Speculation: 2023-24-25 Sharks Roster Discussion

[Grinner]

Food for thought:

Would you be in favor of a deal centered around Musty for Cozens?

Similar skill set and frame but Cozens being NHL ready for Mack or Big Willy. He's in year 2 of a year @ $7.1 per. Had a very productive 22-23 season but had dipped since. A move to wing with either of our boys could reignite his production.

What Buffalo gets is a mulligan and a local kid who could develop into an improvement over Cozens. Might need to include a sweetener or two.

Cozens reminded me a lot of Timo Meier. Only with worse hands. I doubt Buffalo would be looking for a prospect. Especially a winger. I'd make the trade. We need a guy who can play it line RW.

 

[Forlan]

Food for thought:

Would you be in favor of a deal centered around Musty for Cozens?

Similar skill set and frame but Cozens being NHL ready for Mack or Big Willy. He's in year 2 of a year @ $7.1 per. Had a very productive 22-23 season but had dipped since. A move to wing with either of our boys could reignite his production.

What Buffalo gets is a mulligan and a local kid who could develop into an improvement over Cozens. Might need to include a sweetener or two.

I doubt very much that Buffalo will go for it. They need ready-made top players like Ehlers, Rantanen

 

[Hodge]

Athletic did an article on potential trade targets for each team. They have Granlund as Dallas’ target and the projected price is a 2nd + 4th. Didn’t have a trade target for the Sharks, just that we would sign Ehlers as a FA haha.

Ehlers would be incredible. He averages around a point per game in 15 and a half minutes of ice time. Imagine his numbers if he was stapled to Mack's wing on the top line and PP unit.

 

[STL Shark]

Ehlers would be incredible. He averages around a point per game in 15 and a half minutes of ice time. Imagine his numbers if he was stapled to Mack's wing on the top line and PP unit.

Not sure he fits what we should be looking for on the wing in FA. While we obviously need help to get to the playoffs, Ehlers has been a total nothing for Winnipeg when the ice shrinks and the checking gets tougher at that time of year. Not that it should be the end all be all, but when it spans 5 different playoff years over his career, it can't be dismissed as nothing.

Paying top dollar for guys coming off career years that have consistently come up short in the postseason when the game gets tougher and tighter seems like a bad recipe. If he were going to sign something reasonable, he'd just stay in Winnipeg (which he's supposedly unwilling to do). Going to likely want a nice raise on the $6M he's getting right now and I'm not sure committing to an $8M AAV deal on that profile makes much sense.

 

[Jargon]

It genuinely sucks that Couture can’t be a part of this new up and coming Sharks team. A healthy Couture would be SUCH an asset right now and it’s such a bummer that he had to be stuck playing on some of our worst teams and likely won’t get to be part of the future. Always thought he had it in him to be a great vet 3C or transition to wing and have a Pavelski-like career…

 

[Zarzh]

Ehlers would be incredible. He averages around a point per game in 15 and a half minutes of ice time. Imagine his numbers if he was stapled to Mack's wing on the top line and PP unit.

He plays heavy O-Zone minutes so you wouldn't expect much of a bump.

 

[Star Platinum]

It genuinely sucks that Couture can’t be a part of this new up and coming Sharks team. A healthy Couture would be SUCH an asset right now and it’s such a bummer that he had to be stuck playing on some of our worst teams and likely won’t get to be part of the future. Always thought he had it in him to be a great vet 3C or transition to wing and have a Pavelski-like career…

They don't even pretend that he's coming back anymore

 

[Jargon]

They don't even pretend that he's coming back anymore

Yeah, I imagine he’s still trying but he has small kids and when he mentioned that at one point he couldn’t get out of bed, I have to imagine the motivation to push himself to get out there (and possibly cause himself even more harm) is fading. Unless there’s a miracle breakthrough I think he’s done, sadly.

