Patience Running Thin
Rather frequently throughout the first five, six weeks of this NHL season, yours truly has preached patience. Sharks fans shouldn’t come down hard on a team for struggling out of the gate playing over three times as many road games as home contests in the first 21 games of the season. However, not all losses are created equal. There is losing a close game to Chicago and then there is losing at home to the Buffalo Sabres and going down 4-0 to the Florida Panthers. San Jose’s struggles with Eastern Conference bottom feeders was a bit comical last season, but the continuation of it this year is just sad.
The uninspired, lackadaisical performances are a clear indication this team needs to shake things up behind the bench. You are not going to find a better group of top players than the Sharks, they are not the problem. Roster wise the Sharks are short one top-4 defenseman and a depth forward (perhaps injured Raffi Torres can be that guy) but a roster shake up is not what is needed here. Head coach Todd McLellan has had ample opportunity to get the job done and if we are talking about playoff success, he has performed worse than his Sharks predecessor Ron Wilson.
Ron Wilson coached the Sharks through nine playoff series in four years with a significantly less talented group of players. McLellan meanwhile has coached the Sharks for six seasons but only coached two more series. Not to mention McLellan has already stripped the captaincy away from both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, and had his original assistants removed and replaced with Larry Robinson and Jim Johnson. The Sharks have done all the minor shakeups possible before actually canning the head coach. Fans know that, you can sure as hell bet the players know that.
McLellan gets praised around the league as being a top flight NHL head coach. Yet it is puzzling to many locals as to why he receives that much praise. His teams annually under perform come the postseason, and when it comes to player personnel, he has hampered his team’s ability to perform on a regular basis.
Poor Personnel Usage
The biggest coaching decision that McLellan deserves praise for was moving Brent Burns up to forward to spark the team for what became arguably their best chance at winning the Stanley Cup in 2013. However, the Sharks have since moved Burns back to defense where he basically hasn’t played in nearly two years with the lockout. Not surprisingly he has struggled mightily in his own zone this year.
Going through the list of coaching mistakes, moving Burns back to defense is right at the top. However, there may in fact be one mistake that is even bigger. That is the decision to play a top-heavy top line with Joe Pavelski.
It is excruciatingly painful to hear people say splitting up Thornton and Joe Pavelski is difficult. It shouldn’t be difficult at all. The Sharks have played their best hockey over the previous four seasons when Thornton, Logan Couture, and Joe Pavelski all center their own lines. If you look back at the tape, since 2011 the Sharks are a respectable 15-11 in the postseason when they use this lineup. When they move Pavelski to the top-six wing, they are a putrid 5-10. Pavelski may have scored 40 goals on Thornton’s wing but not shockingly they win more games with three scoring lines instead of two. Spoiler alert.
The mistake list goes on from there. This isn’t a short list by any means. For some bizarre reason, the Sharks played a stretch of games during the 2013 lockout shortened season with a second defense pair of Brad Stuart and Douglas Murray. Out of all the defensemen on the roster at that time, this is the worst possible pairing the coaching staff could have possibly put together. Two stay at home defenseman, both with limited foot speed, poor puck moving abilities and both left-handed shots? Not surprisingly this pair was downright awful together. Flash forward to this season and forward back to defenseman Brent Burns has been most often paired with 19-year-old rookie defenseman Mirco Mueller. Yeah, putting a baby-faced rookie right out of the WHL next to a guy who hasn’t played defense in basically two years? Does that not sound crazy to anybody else?
Furthermore, McLellan’s insistence on playing fourth line players known more for fighting than anything else over players with actual NHL talent is quite frankly absurd. When you look at teams going deep in the playoffs in recent years, they have fourth lines with talented players. Those teams can roll four lines and their fourth line players can move up to a third or second line and not look like a fish out of water. Pittsburgh’s playoff hero Tyler Kennedy was scratched for all seven games of the Kings series last playoff in favor of tough guy Mike Brown, who is without question a terrible player at both ends of the ice. Nobody who even remotely believes in analytics can be convinced that Brown gives a team a better chance to win than Kennedy. The Sharks were a goal here or goal there away from winning that series. Who is more likely to score that goal? Kennedy and his 12 career playoff goals in 76 games or Brown and his 1 in 19 games? They were both equally horrendous defensively last season. The fourth line didn’t cost the Sharks that series, but like the rest of the team, it vastly underperformed the last four games.
