Most important question this season
Rookie
Has the team improved?
Critics point to going from 2nd last to last place. However, I'm inclinced
to believe that given the choice, we'd all rather have the current team
than last year's.
Rookie
Rookie
Greg Lentz
On Tue, 01 Apr 1997 03:30:18 -0800, new toy
<new...@mail.earthlink.net> wrote:
: I would like to see the Sharks sign Derek King who is an unrestricted
:free agent. He is not a superstar but can score 30 goals a season and
:would make a good left wing with Friessen and Nolan. After that I have
:my fingers crossed hoping to get the first draft pick.
King has had a career year this year, mostly riding on the coattails
of Palffy and Smolinski. However, he has continued to do pretty
decently since going to the Whalers and does play left wing (we are
overloaded at RW). I'm a little leery of wings who get more than half
of their points on assists, but he'd be a solid 2nd line wing.
Whose spot is he going to take on the 1st/2nd line if we sign him?
Most of our guys don't have a lot of trade value, so it's either one
of the young guys back to Kentucky or a cut. Personally, I'd send
Donovan back to Kentucky, even at the risk of his not clearing waivers
if he's out of options. He can skate fast, but that's about it.
--
Greg Lentz
"A chicken is an egg's way of making more eggs."
new toy
Last week I heard the Sharks were 16 points better than they were at
the same point a year ago. So, although they have dropped to last place
over all in the NHL standings they picked up the equivilent of 8 wins
over the preceeding season. That improvement being inspite of an
incredible rash of injuries.
Friessen has rebounded from a poor season, Kozlov has improved, Guolla
looks like he can play some and even Nazarov looks like he might belong
in the NHL. Also the Sharks have Strum nad Zyuzin coming along. If
they sign Belfour the Sharks will be solid in goal for the next few
years.
new toy
Greg Lentz wrote:
>
> On Tue, 01 Apr 1997 03:30:18 -0800, new toy
> <new...@mail.earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> :free agent. He is not a superstar but can score 30 goals a season and
> :would make a good left wing with Friessen and Nolan. After that I have
> :my fingers crossed hoping to get the first draft pick.
>
> of Palffy and Smolinski. However, he has continued to do pretty
> decently since going to the Whalers and does play left wing (we are
> overloaded at RW). I'm a little leery of wings who get more than half
> of their points on assists, but he'd be a solid 2nd line wing.
>
> Whose spot is he going to take on the 1st/2nd line if we sign him?
> Most of our guys don't have a lot of trade value, so it's either one
> of the young guys back to Kentucky or a cut. Personally, I'd send
> Donovan back to Kentucky, even at the risk of his not clearing waivers
> if he's out of options. He can skate fast, but that's about it.
I wouldn't say King is a great player, but he is a good one, is fairly
young and is an unrestricted free agent. Finding a spot on the San Jose
roster would be easy, between Donovan, Wood, Sutter Ewen, Hunter someone
is expendable. Figuring out lines is a little difficult as Sims has
been shifting players' positions this year.
Just for fun I am going to assume the Sharks sign King and draft
Thornton (please indulge that fantasy). My forwards would be:
The top 9
Joe Thornton Owen Nolan Derek King
Jeff Friessen Tony Granato Victor Kozlov
Bernie Nichols Darren Turcotte Bob Errey
I know Turcotte has played wing in his career and if he could play Rw
for the Sharks it would help. Errey I am not sure if he will be back or
not or even if the Sharks might be better off with one of their younger
players instead
The remaining players would come from
Ron Sutter - experienced, plays well in spots
Dody Wood - minimal talent but will run through a wall
Todd Ewen - if his health and good and Sims is going to give him some
ice time he is the 4th right wing, if he isn't going to play they should
put someone else on the roster
Andrei Nazarov - If he would park himself in the opposing crease,
screen the goalie, occupy the defense, go for rebounds, crash the net
and knock off the foolish chippyness, he makes the team. We all know he
is big and rough, now we would like to see some scoring.
Ville Peltonen - if he shows he can put the puck in the net and can
play the other phase of the game at all, he could be another winger.
Perhaps he could play Rw.
Sean Donovan - looks talented to me but has to score more
Jim Morrow
new toy <new...@mail.earthlink.net> wrote:
>Greg Lentz wrote:
[big snip]
> Just for fun I am going to assume the Sharks sign King and draft
>Thornton (please indulge that fantasy). My forwards would be:
>
>
>The top 9
>
> Joe Thornton Owen Nolan Derek King
> Jeff Friessen Tony Granato Victor Kozlov
> Bernie Nichols Darren Turcotte Bob Errey
>
> I know Turcotte has played wing in his career and if he could play Rw
>for the Sharks it would help. Errey I am not sure if he will be back or
>not or even if the Sharks might be better off with one of their younger
>players instead
Given your assumptions but no King, my lines would be (listed as lw-c-rw):
Friesen-Thornton-Nolan
Nazarov-Kozlov-Korolyuk (I would rather sign Korolyuk than King)
Errey-Nicholls or Turcotte-Donovan
Granato (if resigned)-Turcotte or Nicholls-Ewen or Guolla
Thornton could begin the season on the fourth line with Nicholls and Turcotte having
bigger roles. Or if the Sharks don't get the first pick and Thornton, you put
Friesen at center and play anyone of Yegorov, Caloun, Guolla, etc. I wouldn't sign
King because the Sharks already have scads of OK forwards who could get ice time.
