Too soon?  Hard not to get jazzed by last night’s win, no?  After a listless first period, the Sharks took advantage of some sloppy Anaheim penalties in the 2nd en route to a 4-1 win.  Although it was exciting to see the Sharks absolutely dominate the Ducks for stretches, it was even more encouraging to see the first signs of the completely new system Todd McLellan has wrought.

First of all, the D is so much more active in the offensive zone.  The most obvious is the points and shots coming from the point.  Sharks averaged less than two points per game from the defense last year, and last night they had four.  They averaged less than seven shots per game, and Blake had seven all on his own.

Second, the puck possesion style has begun.  Sharks fans are used to seeing guys get a little jammed up in the neutral zone or their own blue line, and chipping it off the boards to get out of trouble.  Last night, several times, you’d see them go back to the defensemen for a D-to-D pass and regroup.  A couple of times it happened so out of character for what I’m used to seeing I turned to grier in surprise.  “That never would have happened last year,” I’d say.

Third, there was a glimmer of killer instinct.  Too many times we’d see the Sharks go into a defensive shell with a third period lead, and last night, vestiges of that mentality remained.  But after the Ducks got on the board, instead of buckling down further, the Sharks continued to push the pace.  The fourth goal, though not necessary for the win, was a very encouraging sign.

In honor of the new season, I’ll appropriate a picture for my LOLSHARX debut:

Cap Nerd powers….. ACTIVATE.

Even I need help understanding this plate of legal spaghetti called the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  And when I do, I turn to HFBoards.com, where the “Business of Hockey” forum is moderated by the guy who created and maintains nhlscap.com.  There’s no better NHL salary cap resource out there.

So the thread is here, and answers all my remaining questions about McLaren, and corrects a few misunderstandings that grier had in the previous post.  Let’s get down to brass tacks- if the Sharks did not assign McLaren to the AHL, he would still count against the 23-man Active Roster, and thus count against the cap.  Waiving him was just the first part of a two-step process to clear the cap room.  Also, the Sharks cannot tear up the contract and let McLaren sign with someone else, because the CBA specifically prohibits renegotiation.

There was never a great alternative in this situation, unless the Sharks chose not to sign Blake (which isn’t a great alternative).  If they bought McLaren out when Goc filed for arbitration, $625K would count against the cap this year, which means the Sharks would still be over the cap right now.  It’s just a crappy situation all around.

But all that crap will magically melt away tonight when the season opens.

It is real shame that it came to this. Kyle McLaren has been assigned to the Sharks AHL farm club in Worcester today in order to get his salary off the books. He is a true casualty of the salary cap era, a player who makes too much money to stay on his own team or for any other team to assume his contract this late, after most rosters have been set. The true irony is that if Big Mac had been a UFA in the offseason, he would have likely commanded “Jason Smith” type money from some team and signed a contract for the very 2.5M he was making anyways.

McLaren was nothing but a warriors for the Sharks, and while injuries slowed him down the last two years – Big Mac deserved a better ending in Teal than being forced to refuse an assignment to the minors, which is what I imagine is the next step. I think McLaren has too much pride to waste away in Worcester and might rather take the unpaid suspension and wait for a team to trade for his rights after someone gets injured. He is worthless at this point to San Jose, it’s not like they could call him up if Murray gets hurt – McLaren makes 2M more than Murray this season. He couldn’t cover Vlasic or Lukowich’s roster spot either. So…why not cut your losses, admit you couldn’t move Big Mac and outright release him? I don’t understand it. For an organization that I have always considered to be a class act, this is the first blemish I can remember on Doug Wilson’s record.

22 hours til hockey.

UPDATED: MCLAREN HAS AGREED TO ACCEPT HIS ASSIGNMENT TO WORCESTER. SEE THE COMMENT SECTION FOR HOW WE THINK THIS MIGHT PLAY OUT.

24 Hours to go and here are my picks for the 2008-09 NHL Season. Mike and I agree on some things, but there are a few major differences.

