It has been quite some time since I’ve sat down at a computer, any computer for that matter, and typed about the National Hockey League.

In that time, the team I consider the reason for breathing some nights, the Philadelphia Flyers, were embarrassed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the (hat tip) eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, the salary cap took yet another raise into Christmas in July (Free Agent Frenzy). The aforementioned Flyers completely dismantled its core from head to toe — though the news of the departure of Jeff Carter was music to these ears — and the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild made a trade that will be soon put on a list with the rest of lopsided trades in the history of the NHL.

Ok, maybe not that exaggerated, however, let’s be real here.  How does anyone get away with trading a player with a statistical history such as Dany Heatley. Wait, wait what was that? Oh, Heatley has only five playoff goals in 32 playoff games with the Sharks where Havlat has 12 playoff goals in his last 26 playoff games; guessing that’s the logic behind Mr. Wilson and his madness.

Or maybe that Shark crest is simply haunted to anyone who plays for it? Who am I to say?

Taking a deeper look into the issues the Sharks have had this off-season will give GM Doug Wilson his walking papers in due time.

Dany Heatley (Dan4th/Flickr)

Was it not the same man, and the same team, to ship Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo to the Ottawa Senators for Heater in the first place?  Then you decide to move, prior to yesterday’s debacle, Devin Setoguchi and now you take the man that you paid a decent price for, and ship him out for a fragile, flash in the pan player making only $2.5 million  less?

Heatley has one season (not counting ’03-’04) where he was unable to reach the 30 goals or more plateau. That was this prior season. So let’s throw away a perennial 30 goal man for a player who has had one……..YES you read that correctly, ONE entire season with 30 goals or better (Havlat ended the ’03-’04 campaign with 31 goals).

Considering the nature of the beast, known as the business side of Hockey Operations, players will come and go with the blink of an eye. Christian Ehrhoff saw, similar to the situation with Dan Hamhuis last year, that you can be part of three teams in one twenty four hour period. He also remembers getting traded from the Sharks for essentially cap space. But when your team is cursed, if you believe in that sort of thing, and you go through previous coaching and player changes, why ship out one of the better players from your roster for one who hasn’t proven anything more then said player?

There really is only one answer: You DON’T (unless you are Wilson).

I’d love to know what’s in your smoke pipe in your office Mr. Wilson because what I have seen take place over the course of the last few days has me pondering how close of friends you and Paul Holmgren truly are. And kudos to Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs, acquiring two injury-prone centers totally spells out “playoff potential”. Sheesh…that’s another one for another time.

At least Mikko Koivu has some goal scorers to finish off his passes on his line now.

Just after the Sharks were ousted from the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks, Wilson had the option to keep Patrick Marleau or Evgeni Nabokov as both were free agents. Choosing to sign Marleau to a four year contract worth $27.6M a year, leaving Nabokov  to find a new home with St. Petersberg of the KHL.

Skip to June 22, 2010, it was the day that Sharks GM Doug Wilson confirmed that Evgeni Nabokov would not be returning to San Jose as one of their two goaltenders for the 2010-2011 campaign. He would later sign Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymakki and send remaining goalie Thomas Greiss to Worcester.

On December 13, 2010, Nabokov’s contract was terminated by St. Petersberg citing “family circumstances.” It would later be found out that his family stayed behind in San Jose while he left for Russia to play. Whether that is the reason for his departure from the KHL remains to be seen.

During his 9 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Nabokov became the leader in ten out of twelve goal tending categories. And that is splitting time between the pipes with Vernon, Shields, Kiprusoff, Toskala, and Greiss. Not only did his 293 career wins include 50 shutouts but he also had a .912 save percentage with 2.39 goals against average. Over the course of his tenure with the Sharks, Nabokov played 32, 490:43 minutes with San Jose. Divide that by the 563 games played and that’s just over 57 ½ minutes per game. Not to mention that since his rookie year with San Jose, the Sharks have made the playoffs every season with him in net.

Nine days later on July 1, 2010 , Niittymakki signs a two year, $4M deal with San Jose. Following that, on September 2, 2010, Niemi signs with San Jose for one year. In their eight years combined in the NHL, Niemi and Niittymakki have 252 games. That number is considerably less then Nabokov (311 games to be exact), posted a 12 shutouts, played 14,031 minutes (average of 55 minutes per game). Niittymakki’s career save percentage is .903 with 2.98 goals against average and Niemi, who is only in his 3rd season has a .910 save percentage with 2.32 goals against average.

