2025 NHL Draft: Lose a ton for Porter Martone

[JoeThorntonsRooster]

Let's say that Schaefer to SJ happens. Does the potential to have Schaefer, Dickinson, Muk down the left side mitigate some of the need to maybe seek out a true top pairing RHD given their scarcity and acquisition cost?

Could Schaefer's partner maybe be your 3rd or 4th best D-Man behind the other 2 LHD as opposed to needing to be top pairing caliber himself? Same goes for your 2nd pairing maybe being your 2nd and 5th best and 3rd pairing having your 4th best D-Man playing with your 6th best D-Man.

Mukhamadullin shouldn’t factor into these discussions at all at this point.

 

[dmcccdmn]

I hope:
-Sharks get more than 19 wins this year, even before deadline if possible.
-Sharks trade as many pieces away (all the ufa + Ferraro)
- They keep Celebrini happy behind the scenes and give him the lead next year
-Draft a stud and use pieces to acquire defencemen or overpay a solid defencemen in FA
-Be more aggressive with building a solid team for next year

If the Sharks win 19 games before the deadline, they're not getting a stud. We all want our team to win lots of games AND drafting studs, but the last few years of Doug Wilson should tell you that winning a bunch of games aren't getting you cups or studs.

Personally, I'm done with the Sharks being a mid-range team, not good enough to win the cup and not bad enough to get guys like Celebrini or Schaefer. If you appreciate having Celebrini in teal, you should be glad that we were the worst team last year.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I hope:
-Sharks get more than 19 wins this year, even before deadline if possible.
-Sharks trade as many pieces away (all the ufa + Ferraro)
- They keep Celebrini happy behind the scenes and give him the lead next year
-Draft a stud and use pieces to acquire defencemen or overpay a solid defencemen in FA
-Be more aggressive with building a solid team for next year

I wouldn't be surprised if most of your hopes work out. We're pacing to be ten points better than last season and we're about four points better than at this point last season. Not all that impressive since it's last but turning over a team of cap dump that was last overall to a better and younger last overall team at least firmly keeps them pointed in the right direction. As for the rentals, I don't expect our goalies to get moved and I'm not expecting Rutta to get moved but he could. I don't expect much from a Ceci move either (3rd rounder maybe). The forwards should at least get a midround pick except for Granlund who should get us a 2nd and another decent future asset. Give me a 2nd this year and a 3rd next year for Granlund, a 3rd and a 6th this year for Kunin, a 4th for Sturm, a 3rd next year for Ceci, a 6th for Rutta next year, and I'd be thrilled with the trade deadline. The draft is where we find out where we're headed in a lot of ways. If we end up drafting Schaefer, it's possible next year's blue line has both him and Dickinson on the left side. That would be an incredible upgrade on the long term viability of the team's defense. It would make at least one of Ferraro and Walman expendable. It would also make Cagnoni and Mukhamadullin expendable to move for a similar prospect on the right side or a center. If the draft ends up yielding Hagens or Misa then you have someone to anchor a line behind Celebrini that doesn't pressure Smith into being a cornerstone center type. Either way is a huge step forward for the team's future. Either way, going after an RHD (especially if New Jersey makes one available) is an important thing Grier needs to get done. They probably still suck next year as new blue liners figure out the NHL here but it could make 2026-27 a much safer playoff bet.

 

[Juxtaposer]

If the Sharks win 19 games before the deadline, they're not getting a stud. We all want our team to win lots of games AND drafting studs, but the last few years of Doug Wilson should tell you that winning a bunch of games aren't getting you cups or studs.

Personally, I'm done with the Sharks being a mid-range team, not good enough to win the cup and not bad enough to get guys like Celebrini or Schaefer. If you appreciate having Celebrini in teal, you should be glad that we were the worst team last year.

I understand your perspective for this year, but eventually you have to start winning games. You don't go from dead last to Cup contender in one season. Next season they have to take a significant step forward for the sake of the franchise.

 

[mogambomoroo]

If the Sharks win 19 games before the deadline, they're not getting a stud. We all want our team to win lots of games AND drafting studs, but the last few years of Doug Wilson should tell you that winning a bunch of games aren't getting you cups or studs.

Personally, I'm done with the Sharks being a mid-range team, not good enough to win the cup and not bad enough to get guys like Celebrini or Schaefer. If you appreciate having Celebrini in teal, you should be glad that we were the worst team last year.

