crap. I think he’ll be fine. But odds are he’s around a .910 and not a .922.
"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’m working under the assumption that the defense gets improved before the season starts. I just absolutely refuse to believe that Wallin is our replacement for Blake on a defense that already needed improvement. I know that itch is getting worse, but there is still time.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I was in your shoes a week ago, but I’m starting to think an option DW is thinking about will be to go into camp and let the tykes duke it out and look for an upgrade during the year. I didn’t get the feeling he thought this was a pressing issue to address immediately.
Either way, when DW compared Niitty to the next Hiller or Anderson I was a little surprised. Hiller us still young and Anderson had two excellent seasons before going to Colorado. Niittymaki has had a big sample size of serviceable, but not excellent, years for us to pull from. I’d be shocked if he was better than 09-10 Nabokov.
"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
by Mr. Plank on Jul 6, 2010 3:35 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Okay, I’m starting to officially get scared, but I’m going to keep hoping. I’m sure I’ll be breaking down by August.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
When E.D. breaks out his security blaket...
…theat’s when we’ll all be scared ;-)
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
I’ve been getting the same feeling just reading through DWs comments and such. I don’t think we all adequately understand DWs love of Wallin. I think he really sees him as a top 4 guy. And if he sees Wallin as top 4, Blake has been replaced. Sigh.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 6, 2010 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Omg, watch the “7.1: Doug Wilson, RAW” video on the CSN shark video page HERE.
At the 5 minute mark DW is asked “do you think there are any specific needs that still need to be addressed.” and he identifies that the loss of Blake is something that will need to be addressed. He didn’t even try to eek in a, ‘and we have resigned Niclas Wallin who we believe will…’
I’m fairly confident that DW will add at least 1 new defenseman, and my money is currently on Jan Hejda.
“We addressed our goaltender situation so you could say that we could be looking for a defenseman, but at the same point Jason Demers is ready to grab more ice time, and guys like Derek Joslin, Nick Petrecki, Mike Moore, and Matty Irwin will be here in a week and a half and they wanna show us what they can do. But we’re always looking to add, and we have that ability.”
That doesn’t sound like a resounding, “We’re going to go get a blueliner right now!” battle cry to me, especially taking his body language and vocal inflection into account. If we view that quote in the context of what we’ve been writing about for the last nine months then it sounds like a slam dunk acquisition, but taken on its own merits that’s far from concrete.
Whatevs though. Fucking hell am I in a shit mood.
"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
A month removed from hockey has that effect on people
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Would a kitten wearing a hat put you in a better mood Plank? I think everyone is starting to feel the pressure now. I was really hoping we would see someone to replace Blake’s place during the free agent frenzy, and i’m freaking out from the decisions that have happened so far. Maybe he has something up his sleeve? I don’t know i’m trying to be optimistic.
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 6, 2010 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions
That’s just DW being DW imo. He almost never comes out and says exactly what he’s planning on doing. Honestly if you heard DW say, “We NEED another top pairing defenseman and we’re going to see what deals we can make to get one” you would probably stunned, relieved, but still pretty stunned.
DW probably just doesn’t want to appear to other GMs as a guy who’s desperately in need of adding another blueliner because it would probably give other GMs much more leverage in a potential trade.
DW should get into poker. He has such a good poker face that not even the fans know what the heck he’s about to deal out.
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 6, 2010 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions
lol it’s true. I’d love to see him on celebrity poker. I think JR was on there one time, but he strikes me as a guy who probably has a terrible poker face.
rofl
I would’ve loved to seen JR try to pull that, but yeah I realized i become shocked if he even smiles because we so very rarely see it.
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 6, 2010 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Thank you, that’s exactly my feeling on his comments as well. Far from a sure thing. I hope he sees the need and goes to add some blueliners…but I’m far from sure that he will do so.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 6, 2010 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I don’t agree with the Hiller comparison but i think Anderson could be a fair comparison. Anderson had a few reeeally bad seasons in Chicago and then he was traded to Florida and looked amazing.
Anderson made the transformation at around the age of 26 or 27 but still it could be possible for Niittymaki to make a similar transformation.
Niitty seems to have all the physical abilities, and he seems to have played extremely well in the “big time” games he’s played in (although there haven’t been many). I see a lot of potential in him, and I really hope we seriously beef up our defense to really help him shine.
i absolutely refuse to believe Wallin is our replacement to Douglas Murray
by withintheruins14 on Jul 6, 2010 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Would you rather believe
that he is our replacement for Rob Blake?
by PNK on Jul 6, 2010 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I was told there would be no math...