Currently Nabokov is sitting on waivers after signing a deal with the Detroit Red Wings for $570,000, just above league minimum of $525,000. Before he can put on the Red Wings uniform, he must first wait it out on waivers where any team has the chance to snatch him up. The Red Wings lost Jimmy Howard, who is coming back from a bruised knee for six days, replaced Chris Osgood who is out indefinitely after having knee surgery. Joey MacDonald, a recent call up from Grand Rapids, was just sent back down today, as was goaltender Jordan Pearce.

Several teams are in need of a goaltender right now. With Nabokov on waivers, he is looking good right about now to a team like the New York Islanders. The Islanders have Rick DiPietro, who has a history of nagging knee injuries and rookie goalies Nate Lawson and Kevin Poulin. DiPietro is currently nursing the flu while Lawson left the Islanders 5-2 win over the Sabres with a unknown knee injury.

Noon eastern on Jan 22, the hockey world would find out if Nabokov would be a Detroit Red Wing or not. And as we all waited in anticipation, word came that the New York Islanders did in fact claim Nabokov off waivers. It wouldn’t be long before the twitter world started buzzing that Nabokov would not report to Long Island.  Islanders GM Garth Snow stated that he called Nabokov  leaving a message for him and saying that, “They are making his jersey as we speak. We have reserved a flight tomorrow for him to get to Long Island as soon as possible.”

So let me ask you this, did Doug Wilson make the wrong choice by not re-signing Nabokov? I am going to say yes. With a well seasoned goaltender like Nabokov, you know what you’re getting. A player who is harder on himself then anyone else on the team. A player who will tell you when he can’t play anymore. A player who had broken nearly every record for goal tending that a team has. It is this very same player that backstopped the Sharks all the way through post season for 9 straight seasons. He is a player with heart and passion for the game.

Once again, another San Jose Sharks training camp has come to a close. And just like every year, coaches and players alike wait to see what the team will look like. How many rookies will make the team and who they will be? This year, however, the focus seems more on the trio of Sharks goaltenders, and what General Manager Doug Wilson intends to do with them, most specifically what to do with Thomas Greiss. So we’ll start from the beginning, play a little game of catch up for those who may not care to follow hockey during the summer.

This off-season, goalie Evgeni Nabokov was not re-signed by the San Jose Sharks to relieve cap space, allowing the team to resign forwards Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski. He then signed a contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. This move left many fans heartbroken and deflated, many of them feeling as though they had just had their hearts ripped right out of their chests. As a fan, when you think of the San Jose Sharks goaltending over the past nine seasons, you think of Nabby. Why? Because Evgeni Nabokov is Nabby (or John, as some fans know him): the towel-over-the-head, rarely-doing-interviews, Russian-speaking goalie. He’s Nabby.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we don’t like Greiss, because we do. It‘s just that after a shaky rookie season, fans were starting to wonder if he was ready to be a starter. All the while having to playing behind a workhorse athlete such as Nabokov, Greiss never got a chance to start as many games as he should have, making him relatively untested. Could this be the year he is given that chance?

Nevertheless, when Doug Wilson signed Antero Niittymaki to a two-year contract, a few select fans let out a small sigh of relief knowing that, at the very least, Greiss would have the opportunity to split the duties between the pipes for another season. The idea of having a player like Niittymaki in the teal and white would take some getting used to. The relief was short lived, however, when Wilson again gave fans a heart-wrenching blow by signing Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi. Yes, Niemi, the very same goalie who swept the Sharks in four games in the Western Conference Finals.

There is potential for Greiss to be traded is out there, it’s a matter of which team is willing to take on a young goalie who’s played very little. Should DW manage to make this happen, is it possible for Niemi to play 45+ games without getting burned out and could Niittymaki pick up the slack in the event he can’t? Or do the Sharks stick to rotating between 3 goalies all season long. It’s been done before, however with just only two goalies to swap out.

So this is where we end up: the rookie backup versus the veteran backup versus the Stanley Cup winner. Alright before all the Greiss fans get on my case, yes I understand that he is no longer a rookie. But for the sake of argument and lack of playing time, let’s call him one.

