Post by San Jose Sharks on Oct 19, 2024 17:24:19 GMT -6
It's early days in the 2024-2025 PFHL regular season, but if initial indicators are anything to go by the San Jose Sharks are looking like a potential contender.
A late off-season GM change had the Sharks on the back foot well before a pre-season puck had even dropped. With the draft and free agent frenzy well behind, the new general manager didn't have much of a chance to put his stamp on the team. There were however some crucial moves to be made to ensure the team was ready for not just the upcoming season, but the long term as well. First up were defensive waiver wire pickups Filip Hronek and Keith Yandle. Both were surprise additions to the Sharks and weren't expected to make the opening night roster, but as the remainder of the off-season unfolded it became clear that a longer term plan was in place.
The big concern amongst management and senior figures within the Sharks organisation was, and still is, the teams long term financial viability. Year after year of previous GM's throwing everything at winning the final game of the season had taken its toll and spending needed to be reined in urgently. First on the chopping block was defenseman Luke Glendening. The likely buyout candidate was shipped out to Winnipeg along with $500,000 in cash for a token $1 return. On the surface this wouldn't appear to make much sense, but over the course of the season having the unwanted contract off the books will save the team $1,000,000. This was then swiftly followed by a similar deal for Erik Gudbranson (also to Winnipeg) for a saving of $1,450,000, and then finally a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins that saw new addition Rasmus Ristolainen exchanged for $500,000. The last deal was a big surprise with Ristolainen recently signed in the off-season and expected to feature in the teams top 4. GM Aldrich however wasn't a fan of the contract, nor the player.
Aldrich:
Pre-season predictions had the Sharks with an outside chance of a wildcard spot in the competitive Pacific. Their pre-season showing gave cause for some optimism though, sitting 3rd in the division after 14 games. The hope was their positive 8-5-1 record could carry over to the regular season and be enough to secure a playoff spot by the end, but things have been far better so far.
After 5 games the Sharks find themselves as the only unbeaten team in the league. Their success has come as a surprise to most and doesn't appear to be down to any one obvious thing. 10th in goals for and 6th in goals against - solid, but not spectacular. Is it just a case of luck being on their side, or is it because McJesus has finally turned up? Pre-season was a chance for the coaching staff to play around with line combinations with nothing really sticking over the 14 game stint. Some lights did shine bright though, especially that of two-way forward Roope Hintz, but the big concern was the lack of production from star forward Connor McDavid. 6 goals and 12 points in 14 games would be considered good for most, but for the $12.5million generational talent that McDavid is meant to be, it simply wasn't good enough. Cut to the regular season and McDavid leads to team with 6 goals and 9 points in 5 games. Long term the goals are unlikely to keep coming at that rate, but it might just be the shot in the arm the team needs to get the ball rolling and makes for a happier outlook overall.
Whether this is a sign of things to come, dumb luck, or too small a sample size to really mean anything remains to be seen. GM Aldrich and Sharks fans will certainly look to the positives and hope for a strong run of form, but it could just be the simple fact that 4 of those 5 wins have come against... as some would put it...
Commissioner Sanderson:
A late off-season GM change had the Sharks on the back foot well before a pre-season puck had even dropped. With the draft and free agent frenzy well behind, the new general manager didn't have much of a chance to put his stamp on the team. There were however some crucial moves to be made to ensure the team was ready for not just the upcoming season, but the long term as well. First up were defensive waiver wire pickups Filip Hronek and Keith Yandle. Both were surprise additions to the Sharks and weren't expected to make the opening night roster, but as the remainder of the off-season unfolded it became clear that a longer term plan was in place.
The big concern amongst management and senior figures within the Sharks organisation was, and still is, the teams long term financial viability. Year after year of previous GM's throwing everything at winning the final game of the season had taken its toll and spending needed to be reined in urgently. First on the chopping block was defenseman Luke Glendening. The likely buyout candidate was shipped out to Winnipeg along with $500,000 in cash for a token $1 return. On the surface this wouldn't appear to make much sense, but over the course of the season having the unwanted contract off the books will save the team $1,000,000. This was then swiftly followed by a similar deal for Erik Gudbranson (also to Winnipeg) for a saving of $1,450,000, and then finally a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins that saw new addition Rasmus Ristolainen exchanged for $500,000. The last deal was a big surprise with Ristolainen recently signed in the off-season and expected to feature in the teams top 4. GM Aldrich however wasn't a fan of the contract, nor the player.
Aldrich:
Rasmus is a solid defenseman and I'm sure he'll be a success in Pittsburgh, but ultimately he doesn't fit the mould for the type of play the Sharks want on the ice. At $3.75million, his contract also isn't one I would have personally signed had I of been sat at this desk at the time, and it isn't one that team can afford to have on the books for the next 4 years.
Pre-season predictions had the Sharks with an outside chance of a wildcard spot in the competitive Pacific. Their pre-season showing gave cause for some optimism though, sitting 3rd in the division after 14 games. The hope was their positive 8-5-1 record could carry over to the regular season and be enough to secure a playoff spot by the end, but things have been far better so far.
After 5 games the Sharks find themselves as the only unbeaten team in the league. Their success has come as a surprise to most and doesn't appear to be down to any one obvious thing. 10th in goals for and 6th in goals against - solid, but not spectacular. Is it just a case of luck being on their side, or is it because McJesus has finally turned up? Pre-season was a chance for the coaching staff to play around with line combinations with nothing really sticking over the 14 game stint. Some lights did shine bright though, especially that of two-way forward Roope Hintz, but the big concern was the lack of production from star forward Connor McDavid. 6 goals and 12 points in 14 games would be considered good for most, but for the $12.5million generational talent that McDavid is meant to be, it simply wasn't good enough. Cut to the regular season and McDavid leads to team with 6 goals and 9 points in 5 games. Long term the goals are unlikely to keep coming at that rate, but it might just be the shot in the arm the team needs to get the ball rolling and makes for a happier outlook overall.
Whether this is a sign of things to come, dumb luck, or too small a sample size to really mean anything remains to be seen. GM Aldrich and Sharks fans will certainly look to the positives and hope for a strong run of form, but it could just be the simple fact that 4 of those 5 wins have come against... as some would put it...
Commissioner Sanderson:
