Martin Jones

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Puljujarvi, Couture, Jones, Hutton

December 16, 2017 at 6:51 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers are having a rough time this season as they currently sit in seventh place in the Pacific Division. However, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes that after Saturday’s 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, the Oilers are starting to play quality hockey again, citing the team’s past five games as an indicator. Granted the team has a long way to go if they team has any hopes of reaching the playoffs. However, the scribe sees a team that is suddenly working hard and refusing to give up.

In fact, Staples writes that he no longer believes that the team’s issues has to do with speed. Originally, he believed the Oilers were built slow and could not overcome that deficiency. He now writes that he believes the team wasn’t working hard enough and was relying on their talent and reputation to get through games. Suddenly, he sees a team that is working harder to get goals and showing true grit that could spark the team to some success.

The team showed that effort against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 9 when they walked away with a 6-2 victory. The team followed that up with a 1-0, quality loss the next day. They then had an inspiring victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 14 before a 4-0 loss to Nashville. Saturday’s hard-fought win was just another step in the team’s hopeful turnaround.

Staples also writes the Edmonton Oilers need to start giving more playing time to winger Jesse Puljujarvi. The fourth-overall pick in the 2016 draft is starting to put things together, but isn’t getting the time on the ice as the 19-year-old only received 9:59 minutes Saturday and isn’t playing on the team’s lackluster power play. Puljujarvi, who scored his sixth goal of the season, should be playing more and showing the team what he can do as he played like a “beast” Saturday, according to Staples.
The San Jose Sharks have two concerns, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required). The team is worried about Logan Couture after he sustained a shoulder to his surgically-repaired face in Friday’s game against Vancouver. While there has been no word on the team’s leading scorer, there is talk that the 28-year-old center may have sustained a concussion on the play. Kurz adds that a second concern is the suddenly poor play of goaltender Martin Jones, who has struggled now over the past five games, having allowed at least four goals in each of those starts. After starting the season with a 2.05 GAA and a .930 save percentage, those numbers have increased to a 2.55 and .914 after just five games.
The Vancouver Canucks tweeted that coach Travis Green had no update after defenseman Ben Hutton came off the ice limping after practice. He is currently listed as day-to-day. The team’s second-line defenseman has four assists in 33 games this year. Vancouver has already lost defenseman Chris Tanev for three weeks due to injury as well as a number of other players on the forward lines.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks

December 2, 2017 at 6:34 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered ANA, ARZ, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, STL, TOR, WSH, and VGK.

What are the Sharks most thankful for?

After the departure of long-time star Patrick Marleau to Toronto, many believed that San Jose’s might take a step back this season which could force the team to rebuild. The team, however, despite an anemic offense, has played well and are riding a three-game winning streak and are closing in fast on a top spot in the Pacific Division with a 14-8-2 record. A mixture of veterans and younger players, the team still seems to be run well under head coach Peter DeBoar. It probably does help that teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers are having their own problems and are floundering in the division.

Who are the Sharks most thankful for?

Two players come to mind as the play of 28-year-old center Logan Couture seems to be taking over as the team’s top player. While the team has struggled in putting the puck in the net, Couture has led the team with 13 goals and 21 points this year in 24 games (no one else has more than seven goals on the team). He leads the team in power play goals and is tied for the team lead in short-handed goals. The team has also gotten magnificent play from goaltender Martin Jones, who sports a 10-5-1 record and a 2.05 GAA with a .930 save percentage. He has also received little support as he has the fifth-lowest goal support on the year. Without these two, it’s likely the team wouldn’t be where they are.

What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?

The team needs the return to form of several of their veterans, especially defenseman Brent Burns, who has struggled this year putting the puck in the net. The 32-year-old blueliner is the catalyst to this offense putting up points and he has just one goal this season as opposing defenses are focusing on shutting him down. If Burns can find a way to start putting the puck in the net, perhaps the offense might start to take that next step and get back on track. Joe Pavelski’s struggles to find the net are also an issue on a team lacking in goal scoring. His five goals in 24 games is no where near last year’s pace where he put up 29 goals. Even 38-year-old Joe Thornton’s numbers are fading.

What should be on the Sharks’ Holiday Wish List?

