Offseason plans, with the Hawks and Sharks being the first two west teams eliminated, they are going to be the first in my offseason preview series, as I will breakdown why each 16 teams missed the playoffs and what I personally think they could do in the offseason to improve their team and be more competitive next year.
Chicago Blackhawks
Significant Pending UFA:
C J.Toews 14-16-30 52GP
LW/RW A.Anthanasiou 19-18-37 80GP
LD A.Englund 0-4-4 46GP
G A.Stalock 9-15-2 REC 2.93 GAA .910 SV%
G A.Khudobin 0-1-0 REC 6.00 GAA .786 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
FOR P.Kurashev 9-16-25 70GP
RW J.Anderson 6-3-9 37GP
RW/LW A.Wagner 1-1-2 6GP
LW/RW A.Bjork 1-6-7 13GP
D C.Jones 4-12-16 72GP
RD I.Mitchell 1-6-7 34GP
RD A.Regula 0-0-0 4GP
G A.Soderblom 2-10-0 REC 3.45 GAA .894 SV%
Current draft capital for Blackhawks in 2023: 11
1RD CHI, TB
2RD CHI, OTT, TB, NYR*
3RD CHI, DAL
4RD CHI
5RD CHI
7RD CHI
Why did the Hawks miss the playoffs: now there were definitely a few different reasons why the Hawks didn’t do to well this season and missed the playoffs, but I think the biggest reason was the fact that this was the first season of the rebuild in Chicago. Now the Hawks were hoping that some offseason moves made 2 offseasons ago such as signing McCabe, and bringing in Fleury and both Seth and Caleb Jones via trade would help lead their team to a playoff spot last year, but they had a awful start and couldn’t overcome that slow start last year, and decided that it was time for a teardown after all the off ice changes the Hawks made, and started to sell at last years deadline, moving Hagel, Carpenter and Fleury, and then continued the teardown, by sending DeBrincat to Ottawa, Dach to Montreal, not qualifying Kubalik and Strome and letting them walk as UFA’s, then bringing in a much worse goalie tandem, as they got injury prone Mrazek and Stalock who hadn’t played in the NHL over the past couple years, then used their cap space in season this year to take on underperforming players Zaitsev and Dickinson, and then moved Lafferty, Kane, Domi, McCabe and Johnson for whatever they could get, so if you look at this team when they started the season, they were set up to be a bad team and that may be a blessing in disguise’s as they are on of the few teams who could still have the best odds for Bedard, so I don’t believe it is too surprising that this team is not going to the playoffs and they will probably have a couple more seasons like this where they not only miss the playoffs, but are also a bottom 5-10 teams in the NHL before they start to compete for a playoff spot, but the Lack of talent on the roster is definitely the main reason they did so poorly this year, but another reason I think they didn’t do overly well this season would be there horrible depth scoring they have had this year.
Now for the Hawks, after moving on from Dach, DeBrincat, Strome and Kubalik, they went out in free agency and signed Athanasiou and Domi to 1 year deals, Blackwell to a two year deal, and got Dickinson just as the season began from Vancouver to be their replacements, and no offense to the players the Hawks brought in, but they are downgrades on the players they gave up. So on the offensive side so far this year, they had 3 guys who lead there offense this year, as Kane and Toews, as well as Domi did great leading the Hawks in points at the halfway point of the season, and while none played at all star levels (even Kane had a bit of a down year) they all did quite well, but then Toews went down with a illness that kept him out of action for 2 months, and Domi and Kane were dealt at the deadline, and all of a sudden they didn’t have any good offensive weapons to help their lacklustre offense put the puck in the back of the net. Now players like Raddysh, Athanasiou and Seth Jones haven’t been horrible at putting up points this year, and even a guy like Jason Dickinson and Kurashev have had rather productive seasons, but no one at this point in time, with about a week left in the season, has been able to pass Domi or Kane’s point totals of 45 points and 49 points respectively (Raddysh is the nearest with 37), and those two were both moved at the deadline, so while guys like Raddysh, Athanasiou and Jones do have over 30 points this year, the lack of depth scoring, especially after losing their top goal scorers have lead the Hawks to be a bottom five team in goal scoring and on the power play, and only Raddysh has been able to hit the 20 goal mark with just 5 games left in the season, so just the lack of fire power up front I believe was another reason why the Hawks did so poorly this year, and I think there there is still some good young players, like Raddysh and Kurashev as well as Reichel who I think can still put up points, but while they haven’t been overly bad defensively this season, as Stalock and Mrazek and when they were injured Soderblom and Stauber have all played pretty well this year and the veterans on the blueline, such as Seth Jones, Murphy, Tinordi and McCabe before he was dealt have made the Hawks a decent enough defensive team the forward group wasn’t able to help out the defensive side much this year and the offense was definitely a part of their downfall this year. So in my opinion the fact that the Hawks had no player break 40 points so far this year that is still on their team, and the way that this team was constructed over the past year with all the players being moved out caused this team to miss the playoffs, and as this team started their rebuild I think those were the main factors that went into them missing the playoffs.
