Kyle Wellwood still hoping to sign in San Jose
Many Sharks fans, impressed with Kyle Wellwood's creative play making and chemistry with Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski, have been holding out hope that San Jose will extend a contract to the journeyman forward.
It seems like Kyle Wellwood himself is doing the same.
According to Andy Strickland of True Hockey, Kyle Wellwood has recieved interest from both the Winnepeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets but hasn't signed yet with either team. Instead, Wellwood remains determined to land a spot with the team he helped take to the Western Conference Finals last season. The Sharks have apparently told Wellwood that they would extend a camp try-out, but would do so without the security of a guaranteed spot or contract.
It's a risky move for Wellwood; he played a similar type of waiting game last offseason and ended up playing in Russia to start the season. Luckily, he was released by his KHL club and was signed by the St. Louis Blues, who then lost him on re-entry waivers to the Sharks.
Credit to Wellwood, who played admirably for San Jose in his return to the NHL after what was effectively half of a season away from the league. Wellwood scored thirteen points in thirty-five regular season games and added seven points in the team's eighteen playoff contests. His advanced statistics were also quite impressive, as we pointed out earlier in the offseason.
However, there are some significant roadblocks to Wellwood's return to San Jose. First, the need for Wellwood is lessened now that the Sharks have moved Pavelski into the top six forward group. Because of this, the Sharks third line will take on a much smaller role when it comes to offensive production, instead focusing on the defensive aspects of the game. Wellwood's size and skill-set don't mesh well with that type of assignment.
Second, the Sharks already have a slew of players who will be competing for four spots on the third and fourth lines, likely at a lower price. Jamie McGinn, James Sheppard, Cam MacIntyre, Benn Ferriero, Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Murray all have their eyes on a roster spot. The Sharks may not want to add Wellwood to the already crowded fold.
Lastly, as Stickland points out in his article, the Sharks are just one contract away from the 50 player maximum, meaning that Wellwood would take that last spot. If Doug Wilson wants to make any other move before the start of the season, signing Wellwood would reduce his wiggle-room.
Kyle Wellwood is a good hockey player, one who definitely deserves a chance somewhere in the NHL. Unfortunately for him, that somewhere may not be San Jose.
Hopefully, his dedication to the team won't leave him homeless for the second straight offseason.
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I wish the guy pked : /
Someone plz teach him.
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by DrewRemendaRogaine on Aug 26, 2011 4:12 PM PDT reply actions
He had a stint on the PK
I don’t think it was all that successful
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According to NHL.com he played 1:48 and 1:56 short handed per game in 08-09 and 09-10 respectively. I don’t know how good he was at it but he definitely PKed
That was his total short handed TOI for the season – the next column over is the time on ice per game.
by milanahalek on Aug 27, 2011 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, that's weird
it says SH TOI/Game, but you’re right that’s for the whole season because EV TOI/Game is 792:27.
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Tough situation
I really liked what Wellwood brought to the team, and it looks like Wellwood really likes the organization. He wants to play for a winner, and you want those type of players on your team. While our third line may not be looked at for scoring as much this year, we can’t be expected to put 2 scoring and 2 checking/defense lines out there. So a little scoring pop on the third line is welcome. Still though, not sure if he fits into the fold. We’ll see.
I feel bad for Wellwood
But I understand why Wilson doesn’t want to sign him to a new deal. There are quite a few guys who will be fighting for spots this season and I’m sure they want to see what these guys can do.
The contract space is also an issue, the org. signed 3 guys after the rookie camp last year and I would imagine they want to have the option to sign anyone who impresses them this year as well.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see a goalie and a d-man moved sometime soon (minor league players) to open up a couple more contract spots.
I know why we need Handzus, but I have a bad feeling about him this year. I just think his clogs are going to really slow down a third line that I would like to see with some speed. I would just be really sad to see a player like Wellwood go, who obviously is putting his financial security and career at risk for a CHANCE to stay with the Sharks.
Wellwood wasnt fast either...
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by SeanCrosby87 on Aug 26, 2011 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I still think Wellwood could stick on the third line.
McL likes to match power v power…so even if Handzus and Mitchell are two-thirds of a pretty awesome shutdown kind of line, I don’t expect much to change. Maybe they take on the other teams’ second units instead of Clowture…but I still expect to see the JUmbo line (especially if its Jumbo-Marleau-Pavelski) out there against other teams’ top lines. Which means, the last spot on that third line really doesn’t have to be a pure shutdown guy.
Wellwood is a guy who can make some plays and bring at least a little scoring threat to the third line. And Handzus is usually good for 30-40 points, and Mitchell…well, he cannot hit the broadside of a barn with his shot, but he wasn’t a giant liability with Wellwood and Pavelski last year. And Handzus and Mitchell could definitely cover for any defensive shortcomings Mr. Wellwood might have.
Finally, it might be nice to have another more veteran type player on the roster with all the kids we plan on carrying this year.
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Sign him.
750k a year, do it up. I’ve liked this guy since he played in Toronto. You immediately improve your third line by having Wellwood play in place of Mitchell/Ferreiro.
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I’ve liked this guy since he played in Toronto
You literally might be the only person in history to say that.
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Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
I feel like I understand his personality, in a sense.
Kyle Wellwood is a guy that has a ton of talent, but all of zero confidence. You can see it in the way he plays. He makes one little mistake, and his game goes to shit. If he’s in the right atmosphere and given a steady job, I have no doubts he can be a consistent 40-50 point man. Seriously. My logic may sound absurd, but I really do get the vibe that he goes through frequent emotions lows that really affect his otherwise solid game.
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by Evil Stanchion on Aug 26, 2011 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Kent Huskins...
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He's really entertaining
… if a bit random to watch. Definitely adds some danger to a 3rd or 4th line. I wish they could find a spot for him. Could be that DW just doesn’t want to use that 50’th spot in case something unexpected comes up.
WHO NEEDS WELLWOOD WHEN WE HAVE JAMES SHEPPARD
WHO THE HELL IS JAMES SHEPPARD
I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.
by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Aug 26, 2011 4:55 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
LACES OUT JAMES SHEPPARD
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by Matthew_Taylor on Aug 26, 2011 5:23 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
For some reason when I think of Sheppard
I think people call him Shep. And for some reason, in my mind, if someone is called Shep then they should probably have a huge Nietzsche style ’stache.
This is what James Sheppard looks like in my mind:

GO SHARKS!
James Sheppard is a member of the Sharks organization.
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Randy: "No... that bone is NOT connected to the thigh bone..."
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by SeanCrosby87 on Aug 26, 2011 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions
fuck, someone just mentioned sheppard
this thread is about to hit 500 comments real fast
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 26, 2011 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions
why do we need wellwood...
I hated watching this guy play last year. All the time he tried to dangle the guy than simply shoot the puck. That caused a lot of giveaways. In addition, the guy is just too small for a 3rd line player. 5’10 and 180 lbs? He got pushed around too easily.
