SB Nation - Torrey Mitchell

Sharks Gameday: Getting Back On Track

Mr. Plank — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0000

	@ 6:30 PST
16-6-4, 36 points		10-12-3, 23 points
1st in Western Conference		12th in Western Conference

Television	CSN-CA
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	The Copper & BlueLowetide

During the course of an 82 game NHL season, nights like Wednesday are as inevitable as your uncle drinking too much wine at Thanksgiving dinner and divulging a handful of family secrets. The helplessness you feel as seventh grade episodes of bed-wetting are served with pumpkin pie become almost too much to bear, and yet you realize that this group holds a special place within an essential compartment of your heart. You pick up and soldier on.

Tonight, that is what we must do.

I speak with "we" today, because the San Jose Sharks are comprised of professional athletes who know what they must do. Go into Edmonton and get a W. Nothing has changed for them from a hockey standpoint. As much as we want to think that they have spent the last forty eight hours consumed by this loss, that is not the case. Sure they may have an extra jump in their step at 6:30 tonight, come out and lay the body on early in order to make sure they’re engaged physically—but by the time the puck drops, Chicago is behind them. It flat out doesn’t matter. A loss is a loss no matter which way you cut it, and as long as the effort is there tonight and Sunday, it can be discarded along with every other game this season that has resulted in zero points. The scoreboard is just a representation of the effort that was expelled, and to say that tonight is a "must-win" ignores everything that has occurred during the course of this season. The only demons that have to be dealt with are the demons of our own.

That being said, boy was that effort ugly. As I noted on Twitter during the course of the bloodbath, it reminded me of the 6-0 drubbing last season to the Detroit Red Wings-- the anticipation of a big game between two of the best teams in the West, the hype surrounding the tilt... and then a loss so brilliantly grandiose you have no choice but to consider a career path as a violent criminal. Oh, and the subsequent bridge jumping afterwards. Can't forgo some good ol' bridge jumping.

Women and children first!

Any time you give up a shorthanded goal it is never a good sign, but three in a row is flat out atrocious. You can point to numerous plays throughout the course of the evening that symbolize wading through that 7 goal deficit river of shit such as Huskins' (lack of competent) decision making on the second goal, or the fact that Byfuglien was left unchecked in front of Nabokov during the fourth, but the hope is at the end of this week they can come out of it like Andy Dufresne.

A sadistically beautiful moment came midway through the third period. With the game clearly in the bag, Kate Longworth pops on the Jumbotron and extends an invitation to the (then) 6,000 in attendance to watch the "highlights" on CSN Bay Area after the game. The boos that cascaded down from the rafters trumped anything HP Pavilion has ever thrown at Chris Pronger.

I laughed. It was hilarious. Wrap that ten second moment in some drab paper, put a wilted bow on it, and send it to anyone who had the foresight to miss that game. It's all they need to see.

I also laughed when reading about the buildup surrounding Dany Heatley’s trip to Edmonton. This offseason was a trying time for all involved, and the fans in Edmonton have every right in the world to boo him unmercifully tonight. Ottawa too—the fact that he requested a trade and then denied an offer is, no matter if it was within his contractual rights, a visible stain on the mark of a player who had done this once before. But at some point we have to let it go. Move on. Dany Heatley is not washing his duds at Coin Laundry, nor is he grabbing post game refreshments at The Empress. Instead he's eating dinner at Santana Row before heading across the street to pick up some Christmas gifts for his family. That unfortunate situation is nowhere close to being bigger than the two points on the line tonight.

No amount of finger pointing and sore feelings are going to change that. Drop the self pity and pick up your stick.

In other news, Torrey Mitchell returns for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall-- safe money says he gets slotted on to the fourth line and sees about seven minutes of ice time. Be sure to check out our previous coverage of the ongoing saga for what we can logically expect out of him tonight, as well as the rest of this season. Also, keep an eye on Boyle-- he didn't look very good against Chicago, and while that may have a lot to do with the general play of the entire roster, the fact that he's playing injured may have a bit to do with it as well. Another below average outing from him where he doesn't look comfortable means you're going to be hearing this humble author calling for him to sit and get healthy. Just like the Pavelski situation from earlier this year, there's no need to rush him back right now.

Prediction: Sharks win 3-1. Goals by Judas, Brutus, and Odysseus. Tears fill Rexall Place to the brim.

Go Sharks.

Sharks Gameday: Great Expectations

FTF Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:29 -0000

	@ 5:00 PM PST
14-4-4, 32 points		9-8-1, 19 points
1st in Western Conference		11th in Western Conference

Television	Joke.
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	On The Forecheck

[Editor's Note]: With Torrey Mitchell rumors abound (no, we're serious this time), Fear the Fin brought in some experts for a back and forth on the issue. We call it a back and forth because we've had like seventeen Q & A's already this month. Frankly, it's getting a little ridiculous.

As David Pollak noted, Mitchell is in the midst of a two-week conditioning assignment in Worcester. He may not play tonight, and we may have jumped the gun a bit, but a quick conversation with our girlfriends will prove that is to be expected.

Our guests are two men who need no introductions. However, at the risk of ending up in a dumpster behind 7-11, we've decided to give them one anyways. Take it away boys.

Steve Austin: First, I was an astronaut. So I'm already better than you. Then, after crashing my lifting body craft, the U.S. broke the bank to make me even more bad ass than you. Better, faster, stronger. Yeah. That's me. In Spanish, I'm "El Hombre Nuclear"... eat it. I'm the authority on successful comebacks after long injury layoffs. And I'm better than you.

Han Solo: What's up FTF Staff? Remember how you had that whole funny little one-liner about jumping the gun? Too bad I can make her hit lightspeed faster than you can say "womp rat." The Kessel Run isn't the only thing I've done in twelve parsecs, and A New Hope was the only time I ever shot first. Take that one to the bank.

FTF Staff: .....

Han Solo: Er, yeah. I was also frozen in carbonite, so I know a bit about this whole coming back after a long layoff thing. That's what we're here for right?

Steve Austin: Correct you are Mr. Solo. So what's the big deal about this Mitchell guy anyways?

FTF Staff: Torrey has been out since the 2008 preseason, and there has been an increasing amount of hype surrounding his return. Frequent Mitchell centric rosterbation is not uncommon here on FTF-- when a long layoff occurs, this is to be expected.

Torrey is fast. He's good on the penalty kill. He adds energy to a club on every shift. However, he's not a top six player right now and it's unlikely at the age 24 he becomes one in the near future on a team like San Jose. Hell, to even earn his roster spot he's going to have to fight for minutes, and it's unlikely that he's going to play center with two already skilled pivots (Malhotra, Nichol) on the bottom two lines. He only won 49.4% of draws he took in 2007-2008. All four (five if you count Couture) of the Sharks starting centermen this year are above a 54% success rate.

With the quality minutes already being contributed by Ortmeyer and McGinn on the wing, Mitchell will have to play well to stick on line three, and even four. Even though his contract should keep him on the team, Logan Couture has played admirably when called up and could pressure Mitchell for a roster spot all season.