5 ways of how the Hawks can improve in the offseason.
.1) Give Reichel, possibly Nazar, and whoever they draft with their 1RD pick consistent top 9 minutes.
Now this year the Hawks made a surprising move by not putting Reichel on their starting roster, and it hasn’t been all bad for Reichel as he has gotten some valuable experience in the AHL and even gotten into 23 NHL games putting up 15 points, but I think if this Hawks team wants to become more difficult to play against then they will have to give guys like Reichel more playing time next year. Now I think Reichel is the guy who needs and deserves NHL minutes the most, as he has done fantastic in the AHL over the past few seasons and I think is poised for a top 6 role next year, probably on the 2nd line, but as he has shown in his brief showing this year, he is a really talented offensive forward and I think if he has some good line mates he would be able to put up a solid point total, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Reichel was playing consistent top six minutes with the Hawks next year. Now Nazar really does hinge on what his decision is on returning to college, as he is currently still with his college team, and if he goes back for another year then Chicago won’t have him to use, but if he does sign his ELC and will play his first pro season next year, then I feel he should definitely get consistent NHL minutes, now would starting him in the AHL be all that bad, no, but I do believe that with Chicago’s weak forward group he would have a huge shot to play consistent top 9 Minutes, so if he does sign I would expect Nazar to get a full time NHL role. And then the Hawks are going to get a top 5 draft selection this year, it just seems they need to figure out where they will draft, but I feel that if the Hawks are able to get one of Carlsson, Fantilli or Bedard then they will play the player they get in the top six next year. All three are extremely talented Center’s, Bedard is a generational talent while Fantilli and Carlsson both project to be top line Center’s, and in my eyes all are talented enough to not only make the NHL roster right out of the draft, but are also talented enough to play impactful NHL minutes right out of the draft, and while I think Bedard would have a bigger chance to make it then Fantilli or Carlsson, I think all three would probably be able to make it. So part of the reason the Coyotes have taken steps this year is because they are playing talented young players like Maccelli, Guenther and McBain, so I think if Chicago wants to continue to have this team grow next year, then giving Reichel, Possibly Nazar, and one of Bedard, Carlsson or Fantilli if Chicago drafts them consistent top 9 minutes next year would be the smartest move in my opinion.
.2) Go out and either sign or trade for a couple of short term top 9 forwards
Now another thing I think could help the Hawks be a more competitive team next year would be to add some more scoring depth to their top nine. Now after moving Kane and Domi at the deadline, their forward group once again looks pretty bad and it would probably get worse in the offseason, as Raddysh could be dealt, and both Athanasiou and Toews have their contracts come to an end, and while they could probably bring back some good bottom six forwards like Wagner, Bjork and Anderson who they got at the deadline and are all Pending RFA’s, they are all more bottom six forwards so I think while they could improve by bringing in some young talent to the team, I think they could also sign or trade for some improvements. Now I do think they could try and target a couple of players via trade who don’t have much value or term and try to help them turn their career around, sort of like Arizona has been doing over the past few seasons. I think they could look at Mantha in Washington, as the Caps could definitely move him and he hasn’t done all too well this year, but I still think he is a good middle six forward and he could come at a cheap price, and some other guys could be Bailey from NYI and Hoffman in Montreal, as both are not doing too well but still producing and are decent bottom six forwards, and with maybe a increased role in Chicago they could do better, so I could definitely see Chicago trying to make a move like that, while I think they could do what they did last offseason with Athanasiou and Domi in free agency, which is sign some players to 1 year deals which aren’t too expensive and try to move them at the deadline, and a few guys I could see them target would be Kerfoot of Toronto, Drouin in Montreal or Johnsson from San Jose, as all three players haven’t done overly well and have been inconsistent, but have shown the potential in the past to be great middle six forwards and I think the Hawks could do the same with these guys as they did with Athanasiou and Domi, and I also wouldn’t rule out Domi going to Chicago again, as he seemed to really like it there, and I do wonder if the two sides could work out a multi year deal in free agency and maybe Domi could be the leader for the Hawks beyond this season. So it will definitely be interesting to see which way they go, but I think adding top 9 forward via trade who won’t take too much to acquire, or signing underperforming free agents in hopes of trading them at the deadline I think would be good, and I feel it would be the right way to go for Chicago.
