Game Thread: Needle nose butterfly fish vs mallards

[Cbrower91]

jones in net, Marleau rumored to be on the trade block so Calgary cast off dman called up. The drakes are getting should be a good test

 

[sjrules99]

fugly 1st period. No surprise the wqay the ducks have refound their game and the sharks have sucked for a month. Not gunna get gifts from the quacks. Sharks are lucky they arent down 3-0 or worse. Jones has no fewer than 5 point blank grade A saves. Awful awful awful hockey as usual.

Marleau isnt gunna get traded. As much as I think that could revolutionize the team for the better, it's just not gunna happen to Mr. Shark. He is back to another -1 today and I have counted 4 or 5 flubbed plays from patty already.

the PP pressured, but 0-16 is 0-16. Im just waiting for the ducks to get a PP and the automatic goal against that would mean.

Dougie watching this has gotta recognize that the product on the ice wont cut it.

Good article on tortora comments: I love that he recognized now that maybe he should treat season ticket holders well.

lastly, the sharks in game guys are really pathetic as well. Sharkie does the same thing each game. the breaks are just basically ads and stupid ass things like musical chairs or a roofing puzzle. They should spring for something else interesting if the product on the ice sucks. Think cool ice skating hip hop performance or awesome bikes on ice flips or I dunno something fun like that. The energy level in the tank these days is zero, the place has empty sections, and the game is, frankly, boring. They have gotta spice up the whole experience of a sharks game if they want to bring guys in, because the team isnt gunna sell itself anymore, and future is not looking all too good.

 

[sjrules99]

watching this one makes one other thing painfully apparent: Other than burns, the D horribly blows offensively. I cannot count the dozens of opportunities when the D gets shots blocked, misplays it out of the zone, shoots well wide, or just dumps it down when a much stronger play was there. As I look it up, I realize that pickles' goal last game was the first goal by the D outside of burns this entire season in 13 games. hard to score 3 on 5. Another key area of weakness in a bevy.

 

[sjrules99]

0 for 4 more on the PP at home. Are they 0-20 yet? or worse? So, wins over carolina, florida, and colorado are all they have since the first 4 games of the year. 3-7 in the last 10. They havent beaten a real hockey team in nearly a month.

14 games is not a whole year, but I would say I think we can all read the writing on the wall and its loud and clear that the hot start was a fluke.

So, what does dougie do now?

his team is in a landslide. His coach is completely failing to stop the tide and is failing at all the key coachable pieces, namely PP and PK, both in the bottom 10 in the league, and the team is not ready to go from the opeining whistle and the consistency is totally absent. The youth is failing to a man as not a single one is looking good, so the future suddenly looks very ugly and the farm very thin. 13+M is tied up this year and next in 2 36 year olds clearly in decline as jumbo and patty have a combined 6 total goals, two less combined than joel ward and had just a combined 35 last year. Patty has 9 points in 14 games and a -2 and is on pace for another year of 50 points or so and double digit minus as he again amidst the worst on the team in +/-, and now isnt even performing on the PP. Dillon is a disaster and dougie just signed him to a 16+M deal. Jones looks fine, and played AWESOME in this game giving the sharks a chance, but the offense is nonexistant and the D is a really killing the O outside of burns. Basically, it's a total mess, with the exception of pavelski, ward, jones, and maybe burns.

Once again below .500 at home, and fans disappearing....

What is dougie gunna do??? is he finally gunna pull the trigger on jumbo or patty and shake the franchise to the core? Is he gunna try to tweak? is he gunna sit tight? I cannot imagine him simply allowing the team to slowly drift into oblivion, since I would say there is a legit chance that a missed PO this year means dougie's head. Dougie tends to act and act dramatically, but at what point does he finally pull the plug on the big two and just hand the keys elsewhere, and really give the next wave 100% responsibility.

The Flames did it with Iggy, and it allowed them to transform into a much more competitive team. They traded him midway through the 2012-13 season after 4 failed years. after one more bad year, they were in the PO's. They likely traded him a year late, and iggy (unlike patty or jumbo) was also a unanymously loved and unquestioned heart of the franchise. The sharks likely are holding onto them for 1 or 2 too many years. its time...

 

[MrFlyingV]

I thought they played ok, even Marleau. He had a lot of shots and some hits. Anaheim goalie kind of stole that one.

