Speculation: 2023-24-25 Sharks Roster Discussion

[gaucholoco3]

Listening to 32 thoughts it sounds like Dobson was only available for Miller or Petterson in a hockey trade. Now Lou could reconsider in the offseason if he doesn’t want to pay the $10 mil per year Dobson will ask for.

I think a trade for a D will happen after the lottery/draft. Knowing if they will get Schaefer is an important piece of information for the Sharks.

 

[TheBeard]

Listening to 32 thoughts it sounds like Dobson was only available for Miller or Petterson in a hockey trade. Now Lou could reconsider in the offseason if he doesn’t want to pay the $10 mil per year Dobson will ask for.

I think a trade for a D will happen after the lottery/draft. Knowing if they will get Schaefer is an important piece of information for the Sharks.

Schaf shouldn't stop the team from trying to continue beefing up the Blue Line and I will say he would make it more justifiable to obtain a offensive-heavy D-man like Dobson. If we don't like Schaf, I'd rather us go a different route.

Also, I keep looking at the Guenther extension, the AAV, when it was signed and his productive season to date, did Grier make a mistake not extending Eklund earlier??

 

[Cas]

Schaf shouldn't stop the team from trying to continue beefing up the Blue Line and I will say he would make it more justifiable to obtain a offensive-heavy D-man like Dobson. If we don't like Schaf, I'd rather us go a different route.

Also, I keep looking at the Guenther extension, the AAV, when it was signed and his productive season to date, did Grier make a mistake not extending Eklund earlier??

Eklund cannot be extended until this summer. It doesn't matter what Grier wanted to do.

 

[TheBeard]

Eklund cannot be extended until this summer. It doesn't matter what Grier wanted to do.

Ah, For some reason I thought his ELC was up end of this season.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Schaf shouldn't stop the team from trying to continue beefing up the Blue Line and I will say he would make it more justifiable to obtain a offensive-heavy D-man like Dobson. If we don't like Schaf, I'd rather us go a different route.

Also, I keep looking at the Guenther extension, the AAV, when it was signed and his productive season to date, did Grier make a mistake not extending Eklund earlier??

I think they need to upgrade their D regardless of if they can draft Schaefer, I just think it can influence the type of D (handedness or swing bigger or which D prospects are included).

While all of the top 4 will help the Sharks the process of building out the lineup is different if they draft Schaefer than any of the other 3 FWs.

 

[STL Shark]

Schaf shouldn't stop the team from trying to continue beefing up the Blue Line and I will say he would make it more justifiable to obtain a offensive-heavy D-man like Dobson. If we don't like Schaf, I'd rather us go a different route.

Also, I keep looking at the Guenther extension, the AAV, when it was signed and his productive season to date, did Grier make a mistake not extending Eklund earlier??

Schaefer affects the type of D-Man they should be targeting. Goes back to Dobson needing an uber physical partner to do the dirty work like Romanov has done for him. If your top 4 LHD project to be Schaefer/Dickinson, Dobson doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I'd rather find RH guys that are maybe a bit more physical and defensive minded to pair with them. Thinking in the mold of Larsson, Carlo, Cernak, etc. types that won't cost $10M a year and a crap load of assets to acquire.

To the Eklund extension, he literally isn't eligible to be extended until 7/1 this year. Only way around that would have been to not let his ELC slide in 2022-23, but he wasn't really NHL ready at that point.

 

[TheBeard]

Schaefer affects the type of D-Man they should be targeting. Goes back to Dobson needing an uber physical partner to do the dirty work like Romanov has done for him. If your top 4 LHD project to be Schaefer/Dickinson, Dobson doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I'd rather find RH guys that are maybe a bit more physical and defensive minded to pair with them. Thinking in the mold of Larsson, Carlo, Cernak, etc. types that won't cost $10M a year and a crap load of assets to acquire.

To the Eklund extension, he literally isn't eligible to be extended until 7/1 this year. Only way around that would have been to not let his ELC slide in 2022-23, but he wasn't really NHL ready at that point.

Pickings will be pretty slim at RD. I do wonder if Ottawa decides to re-try their build whether or not Zub would be available.

 

[Star Platinum]

I think they need to upgrade their D regardless of if they can draft Schaefer, I just think it can influence the type of D (handedness or swing bigger or which D prospects are included).

While all of the top 4 will help the Sharks the process of building out the lineup is different if they draft Schaefer than any of the other 3 FWs.

Regardless of what the Sharks do in the draft this year, they will need guys that can bridge the team for the next two years while the young guys cook. We can't be as incompetent on the blue line next year as they have been the last two years. Sharks need at least three defenseman upgrades in the top 4.

