Roster starting to take shape
Don’t be surprised to see DeBoer keep eight blue liners
CALGARY, ALBERTA >> Pete DeBoer is accustomed to watching his Sharks team battle through the fatigue that comes with the most arduous travel schedule in the NHL.
That’s why he didn’t hesitate to send the AHL Barracuda up to Canada Tuesday to take on the Calgary Flames.
With a morning practice in San Jose followed by a 2 ½-hour flight to Calgary, the Sharks recalled 14 players for their fourth preseason game, giving the likes of Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Evander Kane a night off. The only NHL regulars who dressed were Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, Aaron Dell, Joakim Ryan, Barclay Goodrow, Marcus Sorensen and Melker Karlsson, who suited up for his first preseason game after being sidelined by an upperbody injury.
Regardless, the Baby Sharks put up a good fight in Calgary, falling to a Flames roster featuring Johnny Gaudreau, James Neal and Matthew Tkachuk by a 7-5 score in Alberta.
“With our schedule, we play enough of these games when it counts,” DeBoer said. “We don’t need to put our guys through that when it doesn’t count.”
DeBoer’s decision to send out the JV squad was likely further helped by the fact that his roster is pretty close to set eight days out from the Sharks opener against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 3.
Simple math suggests that there’s probably only one ros-
ter spot up for grabs heading into the final week of training camp and Rourke Chartier seems to have the inside lane. But let’s back it up a little bit here and show our work so we can get full grades.
Here’s the only equation that makes sense: 13 forwards, eight defensemen, two goalies.
Yes, you read that correctly, eight defensemen. The deepest blue line in the league is going to carry eight defensemen. Why? It’s simple. Both Tim Heed and Radim Simek would find themselves on waivers if the Sharks were to cut them from the NHL roster, and neither defenseman would make it through. The Sharks aren’t giving away assets for free.
With that in mind, the competition for the seventh defensemen spot isn’t really a competition at all. Simek is a lefty, Heed’s a righty. If a left-shot defensemen gets hurt, Simek jumps in; if a right-hander goes down, Heed gets his number called.
Now that we’ve got the blue line sorted out (and Martin Jones and Aaron Dell in goal), let’s move on to the forward group.
Here are your lead pipe locks: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Meier, Karlsson, Joonas Donskoi and Kevin Labanc. Let’s also put Barclay Goodrow on the team. He would need to pass through waivers, he impressed DeBoer last year, and he’s having a strong camp, leading the Sharks with six points in four games, including a breakaway goal at 11:07 of the first Tuesday. We should offer the same courtesy to Marcus Sorensen, who recorded five points in 10 playoff games last spring after spending most of the season with the Barracuda. This leaves us with just two open spots: third and fourth line center. At this point, it’s only logical to pencil Antti Suomela onto the roster. Suomela, who led the Finnish Liiga in scoring last season, was a hot commodity in European free agency last spring. He chose the Sharks over roughly a dozen teams assuming he’d be fast tracked to the NHL. The Sharks need to deliver on their word by giving him a chance right out of the gates. It will be up to him to keep the spot. With that settled, the final spot comes down to Chartier or Dylan Gambrell, and the safe bet is Chartier.
Keep in mind, Chartier played a pivotal role in the Barracuda’s success two years ago, collecting 35 points in 67 games while playing a shutdown role at center. Chartier is DeBoer’s kind of guy: he wins faceoffs in the defensive zone, plays below the dots and does the dirty work that makes his teammates’ skill shine. In addition, Chartier is burning up the scoresheet in the preseason, recording five points in four games, including the Sharks second goal Tuesday. Gambrell will likely start the season the same way Labanc, Meier and Sorensen did two years ago, skating with the Barracuda to earn his way up to the NHL.
With the roster rounding into form, you might be asking, is there any point to following the rest of the preseason?
Easy answer: yes. His name is Erik Karlsson. Every indication points to his appearing Thursday at the Shark Tank against Calgary.