Steve Austin: When they rebuilt me, they paid extra attention to my speed. They had that technology. Even when it looked like I was running in slow motion I can assure you I was doing no such thing. However, Mitchell didn't get my bad-ass bionic parts. Will he still be able to keep up with me?

FTF Staff: Much like you Mr. Austin, Torrey Mitchell suffered a severe leg injury that had the potential to ruin a career. Unlike you however, Mitchell has not had the benefit of accelerated story progression and instead has been out of NHL regular season commission since April 6th of 2008.

A large part of Mitchell's game is reliant on speed-- he's never had the best goal-scoring hands, nor has he ever been a standout assist man (10 G, 10 A in his only NHL season). The nagging tendinitis in his leg is cause for concern in this regard, because if you take away his skating ability you've essentially taken away the biggest asset in his game. It's unrealistic to expect for him to come in and be able to skate circles around opposing players the first month he returns. There are going to be some mental issues he will have to contend with as well. He's far from the biggest guy in the league (5'11, 190 pounds), and while he threw the body around admirably in the four postseason games he played against Anaheim last year, expecting that sort of unhinged physicality over the course of the next 60 games is probably unwise. When we say he's a bone-breaker, we're referencing Kurtis Foster more than we're referencing Douglas Murray.

These things are going to take time, and Sharks fans should give him that time. Maybe you could offer your expertise in the matter and help rebuild him. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Han Solo: You could say the Rebel Alliance was shorthanded, but I made that shit run like a Bantha with gastrointestinal issues. Torrey's no Solo, but can he be the Wedge Antilles of the PK unit?

FTF Staff: He's going to help here no doubt, but as we mentioned earlier, it's going to take him awhile to get into the swing of things. There's been a lot of roster turnover on the shorthanded unit since two years ago, as well as a new coach. Mitchell's last regular season game came under the piercing gaze of Ron Wilson. Let that sink in for a moment.

When Mitchell returned to the team against Anaheim last year, he logged zero minutes and zero seconds of shorthanded time. When Joe Pavelski returned from his injury, McLellan gradually brought him into the fold, with his first two games back logging 0:26 and 1:02 respectively-- this is also coming from a guy who has played a vast majority of his games in a Sharks uniform over the course of the last two years. It makes sense that McLellan will take even longer to get Mitchell in.

With newcomers like Scott Nichol, Manny Malhotra, and Jed Ortmeyer replacing his minutes, and guys like Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley chipping in, there's not a whole lot of room out there for him to contribute. Yes, he will allow McLellan to ease the burden off of the unit as a whole, and yes, he is going to eventually contribute here. Just don't expect it right away.

Han Solo: I led a guerilla operation of half bear midgets against an Imperial Armada upon my return. Can we expect this type of performance from Mitchell when he hits the ice?

FTF Staff: We're all excited that Mitchell is coming back. But remember, this is a guy who scored only 10 goals two years ago. While that's impressive for a 22 year old, he's missed more than a year with two separate, significant leg injuries.

Don't get us wrong, we're crossing our fingers in hopes that he continues his development and contributes to this team. But it's just as likely that he'll struggle out of the gate, hit a rough patch during the year, or suffer another injury. It's the nature of the game, and at this point in his career, you really don't know what to expect of him. So temper your expectations because he's not the second coming of Gretzky.

Or Steve Austin for that matter.

*****

Prediction: Sharks win 3-2. Goals by Boyle, Joslin, and Malhotra. Torrey Mitchell doesn't play and our girlfriends shake their head in embarrassment.

Go Sharks.

Islanders Gameday: How I Learned to Stop Feeling the Fin

Dominik — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:45:08 -0000

Well, let's try this again, at home, shall we? Last night was not an impressive statement about the state of things, but it was also a tough-to-evaluate evening when the goaltending never gave the Islanders a chance.

Remarkably, while the Sharks bring far more firepower than the Sabres, their start has been far less impressive than Buffalo's. So, you know: There's hope and all that. But not mammoth hope: Hold your shock, but the Isles' goal differential after five games (12-19) is worse than the Sharks' after seven (21-22). So it goes. Last year's meeting, incidentally, was a 42-save loss for Joey MacDonald.

San Jose Sharks (3-3-1, 5th/Pac) at New York Islanders (0-2-3, 5th/Atl)

7 p.m. EDT | Nassau [gloriously unsponsored] Veterans Mem. Coliseum | MSG+2

Home of whoa, dude, it's just hockey: Fear the Fin

The Sharks are missing Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski, Evgeni Nabokov has started all seven games, and Dan(n)y Heatley is a noted tool. After the 4-1 loss in Washington, Sharks coach Todd McLellan may be shaking things up. Does that include dressing the backup goalie for last year's 30th-place team? That'd be fun.

At the other end of the ice, Martin Biron will be in after being awoken from ex-teammate harassment duty yesterday to mop up for Dwayne Roloson. I'd like to see Jack Hillen get another look, but do you sit Bruno Gervais again or do you take another guy out? Don't think so. Please sit a vet from this subpar blueline. And, dare I mention ... Jeff Tambellini? I doubt the Isles need to "put on the foil" for the Sharks, but yesterday it sounded like Joel Rechlicz would get his three minutes in both games this weekend. Does the undisciplined penalty last night change that? All good things to those who wait.

Neither team did a morning skate -- Chris Botta humorously depicts how inexact that science is (and oh look, Ice Girl tail) -- so there aren't a whole lot of updates flowing through the Interspheres. I don't have much to add beyond that, save for an explanation of why I can no longer feel anything for the Sharks. It has to do with something that rhymes with Fanny Beatley, except it only has one 'n.'

The Rant: How Dan(n)y Heatley Ruined My Shark Empathy

I used to empathize with the Sharks. More precisely, I empathized with their fans. Cool bunch. Expansion success story. Good-guy GM. Avid fans who have climbed near the mountain's peak, only to get repeatedly knocked back by misfortune and the fact only 1 in 16 teams finds the promised land. Islanders fans know the line between "choker" and OMG! Dynasty! can turn on an overtime goal. (Pat Quinn would say it turns on a blown offside call, too, but that's what losing coaches do. Ouch, see what I did there?)

Anyway, maybe my Shark empathy stemmed from the fact the '70s Islanders were "chokers" once, until one day suddenly they weren't. Then for five years they did everything right, in a way no team has done since, and no team will do ever again. Those Isles did things so right, they played so many playoff games (winning 19 consecutive series) and so many Canada Cup games -- that by the late '80s, every important player abruptly retired or met his last legs.

Whether that's the source or not, somehow I even felt for Sharks stars Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who as the team leaders draw the biggest "choke" charge for the team's playoff failings. If it's gotta be someone else, I didn't mind if the Sharks made it all the way in the NHL's more dramatic, condensed second season, which is only a third the length of the regular season the Sharks had just mastered. They'd paid their dues.

Then they got Dan(n)y Heatley.

