In this episode, Mike and Doug talk about the various happenings around the NHL, and only a cursory look to the Sharks.  That’s because last Sunday the dudes talked themselves hoarse on the radio about the Sharks (episode to follow).  This time, it’s all about the Flyers troubles, long term contracts, and Ovechkin’s knee, as well as Brendan Witt v. Yukon.

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Thanks to everyone who was able to tune in to the radio show last night. We hope to have a replay available for download on the website. The show was a blast, especially our interview with former Sharks player Mark Smith – who was amazingly candid and really entertaining. Great stuff.

One hot topic that we heard from some callers on the radio show has been in line with my final rallying cry to Sharks management. Doug Wilson has to be looking for an upgrade on the blueline. Now, I’m not talking about someone to come in and play a Kent Huskins type #5 role – I’m looking for a guy who can log big minutes, do the dirty works like block shots, kill penalties, dish out big hits – and also not be a total stiff offensively. It’s clear the Sharks 0-2-1 record against the Flames and Hawks is reason for concern, and the main difference between the Sharks and the other two teams are their top four d-men are flat out better than ours. I think Doug Wilson did an outstanding job in the offseason of making a Naughty and Nice list and managed to get rid of the three players currently under contract who were at the top of the Naughty list in Ehrhoff, Michalek and Cheechoo. So, who is next on the Naughty list? I think it has to be Vlasic.

Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray are untouchable. The team has made a commitment to Rob Blake by making him the Captain for this season, and I also suspect for next season – I’m 99.9% sure that there is a handshake, wink/wink, nudge/nudge, say no more agreement between Blake and DW that he is coming back for 2010-11. That leaves Vlasic in a put up or shut up situation, and I think he might be beginning to go silent…So, Doug Wilson should parlay his depth at the forward position and find a guy who can jump in and take this team over the top. Guys like Phaneuf, Shea Weber and Chara are not worth discussing – so I’m going to kick off a new weekly series where I’m going to bring a top four blueliner to your attention and why I think he’d be a good fit for the Sharks and what I think it would cost Doug Wilson to acquire him.

This weeks target:

St. Louis Blues/Barret Jackman

Jackman is a stud and doesn’t get a ton of press because he’s been playing for a bad team that finally broke through and made the playoffs last year. In case you’re not familiar with Jackman, let me introduce you. He is the guy who stands in the net and blocks an empty net slap shot attempt like a human brick wall.

There’s obviously a ton to talk about tonight after the Sharks dropped a disappointing loss at home to the Calgary Flames last night. Should we concerned that the Sharks are 0-2-1 against the other two division leaders in the Western Conference? What does San Jose need to do to get in the best position to win the Cup in the second half of the season? These topics and many more are on the docket for tonight and we invite you to call in and ask any question you want about the Sharks and the NHL  We’ve got two hours to kill and while Mike and I can babble alone, we’d love to hear from all our listeners that support the podcast.

Dudes on Hockey on CHOMPTALK! from 8-10pm on Sunday, December 6th

1220 AM for local Bay Area listeners or click on this link to stream online. Call 1-800-516-1220 anytime during the show to talk on the air to the Dudes.

Tonight’s on air guests!

Mark Purdy from the Mercury News

Former Shark Mark Smith. Best hair in hockey?

In this corner, weighing in at 6 feet and 205 pounds, the ever testy, the outspoken, the King of the Shootout (Not), Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

In this corner, coming in at a stout 6 ft, 1 inches and 200 pounds, the Dill of Defense, the Relish in your Roulade, Marc-Edouard “Why Didn’t You Block That Shot” Vlasic.

In case you didn’t catch the postgame buzz, Nabby was none too pleased that Pickles didn’t block that shot at the end of the Sharks 3-2 shootout loss to St. Louis last night. Vlasic’s point, which is well taken, is that there were five guys who dropped the ball (or puck) at the end last night, and six if you include Nabby.

So, what do you think of the Sharks version of “The Blame Game”?  Personally, I LOVE IT!