.3) Give the backup role to either Soderblom or Stauber
Now as I said earlier, the Hawks goaltending has actually been quite good this year and they seem to be doing good, but while Mrazek still has a year left on his contract, Stalock is a pending UFA and if the Hawks let him go I would say they should give the backup role to one of their young Net minders. Now I think With Mrazek still not having a favourable contract, the Hawks will most likely keep him next year and have him remain the starter, but Stalock is going to be a free agent in the offseason and I do think he will leave and not return to the Blackhawks. So with that in mind the Hawks would need a new backup goalie and while I do think they could trade for someone or sign someone in free agency, in my eyes I think they could promote one of their young goalies to backup. Now Stauber played his first pro year this season after the undrafted goalie signed a 2 year contract with Chicago in the offseason, and he did well in the AHL in 17 games getting a 3.32 GAA and a .894 SV%, but did much better in the 6 NHL games he got into, having a 2.81 GAA and a .911 SV% and he looked like he could eventually be a NHL goalie. As for Soderblom he was also a undrafted goalie who signed a 2 year deal but this was his 2nd pro level season, as he put up respectable numbers in 15 NHL games, with a 3.45 GAA and a .894 SV%, and got into 29 AHL games and put up a 3.05 GAA and a .904 SV%. Now I think both goalies could at least be backups at the NHL level, and I think if they give one of them the backup role, they could maybe be a bit more competitive next year, so I think letting them battle it out in training camp and giving the better one the backup role would be a good idea for the Hawks, and while I think Soderblom would be more likely as he has more experience, I also think Stauber did better at the NHL level this year, so in my eyes the Hawks should give the backup role next year to a young goalie.
.4) Find a trade for Murphy and/or Raddysh.
Now the team doesn’t have very many trade chips entering the offseason as they got rid of most of them at the deadline with guys like McCabe, Lafferty, Domi and Kane, but I feel that two guys who could be moved by the Hawks in the offseason would be Connor Murphy and Taylor Raddysh. Now Murphy was a name that was mentioned around the deadline as someone who was getting interest in, as Murphy and McCabe were the two names that seemed to be available on the Hawks D-Corp, but Murphy was never moved. Now Murphy will still have three years left on his contract in the offseason at a $4.4 Million Dollar cap hit, and has not had his best season, only having 7 goals and 12 points in 77 games but he is definitely more of a defensive defensemen anyways, and I think there will be tons of teams interested in Murphy in the offseason as Murphy is still a really great top 4 defender and even at his cap hit he is a good second pair player, so I think Murphy could be moved by Chicago. Now the other and in my opinion less likely option to be dealt would be Raddysh. Now Raddysh came over at the deadline last year from Tampa and hadn’t really gotten much of a opportunity at the NHL level until last year where he had 11 goals and 22 points in 74 games with the Hawks and Bolts combined, and has been the Hawks best full season point producer this year having a career high 20 goals and 37 points in 78 games to this point for Chicago. Now he is a younger player but just like DeBrincat and Dach, they might not feel that he fits perfectly well on their rebuild time line, and at the deadline there was some who thought he could be a player moved, so while I think it is less likely that he moves then Murphy, with his contract at basically league minimum for the next year before he becomes a RFA and the fact that Raddysh is already emerging as a solid middle six forward, I feel that teams would lineup for his services and would be a very interesting name to watch, so while the Hawks don’t have too many trade chips, I think Raddysh and Murphy are the two names who I can see being dealt by Chicago.
.5) Add some more youth on the blueline.