Empathy over. Faustian deal sealed, spirit broken. It's funny, The Hockey News recently ran a cover story ostensibly about the Sharks going for it all with that trade -- a great hockey trade, I might add -- but the piece turned into a four-page defense of Heatley. Lots of talk of his "right" to ask for a trade and leverage his no-trade clause, etc.

All very true, yet all avoiding the point that this is a two-way street, and fans have a right to expect things of players, too. Dude gets a second chance after a massive, tragic mistake in Atlanta, then asks for an out and hardly seems appreciative about all the breaks he caught (how did that community service go, by the way?). Then he gets all the money and term he could ask for in Ottawa, but wants to bail once the going gets rough.

I'm a hockey fan. I help pay the way for these players to live out their dream. If I want to call one of them a tool based on a preponderance of evidence, I have that right and will use it. So: Heatley's a tool. The THN story was probably more directed at their fellow media members who aired the Heatley laundry they'd previously kept in the notebook (intra-profession opining is when the knives really come out), but it didn't read that way. It read like a PR piece to get all of us off his back. Even though he lost the benefit of the doubt long ago (Not that the piece mentioned why.)

Sorry THN, but no: Heatley's a tool. And his presence takes away all my incentive to wish the Sharks well.

Around the Pacific Division - L.A. Kings Claim the Throne

Brandon Worley — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Browse more photos »

Thought we'd start something new this week on Defending Big D and continue it throughout the season. While we are focused on providing as extensive of coverage of the Dallas Stars as we possibly can, I think we can get a bit of tunnel vision and forget about the other teams we're racing with in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference.

This won't be anything extensive or super-analytical, just a roundup of what's going on in the world of each division team as well as a look at their standing relative to the Stars.

For something new and different, follow the jump.

Pacific Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Los Angeles	5	4	1	0	8
San Jose	6	3	2	1	7
Phoenix	5	3	2	0	6
Dallas	4	1	0	3	5
Anaheim	5	2	2	1	5

(updated 10.13.2009 at 8:39 AM EDT)

Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here? The Los Angeles Kings, after getting pounded in their opening night game, have roared out to four straight wins and sit atop the Pacific Division two weeks into the season. While we've thought the Kings were definitely a young team on the rise, it will be interesting to see how long they can sustain this momentum.

Los Angeles Kings; 1st in Pacific Division, 2nd in the West - Battle of California

The Kings have won with some timely goalscoring and some excellent goaltending. In some bizarre scheduling, the Kings dropped the Islanders in a matinee game that started at 8am here on the East Coast. Per Rudy Kelly the Kings just can't get any respect, along with their cross-town compatriots the Dodgers.

In both games, I think the Los Angeles team has been underrated. The Cardinals got all the pub because they had Carpenter and Wainwright and Pujols and Holliday, while to the rest of the world the Dodgers had only Manny and some other guys. While the Cardinals were rated highly because of their superstars, the Blues are rated highly because of their depth. And again, the Kings are pretty much dismissed as a being only a superstar (Kopitar) and some other guys. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I think for every Brad Boyes there's a Alex Frolov and for every David Backes there's a Dustin Brown. We even have our own douche bag injury-prone veteran (Ryan Smyth) to match theirs (Paul Kariya). They have Erik Johnson, we have Jack Johnson; they have Alex Pietrangelo, we have Drew Doughty. The only real difference between the two teams are the goaltenders (where I think St. Louis has a slight advantage) and in superstars, as the Blues don't have anyone like Kopitar. I think he'll be the difference tonight.

Kings Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ New York Rangers	Wed 10/14	6:05 PM CDT
@ Detroit	Thu 10/15	6:30 PM CDT
@ Columbus	Sat 10/17	6:00 PM CDT
@ Dallas	Mon 10/19	7:30 PM CDT
Dallas	Thu 10/22	9:30 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ New York Islanders	Mon 10/12	W 2 - 1
@ St. Louis	Sat 10/10	W 2 - 1
Minnesota	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 3
San Jose	Tue 10/06	W 6 - 4
Phoenix	Sat 10/03	L 3 - 6

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

No Injuries.

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Anze Kopitar	5	4	6	10	2	0	2	0	0	0	11	36.4

San Jose Sharks: 2nd in Pacific Division, 6th in the West - Fear The Fin

Things have been up and down for the Sharks so far this season, and some are questioning why Nabokov has started all six games so far this season when he's been struggling (sort of like Turco).

Mr. Plank of Fear The Fin talks about the banner raising this past weekend as the Sharks celebrated another division championship without any postseason success. Again.

The Sharks regular season success and subsequent playoff disappointments have been well-documented, and this has inevitably led to a lack of trust amongst the fanbase concerning how the organization presents itself publicly. Some want the team to continue to acknowledge these failures ad nauseam, in the hope that it will eventually motivate the players into breaking through during the postseason- call them the "History is our greatest teaching tool" group. Others point to the uncertainty of the NHL playoffs, and chalk it up to a combination of bad luck and injury issues- call them the "It's a new year" conglomerate.

Sharks Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Washington	Thu 10/15	6:00 PM CDT
@ New York Islanders	Sat 10/17	6:00 PM CDT
@ New York Rangers	Mon 10/19	6:00 PM CDT
@ Tampa Bay	Thu 10/22	6:30 PM CDT
@ Atlanta	Sat 10/24	6:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

Phoenix	Mon 10/12	SO - L 0 - 1
Minnesota	Sat 10/10	W 4 - 2
Columbus	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 3
@ Los Angeles	Tue 10/06	L 4 - 6
@ Anaheim	Sat 10/03	W 4 - 1

San Jose Sharks Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Torrey Mitchell	knee	09/30/2009

Leading scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dany Heatley	6	5	5	10	3	10	2	0	2	0	17	29.4

Phoenix Coyotes; 3rd in Pacific Division, 8th in the West - Five For Howling

Behind Dave Tippett, the Coyotes exploded to a 3-0-0 record right off the bat and Stars fans everywhere committed a simultaneous facepalm. Yet two straight losses brought the team back down to earth a bit, before a nice 1-0 shootout win over San Jose on Monday night.

What's great about this is that the Coyotes HAVE to be competitive to have any chance at all at succeeding in Phoenix. Tippett has done wonders with this team in a very short amount of time, and hopefully he can keep them going as the season progresses.

Unfortunately, the 'Yotes lost their home opener. It was in front of a capacity crowd however, which Odin Merver chronicles pre-game:

Tonight is the night. Home opener. Fans clad in all white. This is going to be awesome. The game officially sold out on Thursday, but some standing room only seats were on sale yesterday. Haven't heard if those too have now been sold out, but whatever. For all intensive purposes this game is sold out. Sure, it's at reduced prices, but so what? The Coyotes needed to get the building filled up. Get some new people interested. Get fans that had been pulled away by a bad on ice product with a new system that had us beating down the Penguins on Wednesday.I'm all kinds of excited for this game even if it is against the Blue Jackets who we have no rivalry with. That just means we won't be seeing may Jackets sweaters in the crowd and will be more partisan than usual.

