If you're the GM for the Sharks, what do you do?

[servo 15]

After getting swept, most certain changes will occur. With their history, likely big changes.

I don't know the salaries or their cap situation, but if I was Doug Wilson, I would offer a Washington (a team that most likely want change) Thorton and Marleu for AO. They'd think about it, but probably would never pull the trigger on something so "Keanian".

It will be really interesting to see what happens there. So much potential and talent washed down the drain again. THe curse of the sunbelt.....or is the teal?

[Wings_Toledo 233]

After getting swept, most certain changes will occur. With their history, likely big changes.

I don't know the salaries or their cap situation, but if I was Doug Wilson, I would offer a Washington (a team that most likely want change) Thorton and Marleu for AO. They'd think about it, but probably would never pull the trigger on something so "Keanian".

It will be really interesting to see what happens there. So much potential and talent washed down the drain again. THe curse of the sunbelt.....or is the teal?

Washington will never trade Ovechkin until he's past his prime, which is a long ways off. I'm not so sure that Thornton was the problem this year, but Heatley was a complete playoff bust and their team is still built for size and not speed and skill. If I'm the GM I start going in that direction. Also, Nabokov has been their main guy in net (except for '06 when it was Toskala, I believe) for a while now and maybe it's time to send him packing.

[miller76 463]

They need to part ways with Nabokov and Blake. Build some sort of defense around Boyle.

Turco to the Sharks! You heard it here first (e5)

[wings87 1,290]

They really need to change the culture of the team. They don't exhibit much heart, which is amplified by all the diving they did vs the wings. Nabokov can't win a big game, and Joe Thornton is the biggest

crybaby in the league, after crosby of course. Thornton is a good player but has a tendency to get rattled and take bad penalties.

All in all until management changes the culture of the team they won't win a cup.

[Jericho613 74]

Yeah they need to part ways with Nabokov, I look for the whole team to undergo major changes. I don't think Todd will be fired but then again its not exactly the brightest/smartest organization.

[Manoir 70]

Get rid of Nabokov,Marleau, and Blake.

Target 1-2 defencemen , I'd go for Michalek, Kubina, Mitchell, Seidenberg in that order. Volchenkov looks like he's Washington bound.

Sign Ellis as their #1 goalie, as these playoffs have shown you can invest little in goaltending and still do well. Ellis would probably fit the won't win a series but won't lose a series goalie mold.

Get a couple of guys who would make the team tougher to play against, maybe someone like Torres or Madden. Their 3rd and 4th lines are lacking.

I think with Thornton,Heatley, Pavelski, Clowe, Setoguchi,and Couture they can get by on offence. They are really lacking on D and it really showed in the Chicago series.

[SweWings 45]

Get rid of Heatley or give him some other food or something. Yeah he still puts up numbers in the regular season but in the playoffs his goal-totals aren't nearly sufficient. Not just this year but looking at his career-totals I'm that convinced at all: 12 goals in 47 games. In percentages that's pretty much equal to Holmström's totals. Not nearly good enough for a bona fide superstar goal scorer.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Well I think they will try to trade Thornton,clearly the biggest choker in the NHL,next to Hossa.Whether they can get someone to take him,who knows.Maybe they will put Marleau on the trade block.As far as i know,they have a lot of money tied up in contracts of players who have proved underachieving over and over again.Scott Nichol and Manny Malhotra will likely be let go.Niclas Wallin may be allowed to walk.I don't really see them re-signing him.I'm not familiar with Rob Blake's contract situation but i can imagine if his contract is up,they head their separate ways.Heatley really took after Thornton and completely choked and didnt show up,especially in the Chicago series.Not too familiar with his contract situation tho.Maybe they part ways with Nabokov??

[TheOwl 77]

Trade Heatley for a D-man and a decent goalie, then sign Kovelchuk. Let Naby go.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

The big problem was Heatly's play. Apparently he was injured early in the playoffs. I'm interested in just how badly he is injured.

Nabokov didn't steal games but he didn't lose them outright. He was brilliant against us game 5 so you have to give him credit there.

In the end they were relying on Pavalski's atypical play to get them through the playoffs. Once Pavalski came back down to Earth they did as well.

I look at it as being similar to the Wings in 08. Franzen carried us through the 2nd round based on his insane offensive output but was injured and didn't play the whole Dallas series. In Dallas Zetterberg and Datsyuk had to elevate their game up another notch to compensate for Franzen's injury. We all know how that went (Datsyuk had his first career hat-trick, for example).

So really the Sharks needed Marleau, Heatly and Thornton to step their games up another notch when Pavalski cooled down. Thornton looked very good but he didn't get better between the 2nd and 3rd round. Marleau played well in some aspects of the game but failed to provide heart and hustle every shift (something the Sharks needed out of him). Heatly was a complete and utter bust.

If I was a Sharks fan I'd be very, very unimpressed with Heatly's effort in the playoffs. He looked like 2009 Hossa out there.

[king_malice 17]

Blake will retire, Marleau will go somewhere else, and Nabokov wont get signed either...Volchenkov,Hamhuis,Mitchell in for Blake,Dan Ellis in for Nabokov which saves like 3mill right there

15.8mill is between Nabokov,Blake,Marleau

Volchenkov is 3.2 now offer him 5

Hamhuis is 2.5 now offer him 3.5-4

Ellis is 2 now offer him 2.5-3

[Guest Lidstromboli]

i don't see how dan ellis would get a raise considering how he's played the past two years..