Set Up Great For Coaching Change
This isn’t to say everything that has gone wrong with the Sharks is McLellan’s fault but it is hard to fathom that the players in the room truly feel the way they say they do about their head coach. Based off Marleau’s comments about Burns at the start of training camp, it is pretty clear this group isn’t on the same page. The time is now for a new man in charge. The team couldn’t be better set up for a mid-season change.
Even if the front office can’t convince Robinson to take over for the interim like he did with the New Jersey Devils in 1999-2000 (leading them to a Stanley Cup), they at the very least have his voice and experience on hand to help whoever it may be, whether it is assistant Jim Johnson or an outside hire like the Kings did with Darryl Sutter.
With the 2000 Devils and the 2012 Kings, there is precedent of teams winning the Stanley Cup with a midseason coaching change. When it comes to Los Angeles, it certainly wasn’t all Terry Murray’s fault, nor is it all McLellan’s fault. However, a change in tone, philosophy, and just a breath of fresh air can do wonders for a team. Right now, the Sharks are just the same old Sharks. A top heavy team that doesn’t utilize their roster to maximize depth and just seems to be going through the motions. They have a great roster that needs only a couple of tweaks and a fire lit beneath it. That can come from a coaching change.
Right now the Sharks are flat-lining, they look about as dead from an interest stand point as much as an energy stand point. It is one thing to be losing games due to lack of energy on these long road trips, but the disinterest and staleness of this team is appalling. The question really should be asked, why not make a coaching change? Is McLellan’s voice, strategy, x’s and o’s really paramount to this team’s success? It seems highly more likely this team catches lightning in a bottle with a coaching change than winning a Stanley Cup with the same old style that hasn’t worked for the last six years.
Neither Wilson nor McLellan are the issue, those 20 guys in the locker room are the issue.
Ah yes, must be the coach. Cannot have anything to do with losing to better teams each time. Blackhawks, Canucks, and the Kings were better teams. Much more depth and talent. Blues are the only one that you could argue we should have won, but they too were stacked. Better put together teams. I believe that Doug Wilson is the issue, have believed this for some time. Saying that ownership won’t fire him doesn’t mean it is TMac’s fault. Todd coached for Babcock, only the best coach in the league, if he can coach for him he can coach my team. If we can get Babcock, send Todd packing, or if Scotty Bowman wants to come back that’ll work too. People say Bylsma, he underachieved with more talent. Torts, love the guy, maybe the lack of intelligent/competent media here would be perfect for him. Also, I think that Doug signed Scott and traded for Brown, not Todd. Maybe Todd playing them is a kind of screw thing. Loved the Kennedy deal on draft day last year, hoping he can keep it up. Fire Doug Wilson, Todd can stay unless Logan, Joe, Big Joe, Patty are done with him. If Tortz can coach some place for 12+ years with less playoff success, lets keep a talented coach until a better one wants to come here.
I think it is the players who are more responsible than anyone else. However, I think it is inaccurate to say the Sharks lost to more talented teams with more depth. Ask the Sharks and most people who follow hockey, the Sharks were as talented if not more deeper than the Kings. The first two games the Kings had no answer the for the Sharks 3rd and 4th lines. I do not think the Kings are more talented, they just have a stronger mental fortitude they can reach and get and the Sharks have to show that. I think we all know the Sharks are better than the Canucks.
It is incredibly tough to win a Cup and you need some luck along the way with injuries and bounces, but ultimately the Sharks have been unwilling to make that ultimate sacrifice and it turns out there were some locker room issues that needed to be worked out. Sharks have not lost to any team they should have easily beaten because there aren’t any easy teams in the playoffs, every team who makes outside of a couple in the East has a chance to win the Cup if they catch hot. it comes down to who is playing the best and who wants it the worst.
McLellan and Wilson are not the issues. Wilson did not go from turn around genius to guy who has no clue. These guys know more hockey than any of us fans will never know. If this team falls flat again then there will be change at the coaching position for sure. The players went to bat for McLellan in those interviews with Wilson, also the young guys have played relatively well under him. He also has two astute assistant coaches who played the game and one of them played at the highest level for a long time.
Get rid of Wilson and McClellan and that’s a good start.
I don’t buy it that it’s the coach’s fault. First of all, there are a lot of good teams out there to compete against, second… the Sharks players need to be held accountable. The way these guys act after a loss or while losing is pathetic. In the playoffs if they are down, they whine and goon it up. There’s no real leadership on the roster. That’s their problem.