Coyotes Schedule

Next 5 Games

St. Louis	Thu 10/15	9:00 PM CDT
Boston	Sat 10/17	8:00 PM CDT
Detroit	Thu 10/22	9:00 PM CDT
Los Angeles	Sat 10/24	8:00 PM CDT
@ New York Rangers	Mon 10/26	6:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ San Jose	Mon 10/12	SO - W 1 - 0
Columbus	Sat 10/10	L 0 - 2
@ Buffalo	Thu 10/08	L 1 - 2
@ Pittsburgh	Wed 10/07	W 3 - 0
@ Los Angeles	Sat 10/03	W 6 - 3

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Kurt Sauer	other-excused	10/13/2009

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Radim Vrbata	5	3	1	4	2	4	1	0	1	0	26	11.5

Anaheim Ducks; 5th in Pacific Division, 10th in the West - Anaheim Calling

I won't lie, it really felt good to see Anaheim get schelacked by the Rangers the other night.

Per Arthur of Anaheim Calling:

The Ducks were out of gas at the end of their road trip, dropping this afternoon's game in Madison Square Garden 3-0. Giguere pitched a gem through two, but was ultimately undermined by two third period penalties, one a roughing call to Whitney for putting Sean Avery in a headlock, the other a token Artyukhin call.

The freshest legs on the ice (other than Giguere's) belonged to Sheldon Brookbank, who dressed in place of a scratched Nick Boynton, and Brendan Mikkelson, who was called up from Toronto. Together, the two players were asked to eat the minutes of recent ice-time gormandizer James Wisniewski, whose shoulder was injured in last night's game against Philadelphia.

Ducks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Minnesota	Wed 10/14	9:00 PM CDT
St. Louis	Sat 10/17	9:00 PM CDT
Dallas	Wed 10/21	9:00 PM CDT
Columbus	Sat 10/24	9:00 PM CDT
Toronto	Mon 10/26	9:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ New York Rangers	Sun 10/11	L 0 - 3
@ Philadelphia	Sat 10/10	SO - W 3 - 2
@ Boston	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 1
@ Minnesota	Tue 10/06	OT - L 3 - 4
San Jose	Sat 10/03	L 1 - 4

Anaheim Ducks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Todd Marchant	undisclosed	10/12/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
James Wisniewski	shoulder	10/11/2009

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Corey Perry	5	2	3	5	1	6	0	1	0	0	16	12.5

FTF Regular Season Cheat Sheet: Fringe Forwards

FTF Staff — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:17 -0000

The season is just around the corner (never really understood that phrasing, as time is linear and all), and we thought it would be great to give you a quick rundown on the roster, with a little blurb on each player. If you feel like we've covered this before, well, we have. But we're going to expand on it a little, include the stories that we've written on the players over the past year and give our input on what we expect next season. We don't know exactly how the lines will shake up yet, so everything from here on out is going to be based off the line up McLellan iced in the final preseason game against Phoenix.

Final cuts on Tuesday. God save us all.

Torrey Mitchell

#17 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190

Born: Jan 30, 1985

Previous FTF Coverage: Spotlight's on that McGinn Kid (Mr. Plank), No timetable for Torrey Mitchell's return (WTC, Teas), Torrey Mitchell: "It sucks" (WTC, TCY)

2008-2009 Stats

None. Injury kept Torrey Mitchell out the entire season.

Our two cents:

Things were finally looking up for Torrey. After an unfortunate incident where he broke his leg in the preseason, it seemed as if he'd never get healthy. Setback after setback occurred, and soon the regular season was in the rear view mirror. He was healthy enough to appear in the postseason, going pointless in four games but impressing with his speed and grit. Torrey practically penciled in to center the third line in 2009-2010.

It appears though that the injury bug is a tough one to kick (leg pun, /rimshot) for Mitchell. He's back with another leg ailment (tendinitis this time), that's preventing him from skating with the team. It's odd to have to put him in the fringe section, but until he can prove that he's healthy, there's no guarantee that he will play any time soon.

Mitchell is a player who depends on his speed, it's the most important aspect of his game. The lingering leg problems are a glaring red flag though, and it's unknown if he'll ever be the same player again. If he does fully recover and can play this year, look for him to line up next to Malhotra on the right side. He would be a huge upgrade over any of the other fringe guys who would occupy the spot.

Jody Shelley

#45 / Left Wing / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-3

Weight: 225

Born: Feb 07, 1976

Previous FTF Coverage: A Week in Review (Mr. Plank), Observations from Teal and White 2009 (Mr. Plank/TCY), Should Shelley Dress in April? (Mr. Plank)

2008-2009 Stats

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	SOG	SPCT	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GWG	ATOI
70	2	2	4	-6	116	44	4.5	0	0	0	0	1	6:11

Our two cents:

San Jose's resident tough guy is back for his third season with the team (two and a half really). He's never been anything more than protection for the top lines, as he doesn't kill penalties, he doesn't score, and he's pretty shoddy in every area of the ice. But he'll most definitely start the year with the team (either in a fourth line role or as a healthy scratch).

As much as we love to see Shelley fight, he's kind of a liability every time his skates touch the ice. He takes alot of penalties, and doesn't contribute to any part of the team's game. Last year, whether it was due to these problems or not, he only skated in a little more than 10% of each game, which causes some problems on the other lines.

He'll play whether we like it or not, but if Staubitz continues to impress the coaches and the front office, this might be Jody's last run in teal.

Benn Ferriero

#0 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 5-10

Weight: 191

Born: Apr 29, 1987

Previous FTF Coverage: Ferriero gets another start (Evilducks), Ferriero getting looks from coaching staff (TCY), Sharks sign Benn Ferriero (SwisherThresher)

2008-2009 Stats (Boston College)

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
37	8	18	26	UNK	44

Our two cents:

Ferriero's decision to return to college instead of playing for the Phoenix Coyotes (7th round, 196th overall) wound up being a good choice. Now Ferriero (singed as a free agent out of Boston College by the Sharks) has a legitimate chance of making the roster now that Torrey Mitchell is injured.

He's taken hold of the opportunity, impressing the coaching staff with his play and leading the team in preseason scoring (3 goals, 7 points). He's more of a skill player than anything else, but he plays physical and seems to have a nose for the puck.

He's the odds on favorite to make the team (over Ortmeyer), but would probably benefit from playing time in Worcester. However, if he makes line three and sees significant minutes, he could surprise Sharks fans this year.

Logan Couture

#41 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 28, 1989

Previous FTF Coverage: Sharks Camp Down to 29: Petrecki, Couture among those sent down (mymclife), A Week in Review (Mr. Plank), Observations from Teal and White 2009 (Mr. Plank/TCY), Notes on Couture from Monday's Rookie Skate (TCY/Mr. Plank), Couture Called up to Worcester (TCY)

2008-2009 Stats (Ottawa 67's)

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
62	39	48	87	UNK	46

Our two cents:

You don't have to hang around FTF long to see that we're pretty high on Couture. Even still, we support the team's decision to send the 2007 9th overall pick to Worcester, even though he's capable of playing on the team.

