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Is The Window Closing For The Chicago Blackhawks?

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FanRag’s Carolyn Wilke outlines a few questions Chicago may have as they catch their breath following a head-spinning offseason. One such question Wilke revolves around general manager Stan Bowman who vowed changes following the Hawks’ four game sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators. She points out that Bowman has been made to be the architect of the modern day dynasty, but trading away first round picks may be burning the Hawks. To be fair, Bowman’s deal with Arizona in 2015 to acquire Antoine Vermette netted a Stanley Cup–while yielding a first round pick.

But the past two exits, Wilke writes, may cast some doubt on Bowman’s abilities should they get bounced early again. The depth pieces he’s drafted or signed have not provided the help they need to sustain contender status. While Bowman has done a masterful job of keeping the team together, it’s often overlooked that a lot of the heavy lifting, and drafting was done by his predecessor, Dale Tallon, who was unceremoniously dumped in 2009. Worse, it’s well known that Bowman, and not Tallon, might have been more responsible for the qualifying offer deadline fiasco that ultimately cost Tallon his job.

To be sure, Tallon made his fair share of mistakes that didn’t help his case. But Bowman, who has offered some  questionable contracts that have gummed up the cap situation, is facing what is most likely his most telling season since taking over as GM. From a purely numerical standpoint, it doesn’t look promising.

Mar 14, 2017; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks forward <a rel=

The Athletic’s Sean Tierney uses quantitative analysis to measure how Bowman did in his trades this offseason. Though they got younger and cheaper, Tierney uses Goals Above Replacement to illustrate just how much talent and production Chicago lost in the trade. When measuring the current roster versus its previous one, Tierney finds that there’s a steep drop off in production. Though Brandon Saad rises to the top of the GAR list,

The more startling metrics, using a model created by Dom Galamini. reveal that the Hawks playoff probability pre-trade (sans Marian Hossa) was 49%  Following Bowman’s moves, it dips to 37%.

Is this to say the Blackhawks are doomed? Hardly.

But what it does show is just how difficult it is to win in the National Hockey League. Bowman has done a good enough job with the cap, and yet, like every other general manager, has struggled with a few deals that have come back to haunt him. The Brent Seabrook deal immediately comes to mind.

His tightrope act following the 2010 Stanley Cup championship allowed the Hawks to keep key parts, and astutely pick new talent to fill it.  Saad was one of those pieces, selected in the 2011 draft.

So is the window really closing?  Numbers can’t certainly predict everything, especially since the metrics used to predict playoff probability didn’t include some players that may see time. Phenom Alex DeBrincat falls into that category, especially if his goal scoring prowess from juniors carries over to the pros. He may not score buckets of goals, but consistent contribution is what the Hawks need for the future, especially as the core ages.

Last year’s team was tops in the Western Conference, winning 50 games and potting 109 points. It’s hardly time to write their epitaph.

But there certainly are signs that their dominance won’t be what it once was.

Blues Youth Movement Is Already Here

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When you think about the St. Louis Blues team, youth isn’t necessarily the first word that comes up. While the team is hardly old, the Blues roster is full of veteran players like Paul Statstny, Alexander Steen, Jay Bouwmeester and Patrik Berglund. They also have a group of players entering their prime now, names such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and the recently acquired Brayden Schenn, who they traded their first-round pick for.

The point is that no one thinks of the Blues as a young team, yet Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that surprisingly, St. Louis may have as many as nine or even 10 players who are 24 years old or younger on next year’s roster next. Somehow, it seems that the Blues are developing a lot of young players despite their veteran success in the NHL. Rutherford suggests that Robby Fabbri, Oskar Sundqvist, Ivan Barbashev, Zachary Sanford and Dmitrij Jaskin all could find themselves in the Blues forward rotation plans in various ways, while youngsters Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko, Jordan Schmaltz and Petteri Lindbohm all have a chance to crack the lineup on defense. And that doesn’t include 2017 first-round pick Klim Kostin, who just recently signed his entry-level contract.