Southeast

1. Washington – They are a cut above the rest of this division. The magic of Bruce B. continues and Ovechkin carries this team to the 2nd round. The only downside is they are at the top of the cap, so it leaves no room for any roster moves. I have them as my #3 seed.
2. Florida – I like Florida as my surprise team in the East this season. I believe that DeBoer can change the culture of this team and their strong blueline and goaltending will get them into the playoffs for the first time in years. There is finally hope in Panther Land. I have them as my #6 seed.
3. Tampa Bay – Yikes! What a rough start. My suspicions proved correct, that this blueline is in trouble. Tampa’s “O” will come together at some point, but I think the glimmer will fade and Tampa fans will question the new ownership in March.
4. Carolina – Bring in The Enigma (Pitkanen) and relying on Samsanov to be your top goal scorers equals no playoffs for the Canes. It’s too much to ask of Brind’Amour at this point.
5. Atlanta – I think this is the worst team in the NHL. They should trade Kovalchuk for a mountain of young players and start all over. In a word, they “suck”.

Northeast

1. Montreal – Adding Tanguay only makes them stronger up front. I don’t think they’ll miss a beat and they should find themselves as the 2nd seed come April.
2. Boston – Another team that seems to thrive on chemistry and hard work. Getting Bergeron back is like adding a UFA, now if Ryder finds himself again and Wheeler plays up to expectations, the Bruins will make the playoffs. I have them in at #8.
3. Buffalo – I like Buffalo on paper. They always look good on paper, but losing Campbell for a full season and now Kalinin damages the blueline in a way Rivet can’t make up for. I could be wrong, but I think fans in Buffalo should focus on the Bills for now.
4. Ottawa – They looked better than I thought they would in the first two games, but goaltending and attitude is still a major issue. I think they will fall apart when the going gets tough and a major player (Spezza) will get moved out of town.
5. Toronto – Toskala and the veteran D will play good enough in Wilson’s system to steal enough wins to keep them from the coveted #1 pick. It might even be good enough to make them the 4th worst team in hockey, and not the worst. Too bad Leafs fans. Mediocrity will continue.

Atlantic

1. New Jersey – I think they find the mojo again for one last big run in front of Brodeur. The feel good atmosphere with Rolston and Holik back in Red/Black will spark a division title and perhaps a #1 seed.
2. Pittsburgh – They would be the clear favorite if they were healthy, but losing Gonchar and Whitney for most of the season kills their division hopes. This could be a lost year if another blueliner goes down and rough on Fleury’s confidence. I think they get the #4 seed.
3. Philadelphia – Kind of a toss up here between them and the Rangers, but I’m taking the Flyers cause I like Carter/Richards/Briere and their overall toughness. I’m not as down on Biron as everyone else either. I give Philly the #5 seed.
4. NY Rangers – Too much tinkering with a good thing equals some minor disappointment in New York. They will make the playoffs and have a solid year, but it just won’t be enough to make big noise in April. Rangers grab the #7 seed and a date with Montreal.
5. Islanders – 2nd worst team in hockey…and it’s close. Jon Sim is not the chosen one.

Central

1. Detroit – Nothing has changed here. A pox on all their houses. Detroit is the #1 seed.
2. Chicago – Losing Lang weakens their 2nd line, but Chicago is on the up and up and I like what they’re doing. They will be super dangerous to play and no picnic in the playoffs. Hawks snag the #5 seed.
3. Columbus – I think this is the year for Jackets fans to see their team play super hard for Hitchcock, discover a #1 center in Umburger, dramatically make the playoffs on the last day of the season as the 8th seed and then lose 4-0 in a series to the Wings. Congrats.
4. Nashville – I think this team is going backwards and needs to trade some assets on the blueline to get some young scoring. Not sure what they’re doing in Nashville….regressing like the economy.
5. St. Louis – They are the 5th worst team in the NHL. It’s always awesome to add Chris Mason to your elderly goalie tandem. Woo Hoo!

