Sharks Prescription : Theo Fleury
November 8th, 2007, 8:44 pm
Just kidding, but only half. The disappointment continues. The Sharks can’t catch a break right now. They did not play a bad game last night. Nabby had his worst game of the season so far, and he needs a bit of a rest. He’s spent the last two years trying to be the undisputed #1 again- now that he’s got it, he will not take himself out of the game or refuse a start. Look for Patzold to start Saturday or Monday against Phoenix.
Unlike my esteemed blog partner, I don’t believe a major shakeup is needed, trading Marleau, Cheechoo, or firing Ron Wilson. Although if Boston goes for that trade he proposed they should be contracted out of the league. Maybe that’s why he’s kicking ass at fantasy and I’m not.
It’s my belief that the Sharks need a relatively small catalyst to drive their recovery. With the face of the team being Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, two laid back guys, I think some passion, energy and emotion needs to be injected into the Sharks lineup. I wish JR could be that guy, and Lord knows he’s trying, but he just doesn’t get enough minutes to make it happen.
We need Sean Avery.
Well, somebody like Avery anyway. Not a star. A guy that talks trash on the ice, makes a pest of himself, and can contribute good minutes. Look at Detroit. They have at least three pests- Holmstrom, Maltby, and Draper all get under your skin. They can take the other team off of their game while inspiring their team to play harder.
With Clowe out, that role is not being filled. Bernier is playing tougher, but he’s not a pest, just a big guy. And it’s hard to be taken seriously when you’re talking trash with a French accent. What we don’t need is another silent leader. We need somebody to stir the pot, on and off the ice.
Letting Mark Smith go was a mistake. We need him back. Ian Laperriere, Raffi Torres, even Chris Simon. Ok, maybe not Chris Simon. But Darren McCarty.
Let’s not cram Joe and Patty into a box that says “VOCAL LEADER”. Forcing them into a role they are not suited to play is counterproductive and stupid. The captain doesn’t have to be the guy that makes all the speeches. Doug Wilson needs to give them room to create, the room to lead on the ice, knowing that somebody’s got their back.
How about our old nemesis, Brendan Witt? Scott Parker would have scaled the Eiffel Tower to get at that guy. That’s the guy we need.
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Okay Mikey – I hear you but you failed to name a guy that fits that mold who we should actually acquire… Sean Avery is probably there for the taking – but he is a cancer, from what I’ve read, and adding him to this mix could spell disaster. Brendan Witt is a Ted Nolan guy, he isn’t moving. Chris Simon and Mike Grier in the same locker room – um no. Tootoo sucks and so does Rutuu and Torres – those guys are cheap shot artists all who have enemies in the Sharks locker room.
Do you really think Mark Smith would have made an impact on this club? He would have been another center clogging up a roster that already features Brown, Goc, Pavelksi, Mitchell, and Rismiller.
How about Darcy Tucker? How about Bobby Holik – he is at the end of his deal in Atlanta? How about offering some younger talent to New Jersey for John Madden – they are trying to rebuild. Chris Gratton in Tampa Bay? If we could add two of these players in exchange for some of our younger forwards (Bernier/Pavelski/Goc) I think your strategy could work…
Dunno if you refreshed… I edited to say “Ok, maybe not Chris Simon”, and I took out Tootoo.
I think Torres and Ruutu are guys that everyone hates, but want on their team. I’m not a Ruutu fan myself, but players understand it ain’t personal.
I take your point on Mark Smith. I guess my supporting thesis is that talent is not enough. Goc and Brown can go. At this point, I’d trade ability for fire.
Tucker and Madden I like. Gratton and Holik I’m not so sure. Holik wants to be ‘the man’, and we got too many of those already.
We’ve got too many guys who want to be “the man”?
I totally disagree. I think we have zero guys who want to be “the man”. That is exactly the problem. These guys say all the right things in the media, that they are disappointed and will hold themselves accountable – but when is it going to translate on the ice? A roster filled with extremely talented, yet mild mannered guys with good size isn’t going to win a second round/conference final playoff series. We know – because it’s been the Sharks roster for years. And now our most physical presence up front in Clowe is out until March. Doctor!!! Get us a new agitator please!
Wait. I’ve figured it out. This team needs Jeff Odgers.
I mean ‘the man’ as in ‘the man who gets all the pretty adulation’. It’s just a feeling, but I get the idea that Joe, Marleau, Cheech, and Michalek all think they’re that guy- they get their chances and don’t have to get roughed up in the corners and in the crease. Clowe didn’t put on any such airs.
I still think we aren’t quite on the same page with this one. I don’t see Michalek is this type of player. I don’t think Joe is afraid of playing physically. This type of player is more of a Jagr or a Selanne or, as we both agree on, Patrick Marleau. So is that the type of player who can successfully lead a team to a Cup as your captain? We’ve seen teams roll in here like Dallas with Morrow, Boston with Chara, Nashville with Arnott, and this weekend Phoenix with Jovo-Cop. Those guys are captains. They lead by example with excellent play on a nightly basis and veteran leadership. We are missing this type of guy and I don’t think we have one lurking around on our roster. We have skill guys. We have some solid 3rd and 4th line guys. We need leadership.
And you know the Sharks will probably win tonight just to make us look dumb.
How much of this mild mannered and laid back attitude do you guys think is being contributed as a result of playing in San Jose? The players have been quoted multiple times saying how much they love it here cause they can go out and not be bugged. What if they were hounded all the time by fans and by the media and criticized beyond belief?
Could this “great atmosphere” just be a breading ground for mediocrity?
It’s an interesting theory, but I don’t think it holds water if you compare now to the Darryl Sutter years. There were many hard-edge players like Scott Thornton, Mike Ricci, and others.
One might make the extension that this is a consequence of Ron Wilson’s style, and I don’t know if I could disagree with that. Does anybody think that we’d have these kinds of problems if Ken Hitchcock were the coach here?