I kind of agree here
And kind of not. I like the energy and the way he handled the puck on that third line. Definitely created some opportunities. Unfortunately, you are also right, he didn’t shoot the puck when he needed to, when he did shoot he didn’t have much of a release and he does not “play large” for his size. He was easily handled by any top line D he matched against. This issue is also why he is not a good PK guy IMO.
Overall, I would like to see him a full year and think a lot of the issues are in his head – he definitely has some talent. Not that I want a project player, but I think what he does bring may be enough to justify trying to wring his game out of him.
I like the approach to invite him to camp and like the fact that he is willing to do that. If he can game up and beat the young guys trying to get the lost couple spots we will have a good player with some upside.
Sign him
Our 3rd line is seriously lacking someone who can create offense/opportunities, and he had by faaar the lowest GA/60 on the team so he probably won’t hurt the defensive play of that line at all.
If he wants to play for us that badly then i think we’d be crazy not to sign him to a cheap 1 year contract.
I'm on record as not wanting Wellwood back
But this gives me pause. It’s great to see him WANT to stick with the team. And, admittedly, he didn’t do much to lose his spot, I just thought he was a bad fit and not what we needed.
I still think he’s not the player we’re looking for, and he doesn’t have enough top end talent to trouble the more elite teams (he seemed a bit exposed against Vancouver), but desire matters to me, and it looks like an NHL exile and the seeming cold shoulder he’s gotten have reawoken some desire that many would have thought he was missing earlier in his career.
The 50 contract max is of concern. This is where having guys like Vandermeer and Shepherd becomes problematic. If we can dump them, then maybe things look better.
I’m still a no, but I’m much closer to the fence now.
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
Wellwood looked amazing in Game 5 against Vancouver. He single-handedly brought Heatley back to life when they played together that game.
I think our 3rd line is gonna be a mess without a player who can create some offense like Wellwood can.
I don’t agree that the line is going to be a mess, but I do agree that the 3rd line should have a winger who can skate and create some offense…thing is, there’s Mashinter, MacIntyre, McGinn, Viedensky, Ferriero etc., who all deserve a shot at winning that spot and a few of these guys project to be better than Wellwood.
I really think that Wilson and the coaching staff want to see what they’ve got with the young guys before giving a guy that they don’t really want a contract.
just a thought
But shouldn’t. D.Wilson and the coaching staff know what they have in Mashinter, MacIntyre, McGinn, Ferriero, Viedensky already?
Go Big or Go Home
It’s a figure of speech…but a lot can change in these ‘kids’ during the off season, they can make pretty big strides in their games.
Mashinter is coming along the same development path as Clowe, MacIntyre was hurt a LOT of last season, Viedensky only played a handful of AHL games. Training camp is to see where they’re at, don’t know how else to put it.
Other than Ferriero and McGinn (who are not guys that create many opportunities) the guys you listed haven’t even proven themselves in the AHL let alone the NHL.
Marek Viedensky is the only guy with the potential to be an upgrade over Wellwood in that “can create offense and play a two way game” category, but it’s a lot to ask of a 7th round draft pick to make the jump from the WHL to the NHL overnight.
I didn’t say he’ll make the jump, but that doesn’t mean he can’t. MacIntyre has very, very good hands and when they signed him I think it was as a 2nd/3rd line tweener. The prospect pool is full of botrom 6 forwards that could be as good as Wellwood, I just think they want give some of them a chance to earn a spot.
If none of them step up in camp, Wilson can sign a UFA (Dumont, Stillman, Wellwood, Madden are all still avail) or he can trade for one.
MacIntyre scored 8 points in 42 games last season in the AHL. I don’t think his hands are good enough to carry our 3rd line offensively in the NHL.
Wellwood is our best option at the moment imo.
Wellwood isn’t good enough to carry a line offensively either – that line was carried by Pavs last year. Wellwood is a complimentary player, I just think the Sharks might already have one of those in the org.
His advanced stats say he didn’t get scored on much when he was on the ice, (could be because he was seeing pretty easy competition) he didn’t take penalties, etc. His .37 pts per game tell me he’s not carrying a line offensively, and yes, I know about TOI.
If you really believe Wellwood carried the 3rd line (offensively, defensively, pretty much at all) last year then there’s really not much more to discuss.
I wouldn’t mind him for another year, I think that there are way, way better options (maybe internal) and that the team doesn’t need to sign someone they obviously don’t want.
See, that last paragraph is where I disagree with you. He’s not the perfect player, but I don’t think there are realistic options that are even close to how good he is offensively. And I think it’s important enough to have secondary (tertiary?) scoring that the third line doesn’t need to be completely shutdown.
Plus, having another helicopter line (Wellwood – Handzus – Mitchell) would be awesome.
I think Mashinter has proven himself in the AHL. He’s looked pretty darned good there. I think he could surprise this year.
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 26, 2011 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Mashinter? I hardly even know her!
by Briceratops on Aug 27, 2011 12:57 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Look Snail, back off
you’re just mashing it now.

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by PNK on Aug 27, 2011 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
MY FAVORITE!
I love Dany Heatley for his fantastic acting chops and his permanently dilated pupil.
by HeatersLeadingLady on Aug 28, 2011 7:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Agree milanahalek
I hope with Wellwood sticking around now it projects some of these kids to show even more now what the coaching staff hopes and wants to see.
@ElvisVF101 I agree with you on Wellwood
Except I don’t think it’s great that he’s sticking around and I’m nowhere near the fence on if he should come back or not. He fit well with Pavelski but Handzus is gonna take that place and lots of players would do well playing next to Pav. So without a legitimate scorer who can carry the line with all around game, I don’t see how Wellwood fits.
I also see the younger players trying harder without having to worry about Wellwood being in the way during the season.
If you don’t think Wellwood will be able to create any offense without a legitimate scorer to play with then how do you expect Handzus or Mitchell to create any offense??
Looking at advanced stats it actually looks like Wellwood might have been carrying the helicopter line more than Pavs was.
Looking at advanced stats it actually looks like Wellwood might have been carrying the helicopter line more than Pavs was.
Can you clarify this?
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Looking at his advanced stats in both the playoffs and regular season, when Wellwood was on the ice we had more shots for per 60 mins than with any other player on the team, the least goals against per 60 mins than with any other player on the team, and our team had the best overall +/- per 60 mins when Wellwood was on the ice. Wellwood also had the best relative corsi on the team in both the playoffs and regular season.
Just let that sink in for a second, because that’s crazy. So it seems like our team in general performed the best while Wellwood was on the ice versus any other player on the team. Obviously though he’s facing lower competition than guys like Thornton, but that’s not going to change anyways. Mclellan isn’t going to put Handzus, Mitchell, and whoever else against Datsyuk next season.
