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I had time to kill and beers to drink in a Toronto bar today while it was below zero outside so I took some time to answer your San Jose Sharks questions. Here are the questions followed by my infinite wisdom. Enjoy.
@fearthefin where does Meier slot in if/when he gets called up? Does he disrupt the captain line or move somebody off the second line?
— MikeMonty (@MikeMontero11) December 9, 2016
The Captain Line seems pretty established at this point, so I think he gets a shot on the second line with Logan Couture and Joel Ward. Both Kevin Labanc and Mikkel Boedker have auditioned there, but I think Pete DeBoer will be fine giving Meier a look there when he’s called up.
@fearthefin Which center and winger is the best fit with Timo, in your opinion?
— Justin V. (@GreenManV) December 9, 2016
Truthfully? Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl probably fit best with his style of play as far as centers go. That being said, of available centers, I like him with Logan Couture. I think he fits better there than he would with Chris Tierney, and putting him on the fourth line would only waste his talent.
@fearthefin Lessons to be learned from the loss to the Senators? Was it just puck-luck? Jones on an off-day? Otherwise, Sharks on Fire.
— Illuminado (@TheIlluminado) December 9, 2016
It wasn’t Jones’ finest night, but I’d chalk it up primarily to poor puck luck. The Sharks looked absolutely amazing offensively, just couldn’t beat Mike Condon. That should be an indicator of how their luck was that night, in my opinion.
Honestly, I think he would have gotten a longer shot up there had Patrick Marleau not struggled so much. They need Marleau to get going more than they need Boedker to figure it out. Hence, we get the captain line while Boedker still looks to figure things out.
Yes, I think Timo Meier gets called up before the Sharks’ Eastern Canadian road trip, honestly. When he is called up, I think the Sharks will try to move Tommy Wingels. Barring a trade, they can put him on waivers and bury about a million dollars in cap hit. That’ll help, because he has too much salary on the books for them to find a taker, I bet.
A lot longer than 26 games into the season. It’ll be okay. And franky, if it’s not, what are the Sharks going to do? These are the guys they have. There’s not that much flexibility in a salary cap league.
Given that the team was in first place a few days ago, no.
I wouldn’t surprise if he gets off to a quick start like Tomas Hertl did, but expect some growing pains after that. Patience is the key. He’ll need some time to adjust to the NHL, but I think he’s poised to be a very good player for the Sharks for a very long time.
Based on his underlying numbers, it at least seems he’s been mostly unlucky. It’s possible he’s absolutely cratered in one year’s time, but that seems pretty unlikely to me. Hold on to hope.