My opinion of the Jets and Sharks offseason moves

 

Here is another post from some of the eliminated teams and how I think the Jets and Sharks can approach this offseason to make their teams better for next year after narrowly missing the playoffs this season. 

Winnipeg

Notable UFA’s: Paul Stastny, Zach Sanford, Austin Poganski, Adam Brooks, Eric Comrie 

Notable RFA’s: Pierre Luc Dubois, Mason Appleton, Evgeny Svechnikov, Kristian Vesalainen, Jansen Harkins, David Gustafsson

Draft Picks: WIN 1RD, NYR 2RD*, ST.L 2RD*, COLU 3RD, ARI 4RD, WIN 6RD, WIN 7RD

Why did they miss the playoffs.

The Jets had a great start to the season but are another team who couldn’t keep their great play going for the entire year and held out as long as they could, and here are three reasons why I think the Jets missed the playoffs. First would have to be the coaching change that happened in the middle of the season. After the Jets started the season 13-10-5 the Jets head coach Paul Maruice resigned saying that he had done all he could with the team and Dave Lowry who was a assistant coach then took of as the Jets head coach and the team was supposed to keep up their hood play but instead have gone 23-22-5 since the coaching change and as they were out of a playoff spot before the coaching change going .500 the rest of the year did keep them out of the playoffs. Number 2 would have to be their hiccups on defence after that coaching change. With Maurice as coach the Jets team Defence was playing at a top 15 level and it was really looking like all the offseason moves were working for the Jets but after the coaching change under Lowry the Jets definitely took a hit with their team Defence as they have since played at a bottom 10 level and even though guys like Morrissey, Pionk and Schmidt have produced well offensively their defensive numbers just have not been were they need to be to make the playoffs. And lastly along with the defensive woes Connor Hellebuyck didn’t look like his regular self in the second half of the season this year. Hellebuyck still has had a good year with a winning record but his 3.00 GAA would be the first time in his career he finished a season with a 3.00 GAA or worse, and his .910 SV% is his second lowest in his career and backup Comrie has actually done a better job as backup this year then Hellebuyck and if your starting goalie can’t make the saves at key times then you could miss the playoffs so Hellebuyck played a role in the missing of the playoffs. So to recap the Jets missed the playoffs due to not improving after the coaching change, the bad defence and Hellebuyck not playing as his regular dominant self in the second half of the season all lead to the Jets faltering and eventually missing the playoffs. 