While King is better than any one of them, the difference is not so great as to
justify a big salary for him. One of the young guys could turn out to be just as
good as King. You will also want the space for Sturm after the Olympics.
> The remaining players would come from
>
> Ron Sutter - experienced, plays well in spots
Sutter will probably retire at the end of the season.
> Dody Wood - minimal talent but will run through a wall
Minimal talent is right; I am surprised Sims plays him as much as he does. I would
keep him as a fill-in player.
> Todd Ewen - if his health and good and Sims is going to give him some
>ice time he is the 4th right wing, if he isn't going to play they should
>put someone else on the roster
A big disappointment, our "nuclear missile" rusted in its silo.
> Andrei Nazarov - If he would park himself in the opposing crease,
>screen the goalie, occupy the defense, go for rebounds, crash the net
>and knock off the foolish chippyness, he makes the team. We all know he
>is big and rough, now we would like to see some scoring.
We are seeing some scoring out of Nazarov, and he should score more in the coming
years. He needs to do all the things you mention, and also learn how to find spots
where he can use his great wrist shot. That's why I would put him on a line with
Kozlov and Korolyuk; they could be very effective together. The big guys would
create space for Korolyuk, who could take some of the puck carrying burden off of
Kozlov.
> Ville Peltonen - if he shows he can put the puck in the net and can
>play the other phase of the game at all, he could be another winger.
>Perhaps he could play Rw.
I like Peltonen, but he can't seem to buy a goal. Does many little things well
though. I suspect he is headed back to Finland after this season.
> Sean Donovan - looks talented to me but has to score more
Donovan is an Errey clone, a fast, feisty forechecker. Will never score big but
could develop into a great checking line player and penalty killer. It is worth
resigning Errey just to have him tutor Donovan.
Jim Morrow
MarkHet
>Given your assumptions but no King, my lines would be (listed as
lw-c-rw):
>Friesen-Thornton-Nolan
>Nazarov-Kozlov-Korolyuk (I would rather sign Korolyuk than King)
>Errey-Nicholls or Turcotte-Donovan
>Granato (if resigned)-Turcotte or Nicholls-Ewen or Guolla
>
Thorton would be nice but...need some lottery day luck! Anyway, getting
Thorton I think I would try the following lines. I just have a need to see
if
some of these guys can play in the NHL.
Nolan-Thorton-Peltonen: Peltonen is a good all-round player. He finally
started
scoring at the end of the AHL season. I'd have him on this line to give
it some
semblance of defense and give him a chance to show some offensive
skills.
Kozlov-Friesen-Caloun: Caloun is second in the AHL in goals and has again
been at least a point a game player down there. The guy can score. Even
if
all he can do is score then you should be able to find a place for him.
VK
and Friesen can provide the skill. VK shows some defensive skills.
Nazarov-Nicholls-Guolla
Nazarov deserves a chance to play. Nicholls can provide the experience.
Guolla deserves a chance and gives some speed.
Errey-Turcotte-Donovan
The pest line. A line I would try to play it against the other teams
number
one-line. These guys, plus Friesen and Peltonen would be my penalty
killers as well. As Jim said, groom Donovan as an eventually Errey
type of player.
Power-play unit 1: Friesen-Nolan-Kozlov. Nolan in front.
Power-play unit 2: Nazarov-Caloun-Thorton. Nazarov in front.
This would be a four-line system at first. Got to find out who can/cannot
play in the NHL. Also, I don't subscribe to the notion that you really
need
the 'enforcer' type of line. Nazarov is there if need be and I'd sign
maybe
sign a forward that would be a healthy scratch unless needed against a
bruising team. Or get a tough 6-7th D-man. That's why I say good-bye to
Ewen, Hunter, Wood.
Now, if I had true faith in my blue line and goalie I'd be a little less
concerned
with a defensive presence on the top line and would go for:
Nolan-Thorton-Caloun - setup man with two possible snipers
Kozlov-Friesen-Nazarov - speed, skill, balanced scoring
Errey-Turcotte-Peltonen - a line I play against other top lines
Donovan-Nicholls-Guolla - not sure about this one...
