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Sharks move on without
Nabokov
Team announces netminder will not be
re-signed
The Sharks clarified some of their roster questions
on Tuesday by posting an announcement on their website that goaltender Evgeni
Nabokov will not be re-signed by the team. Citing salary cap issues, General
Manager Doug Wilson made the decision to pursue alternatives in net this
summer. Nabokov’s 5-year $21 million contract expires on July 1, but
Wilson is forced to figure out how to pay for free agents Patrick Marleau, Joe
Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, Manny Malhotra and Scott Nichol.
Wilson
notified Nabokov of the decision in a face to face conversation.
“We would like to thank Nabby for the time he has spent in San Jose
,” Wilson said in the Sharks internet posting. “Nabby has been a big
part of this team for the past 10 seasons and played an important role is our
successes. This decision boils down to a dedication of dollars in a salary cap
system and under this system, teams can't keep everyone. We are excited about
the goaltenders coming up through our system and we will also keep an eye on
assets that may become available in the coming weeks.”
In his 10
years in San Jose , Nabokov amassed a 293-215-29 record, and almost won the
Vezina Trophy in 2008, but his sub-par performances in the playoffs may define
his legacy. Nabokov couldn’t make the big saves necessary to get the
Sharks past the Chicago Blackhawks this past spring in the Conference Finals.
Cheaper alternatives like Antti Niemi and Michael Leighton got their
teams farther in the playoffs, and a cadre of free agent goaltending options
are available to Wilson this Summer.
The Sharks were rumored to be in the bidding for then
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak, before the Slovak was dealt to St
Louis last week. Wilson also has a couple of in-house options to lean on.
Thomas Greiss went 7-4-1 in twelve games for the Sharks last season. He is also
under contract for a bargain basement price of $550,000.
22-yearl old
prospect Alex Stalock had an impressive season in Worcester last season,
compiling a 39-19-2 record for the Sharks top minor league affiliate. It was
Stalock’s first season as a professional. He rung up a 21-13-8 record in
his final season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2008-09.
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