6 seasons And 0 cups. If this club was in a Canadian market Tmac would have been sacked 3 seasons ago.
When is the last time a Canadian team won the Cup? Because they do not keep consistency and continuity within the organization. Overreacting is not a good thing.
Yeah the gooning up in the playoffs is the fault of the core players. The coach puts the players in the positions to succeed or fail, and the top heavy lineups McLellan continually rolls out do not give them the best chance to win.
Except now they have dominated 3 of the best teams in hockey with those lines….tough message not to sell when you see what they can do when they play a complete 60 minutes of hockey.
This is article is spot on. It won’t happen though because DW is clueless. He rarely goes to free agency to make a big improvement now. Look at the champs…the Kings….went out and got Gaborik..and wasn’t he the highest in playoff points? or near the top. DW and McLellan just don’t know what strings to pull. Instead they give 3 year contracts with no move clauses to deserving players and then 3 months later he wants them gone…..terrible strategy
Thanks for the comment! Kings traded for Gaborik and then resigned him, but you are right Wilson is awful in free agency, an article detailing that fact will be out soon,.
Great article. I’m a fan of McLellan’s, but the energy and attention to detail from this team is gone. That’s not entirely a reflection of his coaching, but the team is disinterested. (if I have to see #12 stick check a guy he should put a body on one more time, I’m going to lose it….more examples like that of course….but just the first one that comes to mind)
The org is a little baffling now as well. Of all the promises this off season for change, the only big shake up they made was to get rid of probably the team’s most popular personality in Drew Remenda. Other than that, adding the powerhouse that is John Scott???
All that to say….this falls on the coach, the players and the GM. (to see that D.Sutter and Lombardi have 2 Cups….stings a bit) A change is definitely needed and sadly it usually falls to the coach. Be interesting to see where he lands next if/when the big ax lands.
If it weren’t for John Scott, the sharks could have Tierney up with the big club right now instead of in in Worcester.
I think it is incorrect for anyone to say the Sharks throw guys out there on the 4th line who have no talent. You cannot play in today’s NHL and not have talent. Scott can skate and he can handle the puck well enough and even score when asked to, but that is not what he was brought into. Go back to the Sabres beat writer and ask him why Scott’s teammates love playing with him and how they view his skill. Mike Brown was the same on the 4th line who was one of the reason’s why the Kings had no answers to stopping the Sharks in games 1 and 2, they could not match the Sharks 3rd and 4th lines. Mike Brown has skill and can play. I find it funny when people including myself talk badly of players who can do something we all wish we were good enough to do. No one can convince me otherwise that these guys cannot play and compete with other 4th liners. The Kings series changed when Sutter decided to deep down the middle and put a top 6 forward as a 4th line center. I agree with the idea that you need to be deep down the middle and putting Pavelski on the 3rd line would make this team stronger. You need to have strong centerman who help make other people better, like Joe Thornton. I like the idea of having Burns as an offensive juggernaut, the problem is he gives up something defensively, but as a forward he is too out of control and can go long stretches without scoring, as a defenseman he has more freedom and maximize his nasty sniper like wrist or slap shot. He has more time and space. Working on his defensive deficiencies takes time as we are not even 20 games in. When I first looked at the schedule, I hoped this team would average a point per game based on how brutal it was, and they are on that pace or very close to it. People do realize playing 16 of your first 21 games on the road is a ridiculous disadvantage. These guys are not robots.
It is alarming they have suffered 3 blow out losses this early in the season and that could be a portent that maybe McLellan is losing his voice, but at day’s end players who make this kind of money should not need motivation. If you need motivation after being on the wrong end of history last season, then the players need to be moved because they are mental midgets. This is not a coaching issue ultimately, McLellan is not going to be out strategized by any coach and former players have made that point like Scott Gomez. At some point those guys need to man, focus and play the game the right way within the system. They need to listen. If pride does not take over then you have a bunch of losers that no coaching change is going to fix
You lost me when you said Mike Brown has skill and can play. Eriah Hayes and Freddie Hamilton have more skill than Brown and are bumped to Worcester because Brown is willing to fight.
oh and John Scott has 3 career goals in 7-8 seasons. THREE! Oh wait, let me guess that is three more than I have, right? These guys are not useful players. Toughness without any offensive production (always playing in the defensive zone, scoring at a terrible ppg rate), is useless.