 

[LemonSauceD]

Curious, is Zetterlund part of the future core with him being 26 in August? Would love to have him on the Canucks. And what would you say his value is.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Curious, is Zetterlund part of the future core with him being 26 in August? Would love to have him on the Canucks. And what would you say his value is.

Probably not but he's extremely useful in helping to bring a new identity to the team moving forward. He's a middle-six winger that we can certainly use for now but would likely be made available for a top four defenseman at a similar age or maybe a Granlund-like replacement. I don't think I'd move him for a 1st round pick this year but I would consider it next year. I don't know what Vancouver has that would be appealing with this sort of ask but Zetterlund should be available if it can do something meaningful to make the team better now or in the future.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Curious, is Zetterlund part of the future core with him being 26 in August? Would love to have him on the Canucks. And what would you say his value is.

"Core" is probably pushing it, but we like him a lot and have no interest in trading him for anything resembling reasonable.

From Vancouver, I'm only listening if you make Willander available. Nothing else does anything for us.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Regardless of what the Sharks do in the draft this year, they will need guys that can bridge the team for the next two years while the young guys cook. We can't be as incompetent on the blue line next year as they have been the last two years. Sharks need at least three defenseman upgrades in the top 4.

I think if they added 2 top 4 D it could be a respectable blue line.

Walman - Ekblad/Pionk
Ferraro - Nemec
Muk/Thrun - Liljegren

This is respectable for a year until Dickinson and hopefully Schaefer can come in. If Muk shows he can be a top 4 D the rest of the season I would even trade Ferraro or Walman at the draft and run:

Walman - Ekblad/Pionk
Muk - Liljegren
Thrun - Nemec

Then with Dickinson and Schaefer joining the following year.

Schaefer - Ekblad/Pionk
Dickinson - Nemec
Muk - UFA/trade/Cagnoni

That is not a bad future blue line.

 

[Star Platinum]

I think if they added 2 top 4 D it could be a respectable blue line.

Walman - Ekblad/Pionk
Ferraro - Nemec
Muk/Thrun - Liljegren

This is respectable for a year until Dickinson and hopefully Schaefer can come in. If Muk shows he can be a top 4 D the rest of the season I would even trade Ferraro or Walman at the draft and run:

Walman - Ekblad/Pionk
Muk - Liljegren
Thrun - Nemec

Then with Dickinson and Schaefer joining the following year.

Schaefer - Ekblad/Pionk
Dickinson - Nemec
Muk - UFA/trade/Cagnoni

That is not a bad future blue line.

If Ferraro and Walman are still both in the Top 4 at the start of next season, Grier has failed the offseason

 

[JoeThorntonsRooster]

If Ferraro and Walman are still both in the Top 4 at the start of next season, Grier has failed the offseason

Walman is totally fine as a 2nd pairing guy.

 

[timorous me]

I tested positive for COVID today, and the worst part is that now I have no pretend to care about the four nations because it's the only hockey on. Any chance eklund or Celebrini get an injury call up or has that ship sailed

Hope you're doing better soon. I got it (for the first time!) last summer in the leadup to the draft, so I consumed a lot of content there and really started to pay attention to Dickinson for the first time--not because I thought he'd somehow end up with the Sharks. But because he did, now those two things will be intrinsically linked in my mind forever.

I can only hope for your sake that the Four Nations is entertaining and gives you something to remember positively from this, too!

 

[Cas]

If Ferraro and Walman are still both in the Top 4 at the start of next season, Grier has failed the offseason

Then he has already failed. One of the two will be in the top 4, at least.

 

[coooldude]

Walman is totally fine as a 2nd pairing guy.

Then he has already failed. One of the two will be in the top 4, at least.

To be fair, he said "if Walman AND Ferraro are in the top 4" implying that Walman is still playing top pair and Ferraro still 2nd pair in this bad scenario.

If Walman is our 2nd pair LD, we're doing great, or if "only" one of them is in the top 4, assuming the other was traded and we replace them.

But unless we see a massive upgrade on RD, if Walman and Ferraro are our 1LD and 2LD, then I agree with Star it's gonna be a rough 2026.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

If Ferraro and Walman are still both in the Top 4 at the start of next season, Grier has failed the offseason

I can't imagine a scenario where both are still here next season honestly.

 

[TheBeard]

I can't imagine a scenario where both are still here next season honestly.

They will be, but not sure either makes it past the deadline.

It’s not like there’s a ton of great options in free agency to replace em and the ones that are are gonna want more term than we should be giving.

 

[fasterthanlight]

Hope you're doing better soon. I got it (for the first time!) last summer in the leadup to the draft, so I consumed a lot of content there and really started to pay attention to Dickinson for the first time--not because I thought he'd somehow end up with the Sharks. But because he did, now those two things will be intrinsically linked in my mind forever.

I can only hope for your sake that the Four Nations is entertaining and gives you something to remember positively from this, too!

