Re: What's Next for the Sharks?

by **PKC** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:47 am

What's next for the Sharks?

Hopefully a trade for Heatley.

by Bass Destruction on Fri Jul 03, 2009 6:01 pm

Wow, they need some cap relief in a bad way. They have 3 forward spots open, and still need a backup goalie. Even if they bury their 7th Dman Brad Lukowich, who is earning close to 1.6M, in the minors, they still only have 1.9M in cap space. If you split that between the four remaining spots, that doesn't even equal the league minimum... They are in a bad way right now.

by **wprager** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:54 pm

How on Earth did they sign Blake for that much?

by **SpezDispenser** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:56 pm

Bass Destruction wrote:Wow, they need some cap relief in a bad way. They have 3 forward spots open, and still need a backup goalie. Even if they bury their 7th Dman Brad Lukowich, who is earning close to 1.6M, in the minors, they still only have 1.9M in cap space. If you split that between the four remaining spots, that doesn't even equal the league minimum... They are in a bad way right now.

Okay, we'll take it. C'mon, load me up with Marleau, Clowe and Vlasic and we'll be on our way (but we're sending you back Heatley and Kelly...and Smith). Bye.

by **SpezDispenser** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:56 pm

wprager wrote:How on Earth did they sign Blake for that much?

So little...or so much?

by **wprager** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:14 pm

Too much, too long, too late.

by **SpezDispenser** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:18 pm

wprager wrote:Too much, too long, too late.

I must have misread it, I thought it was one year @ 3 million.

by davetherave on Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:28 pm

wprager wrote:How on Earth did they sign Blake for that much?

Probably with a gold tipped Mont Blanc pen. Wink

by **wprager** on Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:59 pm

SpezDispenser wrote:
wprager wrote:Too much, too long, too late.

I must have misread it, I thought it was one year @ 3 million.

I must be remembering something else, then. I thought it was a 2-year deal. Frankly, I thought signing him last year was an iffy mood, the guy is old, big and with a broken leg (or something). Never was super fast to begin with, and definitely slowed down significantly with age, but it worked out for them. Still, I would be very concerned.

And to sign him for that much when you can't make the cap? They will have to get rid of some players, and then you have to wonder -- was it worth it to get rid of player-X for one more year of Blake?

For me, no.

by davetherave on Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:10 pm

From San Jose, some thoughts on the Sharks, and one Dany Heatley...

On those new deals for Clowe and Huskins — plus an update on Heatley interest
David Pollak, San Jose Mercury News, July 3, 2009

This may seem a little tough to reconcile, but here goes:

Sharks GM Doug Wilson still won’t talk about any of the new contracts for Ryane Clowe, Kent Huskins and Rob Blake.

But a source in the Sharks organization did confirm for me that Clowe has a new four-year deal at $3.6 million per year, that Huskins has a new contract that will pay him $1.5 million this season and $1.9 million next season for a cap hit of $1.7 million each year. And that reported $3.5 million for Rob Blake next season? That figure is accurate, too.

Wilson, as most of you know, has a long-standing policy of not discussing contracts until they are registered with and approved by the NHL. That hasn’t happened yet, I am told, and won’t be happening until Monday at the earliest because league offices are closed today for the holiday weekend.

Still, just enough information trickled out that at least I can confirm the numbers already circulating out there with even a little more specificity.

(And yeah, I know. Those Clowe figures also showed up elsewhere first. Trust me, I’m not happy.)

Here are a few other things to pass along from a few phone calls as I made the rounds this morning.

**With Marcel Goc and Tomas Plihal out of the picture, the Sharks know they need centers. Torrey Mitchell is the obvious answer for the third line, but what about the fourth? Worcester players will get a serious look in training camp, but the answer may be more likely to come from outside the organization, through trade or free agency.

Ideally, Sharks are to get a little more feisty. They’re interested in finding somebody who will kill penalties, sure, but they wouldn’t mind if the guy took a few every now and then, too.

**Some of you have figured this out already: When Wilson talks about reconstructing his team, he’s talking about the team as it enters the playoffs next spring.

Not that there won’t be more changes coming before then, but it’s the team that emerges after the trade deadline that matters the most.

**This next sentence is me backpedaling: Those reports out of Canada linking the Sharks to the Dany Heatley situation may not be so preposterous after all, despite what you may have read here before.

Not saying that something is happening, just saying that the local view may have shifted a little once July 2 got here and there wasn’t a $4 million bonus payment to deal with.

by **SpezDispenser** on Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:50 pm

Why is it that most Sharks fans don't like the Clowe signing? He's a huge, rugged winger who can pot 20+ goals, crash the net and has a great attitude. You lock him up for the next 4 years (until he's 30) at 3.6, he'll get you 25-30 goals and continue to improve his net presence.

I don't understand the complaining over that. I've seen him play a lot - I'll take him.

by **SpezDispenser** on Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:51 pm

To further that actually, the Sharks need to fill out their roster. Auld, Schubert, Picard, Kelly, Heatley, Ruutu for Clowe, Vlasic? At least they fill out their roster, get a center and get the most coveted winger on the market (arguably haha).

by rooneypoo on Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:19 pm

SpezDispenser wrote:To further that actually, the Sharks need to fill out their roster. Auld, Schubert, Picard, Kelly, Heatley, Ruutu for Clowe, Vlasic? At least they fill out their roster, get a center and get the most coveted winger on the market (arguably haha).