Northwest

1. Edmonton – I’m a believer in the moves they’ve made and I think the goaltending will be good enough to get by. Cole/Hemsky/Horcoff could really gel and their 2nd “kid” line will provide solid energy and scoring. Oilers are the 3rd seed.
2. Colorado – Another team like New Jersey that I think has one more run in them before the horses are put out to pasture. How are they different than last years team that beat Minnesota in the 1st round? I think Budaj will do good enough and another re-run of Forsberg makes them the #7 seed.
3. Calgary – Keenan will get fired and Kipper will prove a bust with his new contract. Can you handle the truth? Darryl Sutter will be behind the bench until Tortorella takes over this team in the offseason.
4. Minnesota – I hate the Wild. They bore me to tears. Their regular season magic stops this year with the Gaborik distraction looming. Where will he end up? How about in Vancouver for two red heads?
5. Vancouver – Another team with a questionable direction. They didn’t do anything to really make themselves better. Demitra and Bernier are not the answers, in my opinion. Canucks are cellar dwellers.

Pacific

1. Sharks – Could be a slow start as the team comes together with a new system, but when the dust settles in this brutal division, the Sharks will be on top. Setoguchi has a break out year with 60 points on the top line. You heard it here first. Sharks are the 2nd seed.
2. Anaheim – I don’t have anything bad to say about them other than I hate Pronger, I hate Selanne and Parros can kiss my ass. Ducks are the 4th seed..and a damn good one at that.
3. Phoenix- Things are looking up in Phoenix, but too many goons in the kitchen right now. This team will be a pain in the ass to match up again and should eclipse Dallas this year under Gretzky’s watchful eye. Phoenix has the cap room to add major pieces at the deadline and is the 6th seed this year. I think I was little vague on this on the podcast, but a girl can change her mind, right?
4. Dallas – Avery will be great on my fantasy team but terrible for the chemistry in Dallas. He will have a major falling out with Morrow and Modano at some point this season and Hull’s little experiment could backfire. I was wrong about Dallas last year, and might be again – but I think they fall out of the playoff picture.
5. Los Angeles – Lombardi’s ploy to be the worst won’t work. But they will blow goats for sure. It will make me smile to beat them night after night. Enjoy.

I’m thinking Penguins/Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals and Sharks/Wings in the Western Conference Finals. For the Cup: Montreal and San Jose. BRING IT!

I hope you’ve been listening to the podcasts where we talk about each team in a bit of detail, but for those heathens that didn’t, here’s a recap of my picks this season:

Southeast

1. Washington – Ovechkin + Green + decent supporting cast = another division win.
2. Tampa Bay – Swapping half the roster out for new players is a risky move, but there’s a helluva lot of talent here, even with a weak defense.
3. Florida – Trading Jokinen will hurt, but the defense looks good.  If some young forwards can step it up, the Panthers will be on the bubble to make the playoffs.
4. Carolina – The Canes, with only one superstar in Eric Staal, will struggle.  They needed to get some help this offseason, and didn’t.
5. Atlanta – Kovalchuk will be sent packing, which means the Thrashers will likely get the #1 pick next year.

Northeast

1. Buffalo – Plenty of scoring, steady D, and great goaltending will shock most of the people that have picked Montreal to win this division.
2. Montreal – I think the power play will struggle this year with Streit gone and Kovalev one year older. This team lives and dies with the man advantage.
3. Boston – They’ve managed to keep things together pretty well, and if Bergeron can stay healthy, the Bruins may squeak in as the #8 again next spring.
4. Ottawa – A team in turmoil, they’ve lost two good defensemen, a goaltender, and replaced one retread coach with another.
5. Toronto – Ron Wilson may get all the players looking in the same direction this year, but there just isn’t enough talent to win many games.

Atlantic

1. Pittsburgh – Hard not to win a lot when you have the second and third best players in the league.
2. New Jersey – I like what they did in the offseason in bringing back Ralston and Holik, and if Brodeur can steady the D, the Devils could get the #4 seed.
3. Rangers – Despite Gomez and Drury, this success of the Blueshirts will depend on young guys like Dubinsky, Callahan, and Girardi.  Having Lundqvist in net doesn’t hurt either.
4. Philadelphia – I’m predicting a goalie meltdown in Philly this year, and after Coburn and Timonen, they will be thin on D as well.  Not a good combination.
5. Islanders – They stink.  Period.