.910 vs. .922 is a difference of about 0.36 goals per game, or roughly one extra goal every three games, assuming around 30 shots per game.
The question becomes whether that type of difference would make a huge impact on the season record. IMO, it might make us a 3rd or 4th seed (depending on Phoenix), but it certainly isn’t enough to drop us out of the playoff picture. Here’s hoping that DW can figure out a way to use the $4M/year savings at goaltender to improve our playoff chances against the Vancouvers and Chicagos.
tampa was putrid
a shot isn’t just a shot is a shot..
i can assure you the shots faced by the goalie in tampa were of a much higher quality than the ones faced by Nabby..
teams in many games were just happy to get the puck on net against Nabokov.. poor angles with no traffic, not many oddman chances or breakaways there..lets be honest.. plus its a whole lot easier to make saves when your team scores plenty in front of you…
not much of that went on out there in Tampa..
plenty of oddman rushes and breakaways with very little in the way of offensive support..
and if we look at some of the numbers posted by Sharks goalies during the Nabokov era, then i’d have to say all our goalies have put up very similar results…and i wouldn’t expect that to change much this season..
and for the record .922 and.910 are damn near the same…now can the guy elevate his play come playoffs because Mr.Nabokov certainly couldn’t..
I could be wrong
but I believe that Nabby’s save percentage was usually higher in the PO than in the regular season.
Other than that I do agree that Niitty (Nitty?) should do better than he did in Tampa, you know… presuming we get that top 4 Dman we are looking for. We are looking for one, right DW?
If Wallin gets mauled by a bear in the offseason, are we still on the cap?
I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.
by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Jul 6, 2010 12:55 PM PDT reply actions
Assassination via Mike Komisarek, perhaps?
"Playing Detroit in the playoffs is like paying your taxes. You either pay now or pay later." - Suisun Dan
by Nael M. on Jul 6, 2010 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Plank has officially lost it. I thought I could get him to at least early August.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
I agree w/ TCY
I think Plank needs a doctor (Rob Blake’s commercial) and not Will Mitchell _
Go Sharks!
If DW doesn’t show his hand until September I just may start live blogging Antiques Roadshow to keep my mind at ease.
"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
Lets be honest, you won’t make it until September before that starts happening. August at the latest.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
He’s already researching PBS’ Corsi and qualcomp.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by TCY on Jul 6, 2010 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Waiting for DW to get a d-man is worse than last year's Heatleygate.
There were rumors all summer long connecting us to Heater, so it was kind of expected. This offseason, we know they are in the market for a defenseman, but I haven’t heard us connected to any specific names on that front. The anticipation and speculation is slowly eating away at us all, it seems.
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Jul 6, 2010 1:01 PM PDT reply actions
Ahhh Mr Plank. I love coming here to read your missives from time to time. Thanks for the giggles.
Its funny, in the past our GM MG had taken the more cautious approach, and you would read comments eviscerating the poor bugger for being a wimp.
Then he made the Samuellson deal and the results kinda shut people up. If your man Wilson makes a good trade, he will be hailed as patient.
I didn’t realize Nabby had had such a good season too. That 922 sv % will be hard to duplicate.
Plank, in your world …I guess Kevin Bieksa would be the bad girl that you are so into( you know, you fight sometimes, but the making up is WORTH IT ), but she doesn’t think you are enough of a bad boy to close the deal?
I think you think Bieska is worth more than he is. I remember how much we thought we would get for Ehrhoff last year, I think you’re in for a bit of a surprise.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Plank, in your world …I guess Kevin Bieksa would be the bad girl that you are so into( you know, you fight sometimes, but the making up is WORTH IT ), but she doesn’t think you are enough of a bad boy to close the deal?
Hahaha, solid.
I thin Bieksa is a good player who could easily log top four minutes in San Jose, but if the price gets too high, I doubt Wilson throws down the gauntlet. The cap hit really ties his hands for other upgrades.
If the Sharks get Bieksa, I’d say it’s a late summer pickup when all other options are pretty much exhausted.
"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
“Wash, tell me I’m pretty.”
“Were I unwed, I would take you in a manly fashion.”
“‘Cause I’m pretty?”
“‘Cause you’re pretty.”