Couture was one of the most impressive forwards in camp this year, but he has a few things working against him. First, the high expectations that come with being a top ten pick have plagued him so far in his career. Second, he has very little professional experience (only four AHL playoff games last year). Most importantly, though he's too skilled to fill a lower line role.

Couture is a pure center, and even though he might be capable, he won't be supplanting either of the top two centers on the team. Therefore, it's probably better to let the 20 year old grow in Worcester, where he'll get top line minutes playing with quality forwards. If he has a strong season, he'll be a quality injury filler and depth skill player. He showed ability to both kill penalties and quarterback the power play. We expect a solid NHL career for him.

Off the Post, Sept. 10

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:01:13 -0000

Plank may be in Minnesota, but holds down the fort with ten things to be excited for next season, a look at the ice conditions at HP Pavilion, as well as compiling a rivalry depth chart.
TCY and Plank chime in with some Couture talk.
The San Jose Sharks preseason begins one week from today! That's the good news.
The bad news (for the players) - they play in the Teal & White game on Wednesday, and THEN play 3 preseason games in 3 days. If it makes you feel better, the Anaheim Ducks have 4 games in 4 days - not counting any novelty scrimages for season ticket holders.
Devin Setoguchi will be at the Sharks Store today from 4:30 to 6:30pm. Mark my words - that line will be epic. Remember to ask him to sign your gooch - it's a good conversation starter.
See this Sharks training camp roster (w/ Dan Hinote's name included)? Add Mathieu Dandenault's name to the list.
Could Patrick Marleau be headed to the New Jersey Devils? (H/T to PuckDaddy) [UPDATE] = Apparently he could be going to the Kings in a 3-way deal involving Heatley. Whatever... (thanks to Section223 for the heads up)
[UPDATE] = Mike Chen opens up his season tickets, and Patrick Marleau is nowhere to be seen on the tickets. Jody Shelley, sure... but no Marleau, no Nabokov, no Cheechoo, and no Michalek.
Rudy Kelly offers orgasms in exchange for Torrey Mitchell in a Kings jersey. Sounds like a fair trade... oh wait, they're HIS orgasms? Now that's just selfish...
The OdinMercer suicide watch revs up today, as the Phoenix Coyotes' fate hangs in the balance. Please discuss in the comments.
Speaking of Phoenix- 60% of Fear The Fin readers think they should be moved via a poll earlier this summer.

We sure do appreciate Blueshirt Banter's pick for the head of the Western Conference this season.

The new SB Nation.com site is up and running.

[UPDATE] = Please welcome Anaheim Calling to the SB Nation fold. Sleek's already rolled out the welcome mat.

The Sharks rookies swept the Ducks rookies with a 5-2 victory last night. No word in the article about Michael D'Orazio's groin pull that left him unable to walk off the ice... Trust me, it wasn't pretty.

Here's a video of D'Orazio's goal, the first of the night. Those chants of "RUDY!" refer to Daniel Erlich (#70), who stands at a lofty 5' 6''.

Michael D'Orazio's goal at San Jose Sharks rookie scrimmage (via dkeirsteadisback)

Speaking of 5' 6'' - Theo Fleury will soon know if he's coming back to the NHL.

Can't go wrong with a firetruck in a sinkhole (H/T to ang6666).

Adolf Hitler bitches about the Christian Ehrhoff trade. Pure hilarity.

Hitler reacts to Ehrhoff trade (via bs932)

The Dream Team: 6 Non-Kings I Would Love to Have

RudyKelly — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:37:52 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Browse more photos »

We all have our favorite team that we love more than anything in the entire world (sorry, family). But still, we all cheat a little bit. Oh, we act faithful and chaste and we'd never, ever cheat on our teams, but that doesn't mean we don't look occasionally. I admit that even I, the greatest fan that ever lived, catch myself wistfully watching a player on an opposing team; that is, until Dustin Brown elbows me in the ribs and then lets it simmer for 3 months until I forget to take out the trash before throwing it in my face. I'm a man, Dustin, you can't expect me to not look! Anyway, if I had my way these players would all be on the Kings so I wouldn't feel so guilty:

LW- Ilya Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk is one of those badass Russian dudes that you used to see in old movies. While Alex Frolov represents the Russians under the Czars (nervous, shifty, cerebral), Kovalchuk represents the Soviets, the guys that would smile at you through blood-stained teeth before putting a knife through your ribs. He's Ivan Drago with a crappier haircut. They guy has scored 297 goals in the NHL but my favorite Kovalchuk moment is this:

Did you see that little helmet flip before he gave McCabe the how-ya-doins'? Bad. Ass. He needs his own theme song, like Shaft.

What I would trade for him: My happiness for a year. I'd walk around with a little storm cloud following my every step for 365 days if it meant the Kings got Ilya Kovalchuk.

C- Torrey Mitchell

Torrey Mitchell is going to be the next great defensive center in the NHL. Only 24, Mitchell has a lot of promise but has been derailed by injuries early in his career. Mitchell has great speed and a surprisingly quick shot. The Sharks signed Mitchell to a very reasonable deal earlier in the off-season, though they'll probably trade him next off-season because they have to change the culture of this team. It kills me seeing Mitchell on a division rival like the Sharks, but on the plus side I know that I never have to worry about them actually winning anything. If they do, though, I honestly think Torrey Mitchell will be the reason why. Plus, he's so darn cute.

"So then my mom was all, 'Torrey, you're an adult, comb your own hair,' so I gave it my best shot."

What I would trade for him: Orgasms #23, #81... and, you know what, I'll give it up, #265. Damn, losing that one hurts.

RW- Maxim Afinogenov

I know, my love of Russians is incomprehensible but I love Maxim Afinogenov. We had this guy on my college team named Joe that we called "Joltin' Joe the Anti-Flow" because he would evaluate where the team was headed and then play in the exact opposite direction. A defenseman would jump up into the play? Joe would peel around and take the puck back into the defensive zone. The other team had pressure on our defensemen behind the net? Joe would be calling for the puck at the red line. Afinogenov reminds me of him. It's like he learned hockey on the Moon or something, his teammates have no idea what he's trying to do at any given moment. I'm convinced Maxim could still be a legitimate NHL player if he were on a responsible defensive team and with another player that could anticipate his odd style. A team like... hey, that sounds like the Kings!

What I would trade for him: The feeling in my pants I got the first time I saw Jessica Alba in Idle Hands.

LD- Zbynek Michalek

I could actually put a bunch of other people here, but I'm picking Michalek because he's criminally underrated. He is the 3rd best all-round defenseman in the Pacific (behind Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and the guy up next) and yet absolutely no one knows who he is. Consider this: he obliterated everyone else in blocked shots (271!), he is fantastic positionally, and he scored 27 points last year. And yet, in our little Re-Draft the League thing Michalek went in the 6th round, behind Marc Staal, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Anton Volchenkov. Who's the idiot that picked Volchenkov over Michalek? Me! That's how underrated the guy is, I think he's underrated and I still forgot about him. Michalek is amazing and my heart swells every time I see him go down. To block a shot. What did you think I was talking about? Oh. That's dirty.

