Even though the Sharks have been inactive, we haven’t.  New podcast here.  This time of year is ripe for speculation, and that’s what we do best, so this week is full of ideas about what the Sharks might do between now and the beginning of the season.  I know some of you out there are getting frustrated, and it’s hard not to be.  I still trust DW, but I admit, that trust was shaken a tad when Kent Huskins was signed.  I hope the other shoe that drops is an italian-made loafer.

In case you were feeling down in the dumps about the Sharks, and you want to get more depressed, read this.  Gabe Desjardins watched video of every Sharks even-strengh goal against, and assigned blame to a defenseman.  Let’s just say he makes it sound like we could use a #1 and a #2 defensemen now.  However, I’m not a fan of this methodology for two reasons:  One, it’s very subjective.  Without watching all the goals myself, I think it’s in the realm of possibility that you could quibble on the blame of 10-15% of them,  which could change those rankings around.  I try to read almost everything Gabe writes, but it makes me suspicious when he says that the results reinforced what he already thought.  Two, it assigns blame for a goal to one person only.  Maybe Blake missed coverage a little bit, putting Vlasic out of position.  Vlasic gets beat and there’s a goal against, but who gets the “error”?  Blake for putting Vlasic in a bad spot, or Vlasic getting beat?

In other news, the latest this morning is that since the Pronger extension doesn’t start until 2010, and Pronger will be 35 in September of that year, the extension counts as an “old man” contract. This means it counts against the cap for the entire term, even in Pronger retires before it’s over.  I’m not sure I like that contract now…

I’ve been bad. I went and looked at Hockeybuzz and it freaked me out.

I was bored last night trying to get to sleep and stumbled upon a three way trade rumor between San Jose/Chicago/Toronto but of course with no names attached. I always knew Eklund’s rumor ratio sucked but I never guessed he had a hilarious 3% accuracy, but thanks to the website hockeybuzzhogwash.com, they’ve been tracking his shots in the dark and found he has predicted 15 out of 472 rumors on his site correctly – that’s the 3.1%.

So, knowing this, I would discount the trade rumor on the spot – but my internet searching got the best of me and I found a twitter from Puck Prospectus as “speculation” as to who might be involved in this three-way trade. Prepare to vomit all over yourself.

To Toronto: Versteeg, Brian Campbell, Cheechoo
To Chicago: Marleau, Kaberle and Nabby
To San Jose: Jason Blake, Huet and 2010 1st round pick.

Have you picked your jaw up off the floor yet?

From a website that I usually respect and that recently teamed with Dudes on Hockey guest, E.J. Hradek, on several pieces on ESPN.com – this has got to be the biggest load of @&*. Either this guy Andrew Rothstien is deranged, has a great sense of humor…or is deranged. So, he’s actually inferring the Sharks are going to trade two expiring contracts that would allow them to have $12M in cap room next season and a struggling Rocket Richard winner for a LW who had a bounce back year with 63 points but still has cancer and is signed until 2012 and a wildly overpriced goalie in Huet that is signed until 2012 for big money and sucks HUGE in the playoffs…oh, and that 1st round pick.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..HAH….HA…Dear Puck Prospectus, either you owe your readers an apology or I will be my roof ready to jump if you are right.

Now, I do buy that perhaps Toronto and Chicago are good trade partners with the Sharks, especially with the RFA trouble the Hawks have gotten themselves into – but the players I see Doug Wilson being interested in from the Hawks is RW Patrick Sharp and/or RW Dustin Byfuglien. If the Hawks want to get Marleau for those two players for one year and Marleau will approve the move, I would make the deal. As for Toronto, I’ve talked before about how Kaberle could be on the Sharks radar because he could fill the legit #2 role in a “Detroit” model, skilled and responsible – not physical. Boyle and Kaberle would be our answer to Lidstrom and Rafalski. Not quite the same, but pretty darn good. Toronto needs scoring bad, bad, bad and might be willing to roll with Michalek and Cheechoo.

Gotta be a major move coming this week – just not the insanity listed above.

Generally, I regard the writings of David Pollak, the Sharks beat writer, as close to gospel as you can get.  And as he had written several times in the recent past, Dany (What’s Up With the Spelling) Heatley coming to the Sharks wasn’t going to happen.  But in his most recent post, he admits the possibility of Heatley to the Sharks may not be as remote now as it once was.  The $4M payment to Heatley on July 1 means that any potential trade partners wouldn’t have to shell out, making the prospect that much more attractive.

The flip side is the cap situation.  As Mr. Plank has amply described at Fear the Fin, the Sharks are once again near the cap ceiling.  This essentially means that any deal for Heatley would have to be at least cap neutral.  The Sens have more players signed at approximately $55M, so they might be able to take a million or two, but certainly not more than that.  And given that the Sharks still have players to sign in order to get to a proper active roster figure, that means only top salary players make sense to go the other way.  Trading Ehrhoff, Vlasic, and Lukowich might be about the same cap hit as Heatley, but then the Sharks would need to sign two more players for the already paltry $2-3M the Sharks have left under the cap.