Fabbri, a 2014 first-round pick, has already established himself as a quality prospect. He opened his rookie year two years ago with an 18-goal season. While the 21-year-old is coming off a torn ACL injury he sustained in February, he still put up 11 goals in 51 games last year and could be a top candidate to take over at center next year while Bergeron sits out due to shoulder surgery until December. Jaskin has been with the Blues for a while now. The 2011 second-rounder has been in and out of the lineup for four seasons now. The 24-year-old wing played in 51 games last year and finished with 11 points. He must make the next step if he wants to hold off other youngsters coming up. Barbashev could be one of those players. He was drafted in the second round after Fabbri, got into 30 games for the Blues a year ago and showed promise, producing five goals and 12 points and at 21, may be ready for an increased role.

The team has also been very prudent, trading the occasional veteran for prospects.Several of their young players came over via trade. Sundqvist, traded to St. Louis from Pittsburgh a few weeks ago in the Ryan Reaves trade, hopes to carve out a regular role with the Blues. He’s only played in 28 NHL games, but had a hard time breaking into the lineup. He did score 20 goals with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL last year. Sanford, a second-rounder from 2013, was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline in the Kevin Shattenkirk deal, and could work his way onto the roster. Sanford played 39 games in his rookie season after coming to the NHL from Boston College. He put up just eight points, but did get into four playoff games for the Blues.

On defense, the 24-year-old Edmundson has already established himself as a solid defensive presence after two solid seasons in a row. The former 2011 second-rounder played 67 games in 2015-16 and put up three goals and 12 assists in 69 games this past season. Parayko, 24, also has put together two solid seasons on defense as the third-rounder of 2012 put up four goals and 31 assists last year. Both have worked their way through the system and have paid off. Schmaltz, 23, is right on their heels. The former 2012 first-rounder got into nine games this year and could surprise some people and make the team. Lindbohm, 23, has made appearances in three straight seasons as a depth defenseman.

East Notes: Kuznetsov, Spooner, Athanasiou, Melanson

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Last weekend, the Capitals wasted little time locking up center Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight year, $62.4MM deal and flipped Marcus Johansson to New Jersey to free up some cap space.  Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that part of the reason that the Kuznetsov contract came together so quickly was the potential for an offer sheet.  Although there’s no word on which team may potentially have been sniffing around, it’s still interesting that even the possibility of one impacted the timetable for Kuznetsov.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Bruins forward Ryan Spooner was among the players to file for arbitration earlier this week. He’s coming off a contract that had a cap hit of just $950K and despite a bit of a down season compared to 2015-16, he still should be in line for a notable raise.  CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty suggests that a one year deal between $2-3MM seems to be a likely outcome given his 39 point season.  Spooner has long been the subject of trade speculation and if he is still in play, it may be more wise for GM Don Sweeney to try to move him before the hearing comes up.
  • Although Detroit is likely to be right up near the upper limit when they reach a new deal with winger Tomas Tatar, they’re not likely to move their other restricted free agent of note in winger Andreas Athanasiou, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. While the 22 year old was in and out of the doghouse at times, he still has a combination of speed and finishing ability that would be hard to give up on unless he was part of a package for a top pairing defenseman which is highly unlikely.  Khan adds that the lack of cap space the Red Wings will have also plays a factor here as even if they decided to look at moving Athanasiou, they’d be restricted to trying to match money which would basically limit them to players on or near their entry-level contract, prospects, or picks.
  • The Devils announced the hiring of Roland Melanson as their new goaltending coach, replacing Chris Terreri. Melanson has previously served in that role with Montreal and Vancouver and will be reunited with one of his former netminders with the Canucks in Cory Schneider;  he was Schneider’s coach for three seasons.  The team also noted that Terreri will remain with the organization in a yet-to-be-determined capacity.

Sabres Re-Sign Johan Larsson To Two Year Deal

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The Sabres have locked up one of their remaining restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of center Johan Larsson to a two year contract.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.475MM.

Larsson was originally a second round pick of the Wild (56th overall) in 2010 but has spent the majority of his career with Buffalo after being traded there in April of 2013.  This past season, he played in 36 games with the Sabres, collecting 11 points (6-5-11) along with 20 penalty minutes.  He did, however, miss the final 46 games of the year due to a wrist injury sustained in late December.

The 24 year old has played in 178 career NHL games, 177 with Buffalo and one with Minnesota.  He has 22 goals and 26 assists thus far.  Larsson will likely slot in their bottom six behind top centers Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel.

