Something whoever the next coach of Los Tiburones will need to deal with if he hopes to break the two and through syndrome is what player moves need to be made. The mantra of all is well and all we need to do is wait for the kids to develop has long since worn out its welcome. The team’s core players — Thornton, Nabokov, Cheechoo, Marleau — are in their prime years right now. And while there are some quality players just getting started (Pavelski, Mitchell), none of them fill San Jose’s most glaring needs:
- A defenseman who has the size and strength needed to play the hardcore physical game yet with sufficient quickness and on-ice sense to play positionally when need be;
- A net grinder or two or three; front line personnel who go to the net and stay there until they make something positive transpire.
But where can they come from?
Some thoughts, starting with defense, in the next post.
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