SB Nation - Ryane Clowe

Red Wings beat Sharks 2-1 in Shootout

joehass — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:32:21 -0000

Henrik Zetterberg scores the game-winner in the shootout against San Jose.

On Budd Lynch bobblehead night, it was Henrik Zetterberg's who helped put away the San Jose Sharks.

Zetterberg scored the lone Detroit Red Wings goal with 14:22 left in regulation, then scored at the end of the shootout to seal a 2-1 win over San Jose. It broke the Shark's six-game winning streak and extended the Wings winning streak to three games

Zetterberg took advantage of a shot by Darren Helm. Evgeni Nabokov seemed to cover the puck, but did not get a whistle, Zetterberg kept charging towards the net and swatted the puck into the net to even the score at one.

In the second period, Logan Couture netted his first NHL goal off a nice setup from Joe Callahan (who picked up his first NHL point) and Joe Thornton.

In overtime, Darren Helm had two incredible chances in overtime on a two-on-one, but couldn't put either shot past Evgeni Nabokov. The Red Wings put heavy pressure on the Sharks with five shots in the overtime period.

The shootout saw a series of back-hand shots: Pavel Datsuyk opened with one that easily faked our Nabokov. Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe each tried backhanders that failed to get past Chris Osgood. Then Zetterberg ended the shootout with a simple shot that got past Nabokov for the second time of the night.

Osgood finished the evening with 34 saves; Nabokov ended with 36.

The Red Wings will take on Toronto Saturday night in an Original Six matchup in Toronto.

Catch the high lights below from NHL.com.

Recap: Caps 4, Sharks 1

J.P. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:19:44 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

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[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]

A season ago, the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks were regular season champions of their respective Conferences. Fast forward to early 2009-10 and the two teams have something else in common - 4-1 losers to the Caps in perhaps the only two games in which the boys in red, white and blue competed for a full sixty minutes. For a team that has struggled to finish games as well as they started them thus far, this game was just what the doctor ordered.

Ten more notes on the game:

Alexander Semin was focused and fantastic from his first shift of the game, drawing three first period power plays and firing five shots on goal (scoring once) before the game was nine minutes old. And here's something you won't see often - he had more shorthanded ice time on the night than David Steckel did (Nicklas Backstrom led all forwards in time on the kill).
Speaking of Steckel, he continues to be red-hot in the faceoff circle, going 12-for-16 on the night, including 7-for-9 against Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
Back to the scorers, Alex Ovechkin had never scored against San Jose before scoring on a rush in the second period. How'd he celebrate breaking that ten-plus period goal-less stretch? By scoring another just 28 seconds later, setting a mark for the fastest two goals of his career. The Caps are now 24-0-2 in the AO's last 26 multi-goal outings.
Ovechkin and his new linemates Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison clicked, eh? Not that they need a nickname yet, but I'll throw "The Red Dawn Line" out there anyway, since they're a Russian and two Wolverines.
The Caps played 8:52 of the first period on the power play (including 56 seconds at 5-on-3), but managed just eight shots on goal and the one Semin tally with the two-man advantage. Part of the problem? They were just 3-for-11 (27%) in the faceoff circle on the power play. Another part of the problem? Not enough movement. To come out of that period tied (1-1) had to be somewhat disappointing - good on Boudreau and the team for keeping at it in the second.
The first period saw brilliant goaltending at both ends of the ice, as Evgeni Nabokov and Jose Theodore combined to stop 28 of 30 shots on goal. Unfortunately for Theodore, he was unable to continue after the intermission, having had Ryane Clowe fall awkwardly on him in a goal-mouth scrum (official word is "back spasms"). Unfortunately for Nabokov, he wasn't nearly as good in the final two periods as he was in the first.
Semyon Varlamov (remember him?) was perfect in relief of Theodore... on the stat sheet, at least. He made all 15 saves he was asked to make, but his rebound control left a bit to be desired, and his inability to catch a puck after Marleau blew by Brian Pothier on a rush could have been costly (but obviously was not). We'll chalk it up to rust and hope that this effort against a high-powered offense starts to bring back the confidence we all saw last spring.
For all the grief we sometimes give the men in the striped tops, we're happy to give credit where it's due, so kudos to Rob Martell and Justin St. Pierre for resisting the urge to cut short Caps' 5-on-3's or spend the rest of the night trying to even out what was a 5-0 first period advantage in power play opportunities for the Caps.
Eric Fehr got some early power play time, but I'm not sure he got any after his weak backchecking effort on the San Jose goal (and against the Sharks' fourth line, no less). Keith Aucoin's not blameless there either.
The Caps still have exactly one man (Matt Bradley) who is not a top-six forward or Mike Green who has scored a goal for them through seven games. That said, the fourth line generated some opportunities tonight, but the team's going to need more from the bottom six and the rest of the defense corps (which combined for three shots on goal tonight).

With tonight's win, the Caps close out a brutal first seven games of the season in which their opponents averaged 104 points in the standings in 2008-09, and head into what, on paper, should be an easier stretch. But, of course, games aren't played on paper...

