I’ve watched so much bad hockey the past 6 months watching the Sharks that I’m genuinely shocked playoff teams are this good. They can complete like 4, maybe even 5 passes in a row without tripping. It’s nuts.
Waking up in a world where the
#SJSharks
have a freshman center leading the NCAA in points, an 18 year old winger leading the OHL in PPG and a defenseman putting up the most productive WHL season in over 30 years. Smith, Musty and Cagnoni from one draft is goooood.
Hockey media when Karlsson is bad for 3 years: He's immovable, Sharks are terrible, worst contract in the league, 32/32 dimmest future
Hockey media when Karlsson is good for 1 year, gets traded for a first: cannot believe Sharks didn't do better here wow 32/32 dimmest future
The Sharks have currently 38 million dollars in cap space this offseason and 65 million in the offseason after. You wanted a rebuild Sharks fans, welcome to the
#future
.
Watching Eklund transform from a slippery but weak and flawed playmaking winger into a top six all-day NHL forward has been the absolute highlight of following Sharks prospects for the past 3 years.
You can legitimately see Cagnoni playing in the NHL someday soon based on this game. Not just the offense but his adjustment to physicality, being ahead of the play defensively, getting under attackers. He'll always have trouble against big power forwards, but this guy will play
Lots of talk about Will Smith. No I don't think he's been doing well. I also don't think it matters much right now. His only job is to improve throughout this year. Would love to see him not centering the 2nd line though. Not a winning line right now unless you give him Granlund.
We have been attempting to figure out the
#3
goalie for SJ for this whole summer. A few weeks back Joe Will hinted they were after a goalie prospect to fill that hole. Askarov makes perfect sense. This is a big price to pay, essentially trading Hertl for Askarov, but I’m excited
Sharks end the 2023 NHL Entry Draft with:
4: William Smith
26: Quentin Musty
36: Kasper Halttunen
71: Brandon Svoboda
123: Luca Cagnoni
130: Axel Landen
132: Eric Pohlkamp
196: David Klee
203: Yegor Rimashevskiy
Good morning! Quick reminder that in 2019-2020 Sharks missed the playoffs with Karlsson, Burns, Kane, and Jones with long term contracts. With relatively little pain…they’re gone, something every pundit for the past 3 years has said was to be franchise-doomingly difficult 1/4
Eklund - Granlund - Zetterlund
Kostin - Celebrini - Toffoli
Grundstrom - Sturm - W. Smith
Kunin - Goodrow - Dellandrea
G. Smith / Bordeleau / Gushchin / Bailey / Couture(IR?)
It's certainly a better forward group than last year. I do think one/both of Bords/Gush are on the outs.
The Sharks spending 27 million dollars on the contributions of Vlasic, Labanc, Duclair, Hoffman, Kunin, Barabanov, and Rutta while simultaneously benching the rookie who makes 800k for the next three seasons and trying to infer he's the problem here is objectively hilarious
"Well how do you fit him?"
Eklund - Celebrini - Toffoli
Gushchin - Granlund - Zetterlund
Goodrow - Wennberg - W. Smith
Grundstrom - Sturm - Kunin
Dellandrea, Kostin
Kostin goes in for a skill guy, Dellandrea goes in for a bottom 6 guy.
G. Smith/Cardwell recall for injury
NHL.
The
#SJSharks
announce that Tomas Hertl has undergone surgery to clear out loose cartilage in his left knee and will "miss a minimum of several weeks."
I’m of the opinion that most hockey media are still thinking the Sharks are trying to be good for whatever reason and are judging this season based on that. They also have an issue with conflating the timeline of DW/Joe Will/Mike Grier into one entity. They are not the same.
Pierre McGuire on
#SJSharks
rebuild: "They're in trouble... anybody that says they are believing in the rebuild in San Jose, their nose is growing by the second"
Pierre McGuire and
@MurphysLaw74
discuss all things
#NHL
.
Full pod👇
Watch:
#thesickpodcast
OFFICIAL:
#SJSharks
sign Macklin Celebrini to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The 18-year old was the 1st overall pick in last week’s 2024
#NHLDraft
, had 64 pts in 38 GP in his freshman season for Boston University (NCAA).
My guess for points for this Sharks team was 48. They couldn't even reach that. This is a very bad hockey team and the end of this season is an act of mercy.
SUPER PUMPED FOR THE OFFSEASON THO. Big Money Mike gonna Big Money Mike.
UPDATE: The
#RedWings
today traded a 2nd round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (originally Tampa’s) and Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for future considerations.
"Well it isn't like he could actually do this well in the NHL, it's just preseason"
He maneuvered two passes around Noah Hanifin last night for assists, protected the puck against Tomas Hertl for an assist last night, and outmuscled 6'1" 200 pound Dorofeyev for an assist.
NHL.
TRADE ALERT 🚨
#SJSharks
have acquired Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Jan Rutta, and a 2024 Draft selection from Pittsburgh, in exchange for Erik Karlsson, Dillon Hamaliuk, and our 2026 third-round selection.
