Yeah I know, not even as good as the old Sharks right? People have talked long and hard about how tired they are of the Sharks gaudy regular season record, only to choke in the playoffs. I’m talking the ultimate choke, losing when up in a series 3-0. Well, I think the scars etched on Shark fans psyche from that series will remain for years to come, and the stink of rotten fish emanating from the Tank this year will only grow stronger. I’l try to articulate my gut feelings..
Look at the Pacific Division standings after 22 games and they tell you a lot. Look who’s back in the top tier? Vancouver. Ryan Miller and a new coach have them back on track and tough to play against. Anahymen is on top o the division but have sucked a lot lately. The Kings are right where they need to be in the regular season, barely over .500. Even Arizona is ahead of the San Jose right now. The Sharks, who got off to a great start have defined mediocrity since then. Lets look at their record against teams the rest of the league has no trouble beating: Buffalo 0-2, FLA 0-1-1, Columbus 0-2. That’s six losses against arguably the worst teams in the league. Home record 2-3-2, which I will call 2-5 at HOME! To say they ain’t gettin it done is an understatement. You call this a product? I wouldn’t pay 10 cents to see this team right now.
Since their last home WIN on 11/1, the Sharks are 3-7, stumbling to say the least. Doug Wilson decided that Jason Demers was one of the reasons for their atrocious record and shipped him off to Dallas for Brenden Dillon. Dillon had one point in 20 games for the Stars, who have arguably one of the worst blue lines in the league. So we get one of their worst D men? Demers on the other hand played on the PP, had 34 points last year and was often paired with Vlasic, making them a pretty good shutdown pair, er ex-pair. Waive bubeye to Adam Burrish also. Never could stay healthy and provided very little of anything positive in his two years here.
The Sharks offense, ranked 18th in the league is an atrocious mess. T Mac continues to juggle his lines more often than a woman with DDs on a stripper pole. The result? More and more disjointed play, with only a couple of guys with any consistency. Secondary scoring? Non existent. After the usual suspects Pavelski, Thornton and Couture, there is a huge drop off. Defense has remained fairly solid, although with predictable results: playing just well enough to lose by one goal or lose in a shootout. Notable from a defensive standpoint is Bret Burns, with 19 points and Minus 7! Vlasic and Justin Braun lead the team in +/- with 10 and 8 respectively. Niemi? 7-6-3 with a 2.58, mediocre just like the rest of the team
To sum it up, expect more of the same desultory play unless some roster changes are made. Or a new GM comes in to replace the embattled Doug Wilson. Todd McClellan is hanging by a thread, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say his players are trying to get him fired. Hey Shark fans, do you miss the good old days when they won 50 games or more every year? Get used to it and no I don’t miss Drew Remenda either…
For those of you who read to the end, here is this TT (tasty tidbit)
