New York Post reports the Devils and Rangers appear to have abandoned the Souray sweepstakes. The Devils have turned their attention towards resigning restricted free agents Paul Martin and Zach Parise. Martin was quoted saying he heard Souray was coming West….

After my post yesterday, I took a long hard look at the Sharks salary cap situation and tried to put myself in Doug Wilson’s shoes. Here is a list of the players who are either restricted or unrestricted free agents next season and my guess and what salary they will command. The Sharks currently have 25 million committed in salary for next season.

Steve Bernier – 1.5 million
Christian Ehrhoff – 3.0 million
Marcel Goc – 1.5 million
Joe Pavelski – 1.5 million
Patrick Marleau – 6.5 million
Milan Michalek – 3.5 million
Patrick Rismiller 1.5 million
Ryan Clowe – 2.0 million

This is 21-22 million in salary – assuming Wilson keeps all these core players. This also doesn’t include Setoguchi and Wishart, who I think will be on the big club by 2008-09. I would assume Curtiss Brown will not be back. This makes for a 47 million dollar roster in 2008-09 – so Wilson not making a pitch for a big ticket free agent does make sense – he wants to keep his core intact. You figure the cap will be 53-54 million, so he would have 7 million of wiggle room – so adding a Souray type salary could work but it would push the Sharks to the cap limit and force Wilson to make some tough choices next year and part with some young talent.. I still think Redden might be the perfect fit for this season. Wilson loves the Sens blueprint and Redden can run the point on the power play. As I stated before, the Sens have a similar situation to the Sharks next year – they have major core players up for contract – Spezza, Heatley, Fisher, Vermette, Schubert, Mezaros, Emery and Redden. They will have around 30 million in cap room, but you have to figure Spezza and Heatley will fetch around 8-9 million on the market. There is no way they can resign all these players, and the one that makes sense to part with is Redden, With Corvo, Volchenkov and Phillips under contract, Redden is the odd man out. He is making 6.5 this season and if he likes it here, he could resign during the season. It would probably cost us a young forward (Bernier) and a pick – worth the risk.

So – the reality check is the Sharks may have 15 million to spend in 2007-08, but they have so many players up for new contracts that they can perhaps only afford a player like Redden – a rental that could help us win now and perhaps take the road of Big Joe and stay for less money if he likes it here.

Taking a moment to sit in Doug Wilson’s shoes has made me feel better about him not overspending on the UFA market. I still think he will make a move to improve the roster for now while keeping an eye on resigning our core. What do you think??

Over a week has past since the unrestricted free agent period came upon us and Doug Wilson has been either unable or unwilling to land a big fish. The player I assumed would be his main target all along, power play specialist Sheldon Souray, is the only big name left on the open market and I have come to accept that he is going to the Rangers. It appears Souray is waiting and waiting and waiting for the Rangers to clear the cap room necessary to sign him – this would involve them dealing a forward (Cullen or Straka come to mind) or renouncing their rights to Avery and not signing Shanahan – which I find hard to believe. I think the Rangers have messed with their roster too much and are playing a dangerous game with their goalie by forcing him into a potential arbitration situation that would allow Henrik to walk away next year as a free agent. Where are their priorities? Adding Souray may seem flashy but talk about too many cooks in the kitchen – how will Jagr, Souray, Drury, Shanahan, Avery and Gomez all co-exist?? I think not well.

So if Souray wanted to come to San Jose, he would have done it by now. Instead he is playing a dangerous game of poker with the Rangers, hoping they can get some cap room. From the outside, it appears Doug Wilson is waiting to see what happens with Souray before he makes his next move.

How long must we wait for the promised improvements Doug Wilson?

I just found out that Victor Chi, the Sharks beat writer for the Mercury News, the local San Jose paper, was laid off, along with 30 others in the newsroom. I’ve actually emailed Victor a couple of times regarding Sharks matters, and he did email me back, always polite. Since then I would note his byline. I guess this is one of the things that happens when there’s a big series of tubes.

Victor, if you still want to blog on the Sharks, let me know. The pay is, um, limited. Either way, I hope you catch on with another publication that pays a little better than we do.

Grier wrote his “In Wilson We Trust” post, and I’m going to provide the counterpoint.

All Wilson’s eggs are in one basket right now – Souray. If Souray is not signed, it’s yet another year where the Sharks strike out in the free agent market. There might be some trades in the works, but then we’d have to give up something for Redden, Murray, or JovoCop. The whole point of free agency is you just pay the guy, and have to give up nothing in return. With the above three we lose players and pay them their millions in salary. Not the same thing. And keep in mind they’re going to want quality players. I don’t think Patrick Rissmiller will be enough to get those guys.

So Wilson’s painted himself into a corner, with only one major free agent left, and several teams in the bidding. I might be a bit insulated out in here in sunny California, but I don’t think San Jose is considered an elite hockey destination. We may have the biggest ice center west of the Mississippi, but we have the standing of toddlers in the hockey world. Chara took less money to sign with Boston, for God’s sake. A franchise that is only slightly better managed than Chicago.

I hate to cast an approving eye to the south, but the Ducks did it right. They hedged Niedermayer retiring by signing Schneider. They’re hedging Selanne’s retirement by signing Bertuzzi. Those guys retire, they’re not as good as last year, but they’re not floundering in the bowels of the Western Conference- they are still a good playoff team.