Why, you ask? Because it means these guys care. Haven’t we been asking for this? When was the last time we had guys calling each other out? Forcing others to take accountability? This team has been far too private and too laid-back for too long, and last night’s meltdown deserved Nabby’s quote-tastic response. The Sharks should be mad they choked that game away and it might inspire Vlasic, or Huskins, or anyone to do anything possible to win a game – which was not the attitude for the final minute of regulation last night. This team has been remade to win in the playoffs and if someone needs to be called out to pick up his effort, then so be it. Perhaps it is a little bit unfair to blast Vlasic for not blocking a shot, after all with 52 blocks he is tied for 20th in the entire NHL – so it’s not like he’s not willing to go there – but if the knock on Vlasic has ever been anything, it’s been a lack of intensity and flair for the big play. Blocking that shot would have been the big play.

So get amped up guys. You have a big contest with Calgary on Saturday night and you’ve got to bring the fire and then some. I like a little infighting from time to time. After all, we’ve seen what the Sharks “We’ll get them next time, boys” motto got us last year? Nabby’s comments might inspire Vlasic to throw himself in front of anything, if it means winning a Cup.

Goddam it, shouldn't I be the one starring in that stupid George Clooney movie?

Ryan Vesce, along with Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture, has been on the short end of the stick when it comes to the Worchester shuttle this year, and I heard a rumor that’s he’s being called up for the game tonight:

But unlike McGinn, Couture, Joslin, McLaren, and the rest of the crew that are accruing frequent-flyer miles at a fantastic rate, Vesce is a veteran player.  Some people may know a bit about the waiver rules in the NHL- they are based solely on age and years of experience.  Young guys like the ones I mention above are exempt from waivers, a process where any other team in the NHL can take a player for free and assume their contract.  But Vesce is 27 years old, way too old to be exempt from waivers, which he would need to clear to be sent to Worchester, and re-call waivers, which he would be required to clear to come back to San Jose.  How come we never hear about him clearing waivers, like the recently demoted goaltender Stephen Valiquette of the Rangers?

It’s because the Sharks are being extra careful  with Vesce, and taking advantage of some CBA minutia.  As some of you might know, I’m oddly fascinated by the various obscure rules of the CBA, and none may be more confusing than the waiver process.   The Sharks are manipulating his time carefully so that he’s not subject to either regular waivers (which is how he would be sent down) or recall (which is how he would come back).  This is a pretty neat trick.  The harder thing to get around is the recall (or re-entry) waiver process, and the Sharks are taking advantage of section 50.9(g) of the CBA:

The Re-Entry Waiver procedure will not, however, be applicable to Veteran Minor League Players defined as follows: (i) for goaltenders, Players who have:
(A) played in 180 or more professional games in North America (NHL, AHL and ECHL), and
(B) not spent more than 80 NHL games on NHL roster over the prior two (2) seasons or more than 40 NHL games on NHL roster in the immediately prior season; and (ii) for defensemen and forwards, Players who have:
Neither the salaries nor signing bonuses paid to minor league Players shall be counted against a Club’s Upper Limit or the Players’ Share. For a Player on a One-Way NHL Contract or a Two-Way Contract with a Minor League Salary and compensation that could be earned in excess of the following amounts:

2005-06: U.S. $75,000

2006-07: U.S. $95,000

2007-08: U.S. $100,000

2008-09: U.S. $100,000

2009-10: U.S. $105,000

2010-11: U.S. $105,000

2011-12: U.S. $105,000

the following rules shall apply:
(i) To the extent the Player does not require Waivers to be Loaned to a minor league affiliate, he can be freely Loaned and Recalled

Vesce makes $105k, right under the wire, so this first rule doesn’t apply- Vesce is not subject to recall waivers.  Now what about regular waivers- how does he get around that, being 27 years old, with NHL experience last year?

13.5 Waiver Expiration. The rights granted under this Article to Loan a Player(s) who is otherwise required to clear Regular Waivers to a minor league club expire for any Player(s) who, after clearing Regular Waivers:

(i) is not Loaned to a minor league club, or is Recalled from a minor league club (except on emergency recall); and

(ii) remains on an NHL roster for thirty (30) days (cumulative) or plays ten (10) NHL Games (cumulative).

