San Jose Sharks

[kluu]

imagine Couture becoming a 40-40 player for us =) 5-6m a yr incoming

[kluu]

What do you think our powerplay units will look like?

id like to see

couture - thornton - marleau
boyle pavs

but i dunno who would center the 2nd

havlat pavs/couture? clowe
boyle demers

dbl shifting on pp is okay right?
i know boyle does for sure

and itd be great if one of mcginn/ferriero/sheppard or any of the other guys step up big. happens every yr for us.

couture/clowe/pavs/seto/michalek?

[bballplyr321]

What do you think our powerplay units will look like?

I can easily see it like this
PP1 - Thornton-Marleau-Havlet/Clowe/Pavelski - Boyle-Burns and the points
No brainer that Thornton and Marleau will be top PP. Not sure how Havelt will work himself into the rotation because I haven't seen him play too much. But he brings a ton of speed. The downfall of this top line with Havlet is that there is no one that is going to get in front of the net and cause havoc for the Goalie. Pavelski excels at this and Clowe is quite good as well which is why I could see them on the top PP just to give Thornton something in front of the net to throw the puck at. As for the Boyle Burns combo, I think it could work out pretty nicely in the end to have those two up top dropping bombs or rushing in. It would certainly keep the other team honest because they will never know who is going to jump or from where.

PP2 - Couture-and any two of Clowe/Havlet/Pavelski - Demers-Vlassic/Braun

Couture works extremely well with Clowe so this seems pretty likely to me and with his (coutures) soft hands around the net, he is extremely versatile. Havlet would be a perfect fit on this line because of his speed and playmaking ability. So my best guess is that Pavelski will occupy that top PP slot and the PP2 line will be Couture (finisher)-Clowe (trouble in front of the net) - Havlet (playmaker). Similar to the top line of Marleau (finisher), Pavelski (trouble in front of the net) and Thornton (playmaker). The PP QBs here are Demers (for obvious reasons) and Vlassic or Burns when he is in the lineup. I think that Vlassic is going to take a step up this season. I really see it with him playing alongside Burns. He will get his confidence back and we will remember how much we loved Pickles. But I can also see Braun in there on days that he plays (I can see the Sharks going with 7 d a lot this season to be honest so he will be in the rotation). Braun has that knack for being able to get the puck through traffic and on net with amazing consistency.

So there is my two cents. Wrapping up

PP1 - Thornton-Marleau-Pavelski - Boyle-Burns
PP2 - Couture-Havlet-Clowe - Demers-Vlassic

Of course, that will change 4096730560 times during the season so I am sure I will be right at some point in time.

[loco man]

HELP!!!

I have been offered James Neal for Boyle, and feel like I might puke (especially after reading your take on Boyle-Burns).

Im going for it, and D are soooo hard to come by, BUT, how do I pass up a 23 yr old sniper playing with either Malkin or Crosby?

I know this should be on the trade screen, but I thought I'd sneak it in here to get the SJ angle.

REALLY temped to add a young stud fwd (keeper league), but also trying to win it this year and losing Boyle would hurt a lot.

Appreciate your take

[tgraveline]

So there is my two cents. Wrapping up

PP1 - Thornton-Marleau-Pavelski - Boyle-Burns
PP2 - Couture-Havlet-Clowe - Demers-Vlassic

As said by bballplyr

I think this sounds about right. I see the forward pairings being these also when playing even strength. It's just the d units that won't stay the same.

It is also possible that a guy like Handzus gets some 2nd pp time as he's great on faceoffs.

I'm liking the team as it stands right now, but I really do feel that we need another forward to bolster the offense. I don't mind the 3rd unit being Handzus/McGinn/Mitchell like a lot of people are projecting, but I feel like we could use someone else who is still available like Wellwood.

[kluu]

I'm liking the team as it stands right now, but I really do feel that we need another forward to bolster the offense. I don't mind the 3rd unit being Handzus/McGinn/Mitchell like a lot of people are projecting, but I feel like we could use someone else who is still available like Wellwood.

I really wanna see Handzus/McGinn/Ferriero

Not a big fan of Mitchell

[tgraveline]

Mitchell has his moments where his speed really shows. This isn't the case as much anymore. I remember two playoffs ago or so he was the only one with a tank of gas and was flying in the playoffs, just couldn't bury the puck. He's like a quicker version of Mike Grier. Quick and got to where he needed to be, but rarely finished well.

[kluu]

You know how theres been alot of talk after the blockbuster moves of adding a solid 3rd liner? I think DW is going to hold onto the money and wait till trade deadline to see how the first half of the season goes then make some BIG moves. Something like Boston last year?