And you’re interviews with Toews, kane and some of his Buffalo Sabres teammates corroborate your opinion? Those guys clearly view John Scott in high regard, and he is viewed as much more than just a guy who will fight. He should some skill on his first shift of the season, he has long strides and can skate. Mike brown has skill ask his teammates. We as fans know far less than hockey players, and their comments hold the ultimate weight. People can complain about the lack of action Wilson took this off-season, or question why he brought in a guy like John Scott, but ultimately the team understands why and they bought into it. Do you think the Sharks would have exhibited the sort of toughness they did against Anaheim a season ago? There are subtle changes that fans cannot see, but when a team can skate with more confidence it ultimately helps them in the long run. Sharks are returning hit for hit this season, something they have not done in the past. I wonder what did people really expect this team’s record to be after 18 games? With 13 of them on the road mostly in the Eastern time zone? What was reasonable, because anyone who understands the rigors of the road should know how tough it is to win and how much it means to know certain guys have your back. Sharks will win at home, they are built for SAP, and so it seems reasonable at some point this team will go on an incredible points streak of wins in the near future.
Hi – I’m new to this blog, but I like the in-depth discussions without the childish name-calling of certain other Sharks blogs. I believe that almost all NHL coaches wear out their welcomes after about 5 seasons. Players that have been there for awhile tune out the coach. So, sadly it’s time for Todd and probably Doug to go. The Sharks need someone to get them interested again. Maybe someone a little tougher but not a Tortarella. I am not making excuses for the Sharks because they have put together only 2 or 3 complete (60 minute efforts) games this season. We all know that it is harder to change 20 players than to replace 1 coach. I believe the players have tuned Todd out.
Agreed, one point that I didn’t really touch on in the piece is that they don’t look like a team playing for their coach anymore. Definitely agreed on the 5 year mark. Especially for a team like San Jose that was a playoff team every year before McLellan arrived. He inherited a great team, and if he couldn’t get the job done in 4-5 seasons, it is only natural that the message/style is going to get stale. This team needs a kick in the pants, and a coaching change can do exactly that, we’ve seen in happen just two years ago with LA. Thanks for the comment and read! Hope to hear from you again!
Any way to get this article in front of DW like yesterday? I couldn’t agree with it more. I’ve never been impressed with McLellan from a motivation standpoint. I also hate how quick he is to juggle lines that are successful 3/4 nights during the course of an entire season. He’s got the Sharks looking like a Eastern team…scoring goals, but giving up far too many.
The cheese is stale in San Jose and Larry Robinson would be my pick to finish out the season behind the bench. Todd may go on to win a cup, but it won’t be in San Jose.
Agree completely on the line juggling, 48-15-81 was playing great together in TK’s first two games, then he inexplicably split them up to go back to 48-19-8 which hasn’t worked well at all this season. 83-19-8 has looked better because Nieto brings the two Joes needed speed, and Hertl gives fast guys in sheppard and kennedy needed size. The flip flop hertl and nieto made no sense at that time. You have to give line combinations a handful of games to gel before mixing things up again. He gave the new d pairings only two periods before yanking back to the inexplicable 88-41 pair. Personnel choices are downright awful.
Let’s be honest. Burns needs to be moved back to forward on a line w Hertl and Jumbo. And yes, Pavelski should be on his own line to create more depth. Burns is not necessarily wasted on D but he would serve the team better up front where his shots can get through most of the time.
48-19-88, 12-39-83, 15-8-57 gives the Sharks three scoring lines, and a 81-10-25/76 fourth that can actually play as well. Instead what they are doing right now is over loading the top line, playing one of their best forwards at defense, thinning out the forwards even more.
Sorry, but I’d take Browny over Kennedy any day. He has heart…something the rest of the team knows nothing about.
Yeah I guess Kennedy has no heart scoring 9 points in 25 playoff games as part of a Stanley Cup winning team.
Dan Bylsma
…the situation is baffling to say the least & while the armchair experts have “all the answers” which always tend to run in direct diametric opposition to whatever opinion one might chose, the one particular comment that jogged my senses was your observation that unlike the other successful “west” teams, whilst the sharks have an elite core group, they didn’t have the depth required for that long playoff run…
…although the younger guys are well skilled with the ability to create the required depth, which is what dougie wilson is talking about with his “youth movement”, therein lies a dichotomy as it takes not just a willingness to be coached but the ability to remain mentally disciplined without sliding back into youthful instincts…
…i don’t know that I can really blame coach for this lousy start ‘cuz what I see are skilled players, both young & older sliding back into ineffectiveness just like they did last spring…didn’t anybody learn anything by way of personal reflection over the summer ???……
Very well said!
