San Jose Sharks Season 19 Preview
- Updated: March 11, 2015
The Sharks enter the new season in a better position than the previous. With the addition of Kyle Okposo and the graduation of Vladdy Tarasenko, there’s a brand new infusion of size into the lineup. Andrei Markov brings another puck mover to the blue-line. Let’s take a look at the breakdowns:
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
| Steven Stamkos | Patrick Kane | Vladimir Tarasenko |
| Gustav Nyquist | Matt Duchene | Kyle Okposo |
| Brooks Laich | Brandon Sutter | Darren Helm |
| Eric Nystrom | Jay McClement | Luke Glendening |
Extras: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Tomas Hertl, Manny Malhotra
All three forwards on the first line have at least 80 in SC so obviously a lot is expected here. Kane shifts from wing to forward in order to play the role of distributor.
The second line features an elite scorer (Nyquist), an elite passer (Okposo) and a good 2-way centre (Duchene). It’s a bummer that Duchene is having an off-year as he’s the weak link but it’s still an acceptable option.
There are two new additions to the third line. Laich and Sutter will bring a tad of offence while mostly assuming the role of shutting down the opposition. I’m excited about these two additions. Add in Darren Helm and I think they’ll drive opponents crazy.
The fourth line also has two new members in Nystrom and Glendening. I also overpaid a bit to retain McClement but I think his defensive abilities makes him worth the dough. This can easily be another shut down line. I think the sim rewards a gritty 4th line so we’ll see.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Tomas Hertl get kicked to the farm. They’ll provide some offence from the reserves in case of injury or if I want to switch up my 4th line. They’re in the minors primarily because I think they’ll be wasted on the 4th line and it doesn’t justify their salary. Manny Malhotra gives another shutdown player in case I need it.
Back to the farm you go
Defense
| LD | RD |
| Andrei Markov | Shea Weber |
| MA Vlasic | Travis Hamonic |
| Robyn Regehr | Matt Greene |
Extras: Danny DeKeyser, Justin Schultz
The addition of Andrei Markov gives me a two-way option on defense that I haven’t had for a while. He’ll help take some of the offensive load off of Shea Weber this season. Vlasic and Hamonic have improved their offensive a bit and thus make better 2nd pairing options than they were a season ago. Matt Greene was added to be a slight upgrade over Ladislav Smid and his 75 DF will be a handful for opposing forwards. The best part about my defense is that once again, everyone has a DF rating of 73 or above.
Danny DeKeyser is probably good enough to step into most lineups in the league but he just misses the cut here as his role isn’t as defined as the six before him.
Yay new team!
Goalies
| G |
| Roberto Luongo |
| Cedrick Desjardins |
Roberto Luongo is back to steer the ship. He’ll be playing for a huge contract in the off-season. His ratings are top 10 in the league so no complaints here.
LUUUUUUU
Outlook
This team as it stands is 5 mil under the cap and 7 mil at the trade deadline. This’ll allow me to make a huge splash at the deadline but I probably can’t add any long term salary as my players are going to get paid this off-season. 😥
I’m definitely gunning for the cup this season after being somewhat passive last season but the sim is screwy sometimes so you never know…
You must be logged in to post a comment Login