And finally I think that the Hawks could also become a bit more competitive next year if they were to add a bit of youth on the defensive end and help their defensive end get a bit younger. Now the Hawks didn’t do to bad this year on the defensive end and still had some pretty good veterans on their team with guys like the two Jones brothers, McCabe and Murphy as well as Tinordi and Johnson on the defensive end, but with McCabe and Johnson gone and Murphy possibly moving on I think instead of going out and acquiring a handful of defenders, I think they should definitely try to bring up a couple of their young defenders for next year. Now I think Phillips, Mitchell and Regula should all get looks to be regular NHL defensemen next year, as all have gotten a few looks at the NHL level over the past couple of seasons and have looked pretty good and I think all three could be decent enough 3rd pair defensemen as early as next year, Vlasic came over from college last year and has done pretty well in the AHL this year and in some NHL games over the past few seasons and looks like he will eventually be a top 4 defensemen but I think he could definitely be a good 3rd pair defensemen next season, and then Kevin Korchinski who was the 7th overall pick from lasts years draft had an outstanding season in the WHL this past year and looks like a top pairing defensemen, and I think he could fit in well in the NHL as early as next year maybe on our 2, so in my eyes I do think they should bring in maybe 1 or 2 more veterans, but should also consider bringing in 2 or 3 of Regula, Mitchell, Phillips, Vlasic or Korchinski to the NHL team next year and should play consistent minutes for the Hawks.
So this is the biggest things I think the Hawks could do to improve their team in the offseason, and while I still see no clear path to the playoffs next year for Chicago, I’d they can at least go from a bottom 4 team to a bottom 10-12 team then I think they will have showed at least some growth and would be moving in the right direction, so hopefully Chicago can do this in the offseason and be more competitive next year.
San Jose Sharks
Significant Pending UFA:
LW/RW A.Johnsson 0-3-3 13GP
LW J.Viel 0-0-0 4GP
D M.Nutivaara 0-0-0 0GP
LD D.Pouliot 0-2-2 8GP
G J.Reimer 12-20-3 REC 3.44 GAA .891 SV%
G A.Dell 0-3-0 REC 2.71 GAA .913 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
LW/RW N.Gregor 8-7-15 55GP
RW M.Kaut 4-4-8 36GP
LW/C J.Peterson 2-6-8 10GP
RW F.Zetterlund 6-17-23 65GP
LW/RW J.Gadjovich 3-4-7 35GP
LW/RW E.Svechnikov 8-6-14 57GP
G E.Makiniemi 1-0-0 REC 2.14 GAA .906 SV%
Current draft capital for the Sharks in 2023: 12
1RD SJ, NJ
2RD SJ
3RD PHI
4RD SJ, SEA*
5RD COLU, SJ
6RD SJ
7RD SJ, VAN, PIT
Why did the Sharks miss the playoffs: now for the Sharks, there were a few factors that went into them missing the playoffs and being the first team who wound up eliminated this season. Now to start with, the Sharks have begun the transition into a rebuild, so they started moving out some of their big ticket players in the offseason, as just after the Sharks made their GM swap and brought in Mike Grier, they started to move players off of their roster, as they started in the offseason, moving Burns and Hill before the season started and that was the beginning of what will probably be a rebuild that will take a couple of years, but they continued in season to move pieces, most of them smaller ones, as they traded pending UFA’s Bonino, Namestnikov, Nieto, Pending RFA Eyssimont, and defensemen Megna, but the big move was sending good forward Timo Meier who was a pending RFA to the Devils, so with all of these moves, especially the Meier and Burns trades, I don’t think it is any surprise the direction the Sharks are heading as the Trade of Burns and especially Meier signals the road they are heading as they go into full rebuild mode, as San Jose is now starting to kick off this rebuild and have begun to move out their high priced players for picks and prospects, so given the direction they are heading and who they have moved, they are shaping up to be a team who is in rebuild mode, just like the Hawks, and I don’t think they were going to make the playoffs even before the season started as they had some long odds to compete with to outdo some of the Western Confrence teams and make the playoffs, and I did predict them to miss yet again, but I do think there were some other factors that went into them missing the playoffs and once again be a bottom dweller in the West.
First would be their horrendous defensive game this year, as they have surpassingly been very successful on the PK, as their PK is top 5 in the NHL, but they have given up the the 3rd most goals in the NHL with 295. Now they had a three headed monster in Net toward the end of last season, as they had acquired Kahkonen at the deadline and also had Reimer and Hill, and in the offseason decided to move on from Hill and keep a duo of Reimer and Kahkonen, and while Hill has a .915 SV% and a 2.50 GAA with Vegas this year, Reimer and Kahkonen both have sub .900 SV% and are both over a 3.20 GAA this year, so neither goalie has been doing good, and then while Karlsson is a great offensive defensemen, he isn’t the best defensive defensemen out there, and while Vlasic and Ferraro are okay playing quite well on the defensive end, they never wound up replacing Burns in the offseason, so they had to use lower end players, like Simek, Benning, Cicek, Harrington and McDonald in the lineup this year, some even getting chances to play with Karlsson on the top pair and no offense to any of those players, but they aren’t the best top 4 defensemen out there and having those guys rotate on the top 2 pairs would really hurt a teams defensive game, so the bad play from the goalies and lack of good defending both lead to San Jose having one of the worst defences in the NHL this year and they have had a bottom 5 defence in 2 of the last 3 seasons now.