I don't believe winning 5 more games between now and March 7th will ruin our chances at top 5 pick.
I'm very clear that we all want the best possible player out of the draft, but I'm on the team that wants to see Celebrini taking over games, Smith/Eklund taking over games and developing a different culture sooner. That way whoever we draft, trade for or get at free agency will come to a solid foundation.
Easier said than done, but this year I'm not going to be on team tanking, I'm on the team play your best, whoever we draft will be just in the right position for us.

 

[Barrie22]

Yes. I think if you have a true #1D as good as I think Schaefer will be, you don't need a top pairing level partner for them to have elite impact. Did Burns or Karlsson literally ever have a partner who was a legit top pairing guy? Not even close. Burns played with like, old Brad Stuart, late-stage Paul Martin, Joakim Ryan, Brendan Dillon, and still had elite on-ice impact. Just gotta find a guy with the right complementary skillset who can handle the minutes.

To be fair the best the sharks ever did was driven by a burns and vlasic pairing.

 

[Hodge]

To be fair the best the sharks ever did was driven by a burns and vlasic pairing.

Vlasic and Burns weren't partners for a single game of the 2016 run.

 

[Pavelski2112]

Vlasic and Burns weren't partners for a single game of the 2016 run.

Yea, the shutdown pairing was Vlasic-Braun and the 2nd pair was Martin-Burns

Vlasic-Burns didn't really click until 2019

 

[sharski]

last year's dumpster fire was clearly rock bottom for the rebuild
this year is light years better than last year but the team is still terrible
next year is when they'll start taking some teams by surprise like wtf is this sharks team beating VGK out of nowhere
year after that we'll be the trendy darkhorse playoff team pick
???
win the cup

 

[Lebanezer]

last year's dumpster fire was clearly rock bottom for the rebuild
this year is light years better than last year but the team is still terrible
next year is when they'll start taking some teams by surprise like wtf is this sharks team beating VGK out of nowhere
year after that we'll be the trendy darkhorse playoff team pick
???
win the cup

How many decades are represented by each question mark?

 

[coooldude]

How many decades are represented by each question mark?

If you follow the Devils rebuild, then the ???'s are at least one year per ?, and probably 2, for a 10 year rebuild.

 

[Timo Time]

Idk but a cheeky 20 game win streak and we're right in the thick of it this season

 

[Juxtaposer]

To be fair the best the sharks ever did was driven by a burns and vlasic pairing.

As others have said, they never paired Burns and Vlasic together when Vlasic as good. Splitting them up made sense not only from a role perspective but a chemistry perspective.

Anyways, back to the draft: EP's mid-season rankings came out and there are no big shockers. (1) Schaefer, (2) Hagens, (3) Misa, and (4) Martone make up the cohort of guys in competition for #1, but they don't truly think anyone but Hagens can snatch it from Schaefer. If McQueen comes back fully healthy and produces at an elite level, he could rise into the top-4. J. Smith, Eklund, and Bear round out a second tier. Things open up at #9 with a big tier into the early 20's which encapsulates the rest of the first round grades. Shallow first round, moderately decent second round as they see it.

Can ask me more specific questions if anyone has them.

 

[Barrie22]

Vlasic and Burns weren't partners for a single game of the 2016 run.

There was a run that they were paired together and both were pretty good together. At the time it was probably burns best defensive showing as a shark.

 

[anthonyyy]

As others have said, they never paired Burns and Vlasic together when Vlasic as good. Splitting them up made sense not only from a role perspective but a chemistry perspective.

Anyways, back to the draft: EP's mid-season rankings came out and there are no big shockers. (1) Schaefer, (2) Hagens, (3) Misa, and (4) Martone make up the cohort of guys in competition for #1, but they don't truly think anyone but Hagens can snatch it from Schaefer. If McQueen comes back fully healthy and produces at an elite level, he could rise into the top-4. J. Smith, Eklund, and Bear round out a second tier. Things open up at #9 with a big tier into the early 20's which encapsulates the rest of the first round grades. Shallow first round, moderately decent second round as they see it.

Can ask me more specific questions if anyone has them.

Any info on Cam Schmidt?

 

[Juxtaposer]

Any info on Cam Schmidt?

They have him at #10, but apparently his ranking was highly contentious. Some of the scouts really really like him and some are wary. The article does suggest that he's a top-10 talent that will probably last until the late first or early second.