The team needs scoring and should look into acquiring a goal scorer who might help get the team’s offense back on track. Besides Couture, the team has little else in terms of scoring besides Joonas Donskoi, who just went onto injured reserve. The team needs to replace Marleau and are rumored to be looking at various options, although it is unknown what the team is willing to move to get a goal scorer. A player like Buffalo’s Evander Kane might be the perfect piece to add to this team.

Minor Transactions: 12/01/17

December 1, 2017 at 8:11 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The calendar has turned to December, and the NHL is flush with trades and rumors. The Ducks and Devils completed a big swap, but there was also a minor trade between old foes and a waiver claim that brought a familiar face back home. Today is expected to be filled with more transactions, and we’ll keep track of the minor ones right here.

As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have returned Linus Ullmark to the AHL after spending practice with the team yesterday. Robin Lehner was given a maintenance day, but the Sabres still wanted two goaltenders on the ice. Ullmark’s time will come with Buffalo, as he continues to impress in the minor leagues.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, the Penguins have reassigned Josh Archibald to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning assignment. The 25-year-old forward hasn’t been injured; he just hasn’t played this season. Through two months of the 2017-18 season already, Archibald has skated in only two games with Pittsburgh and had to this point avoided the AHL entirely. However, a total time of 21:38 of game action means Archibald needs to get his legs back under him in the minors if he is to be of any use in the NHL this year.
The San Jose Sharks announced that they have returned goalie Antoine Bibeau to the AHL, as he’ll head back over to the Barracuda locker room. Bibeau, 23, was arguably the biggest off-season addition that San Jose made this summer, but is still looking for his first NHL action of the year. Bibeau has a very impressive 2.04 GAA and 0.925 save-percentage in the AHL this year, but with Martin Jones and Aaron Dell putting up those kinds of numbers themselves in the NHL, it doesn’t look promising for Bibeau to see extensive big league action this season.
The Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson and forward Markus Hannikainen from Cleveland of the AHL, per a team release. Both players have spent the bulk of the season with Columbus but had each been sent down within the last week to pick up a bit of playing time at the minor league level to stay in game shape.
With Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson heading to injured reserve, the team announced that they have promoted blueliner Ryan Stanton from AHL Bakersfield. The 28-year-old has a single assist in 11 minor league games this season but is no stranger to the NHL having 120 games of experience under his belt with Chicago, Vancouver, and Washington.
The Lightning announced that they have brought back winger Cory Conacher from Syracuse of the AHL. The veteran has played just once with Tampa Bay this season (on Saturday against Pittsburgh) but he made the most of it, scoring in that game. As usual, he has been quite productive at the minor league level, collecting 15 points in 18 games.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Calvert, Matthews

November 6, 2017 at 1:35 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The NHL has named its three stars for the previous week, with goaltender Corey Crawford taking top honors. Crawford earned two shutouts for the Chicago Blackhawks last week, and recorded a .919 save percentage. Unfortunately, Chicago is still just 7-6-2 on the season after dropping last night’s game against Montreal 2-0. They’ll need more solid performances from Crawford going forward if they’re to really climb towards the top of the standings.

Josh Bailey and Martin Jones took home second and third respectively, after impressive weeks of their own. Bailey had an incredible seven assists last week and now has 15 on the season, and Jones led the Sharks to three straight wins. Both the Sharks and Islanders have climbed out of early holes to establish themselves as relevant playoff possibilities once again.

Matt Calvert will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury according to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Calvert was injured in Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and has been placed on injured reserve. Losing Calvert will test the Blue Jackets’ forward depth even more, as they’re already without Lukas Sedlak and Cam Atkinson for the time being. The team has not made a corresponding move yet, and will take on the New York Rangers tonight.
Auston Matthews is a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as he deals with “soreness” according to head coach Mike Babcock. If Matthews does miss the game, it would be the first time in his career he failed to suit up. In 97 career regular season games, Matthews now has 50 goals and is showing he could be even more dominant than anyone expected when he was selected first overall. The Maple Leafs can’t afford to lose him for very long though, as their slide continued with a 6-4 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Unfortunately for the fans in Stockholm, Carl Soderberg may not be in the lineup when the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators play NHL regular season games in Sweden later this week. The Swedish-born forward did not travel with the team, instead staying at home in Denver with his pregnant wife. Since the couple is expecting the baby on Tuesday, he hasn’t yet been ruled out for the back-to-back games.

