The Shallow End: January 2019
2019-01-17Sick and tired of deep dives? Have no fear, "The Shallow End" is a place for news around the San Jose Sharks organization, broken into points that are short and sweet.
At least it was fun for 20 games...
In keeping with a theme that started in the offseason, the Sharks pulled off another trade aimed at shoring up both their present and their future. (See the transactions page for details of the trade with the Winnipeg Jets.) And much like the October deal which brought in Brady Skjei, the team is taking a sizeable risk with the number of future assets they surrendered. Not only that, but one of those future assets is promising winger Nikolay Goldobin, a young player who himself came with a high acquisition cost not so long ago.
All of which raises the question: Has the rebuild in San Jose been sidetracked?
"I will admit that my thinking changed a bit after I fumbled away our 2019 first-round pick," said Sharks GM Kyle Phillips candidly. "But we're still a rebuilding team, and I'm not looking for shortcuts through that.
"Travis Dermott is a young guy who I think has more to give, and will be solid contributer for us through all of his team-controllable seasons. And Nino Niederreiter still has a couple of years left in the age bracket where forwards tend to be at their most productive, which fits our timeline.
"So yes, it hurt to move out a player like Goldy along with so many picks and prospects. But I believe the players we got back have equivalent upside, with the added benefit of more NHL certainty.
"We've raised the floor, now the onus is on me to get the ceiling much, much higher."
Money well-spent?
After a lengthy pursuit, Sharks brass were thrilled to finally land goaltender Ryan Miller in unrestricted free agency last summer. Now the veteran netminder is gone after making just five starts in teal. But apparently the team still considers his signing a modest win; some poking around by local insiders got this reaction from an anonymous member of the team's pro scouting staff:
Of course, it's up for debate whether that's the organization's honest opinion, or simply PR spin. Ultimately, that's for the public--and future free agents--to decide.
Back on track
If there's such a thing as a Calder Cup hangover, the Baracuda experienced a minor case of it early in the season: through the first 8 games, the defending champs had a 4-4-0 record and a modest +1 goal differential. Particularly irksome over that stretch were the 5-1 and 5-2 beatings suffered at the hands of the rival Stockton Heat.
Since then, the Barracuda have looked more like their old selves, with 9 wins in 10 games to take over top spot in the AHL's Western Conference. Along the way they've also managed to improve their overall goal differential to +17, and score a redemptive 4-1 victory over the Heat in which they controlled the shot clock by an almost unbelievable 66-16 margin.
With 50 games remaining on the schedule there's still a lot to prove, and the mediocre start may yet come back to haunt the 'Cuda in the standings. But they seem to have re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the AHL circuit.