 

[MackAttack71]

It genuinely sucks that Couture can’t be a part of this new up and coming Sharks team. A healthy Couture would be SUCH an asset right now and it’s such a bummer that he had to be stuck playing on some of our worst teams and likely won’t get to be part of the future. Always thought he had it in him to be a great vet 3C or transition to wing and have a Pavelski-like career…

Yeah you're right. But i think you can't have both. It's one or the other.
Because of Couture's injury we could pick Mack at 1OA.

 

[Jargon]

Yeah you're right. But i think you can't have both. It's one or the other.
Because of Couture's injury we could pick Mack at 1OA.

Sure, yeah, that’s possible. Would love for him to be able to come back and play with Mac/Smith though.

 

[TheBeard]

Yeah you're right. But i think you can't have both. It's one or the other.
Because of Couture's injury we could pick Mack at 1OA.

I don’t think he would have made that much of a difference.

 

[OverTheLine]

I might get skewered for this, but what would you guys think about offering something like Musty for Kakko? I personally think he’s been very mismanaged in New York and still has room to grow while being a solid possession player and excellent defensively.

EDIT: Hadn't actually read all the drama, wonder if we could get him for cheaper than that.

 

[Hodge]

I might get skewered for this, but what would you guys think about offering something like Musty for Kakko? I personally think he’s been very mismanaged in New York and still has room to grow while being a solid possession player and excellent defensively.

EDIT: Hadn't actually read all the drama, wonder if we could get him for cheaper than that.

His value right now is more like Mario Ferraro for Kakko

 

[Jargon]

I might get skewered for this, but what would you guys think about offering something like Musty for Kakko? I personally think he’s been very mismanaged in New York and still has room to grow while being a solid possession player and excellent defensively.

EDIT: Hadn't actually read all the drama, wonder if we could get him for cheaper than that.

I think Musty can still be a very, very good top 6 guy for us and while I don’t hate the idea of trading him but I’d rather do it as part of the package for a top 4 D.

 

[OverTheLine]

His value right now is more like Mario Ferraro for Kakko

Hi comments definitely put Drury in a tough spot, but I imagine a lot of teams are calling. He hasn't lived up to his draft position but he's a very good player for his current role and would be an upgrade at third line RW for a lot of teams in the league. I'm curious what the price ends up being if he does get moved.

I think Musty can still be a very, very good top 6 guy for us and while I don’t hate the idea of trading him but I’d rather do it as part of the package for a top 4 D.

Yeah, it might be unwise in that sense. We would be using a piece that could serve as something towards a stronger positional need ala the Coyle-for-Burns trade (not as though we have a Setoguchi to throw in there, though).

But I'm also starting to doubt with Musty though and there's an argument for the conservative move of getting value out of him while we know he has it. Obviously, could burn us if he turns out to be the stud he has the potential to be.

 

[Cas]

I might get skewered for this, but what would you guys think about offering something like Musty for Kakko? I personally think he’s been very mismanaged in New York and still has room to grow while being a solid possession player and excellent defensively.

EDIT: Hadn't actually read all the drama, wonder if we could get him for cheaper than that.

Kakko is a distressed asset and reclamation project. We might even be able to find other assets worth as much on the ice for lesser cost. I wouldn't expend anything with a decent shot at being an impact player for him - send them Grundstrom and a 5th or something, or else just pass.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

His value right now is more like Mario Ferraro for Kakko

They aren't going to want Ferraro unless they've already found a home for Lindgren. Kostin and a 3rd would be my offer and they can find better offers elsewhere I'm sure. Kakko is a solid two-way 3rd liner that maybe has more in him but not worth paying a lot to find out.

 

[Jargon]

Hi comments definitely put Drury in a tough spot, but I imagine a lot of teams are calling. He hasn't lived up to his draft position but he's a very good player for his current role and would be an upgrade at third line RW for a lot of teams in the league. I'm curious what the price ends up being if he does get moved.


Yeah, it might be unwise in that sense. We would be using a piece that could serve as something towards a stronger positional need ala the Coyle-for-Burns trade (not as though we have a Setoguchi to throw in there, though).

But I'm also starting to doubt with Musty though and there's an argument for the conservative move of getting value out of him while we know he has it. Obviously, could burn us if he turns out to be the stud he has the potential to be.

I think it’s a bad year for Musty but I don’t think there’s a reason to doubt him yet. Eklund had a terrible year after he was drafted and several posters were down on him. He may need some time to develop but he’s still an insanely talented prospect.

 

[timorous me]

I think it’s a bad year for Musty but I don’t think there’s a reason to doubt him yet. Eklund had a terrible year after he was drafted and several posters were down on him. He may need some time to develop but he’s still an insanely talented prospect.

Precisely. It's obviously an unfortunately shitty year for Musty's development, which isn't good (though it's primarily a product of bad luck/situation), but there's no reason to think he can't come back next year and continue on his path of development, even if it's stagnated this year.

 

[Barrie22]

Kakko would be a good fit with smith if they are not willing to give him top linemates. Defensively ok winger with some offensive ability.

Would be a drastic upgrade on his usual teammate that is for sure.

 

[timorous me]

Kakko would be a good fit with smith if they are not willing to give him top linemates. Defensively ok winger with some offensive ability.

Would be a drastic upgrade on his usual teammate that is for sure.

I would just worry that Kakko is a little too soft or peripheral to work well with Smith--or maybe even in general with this group the Sharks are developing. I like him, always have (and my wife's cousin, a teenager at the time, was even friends with Kakko's billet family's daughter his rookie year; they seemed to like him a lot but said he was basically always alone and depressed that year), but am just not sure about the fit.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I would just worry that Kakko is a little too soft or peripheral to work well with Smith--or maybe even in general with this group the Sharks are developing. I like him, always have (and my wife's cousin, a teenager at the time, was even friends with Kakko's billet family's daughter his rookie year; they seemed to like him a lot but said he was basically always alone and depressed that year), but am just not sure about the fit.

That's... really sad to be honest. Sounds like he needs Granlund.

 

[timorous me]

That's... really sad to be honest. Sounds like he needs Granlund.

Yeah, it always left me feeling a lot of empathy for Kakko, always rooting for him to do as well as possible. I imagine it's not a particularly unique situation for young guys like Kakko in that situation (new to the country, so young, and with such high expectations), but it's certainly something that's often overlooked by not just fans but also people in the industry, maybe even with that player's own team, and it would be nice if that keeps changing and getting better.

Oh, and I should add, I think it really does highlight some of the good things about what Grier is doing with the Sharks, the way he's mixing in respected veterans with young players, often players from the same country or who at least speak the same language, and in general just seem like good guys (like Granlund).

 

[Juxtaposer]

Yeah, it always left me feeling a lot of empathy for Kakko, always rooting for him to do as well as possible. I imagine it's not a particularly unique situation for young guys like Kakko in that situation (new to the country, so young, and with such high expectations), but it's certainly something that's often overlooked by not just fans but also people in the industry, maybe even with that player's own team, and it would be nice if that keeps changing and getting better.

My policy is that if you have a teenager in your lineup, they need a buddy. It can be a vet or a same-age friend (or preferably both) but it should be someone friendly and positive for them. This applies doubly for Europeans, especially if they don't speak English well. Not having a single other Finnish guy on the team was practically child abuse as far as I'm concerned.

 

[timorous me]

My policy is that if you have a teenager in your lineup, they need a buddy. It can be a vet or a same-age friend (or preferably both) but it should be someone friendly and positive for them. This applies doubly for Europeans, especially if they don't speak English well. Not having a single other Finnish guy on the team was practically child abuse as far as I'm concerned.

And then Kakko is living up in Westchester County (for anyone unfamiliar, basically a rich suburban area a good distance away from NYC or anything else interesting, and you're probably reliant on driving everywhere, so it's not a good place for anything social, which is how you end up basically just sitting around the house like a good boy).

The way the Sharks are doing things with Russians seems particularly good, but there are also all the Swedes...so even if they're in the suburbs, they have a community of sorts. There's so much stuff to think about that people usually didn't consider in the past. You have to think of people as human, though, and not just athlete robots, and then it does make sense.