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
by ElvisVF101 on Jul 6, 2010 1:36 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Oh science-fiction TV shows… (with a cowboy twist)
by PNK on Jul 6, 2010 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I still maintain that we're gonna miss Nabby even more next year, once we really see what we've given up.
They don’t exactly have Blue Line specials at Kmart.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
The point of losing Nabby was not that we thought we could find someone better…it’s that we thought we could find someone to give us servicable netminding while freeing up cap space to beef up the blueline. If the capspace saved does not go towards beefing up the blueline, then yes, we will miss Nabby very, very much.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 6, 2010 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions
can i hug you guys?
I’ve been taking the Nabby thing a bit harder than i anticipated. I like hearing that not everyone has thrown the man under a bus and then backed up to finish the job.
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 6, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Not disputing that in the least...
…I just hear what Plank’s saying when he writes:
Evgeni Nabokov saved the Sharks porous team defense last season, posting a .922 SV% while the eighteen players in front of him allowed the eighth highest total shots against in the NHL.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Exactly! This is the reason that most people although they may not have liked losing Nabby they accepted it as apart of the greater good. If our defense is worse then last year that becomes quite the pill to swallow.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
Having lived my college years in Wisconsin, I can tell you with a straight face that there are worse things out there than Milwaukee’s Best. Try going to a party and running out of Busch and having to turn to the backup – Big Sky.
Plank, you are most definitely special.
Jon Casey fan since '84
Founder of Feel the Teal.
I have a Twitter Thing.
absolute worst beer I have ever drank (drunk? drinken?)
was Cedar Mountain Light
by PNK on Jul 6, 2010 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I believe the phrase you're looking for is
attempted to digest.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
i just looked up some reviews of Cedar Mountain Light
- “Quite simply the worst and cheapest beer i have ever had. Metalic vomit with a hint of watered down beer. simply disgusting. There is a reason my frat used this for a specific purpose”
- “Lemon yellow, small amounts of thin, depressing head. Aroma of strong cabbage and soy sauce, no hops whatsoever. Some sweetish cornines mixed in too, but mostly the cabbage and soy sauce. Very thin, sharply metallic flavor, with a substantial amount of sourness. Quite putrid.”
- “I thought Cedar Mountain Lager Beer was about the worst I ever tasted until I ran into this. I found this on sale at Safeway for $3.79 for a case of 12 cans of 12 oz each. At this price you should not expect much. I got what I paid for. It poured a very light yellow with no head. Nose of fermented corn, and flavor of fermented corn soaked in cardboard with sugar added.. This is amazingly bad. Makes Budweiser taste like a craft beer. Avoid at any price.”
- “Gross crap,tastes like piss and lemon juice mixed together,never again will I drink this crap”
by PNK on Jul 6, 2010 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions
After climbing that mountain, the stream that cascades into the basin below has a fury unrivaled.
"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
Don't forget preseason tryouts.
There were a few unsigned FAs that showed up at Sharks’ training camp last year. I’m sure DW will invite some this year. Last year, one of them, Manny, was signed what seemed to be a few moments before the first regular season game, and turned out to be a team asset.
Others have told me to be patient, so strap yourself in and ride out the anxiety storm with the rest of us.
Cheers! Go Sharks!
"...Take a deep breath sometimes... a break...and play some...hockey."
"...Hockey is a great way to take a pause from...day-to-day hard work..." -- Lt Gen. D.H. Huntoon Jr.
"TIC" means "Tongue-In-Cheek", when I use it in comments, in case one doesn't know. ;-)
Ok Plank
I think it might be time to find a quiet place for you. You’re talking about nasty beer being nasty and comparing a man like he’s chunky peanut butter on apples that you eat. Then again, I think a lot of us are going bat shit over the fact that we don’t have a solid blue line as of yet.
Also, pooping batteries sounds very painful.
"Don't even start"
On the one had, I like to remind myself that we’re still three months from the start of the season, and that should be plenty of time for Doug Wilson to make a move to improve the defensive corps.
On the other hand, I’m starting to wonder if putting a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman in charge of choosing talent for a blue-line is like making a superstar who relied on his instincts and skill as a team’s coach.
"Playing Detroit in the playoffs is like paying your taxes. You either pay now or pay later." - Suisun Dan
SW has done pretty good with the Sharks since the cap went into effect...
…this year, though, will probably be “very interesting.”