As Peltonen/Caloun/Guolla show whether they can play or not I start to
move in Korolyuk/Yegorov. As Nicholls tires near the end of the year I
start to work in Sturm if he comes over then.
Actually, some of these questions should have been being answered at
the end of this year. Peltonen, Yegorov and Caloun should have been
given solid time for the last 10-15 games of the season.
Now if Thorton is not gotten then I might try something like:
Nolan-Friesen-Peltonen
Kozlov-Nicholls-Nazarov
Errey-Turcotte-Caloun
Granato-Guolla-Donovan
With thoughts of Sturm moving in to the second line when he arrives. Or
again,
if I have faith in my D-men I swap Peltonen and Caloun.
Tough to say. Some questions really need to be answered about the ability
of folks like Pentonen/Caloun/Korolyuk. Didn't do it this year so I'd do
it early
next year.
I might also see if Montreal is interested in Peltonen to reuinite with
Koivu at
all. Might try to trade him for a young, average D-man prospect.
I'd not sign a free agent forward this year. I would try to pick up a free
agent
D-man or two. (unrestricted types)
Jim Morrow
mar...@aol.com (MarkHet) wrote:
>>Given your assumptions but no King, my lines would be (listed as
>lw-c-rw):
>>Friesen-Thornton-Nolan
>>Nazarov-Kozlov-Korolyuk (I would rather sign Korolyuk than King)
>>Errey-Nicholls or Turcotte-Donovan
>>Granato (if resigned)-Turcotte or Nicholls-Ewen or Guolla
>>
>I also pass on any free agent forwards this year.
>
>Thorton would be nice but...need some lottery day luck! Anyway, getting
>Thorton I think I would try the following lines. I just have a need to see
>if
>some of these guys can play in the NHL.
As a general comment on your post, you are much higher on Caloun and Peltonen than I
am. I agree that both deserve a serious tryout, like 20 games not on the fourth
line, but I am not convinced that either can score consistently in the NHL.
>Nolan-Thorton-Peltonen: Peltonen is a good all-round player. He finally
>started
> scoring at the end of the AHL season. I'd have him on this line to give
>it some
> semblance of defense and give him a chance to show some offensive
>skills.
I cannot imagine putting Peltonen on the first line, and I like him. He could score
around 15-20 goals a season tops. I would put together Peltonen-Turcotte-Caloun
again as a third line myself.
>Kozlov-Friesen-Caloun: Caloun is second in the AHL in goals and has again
> been at least a point a game player down there. The guy can score. Even
>if
> all he can do is score then you should be able to find a place for him.
>VK
> and Friesen can provide the skill. VK shows some defensive skills.
Again I don't think Caloun really is good enough to play with top line talents like
Friesen and Kozlov. If the Sharks don't get Thornton, the top line should be
Friesen-Kozlov-Nolan next season simply because those three guys are the best
offensive players on the team.
>Nazarov-Nicholls-Guolla
> Nazarov deserves a chance to play. Nicholls can provide the experience.
> Guolla deserves a chance and gives some speed.
I prefer Nazarov with Kozlov if possible because they mesh and like each other.
This line could work out OK though.
>Errey-Turcotte-Donovan
> The pest line. A line I would try to play it against the other teams
>number
> one-line. These guys, plus Friesen and Peltonen would be my penalty
> killers as well. As Jim said, groom Donovan as an eventually Errey
> type of player.
>
>Power-play unit 1: Friesen-Nolan-Kozlov. Nolan in front.
>Power-play unit 2: Nazarov-Caloun-Thorton. Nazarov in front.
>
>This would be a four-line system at first. Got to find out who can/cannot
>play in the NHL. Also, I don't subscribe to the notion that you really
>need
>the 'enforcer' type of line. Nazarov is there if need be and I'd sign
>maybe
>sign a forward that would be a healthy scratch unless needed against a
>bruising team. Or get a tough 6-7th D-man. That's why I say good-bye to
>Ewen, Hunter, Wood.
Hunter will retire in any case. I can see keeping one enforcer, Ewen, if he does
the job and can play some. I would think that if McSorley is around, they have
plenty of fighters.
>Now, if I had true faith in my blue line and goalie I'd be a little less
>concerned
>with a defensive presence on the top line and would go for:
>
>Nolan-Thorton-Caloun - setup man with two possible snipers
>Kozlov-Friesen-Nazarov - speed, skill, balanced scoring
>Errey-Turcotte-Peltonen - a line I play against other top lines
>Donovan-Nicholls-Guolla - not sure about this one...
>
>
>As Peltonen/Caloun/Guolla show whether they can play or not I start to
>move in Korolyuk/Yegorov. As Nicholls tires near the end of the year I
>start to work in Sturm if he comes over then.
>
>Actually, some of these questions should have been being answered at
>the end of this year. Peltonen, Yegorov and Caloun should have been
>given solid time for the last 10-15 games of the season.