Buffalo GM Jason Botterill still has four more players that have filed for arbitration to re-sign, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, goaltender Robin Lehner, and forwards Evan Rodrigues plus Zemgus Girgensons.  They have plenty of cap space to work with as they currently sit nearly $15MM below the salary cap per CapFriendly.

Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins

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While expansion and the beginning of free agency were the early headlines in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what still lies ahead for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last offseason, the Penguins were able to keep the bulk of their Stanley Cup winning team together and it paid dividends as they once again took home the title in 2016-17.  However, there have already been several changes to the roster as this time the salary cap has necessitated some departures.  While some moves have already been made, GM Jim Rutherford still has some work to do.  Here are their remaining offseason keys.

Fill Out Their Bottom Six Centers

At first glance, it seems hard to believe that a team that features Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as their top two centers could have a bit of an issue down the middle.  However, the depth they have behind those two is lacking.

This past season, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen were their third and fourth pivots respectively.  Bonino, as expected, left in free agency, inking a four year, $16.4MM deal with the Predators.  As for Cullen, he remains a free agent and hasn’t decided if he wants to return for another season.  If he does decide to play, the Wild are another team that has already shown an interest in his services.

In terms of internal options, rookie standout Jake Guentzel has spent some time down the middle but he’s probably better served on Crosby’s wing.  Carter Rowney played as the fourth center at times last season but at the age of 28, he has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular.  Rutherford suggested last weekend that he’s more likely to go the trade route to replace Bonino.  As for Cullen, they will probably have to wait for him to decide about his future before they can look to fill that spot.

Re-Sign Dumoulin, Sheary

Of the 28 players that have filed for arbitration and have yet to sign new deals, Pittsburgh has a pair of notable ones in defenseman Brian Dumoulin and winger Conor Sheary.  Dumoulin is coming off his bridge deal while Sheary has finished his entry-level contract and both players will be in line for sizable raises.

Apr 12, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) gathers the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsDumoulin’s case would be an interesting one if it was to go to arbitration.  He doesn’t stand out in terms of the traditional statistics that typically come up in a hearing (he has one goal over the last two regular seasons) but he logged over 20 minutes a game and established himself as a top four player.  In each of the last two postseasons, he has seen his role increase even more which will be something his representatives certainly bring up in contract talks.  He earned just $800K in each of the last two years which made him one of the better bargains on the back end.  That won’t be the case when he signs this next contract.

Sheary signed as an undrafted free agent just two years ago but fit in nicely alongside Crosby in the 2016 postseason and for big chunks of 2016-17.  He finished fourth in team scoring (behind their big three up front) with 53 points in 61 games; his 0.87 points per game mark ranks him third best among all restricted free agents league-wide.  While playing with Crosby undoubtedly contributed to his success, that type of production is bound to earn him a significant raise over the $667K he made the past two seasons.

Add Winger Depth

If Rutherford does make a trade for a center, there’s a good chance that one of their wingers will be on the move and if that happens, they will likely look to replace the one they deal.  Even if that isn’t the case, they could still stand to add a bit more veteran depth on either side.

As things currently stand, the Penguins will be counting on quite a few young players in their bottom six.  While it’s nice to have some youngsters in the wings, having at least one veteran in there (a winger version of Cullen, for example) that could move up the lineup in a pinch would be beneficial as a lot of their current options fit best on a fourth line.

Fortunately for the Pens, this is an area where supply typically outweighs demand and they certainly have some marketability in terms of having won two straight titles plus the potential to play with Crosby or Malkin at times.  As the offseason progresses, there are typically bargains to be had on the wing on one year deals and assuming that they don’t spend all of their remaining cap space filling the first two keys, they should be well positioned to land one of those bargains as we get closer to training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Duchene, Jets, Stoll

