Speculation: 2022-23 Sharks Roster Discussion Part 1

[themelkman]

How are guys feeling about Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo, Columbus etc. that is starting to go for the playoff push trade for Logan Couture?
I feel like he could be the clutch 2nd punch playoff performer for a team that makes it to playoffs, he has always been a very good in playoffs compared to regular season. His cap space is pretty large, but with little retention I could see it being a valuable asset. If Sharks don't retain, they can get picks and a bad contract back.

Cap room is insane right now. Bjorkstrand is a better playing making 5.5 and was given away.

Couture would take a premium asset to move IMO

 

[STL Shark]

Sasha is a favorite of mine but he was alright on a bad Sharks team. With the new players, he saw his ice time here vanish. Over there, he’ll play at the top level, I believe.

Yes, he was the first prospect for awhile after Meier/Labanc that people were able to get excited about after the end of the Burke drafting years filled with a ton of whiffs like Mueller, Goldobin, Rod, Schoenborn, Paquin-Boudreau, etc. all throughout the various rounds of each draft for a 5 or so year stretch (aside from the two mentioned above).

That said, if guys like Sasha were up to snuff, there would not be the need to go out and get the Sturm, Kunin, Lindblom, Lorentz, etc. guys of the world. That said, our bottom 6 has sucked since the WCF ended in 2019 (or a game before thanks to the headshots that iced the worst playoff lineup of all time for Game 6). These youngsters comprised a lot of those bottom 6's so I have no issue with them leaving or the organization replacing them with better established grown men players.

 

[Alaskanice]

Yes, he was the first prospect for awhile after Meier/Labanc that people were able to get excited about after the end of the Burke drafting years filled with a ton of whiffs like Mueller, Goldobin, Rod, Schoenborn, Paquin-Boudreau, etc. all throughout the various rounds of each draft for a 5 or so year stretch (aside from the two mentioned above).

That said, if guys like Sasha were up to snuff, there would not be the need to go out and get the Sturm, Kunin, Lindblom, Lorentz, etc. guys of the world. That said, our bottom 6 has sucked since the WCF ended in 2019 (or a game before thanks to the headshots that iced the worst playoff lineup of all time for Game 6). These youngsters comprised a lot of those bottom 6's so I have no issue with them leaving or the organization replacing them with better established grown men players.

Thanks for adding to what I said. Good points all around.

 

[LadyStanley]

Sheng's take

As they qualified Sasha, they retain his rights until he'd be UFA.

 

[Cas]

Very surprising destination, though it's not that surprising that he'd choose to sign overseas in hopes of a bigger role.

I'm still confident he can be a good fourth line player in the NHL, but he probably wasn't going to get much of a chance of that with the Sharks this year.

 

[Selachimorpha]

Cap room is insane right now. Bjorkstrand is a better playing making 5.5 and was given away.

Couture would take a premium asset to move IMO

So many teams so tight up against the cap right now. Wish we would/could take advantage of that.

For example, trade Barabanov/Bonino to Florida for Hornqvist + 2023 2nd + 2025 2nd. They don't seem to care much for picks . Removes a softer player from our team for a little #grit, helps save Florida 3 million against the cap, they get a player that can help now, we get a few extra picks.

Unfortunately, we're tight against the cap too. It'd help if we could move out one of the goalies and/or Labanc without giving anything up. That gives us a good amount of space that we could use for a decent pick.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

I guess when the DWJr. stans said that Chmelevski and Chekhovich were future stars they meant in the KHL.

Merkley’s next.

Who is Stan? Do you mean LS?

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Cap room is insane right now. Bjorkstrand is a better playing making 5.5 and was given away.

Couture would take a premium asset to move IMO

Bjorkstrand is a streaky winger who has 1 50 pt season in 5 full years. Couture had a bad season last year and still had a higher ppg from a more important position.

 

[STL Shark]

Bjorkstrand is a streaky winger who has 1 50 pt season in 5 full years. Couture had a bad season last year and still had a higher ppg from a more important position.

Yeah, Bjorkstrand is a fine player, but not some true top liner like some have tried to make him out to be. He's about like what we hoped that Labanc would turn into as an above average to solid 2nd line winger.

 

[Hobocop]

Very surprising destination, though it's not that surprising that he'd choose to sign overseas in hopes of a bigger role.

I'm still confident he can be a good fourth line player in the NHL, but he probably wasn't going to get much of a chance of that with the Sharks this year.

Yeah he'd done enough to earn a spot in the bottom six with his play at the end of last year, but the signings this offseason would've forced him back down to the Barracuda again most likely. Probably didn't want to head back down there again.

I wonder if Gregor's going to be headed down the same path soon.

 

[wraith985]

Yeah, Bjorkstrand is a fine player, but not some true top liner like some have tried to make him out to be. He's about like what we hoped that Labanc would turn into as an above average to solid 2nd line winger.