The Sharks biggest liability last year is a greater liability now. Hannan is gone, with no one to take his place. And the last decent defenseman on the market played the last 7 years in the biggest hockey town in North America, probably the world. Color me unconvinced that Wilson can pull of a miracle here.

As the signing of Brad Stuart with the Kings comes across the wire, it makes me wonder what is going on inside Sharks headquarters. Stuart settled for a one year deal at 3.5 million. How does Roman Hamerlik get 5.5 million over four years in Montreal?

The fact that the Sharks have been invisible makes me wonder what Doug Wilson has up his sleeve. Others are getting impatient and have the feeling that Wilson has abandoned his promise to deliver a Stanley Cup. He promised there would be changes, he promised that he would do everything to improve this team within reason. He got rid of Bell. He cleared the cap room. So…where is the big move? I think it is still coming and I have faith in Doug Wilson that it will have an impact and it will make sense for this franchise long term. According to reports, the Sharks have 15 million dollarrs of cap room, no money is not the problem. They will resign Marleau at 5/6 million per, so really they have 10 million. Ehrhoff and Michalek are UFA’s next season and you gotta figure Wilson is working on extensions there – probably 2-3 million each. There is a big picture here that people are forgetting about – but still Wilson will make it happen.

I think he could be talking to Boston about Glen Murray. He has two years and 8.2 million left on his deal but could be a bargain compared to what other free agents have been getting on the market. Reuniting Joe and Murray could spell for magic on the top line.

Another possible deal Wilson is looking at is dealing for Ed Jovonovski. He is making 6.5 million for the next three years, but if Souray is searching for over 7.0 million and his defense is suspect, perhaps Wilson prefers JovoCop. He could also be taking a long, hard look at Nick Boynton, who was released by the Coyotes last week.

I still think Wade Redden is a possibility because the Senators have a major problem on the horizon next season. Spezza, Heatley, Mezaros, Emery and Redden all will be UFA’s next year and they will not have the room to keep them all. If Drury and Gomez got seven million this year, Spezza and Heatley will fetch eight million plus on the open market next year, if not more. With some young D already in the fold, Redden could be the odd man out in the salary bonanza in Ottawa. Redden would look good in Teal. We shall see…

I am not giving up. I have moments of impatience, but in Wilson I Trust.

Is probably Drew Remenda.

Reports have Ottawa shopping Wade Redden, who is due to be a UFA at the end of next year. If this is true, it is possible Doug Wilson could be looking at this instead of giving mega-cash to Souray. Perhaps an offer of Ehrhoff and a pick would get it done?
If this came to pass, then Wilson could sign Brad Stuart or Andy Sutton to round out the core. Just thinking out loud…

Sharks fans have watched almost 48 hours tick by without seeing Doug Wilson dip into the unrestricted free agent market to improve upon last years team that fell short of said goal – Winning Lord Stanley’s Cup. I had high hopes for July 1st after how aggressive Wilson was at the NHL draft last week. He made cap room and solved two huge roster problems by getting rid of Toskala before there was a real problem in training camp and dealing Bell, who was just a waste of roster space at this point. He got two promising young players to add to the Sharks already excellent depth of young talent. He promised to be active. Doug? Where are you?

He took care of the most important matter by getting Joe Thornton before he hit the UFA market next offseason. Joe gave a hometown discount, a steal for 7.2 million a year, especially seeing Drury, Gomez and Briere get the same kind of cash without nearly the same resume as Big Joe. We had all read the rumors, Sharks were a lock to get Drury. Well, when the price kept going up and up and up, I can’t blame Doug Wilson for jumping ship. Having Drury, Marleau and Thornton makes zero sense – we needed an impact winger, which is why it is disappointing the Sharks couldn’t land Smyth. I guess a call from Joe Sakic made all the difference. According to reports, the Sharks were never really in the hunt, they made an offer but Ryan was deciding between Toronto, the Isles (who really got screwed yesterday by losing Poti, Smyth, Blake and all their dignity) and the Avs. So now, we sit and wait as all the other middle of the road UFA’s go off the board. One big name remains. One name that Mike and I have been talking about since the season ended. Sheldon Souray.

Doug Wilson has to get this done. He has chased a big time blueliner for the past two offseasons, striking out with Neidermeyer and Chara. I think he has been targeting Souray all along and the fact that Hamerlik has signed in Montreal crosses them off the list. Preissing, Nagy, Handzus and Calder all signed in LA and Lombardi still needs cash to sign Cammerleri (a restricted FA) so you have to figure they are out of the Souray chase. That leaves us – the only team with over ten million in cap room to spend that hasn’t struck yet. Come on Doug Wilson. Deliver the goods. I have faith in you.

I think it is also possible he is targeting a veteran forward like Slava Kozlov and Wes Walz. Don’t totaly rule out Forsberg and…yes…Bill Guerin. I think Guerin owes the Sharks a hometown discount to come back for one more year at a discounted price for playing like garbage in the stretch. He was not the impact player as advertised and at 2 million for one year, I would take the chance he would have a chip and play hard.

So…we wait and see. I think Wilson won the game of poker and the announcement of Souray is only hours away.

Tom Preissing reportedly signs with the Kings.