Veteran Martin vying for ice time on eight-deep blue line
Defenseman, 36, battling emerging pack of youngsters
SAN JOSE >> With eight healthy defensemen, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer has a tough call to make before every game. Does he bench three-time U.S. Olympian Paul Martin and give the ice to youngsters such as Dylan DeMelo, Joakim Ryan and Tim Heed?
“I wouldn’t want to be in their position, that’s for sure,” DeMelo said, referring to DeBoer and his staff, “because everybody here is capable of playing every night.”
Internal competition for playing time is a staple of DeBoer’s approach.
Last winter, the Sharks traded Matt Nieto and Tommy Wingels after they failed to maintain their spots in the face of competition from youngsters, such as Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen. Earlier this month, the team waived center Ryan Carpenter after he lost a battle for the fourth line center job to Barclay Goodrow.
What’s unique about the competition on the Sharks blue line right now is one of the guys fighting for a spot is 36 years old and eating up $4.85 million in cap space this season with another year remaining on his contract.
Nevertheless, DeBoer insists that Martin’s path to regaining his slot on the blue line is the same as a youngster trying to earn a spot: work hard in practice, wait for an opportunity and capitalize when the moment comes.
“He knows what it is. I’ve told you guys what it is,” DeBoer said. “He’s one of eight defensemen here. We’re going to use all eight before the season’s done. We’re playing well, he’s got to wait for his turn. End of story. There’s nothing more there. If you want to build this into something bigger than that then go ahead.”
But the elephant in the room is that Martin just isn’t the best option on the Sharks blue line anymore, and it might take an injury or a trade for the 13-year veteran to rejoin the team’s lineup on a regular basis.
The Sharks signed Martin to a four-year, $19.4 million contract in 2015 to give the team a steady, stay-athome defenseman to pair with Brent Burns. General manager Doug Wilson overpaid by agreeing to give Martin a four-year deal that would take him to age 38, but the decision was validated by the role that he played in the Sharks run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 and Burns’ capturing of the Norris Trophy last season.
But as Martin struggled to recover from offseason ankle injury early this season, Ryan, Heed and DeMelo proved they’re capable of filling his spot.
The Sharks currently rank third in goals-against average (2.43) and fourth in shots against (30.0) even though Martin has suited up for just three games.
Ryan, 24, is proving to be a good fit for the modern NHL with greater mobility than Martin. Heed, 26, brings an offensive skill-set that Martin lacks, possessing a hard blast from the backend and passing vision through the neutral zone. DeMelo, 24, has suited up for 16 consecutive games by displaying the consistency that earned him a spot on the third pairing two years ago.
That leaves DeBoer with the unpleasant task of sending Martin to the press box on game night.
“Sure, it’s tough. He’s gone to war with our group,” DeBoer said.
“But this is about winning games tomorrow. The reality of this team is, we didn’t have a great year last year. We had a decent regular season and didn’t go very far in the playoffs. Guys were put on notice right from training camp that that equity is used up. We’re going to put the best team on the ice to win games.”
Martin is taking his new role in stride. He believes he’s still capable of being an everyday player and he isn’t putting any thought into the prospect of being moved before the trade deadline.
“I’ll be 37 soon and there aren’t many guys in the league that are 37 playing hockey,” Martin said. “Obviously, I’m competitive and I want to play. I don’t want to be here and be a seventh (defenseman), in and out.
“As it goes along, we’ll look at the situation and see what happens.”
• Logan Couture will travel with the Sharks on the five-game trip that begins Sunday in Dallas. DeBoer is “hopeful” that the team’s top scorer will play during the trip.
Couture has missed four consecutive games after suffering a concussion Dec. 15.
“We had a positive response to the last set of exertion (tests) we put on him,” DeBoer said. “We went a little harder today and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”