Change in the air after latest punchless effort
A year ago on the eve of the NHL trade deadline, the Sharks were just hours removed from a win over Detroit when they bolstered an already deep roster, acquiring Gus Nyquist from the Red Wings for a pair of draft picks.
The move provided an immediate boost, as the Sharks would go on to win six of their next seven games.
Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders was just another reminder of much things have changed.
Instead of adding pieces for a playoff run, the Sharks,
now losers of four straight games with a much more inexperienced roster, are clear sellers ahead of today’s noon NHL trade deadline.
The only question is how many players will be on the move, and how different the Sharks’ roster will look like for Tuesday’s game with the Philadelphia Flyers.
“There’s always a lot of unknown this time of year,” Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow said. “It’ll be good to get that over with and
hopefully finish strong.”
The Sharks have eight players on expiring contracts, including franchise icons Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, fellow forwards Melker Karlsson and Stefan Noesen, defensemen Radim Simek and Tim Heed and goalie Aaron Dell. Defenseman Dalton Prout will also be a UFA at season’s end, but is on a conditioning assignment with the Barracuda.
The Sharks will not deal all of them, of course. Players like Simek, Noesen and perhaps Dell could be part of general manager Doug Wilson’s plans for next season.
Besides, the Sharks still have to play 20 more games this year.
But Wilson also knows this could be an opportunity to stockpile assets that he can potentially use going forward, as he tries to get the Sharks back into contention for next season.
Up until recently, Thornton and the Sharks were hopeful they could string together a few victories and rejoin the playoff race.
But the team has endured myriad injuries in recent weeks, as Tomas Hertl (knee) and Erik Karlsson (thumb) were lost for the season and Logan Couture has missed the last 17 games with a small ankle fracture.
Since Couture ‘s Jan. 7 injury, the Sharks have now gone 7-10-0 to remain buried in the Western Conference. In that time, winger Evander Kane was suspended for three games and the Sharks traded defenseman Brenden Dillon to the Washington Capitals for draft picks.
Changes are imminent, whether they happen today or in the offseason.
A team like the Carolina Hurricanes might be in the market for a goalie after with both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer injured, although the severity of their injuries were not known as of Sunday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets need a spark in the worst way. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, and other teams, might be looking to add to solidify playoff positions.
No one can say right now how everything will shake out. The only certainty is that Wilson will be on the phone. The difference is, instead of adding for a playoff run, he’s trying to put the Sharks in a position where they can be buyers again next season.
Takeaways from Sunday’s game:
1. BOUGHNER HAPPY WITH KANE’S RESPONSE >> Evander Kane didn’t score Sunday, but interim coach Bob Boughner liked his response after he was benched for the third period of Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Rangers.
Kane was much more active than he was the night before, finishing with five shots on goal as he mostly played on a line with Noesen and Alexander True.
“I thought he was good,” Boughner said. “I thought he had a lot of puck possession, played the right way. I say I was hoping (for) that, but I knew that he’s a guy that has a lot of pride. He wants to play hard for his team. It’s good that he came back with that kind of showing.”
2. JONES MOSTLY SOLID >> Goalie Martin Jones, three days after he stopped 23 of 25 shots in the Sharks’ 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, finished with 22 saves.
Jones didn’t have much of a chance on the Islanders’ first goal with 13:11 left in the first period, as Anders Lee scored on a 2-on-1 after taking a pass from Mathew Barzal.
On Lee’s second goal early in the second period, Barzal entered the Sharks’ zone with speed to back off Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Mario Ferraro. He passed to Lee, who the necessary time and space to pick a spot and beat Jones high to the short side.
Jones had little chance on the Islanders’ third goal at the 17:38 mark of the second period.
3. OFFENSE SPUTTERS AGAIN >> Dylan Gambrell’s first period goal was all of the offense the Sharks could muster. Gambrell scored his fifth of the season to tie the game 1-1. Gambrell redirected a shot from Simek past Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov. The Sharks (26-32-4) have scored four goals in three games on this trip.