Thank you! I really appreciate it. And thank you for manifesting the Dickinson pick!

 

[Pinkfloyd]

They will be, but not sure either makes it past the deadline.

It’s not like there’s a ton of great options in free agency to replace em and the ones that are are gonna want more term than we should be giving.

I wouldn't put money on it. I think between the possibility of drafting Schaefer, the potential graduations of Dickinson and Mukhamadullin, and the likelihood that someone as effective as Ferraro can be had in free agency or in a trade would make it difficult to see Ferraro sticking around.

 

[gaucholoco3]

I just don’t see a realistic way to upgrade the left side without overpaying for a player that will end up blocking the multiple LD prospects.

For those who don’t want Walman and Ferraro to be in the top 4, who do you want? If it’s Thrun, Muk, Dickinson, Cagnoni, or Schaefer then I hate to break it to you that none of those players will be more effective than Walman and Ferraro.

Do you really want to pay the assets to acquire Byram when there are already Dickinson, Muk, and hopefully Schaefer?

For as bad as Walman and Ferraro are they are multiple levels above the current options the Sharks have on the right side.

I admit that the Sharks need to upgrade both LD and RD but unless they upgrade RD there is no reason to not just wait out the contracts of Ferraro and Walman until the prospects can take over.

 

[coooldude]

I just don’t see a realistic way to upgrade the left side without overpaying for a player that will end up blocking the multiple LD prospects.

For those who don’t want Walman and Ferraro to be in the top 4, who do you want? If it’s Thrun, Muk, Dickinson, Cagnoni, or Schaefer then I hate to break it to you that none of those players will be more effective than Walman and Ferraro.

Do you really want to pay the assets to acquire Byram when there are already Dickinson, Muk, and hopefully Schaefer?

For as bad as Walman and Ferraro are they are multiple levels above the current options the Sharks have on the right side.

I admit that the Sharks need to upgrade both LD and RD but unless they upgrade RD there is no reason to not just wait out the contracts of Ferraro and Walman until the prospects can take over.

If we get Schaefer (25% chanceish), then maybe you suffer one more year with Walman, Ferraro, Mukh, Thrun on the left side with Cagnoni getting occasional call ups when Old Man Vlasic doesn't feel like it. But that's still very rough unless we massively upgrade the right side. I don't think Dickinson will be ready next year, extremely happy if I'm wrong. And I don't see Mukh being a core or even middle pair piece of a playoff team, again hope he proves me wrong but it might take him to late 20s.

If you don't get Schaefer, then go try to get Byram because Dickinson is probably not our #1 for 5 years if ever, and we want to at least try to take steps. It's going to be a heavy lift for Grier this summer.

 

[gaucholoco3]

If we get Schaefer (25% chanceish), then maybe you suffer one more year with Walman, Ferraro, Mukh, Thrun on the left side with Cagnoni getting occasional call ups when Old Man Vlasic doesn't feel like it. But that's still very rough unless we massively upgrade the right side. I don't think Dickinson will be ready next year, extremely happy if I'm wrong. And I don't see Mukh being a core or even middle pair piece of a playoff team, again hope he proves me wrong but it might take him to late 20s.

If you don't get Schaefer, then go try to get Byram because Dickinson is probably not our #1 for 5 years if ever, and we want to at least try to take steps. It's going to be a heavy lift for Grier this summer.

If using assets to get Byram then who plays RD? If I had the choice I would use the assets for Nemec. Unless they can sign 2 top 4 RD (which is probably the most scarcely available position in the NHL). I just think it is unlikely that 2 top 4 RD would sign with the Sharks as UFAs. That is where acquiring one in a trade is more likely.

 

[Great Makohead Shork]

I don't think this is a decision we will ever need to worry about. Odds of landing Schaefer are 25% even if we finish last and odds of Cagnoni surviving in the NHL are probably even lower than that.

It may be closer to a 44% chance, if we finish last. GMs are notoriously risk averse. Misa's recent surge coupled with Schaefer's lack of games may be enough for some GMs to convince themselves to play it safe. I mean, a 6'1 Celebrini-lite? Should be pretty appetizing for a team like the Preds who've been starved for a #1 C since forever.

We're also fortunate that many of our basement-buddies are under pressure to improve quickly. Francis and Adams' seats are starting to get pretty toasty. And Trotz is Trotz.

So what if a bubble-team like Boston or the Rags jump us? Scaefer has missed so much developement time that they may think he's at least two to three years out from making an impact, whereas Misa could slot into their top 9 for a playoff run as soon as next season.

TLDR: Schaefer has the highest ceiling and I would sprint to the podium to draft him 1OA but some other teams may not feel the same. We just have to hope Misa and Hagens pop off in their playoffs.