Adding Confusion to Confusion
October 2nd, 2009, 2:24 pm
The latest Sharks news– McGinn sent down, replaced by Frazer McLaren. It’s not clear at all why this move happened. Well, I’ll say this- it’s not at all clear why this move happened now. McGinn’s cap hit is almost double McLaren’s, so there’s that. And McGinn is waiver exempt due to his age and NHL experience- he would be required to clear waivers once he has played 80 NHL games (he’s at 36 currently). But why now? I wouldn’t say McGinn had a bad night last night, that third line might have been the best line, though the second line had the goals. McGinn did play the fewest number of shifts save Shelley- only 15, with Ferriero and Ortmeyer 19, and Shelley 7. Maybe the coaching staff was really pissed about that hooking call in the 1st and the the game was 2-1 Avs?
Maybe it’s more about McLaren than it is about McGinn- Ferreiro played very well, so you can’t send him down, and anybody else would have to clear waivers. Maybe the Sharks wanted McLaren against the Ducks, so they could scratch Shelley and still have a dance partner for Parros. Staubitz would be well out of his weight class if those two were to tangle (and he were in the lineup). Even if that were the case, I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t just start the season with McLaren last night.
Looking at the cap angle, it’s negligible. If McLaren is up and McGinn down for a month, that still only saves the Sharks about $70k in cap room, not enough to make a difference. Over the course of a season, it’s not even enough for one extra player making the minimum salary.
Loading ...
I don’t think Staubitz has enough games played to hit waivers yet has he? Why would we ever want all 3 of these guys on the ice at the same time?
Staubitz is 25 and one season removed from his first NHL game, so he isn’t waiver exempt.
I am not a fan of sending down McGinn, and yet I am a fan of McLaren getting third line minutes and I also like that Ferriero has been rewarded for being the best player last night and seeing time with Joe/Heater.
Does Staubitz get the nod tomorrow and Shelley sit it out? That’s my vote.
Staubitz would need to go through waivers down to the AHL, but wouldn’t be subject to re-entry waivers. Evilducks asked me this on Fear The Fin, but does anyone here think someone would even claim Staubitz? I sure don’t.
I like the use of 2-way deals in general, but this seems like a bit of an overreaction to me. McGinn looked good last night, and even so, it’s only one game. There are going to be growing pains with these guys. Re-evaluate your roster after the 6th game when you are on the East Coast and are in close proximity to Worcester.
This really is too bad for McGinn. Because of the waiver situation as others have pointed out, they had to move McGinn down in order to bring up Frazer. And why Frazer now as opposed to right after camp broke?
Might have to do with having seen enough of the Heatley/Thornton/Setoguchi lack of chemistry (including pre-season). No doubt, Ferreiro showed some stuff last night. But, even he doesn’t seem like a great fit for the top line. I like his scoring potential on a lower line and the way he sets up in the slot to get his shot off.
There’s no way they play Heatley without Thornton. Heatley might demand a trade instantly (j/k, I think?). But they need a grinder for that line and McLellan isn’t going to change his 2nd line even if some of us are interested in seeing Clowe with Heatley and Thornton just to experiment. That really limits the options as to finding a linemate for the top line. Ironically, McGinn might not be a bad choice. Anyway, if they see Frazer as a Lucic type, then that could be the piece to get Heatley/Thornton going?
Between getting rubbed out by Foote constantly and coughing up the puck and waiting, waiting, waiting for that cross-ice feed, I’m finding it really hard to watch Thornton with each passing game. He’s got a huge 2nd line to support him now; he’s got some scoring on the 3rd line, too; and he has a bonafide scoring winger. I know it’s not just him, but he’s so one-dimensional and pedestrian out there when things go bad for this team.
I think that if Andrew Peters can get a two year, one way deal from New Jersey, there is a team out there that will claim Brad Staubitz.
I think the worst part of all these moves is giving Nabby the start tonight. Would Griess do any better? No, he’d probably take a huge German dump, but you would be sending an message to Nabby that half-assed play will get him benched, and to Griess that he better stay mentally and physically sharp, because he could be trusted with the big games at any time. Sure Nabby’s too expensive to bench, but he needs to know that he is expected to be better and no one is above criticism this season.
I predict a huge win for us tonight, 4-2, with Heatley scoring his first and McLaren losing an energetic bout with the Moustache.
Why not marleau on the top line? Someone who will backcheck enough to cover fr heatley to roam but skilled enough to be a viable 2nd option.
I remember hearing in August that the Shark brass want to do a lot of bringing up and sending down of the “rookie” players. So that they cna get some NHL experience and lower the cap issues. To me this is stupid but we don’t have our AHL team close by, it couldn’t get farther away form SJ. We don’t have the luxury of having our AHL team in the same state/province let alone the same city.
Moving the players around like that isn’t easy on them, you travel alot and change time zones, its tiring. Plus in the AHL they can play 3 games in 3 nights. Its crazy the way their schedules are.
We’ll see what happens now that the Ducks game is over. I think McLaren was brought up due to his size and ability to be a physical presence which is the Ducks style of play.
We will see how this progresses with interest. Obviously, with all the interest and comments on the Dudes’ blog here.
I was a little leary of including McGinn initially on my Chiller Instinct NHL Top Prospects Guide for this season, as the situation is not one to lend itself to his success. That said, I hope the kid comes in a rips a hole in the lineup. That would send a nice message-the right one.
If you would like to read part of or the entire Top Prospect Report, go to:
http://www.chillerinstinct.com/
Besides shameless plugs, you will find information and articles on all kinds of goings-on in the hockey world. Thanks for the support and insight Dudes. Robin