Yeah, he's a quality player that was basically given up for free. And had Mike Grier not signed stupid deals and squandered every cent of cap space he gained on the Burns deal on plugs, he might've been an above average 2nd line winger for the San Jose Sharks, instead of whoever of Kunin, Lorentz, or Sturm is going to magically fill that spot.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Yeah, he's a quality player that was basically given up for free. And had Mike Grier not signed stupid deals and squandered every cent of cap space he gained on the Burns deal on plugs, he might've been an above average 2nd line winger for the San Jose Sharks, instead of whoever of Kunin, Lorentz, or Sturm is going to magically fill that spot.

If they wanted Bjorkstrand, they could've made it work with the same sort of deal but it's also very possible that Bjorkstrand had the Sharks on his ten team no-trade list. It's not really worth worrying about if the goal is to find someone to build around. Bjorkstrand is a very good player but not that sort of player.

 

[Barrie22]

We still have 2 million dollars in cap spave with 13 forwards, 8 defensemen, 3 goalies signed and on the active roster.

2.6 mil if we carry 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, 3 goalies.

The sharks need to move 1 of the 3 goalies, which will then give us another 2.175 to 2.250 million.

We all know labanc should be traded also, but if that is possible nobody really knows.

 

[STL Shark]

Yeah, he's a quality player that was basically given up for free. And had Mike Grier not signed stupid deals and squandered every cent of cap space he gained on the Burns deal on plugs, he might've been an above average 2nd line winger for the San Jose Sharks, instead of whoever of Kunin, Lorentz, or Sturm is going to magically fill that spot.

While still icing an AHL team in the bottom 6 and locking in another expensive long-term contract. I'd love to be able to snap our fingers and all of the holes on the 2nd line, 2nd pairing, and bottom 6 all have been able to be filled this offseason. Due to the cap mess we're in though, the bottom 6 was the easiest to address.

Plus, the same people bemoaning the bottom 6 additions would have been the same people pissed off if Grier did nothing on UFA Day and Gaudreau didn't sign in Columbus and force them to have to make a move like this. Hindsight makes being a GM appear very easy, but nobody in the league thought Gaudreau was going to CBJ and then a guy like Bjorkstrand would become available for peanuts. Kudos to Seattle for not being like Vegas and getting rid of all of their cap flexibility and draft assets by Year 2 signing huge deals left and right.

 

[Alaskanice]

I did EA Hockey GM, doesn’t that qualify me?? Said in jest.

 

[Barrie22]

What big announcement is coming up at 11am?

 

[Alaskanice]

What big announcement is coming up at 11am?

Introducing David Quinn as head coach.

 

[LadyStanley]

Who is Stan? Do you mean LS?

"DWjr stan" -> "DWjr says"

 

[The Nemesis]

"DWjr stan" -> "DWjr says"

That's not what it means. a "stan" is a person who is a notably large/enthusiastic fan of someone, usually meant in a pejorative way like "apologist" or "bootlicker" or whatever.

That said, usage tends to overlap with similar words like people using "snowflake" unironically. Not in the sense that they represent the same political leanings or views, but rather that someone calling other people "stans" in an argument tends to say more about the person using the term than it does the group they're trying to discredit through said usage.

 

[The Nemesis]

Regarding Sasha, I'm surprised but not. Obviously he felt like he wasn't getting an opportunity with the Sharks this season and going to the KHL will give him a chance to play bigger minutes. And if it's a 1 year deal there's every chance that if he has a good year he can return as some of the short-term signings in the bottom 6 phase out.

I'm surprised he picked the KHL though. I don't want to go down the political road but Chmelevski's family is Ukrainian in origin. Seems a bit.... awkward to then go play in Russia given the current political climate.

 

[Hobocop]

 

[TheBeard]

Why would he?

 

[themelkman]

Regarding Sasha, I'm surprised but not. Obviously he felt like he wasn't getting an opportunity with the Sharks this season and going to the KHL will give him a chance to play bigger minutes. And if it's a 1 year deal there's every chance that if he has a good year he can return as some of the short-term signings in the bottom 6 phase out.

I'm surprised he picked the KHL though. I don't want to go down the political road but Chmelevski's family is Ukrainian in origin. Seems a bit.... awkward to then go play in Russia given the current political climate.

I tried to do some research on his parents becuase I was interested, can’t tell where exactly they are from but looks like he’s had Russian ties for a while. He’s also represented by Milstein who of course is the top Russian connected guy in agents.

Also interesting he has Jewish roots enough that he would qualify to become an Israeli citizen or play for them internationally.

 

[Alaskanice]

Didn’t say he wouldn’t trade him.

 

[Selachimorpha]

Kevin, meet doghouse. Doghouse, meet Kevin.

This is one of the more predictable outcomes of this coming year...