Thank You.
thank you sir!
It is just to damn funny, I have been saying the same things for the past three years. It is the coach that must motivate the player and get the best out of them when they want to take a period off. If he cant do this he is in the wrong business. What McLellan did with the wings was done as an assistant coach and he is still doing assistant coach work. Now if we could get folks to see that this team and coach were put together by wilson and it is wilson that should answer for allowing McLellan the time to take the Sharks to such depths every year.
Appreciate the comment Lee, Wilson does make the call on the coach and Wilson’s struggles in free agency in particular are noteworthy in how bad they are. However, doesn’t seem like majority owner Hasso Plattner is willing to go that route any time soon.
I think it’s too early to pass judgement on Todd. If anything, the person who should REALLY be on the hot seat is Doug Wilson. The Sharks have changed coaches, but they’ve never gotten rid of their GM. Maybe it’s time to keep the coach and toss the GM.
6 plus years is too early? Agree Wilson should be on the hot seat as well. Plattner doesn’t seem willing to make a GM change though.
I disagree. D. Sutter had the same problem with the same leadership. Look where he is now. They need players and an organization with heart. Time to go to the top. Doug Wilson needs to go. Giving thornton and marleau no trade clauses mid season last year was a huge mistake.
Sorry Rich, but if you are referring to D Sutter’s time with the Sharks, he had a 100% completely different team than what Ron Wilson and Todd McLellan have had. Sutter never coached Thornton.
GM should be on the hot seat too, but the owner doesn’t seem to be involved enough to make that kind of decision. He basically just lets Wilson run the show and doesn’t answer to the media about Wilson’s performance.
I think you must be watching a different Tyler Kennedy. Yeah, he’s ” flying” around, just like the two consecutive penalties he took the other night one of which caused a goal against. He hasn’t produced at all and probably won’t. Physical presence? Please. Mike Brown at least provides a physical presence. Brown doesn’t have Kennedys skill level yet he plays with more heart than Kennedy ever will. The Sharks have talent but they lack heart ! They need more players willing to give all they got.
Those other coaches didn’t have the skill that McLellan does have which is why it’s more frustrating to watch this “team” fail to show up lately. That might support your argument why McLellan should go, but For me it just shows how the core players have bailed on him and the fans.
Did you happen to hear Jeremy Roenick on the pregame yesterday? He was right on! He said the Sharks are a great team, but only when they feel like playing ! That’s on the players, not the coaches. They may have tuned McLellan out. That happens sometimes, but it’s a insult to us season ticket holders who have stood by the team through all the ups and downs.
first game back he had five shots on goal, and an assist. The next game back where he had four penalty minutes he finished the game a +2, and his only other two games so far he hasn’t taken a penalty. Only games hes taken a penalty are games hes played well. Not sure what you are looking at. He’s finishing checks and creating chaos on the forecheck, making plays on the cycle.
its not the coach the core of the team got older and the youth cant fill the big shoes. The sharks have been knocking on the door for so long but could not push through. rebuilding does not happen in a year. you tweek the team and hope for the best and it is obvious that the talent level is not the same. The sharks could pour it on and have you bottles up in your zone most of the game. Now they have the puck less than half the time and there best guys are still the old guard. This is a very tough league with many more good teams than playoff spots. The salary cap really has worked to change competitive balance . The Sharks can fire the coach but it won’t change things much.
thanks for comment brian, the sharks top guys thornton and marleau are still producing at high levels, they just need better help around them.
Correction the Sharks lost to Florida 4-1 not 4-0
Right, but they went down 4-0 explains that they weren’t down 2-1 late, and a late insurance goal and empty netter could make for a 4-1 loss
amen-he does not seem to reach them or motivate them
Coach and GM said the message didn’t get through last year, I’d argue it is because the message has gone stale.
Interesting that you mention Kennedy. Based on puck possession once it’s quantified with production Kennedy ranked above Thornton last season. Thornton is far from the best player on the team. If he was he would have been on Team Canada.
Burns is an All Star D who should never have been a forward last season. In the shortened season it was needed for him to help finish recovering from what was very difficult surgery. The difference in skating style between a D and a F would have made it impossible for Burns to have played that season.