How can they improve in the offseason 

The Jets started out with promise but faltered and failed to make the postseason after making it last year so they will need to do some things in the offseason to make this a better team. Now before I get to position problems I believe that Winnipeg will be in the market for a new head coach. After Maurice left they brought in Lowry on a interim deal and after not making the playoffs and Lowry not providing much of a spark to the Jets lineup a believe a new bench boss will be in Winnipeg at the beginning of next year. As for the positional improvements and I will start in net where they have a bit of a problem on their hands. Now as for their starter I have no second thoughts saying that Hellebuyck will once again be their starter next year. Even though he looked a little shaky at times this year he can still play at a high level especially if the team in front of him improves and he is still signed at a reasonable cap hit for the next two years so I believe he will bounce back and continue to be the Jets starter, but the backup situation is a little murky. The Jets has Eric Comrie as backup this year and in his first full year as backup he didn’t disappoint as he put up a astounding 2.72 GAA and a .915 SV% and won 8 of his 14 starts and those are great backup numbers but he is a pending UFA and could leave this offseason. So the Jets either have to bring him back and sign him to continue to be their backup but with his numbers another team might offer more money so if they can’t bring him back then I suspect they will trade or sign a goalie to be their backup, as they would need a reasonable cap hit and experienced goalie. But I could see them returning with the same tandem next year, unless Comrie leaves and they bring in another backup. As for the defence I think that they would definitely need at least some change to it. The top pair is something that I actually wouldn’t change as Morrissey is a offensive defensemen and paired with defensive defensemen DeMelo helped Morrissey have a career year in points and playing together could bring out the best in Morrissey so I would think they keep that pair, but the other two pairs need to be altered. Now I believe at least one if not two of Schmidt, Pionk and Dillon as they need to change things up a bit, I would say Dillon would be the most likely to be traded cause he only has two years left and has a cap hit under $4 Million and can still play in the top 4, and probably Pionk is more likely to be dealt then Schmidt because even though both their cap hits are slightly under $6 Million dollars and are signed for 3 years, Pionk can be more productive and is younger then Schmidt but they will need to move at least one. Also they should have young D-Men Stanley, Samberg and Heinola are all probably going to compete for a 3rd pair role next year as all of them can be NHL defensemen but I can only see one maybe two as regulars next year, and then to round out their D-Corp I believe the Jets will acquire 1 or 2 more defensemen with at least one being a top 4 Defensemen who maybe can play on the 2nd pair and help free up Morrissey to play at his high level, but maybe switching a bit of their bottom 2 pairs can help the Jets improve on the blueline. And as for the forward group they will need to make some change with the money that is tied up this year. Now starting with the Jets bottom six they have a lot of players who could take roles next year like Toninato, Reichel, Barron, and pending RFA’s like Vesalainen, Gustafsson, Harkins, Appleton, and Svechnikov all should have a chance at being bottom six forwards with the Jets picking five that become bottom six forwards and then in free agency or via trade they get a couple more bottom 6 forwards but veterans to help with the youngster, and now to their top 6 where their is a problem. The Jets have 2nd line Center Pierre Luc Dubois in need of a contract in the offseason as a RFA and after having a solid season and finding great chemistry with Kyle Connor I believe the Jets should do whatever they can to get him signed past this year and on a long term contract cause they could definitely use a player like him. Now they have to move at least on top 6 forward in the offseason to get the cap space to sign Dubois even though Stastny and Sanford are UFA’s. Now Wheeler is their captain and with his contract and age will be almost impossible to move, Connor just scored over 40 goals this year so he ain’t going anywhere, then you have either Scheifele who people have been talking about moving or Ehlers and in my opinion they should move Scheifele because he is a tad older than Ehlers and also less productive and on top of that I suspect Cole Perfetti who will be a rookie next year will be a top 6 center with the Jets next year, so with the abundance of Centers Scheifele becomes expandable and should be traded. And then getting a top 6 winger to maybe play with Perfetti on a line would be a smart move in my opinion for the Jets as they could use another top 6 forward to help their depth scoring and he wouldn’t have to be expensive just productive for Winnipeg. So to recap figuring out the backup goalie position for Winnipeg, changing the players on their 2nd and maybe 3rd pairing, as well as signing Dubois, giving Perfetti a top 6 role, moving Scheifele and getting a top 6 winger should all be on Winnipeg’s plate this year and if they do this then I believe they have a real shot next year at making the playoffs.

 San Jose

Notable UFA’s: Ryan Dzingel, Alex Barabanov, Jaycob Megna.

Notable RFA’s: Jonathan Dahlen, Noah Gregor, John Leonard, Jonah Gadjovich, Alex Chemelevski, Mario Ferraro, Nicolas Meloche, Brinson Pasichnuk, Kaapo Kahkonen.

Draft Picks: SJ 1RD, SJ 3RD, SJ 4RD, SJ 5RD, BUF 5RD, SJ 6RD, SJ 7RD, ARI 7RD, MIN 7RD

Why did they miss the playoffs.

The Sharks were facing hard odds to make the playoffs this year and while their start was admirable they fizzled out in the second half and ended up missing the playoffs and here are three reasons why i think the Sharks missed the playoffs. The first reason has got to be the way they had played in the 2nd half of the year. The Sharks has started the season with 4 consecutive wins and the Sharks had a 20-16-1 record by JAN 11th and their hopes were riding high but since their win on JAN 11th up until recently on APR 19th the Sharks and their season fell apart as they would lose 29 of their 38 games during that stretch and that slip up that included a 10 game losing streak that San Jose snapped recently was one of a couple reasons why this team is not going to the playoffs this year. Next is their offence and the fact that they couldn’t score this season and it cost them quite a few games. Meier and Hertl have been the driving force of the offense this season with Meier having 76 points and Hertl having 64, but besides those two the Sharks have not had much supporting help as only four other player had more then 30 points this season for San Jose and 2 were defensemen (Karlsson and Burns), so with the lack of forwards scoring goals and getting points quite often it was on the goalies to make timely saves and bail out the forwards and they couldn’t always do that. And finally the goalies are another problem that the Sharks has to deal with this year but not in the way you would probably think. The Sharks actually had a pretty good tandem of Hill and Reimer and then acquired Kaapo Kahkonen from Minnesota and now have three good goalies. Hill has had a acceptable .906 SV% and lead San Jose goalies with a 2.66 GAA even though he had a losing record as starter, while Kahkonen and Reimer both have winning records as starter and have a identical 2.85 GAA and a identical .913 SV%, so while all the goalies have done good this year they have all had a problem staying healthy. Hill had a majority of the starts early on but has only played once since JAN 22nd so his absence has definitely hurt the team, and Reimer was also out for some time this year and the absences in net lead to inexperienced players like Sawchenko take the net and that also hurt San Jose and their attempt to make the playoffs. So to recap the horrid play from JAN to APR, the lack of offensive support, and their goalies being injured for periods of time all factored in the Sharks missing the playoffs.

