Speculation: Summer 2018 Roster Discussion Part III

[Gecklund]

But is it likely anything that crazy? Giving Ottawa too much credit here

No definitely not. If it was well shit Ottawa. But I could see it being 2-3 of those guys+multiple firsts

 

[Friday]

I agree. We have Kane and a (I hope) healthy Joe back. We have players like Hertl, Meier and even Sorenson who really came into their own. I’m excited by this team and I think doug’s gonna surprise us - now or sometime by the TDL.

Suomela might be thing as well, im excited to see if he can be anything like Donkey

 

[Pavelski2112]

Skinner has concussion issues anyways, that part is scary. Faulk is fun and I like him but he also might be worse than Burns on D. Maybe with Vlasic it would be a good fit though?

Pittsburgh proved that you don't need guys who can actually play D, you just need them to be able to skate and move the puck.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

The pool is so thin, makes you wonder how long DW and the Sharks can keep this up. I guess we find out in like 6 years when the core is still tied up and we have no where to go. Ryan Merkley could hit and become a star, maybe. At least hes someone fun to watch

I honestly don’t think the pool is that bad. I have high hopes for guys like Chekovich, Chmelevski, Balcers, Suomela, and Gambrell, and Ferraro. But when I talk about hanging onto assets, I’m also talking about hanging onto guys like LaBanc and Meier and putting them in the position to maximize their production and potentially increase their trade value.

I fully have my hopes all the way for Merkley to become a star and if he doesn’t I will be in complete shock and denial and be unable to handle it.

 

[Friday]

Pittsburgh proved that you don't need guys who can actually play D, you just need them to be able to skate and move the puck.

Oh I would happily take him

 

[Gilligans Island]

Skinner has concussion issues anyways, that part is scary. Faulk is fun and I like him but he also might be worse than Burns on D. Maybe with Vlasic it would be a good fit though?

Yeah - that's what interests me about Faulk. Vlasic-Braun doesn't have enough offensive production so I'd like to have someone like Faulk paired with Vlasic.

 

[Friday]

I honestly don’t think the pool is that bad. I have high hopes for guys like Chekovich, Chmelevski, Balcers, Suomela, and Gambrell, and Ferraro. But when I talk about hanging onto assets, I’m also talking about hanging onto guys like LaBanc and Meier and putting them in the position to maximize their production and potentially increase their trade value.

I fully have my hopes all the way for Merkley to become a star and if he doesn’t I will be in complete shock and denial and be unable to handle it.

Yeah, Im just getting jealous of other teams having players like Barzal. Our propects are steady but not exciting. I hope Balcers gets some mins this year, I really want to see what he does. A guy like Merkley who already could be the best offensive d-man prospect getting passed over is wonderful. Hope that puts a chip on his shoulder and he works his butt off. If teams didnt care about the attitude stuff and he went 5th overall or something you have to think hed bust just because he wouldn't work on himself. Its a perfect storm for us, work hard for the team that believes in you, beat the hell outta everyone else.

 

[Pavelski2112]

Would love Faulk on the Sharks, easy. Would be an excellent guy to have on the PP.

Burns, Faulk, Heed down the right is straight up hot.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

The more I think about it, the more I think that we should just stockpile our young assets and save cap space to acquire a franchise player later if we can’t do it now.

Half measures like Skinner+Faulk won’t put us over the top, but they could burn us down the road when we try to acquire a real difference maker.

I think Faulk would actually put this team over the top provided that Jumbo stays healthy this year. If he doesn't then nothing can put us over the top but I still think even a 39 year old Jumbo that is healthy is good enough if the other parts are there, healthy, and playing well. A big reason we lost to Vegas is not just Thornton's injury but whatever it was that Burns was dealing with. Faulk being there can account for Burns being less than his best.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I think Faulk would actually put this team over the top provided that Jumbo stays healthy this year. If he doesn't then nothing can put us over the top but I still think even a 39 year old Jumbo that is healthy is good enough if the other parts are there, healthy, and playing well. A big reason we lost to Vegas is not just Thornton's injury but whatever it was that Burns was dealing with. Faulk being there can account for Burns being less than his best.

Do you really expect a 39 year old Jumbo to perform at elite superstar #1C level, when he has not done so over the past two seasons?

 

[Juxtaposer]

Yeah - that's what interests me about Faulk. Vlasic-Braun doesn't have enough offensive production so I'd like to have someone like Faulk paired with Vlasic.

The problem is that Vlasic-Faulk having success is contingent on DeBoer not giving Vlasic the toughest defensive usage in the entire f***ing league. He absolutely buried Vlasic and Braun. If DeBoer is planning on easing up on Vlasic and giving his second and third pairings tougher assignments, then maybe Vlasic-Faulk could work. If not, they’ll crash and burn.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

Do you really expect a 39 year old Jumbo to perform at elite superstar #1C level, when he has not done so over the past two seasons?

He was on the way to likely scoring 20 goals and 60 points last season. I think he's got 50 to 60 in him this year considering when he started his rehab.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

He was on the way to likely scoring 20 goals and 60 points last season. I think he's got 50 to 60 in him this year considering when he started his rehab.

And 20 goals and 60 points is nowhere near elite superstar #1C level.