But the big picture:

Fans are taking a 2 year hiatus now. Everyone knows Thornton and Marleaus contracts don't end for 2 years so we are stuck in Groundhog Day (Year?) with this team. We all have seen this act for years. Exciting regular seasons, and a huge crash in the playoffs. Now not even an exciting regular season. We wised up. And with the Warriors and Giants here, we are spoiled. I stopped watching weeknight West Coast games now. Why stay up late watching this schlock and be tired at work the next day? Not worth it. The board is down to Rules and Korky now. Appathy is running rampant..even on the ice. Hopefully that rumor is true. Waive the NTC Patty. Do it for the good of the fans. We deserve it.

For me as a hockey fan since the mid 70's (Guy LaFleur still my all time favorite player) and Sharks fan from Day 1, my biggest pet peave from this franchise:

Why in their history, over 20 years, why have they not been able to find and draft and develop an elite defenseman and forward? I havent seen so many flops and talent fizzle in the history of any franchise. So many young players teased the fans and then dropped off the map quickly. The Sharks have had more Colin Kaepernicks than any franchise I have ever seen. It is weird and systematic here? 20+ years you think they could develop just one who had a lifespan longer than a shooting star.

 

[Cbrower91]

Melker is close to coming back so that should help, yeah lack of O from the D is hauntingly bad, though Vlasic has a couple of points

 

[sjrules99]

Melker is close to coming back so that should help, yeah lack of O from the D is hauntingly bad, though Vlasic has a couple of points

melker and cooch coming back in the next weeks will help, but I cannot imagine them revolutionizing the lineup. The D core has been back to full health now for a couple weeks and the results arent any better. Vlasic has one goal and a few assists, but that's it. Dillon is a black hole. Tennyson too. martin has just 2 assists on the year and braun just 3. No Dman is on pace for 30 points other than burns and the other 5/6 D have a total of one goal (pickles). That's also a mess.

There are so many areas that are a mess right now, that I cannot imagine melker or cooch fixing it. The PP, PK, D scoring, consistency, game starts, all of it is going south right now.

 

[Cbrower91]

melker and cooch coming back in the next weeks will help, but I cannot imagine them revolutionizing the lineup. The D core has been back to full health now for a couple weeks and the results arent any better. Vlasic has one goal and a few assists, but that's it. Dillon is a black hole. Tennyson too. martin has just 2 assists on the year and braun just 3. No Dman is on pace for 30 points other than burns and the other 5/6 D have a total of one goal (pickles). That's also a mess.

There are so many areas that are a mess right now, that I cannot imagine melker or cooch fixing it. The PP, PK, D scoring, consistency, game starts, all of it is going south right now.

Well Dougie Hamilton will probably be available lol since he's can albatross of a contract now. However Wideman might be a better option for either Tennyson or Dillion. I wonder if Ralphie plays again in teal because it's truly a different team with him in the line up

 

[sjrules99]

Well Dougie Hamilton will probably be available lol since he's can albatross of a contract now. However Wideman might be a better option for either Tennyson or Dillion. I wonder if Ralphie plays again in teal because it's truly a different team with him in the line up

yeah, jailbird raffi is a mysterious one. The honorable thing for dougie is cut ties. However, after the apology show, I wonder. hes a good player and makes a difference, but I dunno there...

I want hamilton, and I think its a risk worth taking. The sharks are tanking and aging. two ways it goes:

1. hamilton picks it up playing a 4/5 this year on SJ and on the PP. He can ply 20 mins of sheltered minutes with pickles and braun drawing the top opposition. Then as he gets older, he gets better and a year or two down the line, he merges as a bonafide top pairing and the Deal is amazing.

2. He continues to struggle and turns into a so-so middle/bottom pairing and the deal is a waste of money.

to me, the risk is worth it. Dillon is a total mess and getting rid of him is huge. he has a super low ceiling and is a waste of space, so any deal that gets rid of him is a winner. Also, getting rid patty in the deal gets rid of someone who is only worth keeping if you want to go for a cup right now. Well, they arent so trading him makes all the sense in the world.

the downside isnt that big but the upside is huge. hamilton is the right age for a team looking to the future, so to me, getting him just makes sense. calgary has lots youth in monahan, colborne, etc, so adding a guy like patty and a defensive specialist in dillon makes sense for them while getting rid of the big contract. its a win-win for both teams, so we'll see...

 

[Cbrower91]

Eh, I think Hamilton is on a bullet train downhill he's showing zero signs of improving and it's clear he misses riding shotgun with Chara.

That being said if he sharks can go .500 or close to it until
couture returns I say playoffs are happening

 

[sjrules99]

Eh, I think Hamilton is on a bullet train downhill he's showing zero signs of improving and it's clear he misses riding shotgun with Chara.