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Sedin, Yamamoto, Jones

November 5, 2017 at 7:49 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s hat trick in Saturday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins proved one thing — they can’t hide him any longer. The Vancouver Sun’s Jason Botchford writes that no matter how much this team tries to protect him, there is no point — he’s the becoming the new face of the franchise and the team better make sure they allow him to flourish.

The scribe writes that there hasn’t been much talk all year of Boeser being a Calder Trophy candidate, but after putting up his third, fourth and fifth goals of the season Saturday, maybe they should be talking about that. He was always supposed to be one of the team’s top scorers, but after last night, Boeser now leads the team in scoring with 13 points after 13 games. Keep in mind, he was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season and he missed one game due to injury.

The timing almost seems fitting as TSN’s Jeff Patterson notes that Henrik Sedin’s role in the third period found him opening the door from the bench for the younger players. The scribe notes this is what the Sedin brothers have always hoped for, for the team to develop while they are still there, but that comes at the cost of reduced roles. Sedin has just three assists in 13 games, while his brother Daniel Sedin has two goals and three assists. With a 5-1-1 record in the last seven games, this might be the right time for Boeser to take that next step.

Edmonton Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto played today in his ninth NHL game, now one shy before the Oilers burn the first year of his entry-level deal, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The question for the 19-year-old winger is whether that’s the end of the road for him this season. Will the Oilers hold onto the young scorer, who has three assists in nine games? Or will he be returned to his junior team?
San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones has now gone eight straight games of allowing two goals or less this year after Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The steady goalie made several key saves in the second period on his way to the victory. The 27-year-old who has always been steady in net for the Sharks currently boasts a 1.98 GAA in 10 games and a .930 save percentage.

Will The San Jose Sharks Make A Move?

July 7, 2017 at 9:04 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

It’s hard to make an argument for any other team in the NHL as having a less exciting start to the 2017 off-season than the San Jose Sharks. Yes, the Sharks are just a year removed from a Stanley Cup appearance and have re-signed Norris Trophy-winner Brent Burns as well as Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Thornton, and Martin Jones since then. You can get excited about new deals for Ryan Carpenter and Tim Heed last month too if you like. Yet, other than re-signing their own players, what have the Sharks added to their 2017-18 squad?

We know what they’ve lost. Patrick Marleau, a career-Shark and the franchise leader in goals (power play, short-handed, and even strength), points, and games played, is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. David Schlemko, a 2016 free agency addition, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft and then flipped to the Montreal Canadiens. Micheal Haley (Florida Panthers) and Buddy Robinson (Winnipeg Jets) are also gone.

The only additions for San Jose thus far, as they look to plug the holes formed by lost free agents as well as improve upon their 2016-17 performance: left wing Brandon Bollig and goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Bollig, 30, is a physical, fourth-line caliber forward, but doesn’t produce enough on a consistent basis to be a regular player. Bollig hit his career-high in points in 2013-14 with the Chicago Blackhawks when he scored 14 points in 82 games. Soon after, he was traded to the Calgary Flames, where he scored just nine points in 116 games over two seasons before being buried in the AHL for the entirety of the 2016-17 season. The big winger posted 11 goals and 11 assists in 60 games for the AHL’s Stockton Heat, but still brings little to the the table for the Sharks other than grit and experience. As for Bibeau, the 23-year-old keeper was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Toronto Maple Leafs after a disappointing season. Bibeau had an .894 save percentage and 3.08 GAA in 32 regular season appearances for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and performed even worse in his one playoff game. Bibeau had clearly fallen behind Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo to fifth in the Leafs’ organizational depth chart, and so he was not retained. In San Jose, Bibeau will be no greater than fourth behind Jones, Aaron Dell, and Troy Grosenick and may never get another NHL start.

Bollig and Bibeau, two players destined for the AHL, are not exactly an inspiring pair, which begs the question: will the Sharks make another move? The team is far from perfect and could use some help. Jones and Dell proved to be a solid duo last season and the blue line is as deep as any in the NHL, but San Jose is not without needs up front. The Sharks ranked just 19th in scoring last season, and also boasted on of the worst power play’s in the NHL, below average face-off numbers, and poor possession stats. Burns (a defenseman) was the team’s leading scorer last year and tied for the team lead in goals, while the since-departed Marleau was fifth in scoring and third in goals. The rest of the top five scorers – Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Joe Thornton – will return, but the 38-year-old Thornton is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, an injury that occurred after he scored all *seven* of his goals. Beyond those three forwards, the production dropped way off in 2016-17 to the likes of disappointments such as Mikkel Boedker and Joel Ward and young, developing players like Chris Tierney and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks have a clear need for secondary scoring, especially with Marleau gone, and could use a power play catalyst as well. Brandon Bollig is not going to cut it and a full season of Jannik Hansen, acquired at the Trade Deadline, likely won’t either.

