Post by Sharky on Oct 17, 2008 19:44:40 GMT -5
The 2008-2009 San Jose Sharks are a much different team than has been seen for the last few seasons. GM Jake Graas has made several moves, including moving franchise player Joe Thornton and Tomas Kaberle in exchange for Nicklas Lidstrom, Corey Perry, Matt Niskanen, Shea Weber and Michael Frolik. Another deal is rumored to have been submitted to the league by the Sharks for approval, involving sniper Brad Boyes.
"Thornton has been with us since the start, he's been our captain for 5 seasons and is, by far, our clubs leading scorer so it will be a hard good bye, but one of our biggest problems in the past has been depth and moving Joe brought in four solid young guys that will be with the team for a long time" commented San Jose head coach Steve Yzerman.
Of course that was one of the reasons Thornton was moved, but, in truth, Thornton has been under heavy scrutiny for all of his tenure in San Jose. Many felt that Thornton should be putting up over 90 points every season, however he only put up over 80 points twice with the Sharks, despite playing with stars over the years such as Teemu Selanne, Brendan Shanahan, Patrick Elias, Glen Murray and Alex Tanguay.
So with Thornton's departure a new era begin's in San Jose. Young Eric Staal will lead the offense and will receive help from new comers Corey Perry and Brad Boyes and veterans Alex Tanguay and Chris Drury. San Jose's new and improved defense will once again feature Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf. The defense will also boast San Jose's biggest off season aquisition, Nicklas Lidstrom, and rookie Matt Niskanen. San Jose's 3rd and 4th lines will be similar to previous seasons, with Kris Draper, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Samuel Pahlsson taking on defensive roles, although many hope that Johan Franzen will also provide some secondary offense to the team.
San Jose is not done yet. GM Jake Graas is not confident in Rick DiPietro as the starter and may be looking for a replacement or a 1b goaltender. The Sharks will also be active in the free agent market as they have plenty of cap room.
"Thornton has been with us since the start, he's been our captain for 5 seasons and is, by far, our clubs leading scorer so it will be a hard good bye, but one of our biggest problems in the past has been depth and moving Joe brought in four solid young guys that will be with the team for a long time" commented San Jose head coach Steve Yzerman.
Of course that was one of the reasons Thornton was moved, but, in truth, Thornton has been under heavy scrutiny for all of his tenure in San Jose. Many felt that Thornton should be putting up over 90 points every season, however he only put up over 80 points twice with the Sharks, despite playing with stars over the years such as Teemu Selanne, Brendan Shanahan, Patrick Elias, Glen Murray and Alex Tanguay.
So with Thornton's departure a new era begin's in San Jose. Young Eric Staal will lead the offense and will receive help from new comers Corey Perry and Brad Boyes and veterans Alex Tanguay and Chris Drury. San Jose's new and improved defense will once again feature Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf. The defense will also boast San Jose's biggest off season aquisition, Nicklas Lidstrom, and rookie Matt Niskanen. San Jose's 3rd and 4th lines will be similar to previous seasons, with Kris Draper, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Samuel Pahlsson taking on defensive roles, although many hope that Johan Franzen will also provide some secondary offense to the team.
San Jose is not done yet. GM Jake Graas is not confident in Rick DiPietro as the starter and may be looking for a replacement or a 1b goaltender. The Sharks will also be active in the free agent market as they have plenty of cap room.