Coach Discussion: Warsofsky

[Yummyshark]

Warsofsky is doing a solid job IMO - just compare the vibes and locker room in SJ to Chicago, night and day difference, and a lot of that is on the coach. This team also overachieved given what is an atrocious roster - Sharks have only 3 or 4 guys that would be second liners / second pair on any decent team this season (zero first liners / top pair) and the worst goalie tandem seen in decades. Meanwhile Chicago has overall better talent (Donato, Bedard, Pickles 2, Teravainen, Bertuzzi, Knight, Mikeyev, Nazar) and yet stand a very good chance of out-tanking the Sharks. This isn't even talking about the development of some of the young players too, which has seemed pretty good.

Who knows if he will translate when better talent arrives, but I'd be shocked if he were replaced this off season, even if "S-tier" candidates become available.

 

[matt trick]

I think we could hire Carle right now- San Jose is likely the most attractive option, with Chicago in the second position. However, I think Warsofsky has done an admirable job. With Blackwood, Granlund, Zetterlund, Ceci, and Walman the team was significantly better than last year, even if the record will finish with a modest improvement. More importantly Smith, Eklund, and Muk have all shown significant improvements. The vibes are good, and we'll be getting our third (or four) straight top 5 picks. His system (and clever acquisitions by Grier) allowed for Walman and Granlund to be converted into first round picks.

Other than Celebrini going from 1C to franchise C next year, and Askarov being league-average as a rookie, not sure how the team takes a big step. Hopefully we can add 3 long-term pieces in the summer (two top four dmen, one top 6 forward).

The way contracts are structured, I think next year will be another rebuild year with Wennberg, Ferraro, Liljigren, Thrun, Delly, and Grundstrom moved on, but I do think it'll be the last one. In such a scenario, I think the way to measure Warso's success is continued growth because we'll still be bottom 3 in talent. The following year will shift to a performance based analysis.