The San Jose Sharks are on a serious skid, with four consecutive losses. Last night the club suffered a tough loss to a severely injured Minnesota Wild. Macklin Celebrini gave the team a glimmer of hope by tying the game 1-1, but the Wild were quick to shut down any thought of a comeback and won 4-1. Fans are understandably frustrated, especially with management. This is especially true when you consider one particular player who has mysteriously secured a spot in the lineup.
Ty Dellandrea is not an NHL player, full stop. With a WAR stat of 0, meaning there is not a single player worth taking out of the lineup for him, he cannot keep up with the speed and skill of the NHL. His skill, honestly, is more on par with either a lower-tier AHL player or a very skilled ECHL player. And yet he continues to get a spot in the Sharks’ lineup.
Out of 18 games played so far this season, we’ve seen Dellandrea 10 times. Every single time he has contributed absolutely nothing to the team, despite being given ample opportunity. For whatever reason, Head Coach, Ryan Warsofsky, insists on giving Dellandrea top-tier linemates. In spite of this, Dellandrea’s outstanding mediocrity continues with just a single assist in those 10 games played. Unsurprisingly, he’s a -5.
Last night was a frustrating game, especially with having to watch poor Ivar Stenberg playing with Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli. Stenberg has repeatedly been given the short-end of the stick in terms of linemates, for the most part, this season and last night was the worst case scenario…but that’s a whole other thing. The insistence on Dellandrea, who is about as effective as sending out a scarecrow on skates, is made all the more frustrating when you consider the availability of Filip Bystedt.
At the end of last season it was clear Bystedt was ready to make the jump from top-tier AHL player to full-time NHL player. However, to start the season he was sent to the AHL. This was no issue for him, and he started the season hot with 8 points (4G, 4A) in as many games. With injuries to the Sharks’ roster, it was finally Bystedt’s time to shine in the NHL…but we’ve only gotten to see him four times. Although he hasn’t gotten onto the scoresheet in those four appearances, he looked comfortable and confident. After his debut Warsofsky himself said it didn’t look like his first NHL game. Yet, he hasn’t been given much opportunity to prove himself. Last night he was sidelined for the sake of Dellandrea.
The Sharks are in panic/chaos mode, and it’s only 18 games into the season. Warsofsky has completely lost the locker room, with a players-only meeting being held after a 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings the previous game. Players and fans alike are frustrated, but as of right now there are no plans to make any staffing changes. For right now, all we can do is just hope the message gets through to finally see some change: this system is not working. However, I wouldn’t hold my breath as long as Ryan “No Accountability” Warsofsky is in charge.
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