What’s happening this year is that without Burns on Thornton’s line, the line is for the most part ineffective. It doesn’t matter if they put Hertl or Nieto on the line all that ends up happening is that those players stop being effective. Thornton’s line has barely scored any goals that have not come from tipped in shots from the point. The goal last night would have gone in without Thornton touching it. That’s not a team player. Shocking the other players have an issue with him.
The offense on that line is coming from the D and not from the forwards.
It’s not only time for McLellan to move on but far past time for Thornton to be gone, DW didn’t pull the info out of his rear end this summer. Thornton and vets that are no longer Sharks were offensive and more to the core of the team. If you for a second believe that McLellan was unaware of what was going on I have a bridge for sale. Why do you think the players never went to McLellan? He knew and allowed it to go on.
That’s why there has always been something “off” with the team.
Until Thornton is gone there always will be. The broadcast team will continues to sing Thornton’s praise to keep his value up but the goal remains the same and that is to get him to waive.
well we agree on something for a change.
What BS. “You are not going to find a better group of top players than the Sharks”…huh? Maybe you missed the games with Chicago and LA for the last 5 years. Or Boston. Suuuure, we have all the personnel to go beyond the 2nd best record in NHL over 10 years… suuure. Sure, Nabokov was as good as Quick. Thornton as gritty as his counterparts at playoff time. Sure, Vlasic matches up with Doughty. And Marleau’s just another Hossa and Corey Perry, of course. And somewhere in our lineup, I’m sure there’s a Patrick Kane. Maybe hidden somewhere in Worcester?
This is such a cheap shot. I guess it’s no longer in fashion to attack Doug Wilson, so you might as well go after McClellan now. A solid guy, has the respect of his players, coaches, and one of the best records ever for a coach with his tenure. So you don’t like his lines, or matchups, and you know better. Oh, and he’s supposed to turn Thornton and Marleau into some kind of Scott Stevens… sure.
Hey, Andrew Bensch, someone should be shown the door, and it’s not Todd.
Patrick Marleau has 60 playoff goals, 25% of which are game winners, that is a higher percentage of playoff game winners than patrick kane, corey perry and other stars. The Sharks elite group of players are as good as anyone. The problem is they don’t have the depth compared to when the ducks won the cup, the kings, bruins and blackhawks winning their cups.
Thanks for bringing this issue up. I do think a coaching change is probably needed. I do disagree with several of your reasons though. First, the defense has been terrible but it was Doug Wilson who came out and said that Burns would be moved back to defense! Not McLellan. Second, Tyler Kennedy hasn’t done a THING since coming to San Jose. He was given plenty of chances in the beginning but other than being a fast skater, he’s been useless. I would argue that Brown isn’t a ” terrible ” player at both ends. Limited, yes but at least he plays with some fire which is MUCH needed by SJ, something Kennedy doesn’t do.
I agree that Pavelski should be on his own line. The Sharks need to roll at least 3 good lines and moving Pavelski would do that. The 4th line should be beefed up but that could be done at or before the trade deadline. I agree that the core players have tuned McLellan out. A team with that kind of talent cannot play as bad as they have been. They should be ashamed of themselves for putting out that kind of effort. Maybe
McLellan is not the answer, but look at the coaches the Sharks have had. Ron Wilson, Darryl Sutter and now McLellan. It’s obvious that it’s not the coach. It’s the lack of SOMEONE with heart to lead this team. Someone like Owen Nolan who could play as well as lead. Joe Thornton is not the guy and neither is Patrick Marleau ! Im still waiting for Thornton to be the “best player on the team ” as you have said he is. He seems the most disinterested of all! If he’s gonna pout because he was asked to leave then he should have left !
McLellan is gonna be shown the door if the Sharks don’t wake up! When he does, every single Shark player had better step up and show what they can do, and they better not look at themselves in the mirror cause it will be their fault when he goes. Shameful !
Have you watched TK since he’s been back? He is flying around out there making plays and despite being 5’8″, plays with an edge and physical presence. Darryl Sutter and Ron Wilson didn’t have the talent to really get the job done. Maybe Wilson in 2007-08 with Campbell but that’s about it. Sharks never had any real puck movers before Campbell.
as for Mike Brown, his possession numbers are terrible, his plus/minus is terrible, he puts up maybe 8 points over 82 games, and if you just watch him play, he falls down on nearly every shift, he has no balance to speak of, he’s terrible on his skates, lacks any sense of positional play nor ability to make plays offensively.