The news came down from Pollak (and the Sharks own site) that Evgeni Nabokov, who has been with the Sharks his entire career, will not be back for the 2010-2011 season.  Avid readers of this blog and listeners to our podcast know that we have advocated this move since the season ended.  That’s not to take anything away from Nabby- he’s been a stalwart goalie for the Sharks for many years, but given the Sharks cap situation and their bevy of young netminders already in the system, there’s no more room for a 35-year old goalie who will likely make something near his 2009-2010 salary of $5.3M.  With Marleau, Pavelski, Setoguchi, and others to be signed, the money wasn’t there.  It’s also not certain the money should be there, as Nabokov’s career and post-lockout SV% numbers do not put him in the ‘elite’ category.

We’re going to Select-A-Seat tonight, then recording the podcast.  Stay tuned.  Lots of other NHL news to talk about too.

Now that the NHL season is completely over, with the Blackhawks winning the Cup, Mike and Doug talk about the series, and the challenges facing the Hawks and the cap next year.  Rob Blake will make final what we heard last week- that he will be retiring from the Sharks.  Mike and Doug talk about what that means for the defense, and process other rumors and speculation involving free agents.

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The Dudes continue the quest to understand the issues facing the Sharks; this week, they talk to Eric Lindquist, voice of the AHL Worchester Sharks.  Eric gives first-hand info on the Baby Sharks’ top players, and how they might fit into the San Jose roster next year.  Eric talks about Alex Stalock, Mike Moore, Derek Joslin, Nick Petrecki, and several others.

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The Dudes turn to the two big RFAs on the Sharks – Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski.  Mike and Doug try to identify comparable players around the league, and estimate the kind of money required to sign them, as well as the threshold (if any) where the Sharks should let them go.  Also a rash of signings in the past week, and the Dudes give their take on what these young players might contribute to the big club in the future.

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Mike and Doug continue the discussion they began on ChompTalk last Sunday, speaking of the Sharks demise at the hands (wings?) of the Hawks, and Philadelphia’s chances to triumph in the finals.  But most importantly, the Dudes start the important due diligence of examining each of the actors that may not be back next year, starting with Doug Wilson, Todd McLellan, Patrick Marleau, and Evgeni Nabokov

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Something Doug and I talked about on ChompTalk last Sunday, along with Mark Purdy, is the idea that Doug Wilson may be let go, as his vision for the Sharks winning a Cup didn’t exactly pan out.  Could it be that Greg Jamison wants to see a new strategy and philosophy for building a team?  I now think the answer is “definitely not.”

First of all, firing a GM in the Sharks’ position should only be done under one condition – you know who is going to replace him.  This isn’t a house-on-fire situation, where you gotta ditch the guy as quick as possible to stop the bleeding.  The Sharks, despite their playoff disappointments, are not bleeding.  Aside from tiny headed hockey pundits, there’s really only one marquee GM candidate, who is now off the market.  I’m talking about Steve Yzerman, who signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning today.  Yzerman, who put together the gold-medal winning Canadian team this Olympic year, has been biding his time.  Even since he retired as a player he’s been  getting trained up in various situations, and now was ready to strike and get the job he wanted.

You think it’s a coincidence he waited this long to take the Tampa job?  I think not.  Based on nothing but dizzying intellect and baseless speculation, Doug and I are betting that Stevie Y took the Sharks’ temperature yesterday, after they were eliminated:

Stevie Y: So, hmm… them Hawks are real bastards huh?
Greg Jamison: You got that right.
Stevie Y: I played on Detroit for a quadrillion years; I’ve eaten the Hawks’ lunch so many times I sh!% deep dish pizza.  Any, uh, openings I should know about?
Greg Jamison:  Man, that’s a good line!  I wish I’d thought of it.  But I think we’re going to stick with Wilson.  Have fun with Ty Wishart.
Stevie Y:  Who???

*AND, SCENE*

Unless there’s some below-the-radar magician, Doug Wilson is here to stay.  We’re already dreaming up scenarios and plans for the Sharks to execute, and I’m sure DW is doing the same.  He has shown the ability to modify the plan if it’s not working, plus the not-to-be-overlooked ability to fleece other GMs in trades.  The conjecture season is now in full swing, and we’ll be filling the blogophere (and internet airwaves, such as they are) with enough of that to choke the proverbial horse.  Stay tuned.  We’re not going anywhere.

On the season finale of ChompTalk, Mike and Doug recap the crushing defeat to the Blackhawks.  So many questions about this Sharks team- who’s leaving?  Who’s staying?  Will Marleau and Nabby re-sign?  Could Doug Wilson be under fire?  All these questions and more are entertained by the Dudes, and their guest Mark Purdy of the SJ Mercury News.  The callers weigh in too, some of them eerily recognizable from the comment threads right here at DOH.

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Series over.  Sharks manage to blow the third lead in four games, this time a two goal lead.  The only benefit is I no longer have to spend $150 to see the Sharks on Tuesday.  The unassailable truth- the better team won.  The big question- what do the Sharks do now?  That will be the focus of the season ending edition of ChompTalk- tonight at 9pm PDT on 1200AM KDOW.  Please call us at 1-800-516-1220 and weigh in.  Or email if you are too shy to call us.  At this point, I want to hear every cockamamie idea you might have.

AAAAAAAAUUUGGGHH

I think the Sharks actually brought a kitchen sink onto the ice last night- they tried every goddam thing they could think of.  As Steve Rosenbloom wrote:

I don’t know what else the Sharks can do.

They’ve skated at the pace the Blackhawks wanted, and they’ve taken it to the Hawks. And they still lost.

They went with their top lines against the Hawks’ top lines, and they produced a lot of scoring chances. And they still lost.

They changed lines, drew power plays, and outshot the Hawks in the United Center in a gotta-have-it Game 3 after dropping the first two games at home. And they still lost.

They forced the Hawks’ dangerous scorers to the perimeter and cut down on the bodies in front of their goaltender. And they still lost.

They came back from a potentially killer breakaway goal late in the third period and tied the game even later. And they still lost.

I don’t know what else the Sharks can do. And it doesn’t look like they know, either.

Despite this being written by a guy at the Trib, there’s not much here I  disagree with.  I still believe the Sharks can win game 4, because a little break here, a bounce there, and the Sharks win a game.  But even in my wildest imagination I don’t think they can win four.  T-Mac points to the Philly-Boston series as motivation, and I suppose it is that.  However, the differences between Boston and Chicago are wide and deep.  We’ve seen the Hawks just lay down for a game here and there, but not 4.  They have not lost two consecutive games in this postseason.  We’re Sharks fans, so we’re holding a grain of hope for a second miracle this year, but the realists in us know it ain’t really gonna happen.

This sucks.  Somebody cheer me up, will ya?

The Dudes find a way to celebrate the new episode naming scheme, and their 100th episode, recording at Coach’s in Campbell.  Joined by friends, family, and alcoholic beverages, the Dudes try to look on the bright side of the Sharks 0-2 hole against Chicago.  Frankly, there’s not a whole lot to be excited about, but the Sharks have been in a hole before, and fought their way back.  Why can’t they do it this time?  Taking live questions on the air, Mike and Doug try to make sense of it all, and identify what the Sharks can do to turn this thing around, because time is running out.  You can find pictures of the event here.

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