And they also didn’t have a great supporting cast on the offensive side this year. Now the Sharks best players did quite well this year, as Meier (before he was traded), Hertl and Couture all hit over 50 points this year, and Karlsson is having a legendary season, as he did hit 100 points which is a very rare milestone for a defender, but he was able to hit that mark surprisingly, and while those 4 have lead the teams offense quite well this year, there supporting cast has mostly not produced a ton behind them. Now Barabanov has had a strong season putting up over 45 points, Labanc has had a good bounce back year getting over 30 points this year, and newly acquired Sturm and Benning both have over 20 points this year in their first season with the Sharks, Sturm the 4th line Center and Benning a 2nd pair defensemen, but everyone else has not been able to reach the 20 point mark, so the fact that only 8 players hit the 20 point mark and only 4 players hit the 20 goal mark is quite surprising and another reason why the Sharks are not going to make the playoffs this year and why the Sharks have the 8th worst goals for and 7th worst PP in the NHL. So the lack of good defence, depth scoring and the fact that they are entering a significant rebuild are the three main reasons that I see as to why the Sharks are not going to the playoffs this year.
How the Sharks can improve in the offseason.
.1) Move Karlsson
Now this has been a developing story throughout the season but with Karlsson playing at a extremely high level this season and the Sharks just getting a rebuild underway, the Sharks said that they would be open to moving Erik Karlsson in a trade and while one didn’t happen before the deadline, a lot of people thought it would be much more likely to happen in the offseason. Now Karlsson is not only having his best season in recent memory, or having a career season, he is having the best season offensively by a defensemen in the last 30 seasons, as he was able to hit the Century mark, becoming the first defensemen since the 91-92 season to hit 100 points in a season and still has 2 games left and it was only the 15th time in NHL history a defender hit the Century mark. But with the Sharks starting a rebuild and Karlsson still on a longer term deal, it seems like a trade in the offseason could happen.
Now the $11.5 Million dollar cap hit Karlsson has would be difficult to move and Karlsson does have a injury history so it will under no circumstance be a simple trade to make, but given his extraordinary season and the fact it sounds like the Sharks ware willing to retain $2-2.5 Million on his cap hit, I believe a trade could get done. Now it would be difficult but for a team who is looking to compete for the next few years and can afford a $9-9.5 Million dollar cap hit as well as use a offensive superstar in their top 4 I think would be a perfect fit for him, and with the Sharks entering a rebuild, they wouldn’t need a lot of cap space for the next 2-4 years which is almost the duration of the Karlsson contract, plus I don’t think Karlsson wants to be part of a rebuild, so I do believe a trade will happen at some point in the offseason and I think the Sharks could get a 1RD pick, top level prospect and good young player in exchange for Karlsson which would be a nice return to help their rebuild. So even though Karlsson will be coming off a historic season in San Jose, I would expect him to be on a different team at the begging of next year.
.2) Add youth to the Blueline
Now the Sharks didn’t have a great defense even though Karlsson has played outstanding this year, and the team also didn’t replace Burns in the offseason, but in order to take strides this year I feel that the team will need to get some more youth on that blueline. Now if they do move Karlsson it will get another player off of that blueline, and while Harrington and Megna have been moved in season, there is a possibility that other players such as Mario Ferraro and Marc Eduard Vlasic could also be moved and instead of replacing all of there spots with veterans in free agency, I think they should give some younger players a opportunity on the blueline.