Sharks Gameday: Hit The Road Jack

Mr. Plank — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:20 -0000

	@ 4:00 PST
3-2-1, 7 points		2-2-2, 6 points
7th in Western Conference		8th in Eastern Conference

Television	CSN-CA, NHLN-US
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	On Frozen Blog Japer's Rink

I've purposely held off on extrapolating from individual Sharks performances (until now at least) due to the fact that a) the season is young and b) the roster turnover from last season is bound to produce some varying results. However, with six games under the belt and a road trip looming, it's useful to take a look at the team at a large and see if there's some trends. And that's what we're going to do today.

Opening the docket is scoring occurrences through the first six games. Opponents goals are red, Sharks goals are blue; click to enlarge if you want to see the time stamps and periods those goals were scored in:

You can read this two ways- on one hand, the Sharks are struggling out of the gate, as they have given up the first goal in every single game except when they were in Anaheim. In fact, if you selectively throw that game out, they have only scored one first period goal. Not the best recipe when heading on the road- with the benefit of having the last change, opposing coaches will be able to match their best shutdown pairing against a Sharks team that is fairly top heavy in the scoring department (more on that later). Last season the Sharks went a phenomenal 36-6-4 when getting on the board first, dropping to 17-12-7 when giving up the first goal. They posted an 11-12-5 record when trailing after the first twenty minutes. For the sake of my mental health (along with those luscious standings points) it's essential these early trends don't continue.

The flip side to this argument is the fact that the Sharks have been able to score in bunches, and do so when trailing. A positive sign? Yes, of course. Sustainable in the long run? We'll see.

As I mentioned before, opposing coaches are going to be afforded the last change in the next six games, and you best believe they'll be throwing everything they have at the top line- there's no real need to extensively gameplan for line two considering Ryane Clowe is currently a grocery stick and Joe Pavelski is in the midst of recovering from a left leg injury sustained against Anaheim. To illustrate this point, here's the scoring totals for forwards (sans Pavelski*), split up between the top line and the rest of the team:

*The reason I did not include Pavelski was to raise a point- San Jose will likely be without his services for this entire road trip, and therefore will need to achieve results without his help.

Even Strength Scoring Totals

Line	Goals	Assists	Points	Plus/Minus
One	5	7	12	+3
Two-Four	5	3	8	-5

Power Play Scoring Totals

Line	Goals	Assists	Points	Plus/Minus
One	5	8	13	N/A
Two-Four	1	0	1	N/A

I do want to qualify these numbers a bit- initially I was going to provide scoring rates per 60 minutes of play as they help smooth over the effects of ice time. For example, line one (Heatley, Thornton, Setoguchi) see 10:41 of combined power play time per game, while the rest of the forwards log roughly 8:00- more time means more opportunities to bang the twine. However, it's early enough in the season where raw scores serve our purpose as those per 60 totals can make individual players seem better or worse than they actually are due to small sample size. The plan is to take a more illuminating look after the road trip's conclusion.

Back to the tables. Patrick Marleau has put secondary scoring on his back, accounting for 3 goals and one assist at even strength- a cool 50% of the point output from the bottom nine forwards. That's horrendous on a team-wide level. Ryane Clowe needs to wake up right now because between the top line facing shutdown pairings all night and Marleau's historical goal scoring streakiness, the Sharks are headed for some dire straits if he continues his post-contract ways. Get off the sideboards and in front of the net. A couple more non-factor games and you might be better off signing Simon Birch to play on that second line. Kid's got resilience, let me tell ya.

As for the rest of the forwards, I haven't been all too impressed. The three guys you're theoretically looking at to chip in (Ferriero, McGinn, maybe Malhotra) haven't made a resounding impact to say the least- McGinn has been going to the box too much, Ferriero cooled considerably during the three game homestand, and Malhotra is in limbo between the third and fourth line. Recent call-up Steven Zalewski posted a Shelley-esque 5:26 of ice time against Phoenix. There's not much left to turn to besides continuing to run the Worcester shuttle (an aspect of this road trip we touched upon earlier this month) and hope that someone manages to make an impact on the scoresheet. I don't really care whether it's due to a fear of being sent down, or comes off a converted opportunity after being called up- someone needs to put the puck in the net here. It was an issue at the end of last season, an issue that concerned me at the beginning of this season, and an issue now.

This isn't to say things can't improve- McGinn, while running into penalty trouble, has generated energy on the forecheck and produced some scoring chances. Malhotra, while disappointing thus far, is learning a system far different than the one he played in Columbus under Ken Hitchcock. Ferriero, while spending a heavy portion of his shifts in the defensive zone lately, showed a lot of promise early in the year.

The season's still young to be certain. However, with a six game road trip looming, it's time that forward depth began to kick things into gear.

Hell, pot a goal early and kill two birds with one stone.

Prediction: Sharks win 5-4. Goals by Clowe (x2), McGinn, Malhotra, and, oh what the hell, Shelley. Secondary scoring shoots superbly six subsequent sporting stints straight.