 

[Jargon]

I doubt Deboer will do this (at least to start) but I’d like the lines to be:

Kane - Pavelski - Donskoi
Hertl - Couture - Labanc
Meier - Joe - Sorenson
Karlsson - Tierney - Balcers

I think that gives us crazy depth down the middle - that Pavs line was great when everyone was healthy. Yeah, we don’t have a bonafide young superstar - but Couture, Joe and Pavs ARE stars and those lines can potentially provide a very balanced attack that’s hard to defend against.

My main issue is we lost Boedker and have no one to replace him with... yet. Not loving that Joe line.. but maybe Sorenson keeps on keeping on. Or Balcers blows up.

 

[Alwalys]

It's gonna be kane-thornton-pavelski and even if it's halfway decent it'll be a thing all season

 

[JeremyTB]

I doubt Deboer will do this (at least to start) but I’d like the lines to be:

Kane - Pavelski - Donskoi
Hertl - Couture - Labanc
Meier - Joe - Sorenson
Karlsson - Tierney - Balcers

I think that gives us crazy depth down the middle - that Pavs line was great when everyone was healthy. Yeah, we don’t have a bonafide young superstar - but Couture, Joe and Pavs ARE stars and those lines can potentially provide a very balanced attack that’s hard to defend against.

My main issue is we lost Boedker and have no one to replace him with... yet. Not loving that Joe line.. but maybe Sorenson keeps on keeping on. Or Balcers blows up.

This is why the Sharks should go after Skinner. Tierney, a draft pick, and a prospect for Skinner.

Kane Pavs Donskoi
Hertl Couture Skinner
Meier Jumbo Labanc

That's a pretty good top 3.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

And 20 goals and 60 points is nowhere near elite superstar #1C level.

So? With his possession game it's plenty good enough with the rest of this roster. Is there any real doubt that the sharks would have likely been in the SCF this year if Jumbo was healthy?

 

[Jargon]

It's gonna be kane-thornton-pavelski and even if it's halfway decent it'll be a thing all season

I only sort of agree. I think Deboer will stubbornly do this, but I think we all saw how good that line was and if anything, he doesn't mind going back to previous line combos that have worked for him before, I can see him doing that.

Alternatively, it can also be:

Meier - Pavelski - Skinner / Pacioretty
Hertl - Couture - Donskoi
Kane - Thornton - Labanc
Karlsson - Suomela [let's say we trade Tierney for one of the players above] - Sorenson

Those top 3 lines are basically elite 2nd lines or lower-tiered 1st lines. Without a superstar, we gotta kill them with depth.

 

[Juxtaposer]

So? With his possession game it's plenty good enough with the rest of this roster. Is there any real doubt that the sharks would have likely been in the SCF this year if Jumbo was healthy?

Um. Yes?? Adding Joe to last year’s roster does not guarantee that we’d have gone to the SCF, good lord.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

The Sharks had a really bad habit of slow starts to games last year. It bit them in the ass hard in the playoffs.

 

[do0glas]

Do we think kane, meier and couture are all 30g scorers this year?

Are hertl, tierney and donskoi all 15-20g scorers?

Can labanc score 50 to 60p thos year?

Can heed put up 40 to 45p

Can burns do 60 to 70p

Can jones do .925+?

Then we are a contender imo.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Do you really expect a 39 year old Jumbo to perform at elite superstar #1C level, when he has not done so over the past two seasons?

Given how Jumbo played from Thanksgiving until he got injured again, I have reason to believe that he can perform at that level again if he's healthy. He had 26 points in 27 games in that time that coincided with him looking healthy. That would be good enough if the other pieces are there. To be fair, it's asking a lot to expect all of Thornton, Pavelski, Couture, Hertl, Burns, Vlasic, and Jones to be healthy come playoff time. It's why they need to add as much quality depth as they can.

 

[do0glas]

Given how Jumbo played from Thanksgiving until he got injured again, I have reason to believe that he can perform at that level again if he's healthy. He had 26 points in 27 games in that time that coincided with him looking healthy. That would be good enough if the other pieces are there. To be fair, it's asking a lot to expect all of Thornton, Pavelski, Couture, Hertl, Burns, Vlasic, and Jones to be healthy come playoff time. It's why they need to add as much quality depth as they can.

If the staff views jumbo as a luxury and plans around that we will do well. If they rely on him, itll go poorly.

Soft match ups, pp time.

I really dont think we lack depth except maybe one scoring winger.

 

[STL Shark]

If the staff views jumbo as a luxury and plans around that we will do well. If they rely on him, itll go poorly.

Soft match ups, pp time.

I really dont think we lack depth except maybe one scoring winger.

I think the wingers are fine if you can add another center. Kane, Pavelski, Hertl, Labanc, Meier, and Donskoi are a very solid top 9 in terms of wingers. The issue with adding a scoring winger is it costs all of the assets needed to acquire a center.

It is always easier to find a 40-50 point winger to ride as the third option on a line than it is to find a 60-70 point center that can carry a line. There are guys in the system for the former while I’m not convinced there is anyone that can be acquired outside of a trade in the next five years for the latter. So if DW is going to move assets, go find a center because continuing to rely on Jumbo or even Pavelski (who isn’t a center at this point) to be a functional top 6 center is quite ignorant.

 

[Gecklund]

I'm still of the thought that we need to trade for Patches. He would be a fantastic fit on the Couture/Hertl line because all of three of those guys can pass and are threats to score and are good two way players. Also it knocks a player down and really solidifies our depth. Would it be nice to have a superstar elite guy? Of course. I just don't think we have the pieces.