Central

1. Detroit – Not fair that the Stanley Cup champion can get better in the offseason.  Jerks.
2. Chicago – A very dangerous young team in the future, we will see this inexperienced young team make the playoffs in a weak division.
3. Columbus – After making a lot of changes, there’s still no consensus #1 center for Rick Nash, but they are still better than the alternatives.
4. Nashville – Some excellent young defensemen, and not much else.
5. St. Louis – Having Erik Johnson out for the year with a knee injury just kills a team that was going to be in the cellar anyway.

Northwest

1. Calgary – I’m not certain about any of these picks, but with Iginla a perennial Hart candidate and Phaneuf a perennial Norris candidate, if Kipper can get anywhere close to his Vezina candidate performance, this team can win this middling division.
2. Edmonton – A great youthful team with a lot of changes and question marks.  They could run away with the division or stumble and fall miserably, so I’m spitting the difference.
3. Vancouver – They’ll be in every game every night with Bobby Lou and a strong defense, but I don’t think they have enough scoring to put them in the playoffs.
4. Minnesota – The Gaborik sweepstakes will derail a team that was on a train to no place.
5. Colorado – With subpar goaltending, and only Stasny to assume Sakic’s inevitable dropoff, this team will have to retool next year.

Pacific

1. Sharks – I almost have to pick them, don’t I?  They went all-in with the defensive moves this summer, and I think it’ll pay off this year.  Next year I’m not so sure.
2. Dallas – If Zubov comes back early enough and healthy enough, the Stars has no weaknesses.
3. Anaheim – Counting on aging but award-winning stars, they are very vulnerable to injuries.  I just can’t see Pronger, Niedermayer, and Selanne healthy all year, which is what it’ll take for the Ducks to contend for the division title.
4. Phoenix – In a different division, the Coyotes could beat up on the weaker teams enough to make the playoffs, since they have good talent all over the roster.
5. Los Angeles – Plenty of good youngsters, but allowing them to flounder all alone this year may hurt the franchise more than help it.

Good news first- the latest podcast is available, which finishes our season preview.  We’ll be each posting here with a recap of our previews in brief; I encourage you to listen to the individual episodes if you want more explanation and witty banter.

Bad news is the McLaren situation has come to a unfortunate end: TSN reports that McLaren is now on waivers, along with a whole truckload of other players around the league.  Whether he is claimed or not, McLaren’s $2.5M salary will not count against the salary cap unless he clears and the Sharks decide to bring him back.  That situation is so unlikely it’s almost not worth mentioning.  This means that the Sharks were unable to reach a trade agreement with anyone.  With the Semenov, Plihal, and perhaps Friesen deals yet to be posted, it just wasn’t possible for the Sharks to take a regular NHLer in return and be responsible for more salary.

It’s really an unfitting end for a very good player.  Once the Blake signing and the Boyle trade happened, it became clear that McLaren was the odd man out, and the difficult part was that it was due to his salary, and not his playing ability.  Well, I guess that’s not entirely true.  If McLaren were an All-Star offensive defenseman, then the Sharks wouldn’t have gone out and gotten those guys.  It’s certainly not Kyle’s fault- the salary cap era has created this shrinking middle class of players- players better than entry level or journeyman guys, but too expensive because the superstars are getting so much money, creating cap pressure.  This is why guys like Steve Montador and Semenov have jobs, but McLaren and Marek Malik don’t.  McLaren isn’t the first casualty of this unfortunate circumstance, and he won’t be the last.  I just hope he lands on his feet somewhere quickly, and has a productive last few years of his career.

Stay classy, 4.  You’ll be missed.

Update:  If this isn’t a fitting tribute, I don’t know what is.

It sure was great to see live hockey again.

Last night was my first preseason game and test-drive of our new seats. Mike is still in New York and, being a man of his word, if you watched NHL Live on the NHL Network on Tuesday, you could see our very own Mikey pretending to shop in the background as E.J. Hradek talked about Sergei Gonchar’s injury. Alas, Mike’s camera hogging was cut short by the arrival of an actual hockey player, Brian Rolston, and Mike disappeared into the streets of New York faster than Al Davis’s dignity at a press conference (that was embarrassing yesterday….and I hate the Raiders). Good work Mike! Next time, get E.J. to plug to podcast!