Some more advanced stats:
During the playoffs Wellwood also had the 3rd highest points per 60 mins on the team behind only Clowe and Couture (Pavelski was 5th and Mitchell was 10th). Wellwood also had the 2nd highest primary assists per 60 mins after Clowe which lends to the thought that he’s a talented playmaker who can really help create offense for our 3rd line.
So I mean cmon, the guy can obviously create scoring opportunities, play good defense, and not take penalties; and now he desperately wants to play for us again for dirt cheap (you have to assume)…I think we’d be crazy not to resign him.
by Khaaz on Aug 27, 2011 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
What about zone starts?
If the line is sheltered, then very clearly their pts/60 and Corsi are both going to be high.
A shutdown line will always have worse advanced stats than a 3rd scoring line. But they serve different purposes and make the team a different kind of team. A third scoring line will give you more goals, but can make you vulnerable on the PK if your 3rd liners don’t kill penalties, and puts a heavier burden on top 6 PKers. A shutdown line is meant to give the top two lines more advantageous zone starts and take the defensive burden away.
The signing of Handzus indicates we’re moving towards having a true shutdown line. Wellwood does not fit that mold. So the price doesn’t matter. What matters is how he fits in the organization.
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
His offensive zone start% is middle of the pack, which makes sense for Wellwood considering that he isn’t a PKer and considering how many other good faceoff guys we have.
I want a 3rd pairing shutdown line as much as anyone, but Torrey Mitchell and Handzus aren’t going to make for a very good shutdown line if they can’t sustain any offensive zone pressure. A line with Mitchell, Handzus, and Mcginn/Ferriero are just going to be one-and-done in the offensive zone. They’re going to be stuck in their own zone most of the time giving up shots/chances.
About the PK, unless we make a trade for Jochen Hecht or something (which i would love) we’re going to have to rely on guys like Desjardins, McGinn, and other rookies to step up and help kill penalties. Signing Wellwood doesn’t really hurt our PK since we don’t have any other reliable options for the PK anyways. All of our 4th liners are going to need to learn to PK quick, and i’m sure Pavelski and Marleau will still get PK time anyways.
This would
be resolved a lot easier if DW traded Mitchell.
Naw man, the last thing we need to do is trade away an experienced PKer with speed and some offensive upside.
by Khaaz on Aug 28, 2011 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Seriously?
Why am I the only person here who refuses to drink the Mitchell kool Aid?
HE SUCKS, PEOPLE.
I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.
by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Aug 28, 2011 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I’d be fine with trading him if tomorrow was July 1st, but atm we don’t have many experienced NHL PKers so it’d be silly to trade him away now. It’s not like he has a ton of trade value either. We’d be better off trading Braun or one of our other prospects imo.
Plus i still do think Mitchell has potential, but if he can’t live up to it this season then he’s gotta go. At the start of last season he looked great. I remember Mclellan even saying that he had been our best player up to that point. I think that was like 4 games into the season, but still lol.
LACES OUT
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
DW always has to have someone on the team
that makes some of the fans wonder,
“Why is he still on the team?”
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Nope
I don’t expect Handzus or Mitchell to create any offense. To be honest I actually don’t like the way our 3rd line looks up front. But until someone can step up and start scoring I see no point in bringing in someone like Wellwood. And since I doubt DW is gonna trade Mitchell or someone like Mcginn before the start of the season, at this point I think it’s just best to support what we have and try to make the best of it. Which I think is to focus more on defense while hopefully waiting for someone to step up and start scoring.
In the end Wellwood’s defensive game stinks, so why add him to a defensive 3rd line?
Also Milanahalek posted above about Wellwood’s advanced stats. I still say he hurts the line without a legitmate scorer.
Handzus and Mitchell can both score goals, but they aren’t really guys who are going to create scoring opportunities (Mitchell may be, he’s a bit of a wild card). They aren’t creative with the puck like Wellwood is.
Whats makes u say Wellwood’s defensive game stinks?? As i mentioned above, less goals were scored on us when Wellwood was on the ice (per 60 mins) than any other player on the team (including his linemates Pavelski and Mitchell) in both the playoffs and the regular season. So he obviously isn’t any kind of defensive liability. He just doesn’t kill penalties, that’s his only real problem.
Statistics don’t always tell the whole story. Pavelski does play a lot the PK which hurts his g/60 number, Wellwood does not PK which helps his g/60.
Even more telling is he is a 3rd line guy that does not PK, so his defense is likely an issue. While he has some offense it has not gotten him much time on the 2nd line where he would be matched up against better players, is his offense is not strong enough to compete or compensate for defense that might be more exposed.
He filled a big role last year, but is that role still there this year?
The PK killed SJ against Van, can SJ afford 3rd liners that don’t PK?
Enjoyed Wellwood, so he is a tough choice.
All those stats are even strength only. Wellwood doesn’t have a great g/60 either, his primary assists per 60 minutes are solid though.
If we had the option of signing a 3rd liner who we can rely on to kill penalties and create offense then i’d be fine with passing on Wellwood but we don’t have that option.
The team has options – no one knows what’s available in trade or if Wilson has sent out some camp invites or if he thinks a couple of the young guys will be ready.
I’m pretty sure all we know, right now, if that Wellwood is available, wants to play for the Sharks and Wilson seems to have no interest in signing him, and has not invited him to camp.
No he hasn’t…not yet anyway.
“The Sharks have hinted they’ll invite Wellwood to attend training camp but without a signed contract.”
by milanahalek on Aug 28, 2011 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t think expecting to pick up a player that is superior to Wellwood via trade is a realistic option. We have nothing to trade.
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But what if we traded Wellwood?
Tradeception!
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
Picking up Wellwood just to trade
him would be the only reason why he should be picked up.
No for two reasons
1) We should totally keep him
2) If we don’t, we should absolutely not trade him immediately. We just did that with Seto. You don’t want to get a reputation for that sort of thing.
I don't think
people would see Wellwood’s situation and think about Seto. I’m sure that people would bring it up but the fact that the team would be doing him a favor to play and show more of his stuff with them then say the Jets, I think he’d be greatful or at least happy in the end to have had that chance.
It's not that.
It’s that signing people and immediately trading him is a dick move. It happens some of the time, but you don’t want to do it a lot. And they are not ever going to be greatful.
And if no one wants to sign Wellwood for free… who would want to give up assets.
Fear the Fin: "I've always said that if you don't have the motivation within you... It's not Doug Wilson's job to motivate me. I've got motivation within myself, especially going through some of the experiences that I had last year." - Nick Petrecki
by Matthew_Taylor on Aug 29, 2011 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I didn’t say anything about expecting a trade, but it’s an option.
The Sharks have quite a few trade chips, including 2 2nd round picks next year.
Do you honestly think that would be enough to get a player who is superior to Wellwood?
As far as I’m concerned, Wellwood is where the bar is set.
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"You are down with the homies, my friend." - Randy Hahn
Kent Huskins cares.
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Hmm...
were there any reasons why their respective teams just wanted to dump them and be rid of them?
