San Jose Sharks Close To Arena Extension
Feb 28, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; General view before game between the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks appear close to a new extension that will keep the Sharks at SAP Center.
Yesterday, John Tortora, San Jose’s Chief Operating Officer, followed up on owner Hasso Plattner’s sentiments from last week that the Sharks are working to finalize a new deal with the City of San Jose. Tortora said SAP Center is “the only place the Sharks have ever wanted to call home,” and it appears that an official agreement should be in place relatively soon.
Again, this news isn’t surprising after Plattner’s statement last week, but it does show the Sharks are committed to remaining in their current home. The SAP Center, or Shark Tank, has been the home of the Sharks since the 1993-94 season and is one of the best buildings in the league to watch a game.
Worcester Update
The Worcester Sharks began the Calder Cup Playoffs by hosting the Hershey Bears, the development affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The seventh-seeded Sharks dropped the first two games by 4-1 and 3-1 margins respectively.
The two teams will resume their series tomorrow night as Worcester will need to win three straight games against Hershey in order to advance in the playoffs.
There are nine players who played in San Jose at some point this season who are currently in the Worcester lineup for the playoffs including Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow, and Taylor Fedun, along with top prospect Nikolay Goldobin.
These young players would benefit from every playoff experience so it would help their development if Worcester could find a way to keep their playoff journey going.
Niemi Update
Antti Niemi has been the Sharks starting netminder for the past five seasons, but he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. According to a report from Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area, there have been “no serious discussions” between the Sharks and Niemi’s camp.
This doesn’t come as a surprise as it’s been suspected that San Jose will move on from Niemi and look for his replacement this summer. In 296 games with the Sharks, Niemi posted a 163-92-35 record with a 2.40 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage (Hockey-Reference).