Another trade deadline day has passed, and the Sharks are again active, trading Jamie McGinn, Michael Sgarbossa, and Mike Kennedy to Colorado for T.J. Galliardi, Daniel Winnik, and a 7th.  The Dudes talk about the trade, the worst road trip in memory, and all the other deals that happened.

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It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for what happened at the Tank of Wednesday night and I’m prepared to make amends.

It was my playoff beard – or lack their of. I’m not a morning person, and in my haze on Wednesday AM and deprived of all caffeine, I shaved the beginnings of my fighting facial follicles – and the Sharks lost. Rest assured that this has been corrected and because of my two day old beard, the Sharks will win four games in a row and right the wrongs and heckles from Sharks haters that we as loyal fans have been subjected to the last 48 hours.

A few other thoughts before I wander to the Tank tonight:

It didn’t make me feel much better this morning to see Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau both proclaim that tonight’s game is not considered a “must win” in their minds. Really guys? I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else from them, but I certainly hope they play with a different intensity than that quote. If not, we’ll all be pointing to those comments as the slogan for why this team fails in April.

I’m not sure what Todd McLellan doesn’t see in Jamie McGinn but he played the fewest minutes of any player on both teams in Game 1. Based on reports from practice yesterday, it appears that Ortmeyer will be in for Game 2. Does that mean we’ll see two guys glued to the pine in the 3rd period? I thought this roster was deeper than last years, but the lack of love for his 4th liners is a consistent theme from McLellan this time of year.

If the Sharks have any hope of advancing, they need to make a statement tonight. There have been lots of Game 1 upsets this week and as Bill Shakespeare once said, “One game does not a series maketh, Hamlet”, but another bomb on home ice won’t have this team feeling lots of love from their home fans as they leave the Tank and head to enemy territory.

Respect the Superstition. Grow Beard Grow.

When the NHL clock thaws, will Doug Wilson have a Spring surprise for us?

As we wait with baited breath during this roster freeze, Sharks fans are on pins and needles over whether or not Doug Wilson has another big splash up his sleeve come March 3rd. There’s been much debate on the podcast and the blog over whether the Sharks window of opportunity in the Western Conference is currently cracked open, but could be shutting. With a new powerhouse in town in Chicago and a budding threat in Los Angeles, is it possible Doug Wilson should pull out all the stops and pay whatever price is necessary to get Dan Boyle a suitable sidekick for the playoffs?

Is it time to pony up and get Tomas Kaberle?

The price has been fairly public. A top six forward, a prospect and a 1st rounder. The Sharks can meet this price with an offer of Ryane Clowe, Jamie McGinn and Mike Moore (instead of the 1st rounder). Is that a high price to pay for one player? Hellz yes – but should they pay it? That’s the question.

Kaberle gives the Sharks a 2nd top notch puck moving blueliner that activates the attack and makes the Teal powerplay just crazy dangerous. Like Tara Reid dangerous. The good news is, Kaberle isn’t a rental – he would be a Shark for another season at a reasonable 4.25M for a player with his kind of output, currently with 46 points on a fairly dreadful Leafs team. In the process, the Sharks dump Clowe’s overpriced deal, give up a guy who you hate to part with in McGinn, and an AHL d-man whose NHL future is an unknown.

With the uncertain status of Marleau and Nabby and the virtual certainty that this is this current rosters last hurrah at lifting the Cup – I have made up my mind. We need to Respect the Window. Make the final bold move and pay the high price. Give the Leafs a top six forward, a very strong prospect in McGinn and go get Tomas Kaberle and try and win it all this year. Couldn’t Couture (if healthy) fill in for Clowe on the 2nd line and provide the same production? I say absolutely. The Sharks have never been shy about plugging in their best young talent for a playoff run – and letting the talented and maturing Couture loose on the 2nd line with Seto and Pavs could be energetic and dynamic. And I understand getting Kaberle and adding that salary would mean a 2nd side deal of shipping Kent Huskins to another playoff team looking for depth on the blueline, but I would have to think someone would be interested – perhaps Buffalo, Boston or New Jersey would part with a draft pick.

Is it possible by standing pat, the Sharks risk another 2nd round disappointment and then being lapped by younger teams like LA next season? It’s all a gamble. He’ll be criticized if he makes the move and criticized if he doesn’t – but I don’t want to wait anymore. When July rolls around and the Sharks have lost again in the early rounds and Nabby has signed with Philly and the Sharks are debating whether to keep Marleau, trade Jumbo Joe or trade Seto or Pavs because you can’t afford to keep them both – it will be too late. Let’s give this roster the best chance to win a Cup and use our forward depth to get it done.

What do you say? Respect the Window or Stay the Course?

Here’s another take on the possibility of Kaberle with a slightly different offer at Fear the Fin.

It’s been only a matter of days since Doug and I went up to Stockton to check out the Thunder of the ECHL, and reported glowingly in a recent podcast.  Today, the Sharks announce they have entered into a working arrangement with the Thunder for the rest of the season.  This coming on the heels of Jason Demers being sent there recently- here’s the always-thorough Sharkspage rundown.  Can it be merely coincidence that the Dudes plan a trip, publicize said trip, go to the game, report positively on the quality of the arena and franchise, and have the Sharks enter into a business agreement only days later?  Of course it’s a coincidence, what are ya, nuts?

Because I’m crazy like that, I remember something about the ECHL from reading the current CBA, here’s a passage that applies to Demers:

9.7 Loans to East Coast Hockey League. Players who are party to an Entry Level SPC may be Loaned to the East Coast Hockey League (“ECHL”) without the requirement of Player consent, provided the Player will continue to be paid the stated amount of the AHL portion of his two-way SPC in the Native Currency of the NHL Club.

Here’s a corollary, implied by the above:

13.11 No Loans to East Coast Hockey League. A Player who is not in the Entry Level System may not be Loaned to the East Coast Hockey League without his consent.

So the moral of this story is that Demers, McLaren, and McGinn could all be easily sent to Stockton instead of Worchester for the rest of the year with little fuss.  And since the Sharks seem to be fans of sending players places for single digit days, it’ll be easier (and cheaper) to make them drive 75 miles than fly 3000.