The game last night featured what appears to be the Sharks top four lines, and the unveiling of McLellan’s new top line: Marleau, Thornton and Setoguchi. Did it work? You tell me.

Third Star: Joe Thornton
Second Star: Patrick Marleau
First Star: Devon Setoguchi

HELLS YEAH! They looked super dangerous in the 2nd and 3rd periods and carved up the ‘Yotes for three of the Sharks four goals. I think McLellan has found his top line. The Sharks in general were sleepy in the first period, falling behind 2-0 to Phoenix – but found a way to dig it out in overtime thanks to Joe Thornton being left all alone to skate right in front on Al Montoya and bury the puck. Oops.

Even though this is preseason, here are some things to take away from Tuesday

– The Sharks look dangerous every time they have the puck and McLellan’s coaching philosophy is evident. The Sharks bombed Montoya for 35 shots and 11 of them came from the blueline.

– In glimpses, you saw that the Cheechoo/Marleau/Thornton/Blake/Boyle powerplay is going to be the best in the NHL by midseason. They had the Coyotes scrambling and pissing their own pants.

– This is not your grandma’s San Jose Sharks. They are going to give up some goals due to the risks the blueline are now encouraged to take in the offensive zone. Phoenix had several odd man rushes, two resulted in goals and a few were saved by Nabby. Lots of 5-3 wins this season are in our future.

– It looks like Plihal has taken Mitchell’s roster spot for now. He had five good scoring opportunities. Four of them he shot into Montoya’s pads and he finally got one past him in the 2nd period. I guess this means that Friesen is frozen out?

– THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SEMENOV. The first goal Phoenix scored was all his fault. He sucks. Oh man..does he suck. Last night the Sharks scratched Ehrhoff to give young D-man Mike Moore another look, and he continues to show redeeming qualities at +2. Assuming Lukowich is not going to be ready to play in the opener, the Sharks will keep Frankenstein and one more D-man, and it looks like it will be Mike Moore. Here’s hoping McLellan sees the light and goes with Moore opening night.

P.S. The streak of Sharks players sitting in front of us continued, with Thomas Greiss joining his “lady friend”. You go Greiss. Experience the ladies of San Jose before you are shipped back to Worcester…and please take Semenov with you.

I’m ready for opening night. We’ll give our final season preview on Friday with our next podcast. Make sure to check it out at dudes on hockey.com.

I don’t put a lot of stock in preseason games.  Actually, about none.  Neither team has all their good players in, which makes the outcome about as significant as Tila Tequila’s view on the economy.  Last night, the Pavs-Cheech-Michalek line was in, and tonight they were replaced with the Joe-Patty-Clowe line.  The D were also on the rotation- last night Boyle and Ehrhoff, tonight Blake and Vlasic.

Good and bad things happened in both games (you can’t get this kind of analysis just anywhere); last night a third period flurry made the Sharks look good in a 5-2 win.  Tonight, the good Canuck defense and Bobby Lou prevented the Sharks from scoring until the third in a 3-2 loss.

As far as the young kids go, no one has made a really big impression on me in terms of their play.  Brad Staubitz is perfectly happy to bang around with guys and drop the gloves, which the fans appreciate.  In my opinion, only Mike Morris and Steven Zalewski have really shown they can compete at this level, and then only in flashes.  Derek Joslin, a early pick to be a 7th or 8th defenseman, has been pretty invisible.  Semenov, the guy who will likely be that 7th D, scored last night, but it didn’t make up for some ill-conceived passes, slow movement, and lack of physicality.

One thing new was the power play strategy.  Sometimes it looked like a herd of cats, and occasionally you’d see a guy camped on the half boards a la Wilson, but McLellan has clearly implemented a new style.  Every time the D get the puck at the point they move quickly to create a shooting lane and are more inclined to let it fly.  You see more guys crashing the crease, like Joe and Marleau, and Clowe’s goal tonight was due to a redirect off his skate (half on purpose).