So looking at the above chart, we know know why Vesce was sent back down on the November 14.  Because his waiver exempt status was about to expire.   Now with the new addition of Jay Leach, the Sharks are taking advantage of another waiver wrinkle – since Montreal got Leach on re-entry waivers, they only had to pay half of his salary, the Devils the other half.  And now that the Sharks got him on regular waivers from Montreal, they are required to pay the amount the Habs did, about half the league minimum.  Leach may or may not have been “a guy that our guys (scouts) have liked” as Pollak reported, but more likely it’s that “he’s a guy that our guys (accountants) have liked”.

The Sharks have started a new winning streak against a host of ex-Sharks sprinkled among the Canadian teams, and the Dudes break it all down.  Mike and Doug also talk about the demotion of Jason Demers, and the curious claiming of Jay Leach off of waivers from Montreal.  Finally, there’s a comparison of the top-4 defensemen of the Sharks versus other top Western teams, and the speculation that a trade could be an answer to this deficiency.  Be sure to listen to the Dudes on Chomptalk this weekend- Sunday night from 8-10pm on 1220AM (or stream at http://www.kdow.biz).  The blog-off voting can be found here.

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After a horrible, putrid effort against the streaking Chicago Blackhawks, the Sharks were expected to take out their collective frustration on the hapless Edmonton Oilers, even more hapless since Ales Hemsky is out for the rest of the season.  Their best player this year (Dustin Penner) is a guy that no one would have guessed would be even their third best player if asked only a couple of months ago.

The Sharks should not have won this game.

And I don’t mean that in a good way.  They should not have won it, and they didn’t deserve to win it.  Frankly, I think the team would be better off today if they were sitting around in Vancouver doing whatever it is smart people in Vancouver do (other than criticize Steve Bernier), and slagging themselves for dropping a second game in a row to a team that doesn’t have a lot of rays of sunshine poking through the clouds.

Instead, they may be breathing a small, understated, collective sigh of relief.  A sigh they didn’t earn, because there were so many things that didn’t go well in that game, it’s impossible to name them all.  But I will concentrate on the one shortcoming that this team supposedly rectified during this off-season, with the acquisitions of Scott Nichol and Manny Malhotra.  Not faceoffs (although they managed to come out on the short side of that one too last night).  Grit.

I try to follow the NHL closely, and I had no earthly idea who JF Jacques was until last night.  Then, as I’m sure many Sharks fans did, I quickly developed a strong animosity towards him, once he checked Thornton in the back into the boards, went after Dany Heatley’s knee, then took another run at Jumbo a short time later.  Apparently, other Sharks didn’t develop this animosity like I did.

Because nothing friggin happened.  Against Philly, there were scuffles, fights, jawing, the whole bit.  In Edmonton, watching a game that was so blurry I thought I was watching the 1978 Indianapolis Racers there for a second, the Sharks looked like the 2008 Sharks, and let it slide by.  To me, that’s much worse than losing a game in November.  That’s a big step back, one that flies in the face of the “we have to move on” platitudes spouted after Chicago embarrassed them worse than any team did at the Tank since 1995.  They looked shaken.

I’m not going to generalize, saying this team is the same weak-kneed set that lost early in the playoffs the last few years, but I will feel a lot better if someone comes out tomorrow night and punches Steve Bernier in the face.

This Thanksgiving episode discusses the crushing loss to Chicago, and the quality wins versus Philly and Anaheim.  The Dudes also address the outstanding questions about Sharks in the Olympics, like whether the Thornton-Heatley-Marleau line will be on Team Canada intact.  Also, be sure to listen to the ChompTalk radio program on AM 1220 on Sunday, December 6 from 8-10pm- hear and talk to the Dudes live!  In other news, there will be a caravan on Sharks fans going down to Anaheim on March 14, 2010, see details here, and a great video of the last roadtrip here.

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Tonight, with the Hawks in town, both teams will either be pining for missing players, or welcoming them back into the fold. The biggest story is the return of Marian Hossa, who hasn’t played a game yet this year after having shoulder surgery. That top line of Kane Toews and Hossa will be something to watch. Can the Sharks new third line, or a defensive minded second line (Marleau, Pavs and Malhotra) keep that line in check?  In addition to the missing Blake, Seto, and Shelley, another guy the Sharks might be without is Dan Boyle, who Pollak said is “still possible” to play.  That would be a huge loss for the Sharks and their #3 ranked power play.  Mitchell is back here, but not supposed to start until the weekend (ibid).  Is that the only time ibid has ever been used in a hockey blog post?  I’m trying to break new ground here.

