17 Hopes, Fears, and Predictions for 2017

Happy New Year! While we have no idea what 2017 has in store for the Sharks, it’s always worthwhile to speculate. Here are seventeen things—some good, some not—that may come to pass in the months ahead.

1. The Sharks hit a rough patch early in the year. With Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the IR for a while, I am nervous about the weeks ahead. The good news is that the team is in first place (and deservedly so), so they shouldn’t fall too far in the standings.
2. The Sharks are world beaters when healthy. It will be frustrating and anxiety-inducing to follow this team for a little while, but when Vlasic and Tomas Hertl are back in the lineup, they will go on an impressive run.
3. The All-Star Game. I hope that we don’t try to recreate last season’s John Scott phenomenon. It was a perfect storm that worked out wonderfully, in spite of itself. Please, let’s just leave it be until the movie comes out.
4. Patrick Marleau scores his 500th career goal. It’s going to happen this season. I really hope it happens when they are at home.
5. Trade deadline: I hope Doug Wilson calls the worst GMs in the league everyday between now and February 28. The team is pretty well set (once healthy), so I don’t expect a huge splash. But there are some teams with a track record of making questionable decisions *coughVancouvercough* and it’s always nice to pick up some assets for pennies on the dollar.
6. Trade deadline: I predict that the Sharks will make one good trade and one not so good trade. Neither will be terribly significant.
7. The Sharks finish first in the Pacific Division!
8. I hope the Sharks win the Cup!
9. I fear they are out in the first round.
10. I think the playoffs will a fun ride, but ultimately less fun and fulfilling than last year’s. That’s right, I’m saying that ultimately we will look back on 2016 as the good old days.
11. Expansion draft: I hope Wilson trades a mid round pick to Vegas for future considerations. Those considerations being an agreement that Vegas not take whichever of Braun or Schlemko is exposed.
12. The expansion draft will be very anticlimactic.
13. Doug Wilson trades up at the NHL Entry Draft.
14. Brent Burns wins the Norris Trophy. He’s already starting to get some love in the league wide media, and if he keeps shooting and scoring, Burns will take home some silverware.
15. Joe Thornton resigns with the Sharks.
16. Patrick Marleau doesn’t. It says here that some team *coughVancouvercough* makes him an offer that he can’t refuse and that the Sharks can’t match. I hope I am wrong about this one. You did see the part where I mentioned fears, right?
17. The new jerseys from Adidas are pretty sweet, but it takes a while for people to warm up to them.