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Not good enough
yet
Much to improve this season
| 12/5/11 - By Steve Flores -
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After all of the changes made in the off-season by
San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson and after 23 games played, no one really knows
the true affects that those changes may have incurred. Yes the Sharks are off
to a much better start than a season ago yet they currently stand in 8h place
overall in the Western Conference. Yes folks that means that they would be the
final team to qualify for a post-season berth had the season ended today.
Aside form their conference standing is the fact that the team - as a
whole - truly has not played to its expectations.
Really.
I
mean let's be honest, has Brent Burns - the team's biggest off-season
acquisition - lit your fire in his first stanza with the team? If he has then
you should be taking a major look of self-introspection in regard to the levels
that you see as above board.
Burns, by the numbers has 4 goals, 4
assists, a plus 8, 2 Penalty minutes and is 7th on the team in hits. These are
not numbers to be writing home about. He does have 3 Power play Goals and 2 pp
assists but I doubt seriously that these numbers as a whole are what the team
desired when it made deals that resulted in the departures of Dany Heatley and
Devin Setoguchi.
Numbers can often lie. But anyone who has watched the
Sharks cannot honestly testify that Burns has played at an All-Star level. He
has been adequate at best and nowhere near the level that was forecast when he
was acquired.
His best may be yet to come but we surely haven't seen
it yet.
The next level of 'not quite so good' is a player that pains
me to even think about: Dan Boyle.
Boyle is a true All-Star. The guy
has won a Stanley Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. He is the definition of
professional and is one of the best Shark's of all-time. He has driven the
Sharks' bus like a madman for the past few seasons and is as standup as they
come. The guy is class.
But Boyle's turnovers have been more than his
norm and forwards seem to be getting past him just a bit more frequently. I am
not saying he has begun to lose it, nor am I saying that he has even lost a
step - But something isn't quite right with his game either. The guy has 1 goal
in 23 games, which is well behind the Boyle stock and trade.
Martin
Havlat. Need I say more? Direct recipient of the Heatley deal. They guy started
off the season recovering from shoulder surgery. He has 1 goal and 11 points in
19 games. Not exactly setting the world on fire.
The Sharks Penalty
kill is almost too bad to even mention. They are actually ranked dead last in
the league as we speak at a paltry 75%. Yes LAST! There is simply too much
talent, too much speed and too much skill on this team to be ranked that
poorly. It is inexcusable.
The San Jose franchise has been at the top
of the Western conference for many seasons now. Each season the team seems to
find a way to fail in some huge fashion. They have been talent laden for years
yet have never had the right mix to break through. The problem is that most of
the other teams in the league continue to improve each year.
With each
turn of a season the Sharks must deal with more and more talented obstacles en
route to their desired goal of Stanley Cup glory.
This season is no
different. There are so many talented teams in the West that the Sharks will be
hard pressed to make the playoffs. Their goal of winning the Stanley Cup is no
stronger than say the Detroit Red Wings.
The Minnesota Wild and Heatley and Seto are at the top
of the Western Conference, They may not be at season's end but they have
certainly found ways to fight through adversity and have an edge about them.
The Los Angeles Kings have struggled but have great goaltending and a deep
roster at the ready.
The Chicago Blackhawks (Stanley cup Winners two
seasons ago) seem stronger and deeper and they already 'know what it takes' to
win it all. I could go on but I think you get the point.
The Sharks
road to a title is going to be tough. It is even tougher when the team is not
performing at expected levels. The members of the squad need to be better. They
need to be in sync and they need to fire on all cylinders if they have any
legitimate hope of making a serious run. Perhaps they simply need to 'gel' more
than they have. Who knows if they will or won't. There is a lot of season left
but the first quarter check point leaves a lot to be desired.
There
are a lot of unknowns going on right now. What I do know is that the team
currently taking the ice for San Jose is, at the moment, not Stanley Cup ready
or worthy.
Contact Steve at stevybo@yahoo.com
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