Despite thinking that team is chock full of offensive weapons, the fact is Chicago’s defense is the more impressive. They’ve allowed only 2.14 goals per game, good for first in the league. Sharks are third at 2.36. Their offense certainly isn’t bad, 6th, while the Sharks are 4th. #1 in offense? Atlanta. Yeah, go figure. They have nine guys with 10 points or more.

Anyway, the point is the Chicago Blackhawks are as close statistically to the Sharks as any other team in the league. They are even 1-2 in faceoff percentage.  Two divergences- PK (Sharks 1st, Chicago 9th), and shots. San Jose is middle of the pack in both shots for and against, while the Hawks are near the top in shots, and #1 in shots allowed.

Also like the Sharks is their interesting free agent situation.  There were big rumors last week that the Triumvirate of Toews, Kane, and Duncan Keith had renewal contracts in the works, but this week is quiet.  If they make it happen, could that be a template for Doug Wilson in trying to sign Pavs, Seto, and Marleau/Nabby?  I’m using the slash because I still think only one of those two can be kept.

I suppose this would be the time where I would use terms like “measuring stick” and “statement game” and all that.  I’ll just take the win.

Two notes:  The podcast will be recorded and uploaded after the game tonight.  Didn’t seem right to talk about the Sharks before they faced off against the second best team in the West.  Also, if you’re looking for a ego killer, try this trivia contest.  I got only 51, and there were several more I should have gotten.

With the Worcester shuttle in full effect sending down a flu ridden Logan Couture and his cohorts Ben Ferriero and Ryan Vesce, this leaves one hole in the Sharks roster for Wednesday nights game vs. the Central Division leading Chicago Blackhawks.

Is it Torrey Mitchell time? In case you’ve forgotten what he looks like, I included a picture of the dude to the right. Meet Torrey Mitchell all over again, folks. Remember the speed and fearlessness we saw in four playoff games vs. the Ducks? The joy of a scrappy role player we saw in 2007-08 with his 20 points and 50 PIM’s.  If he’s healthy, the Sharks just got even better. As impressive as McGinn, Couture and Ferriero have been in guest appearances, they were just holding the place warm for Torrey.

So where should he play? Well, for starters he’ll likely be paired with McGinn and McLaren on the 4th line until he gets his NHL legs back but eventually, a 3rd line of Malhotra/Mitchell/Ortemeyer is something to look forward to. Mitchell is another top notch bottom six forward, another possible scoring threat with his speed and another PK guy (he was 2nd amongst Sharks forwards in 2007-08 in PK avg. time). Welcome back Torrey. Here’s to good healthy and another reason why this team is better than last season’s record setting club.

The rumor mill is a buzz that all is not right in Calgary with a certain star player. We’ve heard rumblings of Dion Phaneuf being moved in the offseason and with the addition of Bouwmeester and Regehr, should we be too surprised that Darryl Sutter is going to pick his brother over the player? I think not, these turtles stick together. Not that Sutter would ever deal Phaneuf in the conference, but what kind of blog would this be if I didn’t make a plea of how we might be able to get him, if he is truly available. I would suspect the price would be a young top four d-man, a top six forward and a young NHL ready player. So would you trade Vlasic, Clowe and McGinn to have a potential pairing of Boyle and Phaneuf? This would mean that Joslin would be part of the defensive core for the rest of the season, but I think Joslin has proved he can handle it.

Acknowledging the odds are those good friends, Slim and None, I’m just saying hypothetically, would you do it? Doug Wilson has never been afraid to trade for a marquee player (Boyle, Heatley, Thornton, Campbell). He will pull the trigger. He has stones of steal, but is this the right deal? Not enough? Don’t mess with a good thing or make a good thing better. You be the judge.

I Love Dan Boyle. Trade Me to San Jose!