I don’t think it’s that none of us have faith in the Sharks’ system, it’s more to the point that we’re nervous because we’re short 3-4 guys, and our blueline is sorely lacking based on what information we have at this moment.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
I hope I'm wrong but...
I’m getting a bad feeling Seto’s not going to be re-signed :-(
DW doesn’t seem to want to trade Clowe, not sure about Murray, but what other trade bait do we have for a good defenseman like Kaberle, etc.? This f**ing sucks man…I wish we could know a bit more…I’m going to try to stop being emo now >_>
Go Sharks!
He didn’t file for arbitration, that usually is a very good sign as far as contract negotiations are concerned.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I’m not worried that Seto will get signed… Murray and Clowe being traded on the other hand… That I am worried about.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I don’t want to see Murray go!
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 6, 2010 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Roman Polak
I mentioned him in the last thread, but he’s a name that hasn’t come up too much.
But since St. Louis just resigned Colaiacovo, still need to pay Erik Johnson, and have big money invested in Barret Jackman and Eric Brewer who have NTC’s…Polak seems like the odd-man out in St. Louis and might be a trade target.
He’s only 25 I think, plays over 20 mins regularly, and is stuck on the bottom pair, but plays great D and has some offensive skill too.
Sorry man
He plays on the first pair shutdown line with Jackman, is statistically one of the best defensive defenders in the league and makes 1mil. I wouldn’t trade him for Seto but something could be worked out for Pavelski, thats how much of a monster he is.
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Just because Jay McClement is the best defensive forward in the NHL doesn't mean he should win the Selke.
St. Louis has a crapton of cap space…I doubt they’ll be looking to move anyone…especially from the blueline.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 6, 2010 7:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, the way Blues execs have talked about things this summer, I’m surprised they haven’t been more active. But the Halak trade could be a huge start. I look at them wanting to maybe improve their offense with that cap space, maybe via trade—could they find a way to fairly cheaply take on Gagne or Savard or someone of their ilk? They could easily become a 5-8 seed next year if they do that.
I don’t know blues financials specifically so this is more of a blanket statement that just because you have a crapton of space does not mean you can spend to the cap.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
But it also means that they don’t have to trade anyone. I mean, they’re like 15 million under the cap…if they need to cut payroll from there (and I doubt they do, they have good attendance numbers and such) then there’s serious issues with ownership.
I don’t know anything about their specific financials…I’d just find it hard to believe that a team that far under the cap would still need to shed payroll.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 7, 2010 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions
The actual Blues internal cap is a little north of 50mil. After we resign all our RFA and have a full roster of players we will still be slightly under that. We speculate about how much Kovy would help our team but honestly we can’t internally afford him even if the salary cap says otherwise. If you really wanted to make a trade to the blues for a blueliner, we will GIVE you Eric Brewer, the retard fans dislike Jackman for no apparent reason so there are always rumors of him being on the block but I doubt that. We also have 2 minor league players (Ian Cole and Jonus Junland) who we would probably consider trading. Cole is a Defensive D-Man, first rounder, lot of potential. Junland for whatever reason went back across the ocean to play in a euro league till the blues are ready to call him up to the NHL. Multiple time AHL allstar and good offensive-D. Most likely the 2 people the blues would trade are Brewer and Junland.
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Just because Jay McClement is the best defensive forward in the NHL doesn't mean he should win the Selke.
Same here...
… Any chance we could do a Clowe/Jackman deal (or the crux of one)?
by IsThisTheYear? on Jul 8, 2010 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions
Theres always a chance we really are shopping Jackman around but untill EJ is ready to take over on the top line im not sure who would replace Jackman there. He does have 2 years left on his contact so maybe after this season he will be willing to wave his NTC. Jax isn’t one of the core so I don’t honestly know the managements opinion on him. Id give it a 50/50 chance they would be willing to trade him.
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Just because Jay McClement is the best defensive forward in the NHL doesn't mean he should win the Selke.
Deep breaths
First off, pull out your music player of choice and put some Summer Jamz on repeat. I suggest Big Boi’s “Shutterbugg”, damn!
Feel better?
Then remember that we need to decide whether our young d-men are NHL caliber, and whether Vlasic is going to step up and be more than just “underrated.” That means playing time, and mistakes, and maybe more games lost early in the year. Get used to it.
But then, if they’re worth being on the roster, they’ll get better and more confident as the season goes on. Because the tactic we’ve always used (rely on the veterans to carry the majority of the load in the playoffs) doesn’t work. And that means that we won’t care about the bad games in October and November.