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While many expected the Avalanche to deal Matt Duchene by now, he remains in Colorado with no trade on the immediate horizon.  BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater notes that the holdup stems from GM Joe Sakic’s insistence on getting a proven defenseman and more in any return.  The fact that Duchene is coming off just a 41 point season (the second lowest of his career) is causing other general managers some concern and questions as to whether or not he’s still a legitimate top line forward.  Teams aren’t likely going to willingly part with a top defender for someone they have doubts about being a top forward.  Sakic has remained firm on his asking price dating back towards the trade deadline so it will be interesting to see if he sticks to his guns or lowers his ask as the offseason progresses.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • While the Jets made a couple of signings in free agency (notably goaltender Steve Mason and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov), they were moves that signalled the team isn’t ready to go all in, suggests Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press. He argues that their time to go for it is now considering the fact that several core players will need new contracts next summer.  Among those are defenseman Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey, winger Nikolaj Ehlers (all restricted free agents) as well as center Bryan Little, who’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent.  Keeping all of those players in the fold will create quite the cap crunch next summer and as a result, this may be Winnipeg’s deepest roster for the next little while.
  • After joining the Kings midseason on a player development internship, long-time NHL center Jarret Stoll will remain with Los Angeles in a part-time consulting role, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Stoll suggested as recently as January that he still hadn’t ruled out returning to playing and the part-time aspect of this position suggests that he still hasn’t completely given up hope on returning to the ice as a player.  Stoll will continue to work primarily with the center prospects throughout the organization.

Stars Sign Miro Heiskanen To Entry-Level Contract

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The first top ten signing of the 2017 NHL Draft class is in the books, as the Dallas Stars have signed third overall pick Miro Heiskanen to his first pro contract. The team announced that the 17-year-old Finnish defenseman has signed on for the maximum entry-level deal of three years and $925K per.

An entry-level deal does not officially begin to toll until the player skate in 10 NHL games and Heiskanen’s deal does not necessarily imply that he is bound for the big leagues in 2017-18. However, the swiftness with which GM Jim Nill and the Stars got this deal done does seem to imply that the plan is to get Heiskanen started right away. The two-way puck-mover was considered one of the most pro-ready prospects in the draft and was always going to be given the chance to compete for a job in camp. With Heiskanen in town for the Stars’ development camp this week, it was the perfect time to get the deal done and show the youngster that they believe he can make a difference right away.

A quick look at the Dallas depth chart certainly shows an opportunity for Heiskanen to make the team and have a considerable role this season. There are many names with NHL experience on the Stars’ roster, but few that made much of an impact for the team that finished ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche in goals allowed in 2016-17. Defenseman John Klingberg is the leader of the blue line and an elite offensive defenseman, but he is a right-shot. Up-and-coming Julius Honka, a smaller, quicker clone of Klingberg, is also a right-shot. Stephen Johns, who played in the fourth-most games of any Stars defender, is also a right shot. Dallas is solid on the right side, but there are plenty of questions on the left, where Heiskanen plays. Recently-acquired Marc Methot is obviously a lock for the top pair. Esa Lindell had a strong rookie season and will surely play a major role for the Stars. Veteran Dan Hamhuis has a disappointing first season in Dallas; the veteran puck-mover skated in 79 games, recording just one goal, and was scratched for the other three. He’ll likely lose play time and take on a smaller role next season, but his contract would be hard to move, so Hamhuis will likely remain in Dallas nonetheless. That final spot on the left side could belong to Heiskanen. In a puzzling move, Nill traded Jordie Benn, Stars captain Jamie Benn’s older brother, to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline for another right-hander, Greg Pateryn, and a fourth-round pick, leaving a hole on the left side. Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth, both high picks in recent years, are still relatively young at 24 and 25 respectively, but were unable to seize their opportunities last season, struggling to produce points and frequently making mistakes in their own end. With a good showing in camp, Heiskanen could be able to make a case that he is more ready for a starting role than Oleksiak, Nemeth, or the aging Hamhuis. It may cause a logjam on the blue line in Dallas and force a move, but having a 17-year-old push out under-performing veterans is a problem that Nill won’t mind having.

KHL Notes: Off-Season, Gilroy, Roy, Zadorov

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Given the relatively weak NHL free agent market and the financial instability of the KHL, it would not have been a surprise to see an influx of talent come overseas this off-season. When Vadim Shipachyov signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in June, it seemed that floodgates were about to open. Yet, one month later, it’s been quite the opposite. Other than Shipachyov’s SKA St. Petersburg teammate Evgeni Dadonov signing with the Florida Panthers, most big names in the KHL have re-signed, while others in North America have crossed over. Already, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Nesterov have left the NHL for a return to Russia, as have Sergey Kalinin and Roman Lyubimov; prospects Nikita Gusev, Kirill Kaprizov, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Ilya Sorokin have decided to stay put, and so too have former NHLers playing overseas like Ben Scrivens, Paul Szczechura, and of course Ilya Kovalchuk; and even Nashville Predator’s first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen, spurned by Boston College, has signed in the KHL.

