A great start at 4-0, despite some injuries to some key role players, the Sharks have been a buzz saw so far, plowing through their competition by a combined score of 13-4. Some things to consider as the Sharks head into the weekend matchups against the Ducks on the road and back home to host the Flyers.

– The Sharks are 4-0…but have they played three bad teams? Is the best start in franchise history a mirage? I say, no, Columbus is a quality side, the Ducks will bounce back and….well, the Kings suck. I think that the Sharks are in no uncertain terms better than these three teams and they should beat them on a regular basis – so to me this is a great sign. Beat the middle teams, beat them badly at home and that will spell playoff success.

– On that note, the Sharks are facing a desperate Ducks team tonight who, if they lose to the Sharks, will be ten points behind the Sharks and facing an early season slide that could spell the end of their Pacific Division hopes. Defensively the Ducks have been a disaster, but I think their game of “rock ’em/sock ’em” hockey might win out tonight. The Sharks lose in Anaheim tonight 3-1 and I will blame it all on Semenov being in the line up.

– The Sharks will return home and take out their frustrations on the Flyers. Philly is a team scrambling to figure out what to do without any defense. They’ve coughed up 17 goals in four games and should cough up about five to the Sharks on Saturday night. Sharks win 5-1 at home vs. the Flyers.

So, we’ll see how it goes. I hope I’m wrong about the road game tonight. Oh..and one more thing. The firing of Savard after four games was classless by the Blackhawks, in my opinion. It’s been no secret that Savard was a dead man walking after the hiring of Quenneville as a “Scout”, but they should have made the move in the offseason. Now, the Hawks could continue to struggle while putting in a new system. I’m not a big coach Q guy anyways…and I’m sure glad he didn’t land in San Jose, right Sharks fans?

Mike and Doug talk split-screen style in this first episode after the Sharks season has begun.  They recap the Kyle McLaren and Jeff Freisen situations, and try to identify the factors that contribute to the Sharks quick start.

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So the audio from the radio show Sunday night is now available here, and the feed is here.  But this doesn’t mean the DOH podcast is going away, I’ll likely post a new episode tomorrow.

Update: New DOH podcast here.

Three games. Three wins. There is no discounting that this is a great start for the “new look” San Jose Sharks. Some might say, “But you beat the Kings twice, big deal Sharks fans”. Well…beating any team in a home and home series is no easy task, especially during their home opener. Some might say, “It’s too early to get excited”. Um…no it isn’t. I’m not saying we should print the Stanley Cup shirts tomorrow, but these first three games have told us a lot about this new team and our new coach.

– This years version of the Sharks will not play down to a lesser opponent. Good teams crush bad ones, that is how you become an elite squad. 2-0 vs. the cellar dwellers is a must.

– Dominating at home. CHECK. The Sharks outshot the Ducks/Kings 82-42, didn’t take bad penalties and won the face off battles. Good teams are dominant at home. Last year, the Sharks were not. In fact, thirteen other NHL teams had more home wins than the Sharks in 2007-08. This year should be a different story.

– Closing out games without turtling up. The Sharks have closed out three games without coughing anything up. This was a big problem last year, turning routine wins into nail biters. So far, so good here.

– I hope everyone was able to hear Mike in his season debut on Chomp Talk tonight. I have to disagree with one of the topics discussed, that the Sharks aren’t taking enough shots on the power play. Even though it hasn’t clicked, you can see the ground work for the deadliest power play in the NHL being laid. In the game vs. the Ducks, Rob Blake bombed and bombed away from the point. They have 29 shots on the power play in three games. The New York Rangers have 25 power play shots in four games. The other real good news is the Sharks lead the league in power play opportunities with thirteen. I’m not sure what else you can ask for? The goals will come…the goals will come.

So much more to talk about, and I’ll save the rest for this weeks podcast, but as you can tell McLellan’s philosophies and attitude has already had a huge impact on the Sharks. Another team has felt the impact of their offseason makeover, as Sean Avery’s Dallas Stars have laid a 0-2 turd to start the year. I know…I know, it’s early – but it still makes me laugh.

The Sharks have an interesting match up against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. This is the last day of a season starting road trip for Columbus and their minds could be on the flight to Ohio and their home opener on Friday vs. Nashville. This is another bench mark for the Sharks – can they capitalize on a team that might be napping? So far, all signs point to – YES.

The commencement of the hockey season signals a return of a valuable natural resource, sports talk radio.  The Sharks radio call in show debuts this season on KDOW 1220AM this Sunday from 9pm-10pm, with yours truly as the co-host.  Your best bet is to stream it over the web at the link above.  The number to call in is 1-800-516-1220.  I hope you’ll listen and call in with your opinions and questions about the Sharks.

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.