While Winnik and Galiardi are decent
players they are only role players. They are not going to score goals
frequently. They are not going to amaze you on offense. They are not going to
be relied on to score that needed goal to tie a game with just a minute left.
They are not going to be the guys who will score important goals in the postseason
that advance the team to the next round.
Wilson needed to get a big time goal scorer and didn’t do it.
Now that the trade deadline has
passed without major moves, many things have to happen for the Sharks to turn
around their season. First of all, Antti Niemi and Thomas Greiss have to stop
giving up so many goals each game. As the goaltenders, they have the most
important job on the ice. They are the last line of defense. They can’t give up
soft goals. If they keep struggling like they are currently, the Sharks will
not get far in the playoffs if they’re lucky enough to reach that point.
Second, the Sharks need Douglas
Murray and Martin Havlat back. I believe the team is missing Murray right now.
His physical presence on the ice intimidates opposing offensive players which
makes Murray a great defender. It’s no coincidence that Murray has been injured
during the majority of the Sharks bad nine game road trip. That is why they
need him back to help the defense. Since the team didn’t acquire a big goal
scorer, they are going to have to rely on Havlat to score some goals. If Havlat
can go on an offensive tear, the offense in general will be where it is
expected to be. They also need Havlat to stay healthy for the rest of the
season. That means no more freak injuries.
Finally, the team needs to play
better on the penalty kill. History
shows that a team cannot win a lot of games if they are bad at penalty killing.
The Sharks need to improve on that. Winnik and Galiardi will help in this
department along with Dominic Moore, but the team’s defensive men also need to
pick up their game.
I don’t see all of these keys
happening for the Sharks. Everything has to go in place at the same time and
the schedule is getting closer to an end. Doug Wilson’s moves will help but
they don’t solve all of the teams needs.
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