  • Joining the trend of former NHLers staying in the KHL and joining Tolvanen with Helsinki, Finland-based club Jokerit is defenseman Matt Gilroy. The team announced the signing this morning, inking one of the KHL’s top-scoring blue liners to a one-year deal. Gilroy, 32, is a former Boston University standout who played in 225 NHL games over six seasons with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. Unable to ever find a long-term home or lock down a regular role, Gilroy crossed the Atlantic in 2014 and has never looked back. Gilroy had the best season of his professional career in 2016-17, but nonetheless decided to stick it out overseas.
  • NHL veteran and four-time 20-goal scorer Derek Roy has bucked the trend of staying in the KHL, but he’s also not heading back to the NHL next season either. Roy continues his tour around Europe, as he has left Russia to sign in Sweden. Roy originally left the NHL to sign in Switzerland with the NLA’s SC Bern in 2015, and after a strong campaign, took a step up to the KHL. Roy played 21 games with Avangard Omsk last year before a mid-season trade sent him to Traktor Chelyabinsk for 34 games and the postseason. Altogether, Roy posted just 11 goals and 11 assists in the KHL last year, a drop off from his production in the NLA and from his NHL days as well. Roy will try his hand at the SHL this season, after signing with Linkoping HC, and will try to boost his offense back toward the 30+ point mark that he hit in the NLA and annually reached in the NHL, even at the end. At 34 years old, Roy is still trying to make the most of his ability overseas, but the door is not closed for a member of the NHL’s 500-point club to eventually try to make his North American comeback
  • CSKA fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, but KHL insider Aivis Kalnins is reporting that the club has a deal in place with young Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov if the restricted free agent cannot come to terms on a new NHL deal. The news has gained traction today, but seems unlikely to be anything more than jsut a negotiation tactic. The 22-year-old blue liner is from Moscow, where CSKA plays, but played his junior hockey with the London Knights of the OHL before being drafted 16th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013. Zadorov may have connections to his hometown team, but has always shown a commitment to North American hockey. The 6’5″, 230-lb. defender logged almost 20 minutes of ice time per game last year for Colorado, and even though they were historically bad, it seems extremely unlikely that they would let their best young defenseman go unsigned. The Avs have plenty of cap room and will budge on term if need be. Even if they couldn’t come to terms, the rebuilding Avs could get plenty in return for dealing Zadorov. Don’t expect him to use the CSKA safety blanket this off-season or any time soon. Grigorenko will be the only 2016-17 Avs member headed to Russia next season.

Wild Re-Sign Kurtis Gabriel

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The Minnesota Wild have reportedly come to terms on a new deal with gritty forward Kurtis Gabriel. While the team has yet to make the contract official, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie believes that the ink has dried on a one-year, two-way contract worth $715K at the NHL level for the restricted free agent. With several frequent fourth liners in 2016-17 now gone – Tyler Graovac (traded to Washington), Erik Haula (selected by Vegas), Jordan Schroeder (traded to Columbus), Ryan White (will not be re-signed) – Gabriel will be given every chance to earn a regular spot in the lineup next season.

A 2013 third-round pick, Gabriel has not been able to come close to the offense he showed with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in his three years of pro experience. Gabriel has just one point in 16 NHL games over two seasons and 40 points in 190 career AHL games. The value that Gabriel does bring to the table is his toughness and two-way ability. Gabriel averaged two hits per game in his brief NHL stints in 2016-17 and racked up more than two penalty minutes per game. That was in just about 5 minutes of ice time per game too. At 6’4″, 211-lbs., the big winger is a force to reckon and, given the proper amount of ice time, could be one of the most ferocious checkers in the NHL. He also wins battles along the boards and is an above-average shot blocker. Increasing his offensive output or at least working on a horrendous possession game would help Gabriel’s chances of sticking with the Wild next season, but fourth-line opportunity and physical domination often go hand-in-hand regardless.