[bballplyr321]

You know how theres been alot of talk after the blockbuster moves of adding a solid 3rd liner? I think DW is going to hold onto the money and wait till trade deadline to see how the first half of the season goes then make some BIG moves. Something like Boston last year?

Kluu,

I think you are right on. This is the team that the Sharks are going into the season with. They have a very solid in the top 6, they have a very good pk with the addition of Hanzus and their D, well as I have said before, makes me drool with anticipation. They still have a lot of youth and somewhere in there, I think the Sharks are hoping to find some lightning in a bottle. Remember, Ferriero did hold his own for stretches last season when he played in the top 6. McGinn is a gritty player whom the Sharks have expected big things from and he has really yet to put it all together on a consistent basis. Could this be the year that he steps up and really makes it happen?

As for Mitchell, I love his speed and he is FINALLY getting the speed back that he had before he shattered his leg in training camp two years ago. But honestly, Mitchell is basically Scott Nicol with a little better hands. He is going to be that quick guy that is not afraid to get dirty in the corners. He will chip in a few more goals but by no means is he going to be a superstar scoring forward. Mitchell can spot start in the top 6 as he did last year with Thornton (and I will add that he really made Thornton pick up his game and speed things up a little when they did play together) but he will primarily be an energy line guy.

Lastly, the Neal vs Boyle conversation. Without a doubt, I would want Boyle on my team for this year and next year. Beyond that, I could be swayed to go with Neal. I was just completely underwhelmed with Neal in Pitt last year and I realize that it was without Crosby and it was without Malkin but he looked like he just rolled over up there and was never really a threat on the ice. I think that he has a lot of potential but that is what it is. Potential. So while Boyle is putting numbers up on the board due to his reduced defensive role and greater opportunities in the offensive zone, Neal will potentially be skating with Crosby or Malkin or even Staal again. 2 years from now, when Boyles deal is up and he is 36 years old, he might start slowing down but I think that he is fixing to have one of his best seasons ever.

[bballplyr321]

Kyle Wellwood has signed a 700k one year deal with the Winnipeg Jets. Good for him. I have to be honest, I am pretty excited about this one. There had been talk for a while that he was going to come to Sharks camp for a tryout. That would have meant that he had a chance to make the team. I realize that Wellwood did come in and help the Sharks out last season but I honestly felt like what he gave us was all he had. But as the playoffs wore on, I felt like all he ever did was skate around with the puck on his stick until someone either misplayed the puck and let him through or he was bumped off the puck. But he had a real tough time shooting. Sounds a lot like some other center on our team. The difference is that Thornton has a bigger build and a much better hockey skill-set. Thornton may be near the league lead in giveaways every year but he also makes some incredibly amazing passes. Wellwood did not have that ability. Also, Thornton is much bigger. Wellwood will always be small. He may be small on some junior teams. And in the NHL where guys are big and hit hard, it just does not work out. Puck daddy had an excellent article on this today. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puc...rn=nhl-wp12204

But overall, I wish Wellwood the absolute best of luck. He was a good guy and he gave it his all something you really can never see enough of.................DANY HEATLEY

[tgraveline]

Yeah, I think Wellwood was a good pickup for the Jets. I think they're going to have a poor re-inaugural season in the 'Peg. I do hope to see the Sharks make some depth moves. One thing I'm really thinking the Sharks need to do is trade up for a higher draft pick. We've been low on picks and with the loss of Coyle in that trade so we need to build up our prospects, especially with the loss we just took in the Lokomotiv plane crash (very sad) I honestly do not have an idea of what we would trade for a draft pick, but I wouldn't mind trading with a team like the Jets, Ottawa, Islanders or any of the other bottom feeder teams in hopes of getting a high first round pick.

[kluu]

So I have a little story to tell. I'll keep it short

This guy I was talking to, he says his mom has connections with DW's wife. The mom has said Seto was dating Lacey, the daughter of DW. They say its the reason(or a big part) for the trade.

Ehh I dont know... I guess it could have be legit..

Lacey is pretty hot though

[tgraveline]

ha ha ha! Guys like that don't mix business and family. That sounds like women gossip. Would be a great story if it was the case. I mean shoot, wouldn't Seto have said something about it?

[dyzfunctioned]

From Bob McKenzie:

Interesting SJS tidbit: with Handzus moving into No. 3 centre spot, Pavelski may play RW with Jumbo Joe and Marleau on top line.

Music to my ears!

[tgraveline]

yeah Dyz, old news lol. Sharks fans have been guessing Pavs goes to top line while Havlat replaces Heatley on second with Couture and Clowe. I think it could be pretty sweet top 6.