Go Sharks.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: San Jose Sharks

James Mirtle — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Adrian Wyld - AP

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Who's in: Dany Heatley, Manny Malhotra, Scott Nichol, Jed Ortmeyer
Who's out: Brian Boucher, Jonathan Cheechoo, Christian Ehrhoff, Marcel Goc, Mike Grier, Claude Lemieux, Brad Lukowich, Milan Michalek, Travis Moen, Tomas Plihal, Jeremy Roenick, Alexei Semenov

Outlook: Pressed flush against the salary cap all summer, the Sharks stood pat well into August, adding only checker Scott Nichol via free agency and locking up Rob Blake, Kent Huskins and Ryane Clowe on new contracts. Exiting stage left were really only minor parts, however, with Mike Grier and Travis Moen constituting the biggest losses in the early going.

GM Doug Wilson swung for the fences in September, however, landing sniper Dany Heatley in exchange for similar salaries in Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, and his presence up front gives Joe Thornton an elite trigger man. In order to ease the cap crunch, Wilson also dumped some major salary in a deal to Vancouver, shuttling out defencemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich for depth prospects.

A lot went right for San Jose last season, including the fact seven players topped 50 points, so much of coach Todd McLellan's challenge will be in simply getting his troops to perform up to the same level. This is a team down considerable depth throughout the lineup, and injuries to key performers could potentially be devastating given how top heavy this crew is. The signing of Manny Malhotra will help, especially defensively, but how players like Torrey Mitchell and Jamie McGinn fare in much larger roles will be a factor.

(Not having a veteran backup for Evgeni Nabokov could also come back to bite the Sharks, although that's a sacrifice more and more teams are making due to the salary cap.)

Ultimately, because of what's happening with the teams in the Pacific Division, however, San Jose is the easy favourite to again win the division and finish near the top of the Western Conference. Bringing in Heatley could be a home run if he pots 60 goals alongside Thornton, but his salary and recent history brings along with it some cause for concern.

Make no mistake, this is a good team — but one not without some warts.

X-factor: Joe Pavelski

For a more in-depth Sharks preview, visit Fear The Fin
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Sharks finish in the Western Conference this season?

1

163 votes

2

99 votes

3

38 votes

4

16 votes

5

8 votes

6

4 votes

7

0 votes

8

5 votes

9

1 votes

10

2 votes

11

1 votes

12

0 votes

13

0 votes

14

0 votes

15

12 votes

349 votes | Poll has closed

Will Dallas Stars be able to keep their young talent?

Brad G — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:17:53 -0000

A look beyond the upcoming season at Tom Hicks' financial troubles and the effects on the Dallas Stars in 2010-2011 and beyond.

When I look at the Stars forwards and ask myself where that warm, fuzzy feeling comes from I find, improbably, that the answer lies in the events of last season. Loui Eriksson, Steve Ott, and James Neal all made monumental leaps in 2008-2009. Though things fell apart in the end, the three of them were in large part responsible for bringing the team from 15th place to 5th place (for a time) last winter. If you add repeat performances from that trio to known quantities in Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow, and Brad Richards, you get the sense that this is a very dangerous group of players if they stay healthy. Not to mention Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, or any potential improvement from Fabian Brunnstrom. I'm excited just thinking about it.

But recently on Defending Big D, Brandon wrote the following:

Currently the company line is that the Stars are operating with a budget that is based on the revenue generated by the team. If this line holds true and we see about the same payroll next summer that we have now ($8-$10 million under the salary cap), then the Stars will have a tough time holding onto the talented young players currently on the team.

The good news is that aside from a tighter budget and lower operating costs, the Stars should not be affected much short term. But it's what could happen next year that has fans worried, and despite what officials say, perhaps they should be.

And I couldn't help but wonder how bad the situation really could be for 2010-2011.

There are only 5 teams in the NHL spending less money on payroll this year than the Dallas Stars, and the Sharks, Ducks and Kings are actually spending more. In spite of all of this, there is a great optimism about the upcoming season, and the Stars consider their team one that will contend for a playoff spot. So do I, for what it's worth.

The point is that the reason the Stars are so dangerous this year on a budget, is the same reason they could be just as anemic for many years to come: Their production is coming from players performing beyond their pay grade; players that will need deals soon.

Consider the following from last season:

Player	Age	Goals	Points	Base Salary
Loui Eriksson	24	36	63	$1.7 million
James Neal	21	24	37	$720k
Steve Ott	27	19	46	$1.5 million
Fabian Brunnstrom	24	17	29	$875k

These are FOUR of the Stars TOP FIVE goal scorers last year. Dallas got 96 goals and 79 assists for LESS than 5 million dollars. That's a steal. And while it may get even better this coming season, it is of course unsustainable.

Let's optimistically assume for the sake of this post that they'll spend another $45 million in actual payroll dollars next year. Here are the known contracts for 2010-2011, with Benn and Vishnevskiy thrown in for fun:

Player	Age	2010-2011 Salary (not cap hit)
Brad Richards	29	$7.8 million
Mike Ribeiro	29	$5 million
Brenden Morrow	30	$4.1 million
Brian Sutherby	27	$812,500
Jamie Benn	20	$755k
Trevor Daley	25	$2.5 million
Karlis Skrastins	34	$1.65 million
Mark Fistric	23	$1 million
Jeff Woywitka	25	$700k
Ivan Vishnevskiy	21	$765k
Sean Avery*	29	$2 million
Total:		$27.025 million

By my count they'd be in need of around 7 forwards, 2 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders for 17.92 million dollars. That's an average of 1.628 million per.

And you want to keep Loui Eriksson, right? And Steve Ott? Do you want to see Neal go? Nor do I.

How much is Loui Eriksson going to be looking for? Here are some other restricted free agents that signed this off-season to use as a jumping off point:

Players	Age	Goals	Points	Contract
Kris Versteeg	23	22	53	$3.1 million per from Chicago
David Krejci	23	22	73	$3.75 million per from Boston
Tuomo Ruutu	26	26	54	$3.8 million per from Carolina
David Booth	24	31	60	$4.25 million per from Florida
Ryane Clowe	26	22	52	$3.5 million per from San Jose

I see Loui (RFA) more likely to get a deal like that rather than say...Thomas Vanek (40 goals, 64 points, 25 years old, $8 million last year) or Anze Kopitar (27 goals, 66 points, 21 years old, $6 million last year).

The David Booth deal seems like a good blueprint. If you look at their career paths and stats, they match up almost exactly (Booth, Eriksson). But they gave Booth 6 years. Would you pay Loui $4.25 million? If he pots 40 next year, are you willing to go 5 million? There's no money for that, as things currently stand.

Don't Steve Ott's numbers last year match up pretty well with Ryan Clowe's? Is Steve Ott worth $3.5 million? Does he want to test that UFA market finally? I feel very strongly that the team cannot afford to lose Steve Ott any more than it can afford to lose Brenden Morrow. Plain and simple, the Stars play better hockey with Ott in the lineup. (They play better when his hand's broken and he can't fight, apparently as well). He is one of a kind.

What about James Neal? Mike Heika says Neal could be a replacement for Brenden Morrow or even more. What if he goes for 20+ goals again? Is he worth, say, 2 million on the open market? And with more ice time, Brunnstrom can push it over 20 goals, right? You start to see the problem. The numbers add up far too quickly, and we haven't even talked about the goaltending situation yet, and haven't mentioned the fact that they're likely losing Modano and Lehtinen in the process.

Adding up potential, extremely speculative numbers for Eriksson, Neal and Ott, filling in the rest of the roster with fodder and adding goaltenders, you start to see the 2010-2011 number rise to near $50 million. $5 million over our current budget of $45.

This is the situation in full below. Note that Eriksson, Neal, Brunnstrom, Niskanen and Grossman are all RFA's.

	2009-2010	2010-2011	2011-2012
FORWARDS
Brad Richards "	$7,800,000$7,800,000	$7,800,000$7,800,000	UFA
Mike Ribeiro "	$5,000,000$5,000,000	$5,000,000$5,000,000	$5,000,000$5,000,000
Brenden Morrow "	$4,100,000$4,100,000	$4,100,000$4,100,000	$4,100,000$4,100,000
Mike Modano "	$3,450,000$2,250,000	UFA
Jere Lehtinen "	+$1,000,000 $2,500,000$1,500,000	UFA
Fabian Brunnstrom "	+$1,350,000 $2,225,000 $875,000	RFA
Loui Eriksson "	$1,600,000$1,700,000	RFA
Steve Ott "	$1,425,000$1,500,000	UFA
James Neal "	+$45,000 $821,666 $720,000	RFA
Brian Sutherby "	$812,500$812,500	$812,500$812,500	UFA
Krys Barch "	$575,000$575,000	UFA
Toby Petersen "	$550,000$550,000	UFA
DEFENSEMEN
Trevor Daley "	$2,300,000$2,300,000	$2,300,000$2,500,000	UFA
Stephane Robidas "	$1,500,000$1,500,000	UFA
Karlis Skrastins "	$1,375,000$1,100,000	$1,375,000$1,650,000	UFA
Mark Fistric "	$1,000,000$750,000	$1,000,000$1,000,000	$1,000,000$1,250,000
Nicklas Grossman "	$975,000$1,050,000	RFA
Matt Niskanen "	+$45,000 $850,000$805,000	RFA
Jeff Woywitka "	$650,000$600,000	$650,000$700,000	UFA
Andrew Hutchinson "	$550,000$600,000	UFA
GOALTENDERS
Marty Turco "	$5,700,000$5,400,000	UFA
Alex Auld "	$1,000,000$1,000,000	UFA

Capgeek.com

If the Stars do tender all or some of those players offers, there could be draft picks as compensation if they lose them. This last off-season the compensation was as follows:

Contract Value	Compensation due
$863,156 or less	None
$863,156 - $1,307,811	3rd round pick
$1,307,811 - $2,615,623	2nd round pick
$2,615,623 - $3,923,434	1st and 3rd
$3,923,434 - $5,231,246	1st, 2nd and 3rd
$5,231,246 - $6,539,061	Two #1's, a 2nd and a 3rd
6,539,061 or more	Four first round picks

Meaning there's at least a chance that even if they are forced to let some of their young, home grown talent get away, they could get something in return and try the same trick twice: Rely on some youngsters to get it done on the cheap with the veterans you still have. But I'm no CBA expert. Don't quote me on any of that.