That's about $14 mil going to SJ, and $7 mil coming back to OTT. Given SJ's rather precarious cap situation ($1.3 mil in cap space, with only 8 F, 7 D, and 1 G), I don't think that's a trade that works for them. They need to move money to create a little cap space so they can fill out their roster -- not take on more money.

by **SpezDispenser** on Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:32 pm

rooneypoo wrote:That's about $14 mil going to SJ, and $7 mil coming back to OTT. Given SJ's rather precarious cap situation ($1.3 mil in cap space, with only 8 F, 7 D, and 1 G), I don't think that's a trade that works for them. They need to move money to create a little cap space so they can fill out their roster -- not take on more money.

Yeah, my bad, those moves would have been to fill out their roster, but we'd need to take Marleau to make it work.

by **wprager** on Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:23 pm

SpezDispenser wrote:
rooneypoo wrote:That's about $14 mil going to SJ, and $7 mil coming back to OTT. Given SJ's rather precarious cap situation ($1.3 mil in cap space, with only 8 F, 7 D, and 1 G), I don't think that's a trade that works for them. They need to move money to create a little cap space so they can fill out their roster -- not take on more money.

Yeah, my bad, those moves would have been to fill out their roster, but we'd need to take Marleau to make it work.

Make it three way. Send Marleau to Edmonton along with Smith and Auld, and maybe Cheechoo. We'll take Penner and put him on a stationary bike until training camp starts. Then well take the rest in picks.

by **Cap'n Clutch** on Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:54 am

I've wanted picks and prospects all along but I doubt we see either in a Heatley trade now.

by **SensFan71** on Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:58 am

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I've wanted picks and prospects all along but I doubt we see either in a Heatley trade now.

debating whether we see a trade for the bum at all, what an extreme low to high to low we went through as fans, first pissed off he wanted to be traded, then it dawned on us what we could get for him, then so far we have gotten nothing, he is still property of the Sens, and apparently wants to screw over the whole organization.

by **SensFan71** on Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:46 am

wprager wrote:
SpezDispenser wrote:
rooneypoo wrote:That's about $14 mil going to SJ, and $7 mil coming back to OTT. Given SJ's rather precarious cap situation ($1.3 mil in cap space, with only 8 F, 7 D, and 1 G), I don't think that's a trade that works for them. They need to move money to create a little cap space so they can fill out their roster -- not take on more money.

Yeah, my bad, those moves would have been to fill out their roster, but we'd need to take Marleau to make it work.

Make it three way. Send Marleau to Edmonton along with Smith and Auld, and maybe Cheechoo. We'll take Penner and put him on a stationary bike until training camp starts. Then well take the rest in picks.

if we can sneak Clowe in that deal as well, Murray better do it, at least then Fat Penner doesn't look so bad coming here in that deal. besides, you just wanted to say 3 way.

by davetherave on Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:19 pm

Heatley has made himself at home in San Jose. From the New York Times yesterday:

Playing his first home game as a member of the Sharks, the much-maligned Heatley scored a hat trick in front of his new hometown crowd and was the obvious first star in a 6-3 win over Columbus.

The video above doesn’t show it, but when the puck dropped again after this third-period penalty shot goal, the Shark Tank crowd chanted his name: “Dan-nee Heat-ley” followed by five rhythmic hand claps. They repeated the chant after he was interviewed over the house P.A. system as part of his post-game curtain call. San Jose has a new hero.

Of course, that meant we couldn’t miss Three Guys on the Radio over Ottawa’s Team 1200 to hear their reaction, especially after they had bad-mouthed Heatley for months, including this gem. During the 8 o’clock hour, all co-host Steve Warne could muster was an unenthusiastic “My hopes for a 35-point season for Heatley isn’t happening.”

Thirty-five points? Not likely. Playing with Joe Thornton (who got four assists on the night) and Devin Setoguchi (who tallied an early third-period goal, which chased leaky Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason, and an assist on Heatley’s first goal), Heatley adds a proven sniper to the Sharks’ first unit, something they lost as Jonathan Cheechoo’s game declined in the past few seasons.

“They’re a very dangerous line. I thought they got better as the night went on and I think that’s a sign they’re starting to click,” Sharks Coach Todd McLellan said (quoted by David Pollak in The Mercury-News). “The goals, the assists — that’s all nice. The fact that they played fast and in the right areas of the rink is what impressed me the most.”

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/the-morning-skate-san-jose-loves-heatley-and-some-weird-goaltending/

---

...and the Times even mentioned TGOR.

by **SpezDispenser** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:22 pm

He had a beautiful night - good for him. I try not to concern myself with that little man, but I know he's a good player. Here's hoping Michalek and Cheechoo find twine tonight as well!!! Nod

by **SensFan71** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:10 pm

Heatley can do what he wants in the regular season, but SJ won't win the trade unless Heatley somehow makes a difference for them in the playoffs, and well, if he stays true to his Ottawa form, when the games count more and he starts to get physically pressured, he will go back to floating.

by **SpezDispenser** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:19 pm

SensFan71 wrote:Heatley can do what he wants in the regular season, but SJ won't win the trade unless Heatley somehow makes a difference for them in the playoffs, and well, if he stays true to his Ottawa form, when the games count more and he starts to get physically pressured, he will go back to floating.

Correct, which is why I don't really care one way or another what he's doing now.

by N4L on Sat Nov 28, 2009 1:16 am

Luckiest team in The NHL. If shootouts were part of the playoffs, they actually might have a chance.