Okay, here’s part four of my attempt of trying to remodel the Sharks in the offseason. Remember, this is not what I think is going to happen – just what I might do if I was in DW’s shoes….My shot at playing Doug Wilson and roster moves has the Sharks sitting at 44.9M (roughly) with three major roster holes to address. I propose as GM that the Sharks should go out and get a new, younger enforcer to play on the 4th line, a veteran defensemen that can bring leadership and allowing a rookie defensemen a shot at the 6th spot instead of signing a veteran plug like Semenov.

THE ENFORCER
Darcy Hordichuk – Daniel Carcillo, who led the NHL in penalty minutes last season, said his toughest fight was against Hordichuk. Outside of Nashville, he isn’t well known, but he’s young and a total bad ass. Health has been a concern, but when able to play 74 games for Nashville in 2005-06, Hordichuk proved he can be more than just a goon, notching 13 points, a +9 and 163 PIM. I think he’s exactly what the Sharks need and, at 27 years old, fits the young core as well.
Signed@ 2 years, 1.6M. Sharks now at 45.7M.

THE VETERAN DEFENSEMEN – There are a few options here. I’ll break them down and then pick my favorite.

Jason Smith – Mike and I both think that Jason Smith could do wonders for the Sharks. He was voted by his peers in ESPN Magazine the “toughest hockey player” in the NHL, willing to play hurt and do whatever it takes to get on the ice. Smith dished out 142 hits and blocked 204 shots, while playing 18 minutes a game. He would instantly be the leader on the Sharks in both those categories, passing the Sharks leading shot blocker, Ehrhoff with 108 blocked, by a landslide. What else can I say to convince you? He’s 34, true. He reportedly has bad shoulder, true. He still managed 77 games last season and a full 82 the year before. Looking at what Aaron Ward got from Boston (2 years/5M), Smith will likely get more, but not much. I’d guess 3 years/9M.

Bred Hedican – Family ties might lure him back to the Bay Area with his wife Kristi Yamaguchi. I could see Hedican willing to play one more year and take a run at the Cup with the Sharks, playing a leadership role and operating on the powerplay with Brian Campbell. While he’s not overly physical, he can still block a shot (108 last season) and he led all Hurricane defensemen in ice time with 19 minutes per game. At age 38, he could fit nicely into the Sharks plans for a year. He might sign for 1 year/2.5M.

Mike Commodore – Mike and I advocated for Commodore to be acquired at the deadline and then he was dealt that same day to Ottawa. Go figure. He didn’t exactly perform well in a Senators uni (minus 9 and two points), but he did jump on the Ottawa Titanic right as it was sinking. His lackluster finish might have only dropped his price and he is still young at 28 with several good years of hard hitting hockey ahead of him. I think a contract similar to Ward’s is reasonable. 4 years/10M.

Bryce Salvador – This guy might got a little lost in the shuffle with some higher profile names on the market. Salvador can hit and thrives on being a defensive defensemen. He logs 20 minutes a game and has been around the block a little at age 31. While this wouldn’t be a big splash, Salvador would be nice to add to a core that right now needs a little toughness. Could probably be had for 2 years/5M, since he doesn’t bring any offense and has been injury prone year after year, only playing 64 games last season.

Brooks Orpik – Here’s a bit of a wild card. He’s 28 years old, he was born in San Francisco – might he want to parlay his Stanley Cup success into a homecoming to the Bay Area? He’s going to be a hot commodity on the UFA market, certainly one of the most fashionable. He might get Scott Hannan money and if Doug Wilson wanted to take a run and offer a long term deal to bring home a local boy, could 5 years/25M fill a major need for the Sharks? He’s certainly an upgrade over Ehrhoff, who is being asked to do the same things Orpik would.

My suggestion: I would say make a pitch for Orpik and hope the price is really more in the 4M range – if it gets too high, and I imagine it would, I would go straight to Jason Smith at 3 years, 9M. You have to look at what a player like this does for your team, see the effect CF Aaron Rowand has had on a talentless San Francisco Giants team this season. He demands hustle and hard work every night – and so does Jason Smith. I think the Flyers are fools to let him walk, but if they do, DW should snap him up. This puts the Sharks at 48.7M.

THE 6TH DEFENSEMEN
This is where I think the Sharks should let a young player without NHL experience have a shot at contributing for 10-12 minutes/night. Who could this be? Derek Joslin, who has solid offensive instincts but lacks true NHL size. Dan Spang, who has been a bit of a bust as a 2nd round pick in 2002 and his currently an RFA after two years in the AHL. Minor league tough guy Brennan Evans, could he earn a roster spot with toughness? How about Tom Walsh, another college defensemen, who had a good year with 36 points in Worcester. Or, could Ty Wishart get a shot to stick with the Sharks and learn on the job, paired with Jason Smith.

My suggestion: Let Derek Joslin have a shot at sticking with the big club and see what he’s got to offer. He’s under contract for one more year at 516,000. If Wishart excels in the AHL, then bring him up midseason and have Joslin on the bench as a scratch with some experience now. Sharks now at 49.2M

Okay now I’m done with the Sharks roster. Here’s how it would at 49.2M (roughly).

Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo
Marleau-Pavelski-Setoguchi
Upshall-Mitchell-Clowe
Hordichuk-Cavanagh-J.R.

Rivet-Jason Smith-Murray-Campbell-Vlasic-Murray-Joslin/Wishart

Nabby and Boucher in net.

This doesn’t include bench players, which I think is very difficult to predict. What did I accomplish here? I kept the puck moving defensemen needs for McLellan to succeed on the PP, I gave the Sharks the toughest NHL defensemen who backs down to no one, we got a young enforcer in Hordichuk and a scrappy, 3rd line forward in Upshall. We kept heart and soul J.R. and Boucher in net and allowed a few rookies in Cavanagh, Joslin and Wishart the chance to contribute. We’ll see how any of this plays out in the coming weeks, it should be exciting and we should expect there to be some moves for sure. GO SHARKS!