Professor Hockey, Grier's main focus should be getting another year or two of high draft picks since this team is very young. Hitting in the next few drafts could take the Sharks to new levels.
any thoughts on whether or not the team will actually buy out Vlasic? I suppose that would drop us even further below the cap floor. but it might open up a chance for Knyzhov or someone else. (I'm a total sucker for the guy. I can't help it.)
I like Knyzhov too, but it doesn’t make any financial sense to buy out Vlasic at this point, they will just ride it out. I am hopeful that Vlasic will not be prioritized for a spot in the lineup this year.
I’m also a fan of Knyzhov, but at this point I kind of hope the Sharks trade him. I just don’t see how he cracks this roster and I want him to have a shot for an NHL spot somewhere. Also more joking Celebrini needs to get his number somehow
@professorhockey i don't think you've undervalued anyone per se. I think I have PTSD from Dougie fresh giving out more money than I will ever make to a traffic cone 😅
Do you think any one of the potential picks we may make at 14th could break the roster in your Mock Roster? Options would most likely be: Jiricek, Sennecke, Stolberg, or Brandsegg-Nygard
Hey Professor, This next month is likely to forecast what next season will look like for us. If your assessment is relatively accurate I completely agree that we will only likely be incrementally better. Possibly 3 or 4th worst in the league instead of rock bottom. If we finish last again for whatever reason I am not sure Mike Grier will be able to survive such a catastrophic season again though personally I think he is doing what needs to be done despite the barbarian fans clamoring for heads at our gates! hahaha It is really interesting that in just Grier's 3rd year when you break down our assets like you have done here we really are already a bit impacted at forward and defense and finding space for prospective free agents to improve and bolster our line up is challenging already. It makes for some tough decision making. I am also a fan of Ty Emberson and would hope that we can find a place for him. He looks like a solid NHL defensemen if he can stay healthy. Maybe we can sign him to a 2 way deal in the hope of rehabilitating his injuries slowly and using the Barracuda as a place for him to rehab from his injuries until he is ready for regular NHL duty? If it takes a whole year of surgeries and rehab to get his body right or even longer I would be very pleased to see the Sharks do this because I think he could be a very good player for us if his injuries can be sorted out? I didn't think about Dimello but, that would be a big lift if we could pry him out to return to San Jose. I did think about Brendon Dylon and I think he would be a very good fit for us if he is willing. If we need to overpay and add a year to his contract I think we would be wise to do that because we lack guys with his strength, size and tenacity in front of our net. I think Ekman Larson would be an awesome pick up if it could happen? I don't know how much hockey he has left in the tank as he has been in the league for some time but, I think he is a very under appreciated D-man in the NHL and could really bolster our corps. I think Larson is a poor man's version of Lidstrom because they both do everything pretty well just Larson to a much lesser degree than Lidstrom who was one of the best D-men of his generation and a first ballot HoFer. I too have always liked Kluterbuck plus he has one of the best hockey names. I always hated playing against him because he is very good at what he does. I also think he fits a Grier type of player perfectly and I agree completely with your reasoning in all aspects. I think your right about us having trouble enticing any quality NHL players to come to San Jose given where we are but, if the player in question already has a ring perhaps we could entice them with over pay and a multi year deal. Grier has stated last season that at most he would consider a 4 year deal because of where we are in our rebuild which to my mind makes perfect sense. I think given the status of the team and his hold on his job if he wants at least another year after next he may be forced to pay even more than you suggested which I think was reasonable in a different circumstance. I think if we want a Dylan Dimello we might have to pony up even more than you suggested which we can afford and for the sake of his job I think (how ever unreasonable the calls for his head are) it is not only necessary to entice the type of quality player we need but, worth it. The one thing you didn't mention much is I would prefer to have a 4th liner who is a decent player but, can protect our prize young players. I am not advocating for fighting but, I will not tolerate another Dustin Brown incident and will be absolutely livid if such attacks are initiated against our young stars. They don't necessarily need to play every night but, I like the prospect of having such a force available for if and when Coach Warsofsky deems it necessary. I get very angry when I see other teams who play a more physical brand with players like Brian Reeves and Pat Maroon come to town and we have no viable deterrent. Brendan Dylan was a decent option when he was young and while he is still capable enough I don't like putting a veteran player of his age in that role plus I am not really a fan of using a defensemen in this role as there are only 6 of them. Thanks Professor for an interesting look at some potential signings for us. I would suggest that this is THE critical phase going into next season and we desperately need quality, veteran NHLers to bolster this team and we have very few of those right now. I think the Nico Sturms and Mikhael Granlunds of our team would appreciate the help. I say sign every player you highlighted! hahaha What are the odds of that happening? Can you imagine if Grier was able to sign all 4 players you mentioned? If those guys can stay healthy, and we suffer no other serious long term injuries to our other players we could reasonably expect to finish somewhere between 5-8th worst in the league and that would pacify all the season ticket holders and all but, the most strident and unreasonable of the barbarian fans. We can dream right now can't we? hahaha Pete Clovis, CA
@@professorhockey I agree it would be a very long shot to get all 4 but, there is also the prospect of contract dumps that some teams are going to be forced to make so I actually hope we can sing 4 solid NHLers beyond what we have acquired so far. If we aren't able to do that I am not sure how much help our youngsters are going to be able to provide?
What I would do if I were the Sharks is taking a swing in a "dump contract" with Pageau from the Islanders to add additional security in case of worries with Couture. You could easily play him at the spot of Couture on your board, or make Celebrini play on the 2nd line and Pageau on the 3rd line down the line and this would make the team more stable. If Couture is healthy, you can make him play on wing on the 2nd line and bump everyone down one line and it would be fine I'd also realistically make everything to get someone else than Ferraro on the 1st line, I think Ferraro playing too much make him look not as good as he should and it's definitely not optimal. Maybe a top pairing of Demelo and Walker, Carrier or taking a bad contract with a trade. This would be top tier for me, and hopefully get something closer to 65 points, maybe 70 if I'm a little bit optimistic (which is still bottom 5)
@@professorhockeyAh yea, I still think (or hope) a trade with the Rangers is bound to happen at some point and compensate the Sharks down the line, at least that's the rumor even Friedman believes. And for Pageau, it seems the price could be Vancouver #2 draft pick of this year, which could be excellent so we can draft one of the top goalie with that pick. Considering there are no elite goalie these years but some compared to the level of Cam Talbot, I think it could be very worth it to take, otherwise we have to reach a little bit with pick #42 or risk not getting the better one with the #3 of Tampa Bay. That's my best case scenario for sure haha