This might be the point in the conversation where Brad Richards contract should rear it's ugly head again(?) I don't want to re-open the Brad Richards trade talk that we slammed the door on the other day, but you can see why Tom Hicks would want to get rid of that contract if he could. (Again, he's got a no trade clause, and he's a great player. I don't want to trade him). Or you might care to pontificate on paying Sean Avery for the next couple of years? All told that's 10 million in payroll going to moves made by the previous regime.

What players would you make your top priority if you were Nieuwendyk?

Would you be willing to accept a rookie netminder next season to help keep these other talents?

I should point out that we don't know what the budget situation is going to be next year. It could get worse, it could get better. The Stars might host a few playoff games, Hicks may sell the Rangers, and Dallas might be back to spending like they used to. Who's to know? All I do know is that I'm glad I'm not Joe Nieuwendyk. These problems may seem far away to the fan merely looking forward to October 3rd, but they are very real and I'd be willing to bet they'll cause GM Joe a sleepless night or three.

Unless things fall just right for Hicks Sports Group and the Stars this year, Mike Modano may not be the only one to say goodbye at seasons end, and years of Les Jackson's hard work and scouting may disappear in the night.

Stargazing: Stars wait on Gustavsson, Zubov

Brad G — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:00:29 -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.

News from around the NHL crawled to a stand still over the holiday weekend, but the Stars still have a couple of big off-season question marks. The backup situation in goal is something they'd like to see resolved this week, and Sergei Zubov has a tough choice ahead for himself and his family depending on what offers come his way. We'll be here to talk Stars hockey with you all this week as Dallas attempts to round out the roster.

Fans of Toronto and Dallas continue to wait for Jonas Gustavsson. He continues to delay. Have we said all we can say about this yet?

Defending Big D on Gustavsson's situation yesterday.

The Morning News confirms the report from HockeyBuzz.com:

Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said he has no updates on the Jonas Gustavsson chase.

He said he's waiting for the call like everyone else.

Andy Strickland at Hockeybuzz has the story that Fabian Brunnstrom had dinner with Gustavsson on Saturday, and the Stars confirm that.

And so we wait.

Mike Heika reports that the Stars have canceled their usual summer prospect camp...

To cut costs, the Stars have eliminated their prospect camp this summer.

However, several key players will come in to do a week's worth of training starting Monday with strength and conditioning coach J.J. McQueen...

When asked, in light of the Stars cost cutting, where training camp is likely to be held, Mr. Heika said part of camp could possibly be held in Cedar Park at the Texas Stars new facility.

Mark Stepneski at Andrew's Stars Page offers thoughts on Skrastins, and points out that we have yet to hear from Fistric and the offer made by the Stars:

Adding Skrastins gives the Stars six NHL defensemen under contract and Mark Fistric, a restricted free agent, still to be signed. That would add to up seven, but I don’t think they stop there. That’s why they are still interested in Sergei Zubov. Of course his status is up in the air. There are reports he is getting interest from several teams. We’ll have to see how that plays out. If he’s healthy, Zubov can still be a very effective player and that’s why he is getting some attention from other teams.

...

The NY Post speculates that the New York Rangers might knock on Sergei Zubov's door:

...To that end, Sather is likely to check in on old buddy Sergei Zubov. Zubov will be 39 in three weeks, and is coming off a season in Dallas in which he played 10 games because of a hip injury that was repaired by surgery performed by the very same Dr. Marc Philippon who performed hip surgery on Gaborik.

Around the Pacific:

San Francisco Chronicle: Ryane Clowe re-signs with Sharks
Ryan Smyth is dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, says he's looking forward to playing with Kopitar and Brown. (Sportingnews.com)
Be sure to check out our friends at Battle of California for their entertaining, violent thoughts on Ryan Smyth in a Kings jersey.
Teemu Selanne says next season will be his last "without doubt" [Rotowire]

Around the NHL:

Rick Nash gets his extension done with the Blue Jackets, still needs that first playoff win. He's got lots of time of course; He's only 25.
ESPN.com: 20 players file for NHL Salary Arbitration
The Black Hawks may have missed the deadline for extending some qualifying offers [Chicago Tribune]
And the Canucks signed Mikael Samuelsson of Detroit Red Wing fame

Fuzzy Math... maybe?

Mr. Plank — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:05:55 -0000

This serves as a companion to this post- I'm trying to crunch the numbers right now, and needed to put it on ~~paper~~ the internet for the sake of my mental health.

Here's where we are starting off today, July 2nd:

5.3 M in cap space, six forwards and a backup goaltender need to be signed.

If we're assuming McGinn will crack the roster, that brings us to 4.3 (his cap hit is .997). When mentioning Boucher's departure, David Pollak of Working The Corners stated, "All that presumes, of course, [is] that the Sharks see Gustavsson or Thomas Greiss as their likely back-up this fall." [link]. For the sake of discussion, either goaltender's cap hit will be estimated at $.800 M.

$3.5 M in cap space, five forwards need to be signed.

Once Ryane Clowe's reported deal is cleared with league offices, I assume he will make somewhere in that range. Let's slot him at $3.0 M per year. [Plank Edit: Clowe re-signs for "north" $3.5 M per year- numbers in this post are updated under the assumption it is worth $3.5]

$0.0 M in cap space, four forwards need to be signed.

Not much to play with here, to say the very least. A list of potential trade prospects and their cap numbers:

Jonathan Cheechoo (3.0), Milan Michalek (4.3), Christian Ehrhoff (3.1), Brad Lukowich (1.57), Patrick Marleau (6.3), Douglas Murray (2.5), Evgeni Nabokov (5.38)

Let's engage in a rousing game of hypotheticals for a moment:

Cheechoo, Michalek, Ehrhoff, and Lukowich are moved. After those deals occur, the Sharks are left with roughly $11.97 M in cap room. In order to fill out the roster, San Jose must bring in six forwards and two defensemen. That is $1.5 M per player.
Nabokov, Cheechoo, and Lukowich are moved. After those deals occur, the Sharks are left with roughly $9.95 M in cap room. In order to fill out the roster, San Jose must bring in five forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender (presumably a starter). That is $1.42 M per player.
Marleau, Lukowich, and Michalek are moved. After those deals occur, the Sharks are left with roughly $12.17 M in cap room. In order to fill out the roster, San Jose must bring in six forwards and one defenseman. That is $1.74 M per player.

Essentially, what these numbers are saying is the available space is minimal at best, and therefore a) trade value of all of these players could decrease once opposing GM's realize the cap complications b) it may not matter because the Sharks must take less net salary in a deal to fill the roster and c) expecting a fair return (let alone an upgrade) in a trade is not a guarantee.

Furthermore, d) San Jose may be renamed Worcester next season with the influx of minor leaguers being called up e) our free agency targets are going to have to be in the sub 2.00 range and f) Nabokov and Marleau are definitely not off the table, regardless of whether or not it is in the best interest of the organization's on-ice product.

Other Notes: As mentioned before, Lukowich is where this needs to begin- you can't be paying above $1.5 M for a healthy scratch blueliner... Torrey Mitchell must be re-signed... 2008-2009 was the first season the organization spent to the salary cap maximum... Setoguchi, Pavelski, Marleau, and Nabokov will be free agents next offseason, with Seto and Pavs due for raises... the salary cap is predicted to drop for 2010-2011... We looked at the cap earlier this season, but may have underestimated it... grumble grumble...

We haven't hit critical mass just yet- San Jose is still a playoff team. However, expecting that at the end of this month we will have improved the roster from last year's version may be a bit of a pipe dream. Doug Wilson is going to have to get pretty creative for that to happen.

Here's to hope.

Go Sharks.

Flyers chasing Sharks LW Ryane Clowe

Travis Hughes — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:26:28 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Forward Ryane Clowe will be a restricted free agent on July 1.

Browse more photos »

The Flyers are making a run at Sharks winger Ryane Clowe, according to reports here at the draft in Montreal. Darren Dreger of TSN reported via Twitter that Philadelphia is one of four teams trying to acquire his rights before he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1. The other teams are the Los Angeles Kings, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks are also reportedly making attempts to re-sign Clowe.

Last night, Dreger reported that the Flyers had originally expressed their interest in Clowe, but that the Sharks had an asking price of either Claude Giroux or Scott Hartnell -- two players the Flyers are not interested in giving up. The parties are still talking, though, so the deal isn't broken. With four other teams in the running, however, the Flyers have a tough climb

Last offseason, Clowe re-signed with San Jose for one-year at $1.6 million. He will certainly garner a higher wage in his next contrac. After missing most of 2007/08 due to injury, Clowe played in 71 games this past season and scored 20 goals to go along with 30 assists.

2009 NHL Draft: Do You Trade For These Men?

Jonathan Willis — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:17:29 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

7 months ago: San Jose Sharks left wing Ryane Clowe (29) celebrates after a goal in the second period of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday, April 19, 2009, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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Darren Dreger’s been posting some interesting stuff about available players over at TSN, including players who might be of interest to the Oilers. Let’s look through his scenarios one at a time.

Let’s also ignore the stories about who Steve Tambellini is interested in. Imagine, for a moment, that YOU are the G.M. With that in mind, do you make these trades?