Just to break each one down a little bit:

Rookie backup – Thomas Greiss; age 24, 6′ 1″ ,200 lbs. Member of the 2006 & 2010 German Olympic hockey team. Previous season’s stats: 16 games played, 7 wins, 4 losses, 3.00 GAA with .929 SV%

Veteran backup – Antero Nittymaki; age 30, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs. Silver Medalist with the 2006 Finnish Olympic hockey team. Previous season’s stats: 49 games played, 21 wins, 18 losses, 2.88 GAA with .909 SV%

Stanley Cup winner – Antti Niemi; age 27, 6′ 2″, 210 lbs. 2010 Stanley Cup winner. Previous season’s stats: 39 games played, 26 wins, 7 losses, 2.25 GAA with .912 SV%

One can look at those stats and might say that Niemi is the better of the three. And he very well may be, but now that we’re into preseason, it’s time for each one of the Sharks goaltenders to shine, and to prove to Doug Wilson why they deserve the coveted starting position on October 8, 2010.

Stephanie Lee
NHLHS San Jose Sharks Correspondent
stephaniel@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Stegawedeus

For the Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Entry Draft day is usually a very busy time.  Last year GM Paul Holmgren pulled the trigger on the Chris Pronger deal with the Anaheim Ducks, and the previous year moved forward R.J. Umberger to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a first round pick (Luca Sbisa, who ended up being dealt to Anaheim in the Pronger trade).

Yesterday was much different.  It was a day full of rumors and conflicting reports from well-connected, much-respected members of the hockey media community regarding the status of Holmgren’s contract talks with impending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis, acquired a week ago today from the Nashville Predators for defenseman Ryan Parent.

The first word of the day that made the rounds was from a Vancouver sports radio broadcast.  The report was that analyst Pierre McGuire was reporting that the Flyers and Hamhuis’ agent were very close to signing a four-year, $20 million pact.

This was a strange rumor, as talk had been that Hamhuis’ camp was searching for a four-year, $16 million deal.

As no announcement of a deal was made, Tim Panaccio of the CSN-Philly.com reported that Hamhuis’ rights would not be dealt at the Entry Draft, and that if no deal was reached by next week, only then would Holmgren consider dealing those rights.

After a few hours of nothing new being reported on a contract agreement, word came from TSN analyst Bob McKenzie that the Flyers and Hamhuis were not close at all on any deal.  McKenzie said he was actually hearing that the Vancouver Canucks may be interested in dealing for Hamhuis’ rights.

But after Vancouver traded for Florida Panther defenseman Keith Ballard just prior to the commencement of the Draft, it was obvious that they were not going to make any deals to acquire Hamhuis’ rights.

There were reports early on that Holmgren had been in discussions with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero, and later with San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson.  As Pittsburgh’s draft spot at number 20 was approaching, there was speculation that Holmgren was attempting to acquire the pick.

But as Shero picked center Beau Bennett with that selection, it appeared that the Flyers would not be making a move at all on the day.

Just as the first round reached its conclusion, it was announced that Philadelphia had traded Hamhuis’ rights to arch-rival and divisional foe Pittsburgh for a third round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The deal makes sense for the Penguins.  They are about to lose number one defenseman Sergei Gonchar to unrestricted free agency,  as Shero does not want to give the 36-year-old rearguard a guaranteed third year on any new deal.

The deal also makes sense for Hamhuis.  One of the biggest sticking points reported between Hamhuis and the Flyers was that Hamhuis was worried about his role with the club, should he sign.  With Pronger and Matt Carle being the first defensive pairing and the second consisting of Kimmo Timonen and (RFA) Braydon Coburn, it appears Hamhuis had reservations about just how much quality playing time he would receive with the Orange-and-Black.

One of the remedies for that situation that was rumored was Holmgren moving Coburn upon signing Hamhuis.  But that is now a moot point.

From a Flyers’ perspective, the choice to move Hamhuis to a destination of such a key enemy is a curious one, at best.

Not only do the teams play each other six times during the regular season, but Philadelphia has also lost to Pittsburgh in the playoffs in two of the past three years.  With Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens doing the Flyers a big favor by unceremoniously dispatching the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in this past postseason, the team was spared a potential meeting with the Penguins for a third  year in a row.

There were reports that several teams had made offers for Hamhuis’ rights, but Pittsburgh’s offer was the best.  Wouldn’t it have been a wiser decision for Holmgren to take a little less and keep “Hammer” out of a position to possibly do damage to his own team’s cause in the very near future?

Flyers to Acquire Rights to Nabokov?

There has been much talk about the direction that Holmgren will go in his quest to fill the vacant Philly crease for the 2010-11 season.

Reports earlier in the week had Flyers’ GM talking to Michael Leighton’s agent, Mike Liut, about a possible re-signing of the pending unrestricted free agent netminder.  The train of thought is that Leighton would be brought in as a backup to whomever Holmgren acquires as his starter.  But that option may not be so attractive for Leighton, as he showed a lot in the starting role since his acquisition by the Flyers.