Another thing: how is Zbynek so cool and yet his brother sucks so much?

What I would trade for him: These totally sweet plaid pants I bought at H&M on Saturday. (Ooo!!!!)

RD- Scott Niedermayer

Like Juliet and her Romeo, so are me and Scott Niedermayer. (Wait, I said that I'm Romeo, right?) I can't help it; the guy won my heart with his smooth-skating ways and his fantastic Scottish Terrier impression:

I love Scott Niedermayer not because he is a great hockey player or because he makes the same face my dad makes when he's unsure whether to smile or not (the one above), but because he perfectly encapsulates everything I find good about hockey. He can literally play every position on the ice except goaltender, and usually does play at least 3 positions every shift. He doesn't take cheap shots but he won't back down from anyone, he is probably the 2nd best positional player in the game besides Lidstrom, and he's won everything a hockey player could hope to win. He is what I would want my son to play like if I could ever get a woman to touch me.

What I would trade for him: Those cherished memories with my grandparents? Gone.

Goaltender: Tomas Vokoun

Like Zbynek Michalek, Tomas Vokoun is ridiculously underrated. I'd go so far as to say that he's been the best goaltender in the league since the lockout, but because he usually plays for weaker teams he is overlooked. Plus, he's catches with his right just like me!

What I would give up for him: The memory of the time I saw that guy in the wheelchair hit that lightpole.*

*Alright, so I'm walking back from class on the ol' college campus and I see this dude in a motorized wheelchair. I pay him no mind until I hear someone yell, "Hey, Mike!" The wheelchair dude turns around and starts waving at a group of 3 or 4 people, but he never lets up on his... gas, electricity, whatever. While he's waving, he keeps moving forward and then runs directly into a lightpole, sending his books flying and basically horrifying every person in the vicinity... except for me, and I started laughing hysterically. As I turned to continue my walk back to the dorm I saw this girl directly in front of me looking at me like I was Idi Amin. I figure, hey, it would be offensive not to laugh; I mean, if you saw some dude walk into a lightpole you'd laugh, so why should the wheelchair-bound be treated any different? Really, you're the prejudiced one.

Those are my non-Kings: who are the players you'd give up your childhood toy/first kiss/Earl Sleek's life to have on your team?

Stargazing: Stars fans hope to benefit from sale of Texas Rangers

Brad G — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:00:28 -0000

Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars news, as well as a look at what's happening around the Pacific division and the rest of the NHL. Stargazing will run on Mondays and Thursdays, becoming a daily feature once the preseason begins.

Thursday on Stargazing, Tom Hicks is in the news again, though this time the news is a little more favorable. Also, we talk all things TV as DirecTV and Versus square off, and the Stars release their broadcast schedule. In a world where we now have the NHL network, Versus doing a wonderful job (at least during the playoffs), and Ralph and Razor nearly 80 times a year, you'd think it would be hard to find something to complain about, but I still get the job done. All that and more on Stargazing...

Stars News and Notes:

This may not look like Dallas Stars news on the surface, but I think we all know that it is the most important news there is for the future of the Stars franchise. As we've detailed here previously, if the Hicks Sports Group financial situation doesn't change, the Stars are in for some lean years. Thankfully, he has some good interest in the sale of his baseball team...

Texas billionaire and sports tycoon Tom Hicks has received six initial offers for his Texas Rangers baseball team as he works to satisfy creditors who have declared his sports group in default, two sources familiar with the process said on Wednesday.

Other indications of interest could be submitted as the deadline is not until September 8, said one of the sources, who asked not to be named because the process is still under way.

Bids of around $550 million are likely for the team, sports bankers and baseball officials previously said.

The sale will not close before the baseball season ends in October, said the second source, who also asked not to be identified.

It may not be much in the way of real progress, but it struck me as a good start. There are folks out there that want to purchase that team.

While I've spent a fair amount of time fretting over the financial situation, I would never consider the Stars (would be) problems to be in the same ballpark as the Phoenix Coyotes, and yet we're starting to see them mentioned in the same breath:

And wouldn't it be nice if the Coyotes were the NHL's only team with ownership issues? Sadly, they are not. Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks says his financial concerns won't affect the franchise, but there are rumours he could go bankrupt if he is unable to sell some of his other holdings.

Is that really how the rest of the league views the Stars?

The players are here in Dallas. They are together. They are working out. Andrew's Stars Page tells us that Craig Ludwig was working them out the other day:

Went out to Frisco, where a lot of lot players were on the ice and ex-Star Craig Ludwig was running them through some drills. Among the players out there today:

Mike Ribeiro, Brad Richards, Loui Eriksson, Steve Ott, Trevor Daley, Matt Niskanen, James Neal, Brian Sutherby, Toby Petersen, Jeff Woywitka, Andrew Hutchinson, Ivan Vishnevskiy and Trevor Ludwig. Marty Turco was out there briefly. Among the players working out off the ice while I was there were Stephane Robidas (still waiting for his gear), Fabian Brunnstrom and Alex Auld.

That, my friends, is exciting.

I've been kind of wondering what exactly the NHL thinks about this whole Versus (vs) Directv thing. It seems the league is keeping quiet about it, though si.com had a little piece on it last week before Directv dropped them:

When asked Tuesday if the league was concerned enough to involve itself in the process, NHL spokesman Frank Brown simply pointed to the calender.

"Today is August 25. The next NHL telecast scheduled for VERSUS is Oct. 1," he said.

That was a week ago. I wonder how they feel about that now. I think the two sides will get something done (Versus will back down) but isn't this just another slap in the face to the league, even if it is rather indirect? Here's the NHL, that gets only negative publicity for the most part...they get dropped by ESPN during the lockout, they sign with "Outdoor Life Network"/Versus, which now might not be available on the most popular television service amongst sports fans, DirecTV? In some small way, this is an expression of the fact that no one cares about the NHL. (Well, I do, you do too)

Do any of you have DirecTV? Are you writing letters? Do you even care? Or do you just think it will get worked out?

Meanwhile, in Dallas, we're presented with a teeny tiny TV situation of our own. As of right now, two Stars games look like they might not be televised. While I expect that to get worked out (one of those games could be Modano's last), it's not what gets me going the most about the television schedule:

All local home game telecasts and selected road games will once again this season be produced in high-definition and carried on FOX Sports Southwest-HD and My 27-HD. A composite HD schedule will be announced later.

VERSUS will televise five Stars contests: Wednesday, Nov. 25 vs. St. Louis; Tuesday, Dec. 29 vs. Chicago; Monday, Jan. 18 vs. Minnesota; Tuesday, Feb. 2 vs. Minnesota; and Monday, Mar. 8 at Washington.

Forgive the personal rant here, but really? It's true I don't understand the other side of the business. I don't know what they need to do to get HD broadcasts on the road. I don't know the equipment involved, or the additional cost. I don't know anything about it. The only thing I know is that it will be 2010 and I'll be watching professional sports in standard definition. That, pardon the vernacular, sucks.