Plank -
Everything is going to be alright.
If nothing else, the team will struggle in the first half of the season, and DW will get pissed enough to pull another Joe Thornton trade, but on defense. When he gets pissed, he acts fast. I think beating Detroit might have made him more happy than needed at this point, especially considering we got swept in the next round, and rightfully so.
At this point I gave up on the idea of DW making any trades.
Fear the Fin - all Evgeni, all the time.
I seriously hope DW doesn’t wait until the deadline to make deals to help the team, though. Maybe it’s just bad memory, but I can’t remember a single one that hasn’t displeased me (and then proven my negative feelings to be true). And we don’t need to be giving up any more Brad Boyes-like players for Curtis Browns.
In other words, he’d better make his deal during the summer or at the start of the season.
I just don’t like deadline deals because I think team chemistry is a big deal. It’s hard to create awesome chemistry with new teammates in teh two months before the playoffs. I’d much rather the team was more or less set in the offseason, then they could all go through training camp together, preseason together, early season together…get comfortable in the system, etc. Just seems to make more sense to me.
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 6, 2010 9:59 PM PDT up reply actions
New WTC Posted
And I think DP is talking to you Plank:
The season doesn’t start tomorrow. Everybody clear on that? And Doug Wilson has dropped more hints than usual that a trade is a real possibility, a stronger signal than usual that things may not be where he wants them to be.
Breathe, It’s only July.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
BUT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 7, 2010 12:09 AM PDT up reply actions
*Passes E.D.'s blanlet to Zero.
;-)
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
I'd rather have Thornton.
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
0-1 in your first comment ever.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by TCY on Jul 7, 2010 7:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Nice try sport. We are gonna keep icing the same team expecting different results. Thornton is not a big game player. We need to shake things up.
0-2
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by TCY on Jul 7, 2010 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions
Fine line between shake up and blow up. Brassard, Filatov? Please.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
Because
Theyre obviously proven big game players! I mean dont you remember that one time where they……..I got nothin.
"Hes like a Sweedish Bear" -Randy Hahn 4/8/10
Dont boo your team!
Hahahah do you? Where was Joe? Let me guess, you probably think he played amazing in the olympics also.
Joe was running aroung getting the puck back creating plays in the playoffs. He was in first on the forecheck. He was netting key goals and assists against Detroit. Thats where he was.
"Hes like a Sweedish Bear" -Randy Hahn 4/8/10
Dont boo your team!
by Krishna on Jul 7, 2010 8:27 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
sometimes it’s best to not try to reason with those who can’t see with their own eyes … :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" -- Benjamin Franklin
Can't you guys see...
that Kenny is a very logical person? Joe Thornton has never won a cup, therefore it’s impossible.
Here's my twitter
Proud member of the "Bring back Semenov" Club
by idunno723 on Jul 7, 2010 9:47 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Fuck
Couture was on the team last year, now he’ll never win the Cup! TRADE EVERYBODY!
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
We should have traded him for Halak.
Shoot! Halak doesn’t have a cup either!
Couture for Osgood!
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
I just want to know how Kane and Toews won, they were on teams that barely changed over the last 3 years and yet they won.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
And they brought in Hossa, a guy known for not winning.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
“big game player” is just a buzzword. I’m so tired of hearing that thrown around.
by PNK on Jul 7, 2010 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Wouldn’t someone being a “big game player” mean they’re slacking the rest of the time?
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
"big game"?
Isn’t that, like, when you play hockey on the expanded international ice surface?
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France
You know, this guy might be on to something.
Thornton doesn’t have a Stanley Cup, meaning he will never get one.
We should trade him for a Stanley Cup winner. Let’s trade him straight-up for Hal Gill. Hopefully Montreal will take the trade, even though we’d be sending them a player who can never win a Cup.
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
Sorry for the blatant statement, but
you’re an idiot. Thornton has proved his devotion to his team, and you will see by his new contract or extension. He was clutch in the Detroit series, and he was one of the few not bad players other than Marleau vs. Chicago. If we trade him for Gill, we get f***ing ripped off so bad, it’s not even funny. That trade proposal ticked me off big time. Gtfo please w/ your bulls***
Go Sharks!
to be fair
while I agree with your assessment of his comments in general, I think he was being sarcastic about the gill trade. at least i hope he was.
jwizzle241 was being sarcasticm, douche bag he’s ranting about is not. He belongs on Garners blog and fuck him. Trolls will be stupid trolls. I bet he thinks Milbury was an awesome GM.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
wow… sarcasticm. what the fuck was that? sarcastic.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
No, you were right the first time.