Now the Sharks do not have a ton of A level prospects and almost none on the blueline, so I do think if they were to move players they could try and get some younger, almost NHL ready defensemen who could help the team in the next year or two and be a big piece of their future going forward, but some younger players who I think could get looks on the 3rd pair next year would by Nikolai Knyzhov, Nikita Okhotiuk and Nick Cicek. Now none of these three are projected to be high level defensemen, but all could be solid 3rd pair defensemen, Cicek has spilt time this year between the AHL and NHL and looks like he could challenge for a roster spot next year, Okhotiuk was acquired in the Meier trade and has gotten into some NHL action and with him being waivers eligible next year I think he could be a great candidate to make the Sharks roster, and Knyzhov has spent the majority of the past two seasons dealing with a injury and has only recently recovered from it, but in the shortened season he showed some really good abilities and after being signed to a extension I think he could definitely be a good 3rd pair defensemen. And on top of these three, they also have Thrun and Mukhamadullin. Now for Thrun he was a high level prospect who was dealt to San Jose and signed there and is finishing the season with San Jose and looks like he could eventually be a top 4 defender.
While Mukhamadullin came over in the Meier trade from Jersey and is a former 1RD pick who is getting some pro level time to finish the season at the AHL level, but he also looks like he will be a solid top 4 defender in a year or two, so while I think Mukhamadullin and Thrun most likely start in the minors next year for San Jose, I also think they could carve themselves roles with the sharks as well and if San Jose feels they are ready, I think one of both would be fantastic additions to the top 4, so in my eyes I think San Jose would like to get some more youth on the blueline, and guys like Mukhamadullin, Thrun, Okhotiuk, Knyzhov and Cicek plus any young D-Men they get in a trade would all be guys I would look out for to make the Sharks roster next year.
.3) Give Prospect forwards a shot in their top 9.
Now the Sharks went with a little bit more of a veteran lineup this year, choosing to have guys like Eklund and Bordeleau start and play in the minors while they played guys like Svechkov, Lindblom and Nieto in their top nine, but no that they are looking to rebuild, I think giving guys like Eklund and Bordeleau more time next year would be smart. Now for Eklund, he was the 8th overall pick from a couple of years ago and got a short stint at the NHL level before he finished the year playing in the SHL, and then instead of playing at the NHL level this year, he played in the AHL putting up 41 points in 54 games and got into 8 NHL games before suffering a season ending injury, and even got his first NHL goal.
Now I think Eklund is primed to be a regular top six forward next year and I think he could do well with a guy like Hertl, as for Bordeleau he was signed at the end of last year after he finished his college career and played in a few games with the Sharks at the end of last year, and played in 8 games and had 5 assists, and then played in the AHL this year, getting 41 points in 64 AHL games and is finishing up the season in San Jose, as he has a assist in 6 NHL games, and I think he could definitely play as a 3rd line Center next year and grow at the NHL level next year, so I think both Bordeleau and Eklund will get full time NHL roles next season, and with the Sharks guaranteed top 4 odds for 1st in the draft lottery, if they were able to end up with a top 3 pick and were able to get one of Bedard, Carlsson or Fantilli, I think they could also put one of those guys in as all three seem to be NHL ready right now and could help the Sharks grow next year, and maybe they could consider having Wiesblatt or Coe also making the roster as they were playing extremely well in Juinors and have done all right in the minors and I wonder if one or both could have good enough training camps to make the starting roster, so I feel the Sharks will give some of their younger players more NHL time next year, and I think any one of Eklund, Bordeleau, Coe, Wiesblatt or if they get one of Bedard, Carlsson or Fantilli could get NHL minutes as early as next year and I think adding some youth to their lineup next year should make that team more competitive.
.4) Trade Labanc, Barabanov, Simek, Consider moving Couture and buying out Vlasic.
