My Two Cents: Sharks Re-Sign Wingels, Hannan; Move-On with “Moneyball” Approach
San Jose Sharks center Tommy Wingels (57) Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Wingels Resigned- The big news this week for the Sharks was the resigning of restricted free agent forward Tommy Wingels, 26, to a new three-year deal. This is a good move by the Sharks for several reasons. Wingels is one of those players who only knows one way to play the game: extremely hard and all out on every shift. Wingels has been one of the best underrated players the Sharks have cultivated and is a true warrior. He was the first person to challenge Dustin Brown of the LA Kings after his knee to knee hit on Thomas Hertl last December. Brown wanted no part of Wingels whatsoever and refused to drop the gloves when challenged. Wingels not only went to bat for Hertl, he went to bat for every player on the Sharks roster. Wingels is a solid contributor on the ice. In 77 regular season games, Wingels had 16 goals and 22 assists. Seven of his 16 goals scored were game winners. Having played in all but five of the Sharks regular season games last season, Wingels has been one of the Sharks more reliable players.
Wingels overall has appeared on 157 games for the Sharks and has 60 career points. When he is on the ice he always takes notes of who the opponent is and often times will give or relay instructions to his teammates. Wingels has all the qualities of someone who can be a true leader on the ice as he has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. With the team Captaincy up for grabs this season, Wingels is at least a candidate for being either the team Captain or at the very least an Alternate. Wingels is someone who is not afraid to work hard and play harder. He is willing to do jobs for the Sharks that in the past were only done by players such as Owen Nolan, Ryane Clowe and Michael Ricci. Wingels is a complete package and is certainly worth every dollar the Sharks are paying him. He will be an asset Team Teal can count on to do whatever it takes. All of this makes Wingels one of those “right players” a team needs to be successful in the long run.