Maybe you’re right though.
Still, I’ve gotten to the point where I’d like us to stop just handing out our picks like free candy on Halloween.
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
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"You are down with the homies, my friend." - Randy Hahn
Kent Huskins cares.
"Don't fart on my chair mutha fuckah!" - Randy Hahn
I think you’ll start seeing somewhat of a a shift in that this year (and that’s part of why we’re so close to the 50 contract limit). Now that the “old core” of the team is locked up for another few years and the beginnings of the “new core” are into DW’s cycle of contracts, more of the picks can be retained and used on players who’ll be in the juniors leagues and slide contracts.
On a tangential note… I doubt we’ll see DW add 1st round picks often even if he starts to collect picks to restock the farm system. His philosophy with picks seems to be to try and give up the least amount of “in hand” talent to get them and gain as much “in hand” talent as he can for them. 1st rounders are expensive and are generally as much of a gamble as later round picks unless they’re in the top 10 (and those cost that much more accordingly).
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Boyes and Kelly were both moved at the trade deadline, not in the offseason, which is a totally different thing.
Cogliano i hear is terrible in the defensive zone, and one of the worst face-off men in the league (though if he were moved to the wing that wouldn’t be a big deal). He also has a 2.4 million dollar contract with is probably triple what we would pay Wellwood. I don’t think he’d have been worth giving up a 2nd round pick for personally.
Who said anything about trading for someone right now? As has been said a hundred times, this team is good to go as it stands now and if the 3rd line isn’t working, Wilson’s got until Feb. to fix it. Just pointing out what 2nd/3rd line tweeners go for. The org has all the pieces to trade for whatever it is they decide they want.
Cogs was an un-signed RFA when he was traded, and I would have loved him for the 3rd line – he’d be that speedy winger with scoring pop everyone is asking for.
I should also point out that Cogs was 3rd on the Oilers in SH TOI/G…he really would’ve been a pretty good pick up.
Well DW himself said at the start of the offseason that he’s not going to wait til the deadline to put our team together, though it looks like he might do that after all.
We obviously have a good team now, but i really don’t think our 3rd line is going to work as is unless Mitchell really steps his game up.
Do we really want to risk having a start like last season where we’re forced to play catch-up in the 2nd half, which leaves us banged up going into the playoffs? I know i don’t.
It wasn't just
the 3rd line that put the team in that position last year.
It’s August. There’s over 5 months between now the trade deadline. If th 3rd line is bad I really doubt he’ll wait that long to fix it.
Well it won’t be til over 5 months that we’ll be able to make trades like the ones you listed above.
Boyes and Kelly were gotten so cheap because they were traded at the trade deadline where non playoff contending teams are trying to get some value from the players they no longer need.
50 max is not the issue
SJ has 51 contracts, but 4 (Hamilton, Sgarbossa, Anderson, Gogol), are slide risk entry level, all definitely not likely to play the 10 games in the NHL for them to count, so SJ is likely only at 47.
SJ probably wants to keep options open at this time, and Wellwood probably wants a 1-way contract. McGinn, Braun, Sheppard, Ferriero, A.Murray, Desjardins, Guite, McLaren, Mashinter, Wiggins, are all in the last year of 2-way contracts with flexibility of AHL/NHL movement & SJ wants to be able to give them every opportunity to play & to earn another contract. Moore & MacIntyre’s 1-way contracts (waiver inflexibility) also might actually work against them a bit.
50 max limit & CAP space are not issues, injuries & camp may factor, but Wellwood is a fairly well known quantity, and Wellwoods overall play/numbers against Van might be an issue. Lots of good competition & depth make for a great team.
Sign Him
He’s cheap. He works well with pavs and Mitchell. I know the team is all about moving Pavs up to the top line but I really think that rolling three scoring lines (put mcginns or ferriero with jumbo and Patty) and putting Zues on the 4th line with Desjardins and another youngster (Mash, Mclaren, etc).
While Wellwood is not known for his d he plays a sound game, comes back deep into the zone on the backcheck.
If you are concerned that we only have one line that can play D, I am pretty sure the Cloweture Havlat line will be pretty damn shutdown on D.
If for some reason we really need to beef up the bottom two lines Welly can be a healthy scratch, move Zues to the third with Mitchell, etc etc etc.
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by jMoneyBrah on Aug 26, 2011 5:46 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
There is a change needed
Kyle Wellwood is agoodaveragehungry hockey player, one who definitely deserves a chance somewhere in the NHL.
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by SeanCrosby87 on Aug 26, 2011 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions
He'll go to camp, get a tryout,
Be signed someplace else, come back to bite the Sharks in the ass in the playoffs by scoring an OT GWG against.
…I get pessimistic when I’m hungry. Talking about Wellwood makes me hungry, even if the “Wellwood is fat” jokes turned out to be hokum.
why cant the Sharks roll
…..3 scoring lines again this year? The Sharks could keep Pavs Wells Mitchs on the same line again. Then Todd could put together a 4th line with Handz centering it.
Go Big or Go Home
It would require Jumbo to babysit a Ferriero or McGinn, but I like this idea. Even rotate hanzus and well wood depending on game situation. Need goals? Roll wellwood. 1 goal lead with 10 minutes left in the 3rd? Bring in Handzus.
Ferriero showed last season that he can play well with Clowe and Couture.
by meetyourmako on Aug 30, 2011 1:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Pavelski belongs in the top six.
The only reason to put him on the third line is because playing with Pavelski made Mitchell and Wellwood viable scoring options. We can do better things with the personnel we have. Also, Wellwood still doesn’t kill penalties.
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Well, I disagree with most of the community regarding the Pk issues. Patty and Pavs will still play 2 min a game. They will be better than last year. Handzus will be worse, and the sharks will be above average. I’d rather have a guy that impacts the game 5v5, which wellwood does. But if DW wants another pker, wellwood isn’t it for sure.
the problem with pavs and patty isn’t as much the fact that they weren’t sufficient on the PK, but more so the amount of time they play shorthanded is absurd for two top 6 forwards who need to produce offensively 5v5 and on the PP. The PK takes far too much out of them for other scenarios in which they are expected and relied upon to perform.
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 27, 2011 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions
We'll have to agree to disagree
I don’t understand how Patty and Pavs continuing to play more tough minutes will make them improve. And if that logic is true, I see no reason why Handzus is automatically worse.
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I think he meant Patty and Pavs will be better than they were last season on the PK and Handzus will be worse, because he’s older.
Correct
Also Handzus will likely be worse just because of regression to the mean. He likely outplayed his talent level last year.
I thought he had a down year last year. Am I wrong?
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Yeah he did. I don’t know why people are expecting him to be worse.
Supposedly he played really well with Alex Frolov (who we should’ve signed before he went to the KHL omggggs) the two years before last, but didn’t look so good without him last year. I think Handzus needs a playmaker who can hold onto the puck a bit and create chances.