Gabriel is locked up for next year, but the off-season is far from over for GM Chuck Fletcher and the Minnesota front office. They still have major restricted free agents to sign in Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and Marcus Foligno, as well as competition for Gabriel on the checking line in Zack Mitchell, not to mention an ongoing search for a reliable back-up goalie behind Devan Dubnyk. It’s nice to have one box checked off, but the Wild brass have their work cut out for them this summer.

Will The San Jose Sharks Make A Move?

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It’s hard to make an argument for any other team in the NHL as having a less exciting start to the 2017 off-season than the San Jose Sharks. Yes, the Sharks are just a year removed from a Stanley Cup appearance and have re-signed Norris Trophy-winner Brent Burns as well as Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Thornton, and Martin Jones since then. You can get excited about new deals for Ryan Carpenter and Tim Heed last month too if you like. Yet, other than re-signing their own players, what have the Sharks added to their 2017-18 squad?

We know what they’ve lost. Patrick Marleau, a career-Shark and the franchise leader in goals (power play, short-handed, and even strength), points, and games played, is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. David Schlemko, a 2016 free agency addition, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft and then flipped to the Montreal Canadiens. Micheal Haley (Florida Panthers) and Buddy Robinson (Winnipeg Jets) are also gone.

The only additions for San Jose thus far, as they look to plug the holes formed by lost free agents as well as improve upon their 2016-17 performance: left wing Brandon Bollig and goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Bollig, 30, is a physical, fourth-line caliber forward, but doesn’t produce enough on a consistent basis to be a regular player. Bollig hit his career-high in points in 2013-14 with the Chicago Blackhawks when he scored 14 points in 82 games. Soon after, he was traded to the Calgary Flames, where he scored just nine points in 116 games over two seasons before being buried in the AHL for the entirety of the 2016-17 season. The big winger posted 11 goals and 11 assists in 60 games for the AHL’s Stockton Heat, but still brings little to the the table for the Sharks other than grit and experience. As for Bibeau, the 23-year-old keeper was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Toronto Maple Leafs after a disappointing season. Bibeau had an .894 save percentage and 3.08 GAA in 32 regular season appearances for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and performed even worse in his one playoff game. Bibeau had clearly fallen behind Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo to fifth in the Leafs’ organizational depth chart, and so he was not retained. In San Jose, Bibeau will be no greater than fourth behind Jones, Aaron Dell, and Troy Grosenick and may never get another NHL start.

Bollig and Bibeau, two players destined for the AHL, are not exactly an inspiring pair, which begs the question: will the Sharks make another move? The team is far from perfect and could use some help. Jones and Dell proved to be a solid duo last season and the blue line is as deep as any in the NHL, but San Jose is not without needs up front. The Sharks ranked just 19th in scoring last season, and also boasted on of the worst power play’s in the NHL, below average face-off numbers, and poor possession stats. Burns (a defenseman) was the team’s leading scorer last year and tied for the team lead in goals, while the since-departed Marleau was fifth in scoring and third in goals. The rest of the top five scorers –  Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Joe Thornton – will return, but the 38-year-old Thornton is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, an injury that occurred after he scored all *seven* of his goals. Beyond those three forwards, the production dropped way off in 2016-17 to the likes of disappointments such as Mikkel Boedker and Joel Ward and young, developing players like Chris Tierney and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks have a clear need for secondary scoring, especially with Marleau gone, and could use a power play catalyst as well. Brandon Bollig is not going to cut it and a full season of Jannik Hansen, acquired at the Trade Deadline, likely won’t either.

Top options for the Sharks include Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, and Jiri Hudler, while taking a waiver on a veteran like Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, P.A. Parenteau, or Mike Ribeiro or on a younger player like Alex Chiasson or Brandon Pirri could work as well. Given the Sharks’ scoring needs, their sufficient cap space, and the complete dullness of their off-season to this point, perhaps maybe two of those players could find their way to San Jose. If not, the Sharks do have pieces to make a move to acquire a scorer, potentially a Matt Duchene or Evander Kane, if they so choose. One way or another, GM Doug Wilson needs to do something, and quick, or not only will he have a team that has surely gotten worse since the end of the season, but he will have a disappointed fan base on his hands as well.

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