I was trying to be sarcasticm.
;]
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
i'm so using that word
once i find out how to pronounce sarcasticm
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 7, 2010 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions
If you filp a quarter and get 2 tails in a row, the quarter is obviously broken.
You better trade it to someone for a penny.
"Shave it, and you will score." - Randy Hahn
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
Calcruiser? Is that you?
"Playing Detroit in the playoffs is like paying your taxes. You either pay now or pay later." - Suisun Dan
If this was WTC
I would accuse him of being eddie.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
That is a totally fair return.
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Jul 7, 2010 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Yep.
Lets keep the team thats made the playoffs every year since the lockout, the team who knocked off Detroit in 5, the team that made the WCF last year. What a terrible idea.
"Hes like a Sweedish Bear" -Randy Hahn 4/8/10
Dont boo your team!
The same team that got swept? Lost Nabby and Blake, and replaced them with Nitty and Wallin. Not saying my trade idea was the greatest but year after year Joe can’t get it done and casual fans think he played fine. Fine isn’t good enough in the playoffs.
I think you confused Fear The Fin with Ryan Garners Blog
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
by Sharkzilla on Jul 7, 2010 8:33 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
ROTFLMAO.... +1
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
by Noctro on Jul 7, 2010 9:37 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I never said I was happy with Wallin and Nitty is impossibe to judge. Hes not gonna be as good as Nabby but everyone wanted a cheap golie and thats what he is. And gettiing swept is not just Joe’s fault. Thats the team.
"Hes like a Sweedish Bear" -Randy Hahn 4/8/10
Dont boo your team!
Plenty of blame to go around, that’s for sure. Aside from that I don’t think Joe is going to get you the return that a lot of people think he’ll fetch, especially with one year left on his contract.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
Yeah
Loook what we gave up for him. Those kind of players would be our return
"Hes like a Sweedish Bear" -Randy Hahn 4/8/10
Dont boo your team!
Exactly and didn’t he have more then a year on his contract at that point? I should go look that up.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
I think we're up to 0-9 now!
This guy has to be a Columbus fan, right? Why else would he propose that trade?
Esta noche nosotros cenamos Tortugas
Así que bueno, ellos serán
Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 7, 2010 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Too much time at HFBoards
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
I think we can do better than friggin Brassard and Filitov. Hell, Boston got a better deal from us and they got hosed.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Columbus
I have a standing bet with a co-worker in Columbus regarding the season opener in Stockholm. Conversation went like this:
“Blue Jackets are gonna clean your clock.”
“Care to wager on that? Say, oh, a case of Spaten?”
“Sure. Terms?”
“Sharks in one.”
“But it’s a two game series.”
“Exactly.”
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
by Noctro on Jul 9, 2010 12:15 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Wow
Even the choking Sharks have a better playoff record than that!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Oh boy some one as bored as I am. I actually like Brassard but Filatov kinda scares me since he went back to the KHL when he was unhappy with his role in with the Jackets. I don’t want to make a blanket statement that young Russians are going to use the KHL as leverage and are a bad idea to sign but I would definitely think twice before trading one of the premier play makers in the league for one who has done it once already.
Troll on…
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
We kinda like the team. I think we'll keep it.
The fanbase is a bit of a problem. I’m hoping we can trade some of the trolls for some eye candy.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
by ElvisVF101 on Jul 7, 2010 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
damn
I must be one of those trolls you are talking about. Time to find me a good bridge to hide under.
"Don't even start"
by ZombieSkittles on Jul 7, 2010 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Not necessarily
You could put up a similar picture of yourself for us and we could make an objective assessment.
What’s that you ask? Does the term ‘sexual harassment’ mean anything to me? Why no, it doesn’t!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Works for me...
But can she play defense? At under $4 million/year?
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France
(insert the double-punning "I'd hit that," joke here).
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
by Noctro on Jul 9, 2010 12:08 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
NO HEART NO GRIT!!!1111
MOLA RAM RIPPED OUT THE TEAM’S HEART AND MADE THEM CHOKERS GAISE!!!!!11
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Jul 7, 2010 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
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