There is an
old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting different results. This offseason has shown the Sharks are clearly
insane. After losing to the Saint Louis Blues in the first round of the
playoffs last April, their quickest exit from postseason play, you would think
the Sharks would make some major changes in response to an embarrassing season.
The Sharks ownership group even made a public statement saying last season’s
postseason was unacceptable. With that statement you would think the Sharks
were committed to fixing this team. Instead, they have stood pat this
offseason, making only minor changes to the team.
The first big mistake was
keeping head coach Todd McLellan. That was the first sign that the Sharks
ownership group doesn’t care about improving this team. McLellan clearly lost
the respect of his players towards the end of last season. The penalty kill was
also terrible. Worst of all was that McLellan had the Sharks play a very
conservative style of hockey despite all the skill that was on the team. He had
them play that overrated dump and chase style of hockey where the player shoots
the puck into the zone and then skates over to retrieve it near the goal.
Problem was the Sharks never seem to succeed in retrieving the puck before the
other team did. Yet McLellan still had them playing that style of hockey. It
was the reason they could not score many goals in the playoffs. Instead of
McLellan being held responsible for the team’s failures, his assistant coaches
took the fall and a few of the assistants were fired. While that is a good
start, the buck stops with McLellan. He runs the coaching staff. He should get
the ax but he didn’t.
The next big mistake was not
trading a lot of the current players on the roster. Patrick Marleau should have
been gone in a heartbeat but instead is still on the team. I know he has a no
trade clause but I am sure the Sharks could have found a way to get Marleau to
waive it, especially if the Sharks made his life miserable. They also didn’t
trade Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, despite the fact that during the postseason, he was
pushed around by opposing forwards with ease.
He is so small in size and weak in terms of physical play, you wonder
why he gets so much praise. The Sharks then were dumb enough to give Vlasic a
five year contract extension that will keep him with the team for six more
years. That’s just what this team needs for six more years, a defender who gets
pushed around like a rag doll. The only good thing the Sharks did in terms of
getting rid of players was letting Torrey Mitchell sign with another team.
However, most of the other players who were on the Sharks last season are
coming back and that makes me want to puke.
The final big mistake was not
adding many new players to the Sharks. Sure, they brought back Brad Stuart and
he will be a decent addition to the defense. However, he is not a difference
maker and he is getting older. The only other big signing the Sharks made was
signing Adam Burish but he is nothing more than a fourth line player. He isn’t
going to score many goals and he isn’t going to be a big difference maker to
the team. However, the team felt the need to give a player like this a four
year contract. Talk about a waste of
money for a marginal player.
I said earlier in the offseason
that the Sharks needed to make big changes if they were going to be a contender
for the Stanley Cup again. It appears that the Sharks won’t be a contender this
year. They have stood quietly as other teams went and improved their rosters
through free agency and trades. The Sharks are satisfied just keeping last
year’s team together for one more year. If this same team couldn’t win a single
playoff series last season, what makes the Sharks think they could do better
next season let alone win the Stanley Cup. Expect the Sharks to be more of the
same next year. The Sharks have truly gone insane.
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