SAN JOSE, Ca -Now that the dust has settled and my emotions of San Jose’s playoff exit are under control I can reflect and write the Sharks season recap with a level head.
It has been no secret that this organization has high expectations from themselves and the fan base. This is a team that has been picked to contend for the Cup in past years and come up short. This season was no different. From the fans point of view anything less than a trip to the finals is considered a failure but from General Manager Doug Wilson’s point of view “This year was a success and it is only a failure if we don’t build on it.” The fans have the luxury of judging teams by each individual season but a GM must always keep the big picture in the forefront and that means just what Doug Wilson said about the past year becoming a failure if they don’t build on it.
The 2009/10 campaign was a success because the team improved, not numbers wise during the regular season but the Sharks were a better playoff ready team and that showed by making it to the conference finals. They traded in their white collars and became a blue collar team bringing their lunch pales to work everyday and winning the one goal games.
The positives are numerous. To highlight them all would take hours. Keeping the big picture in mind, this team going forward has plenty to build upon.
First off the summer acquisitions came in and did what they were supposed to do. Guys like Scott Nichol and Manny Malhotra added grit and improved the team in the face off circle.
Dany Heatley improved the scoring depth of the squad.
Jason Demers was to and from the farm regularly but added to the offense from the defense position.
Rob Blake was awarded the “C” and showed great leadership as the team’s captain.
With the weight of no longer wearing the “C” Patrick Marleau recorded his highest goal output ever and until the end of the season contended for the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in a single season.
Thomas Greiss proved to be a reliable back up goalie which is a step to becoming a starter in the NHL.
Joe Pavelski came into his own as a leader and proved that he can score big goals in big games.
Joe Thornton took major steps as a playoff performer improving his worth and finally found the next level in his game. Albeit with the help of Pavelski’s spring time success but that’s what teammates are for.
Enough blowing smoke let’s get down to what everyone wants to read about, the future. The biggest questions right now surface around the free agents, and what this team needs to do to take the next step.
Free agents of note are at the top of the list with Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabakov.
Marleau has only known one NHL city and that is San Jose. He married a local girl and it is no secret he would like to stay. There is even talk of a home town discount from the Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). The question remains what is best for the Sharks and what is best for Marleau. Patty is a crowd favorite and this city has seen him grow up but if the Sharks didn’t make it past Detroit and the second round everybody would be saying he has to go. Most of his post season production came in the conference finals against Chicago. He was nowhere to be found versus Colorado and found his scoring touch against Detroit late in that series. What every team needs is someone who can step up and be a standout player out of the gate in the playoffs. If it weren’t for Pavelski’s line who carried the Sharks through the first round and into the second the Sharks would be answering the same questions they did last year after they were upset by the 8th place Anaheim Ducks in the first round. Marleau is a great player but a change of scenery may be the best thing for both parties involved.
Evgeni Nabakov is another long time Shark who may have run his course in teal. His post season numbers were good but not good enough. He is the one who said it best, good isn’t enough when it comes to the playoffs. Nabby as the home town fans call him will be 35 years young by the start of next season and is an UFA this summer. He is a good solid goaltender but like the rest of this team has had a difficult time finding the next level in the playoffs. The only reason you may find him back with San Jose next year is because the goalie options this off season are slim.
Rob Blake was written off by many halfway through the 2009/10 season but after missing a few games down the stretch with injury and getting some rest, he came back and had a promising playoff. Blake is also an UFA and made 3.5 million last year. He is the captain of this hockey team and showed great leadership when they needed it. Blake’s services would benefit this team next year but at a discounted rate and at a lesser role. He has said that his mind is pretty much made up on whether he will play next year but he has kept us guessing on whether he will return to the frozen pond.
Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi should be two of the team’s top priorities and they are both Restricted Free Agents (RFA). Both players made an impact this spring and both are under the age of 26. Pavelski’s growth as a player and a leader have been well documented and Setoguchi’s numbers may have dropped but he spent some time on the injured reserve list and last year when he set career highs he played alongside Joe Thornton on the top line. In his case a step back will certainly result in a few steps forward. These guys were line mates for most of the year and found great chemistry in the playoffs. Along with Ryan Clowe who is signed until the end of the 2013 season they make up one of the leagues most formidable second lines.
Scoring has not been an issue for San Jose and with a strong farm system and Logan Couture proving he can produce at the top level the team’s main focus should be on the point. After going down to Chicago the way they did it is evident that they need more size and nasty on the point. What I mean by this is they need some attitude. The Blackhawks are young and talented and will be competing for the Cup for years to come barring major injury. The Sharks need some size to compete in front of their net particularly against Dustin Byfulien. I know it sounds ludicrous to go and get a player to defend one man but that was a major difference in the Western Conference finals. Besides Douglas Murray who stands at 6’3 and 240 pounds there is not enough size and attitude on the point for San Jose. Andy Sutton is an UFA and stands at 6’6 and weighs in at 245. He is mean and likes to hit. He could be a 5th or 6th defense man for the Sharks and at 34 years of age it shouldn’t break the bank to get him. He keeps the front of the net clear and in the playoffs so many goals are garbage goals created by rebounds in front of the net. His downside is that he will not be the fastest guy on the rink.
After four games in the Cup finals the big man in Chicago has not been a factor and you can credit that to 6’5 Chris Pronger. There aren’t many players out there who clear the front of the net the way these big men do and Philadelphia won’t be letting go Pronger any time soon.
The situation in San Jose is unlike other cities. They have had the talent to compete for hockey’s ultimate prize for a few years now but have not been able to get over the hump so they need to do something drastic and shake things up. It may be the goaltending it may be Marleau and in my mind parting ways with both players wouldn’t be a bad thing. That kind of shake up usually makes everyone else on the team realize that they are not untouchable and forces a team to re-focus. Another thing to consider is the salary cap, can this team afford to re-sign Marleau, Setoguchi, Pavelski and a top tier goalie along with another defenseman, not likely meaning someone has to go.
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Contact Cam.Gore@prohockeynews.com
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