Hey everyone, I decided to have a point prediction to all players. Since the FTF Staff went into extreme detail of all the players, their expected roles, and what should be expected from them, I decided to do that same thing! just a whole lot lazier and just put down numbers instead
Most players will have less than 82 GP, but because I cant predict the future, I took into account the players age, injury history, and my own personal prediction. I also haven't run the numbers, so GP may not match up how they are supposed to.
Forwards
The Top 6
82 GP 20G 57A 77P
Joe is probably the best pure playmaker in the game. Finding the open space comes natural to him. He's also been remarkably healthy (knock on wood) in his tenure with the Sharks.
82 GP 41G 34A 75P
Patty is gonna be looked at as Joe's go-to target. I think he gets back to the 40 goal mark this year, with a hefty number of assists.
79 GP 31G 34A 65P
31 goals for lil Joe? That's right. If Joe plays on the top line throughout the season , Big Joe will find lil Joe in the slot a lot! Joe has a great shot and has the smarts to be in the right place at the right time. 30 goals is very possible. And we all know how Big Joe loves the right handed shot.
69GP 22G 39A 61P
Havlat is speedy, we all know that. But he also is an underated playmaker. With Cloweture on his line, Martin will have better goal scorers than he had in Minny to capitalize on the chances he creates. I don't think he gets to the 30 goal mark, but he will be able maximize his linemates production. Health may be an issue, so we should lookout for that.
80 GP 30G 30A 60P
I'm not sure what to say about Logan. He's a great hockey player. He's smart, good passer, and has a hard shot. He also is great in his own end, which may hamper his point total depending on his PK time.
74 GP 20G 34A 54 P
Ryane is hard to predict. Clowe is big and physical, is top on the team in the corners, controls the puck great, and a great passer. Still has a good season, and will be using his backhanded dangles in the shootout.
The Bottom lines
Jamie Mcginn
57GP 8G 10A 18P
Ginner is in an odd situation this season. Originally looking to be on the third line, he's been pushed out of the lineup by Tommy Wingels. I don't think Wingels will have a permanent spot in San Jose, but it will affect Mcginn's games played. I still believe Jamie is in for a good season, but playtime may be tough to come by.
82 GP 11G 17A 28P
Handzus will be asked to be our shutdown forward, not get 20 goals. Michal is big, but slow, good in the faceoff circle, but great in his own end. I expect a normal season from Zeus, with high SH ice time.
74 GP 10G 21A 31P
Many people feel Torrey will have a big year, I'm one of those people. If Torrey stays healthy, which I feel he (somewhat) will,he'll have a good season.
64 GP 6G 5A 11P
Desjardins will be entering his first full season in the NHL. We've seen him at his best during the playoffs last season. He is a pesky player, but doesn't get pushed off the puck as easily as former Shark Scott Nichol. Desi is a hard worker, and a good defensively.
51 GP 3G 4A 7P
The other Murray is a pretty big fella. He likes to hit, and then hit some more. He's not flashy, and he shouldn't be. He isnt expected to stay on the 4th line the whole season, so maybe he gets sent to Worcester to see how some other players fit in, but he should be a good 4th liner.
61 GP 5G 5A 10P
Brad is our new "tough guy". Despite not fighting a whole lot (only 10 fights all of last year), he is an enforcer who has a bit of skill. He was a second round pick in 2000, so scoring chances is something you can somewhat expect.
Defense
80 GP 14G 32A 46P
Oh Brent, how we have needed you. Mr. Burns won't be able to score like he did in Minnesota last season, the increase of weapons around him means he won't be asked to do too much as well. He should like it here in SJ.
80GP 4G 18A 22P
Pickles looks to be the best Shark defensemen defensively. Offensively he looks to be about on par what he did in the past. He does have the potential to be that premier shutdown D-Man along with having the ability in the offensive end to create opprotunities. I'm not confident he becomes that "premier" two way defensemen, but he will be the best shutdown defensemen in the Pacific.
77 GP 10G 39A 49P
Dan's TOI will be down this year, and that's a good thing. With the decrease of PK time he should be fresher when his time on the PP comes.
68 GP 1G 5A 6P
Don't expect much offensively from Douglas. Maybe he'll get another hat trick, but he just wants to hit people. And that's all we want right?
73 GP 5G 26A 31P
Another player I expect to have a career year, with career highs in goals assists and points even though he'll be on the third pair. He'll be playing with another strictly defensive partner, so he can focus on offense. He'll also be playing on 2nd line PP, so he'll have plenty of chances to prove himself offensively.
67 GP 1G 8A 9P
Colin is big and strong.. Think Douglas Murray, but smarter defensively. He doesn't hit as much Douglas, however he will shine clearing forwards from in front of the net.
29 GP 1G 4A 5P
Jim will be a 7th D-man who's capable of play 60+ games. He likely will be playing depending on injuries. I see it as if the defensively strict guys (Vlasic, Murray, White) get hurt or need a game off, Vandy will be the one to step in.
Goalies
Antii Niemi
48 GP 48GS 31W 2.37 GAA .920SV% 8SO
Niemi is coming of an incredible season in his second full year. He played almost twice as many games from Chicago to SJ, mostly due to his hot streak in the second half of the season. I don't think he'll be playing more than 50 games this year. I expect the goalie tandem we thought was going to happen last year to play out throughout the season.
Antero Niitymakki
18 GP 18GS 11W 2.61GAA .900SV% 1SO
Niitty will be out the first 12 weeks of the season. That sucks seeing as though he played well before his injury. He has a good D in front of him, so he should have a better year numbers wise. Get well soon Niity!
18 GP 18GS 10W 2.88GAA .890SV% 2SO
Yup, I was shocked too when DW brought meth squirrel back. Not because I think he sucks, but how he was treated in SJ. Backup to Nabby, assumed number 2 to Niitty, to somewhere in Sweden.. Thomas isn't a traditional goalie; he looks restless when he's out there. Nonetheless, Jesus Greiss will have a good season for someone who hasn't played in North America for over a year.
On the bubble...
16 GP 3G 3A 6P
Justin will be a fill in for injury. Now, since I'm not gonna predict some injury to our D this looks like Justin will have less time in SJ as last year, but perhaps the increased time in Worcester is a positive.
Tommy Wingels
24 GP 3G 6A 9 P
Tommy made the team after the preseason god mode he had. He is a 2 way center who is built similarly to Joe Pavelski. He has good potential, but this season should be all about him learning how to play at the NHL level.
20 GP 4G 4A 10P
Benn has 5 games until he must go through waivers to get back to Worcester. I would expect him up permanently unless either Wingels/Mcginn couldn't handle the NHL, or an injury. Benn isnt a flashy player, but he works hard despite his size, and has a good shot.
No projected stats for Nick. The math shows that Petrecki would be able to be in the lineup unless he was to play as a forward. So all I'm going to say about Petrecki is that he needs to get some time this season in San Jose. Already at 22 years old, time is slowly running out on him. Not to say he cant be a player some experts projected him to be, but his time in Worcester hasn't been all that impressive (though he did have a better season last year than 09-10. He hopefully will be able to play 5+ games.
I really like Monster Mash. He's a big, tough specimen. Likely will be an injury replacement, but the more he plays and works his ass off, the more I expect from him.
Others to watch for...
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment! :)
*BrandonMK50 is not a fortune teller. All predictions are not to be taken seriously and just to think about the upcoming season.Take all predictions with a grain of salt...
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