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Posted by MadRussky on 2008-07-02 07:48:01
Sharks, Thrashers stuck on bench during frenzy
By Ross McKeon, Yahoo! Sports
9 hours, 43 minutes ago
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With all the roster shuffling on Day 1 of the free-agent frenzy on Tuesday, there were two teams conspicuously quiet â€" the San Jose Sharks and the Atlanta Thrashers.
The teams are at opposite ends of the NHL spectrum, the Sharks feeling poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup â€" even if that sounds like a broken record after three second-round bow-outs â€" and Atlanta, a franchise that a season after debuting in the Stanley Cup playoffs tumbled to 28th in the overall league standings.
Both organizations should feel the need to fall somewhere between tweak and overhaul in terms of reshaping their current rosters.
In San Jose, the Sharks watched as Brian Campbell spurned all interest to remain with a contender to instead accept the big money in Chicago, where the improved Blackhawks might be ready to secure a playoff spot next season.
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Campbell had his reasons, although they donâ€TMt match what he was saying before Tuesdayâ€TMs opening of the unrestricted free-agent merry-go-round. Word out of the Campbell camp was he was spoiled playing all those years in Buffalo, not far from family. But signing with the Blackhawks doesnâ€TMt seem to really jive with expectation.
Not that he wonâ€TMt garner mucho ice time in Chicago, but Campbell passed up the opportunity to quarterback a talented power play in San Jose and play with childhood friend Joe Thornton. Campbell would have padded his stats nicely with the Sharks, but unlike Craig Rivet, he didnâ€TMt immediately take to hockey in California after getting dealt at the trade deadline.
So Campbell becomes nothing more than a rental for general manager Doug Wilson, who shouldnâ€TMt get criticized for the calculated risk. He dealt a first-round draft choice and young forward Steve Bernier to Buffalo for Campbell. The Sharks needed a No. 1 defenseman, they were poised for another shot at the Cup and Wilson had no choice.
He tried to get something for the asset once he saw negotiations were going nowhere, but he couldnâ€TMt pull off a deal with Chicago similar to the one the Lightning and Penguins pulled off to allow Tampa Bay to negotiate and sign Ryan Malone before July 1. So Wilson walks away empty-handed.
Or so it would appear.
Donâ€TMt be surprised if San Jose makes some noise, even if it isnâ€TMt in the free-agent market. The Sharks like two defensemen currently under contract to other teams â€" Dan Boyle in Tampa Bay and Kevin Bieksa in Vancouver.
Never mind the five-year, $33.35 million deal the soon-to-be 32-year-old Boyle signed late in the season. The Lightning have new ownership and a new vision. They are intent on changing the roster drastically, and Boyle is viewed as part of the old guard.
Bieksa, unlike Campbell or Boyle, plays with an edge, in addition to having offensive skills. Heâ€TMs a younger player (27) with only 154 career games under his belt. Bieksa is coming off an injury-interrupted season, too, but Wilson has always been a fan of the Grimsby, Ontario, native. Bieksa has next season and two more remaining on his deal, which isnâ€TMt going to break the bank ($4.25 million in 2008-09 and $3.5 million the last two years).
Itâ€TMs hard to guess what Vancouver is thinking now that former agent Mike Gillis is the teamâ€TMs new general manager. Certainly he will be looking to make changes to a team that missed the playoffs in the final weekend of the season.
Also slipping under the radar is the fact that Sharks captain Patrick Marleau now has a no-trade clause, which became activated Tuesday. Maybe now all those Marleau trade rumors will die down.
In Atlanta, GM Don Waddell has been given a long rope, and heâ€TMs taking every advantage of it. He made deals at the trade deadline to get into the 2007 postseason that set the franchise back, and when his team fell woefully short of expectations this season he still held onto his job. Heâ€TMs lucky heâ€TMs in Atlanta because a lot of markets wouldnâ€TMt tolerate the teamâ€TMs shortcomings under his tutelage.
On Tuesday, he was quiet again, despite talk beforehand that the Thrashers might be aggressive in the market. Thereâ€TMs no excuse for the lack of improvement for a team that has one of the most dynamic and exciting goal-scorers in the league in Ilya Kovalchuk.
There was a 39-point disparity between Kovalchukâ€TMs team-leading 87 points and runner-up Mark Recchiâ€TMs 48. And Recchi collected most of those points with Pittsburgh before getting waived late.
The Thrashers might want to stop the puck from going into their goal more often, too. They were worst in the league, allowing 272 goals. Atlanta has Kari Lehtinen, a promising 24-year-old goalie, who has been injury prone during the early portion of his NHL career. As much of a bulldog and battler as Johan Hedberg is, the Thrashers might be better off with more experience in the back-up role, or at least a goalie with a bit more size.
The defense is all over the place. How else can you explain rookie Tobias Enstrom stepping in last year to be the teamâ€TMs best blueliner? Waddell has more than $20 million in salary cap space, but again, if he canâ€TMt lure anyone to a bad team in a non-traditional market, what difference does it make how much money he has to spend?
Either way, donâ€TMt look for either franchise to sit this one out. Certainly, Tuesday had to be a long day for both franchises, though.
Ross McKeon is the NHL editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Ross a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
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- MadRussky 2008-07-02 07:48:01 (82 views)