Amen. With all the injuries now, why aren't Caloun and Yegorov in Kentucky now? I
don't think any of these guys will prove to be NHL players, but they have shown
enough to get a serious chance.
>Now if Thorton is not gotten then I might try something like:
>
>Nolan-Friesen-Peltonen
>Kozlov-Nicholls-Nazarov
>Errey-Turcotte-Caloun
>Granato-Guolla-Donovan
>
>With thoughts of Sturm moving in to the second line when he arrives. Or
>again,
>if I have faith in my D-men I swap Peltonen and Caloun.
>
>Tough to say. Some questions really need to be answered about the ability
>of folks like Pentonen/Caloun/Korolyuk. Didn't do it this year so I'd do
>it early
>next year.
>
>I might also see if Montreal is interested in Peltonen to reuinite with
>Koivu at
>all. Might try to trade him for a young, average D-man prospect.
Except Houle and Trembley are as obsessed with size as Lombardi and Sims are. I
don't think they have an interest in another small forward.
>I'd not sign a free agent forward this year. I would try to pick up a free
>agent
>D-man or two. (unrestricted types)
Lombardi and Sims seem obsessed with size and toughness, which means small skill
guys like Peltonen, Caloun and Korolyuk won't get a chance. For some reason, they
don't like Yegorov; maybe because he showed up to camp out of shape. Great, we get
to watch more of Dody Wood instead of seeing if these guys could be 20-30 goal
scorers. It's moving me towards joining the ALF.
Jim Morrow
BurroLocoZ
>Given your assumptions but no King, my lines would be (listed as
lw-c-rw):
>Friesen-Thornton-Nolan
>Nazarov-Kozlov-Korolyuk (I would rather sign Korolyuk than King)
>Errey-Nicholls or Turcotte-Donovan
>Granato (if resigned)-Turcotte or Nicholls-Ewen or Guolla
>
I agree with the combinations of all those talented Russians the Sharks
have in their possession (in fact i have suggested it awhile ago on the
AOheLL message board). It is a perfect combination that has it all: puck
rushing, bruising, speed (from Korolyuk at least), passing, etc. Now if
Zyuzin comes over and proves to be the tremendously skilled player he is
expected to be and the Sharks make a deal for a good Russian defensive
defenseman (does one actually exist after Konstantinov) I think the Sharks
could have an all-Russian unit to rival that of the Redwing's former line.
I've also proposed the Friesen-Thorton-Nolan line as well. It actually
scares me to think what those guys could do together. Thorton calling
himself more a playmaker than a scorer, Nolan capable of 50+ goals a
season, and Friesen a potential 80+ pt man. That is the making of an
awesome (not to mention dominating) line provided the Sharks get the first
selection in this year draft.
new toy
Jim Morrow wrote:
>
> Lombardi and Sims seem obsessed with size and toughness, which means small skill
> guys like Peltonen, Caloun and Korolyuk won't get a chance. For some reason, they
> don't like Yegorov; maybe because he showed up to camp out of shape. Great, we get
> to watch more of Dody Wood instead of seeing if these guys could be 20-30 goal
> scorers. It's moving me towards joining the ALF.
>
I have a feeling Wood is on the team because the coaches feel he "busts
his butt" for them. That is not necessarily the best thing to do, but
one can make a reasonable case that it helps out a team as long as the
coach doesn't over do it with "talent challenged" but hard working
players.
I am also not totally sold that bringing in young players to a bad team
that is playing out their remaining games and going nowhere is
necessarily the best thing for their developement. I am not saying that
it isn't, just that it is not necessarily the best thing.
Fude Max Chuang
In article <3341D8...@mail.earthlink.net>,
new toy <new...@mail.earthlink.net> wrote:
>> : I would like to see the Sharks sign Derek King who is an unrestricted
>> :free agent. He is not a superstar but can score 30 goals a season and
>> King has had a career year this year, mostly riding on the coattails
> I wouldn't say King is a great player, but he is a good one, is fairly
>young and is an unrestricted free agent. Finding a spot on the San Jose
He'd be a fine 2nd liner on any team, but he's not exactly young. He'll
be 31 next season. How much would you want to pay an older winger who
won't be around by the time the team gets good?
Also I wouldn't call this year a career year. He's scored 30+ three times
so he's had good years before.
Basically, he'd be a good pickup, but not any kind of long-term answer
to anything. And does he want to go to a contender for a change? He's
played on rebuilding teams his whole career. Then again, maybe that
means he's used to it. :)
Max
--
==============================================================================
F. Max Chuang || "I pulled an allnighter!"
(ma...@csua.berkeley.edu) || "You studied all night?"
(fmc...@is5.nyu.edu) || "Oh, you're supposed to study?"