How can they improve in the offseason. 

The Sharks missed the playoffs yet again after starting off strong and winning their first four games of the season, but the second half collapse lead to them missing the playoffs but here is what I think San Jose should do in the offseason to improve their team. First in net as they currently have three NHL caliber goalies for next year after acquiring Kahkonen at the deadline with two of them probably staying with the team to start next year. The Sharks have newly acquired Kahkonen who should be their 1A next year in my opinion as he was Minnesota’s future number 1 but the Sharks were able to get him, and he is also a Pending RFA so signing him to a multi year deal at a reasonable cap hit has to be a top priority for San Jose, and then they have two guys who are a year away from unrestricted free agency to chose between as they could both be capable 1B goalies. And I believe that the Sharks will keep Hill over Reimer because Hill is younger then Reimer and will have more of a chance to resign then Reimer and has more potential. As for Reimer he should be traded entering the final year of his deal and with a affordable cap hit and  him playing well there should be a lot of teams interested, but getting rid of Reimer and Signing Kahkonen should be the play for San Jose. On defence I could see them making at least a couple of moves to help this team. Now Karlsson with his contract and Burns with his age are both unmovable players right now and will probably man the right side next year no matter what. Then whether it is via trade or a buyout I think they will have to try to find Marc Edouard Vlasic as his 7 million dollar contract for the next 4 seasons will be a problem for San Jose given that they will need cap space and Vlasic isn’t playing well so in my opinion he has got to go, and I would also trade Radim Simek who has 2 years left at a $2.25 Million dollar cap hit and has been in and out of the lineup this year but his cap hit should be tradable and these two should be moved. Then they should have youngsters Meloche and Merkley compete for the 3rd pair right side spot as both look like they can be decent NHL D-Men this year and would add youth to the defence, and the Sharks will need to sign Mario Ferarro who is a pending RFA and will look for a sizeable extension as he is definitely a top 4 defensemen. Then to fill out the roster the Sharks need to get a 3rd pair and a top 4 defensemen either in free agency of via trade as a couple of defensemen who could play better then Vlasic and Simek would go a long way to helping Sam Jose’s D-Corp, but signing Ferraro, moving Vlasic and getting another top 4 defensemen who can play on the left should make Sam Jose a better team. And finally on the forward side of things the youth they have will definitely benefit them in years to come. Their centers are probably locked in for next year after they signed Hertl to a 8 year extension before the deadline, Logan Couture who is still signed for 5 years and is San Jose’s captain and still playing well, newly signed Prospect Thomas Bordeleau who should continue to develop as a young 3rd line Center, while have a young guy like Chmelevski or Reedy man the 4th line at the Center position. As for the wing position they have a lot of bottom six candidates with guys like Gregor, Leonard, Gadjovich, Balcers, Nieto, and Dahlén as all have had chances in the top 6 for San Jose and all done superb as bottom 6 forwards and while I could definitely see San Jose trying to get a veteran bottom 6 forward to add to this team, I think majority of the bottom 6 forward group next year is already in San Jose. As for their top 6 wingers I think Meier who will enter the final year of his deal before becoming a RFA as showed his worth to this team and will continue to play solid top 6 minutes and young recent 1RD pick Will Eklund should also be a top 6 winger next year because even though he is a rookie next year his play in the 9 NHL games he played this season makes me believe he will be a top 6 rookie. As for the other two spots on the wing I think they need to acquire at least one top 6 forward in free agency or via trade because Barabanov is a pending UFA and could leave but also getting at least one scoring forward if not two will go a long way to helping this team improve offensively, and to get the cap space they need I feel like Bonino who will enter the final year of his contract next year and had his 3rd line spot probably taken by Bordeleau and Kevin Labanc who is still a relatively young player not playing up to his contract and needs a fresh start in my opinion both should be traded to help with their cap situation. So to recap move Reimer and roll with Hill and Kahkonen next year, sign Ferraro on the back end and get rid of Vlasic and Simek to get a better fitting top 4 defensemen, and move Labanc and Bonino up front so that they can get 1 or 2 top 6 scoring forwards to improve their offense, and if they do this I believe a playoff appearance could not be to far off.