Top options for the Sharks include Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, and Jiri Hudler, while taking a waiver on a veteran like Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, P.A. Parenteau, or Mike Ribeiro or on a younger player like Alex Chiasson or Brandon Pirri could work as well. Given the Sharks’ scoring needs, their sufficient cap space, and the complete dullness of their off-season to this point, perhaps maybe two of those players could find their way to San Jose. If not, the Sharks do have pieces to make a move to acquire a scorer, potentially a Matt Duchene or Evander Kane, if they so choose. One way or another, GM Doug Wilson needs to do something, and quick, or not only will he have a team that has surely gotten worse since the end of the season, but he will have a disappointed fan base on his hands as well.

San Jose Sharks Sign Vlasic, Jones To Long-Term Extensions

July 1, 2017 at 11:44 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In the middle of free agent frenzy, the San Jose Sharks have locked up two key players to long-term deals according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has signed an eight-year, $56MM extension, while Martin Jones inks a six-year, $34.5MM deal. Both contracts will kick in for the 2018-19 season.

It’s been reported for months that the pair would ink extensions to keep them in San Jose long-term, but both of these deals do come with quite the price tag. For Vlasic, who made it clear he wanted to stay in San Jose for the rest of his career, this contract will take him past his 39th birthday, paying him a whopping $7MM per season. While he’s currently an excellent defender, capable of playing one of the best two-way games in the league, you have to think his decline will begin in the next few years, making the end of that contract look awful.

Even if you get five more seasons of peak Vlasic, that’s still only covering half the extension. In time, the pair of contracts handed out to Vlasic and Brent Burns—who starts an eight-year, $64MM extension this season at age 32—may destroy the salary structure of the Sharks.

Jones’ contract, while expensive in its own right, is much more palatable when looking long-term. The 27-year old goaltender may still face some doubters after just two seasons as a full-time starter, but already will come in behind nine other goaltenders in terms of cap hit for the 2018-19 season (with several others likely signing bigger deals before then).

Expansion Primer: San Jose Sharks

June 13, 2017 at 6:02 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence Leave a Comment

We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The San Jose Sharks took an expected step backwards this season after an impressive display in 2015-16 saw them reach Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The team is certainly at a crossroads, with long-time leaders Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton hitting unrestricted free agency. They were ousted quite easily in the first round by the upstart Edmonton Oilers, and GM Doug Wilson will look to craft a strategy that will put them back in contention for a title.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, Tomas Hertl, Melker Karlsson, Jannik Hansen, Chris Tierney (RFA), Barclay Goodrow (RFA)

Defensemen:

Brent Burns, Paul Martin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun, Brenden Dillon, David Schlemko, Dylan DeMelo, Mirco Mueller (RFA)

Goaltenders:

Martin Jones, Troy Grosenick, Aaron Dell

Notable Exemptions

Joonas Donskoi, Timo Meier, Kevin Lebanc, Marcus Sorenson, Danny O’Regan, Tim Heed, Joakim Ryan

Key Decisions

The Sharks are looking to infuse some youth into their lineup next season, and they are hopeful that one of the poor-performing vets in Mikkel Boedker or Joel Ward will be the only loss to expansion. Unfortunately for them, it seems unlikely that the Golden Knights are looking to acquire many greybeards. A huge debate, at least from the outside, is whether they will opt to protect 8 skaters and one goalie, or the more popular 7F/3D/1G setup. San Jose has done quite well to build a stable group of defensemen, but they do have some forwards they’d prefer not to sacrifice.

On offense, there are three locks to be protected, at the least. Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski are the offensive leaders of this team and are both in the primes of their careers. Tomas Hertl has amazing creativity and flare, and will only improve as he just turned 23. Melker Karlsson seems the next safest bet, as he has displayed great defensive play and versatility. He is the team’s swiss-army knife, and has too much value to sacrifice. The remaining group of forwards that would be exposed if San Jose opts to go the 4F/4D/1G route would be thus: Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, Jannik Hansen, Chris Tierney. Losing one of Hansen or Tierney would be irritating, but surmountable.