I’m burying the lead here- this means the Sharks have to be offering a deal that includes Patrick Marleau or Evgeni Nabokov.  Considering the Sens got Pascal Leclaire at the deadline and the Sharks don’t have an obvious #1 to step in this year, I think it’s highly likely that Marleau is the one.  Marleau, Ehrhoff, and a pick maybe?

Not that I’m supporting such a proposal.  Heatley clearly is damaged goods, and the fact that he bitched about wanting to be traded, then didn’t waive his NMC to go to the Oilers certainly doesn’t make him look good.  Even the most charitable explanation- that the Rangers and Sharks made decent proposals that he preferred – still makes him look like a punk.  Funny thing is, this is one of the very few times we’ve seen a opposing player actively favor the Sharks (Dan Boyle avoiding Atlanta doesn’t count).

However, the question remains, do the Sharks really need this brand of headache?  40-50 goals, especially if Joe is there setting him up, is a difficult thing to pass up.  But I still say no.  Too many questions and too much money in this economic climate is asking for trouble.

Check out the new podcast about UFA Day here!

July 1 has come and gone and as I expected, Doug Wilson wasn’t in on the fun – he never is. Whether it’s by choice or because NHL players still don’t view San Jose has a free agent destination, Doug Wilson never has much to report on July 1st. So, if you’re disappointed – don’t slit your wrists yet – you had to know this was going to happen. I always get caught up in UFA frenzy, wondering if this will be the year the Sharks get a big fish – but there was no chance. The trade route is where we’ll see our major changes.

The Sharks made one signing today, technically a “re-signing” but this player never played a single minute for San Jose after he was acquired in a trade at the deadline due to a foot injury. Kent Huskins, a member of the Stanley Cup winning Ducks, must have seen something he liked in the Bay Area and is sticking around for two seasons at 3.4M total. His addition means there will be some subtraction among Vlasic, Ehrhoff, Luko and Murray – one of those dudes isn’t going to be on the team next year – and honestly, I think two of them won’t be there. Doug Wilson loves to play this angle, there are going to be a few teams pretty upset they didn’t land a UFA today and they will come calling to Doug Wilson who has his own version of Komisarek in Murray signed long term, plus he has a smooth skating Ehrhoff to those who lost out on Ohlund. Those are valuable assets to have on the table to someone who might be itching to make a splash. The Sharks didn’t give Huskins $1.7M per season to sit on his ass – he is going to be playing in the top six every night, no question in my mind.

Here’s something to ponder based on a comment I saw on David Pollak’s blog. If the Sharks were willing to $1.7M for Huskins, why not add an extra year and sign formers Preds defendeer Greg Zanon, who inked with the Wild for a reported three years/$5.8M. Zanon is a shot blocking monster, with 237 blocks, and was a major part of Nashville’s top ten penalty kill. Now maybe Zanon wanted to return to the mid-West where he played his college hockey in Nebraska and in the AHL in Milwaukee, but I’d like to think that while the coaching staff saw what Huskins can offer in practice, having the opportunity to sign the league’s leading shot blocker in Zanon for the same price was at least considered…

Here are some players I’m keeping an eye on in the next week or so to see if they should be checking out Bay Area real estate:

Tomas Kaberle – while I don’t think he is the perfect fit, he is damn good d-man and could be a solid #2 to Boyle’s top banana. If Burke was asking for Kessel, would Ron Wilson be interested in Cheechoo or Michalek?

Speaking of Phil Kessel – if the Bruins have him on the block and were looking to add D, how about Ehrhoff for Kessel?

Scott Hartnell – Either Carcillo or Hartnell has to go, and Hartnell makes more $$. Doug Wilson might be able to get him for a low price – Philly can’t add any more payroll.

Jack Johnson – Dean Lombardi struck out on both Havlat and Gaborik (big surprise), so maybe the long-term signed Michalek would tempt him enough to unload Jack Johnson to the Sharks…especially if Johnson won’t sign. These two teams could be perfect dance partners in a trade, if they can stomach dealing within the division. Jack Johnson in theory would be perfect-o if he develops as projected along side Dan Boyle. He could be the next Rob Blake…or he could be the next Jeff Jillson. It’s worth the risk if the deal is there, if you ask me.

Let’s keep our wits about us. Dan Boyle wasn’t a Shark until July 4th. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.

One of the most exciting days of the offseason is here- the beginning of free agency.  The Dudes talk about the series of changes that have already befallen the Sharks, how draft day went, and most interestingly, the many signings that have happened this Canada Day.

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