Former Dallas Star Nathan Perrot is making his professional boxing debut
Andrews has info on Zubov playing his first pre-season game in Russia
Defending Big D: Stars hire Mike Valley as goaltender consultant
Landon Wilson is the first player in Texas Stars history

Matt Niskanen says don't mess with Ott when it comes to the music:

How do you prepare for games? Do you have certain foods you always eat or listen to the same music?

Niskanen: "I don’t really have much control over the music, that’s Otter’s role. I usually have chicken and pasta for lunch every day. I have my routine to warm up before the game."

Around the NHL:

You thought you hated Taylor Pyatt before? Now he's in the division!
Is Jim Balsillie just obsessed at this point? They battle it out in bankruptcy court.
Have the Red Wings played too many hockey games over the course of the last 3 seasons? I doubt that's going affect them at all, personally.
The Sharks re-sign FA forward Torrey Mitchell to a 3 year deal.

Ehrhoff & Lukowich Moved For Prospects

Mr. Plank — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:21:47 -0000

Bada bing, bada boom. Per sjsharks.com:

San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced Friday that the team has acquired center Patrick White and defenseman Daniel Rahimi from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich.

Some initial reactions provided in bullet form, because DW really did bite the bullet here.

The prospects in question (HF breakdowns of White and Rahimi) are really nothing to write home about. If this deal occurs in the middle of the season, I'm livid- while Ehrhoff isn't sound defensively, his power play production is an asset that should net a much higher return. At face-value, the Sharks got swindled here. Let that be clear. Essentially this is a product of his salary, San Jose's salary structure, and GM's realizing DW was painted into a corner. I'm sure he was getting lowballed left and right. That'll Cheech You and Earl Sleek mentioned as much in earlier pieces for Fear The Fin and Battle of California respectively.
Silver lining? Salary cap flexibility. Wilson is now able to either a) fill out the roster with young players on the cheap or b) pursue a trade with much more bargaining power than he had on Thursday. As it stands now, San Jose needs to sign three forwards and two defenseman to compose a 22 man roster. Most estimates have pegged Torrey Mitchell around $.8 M, which means two forwards and two defenseman need to come under contract with $3.53 M remaining under the cap. That boils down to $.88 M per skater, definitely manageable considering those four would be serving a fourth line, bottom pairing, and healthy scratch role.
As for losing Ehrhoff and Lukowich, I proposed earlier this offseason that they were the two blueliners who should be moved. Here's a few quotes from previous pieces that explain that rationale:

Looking at the backend, Ehrhoff's ability as a puck moving defenseman has been replaced by Kent Huskins, making Ehrhoff expendable. The blueline currently is in a bit of a logjam in terms of salary- moving Vlasic would be asinine, and Murray (who we will touch upon later) would leave San Jose with a D corps lacking a physical presence.

-"The Journey", July 12th

With the salary cap situation the way it is, one would have to assume a blueliner is on the move- there's no way San Jose can afford to pay Huskins that sort of money to serve as a 7. Brad Lukowich was disappointing after the first twenty games of the season, and freeing up his $1.56 M salary would go a long way towards getting San Jose's offseason back to a manageable level.

- "Kent Huskins Signs", July 2nd

In that regard, I'm content with the personnel that were given up. I don't think you're able to rid yourself of Brad Lukowich without packaging him with Ehrhoff, and that was probably a selling point for Wilson- my guess is that the Canucks were pushing for Ehrhoff, and DW countered by saying, "We'll make this move only if you take Lukowich." That's an aspect of the deal I think he should be commended for.

A lot of talk says that this sets the stage for Wilson to take another stab at Heatley. I'm not so sure. Regardless of my wariness in making a move for Heatley, let's look at this objectively. You now have given up an essential piece in a deal with Ottawa- every single rumor that has made it's way around the internet this offseason has named Ehrhoff. It's still a possibility, but now San Jose doesn't have the assets to provide Ottawa with the puck moving offensive defenseman they seem to be looking for. I'm not sure that improves DW's chances, even if San Jose is much more flexible monetarily.
If I had to put money down, it probably would have to be on DW making the infamous Kessel Run. There's roughly 18 parsecs until training camp begins, and while Boston is dealing with salary cap issues of their own, most accounts have Wilson pursuing this very hard. It would have to be creative and possibly involve a third team, but I have a feeling this is going to be DW's play. As mentioned before, he's dealing from a position of power, with Boston being the one who is in a bind. Call it a hunch, pure speculation, or a baseless claim, but The Force is strong with this one...

David Pollak of Working The Corners is reporting that Joslin, Demers, Moore, and Petrecki will be battling it out for a spot on the San Jose roster. Here's a quote from a previous piece that looks at the pros and cons of some of these players (after trading Ehrhoff and Lukowich, which was the basis of the exercise):

If I'm DW, I realize I need a defensive defenseman on the blueline. Here's what I had to say about Derek Joslin earlier this season:

"Derek Joslin: Probably the most unmemorable of the four (which was a good thing), Joslin played well enough with the big club for me to be content with him sticking around. That being said, it's just not going to happen. He was sent down yesterday, and it seems as if his time in San Jose will most likely be done for the remainder of this year (barring an injury to one of our seven defensemen).

I liked what Derek brought to the table- he was physical in the corners, made smart and conservative passes on the breakout, was rarely out of position, and could skate decently well- a solid player for our bottom pairings in years to come, with the potential to get top-four minutes on a fairly deep blueline."

Hockey's Future has this to say:

"Talent Analysis

A sound overall game; he plays in all situations and is very composed. Good offensive instincts. A great one-timer. Skating stride is a weakness

Future

He’s projected to be a middle pairing defender in the NHL."

Bringing up Joslin to play with Boyle is pretty risky considering both can be defined as guys who prefer the offensive side of the ice, and the fact that pairing is going to see 17+ minutes a night at even strength. From what I saw he's not ready for the workload at this point in his career, and having him serve as a healthy scratch makes no sense from an organizational standpoint. However, let's float the idea around and say he is brought up. If that's the case, I bump Murray up with Boyle, leave Vlasic and Blake together, and hope Joslin works with Huskins.

Another interesting possibility would be Mike Moore. He's known for his physical play, and although he didn't see any game time in San Jose this season, Moore did get called up during the year. If he's the answer here, I'm still moving Murray up to play with Boyle and sheltering Moore on the bottom pairing with Huskins.

Outside of the organization, it's hard to predict. Ehrhoff or Cheechoo would likely be the only players who would be able to bring back a serviceable NHL defenseman. As for the healthy scratch department, I'm not sure you're going to be able to find someone better than Alexei Semenov on the open market at that price tag. Here's what was said about him earlier this offseason, and I'm still not convinced that letting him walk was the right choice. We'll see what happens.

- "The Journey", July 12th

Your guess is as good as mine here, but I'm thinking we only see one of these guys make the team out of camp, with Wilson taking a stab into the free agent market for a veteran blueliner to fill out the roster. I stand by my previous assertion that Semenov is a worthy 6-7 man in that role.