I am so excited that the final year of Smith's and Celebrini's ELCs will be sans a 7 million dollar Vlasic contract and sans a heavy retention on Karlsson or Hertl. Roughly 80 million dollars in 2026-2027 to maximize a shot at a playoff run around cheap stars.
TBH a model that ranks the Sharks defense prospects as an A- and the forwards as a B+ may just not be a very good model. Appreciate the work and the effort but I’m not sold on a lot of this.
Next up at
#8
are the San Jose Sharks. Considering they just started their rebuild, they are doing well for themselves.
It's too bad Celebrini isn't included just yet, if he was, the Sharks would easily be top 5.
#SJSharks
I want you all to know that the “Sharks are retaining on three contracts!!!!” is the new “Meier has a 10 million dollar qualifying offer he’s untradeable” and it’s just a lazy media tactic to all-or-nothing dismiss the Sharks rebuild. It’s an obstacle not the end of the world.
Once you accept that no matter where the Sharks are going to land in the tankathon standings, that Chicago is going to get Celebrini anyways, you start living freer. Happier. Healthier.
With Leo Carlsson’s hat trick today I am just in awe of last year’s draft class. Cannot remember a time when the top 3 stepped into big roles right away and produced. Naturally because we are Sharks fans we finished fourth. Smith needs time, but sure would’ve been nice is all
Been a lot of talk about Will Smith lately, but if leading the NCAA in points by 6 and having the potential of a point per game center in the NHL isn't enough, I 'unno man maybe we expect too much from prospects.
Moving on from Karlsson’s contract was the only way to turn over the Sharks. It was impossible 1 year ago. Now it’s gone with minimal retention, and we get a first for the effort. Granlund and Rutta can still have value in trades. 1 year ago and this is a miracle trade.
It’s a San Jose Sharks prospect domination kind of day at WJSS. Bystedt had a hat trick, Havelid assist, Smith assist, Pohlkamp with a hard shot, picked up by Musty for the goal in front to win over Sweden just now.
@SanJoseSharks
Macklin's goal was amazing. Walman actually being able to break the puck out to a streaking Eklund who makes the play to Celebrini made all the difference. Last year the Sharks defensemen were allergic to quick breakouts.
Karlsson was WIDELY considered to be the most negative contract in the NHL one year ago. Any pundit telling you that the Sharks got fleeced here are being disingenuous to their own words during the last 4 years. So ignore them, trust the process and be patient. 4/4
"Would you rather he play on the third line in the NHL or get first line in the AHL with PP time and first callup?"
NHL. We said the same thing last year. He never got a prolonged callup after months of dominating on a really bad Barracuda roster.
NHL.
It honestly was pretty smart by Grier to wait out the Zadina saga and sign him on his terms. Shows a level of patience that is impressive. It also continues a theme of the Sharks targeting specific areas of the depth chart in a strategic manner during this rebuild 1/5
If we're really breaking it down, either Kostin or G. Smith has to be waived for Gushchin to make the squad, assuming Cardwell gets sent down. That's real faith in Gushchin if they do it. G. Smith has had a good preseason and Kostin has had moments. I remain skeptical but hopeful
Although it's totally on Todd's agent to negotiate a better minors salary, I think the Sharks/Cuda may need to do a bit of soul-searching when it comes to paying minor leaguers. It's pretty damn expensive to live there and vets keep on leaving. All of this is speculation though.
There is some terrific irony in this. On one hand Karlsson got sold a vision of a competing team with him as the superstar when Wilson acquired him. On the other, the pieces given up to acquire him and the subsequent contract are huge reasons why the team is not competitive.
Karlsson: "You trade a guy like Timo, I don't think that shows that this is going to be a quick turnaround. It's unfortunate...understand what needs to be done from an organizational perspective, and it just sucks that it happened to be where I'm at in this stage of my career."
To be honest there was a time in this season right after the Sharks had back to back gazillion goal losses in the middle of a historic losing streak in possibly their worst season in franchise history that I thought “huh this guy might get canned”
I have mostly sad reactions but I will say that if you really think Edstrom is going to become a third line center, he’s going to be filling the same role that Hertl will very soon in his career.
I know we're hoping Dickinson becomes a top-line offensive defenseman, but I think his real future value lies in his defense and skating rather than his offensive ability
Screw it, call up Gushchin. No one on this team can handle a puck or create a scoring chance. Yes he's going to turn the puck over, fuck it, let's score a goal. MAYBE two.
I am once again asking the NHL to make a yearly 32-team prospect/rookie tournament to kick off training camp. Stop with these mini regional ones, or incorporate them into segments of a larger bracket. Give the winning team an extra 2nd round pick or something. Make a cool trophy.
Insane top 7
1. Bedard - best DY WHL season in 35 years
2. Carlsson - one of the best DY SHL seasons ever
3. Fantilli - one of the best DY NCAA seasons ever
4. Smith - one of the best DY NTDP seasons ever
5. Reinbacher - best DY NL season ever
7. Michkov - best DY KHL season ever
Hey all!
I'm headed to the Beanpot tomorrow to watch
#SJSharks
prospects Cam Lund, Michael Fisher and Will Smith, as well as future Shark Macklin Celebrini. Leave some questions or things you want me to look out for and I'll answer them for the next podcast!