That being said if he sharks can go .500 or close to it until
couture returns I say playoffs are happening

No question that pairing with chara makes a nice difference as did having just a solid team overall. Who knows, but at 22, he is pretty young, so most guys of that age get better not worse. Who knows, but no question that he must be in play and I know dougie targeted him earlier this summer, so its definitely a real story line.

I cannot see PO's this year. I know I was leading the optimism charge, and I was really really optimistic, but I just see the systematic issues (no D depth, poor special teams, inconsistent performances, aging stars, etc) are still there. Deboer looks like he doesnt know what to do to turn it around, and he himself has a terrible record making the PO's in just 1 of 6 coaching years. Cooch helps, but the sharks havent beaten a 'real' team since game 3 of the year in washington. Maybe they can rediscover the first 3 games, but I am quickly losing confidence, and I just dont seem making it in the tough western conference.

 

[Cbrower91]

No question that pairing with chara makes a nice difference as did having just a solid team overall. Who knows, but at 22, he is pretty young, so most guys of that age get better not worse. Who knows, but no question that he must be in play and I know dougie targeted him earlier this summer, so its definitely a real story line.

I cannot see PO's this year. I know I was leading the optimism charge, and I was really really optimistic, but I just see the systematic issues (no D depth, poor special teams, inconsistent performances, aging stars, etc) are still there. Deboer looks like he doesnt know what to do to turn it around, and he himself has a terrible record making the PO's in just 1 of 6 coaching years. Cooch helps, but the sharks havent beaten a 'real' team since game 3 of the year in washington. Maybe they can rediscover the first 3 games, but I am quickly losing confidence, and I just dont seem making it in the tough western conference.

The D problem can still be addressed though via trade so it's still wait and see

 

[sjrules99]

The D problem can still be addressed though via trade so it's still wait and see

Sure, but no chance of a rental (or at least I hope not), and potential top pairing guys under 25 dont hit the trade market too often. I dont think it makes much sense for dougie to target another aging vet, so a guy like hamilton makes the most sense, and much more than a guy like wideman, who is approaching 33. if the sharks were in "win now" mode, then wideman might get the call, but they arent. They are in "rebuild while still competing mode" and in that phase you dont go after rentals, aging vets or 1-2 year guys, you go after sub 25, long term guys (like martin jones). The ward and martin signings were relatively low dollars and low risk vets not trades, so dougie didnt have to expend future assets. Trading patty (or jumbo) for a high quality defenseman fits in line exactly with what the sharks are looking to do.

Too early for many likely triggers to be pulled, but if they are still limping at the end of november, then I can't imagine dougie allowing last year to happen again but remaining inactive and keeping the big two in the face of failure and an obvious need to rebrand the franchise and recreate a new culture.

 

[sjrules99]

i should add...

Calgary is in "win now" mode. They need help with defensive D as they already have enough offense in giordano (48 pts last year), wideman (56 pts), TJ brodie (41 pts), and Russel (34 pts). they dont need a dougie hamilton type to add even more O. They dont need a PP captain. They need a more steady, stay home guy. They also need some more veteran goal scoring up front. They have monahan and colborne and johnny hockey. Frolik and backlund are 27 or younger as well. They have good young forwards, but need some more punch and could use a solid Vet in their top 6 beyond hudler.

Seems their needs match dillon and marleau to a T. They have a few Mil in cap space so the salary doesnt have to be exact.

The sharks need some young D as all of their top 4 are at least 28, and will be 29 by the end of the season with Burns and martin over 30. They also have no real top D in the system, with Roy as a possible exception and maybe brodzinsky. They need a young Dman who can play for a long time. They also could use to get younger on O as marleau, thornton, pavs and ward (the top 4 scorers) are all over 31.

I could see a final deal of Backlund+Hamilton for Dillon and marleau. the salaries end up within 1M of a wash. The sharks get a top 9 forward signed for 3 years (albeit not that great a forward for the money), and a potential top 4 D signed for 6 years, both 26 or younger. For the sharks, i dont know if this makes them much better now, but it does make the team younger, quicker, and better set up for the future than keeping patty and dillon for the same $$. Maybe dougie could even land a reasonable pick in the deal as well.

Such a deal seems like it would make sense for both teams given the current needs, and the "modes" that each is in.

 

[Cbrower91]

Calgarys possesions numbers where shit last season as well it's just a carry over, one of the biggest differences is their goaltending is shit now also. There's a book on Ramo and teams have figured it out