Rights to Jay Bouwmeester

The Florida Panthers are closing in on dealing star defenceman Jay Bouwmeester's negotiating rights. Five teams remain in the mix with the asking price just to talk to Bouwmeester, according to source, believed to be a third round draft pick.

I don’t make that deal. Leaving aside the fact that the Oilers have a legitimate defensive corps already, everything tells me that Bouwmeester is going to test the market; if this is right, then a team is dumping a 3rd round pick in exchange for nothing. I’d wait a week, and then make the call.

Ryane Clowe

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks are in discussions with a couple of teams, with Sharks forward Ryane Clowe the centre of trade talks. The Toronto Maple Leafs have shown interest, but aren't willing to part with their first round pick to close the deal, while the Philadelphia Flyers have also shown interest. However, San Jose is believed to have asked for either Claude Giroux, or Scott Hartnell...a price the Flyers aren't willing to pay.

Based on this, San Jose is either asking for a very high draft pick, a premium (and near-NHL ready) prospect, or a roster player. So, would you make the deal if the price were:

a) the 10th overall pick?

b) Jordan Eberle?

c) Patrick O’Sullivan?

Before deciding, I’d suggest reading Gregor’s take here. He quotes a Western Conference scout who pointed out that half of Clowe’s points came on the powerplay and that San Jose as one of the league’s best units – the implication being that Clowe was cashing in rather than driving the bus. I tend to agree, and he’s only a middling even-strength scorer. I’d definitely say "no" to option A and C, and possibly B as well.

RFA of the Day: Ryane Clowe

Mr. Plank — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:29:45 -0000

A perpetual classic

If you had to name one player on the San Jose Sharks who was "born to play hockey," Ryane Clowe is your man. Good height with a solid frame, pretty set of hands, a penchant for getting involved in post-whistle scrums, defends his teammates, fights to the front of the net, and wears his emotions on his sleeve. Truly a treat to watch*.

*Probably my favorite Clowe moment. Number 29 was a machine that series.

He's the type of player any GM in the league would love to have. Unfortunately for the Sharks, it's likely that will be the biggest roadblock Doug Wilson is going to face when attempting to re-sign Cloweverfield in two weeks.

But before we get into the contract side of things, let's revisit what he showed us during 2008-2009. In September I did a Sharks season preview article for The Pensblog. The piece detailed seven reasons to be excited about the upcoming year. Ryane Clowe was my second reason and here's what I had to say:

I'm convinced Detroit's success on the power play centers around Holmstrom's ability to mindf*** the goaltenders every time his rear is hanging ~~around~~ in the crease. As much as we hate the guy (don't think you guys are the only one who despise Detroit), his ass gets more press coverage than J-Lo's, and for good reason. He gives opposing netminders more breakdowns than Britney Spears.

Looking at the Sharks roster, there's no one else who can get in front of the net and disrupt the goaltender like Clowe. He was a big contributor in the first-round series against Calgary (4 goals, 4 assists) and established such a solid presence in the crease that it was difficult to fathom how the Sharks managed to post the league's second best record in the regular season without him. His skill set has lots of upsides- 6'2, 225 pounds, and good hands. Expect big things out of him this year, especially on the power play. A twenty five goal season is far from out of the question- in fact it might be a tad conservative.

The one concern with Clowe is his ability to stay healthy. He missed a majority of the regular season with a knee injury, and has never played a complete NHL season. If you're a member of MAAD you may have cause for concern as well- dude picked up a DUI when he was on the IR. But whatevs- do you like drinking? Hell, ya like drinkin', who da hell don't?

- We Bleed Teal's Half Assed Season Preview

If you look at his production throughout the year, a lot of what I had to say rang true. Although he didn't reach the 25 goal threshold I thought he would obtain, he came close with 22. Clowe was also dominate on the power play, tied for the team lead with 11 goals- exactly half of his goal scoring production. He didn't play a complete season, but 71 games isn't a travesty considering the physical edge he brings to the table night in night out.

However, and this is a tad concerning, the end of the year saw a change in the way Clowe was utilized on the ice. Regardless of whether it was a coaching strategy or a decision he made on his own accord, the fact of the matter is Clowe wasn't fighting to the front of the net as much as he used to. In fact, it seemed as if he decided to emulate 07-08 Joe Thornton on the power play, camping out on the sideboards and attempting to flutter centering passes to the crease. Instead of his big frame setting screens and cleaning up the garbage, Pavelski was slated into that role. Whether it was a product of his late season injury (his body wasn't able to sustain the punishment that comes with being in front of the net) or a decision by McLellan (which could have been made due to the injury), it's not a recipe for success moving forward. Ryane Clowe needs to set up shop in the crease for the Sharks to be successful, especially when on the power play.