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Changing signatures is for suckers.
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i’ve wanted to bring him back all along cause i know we can get him for basically nothing, he wants to be here and he really solidified things and was a great player on the 3rd line which we still need. this makes me like him even more. Please bring him back. I don’t think McGinn is quite ready to step in as a 3rd line regular. He needs a full season up here without riding the train back and forth and think him and Dej. are a great combo for that 4th line.
Knowing he is that eager to play in San Jose does cause me to want him a little more, however I still am leaning towards the “he just doesn’t fit” argument. I loved watching him play in his short career with the Sharks, but I was constantly frustrated by his hesitancy to shoot when it was the better play. I’m all for unselfish players, but it got a bit ridiculous. Also, there were a countless amount of times in which Wellwood got absolutely WRECKED when opponents played the body on him. The guy realistically isn’t more than 170 and is just way undersized in general, especially for a 3rd line roll. Neither Handzus or Mitchell have an overly impressive shot, and Wellwood needs someone like that since he is mainly a set up a guy (and never shoots….ever). Another concern noted by most people is his inability to chip in on the PK, which I think is crucial when adding another player to this roster.
With that said, I am in total support of allowing him to try out without any contract. If he really shows the coaching staff that he can adapt his game a little bit and really mesh well with the team (and set himself apart from the rookies at camp), I’m fine with signing him- as long as the contract comes at low term, low money deal. Whoever is to fill that 3rd line roll needs to have scoring pop, and with Wellwood’s baby-soft hands that could definitely be achieved.
…and before anyone catches me on this- and I’m referring to my first sentence in this post: But….
Ben Eager is not a member of the Sharks organization!
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 26, 2011 7:20 PM PDT reply actions
especially for a 3rd line roll
Wellwood likes his rolls well buttered. And crunchy.
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by Bockerz on Aug 26, 2011 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
hahaha
i see what you did there :P
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 26, 2011 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Something about how Wellwood plays—he’s fairly nimble and agile on the ice, but boy does he ever put himself in some precarious positions! It seems like every game I was wondering at least once how he bounced back from some awkward or brutal hit. And honestly, I have serious doubts that he could stay in one piece for an entire season, giving a little more pause to offering him a contract.
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by Timorous Me on Aug 27, 2011 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions
SIGN THE MAN!
Throw him on the 4th line with McGinn and Ferriero. Maybe have a 4th line that can actually score. Then you have a guy that can easily jump into the top 6 if one of those guys get hurt. Toss him some PP time and let him rotate on the top lines when other guys need a break after a long PK. That should get him 10 min a night, better than playing 16min for the Jets.
And you know what is the best way to keep the other team from scoring? Don’t let them have the puck! Wellwood was very good at this skill.
To me , signing Wellwood would perfect the summer and give DW some major options for another forward in the trade market. You can either go D and complete that 3rd line, or get wellwood a winger and roll three lines again. Cutting a Mike Moore shouldn’t stand in the way of an all around good move.
Keeping Wellwood shuts out Desjardin
Who is also a center and has some PK experience.
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
I think McGinn and Desjardins are almost a lock for our 4th line, we got room for him. It shuts out Ferriero and Mashinter though probably.
Ferriero and Mashinter are ready for their real looks with the big club though
If you want to carry Wellwood’s salary for the whole season, it makes it awkward to bring up either of those two for a legitimate look.
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
should have signed him earlier
DW should have signed him before bringing in guys like Andrew Murray or James Sheppard, or re-signing McGinn.
i wish he'd sign :( he wasa great addition to this team
maybe he can still get signed :D
side note: anyone want to play fantasy hockey?
its a 12 team h2h league with a live draft at 12 tomorrow. i want to make it a keeper too. league id number is 3594 and password is nhl
4 spots left :D
and…this has been done before I’m sure, but I havent scroled up to read all the comments…
But….Kyle Wellwood is not a member of the Sharks organization!
Fail :D
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by sanjosesharksfan on Aug 26, 2011 8:03 PM PDT reply actions
Does anyone know where I can find the 50-man roster for the Sharks?
On sharks.nhl.com, they only have 40 players listed as part of the organization.
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Oh, duh. I feel stupid now for having to ask.
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Capgeek
Go to SJ, then go to 2011-12 Reserve list (at top), also read FAQ for EL Slide Risk.
And I just looked at it, looks like they have 51 total contracts with 3 that will slide, so they actually have 48 contracts that will count towards this year.
Not on the front page, but is still listed as an SR on the “2011-2012 Reserve List”
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Why sign him
if he’s always gonna pass first shoot later and I never thought he was that good defensively. No Pav to set up, Mitchell can’t shoot and he’ll just frustrate everyone as he waits for Handzus to set up so that he can set someone else up. If we’re gonna sign a playmaker we need a legitimate scorer on the line with him. I would love a tough defensive scoring 3rd line. But without someone who can without a doubt score why add a playmaker? If they’re gonna bring in a playmaker I say they figure out who on the team can really score on the 3rd line this year (hopefully someone!?!) and then bring in an even better playmaker by or before the trade deadline.
I agree with you a lot on this. You pair Wellwood with Zeus and Mitch, I’m not sure if anyone would hit the net. The guy just refuses to shoot, so without some sort of a shot alongside him, I don’t know how useful he can be.
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 26, 2011 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Put him on the 4th
Imagine this
Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski
Clowe-Couture-Havlat
Mitchell-Handzus-McGinn
Wellwood-Desjardins-Murray
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by sanjosesharksfan on Aug 26, 2011 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
a lot of it will come down to his price
but i still don’t know how well his style of play will fit on that 3rd line.
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 26, 2011 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
4th* line
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by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 27, 2011 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions
well now we have 3 d lines with offensive players (Boyle, Burns and Demers) so there are always back end options. 2 of the best plays in the playoff run were Wellwood setting up Boyle in Detroit on two different occasions. plus don’t rule out his ability to keep ahold of the puck, so you can have a line that can get zone time and then he has scoring options coming off the bench on line changes ala the thornton blow kisses goal against LA.
by dannyschmanny on Aug 29, 2011 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Teams scored less while Kyle Wellwood was on the ice than any other player on the team, and a pass first player isn’t a bad thing for that line.
Handzus is a guy who just likes to hang out in front of the net, he’s not going to be flying around setting people up for tap-in goals.
Khaaz
I really like how your rooting for Wellwood, but it’s not gonna happen! I just think more people agree that Pavelski and Demers had more to do with why the 3rd line looked so good last year. He had a great post season but Handzus changes everything.
I think it probably will happen
I don’t think DW wants to sign him yet because signing Wellwood would dash a lot our prospects’ hopes of making the team, and DW wants to see them play their asses off so he can get a real evaluation of their talent.
Maybe Viedensky plays his ass off, looks awesome, and looks like he’s more than capable of playing in the NHL, but if something like that doesn’t happen (and it probably won’t tbh) then DW will likely resign Wellwood imo.
Personally I think DW doesn’t like Wellwoods attitude much (i didn’t). Wellwood didn’t really come off as much of a team player in the locker room. However, with Wellwood holding out to stay a Shark (for cheap i assume) maybe DW’s opinion of him will change as mine has.
I don't think
a person’s attitude is that easy to change on it’s own after just one summer. If I was DW my first thought would be this guy wants to make more money after playing a full year on a great team to get his name out then, going to where he’s wanted and trying to prove himself with say the Jets.
And it would be better for DW not to dash any of the prospects hopes by letting Wellwood back on the team period imo. Why fill in a spot after just a month when he can keep up the morale of the entire farm by leaving that spot open to them until the trade deadline. Which gives him even more time to really see more of what the team has.
I don’t know what DW is going to do (I’ll admit I’m nervous). We agree that the 3rd line needs more scoring. This whole thing is about how??? All I know is that I’m anxious and nervous to see how the Sharks try to work this out!?
I don’t mean that his attitude has changed necessarily. I just mean that the perception of his attitude may have changed.
In training camp DW is going to see if any of our prospects can bring more to the table than Wellwood can. If he doesn’t see anyone that can do that then why wouldn’t he resign Wellwood? Wellwood’s obviously not expecting a big pay day considering he just got a training camp invite.
Seriously?
This isn’t middle school where we need to make sure everyone gets to play their fair share or something. The farm is full of grownups who either can take not playing in the NHL this year or aren’t mentally strong enough to ever play in the NHL.
Sure, giving the prospects NHL time is important, but making the sharks better, especially in win-now mode, is an important concern as well and needs to be weighed in.
If we all agree that the 3rd line needs more scoring, this is the solution. There’s not really any other option. If we thought the third line is fine as is (scoring potential-wise), then Wellwood makes less sense.
Still say
you need someone who can score more effectively then Mitchell or Handzus to up the scoring potential to something the fans and team will be satisfied with. Why frustrate everyone if Wellwood might (we’ll see after training camp) not be as successful without Pavelski. Which is why a straight up shut down 3rd line is better until the team figures some things out with certain players instead of trying to force a better scoring 3rd line with a player DW obviously doesn’t want.
Because it wouldn't frustrate anyone
And we get more information for nothing, which is always worth it. He’s a good player, totally worth seeing him play in camp. And if we think the straight shut down line is the way to go, DW can decide that afterward.
But you know what? We don’t have that third shutdown guy to go on that line. So unless we bring in someone else, we’re not even making the third line defensively weaker by bringing him in – we’re just making it offensively stronger. Something for nothing.
I keep sayin this but you can’t have a good defensive shutdown line that can’t sustain any time in the offensive zone.
If the only thing that matters is defensive ability, then why don’t we just play 5 defenseman on the ice instead of trying to create some shutdown 3rd line? Frankly a line with Demers/Braun/Vandermeer would probably score just as much as Handzus/Mitchell/Ferriero would anyways.
The point of a shutdown line
Is to get the puck into the offensive zone to let the top two lines on the ice in advantageous situations. If they score, groovy, but their primary purpose is to turn the puck the other way and draw more penalties than they take.
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Changing signatures is for suckers.
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So we’re agreed that we should put together a Demers/Braun/Vandermeer line? They’d play awesome defense and they’d throw the puck into the other zone no problem.
We might need a guy who can take faceoffs though.
Mitchell and Handzus are both good in the dot
This is one aspect of Wellwood’s game that would be missed. He wasn’t awful on draws if memory serves.
Demers/Braun/Vandermeer would suck at face-offs.
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
Demers/Handzus/Braun. Boom, there’s our shutdown line. They all can play well defensively, that’s for sure.
Oh shit. You done just changed the game.
by meetyourmako on Aug 30, 2011 1:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't see how this is up for public debate
It may or may not happen, but whether more people think one thing or the other is totally irrelevent. We’re not in the locker room, we don’t see everything, so we don’t have all the information. There is absolutely a way this happens.
by that logic Clowe would have been traded either of the last two seasons. people agreeing something doesn’t make it so. Did you mean Mitchell instead of Demers? Also the success of that third line was the Pavs Wellwood chemistry and that really picked up Mitchell’s game. There just seemed to be this unspoken decision that the three of them were gonna go nichol style all out (minus the checking anything that moves) and keep the puck at any cost..and they were really successful at that until they got banged up in the vancouver series.
by dannyschmanny on Aug 29, 2011 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
You can score all the goals you want
If you can’t keep the puck out of the net, then it doesn’t matter. Wellwood doesn’t help us keep the puck out of the net. Yes, his GA/60 is great. But is he really going to play 17+ minutes a night? And if he does, does his GA/60 stay that low?
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
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Huh?
There’s no reason to think Wellwood is any kind of defensive liability, and i don’t see why his ice time is going to go up anyways. You think our 3rd line is going to get more ice time than it did when Pavelski was playing on it?
No, I don't think that
But if the argument to sign Wellwood is that his GA/60 was good, I’m trying to point out that it’s not actually all that helpful. By the advanced stats, AT EVEN STRENGTH, Wellwood is an asset. But we got torched last year on the PK. Wellwood still does not improve our PK. And yes, his GA/60 is great, but Wellwood was never deployed in a defensive manner, which, given the signing of Handzus, is clearly where the 3rd line is going to be. The third line is going to be setting the table for the big guns, similar to the way the Malhotra line worked in Vancouver. You give them the tough zone starts and you get them to put the offense in a position to succeed.
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
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None of the prospects that take Wellwood’s spot are going to really improve our PK. We already have a 4th line of inexperienced PKers, but we need experienced NHLers who can kill penalties, so Patty and Marleau are going to get some PK time either way.
So at even strength, i think Wellwood just brings more to the table than Ferriero or whoever else might take his spot.
Of all the prospects
I think only Desjardins and possibly McGinn could be utilized on the PK. My hope is that Patty and Pavs are the second pairing behind Mitchell/Handzus, which would be an improvement icetimewise over last season. If we can rely on our top two pairings, then it gives Desjardins/McGinn/Possible Trade Target 3rd Liner would have some time to develop and hopefully step up to the 2nd pairing, giving Patty and Pavs even more relief towards the end of the season when we’ll need them even more.
My thing here is that we pretty much KNOW Wellwood won’t kill penalties. The prospects MIGHT. Given my assessment of the teams’ needs, I still put the penalty kill above scoring depth.
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They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
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Any of the prospects who would take Wellwood’s spot won’t be relieving Pavelski or Malreau of any shorthanded minutes, they’ll probably just chip in here and there against weaker competition, so it really doesn’t matter.
I’d prefer for us to make a trade for a guy like Jochen Hecht, and i’d love if Marek Viedensky or someone really surprises us and shows that he’s NHL ready, but if those things don’t happen then i think Wellwood is our best option.
Desjardins PK’d a ton in Worcester. While he’ll have to adjust to the NHL game, assuming that he won’t do any significant lifting on the PK (especially by the end of the year if he can stick, as Elvis said) here seems to directly ignore the skills that brought him to the NHL in the first place.
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Yeah i think Desjardins and Andrew Murry will help out a lot (hopefully), but they’re playin on our 4th line and signing Wellwood won’t affect them.
Exactly
I just don’t see how signing Wellwood is a BAD thing, especially is it is for a bargain contract. We have enough PK “options” that will play on the 4th line. You have Handzus, Mitchell, Pavs, Marleau, Thornton, Couture, Desjardins and Murray, with Havlat, Clowe and McGinn likely getting chances to contribute. That is 3-4 PK pairings, another PKer would be for the 4th PK pairing and plays 45 seconds a night.
Really, Wellwood fills a need without taking anything away. I just can’t think of a factual argument against having him, unless he was not well liked in the locker room.
Clowe probably won’t PK much. Last year, he averaged 3 seconds a game on the PK, which is enough to say that he did it, but not enough to make him a consistent PKer. Havlat averaged 7. And McGinn was low (averaging 12 seconds), but he’s PK’d somewhat more in Worcester, so he could step up his role here.
Doesn’t necessarily discount what you’re saying about Wellwood. But the hole for forward PKers (I think one, maybe two, unless Desjardins and McGinn can make big strides) is still probably at least equal to the need for a scoring forward.
On defense, though, I’m thrilled to see that Burns and White averaged 2:40+ on the PK each, which is more than Vlasic and Boyle did. They should allow us to drop Murray down from 2 minutes of PK time a game to 1 or so and replace Wallin and Huskins (each around 1 minute average) as well. If Demers can advance at all, the defensive half of the PK is way more balanced and strong. And as I’ve said in other threads, I think that’s something that will give Desi and maybe McGinn (or McCarthy/Andrew Murray/someone else less experienced) a chance to play on the PK early in the season with a safety net of sorts.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
The 50 contract issue and the Worcester Shuttle come to mind
I know we have some wiggle room, but carrying bad contracts in the forms of Jody Shelley, Brad Staubitz, and certain depth defensemen who shall go unnamed made us do things like keep Logan Couture and Jamie McGinn off the roster.
Wellwood is leaps and bounds ahead of the likes of Shelley and Staubitz, but we have a rather large number of kids who need a look with the big club. Keeping Wellwood, even at league minimum, seems like it would eat into the kind of cap space we’d need to shuffle the lower lines and potentially make an impact move at the trade deadline.
If he doesn’t fill the team’s immediate need (penalty killing), then I don’t see why we need to pick him up.
Although, apparently we’re only at 47 contracts, so maybe it’s not as big of an issue.
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
We’ll have plenty of cap space by the time the trade deadline rolls around. We only need like 4.6 mill for Shane Doan anywayz.
Yeah, but 4.8 mil now turns in to like 9.6 by the deadline.
Just enough to take on Alex Ovechkin’s contract.
=b
Flugenweb. Spacecode. Twitzone. Assmode.
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
2010-2011 FTF 2 Fantasy Hockey CHAMPION
I won't be satified
until the team figures out how to get both. But I lean more towards concentrating on the penalty kill for now. and agree with you on the younger players and prospects. Your aproach would be an example of what I hope the team will do. Pending DW doesn’t pull off some amazing trade before the season starts.
I say
DW signs someone else or waits to bring in a few players for that depth later. I’d rather be frustrated at someone the team is trying to grow watching them push to better themselves and the team then to see Wellwood again. At least until around the trade deadline.
Why not a Two - way Deal
For Wellwood, I’m sure he’d take that offer.
Go Big or Go Home
by ChangoT on Aug 26, 2011 9:45 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I think Welly has played enough games that he would have to go through waivers
If we tried to move him to the AHL or from the AHL to the NHL. At which point the Blues would probably put a claim in just to fuck with us.
GO SHARKS!
Anyone know why Wellwood held out last year?
Money or is it that he got no offers?
"I think he just dedicated a Cee Lo Green song to the referee"-Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda on Randy Carlyle yelling at the referee
I never forget a face, but in your case, I'd be glad to make an exception-Groucho Marx
by sanjosesharksfan on Aug 26, 2011 9:58 PM PDT reply actions
Kyle Wellwood:

The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Aug 26, 2011 10:03 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Haha... Winnipeg
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
HAHA WINNIPEG
KEEPER OF CAPSLOCK AND TEETH, FANGIRL REPRESENTATION ON FTF
"The Tooth Fairy probably loathes this guy." - Bockerz
TWITTER
DW has had an amazing offseason imo
1) He fixed the defense – got a #1B guy [Burns] and 2 solid guy for the bottom-pairing [Vandy and White] (one of which could fill into the top-4 in case of injury [White])
2) He lost speed on O in the Burns trade, so he got it back in Havlat while trading away Heatley’s big contract (As much as I like Heater, he was overpaid somewhat…) while saving 2.5M
3) He signed us a real 3rd line center in Handzus (ironically for the same amount that we saved off the Heatley-Havlat trade)
4) He re-signed Greiss, McGinn, Desjardins, and the rest of the young prospects we have
5) He got some depth bottom-6 guys like Murray and Sheppard to create competition for the bottom-6…and perhaps Wellwood if he comes back on a PTO
6) He got Burns and Couture extended for good terms and at good price tags
That is almost everything I could have dreamed for in an offseason…the only thing left is adding a true two-way 3rd line winger, but that will most likely come at either the Trade Deadline or earlier in the season. However, if we get a guy like Hecht or Chimera in the offseason, DW will have a flawless offseason. Go Sharks!
Line-up:
Marleau-Thornton-Couture
Clowe-Pavelski-Havlat
XXX-Handzus-Mitchell
McGinn-Desjardins-Wellwood
Murray/Ferriero
LTIR: Sheppard
Burns-Vlasic
Boyle-Murray
Demers-White
Vandermeer/Braun
Niemi
Niitymaki
Holy s*** am I excited :-)
Go Sharks!
ok...I loled
"You know what they say about people with big skates......big feet" - Randy Hahn
by DrewRemendaRogaine on Aug 27, 2011 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions
how about this
Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski
Clowe-Couture-Havlat
Wellwood-Handzus-Mitchell
McGinn-Desjardins-Ferriero
(Murray/Sheppard)
Burns-Vlasic
Boyle-Murray
Demers-White
(Vandermeer/Braun)
by Tiberon07 on Aug 27, 2011 8:57 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I kind of wish we had traded McGinn instead of Coyle
but you have to give to get. and that trade was awesome imo
"I think he just dedicated a Cee Lo Green song to the referee"-Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda on Randy Carlyle yelling at the referee
I never forget a face, but in your case, I'd be glad to make an exception-Groucho Marx
by sanjosesharksfan on Aug 27, 2011 8:25 AM PDT reply actions
Sign Wellwood
He played so well with Mitchell. The Blue line has been strengthened. We don’t need the third line to play D as well. Talk about over-kill, sacrificing way too much offense in order to address defensive needs.
