Weighing the Sharks’ Recent Moves
By BHo
I know, I know. We don’t want another flipping post about the Sharks recent moves! Well… Here it is anyways. There are many reasons why I like the Sharks recent moves, but then again, there are also many reasons why I don’t. We all know, but hate to admit, what the Sharks really need. Defensive minded players. Just take this playoff series for example. The winners were the more defensive team with a defensively minded coach. You can’t win off of pure offense anymore. That era has gone by the wayside.
Signing Adam Burish to a 4 year deal for 7.2 million dollars:
There really isn’t much of a con in this deal really. He’s signed for about $1.8 million a year, which roughly translate to a third line center. He’s not a spectacular scorer, but that’s not expected of his role. He’s the guy you send out when things get rough and gritty, when there needs to be someone out there to chew up time without giving up a goal. I initially hated this trade, until I thought back a few years ago. Remember how we won back to back Western Conference Titles and even the Presidents Cup. There was one particular player that we sent out on the ice whenever we needed a physical presence, or a spark in the game play. That guy was Jody Shelley. Having a guy that isn’t afraid to drop the gloves for a team is huge. Every team needs a guy like that. The Sharks this year, didn’t have someone like that; the closest we got was Ryane Clowe, but we need him on the ice as a second line winger. So I have high hopes for Burish with the Sharks.
I’m sad to see him go, but he needs to have room to grow. Mitchell will forever be a 3rd or 4th liner with the Sharks due to his injuries and the overall depth we have. With Minnesota, he might get bumped up a little bit. There is no doubt that Mitchell will have a break out year this coming year. Why? He’s been the healthiest he’s ever been in his NHL career this past year, he will actually have an off-season where he can train and not worry about rehabbing, and he’s finally reached his physical peak at 27. What will Mitchell’s release bring? It will force talent to step up. There is no doubt that Mitchell was player of tremendous skill and speed, so someone else in the team now will have to play harder to make up for his departure. Perhaps Wingels or Desjardin will step up, the plus side is that they are a little bigger and a little stronger than Mitchell.
Resigning Alex Stalok:
This is a good move for the Sharks. He’s young, he’s talented, and he’s going to be a star. For some reason, 26-28 seems to be the time that most goal tenders break out. Niemi, Quick, Luongo, etc. The rare exception is Tim Thomas, he was an old fart by the time he made a name for himself. What does that mean? That means Thomas Greiss is going to go 61-1-2 this season with about 38 shut outs. Niemi is going to lose his job, and Stalok is going to back up for Jesus, I mean Thomas Greiss. But honestly, this could be Stalok’s year to play some games with the Sharks. He’s definitely a rising star that I am looking forward to see. Between Stalok and Tyson Sexsmith, we could have a great goalie one two punch in the years to come.
I am VERY skeptical of this move right now. Could it be a good move by the Sharks? Absolutely. Getting Stanley Cup winning defensiveman is never a bad thing. It has not gotten us a cup yet, but the moves aren’t bad moves. However, Brad Stuart’s prime is long over. He’s 32 years old now, which means, he only has another 16 years to go according to the Chelios mindset. But let’s be honest, he really only has a good 3-4 years of solid defense to go. I’ve always wanted to go younger. We need faster, younger, grittier defensemen. Stuart fits one of the of criteria, grit. The reason why this becomes a good trade is because we only had to give up Andrew Murray. Murray is a great player, but he does not fit into the Sharks very well unless we have a 5th line.
With that said, I am looking forward to this season and seeing what the Sharks can pull of with the new changes. We can only get better… Right? If not, good bye Todd McLellan.
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