Reports also surfaced this past week that Holmgren will show great interest in UFA Marty Turco next Thursday.

After the conclusion of round one of the Draft last night, word was that Holmgren had spoken to Sharks’ GM Wilson about trading for the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Evgeni Nabokov.   The goaltender will turn 35 years old next month, and even though he has never had tremendous success in the postseason, Nabby has won 40+ games in each of the past three regular seasons.

Something could come of this on the second day of the Draft on Saturday, as there is now only five full days until free agency officially gets under way.

And as we saw with the Hamhuis situation, it is not always an easy task to get a deal done in such a short period of time.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

Perhaps the saying that “You don’t truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone” may end up applying to San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau.

Despite stepping up his goal-scoring over the past few years and netting a career-high 44 this past season, whispers continue that the longest-serving player in team history may be on his way out of town if San Jose once again flops in this year’s playoffs.

Entering the postseason, the list of important regular season categories that Marleau leads in Sharks history is impressive:  games played (953);  goals (320);  assists (373),  points (693);  power play goals (97);  game-winning goals (59).

Marleau has done the same in the postseason:  games played (94);  goals (37);  points (63);  power play goals (10);  game-winning goals (10).  He is also second only to helper-machine Joe Thornton in all-time San Jose playoff assists (Thornton has 31, Marleau 26).

Noticing the mention of Thornton, whose 31 postseason assists are best in Sharks franchise history, may make one think that he is a playoff performer.  Guess again.  However, he is another article for another time.

Marleau has been with the Sharks since the 1997-98 season, and other than a trip to the 2004 Western Conference Finals (loss to the Calgary Flames), the team has not made it past the second round during that time.

And maybe some of the blame he gets for the continued San Jose playoff failures is just that he has been there the longest.

With Marleau, you have to take into consideration his age and contract.

His two-year contract extension, at $6.3 million annually, expires at the end of this year’s playoffs and Marleau becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Talk surrounding the 30-year-old center that relinquished his captaincy after the 2008-09 season continues.

After losing game one to their first round opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, former teammate Jeremy Roenick blasted Marleau on a Toronto radio station.

Roenick, well-known in hockey circles for yapping about anything that anyone will listen to, questioned Marleau’s leadership.

“When’s Patty Marleau gonna come out and hit somebody in a playoff game? When is he gonna come out and start showing why he was so good in the regular season?  Not just scoring goals, but playing physical and being emotional in a playoff round.  Look at the way Shane Doan came out in Game 1 against Detroit.  He hit everything that he could possibly get his hands on to show his team how they need to play.  When is Patrick Marleau going to do that in a playoff round?”

“I would not sign Patrick Marleau again if they did not get past this round and he falls short of being anything but spectacular.  He’s been there too long and they have not won with him there, they need to go out and try to do something different.  Patrick Marleau is a guy that you can dispose of and get some good people for.”

Roenick was an avid and ardent supporter of Marleau’s during his stint in San Jose.  But then again, what player wanting to be known as a “good team guy” would come out vocally against his then-captain?

And Roenick’s rant brings to mind another question.  Are there other players in the room that feel the same way, but cannot voice their opinion right now?

If Marleau does end up moving on, it will be interesting to hear the reactions from players such as Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, and Ryane Clowe, as well as coach Todd McLellan and general manager Doug Wilson.

Marleau did manage a goal and two assists in the six-game series win over the Avs, while finishing a -2 in the plus / minus ratings.

But the real damage done against the Avalanche was mainly by gritty Sharks forwards Pavelski (five goals, eight points, +6), Clowe (goal, eight points, +6), and Setoguchi (three goals, six points, +4).

Coincidentally, Thornton finished the series with no goals and three assists, while recording a -4, and Dany Heatley ended up with no goals, four assists, and a -1.

Maybe the bigger test for not only Marleau, but the entire San Jose organization, will be their round two opponent, the Detroit Red Wings.

The Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals the past two years (winning one Cup), Detroit will not be over-matched the way Colorado was by the Sharks in the first round.

How will Marleau respond to the added pressure?

Yes, this season Marleau provided exquisite numbers from an offensive perspective, but in the ever changing era of this new NHL, questions surround the man most known in Sharks territory.

And a decision on whether to make a strong attempt to re-sign Marleau will have to be made depending on how well he and the Sharks close out the postseason.

Do not think for a second that the upcoming series against the Red Wings will not be used as a huge measuring stick for GM Wilson.

Whether or not Marleau passes the test could determine if he will maintain a residence in sunny southern California or be on the move elsewhere as an UFA signing.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia