When Doug Wilson announced the John Scott signing in July, it seemed clear what his plan for this team was. When Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau refused to be moved, everything got a bit more hazy. Now we’re left to look for some logic in this signing that made a lot more sense for a team that claimed to be rebuilding.
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I won’t spend any time knocking John Scott’s lack of skill on the ice, he knows what he’s here for, and so does everyone else. However for those interested in seeing one of his rare offensive moments, take a look at this video of him scoring his first goal as a Sabre against Jonathan Bernier and the Maple Leafs. Who knows maybe he’ll pot a lucky one in San Jose when he’s in the lineup, I know I’d enjoy seeing the big guy put one home.
Now personally, I think Doug Wilson probably watched “Goon” a few too many times this offseason. Maybe he’s expecting big John Scott to come in and show everyone how to play team first hockey Doug Glatt style. Maybe all of a sudden it’ll “wake up” our star players who coincidentally were also stripped of their captaincies. The more I look at it, it seems like Doug Wilson stole this plan straight from Hollywood.
More realistically, John Scott is the type of player we’ll have in the lineup against a team with guys like Matt Cooke. If the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs were an indication of what to expect from Stephane Quintal in terms of suspensions, then we may see John Scott in the lineup more than we’d like to. Matt Cooke taking out Tyson Barrie’s knee and getting only 7 games allowing him to return later in the postseason was egregious, especially when one looks at the many questionable hits he’s thrown even as a “rehabilitated” player. Think of John Scott as Doug Wilson’s added insurance policy for the young players that will be brought up this year if the league continues to be lax with suspensions for dirty hits.
All in all I wouldn’t expect to see John Scott in the lineup too much this year. Especially not with Mike Brown on the team. However when Scott does play, fans can expect to see some high intensity brawls with him on the ice, but not much more. It’s been awhile since the Sharks had a real heavyweight enforcer, but they’ve done alright without one in that time. However, it could provide an added spark to a team that could use one at times.