This Sharks team knows exactly how to under-achieve. After finishing first overall in the league, and guaranteed home ice throughout the playoffs, the Sharks bowed out in the first round of the playoffs to eighth seeded Anaheim. That was a crushing blow to this franchise, because last season was the perfect time to make a legitimate run to the Cup. The Sharks were an over-rated team and it showed. This team has another good roster this season, but finishing first may not happen this season. Another division title should happen, which is a top three finish in the west guarantee.
A few problems that struck this team were indecisiveness, clutch scoring, good defense and their go to players under-performed during the playoffs. In the season it was a whole different story. The Sharks looked unbeatable each and every single night.
This season the Sharks core of two players, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, has been expanded to three with the trade for Dany Heatley. If the Marleau trade rumors and him not being happy settle down or vanish, the Sharks will have two explosive lines. Their number one line is already dangerous with Thornton and Heatley on the same line.
Both Thornton and Heatley had off years going by their standards. If it were any other player, their last season’s stats would’ve been excellent. The 86 points Thornton put up were good but not Thornton good. Joe can average at least 90 points. As for Heatley, he is a fifty goal threat each season, but last year in Ottawa he only scored 39 goals, which is damn good, but he could do much better. If Thornton and Heatley get back on track, the Sharks will be a force in the west.
As for Marleau, he got back on track with a 38 goal and 71 point season. He should continue to put up another 70+ point season this year, and if he can the Sharks will have two dominant lines then.
Rounding out the offensive corps for the Sharks is Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi. Last season Clowe had a breakout year with 22 goals and 52 points. If he can match that, playing alongside Marleau, those two should have a great season together. Setoguchi also had a breakout season in his sophomore year, and scored 31 goals along with 34 assists. That’s what happens when you play with Joe Thornton. If Setoguchi can somehow manage to score forty goals, and Heatley hits 45+, the Sharks will have the best line in the West. No one will be able to match the talent there.
Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski have developed nicely with the Sharks over the past few years, and have made the Sharks only one of a handful of teams that has three solid scoring lines. Injuries hurt Mitchell’s progression last season, but this season he will be one of the better third line players in the game. Pavelski has turned into a nice surprise, and you never know what type of player you are getting when drafting in the later rounds. For the Sharks they got a real good player that scored 25 goals last season, and has seen his goal and point totals rise since his rookie season in 2007.
The Sharks have some good veteran players to fill out a fourth line, to compliment the good well balanced attack on the first three.
Defensively the Sharks have one of the best defensemen in the game in Dan Boyle. He was a stud on defense and was a real good point producer from the back end with 57 points. He along with Rob Blake was a real good shut down pair, and also led rushes out of the zone. For Blake he will be forty years old, but can still play at a high level and his 15 and 45 points are proof enough. Overall, the Sharks have a real good veteran defense led by the two players mentioned. Following up are Douglas Murray and Kent Huskins.
Murray is more of a stay at home defensemen and really thrived in that role, which won him a lot of playing time the past two seasons. As for Huskins, he is a proven winner and has won the Stanley Cup, and this was a real good signing by the Sharks. One of the younger defensemen the Sharks have is Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and he has fit in nice with this team. In the past three seasons Vlasic has played a full 82 game schedule each time, and doubled his point total, from the other two seasons combined.
With a good defense, goaltender Evgeni Nabakov should have another 35+ win season. In the past two seasons, Nabakov has won a combined 87 games, and 41 of them came last season. Along with those victories, a .910 save percentage was posted and a 2.44 GAA.
OVERALL--> THE SHARKS SHOULD HAVE ANOTHER GOOD SEASON WITH A RE-TOOLED OFFENSE, AND A VETERAN DEFENSE THAT CAN PLAY AT A HIGH LEVEL. STARTING GOALTENDING IS VERY SOLID.
POSITIVE--> THE OFFENSIVE UNIT IS EXCELLENT, LED BY JOE THORNTON, PATRICK MARLEAU AND DANY HEATLEY. AGAIN, THE DEFENSE IS GOOD TO GO.
NEGATIVE--> THE FINAL DEFENSIVE SPOT HASN’T BEEN FILLED YET, WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM. THE SHARKS NEED THE PERFECT PLAYER TO FIT INTO AN ALREADY STEADY DEFENSE. LET’S JUST SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THIS TEAM COME PLAYOFF TEAM: WILL THEY CHOKE AS USUAL, OR ACTUALLY WIN.
X-FACTOR--> JOE THORNTON IS THE OFFENSIVE LEADER ON THIS TEAM, AND IF HE PLAYS WELL THE SHARKS WILL THRIVE.
SLEEPER PICK--> TORREY MITCHELL SHOULD SCORE CLOSE TO 35-40 POINTS THIS SEASON IF HE PLAYS A FULL 82 GAME SEASON.
PREDICTION--> THE SAN JOSE SHARKS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, WIN 45+ GAMES AND WIN THE PACIFIC DIVISION.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment