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Dainius Zubrus A Steady Veteran For Sharks

By Bradley Phillipps

Jun 1, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Dainius Zubrus (9) warms up before playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in game two of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 1, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Dainius Zubrus (9) warms up before playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in game two of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dainius Zubrus’ time with Peter DeBoer in New Jersey came in handy as he provided depth during the past year in San Jose.

Player: Dainius Zubrus

Salary: $600,000

Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent

Games/Minutes Played: 50 games/523.04 minutes

Goals/Assists/Points: 2 goals/2 assists/4 points

Shots/60 minutes: 3.67

iFenwick/iCorsi %: 73.44%

The 2015-16 season turned into the most unlikeliest of years for Dainius Zubrus. After being bought out by the New Jersey Devils, some thought Zubrus was done in the NHL. But here we are, talking about how Zubrus barely missed another chance at a Stanley Cup Championship. How did he ever get a chance with the San Jose Sharks?

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It all started in ancient times when the Sharks employed players such as Mike Brown and Micheal Haley and then wondered why they couldn’t outscore the opposition. Meanwhile, Zubrus was so desperate to remain in the NHL that he settled for a try-out with the St. Louis Blues. There was something missing here.

So once the Sharks realized they were in danger of missing the playoffs again, they figured the best solution was to shore up their depth to at least make the playoffs. With the penalty-kill struggling and Pete DeBoer coaching Zubrus in New Jersey, the fit seemed ideal.

Due to these reasons, we were fans of the move and the acquisition worked as well. With a veteran on the bottom-lines, Zubrus was instrumental in boosting the development of players such as Chris Tierney and Melker Karlsson. He was the main reason why the Sharks were able to assemble a fourth-line deemed acceptable by Sharks fans.

Since having depth on both forward and defense is essential to making a run at the Stanley Cup, the versatility Zubrus provided the Sharks was enormous. He is one of the biggest reasons why the Sharks even made the Stanley Cup Finals in the first place. As a result, Zubrus might have another shot with an NHL team this offseason. Let’s hope that recency bias doesn’t affect his ability to earn a contract next year.

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As for if he is returning to the Sharks, I doubt that happens. The organization has many forwards entering their program next year. The Sharks even traded Dylan Sadowy for the amount of forwards set to make an impact with the San Jose Barracuda next year. Besides, I’m sure that Sharks fans would love to see what Barclay Goodrow could do with a solid year of development.

But with the success this experiment had, the Sharks would be wise to inquire about similar free-agents this summer.

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