To be honest, the most interesting thing (other than the fights) in these two games was the realization that the new seats are in the players’ wives’ section.  And tonight, that also meant a visit from some actual players.  This photo was taken from my seat:

As we can see, Christian Ehrhoff and Milan Michalek decided to take in the game from the stands in some snappy suits, and conveniently situated near some hot women (not pictured, but take my word for it).  The third guy was also pretty dressed up, and I figured he was a player too, but I couldn’t place him.  Anybody know who this guy is?

But I did have a scintillating conversation with Ehrhoff as he went to his seat:

Me: Played well last night, man.

Ehrhoff:  Thanks.

I’m not a star-chaser at all, so I just let them go about their business after that.  Pretty much everyone around was clocking their every move, but they were more or less left alone. If it were Dan Boyle instead of Michalek I don’t know if I could have resisted saying something embarrassing (“I love you, man!” or “Hey, you want to go to Red Lobster?”) but luckily I was spared.

In other news, I’ll be heading to the Big Apple on vacation this week, so the podcast will be delayed until Thursday this one time. Also look for me on the NHL Network feed of the NHL Live! radio show one of these days- I’m planning on hanging around the NHL store a bit when the show is broadcast.  Maybe I can induce Hradek into a rant about something.

Doug Wilson does it again. A preemptive strike to prevent another Sharks player from hitting the open market. Douglas Murray sticks with the Team Teal Comes First concept and signed a four year/10M deal before beating the $%*& out of former Sharks prospect Brennan Evans and scoring a goal in last nights preseason loss in Anahiem. He also managed to be a +1 on a night when the Sharks coughed up six goals.

What do I think? A great move by Doug Wilson….and a head scratcher for Douglas Murray. He might have just left around six million dollars on the table by not testing the open market, when you figure if he had another solid year – he might have fetched a four year/16M deal. Hell, if Jeff Finger got four years/14M…why not, right? Nope. Not for Murray. He now joins a Sharks core that has Vlasic, Boyle, Ehrhoff and Murray locked up until 2011 and beyond….just think of adding Petrecki to that mix and that’s even tastier than Mike’s Rainbow Dippin’ Dots (couldn’t resist).

What if Rob Blake drinks from the fountain of Roenick and has a career re-birth of 40+ points and 90 PIM’s? Well…if the Sharks need a great trade chip they have three good, young D under contract long term – and that increases their value ten-fold. Matt Carle was turned into Dan Boyle. Doug Wilson is like the Cris Angel of the NHL, but without the bad hair and unisex jeans.

I guess this is a personal choice for an athlete. Is six million dollars left on the table worth playing in Atlanta or Columbus? Ron Hainsey would say “hells yes”. Murray quietly grunted and signed on the dotted line to chase the Cup in San Jose. Someone get this man some Swedish Fish!

So, what would you say? Murray showed character by signing early or stupidity by not testing the UFA market?

We were both very excited to finally see some live professional hockey last night in the Teal and White game. It’s a opportunity to check out some of the young guys that are coming up, and a first look at the new faces, like Blake and Boyle. The latest podcast is about that, and we continue our season preview.

In other matters, you see we have a new look and feel over here- lots of changes have been made to the hockeyanalysis.com group of sites. I certainly recommend you check out the other sites here, be it other teams, the rumors site, or the fantasy site.

Also, you can see I’ve added an advert for the upcoming Sharks call-in radio show. It says “Saturdays” but the first show is October 4 October 11, so don’t tune in quite yet. Store up all your rants, raves, and questions for the Saturday after the season opener, and I hope you’ll call in. It can be streamed over the web at the KDOW 1220 website.

Finally, we’ve launched our very own fantasy league for readers of the blog and listeners of the podcast. I guess that means everyone on Earth, although somehow our numbers just aren’t reflecting it yet. Anyway, it’s a Yahoo league, id# 45644, password ‘danboyle’. I hope you’ll join up, meet other readers/listeners, and trash talk us in the message section. And no, I don’t think I’ll give you Evgeni Malkin for Fedor Tyutin and Mark Smith.