Now along with Karlsson, I think there are definitely some other players who will be moved by the Sharks, as I think Labanc and Barbanov in the forward group as well as Simek on the back end are likely candidates, and I think Couture may also by a trade candidate as well and I also wonder about Vlasic as a buyout candidate. Now Labanc was not playing to well over the past couple of seasons and had sort of fell out of favour in San Jose, but with some increased minutes this year he was able to put up 33 points in 70 games, the exact same point total as the year before he signed his 4 year extension, but with Labanc entering his final year of the deal in the offseason and most likely looking for a fresh start, a trade is probably likely and with how well he has played this year I think there would definitely be interest, next with Barabanov he is also in the final year of his contract, but unlike Labanc, he only has a $2.5 Million dollar cap hit and has put up more points, as he spent his first NHL season with Toronto and San Jose and only had 8 points in 22 games, but had a great season last year, putting up 39 points in 70 games, and has done even better this year getting 47 points in 68 games, and I think he would be a good 2nd/3rd line forward on most teams and with the direction San Jose is heading and the return that the Sharks could get for him, I believe that the Sharks will indeed move Barabanov at some point in the offseason
Then with Radim Simek he has not been a overly good point producer and hasn’t even played too many games, as in 5 seasons in the NHL, the most he has played in a season is 48 games, and in 207 games played, he has 28 points, but I think that while he isn’t the best defensemen, he can definitely be a good 3rd pair defensemen on most teams and as he is entering the final year of his deal, I think there would definitely be teams who would be open to trading for him, so I think with all of them entering the final year of their deals, Labanc, Barabanov and Simek will all for sure be dealt by the Sharks in the offseason, now I also wonder about Couture, as he has been a really good offensive weapon for the Sharks over the past few years and is there captain, but I do wonder if maybe the Sharks consider moving him to get a nice return, now it would be difficult because although he can usually hit around 60 points, he will have 4 years left on his contract at $8 Million dollars, so it would be difficult but I could see the Sharks consider moving him and if they retained some salary to bump the cap hit down to $6-6.5 Million dollars then I think a lot of teams could have interest him as a 2nd line Center so I wouldn’t guarantee he is moved, but I do think it is a strong possibility he is.
And finally Vlasic could also be a guy who is moved, now I don’t think he would be dealt as not too many teams in my opinion would want a $7 Million dollar cap hit on a 3rd pair defensemen for the next 3 seasons, but I do wonder if they maybe buy him out, as I do think Vlasic is a likely buyout candidate for next year, or maybe they keep him for one more season, but there were rumblings last year about him being bought out, so if the Sharks really wanted to get rid of him this offseason, I think a buyout is likely, so in my opinion Labanc as well as Barabanov and Simek will be moved in the offseason along with Karlsson, I could also see Couture draw some interest to be a 2nd line Center and could possibly be moved, while Vlasic I think is a strong buyout candidate and it would not surprise me out all of a majority of all of these players are not with San Jose come the start of next year.
.5) Figure out Goalie situation
Now the Sharks are going to have to figure out their goaltending problem, as their starter in Kahkonen will be a year away from being a UFA and their backup in Reimer is a UFA this year, so I wonder what there plan is for the goaltending position going into next year. Now I don’t believe Reimer will be back with the Sharks next year, as he is a pending UFA and after most likely finishing the season with his first sub .900 SV% of his career, I think he would go somewhere where the team is closer to a cup then San Jose and he can be a full time backup, and I just think he wants to try and win a cup and hasn’t played well in San Jose this year, so he won’t be back in my opinion.
While as for Kahkonen, he was surprisingly dealt by the Wild at last years trade deadline and was viewed by most as the Wild’s goalie of the future, but went to San Jose and after finishing strong in San Jose last year having a .916 SV% in 11 games, this year he hasn’t done as well, having a 3.90 GAA and a .879 SV% in 36 games played with San Jose this year, but with the Sharks going to be going through a rebuild and Kahkonen only having a year left, I do think it is a possibility that Kahkonen is dealt this offseason or if he isn’t then I would guess he walks as a free agent next year, so if they could get something for him, I would think that they would but they would need to have a plan in place in Net before the my moved Kahkonen. Now two of their prospect goalies in Chrona and Makiniemi seem like they could have NHL futures, Chrona was a 5th round draft pick of Tampa a few years back who left via free agency and signed with the Sharks, now he has only played in college up to this point but has played brilliant there and after a couple years I think he could be a NHL goalie, meanwhile Makiniemi was acquired last offseason in the Burns trade, and has played the past couple seasons in the minors and done well and I think he could be a good backup, but the Sharks would still need to go out either via free agency or via trade and acquire a goalie who can be a short term starter for them until one of their young goalies is ready to challenge for the starter role. So I think that Kahkonen could be moved and Reimer will move on, while they bring in Makiniemi or Chrona as their backup next year and try to find a short term starter for the time being while they continue to grow, and I think that could make the Sharks a bit better for next year.
So I think if the Sharks moved Karlsson, Simek, Labanc and Barabanov as well as consider moving Couture and Vlasic, add some more youth to the D-Corp and forward group, and work out a new goalie tandem, I think this team could do a bit better then they did this year and maybe they will finally show some steps in the right direction.
And if you like this post, also check out my YouTube video on the Hawks and Sharks offseason plans, and let me know what you think the Sharks and Hawks could do in the offseason to improve their teams.
YouTube Video Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fH800zhEPE4
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