Sharks' superstar Joe Thornton rarely shows this kind of passion in his play
The only title the San Jose Sharks have won is perennial playoff flop.
For the fourth straight season, the Sharks did not meet expectations and have bowed out of the post-season far too early.
After posting a franchise-best 117 points (53-18-11 record) in the regular season, the Sharks failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs, a round that has been their stumbling block in recent years.
Albeit, the Sharks ran into a strong, better-than-average 8th-seeded Anaheim Ducks club and a hot goalie in Anaheim netminder Jonas Hiller, to boot. But such an upset is unacceptable. And with that comes change.
Coaching Change
Ron Wilson, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is smiling. Wilson, of course, is the former bench boss of the Sharks and long-time scapegoat of the Sharks’ playoff ineptitude.
But, off-season addition Todd McLellan didn’t do much, if at all, better with this group. In their six playoff games, the Sharks lacked intensity and, while some of that can be attributed to the Sharks’ lagging character, the responsibility falls on the coach.
The Sharks played as if they deserved to win, simply because they won the regular season. If the team was skating with any sense of urgency, it wasn’t evident.
Funny to think the Sharks interviewed John Tortorella, the recently suspended head coach of the New York Rangers, but hired McLellan. The leadership and fiery demeanor of Tortorella, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, is what the Sharks needed, that kick-you-in-the-pants attitude.
Following the post-season, there will be many coaches available. The Sharks would be wise to recycle McLellan for something better.
Playoff Veterans
It’s sad to see another year go by and the personable Jeremy Roenick still without a Stanley Cup ring. Roenick, 39, a ghost of his form self, is a free agent this summer and it’s unlikely he will return next season. Whether or not Roenick rides off into retirement, the Sharks still need an infusion of veterans who know what it takes to win.
Not including Claude Lemieux — and what a ridiculous signing that was — defenseman Rob Blake is the Sharks’ only better-than-marginal player with a Stanley Cup championship to his name. Speculation is John Ferguson, former GM of the Maple Leafs and now a pro scout with the Sharks, had a significant role in signing Lemieux (one point in 19 games). He’ll want to leave that one off his resumé as he is a candidate for the GM post with the Minnesota Wild.
Before Lemeux arrived, the Sharks record was 33-6-5, falling to 9-6-4 in games he played in, quite possibly the turning point in their season. Mark Recchi, dealt at the deadline by the Lightning to the Boston Bruins, the NHL’s other top-seeded club, has twice won the Stanley Cup. He would have been a much more valuable addition to the Sharks.
Powerplay Quarterback
Defenseman Dan Boyle was the only blueliner aware that the playoffs began two weeks ago. Still, the Sharks have a solid defensive core that includes Christian Ehrhoff and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Blake, 39, is a pending free agent. Nonetheless, his signing didn’t make much sense in the first place. A tandem of Boyle-Blake gave the Sharks one of best blueline pairings in the league, but what the Sharks really needed is a powerplay quarterback. Brian Campbell, who the Sharks added in 2008, played that role but left to join the Chicago Blackhawks.
Boyle and Blake are too similar, both with heavy shots from the point. The Sharks needed someone to move the puck. Depending on salary cap space, GM Doug Wilson could chase soon-to-be free agent Jay Bouwmeester this summer.
Trade Thornton
If the Sharks really want to get serious and shake things up, how about a change to their top-six forwards? Captain Patrick Marleau proved his worth (71 points) after an abysmal season last year, but where does that leave Joe Thornton?
Thornton’s playoff performance, or lack thereof, will be unattractive to potential suitors, but he is still among the league’s elite. It’s time to move on. With only two years remaining on his contract ($7.2 million a season), Thornton is an easy sell and easily managable under the cap.
Let’s make a deal: Joe Thornton to the Lightning for Vincent Lecavalier. The Lightning are, once again, in an ownership mess and would surely like to dump Lecavalier’s contract, which doesn’t expire until 2020. Lecavalier, a similar talent to Thornton, is almost a year younger, plays with drive and has won the Stanley Cup.
With the Lightning looking for cap relief, and having Steven Stamkos in their back pocket, and the Sharks in need of playoff heart, how does this deal not make sense for both sides?
At forward, the Sharks saw improvement from Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. But, last year’s playoff performer Ryane Clowe couldn’t translate that success to this spring, while Jonathan Cheechoo’s goal production has all but died, falling from 56 goals in 2005-06 to just 12 markers this past season.
Change Needed
Little blame can be put on goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, but he looked average in the playoffs. The Sharks would have benefited greatly had he stolen a game or two.
And while we’re in the spirit of change, time to rethink those ugly Shark uniforms as well.