Thoughts from readers can be found in FTF's initial fanshot. James Mirtle of From The Rink, Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, PJ Swenson of Sharkspage, and Sean Zandberg of Nucks Misconduct have more reactions.

[Plank Update 8/29]: Sharkspage takes a look at Patrick White (H/T to skilletboy for the link)... Yours truly posts a Fanpost over at Nucks Misconduct to help them understand what they received in the deal. Feel free to chime in... CTGray of Couch Tarts and GeneralDisarray of The Chum Bucket share their thoughts...

Go Sharks.

Poll

Considering all factors, do you like this deal?

Yes

172 votes

No

106 votes

It's a wash

136 votes

414 votes | Poll has closed

Back, meet corner.

That'll Cheech You — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:52:27 -0000

Well, we've been talking about this for months, so it really doesn't bear much repeating. However, I'm going to repeat it anyways, because it's summer, it's my blog (well, Planks blog, but he's nice enough to share) and this is really all we've got to talk about right now.

You can argue against the signing of Scott Nichol based on his skill, age, injury history, whatever. Same for Huskins. You could even make the case that the Rob Blake deal was evidence of poor decision making by the Sharks, or that they overpaid for Clowe. But, like it or not, those are the moves that have been made so far this year. No matter how much we bitch and moan, nothing changes.

Whats interesting to me though, is the timing of these deals. I was certain that the Sharks would make a trade before any free agents were added to the club, but as of this morning, no personell swaps have occured. I've talked before about how the Sharks' cap situation effectively eliminates their bargaining power on the trade market, and it seems as if I was right in that regard.

With the signing of Nichol (1 year, $750,000), the Sharks have just under $900,000 left to sign two forwards (including Mitchell, see below), which is a straight impossibility. That number is without the almost inevitable signing of Thomas Greiss (as it's really the only NHL job left for him), who made $725,000 last season and will make at least $750,000 next year. In addition, Torrey Mitchell still hasn't signed, and he'll probably looking for a contract in the $800K to $1MM range if he doesn't accept the Sharks' Qualifying Offer. Even if you think that Couture is ready for full NHL time, his deal pays him $875K annually, so there's not much relief there either. With the NHL minimum salary for the 2009-2010 season set at $500,000, the Sharks need to find at least $1.5 MM somewhere in order to sign Torrey Mitchell and either bring up Couture or sign a decent free agent. While this is good news insofar as it makes a trade a certainty, it doesn't do much to suggest that the Sharks will be any better this coming season.

Maybe that's too much to ask for, since the Sharks did win the President's Trophy in 2008-2009. However, after Doug Wilson all but guaranteed a new look for the team heading into next season, his strategy for the offseason has been interesting, to say the least. Yes, players weren't brought back. Yes, some harsh words and strong talk were thrown around. Yes, he signed a few guys. But the drastic makeover that the fans expected hasn't come yet, and the timing is way off.

Something will come though; a trade is going to have to be made. Cheechoo has been shopped, and offers have been made for Ehrhoff. However, as evidenced by the Chimera for Ehrhoff straight-up offer, the value for some of our players might not be as high as we think they should be. Three possible reasons:

1. Because we're in San Jose (a place where free agents apparently loathe coming to), we tend to overvalue our own players and have an unrealistic view of what return they should provide. For example, I thought that two picks (A late first and a second) or a young mid-six forward and a second round pick would be the return for Ehrhoff. That's obviously not the case.

2. The cap situation is well known by other teams, and they're exploiting the fact that the Sharks GM has backed himself into a corner. He HAS TO MAKE A TRADE, which again, limits his bargaining power.

3. The state of the economy is preventing teams from adding any additional payroll. However, the glut of spending at the start of free agency seems to suggest otherwise.

I'm thinking that all three of these things factor into the Sharks' current level of inactivity. I don't want to keep regurgitating old points, but it seems quite evident now that by waiting until now (or later) to make a deal, Doug Wilson has basically shot himself in the foot. If he could go back and do it all again, I'd like to think that he would have been more active at the draft, even if the return wasn't what he was expecting. It was probably a hell of alot better than the return he'll get now.

In addition, most all of the decent free agents have now left the market. There still are a few gems to be had (Taylor Pyatt, although, he'll probably command around $2.0MM after making $1.75MM last year), but most of the solid players have been snapped up. Joel Ward, for example, would have been a perfect fit for this team. He resigned with Nashville for $1.5MM over three years; this contract could have been offered by the Sharks with a trade of Cheechoo at the draft, and they still would be in a better financial situation than they are now.

Hell, maybe the return for Cheechoo at the time of the draft was a third round pick. Maybe it was a fourth. Perhaps Wilson didn't think that was a fair enough return for the former Rocket Richard Trophy winner. It's probably not. However, when you look at the big picture, you have to consider the cap flexibility gained from trading Cheechoo as something the other team is giving you in the deal. Would you trade Cheechoo for $3MM and a third? A fourth? A fifth? Any one of those deals is a steal. Because when you think of the possibility that the cap room could be used to sign, say, Ward and Travis Moen, the trade becomes Johnathan Cheechoo for Ward, Moen, and a pick (3rd/4th/5th, whatever). Would you do that deal? That's almost fleecing on a Thornton scale.

There's no guarantee that the players would sign, or if the contracts would be the same as the ones they inked with other teams, but I think you catch my drift.

So, the good news is a trade is coming. The bad news? We're most likely getting worked over in the process. The Sharks will contend next year, to be certain, but probably not at the level that they could have if Wilson could have pulled the trigger a little sooner.

SB Nation - Torrey Mitchell

Sharks Gameday: Getting Back On Track

@

Television

CSN-CA

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

The Copper & BlueLowetide

Sharks Gameday: Great Expectations

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Television

Joke.

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

On The Forecheck

Islanders Gameday: How I Learned to Stop Feeling the Fin

The Rant: How Dan(n)y Heatley Ruined My Shark Empathy

Around the Pacific Division - L.A. Kings Claim the Throne

Pacific Standings

Los Angeles Kings; 1st in Pacific Division, 2nd in the West - Battle of California

Kings Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

San Jose Sharks: 2nd in Pacific Division, 6th in the West - Fear The Fin

Sharks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

San Jose Sharks Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Phoenix Coyotes; 3rd in Pacific Division, 8th in the West - Five For Howling

Coyotes Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Questionable

Anaheim Ducks; 5th in Pacific Division, 10th in the West - Anaheim Calling

Ducks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

Anaheim Ducks Injuries

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

FTF Regular Season Cheat Sheet: Fringe Forwards

Torrey Mitchell

#17 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Jody Shelley

#45 / Left Wing / San Jose Sharks

Benn Ferriero

#0 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Logan Couture

#41 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Off the Post, Sept. 10

The Dream Team: 6 Non-Kings I Would Love to Have

Stargazing: Stars fans hope to benefit from sale of Texas Rangers

Stars News and Notes:

Around the NHL:

Ehrhoff & Lukowich Moved For Prospects

Considering all factors, do you like this deal?

Yes

No

It's a wash

Back, meet corner.