On defense, Brent Burns is a dominant offensive force from the blueline – he led the league in points from the blueline. Marc-Eduoard Vlasic takes the bulk of quality competition and has been a rock defensively. Justin Braun didn’t have the most phenomenal year, but he is an integral piece of the team going forward. This leaves Paul Martin, David Schlemko, Mico Mueller, and Brenden Dillon all exposed – with one of the group nearly certain to be lost. Martin has been a top-pairing guy for a decade, and his loss would be significant. Vegas’ has stated the goal of starting young and could certainly pass over the 36 year-old. It’s a sizable risk, but it certainly seems a possible scenario that he remains untouched. Dillon hasn’t performed well enough to warrant protection over the other two D-men. He had a much better possession season this year (53.0 Corsi For %) than last (49.3% CF), but his offensive impact is truly minimal. He also sees bottom-pairing minutes and a lower quality of competition than Schlemko.

Of the remaining two, Schlemko is clearly the better player at this moment. Schlemko had a great possession year (54.6% CF)and has been a positive influence on every team he’s played. Protecting Schlemko would serve to provide insurance if Martin were for some reason claimed. There is a marginal case to protect the younger Muelller, as he is only 22 and could serve as a cheap option on the blueline for the next few years. He did only played 4 NHL games last year, and impressed no one, but as a recent first-rounder Vegas could jump on the opportunity. The organization does seem low on him, so he could easily find himself on the outs.

In net, Martin Jones will obviously be the protected asset. The team just re-signed backup Troy Grosenick, but with the plethora of available goalies Vegas can choose from, he’s entirely safe.

Although there are plenty of no-trade clauses (NTCs) on the roster, there are no players who require protection due to an NMC. Additionally, the Sharks will benefit heavily from their foresight (and/or luck) with having Thornton and Marleau both turning UFA this particular off-season. Vegas could theoretically “claim” either, but it wouldn’t do anything other than give the Knights a head start on potential contract negotiations. With those two older players relatively safe, the organization will focus on protecting others who will contribute to their chances in the near future. Schlemko had a solid year and will be playing long after Martin is retired, and that will likely be the tie-breaker.

Projected Protection List

F Joe Pavelski
F Logan Couture
F Tomas Hertl
F Melker Karlsson

D Brent Burns
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic
D Justin Braun
D David Schlemko

G Martin Jones

By all indication, the Sharks are trying to compete again next year. I fully expect them to sign at least one of Marleau and Thornton and to make another strong push in the Pacific before going complete re-build. Burns is still a top defenseman, and with a solid re-tooling of the bottom-six, it’s not an inconceivable goal. Schlemko is not too far behind Martin in terms of performance, and could see his role improved. They are flirting with moving him for assets, which wouldn’t be the worst decision if they then protected Martin. One of the two has to be there to round out the top-four on defense.

As for Vegas, they could go with a semi-“proven” commodity in the speedy Boedker, fill out the roster with the solid but unremarkable Tierney, take a risk on an unproven talent like Mueller, or go the safest route and employ the aged Martin to guide the youngsters along. They will have options, but no loss the Sharks couldn’t endure.

Offseason Keys: San Jose Sharks

June 10, 2017 at 8:23 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the San Jose Sharks.

After making the Stanley Cup Final the previous season, the Sharks took a step back this year as they were ousted by the Oilers in the first round. Now, the team finds themselves with a bit of cap space to work with this offseason, giving GM Doug Wilson the opportunity to potentially reshape his team. Here are some keys to San Jose’s summer.

Decisions On Long-Term Veterans

The Sharks have a pair of high priced veterans that they need to decide whether to retain or to let go in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Both have been there long-term (Thornton 12 years and Marleau for 19) and reportedly would like to return but both will also be 38 next season and are on the downswing of their careers.

However, both players are still top six forwards in a free agent marketplace that isn’t brimming with a lot of high end options. If Wilson decides to go in another direction with both of them, each player should garner plenty of interest on the open market. However, both will almost assuredly come in well below their contracts from this past year (Thornton at $6.75MM and Marleau at $6.67MM).

That expected interest level makes their contract situations intriguing. Most players at the age of 38 go year-to-year to avoid any risk of the 35+ penalty. However, with the duo being among the better free agents available, they shouldn’t have much difficulty garnering a multi-year contract if that’s what they decide to chase down. It would be surprising if both were to walk but at the same time, it would also be surprising if both were to return as well as that would limit how much money they have to spend elsewhere.