Another minor liability is his skating. Clowe isn't the most agile of skaters, and when you add in the fact he assumed the role of a playmaker towards the end of the year, it makes you wonder just what is expected of him going forward. If Wilson and McLellan are looking to fit him into that role (a role I'm firmly opposed to), I don't think his proposed price tag is going to be worth it. If you can convince anyone Clowe has the ability to blow by an opposing player in the neutral zone, I suggest you become a politician.

Looking at the current roster, I can only name two players who have the potential to be consistently disruptive in front of the net- Joe Thornton and Ryane Clowe. Even mentioning Thornton is a question mark. McLellan tried to turn him into a hybrid power forward at the beginning of this season with spotty results. He has the size to do it, but behind the net protecting the puck is what made him an elite player. I like Pavelski's grittiness, but his that 5'11 frame isn't going to allow him to withstand a constant barrage of cross-checks over the course of an 82 game season. Cheechoo had some good battles with Pronger towards the end of the year and held his own, but his game is floating between the top of the circles and ripping one-timers. I would lump him in with Pavelski- 82 games of that role and you'll see a less effective player during the postseason.

For a team that needs a presence in front of the net, letting Clowe walk is going to open up a hole the current roster won't be able to fill. The rest of the team either isn't strong enough on their skates, big enough, have the hands to do what Clowe can do in the "dirty" areas. If the offense is going to run through shots from the point like it did last season, bodies need to be in front of the net. That's where Ryane Clowe is at his best.

Therefore, the big question is not whether Clowe is worthy of inclusion onto next year's team, but whether an opposing GM pulls a Kevin Lowe and extends an offer sheet. That question leads to another one- if an offer sheet is extended, how much can Wilson afford to dole out?

Since Clowe is an RFA, here is the compensation San Jose would receive if he signs with another team and the Sharks decide not to match.

*These are last year's figures- if the salary cap drops the numbers would drop, and if it rises then the numbers would rise. With most reports speculating the cap is going to be roughly the same, this should be a good estimate.

$836,156 or less: None

$863,156 - $1,307,812: 3rd Round Pick

$1,307,812 - $2,615,625: 2nd Round Pick

$2,615,623 - $3,923,437: 1st and 3rd Round Picks

$3,923,437 - $5,231,249: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Round Picks

$5,231,249 - $6,539,062: Two 1st's, a 2nd, and a 3rd Round Pick

$6,539,062+: Four 1st Round Picks

An offer sheet above $3.9 would be absolutely asinine in this economic climate, and I doubt anyone not named Glen Sather would throw that sort of dough around- you take the draft picks in that situation. Anything below $2.6 you match the offer sheet. It's between those two where Clowe's likely market value is going to be, and where things will likely get interesting.

Plank's Final Offer: Based on the team's needs, I'm throwing $2.9 M for three-four years at him before July 1st hits. Clowe took up until August to sign last offseason, so I may be running a bit of a risk by letting him test free agency. However, with the salary structure in San Jose the way it is, it's a move I'm forced to make. If he signs we're sitting pretty. If he doesn't, it depends on the offer sheet. I'm trusting that the economic climate, cap uncertainty, and heat Lowe took when he signed Penner will steer teams away from poaching Clowe. Assuming doomsday hits, around $3.5 M is going to be my tipping point for letting him walk. A first round pick would go a long way considering the Sharks don't have much in the coffers at the forward position, and the fact that San Jose has an inability to attract lucrative free agents. On the same token, Pavelski and Setoguchi will be easier to re-sign next offseason where they're due for some raises.

Go Sharks.

Poll

If you were Doug Wilson, how much do you re-sign Ryane Clowe for?

Let him walk regardless

5 votes

Under $1,999,999

17 votes

$2,000,000-$2,299,999

47 votes

$2,300,000-$2,599,999

52 votes

$2,600,000-$2,899,999

67 votes

$2,900,000-$3,199,999

83 votes

$3,200,000-$3,499,999

30 votes

$3,500,000-$3,899,999

10 votes

Above $3,900,000

7 votes

318 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - Ryane Clowe

Red Wings beat Sharks 2-1 in Shootout

Recap: Caps 4, Sharks 1

Sharks Gameday: Hit The Road Jack

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Television

CSN-CA, NHLN-US

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

On Frozen Blog Japer's Rink

Even Strength Scoring Totals

Power Play Scoring Totals

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: San Jose Sharks

Where will the Sharks finish in the Western Conference this season?

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Will Dallas Stars be able to keep their young talent?

Stargazing: Stars wait on Gustavsson, Zubov

Around the Pacific:

Around the NHL:

Fuzzy Math... maybe?

Flyers chasing Sharks LW Ryane Clowe

2009 NHL Draft: Do You Trade For These Men?

Rights to Jay Bouwmeester

Ryane Clowe

RFA of the Day: Ryane Clowe

If you were Doug Wilson, how much do you re-sign Ryane Clowe for?

Let him walk regardless

Under $1,999,999

$2,000,000-$2,299,999

$2,300,000-$2,599,999

$2,600,000-$2,899,999

$2,900,000-$3,199,999

$3,200,000-$3,499,999

$3,500,000-$3,899,999

Above $3,900,000