There isn’t a whole lot to say about T.J. Galiardi’s season in teal. Acquired from the Avalanche along with Daniel Winnik in the Jamie McGinn trade, Galiardi dressed for just 14 regular season games with the Sharks and then three more in the playoffs, scoring once.
This was really just Galiardi’s second full season in the NHL unless you count his 11-game stint as a rookie in 2008-09 and his 35 games last season. In his only other extended year, a 70-game campaign in 2009-10, Galiardi scored 15 goals and 39 points which sounds impressive until you take a closer look, which you have to hope Doug Wilson and the rest of the front office did before targeting him. Galiardi was demolished in possession at even-strength playing for a horrendous Avalanche team that sold their collective soul to the hockey gods for some incredible luck that season. The 10.7% on-ice shooting percentage Galiardi enjoyed at evens that year is in Sidney Crosby territory and almost certainly nowhere near his true talent. The good news is he’s also unlikely to ever get run over territorially to the extent he was that season again but he also has yet to demonstrate he can do much better than break even against opposing bottom sixers. The raw talent is there with Galiardi as he has the tools that could be developed into an effective forechecking game and has a knack for drawing penalties thanks to his abrasive style of play. The question going forward will be whether he can put it all together to become a legitimate option for an NHL team’s third line.
FTF Grade: C-. An incomplete would probably be more appropriate. Galiardi didn’t make an impact, positive or negative, on the Sharks playing limited (and mostly protected) minutes. It’s hard to really know what the Sharks have in Galiardi but I can’t say the evidence suggests he’s a great player or even necessarily one worth re-signing if he demands any more than his current salary. Still, it seems likely that Doug Wilson tenders Galiardi a qualifying offer but, beyond that, I for one wouldn’t mind seeing Galiardi shopped in a package to fetch a second-pairing defenseman or a superior forward.
How would you grade T.J. Galiardi’s 2011-12 season?
| A | 5 |
| B | 13 |
| C | 99 |
| D | 94 |
| F | 27 |
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