Extension Talks

San Jose has a pair of key players that will hit one year before unrestricted free agency on July 1st. Goaltender Martin Jones has outperformed his contract ($3MM per season) since joining the team in the 2015 offseason and has emerged as a legitimate starting goaltender. Accordingly, he’s going to be looking to be paid like a number one starter and as a result, he could stand to double his contract starting in 2018-19.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic is one of the quieter top pairing blueliners in the league as Brent Burns garners most of the attention. However, the 30 year old has been a significant part of their back end for a long time now and has been a big bargain on their back end for a while now. He won’t be poised to take as big of a jump as Jones will but he’ll still be due a nice bump from his current $4.75MM cap charge.

Both players will garner long-term extensions and finding ways to get deals done quickly would not only lock up two key parts of their core but would go a long way towards determining whether they will need to pursue long or short-term deals with some of their offseason targets. Early indications are that progress is being made on new contracts with both players with the hopes of announcing them early in July.

Add Offensive Help

It sounds strange for a team that has the firepower on paper that San Jose did that they would need some help offensively but goal production was a concern at times this past season. They were in the bottom half league-wide in goals scored while they were well below the league average with the man advantage. Mikkel Boedker was added last offseason to help their attack but he struggled to make much of an impact. Youngsters like Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc showed signs of upside during stints with the big club but probably aren’t ready to step into a full-time top six role.

This is where it will get particularly tricky with their two veteran free agents. Both are still capable of contributing but are on the downside of their careers; it’s hard to expect Thornton and Marleau to significantly outperform their recent numbers which suggests if this core remains intact for next year, the offense may continue to have some difficulties.

As things stand, Wilson has $58.7MM committed for next season to 17 players per CapFriendly which gives them the flexibility to look towards making a bigger move if he sees fit. They’ll have the money to go after the top names in free agency or make a big splash via the trade market which should help get that offensive lift. It also makes them a team to keep a close eye on over the course of the offseason if Wilson decides to shake things up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Buffalo’s Coaching Search, Jones, Dell

May 15, 2017 at 5:02 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Communication. That’s what new Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill tells John Vogl of The Buffalo News is the most important thing in his next head coach. Vogl breaks down the four key lessons Botterill had learned from his time hiring Wilkes-Barre Scranton head coaches, including current Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan.

Botterill swears to look high and low for the next Sabres head coach, but would like to have one in place before the 2017 Entry Draft on June 23rd. That gives him just more than a month to find the best available name. Earlier today it was written that Washington Capitals assistant Todd Reirden may be a candidate, though it still seems like a long-shot given his previous connection to Dan Bylsma. Many others, including Phil Housley (Nashville) and Rick Tocchet (Pittsburgh) are still working in the playoffs and won’t leave their teams until they’re eliminated or win the Cup. It may be a mad dash before the draft then, if Botterill wants to speak to all possible candidates before making a decision. Last year the Cup-clinching game was played on June 12th, less than two weeks before the draft.

Kevin Kurz of NBC Sports takes a stab at what a Martin Jones extension may look like, positing that he’ll undoubtedly get more than both Scott Darling and Ben Bishop received from their respective teams. Darling got $16.6MM over four years from the Carolina Hurricanes while Bishop inked a six-year $29.5MM deal with Dallas. Jones, who will be eligible for an extension on July 1st, has just one year remaining on his deal worth $3MM. Kurz thinks Jones will fall somewhere in the range of $5.5-6MM per season, though that would still be quite the risk given that Jones put up just a .912 save percentage this season. That number is fine, but puts him 20th among goaltenders who started at least 40 games this season. His playoff performance has been exceptional, but committing to a long-term deal will be hoping Jones regular season numbers increase.
Giving Jones a big contract also puts the Sharks in an interesting position with backup Aaron Dell, who burst onto the NHL scene this year with a .931 save percentage in his limited appearances. Dell is actually almost a year older than Jones, but will be looking for a raise after next season in line with Darling’s deal should his solid play continue. While most of the league wouldn’t trust Dell with a starting job just yet, Darling was a similarly late-blooming backup that has just 64 games started at this point. Should the Sharks lock up Jones this summer, look for Dell to be on the market next trade deadline or at the draft as a potential option for teams looking for a cheaper starting option.

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