So Patty and Pavs should be playing more on the PK in your opinion?
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
by ElvisVF101 on Aug 27, 2011 11:02 AM PDT via iPhone app up reply actions
We have more PKers than last year
So they’re pretty obviously going to be playing less. The question is how much less is the most profitable when you weigh in what they have to sacrifice to get Patty and Pavs on the PK less.
Really?
Last year, Patty and Pavs played AHEAD of Jamal Mayers and Scott Nichol and Torrey Mitchell. Why? God knows. We’ve lost Mayers and Nichol and brought in Handzus. I think we’re all assuming Desjardins makes the team, but that’s not a lock.
When it comes to Todd McLellan’s ice time decisions, nothing is a lock. Patty and Pavs were ineffective period for large portions of the season, so if having a shutdown line shelters the top six overall from tough competition, that’s not really a sacrifice. That’s putting them in positions to succeed.
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
and its not like we necessarily gave up offense in the burns-seto trade. Burns may bolster the blueline, but had more points than seto and is likely to produce higher numbers this season. Add what Elvis said about not having our top players PK allowing them to focus more on 5v5/PP offense… in many ways our offense is a wash, if not better than last year.
"I love inside jokes. I'd love to be apart of one someday." - Michael Scott
My pathetic excuse of a Twitter account: http://twitter.com/santacruzsharks
by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 27, 2011 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Why not
have Welly play the fourth line? He’d add experience, and of course his play making ability to make the fourth line a legitimate scoring threat. He could also get thrown in on the PP, since he’s playing 4th line minutes, he’d always be fresh on the man advantage. AND he’d be a competent filler in case of injury. Plus, I just like the guy.
Ehhh...
As much as I would like to see Wellwood back, I also have to admit that—based on the last few off-seasons—the upper management seems to know what they’re doing. If they don’t see him as being a part of the solution, no matter the price, then they’re probably right.
WAIT WUT?! PROFESSIONALS KNOWING MORE THAN ME SITTING ON MY COUCH? NEVAAAAR!
Solution
He may be part of the solution, he may not, they may be undecided and want to keep the options open. They are not ready to commit either way yet.
Rumors out of NY
Hockeybuzz.com says the Islanders have a trade in the works, and one of the teams it has listed is San Jose.
Chances are its a bunch of bull, but hey you never know?
Go Big or Go Home
by ChangoT on Aug 27, 2011 7:59 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Hockeybuzz literally has a success rate lower than throwing darts at a wall, IIRC
Although I’m sure the Islanders would be looking to trade for sandbags about right now.
If all sports fandom is a form of emotional gambling, football is poker and hockey is Russian roulette.
Would be okay with Moulson, Streit, Tavares, Okposo...
All four for Torrey Mitchell? :D
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Aug 27, 2011 8:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Too lopsided
If the Islanders throw in Nabokov, then the trade is fair. :P
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
i stopped reading this comment
once i got to “hockeybuzz.com” says
"I love inside jokes. I'd love to be apart of one someday." - Michael Scott
My pathetic excuse of a Twitter account: http://twitter.com/santacruzsharks
by tealstherealdeal92 on Aug 27, 2011 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
but hey you never know?
Hockeybuzz never knows.
GO SHARKS!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Changing signatures is for suckers.
What Jay Leach is to the San Jose Shark's Defense, I am to Fear The Fin's Mod Squad.
by ElvisVF101 on Aug 28, 2011 3:26 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
At least he knows where he wants to be.
This says a lot about the strength of the organization even with what many (me included) thought of the circumstances of the Seto trade. Wellwood has talent and is basically signaling that he can be had for a song in order to play on the Sharks. Make him an offer. On paper it looks like our biggest weakness is the possibility of injury (God Forbid And Five Ave Marias)
Ian White is bigger this year.
"It was tough to get back at him (Colton Orr) even later because he never played another shift," said Murray, who stands six-foot-three and weighs 240 pounds
I've been watching
some of the playoff games from last year and I have to say I’m gonna miss Seto. After either having a Seto or Cheecho for the last years, it’s gonna take some getting used to not seeing a 7th fwd like either of them out there. But then I just remind myself that we have Burns now which brings back some of that Blake factor!
If we still had Seto I don’t thnk this topic would even be an issue right now. They would have resigned Wellwood or would have already gotten a different playmaker to take his place. But without a 7th fwd, how do you work it out?
I say trade Mitchell and then add someone to compliment whoever they get. If they can get a good defensive playmaker then you add a good defensive scorer or vis versa. Maybe there’s just no one good enough for these roles left out there?
Right, but they were the 7th top 6 forward.
Flugenweb. Spacecode. Twitzone. Assmode.
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
2010-2011 FTF 2 Fantasy Hockey CHAMPION
We need a Right handed shot
The Sharks only have 1 right handed forward that can score. I’m really gonna miss Seto also, makes it harder when I’ve been watching old games on the NHL Network. Seto sure scored some big goals……..
…….get him Back Doug!
Go Big or Go Home
by ChangoT on Aug 28, 2011 9:58 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
We need someone
that’s for sure. Did you watch game 6 against Detroit? No Clowe made a huge difference and that was with Seto. I am deathly afraid of losing any of our top 6 come playoff time as the team stands right now.
Who the hell is like Clowe but right handed in the league so we can put him next to Handzus?
Someone who is not available.
But I wouldn’t worry too much, the roster as is presently constructed is one of the best in hockey and will definitely be playing some meaningful hockey in the spring.
by Briceratops on Aug 29, 2011 12:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I think the Seto trade
was a good one, but I wondered how the sign the contract today/trade you tomorrow would go over with other players. I don’t think it’s an issue because the team really looks improved this year. I liked Mitchell and Wellwood/Pavs together. I’m hoping that some of the above posters are correct and they are waiting to see how camp plays out. Reading the comments here was the first I heard that Wellwood might have an attitude problem. Does anyone have a source for this?
Ian White is bigger this year.
"It was tough to get back at him (Colton Orr) even later because he never played another shift," said Murray, who stands six-foot-three and weighs 240 pounds
From how I took what Khaaz wrote
assuming that your talking about our replies, is that since he didn’t like Wellwood’s attitude from what he saw he thinks DW might not like it either. At least that’s the way I took it. I agreed but for my own reasons and neither of us wrote down our reasons.
From what I know there was his weight issue but I think that was due to him recovering from 2 or 3 surgerys.
Personally I saw him as indifferent on and off the ice. Never really into pushing others and at times just felt that he wasn’t strong enough physically/mentally at times.
Thanks
for clarifying.
Ian White is bigger this year.
"It was tough to get back at him (Colton Orr) even later because he never played another shift," said Murray, who stands six-foot-three and weighs 240 pounds

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