Silly Season Arrives in the Bay

Has the annual EHE “Silly Season” claimed another general manager as a victim this year?

The sentiment was certainly "yes" in the Bay Area this morning as, in a surprise move, Sharks GM Kyle Phillips dished out a two-year, $14 million contract to goaltender Roberto Luongo on day one of free agency.

The deal was clearly a point of contention for at least one member of the Sharks organization, as they voiced their displeasure in an anonymous email circulated to the San Jose media:

I thought the plan was clear after [Phillips] was hired on, but now I’m not so sure. Are we rebuilding, or shooting for the playoffs?  I mean, either way maybe we should be focused on the [expletive] trash pile we call our top nine forwards. Oh [expletive] someone’s coming, I gotta go. Wait why am I still typing

And apparently the confusion didn’t end with management either; presumptive Sharks starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky also seemed perplexed.

"I just kind of blacked out," said Bobrovsky when reached for comment after a pre-season training session. "I wasn’t angry, I was just shocked. That’s a pretty big move to make without having input from the guy you’re going to put your trust in."

Naturally, the rumor mill started churning almost immediately after the Luongo contract was announced, with insider sources suggesting that multiple league GMs had already made calls regarding the availability of Bobrovsky.

Phillips shot down those rumors, however. “We have no intention of trading Sergei,” he said outside a local Best Buy, while stuffing a newly-purchased copy of NHL 18 inside his jacket. “I understand the confusion, but I don’t see the problem with having two outstanding goaltenders on one team.”

Whatever the real story behind the scenes, what’s clear is that a Silly Season storm has engulfed San Jose, and it’s taken less than 24 hours.