[jeff48109 474]

The big problem was Heatly's play. Apparently he was injured early in the playoffs. I'm interested in just how badly he is injured.

If I was a Sharks fan I'd be very, very unimpressed with Heatly's effort in the playoffs. He looked like 2009 Hossa out there.

Heatley supposedly had a groin injury, so maybe that affected his skating. However, having a groin injury doesn't mean you blow a defensive assignment for 2 game winning goals in a series. How the heck does someone lose sight of someone like Big Buff? I still LOL when i look at Buff's goal in game 3, Heatley was still looking left and right trying to figure what happened when the goal was scored.

Heatley has always been only interested in one-timers. He is not interested in doing other things. At least Hossa was back checking hard when he wasn't scoring.

[titanium2 867]

As far as contracts go I think Shark fans will eventually see the silver lining when it comes to losing out this year. What if they did win it all and then they rewarded Marleau with a ridiculous contract that he doesn't deserve? That wouldn't be good for them.

[KrazyGangsta 79]

I would trade Patrick Marleau & a 2nd rounder for Carey Price & wtv else we can get along.

[TheSupafly 50]

As far as contracts go I think Shark fans will eventually see the silver lining when it comes to losing out this year. What if they did win it all and then they rewarded Marleau with a ridiculous contract that he doesn't deserve? That wouldn't be good for them.

What's the timetable on seeing that silver lining? It sure feels a long way off right now. All I feel is a combination of profound emptiness and hurt.

If I'm the GM of the Sharks, I start to look for other jobs, 'cause I'm not sure Doug Wilson will survive the offseason. Personally I'd like him to stay, but I'm in the minority among sharks fans.

[eva unit zero 271]

Trade Joe Thornton to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle, Mikhail Grabovski, and a first round pick.

Trade Dany Heatley to Florida for Stephen Weiss, Michal Frolik, and a second round pick.

Trade Dan Boyle to Dallas for Matt Niskanen, Fabian Bruunstrom, Toby Petersen, and a second round pick.

Sign Patrick Marleau to a deal worth $6.5m-$7m per year for 3-5 years.

Sign Jose Theodore, Martin Biron, or Marty Turco to a deal worth $1.5m-$2m.

Let Nabokov walk, trade his negotiating rights before July 1st if possible.

In other words:

F: Thornton, Heatley for Weiss, Grabovski, Frolik, Bruunstrom, Petersen

D: Boyle for Kaberle, Niskanen

G: Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco

No, the top line is not the ridiculous line it was. But it allows the Sharks to roll three solid scoring lines with skilled personnel. Kaberle for Boyle is a fair swap, with $2m off the books. Niskanen comes in as a bonus providing solid play to the D. No, Theodore, Biron, and Turco are not Nabokov. But here's the kicker; Nabokov is slightly better than those guys. Making the changes I stated is more of a positive than swapping out Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco would be a negative. Plus in my dealings I've dropped $4m-$5m off the Sharks' cap hit and picked up a couple of picks. Figure the Sharks then add one more solid defenseman like Kubina to the group, or maybe a forward like Frolov.

Could get scary.

[titanium2 867]

What's the timetable on seeing that silver lining? It sure feels a long way off right now. All I feel is a combination of profound emptiness and hurt.

I'd say 30 games into next season. At that point all fans have a fairly good idea of the potential of their team.

I don't know how Sharks fans feel about Marleau but I personally wouldn't want him back at the price he'll command. If the Sharks made it into the finals then they'll be less likely to let his overrated behind leave.

[lookalive07 251]

Trade Joe Thornton to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle, Mikhail Grabovski, and a first round pick.

Trade Dany Heatley to Florida for Stephen Weiss, Michal Frolik, and a second round pick.

Trade Dan Boyle to Dallas for Matt Niskanen, Fabian Bruunstrom, Toby Petersen, and a second round pick.

Sign Patrick Marleau to a deal worth $6.5m-$7m per year for 3-5 years.

Sign Jose Theodore, Martin Biron, or Marty Turco to a deal worth $1.5m-$2m.

Let Nabokov walk, trade his negotiating rights before July 1st if possible.

In other words:

F: Thornton, Heatley for Weiss, Grabovski, Frolik, Bruunstrom, Petersen

D: Boyle for Kaberle, Niskanen

G: Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco

No, the top line is not the ridiculous line it was. But it allows the Sharks to roll three solid scoring lines with skilled personnel. Kaberle for Boyle is a fair swap, with $2m off the books. Niskanen comes in as a bonus providing solid play to the D. No, Theodore, Biron, and Turco are not Nabokov. But here's the kicker; Nabokov is slightly better than those guys. Making the changes I stated is more of a positive than swapping out Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco would be a negative. Plus in my dealings I've dropped $4m-$5m off the Sharks' cap hit and picked up a couple of picks. Figure the Sharks then add one more solid defenseman like Kubina to the group, or maybe a forward like Frolov.

Could get scary.

Mods, delete this before someone takes notice. This frightens me.

[RedFX 48]

It's not like the Sharks just absolutely sucked the entire postseason. They played 2 solid series and were still the conference's best team during the regular season, so it's not like they're miles and miles away from winning a championship. It's obvious there are still pieces missing, but at the same time, they don't need to completely dismantle the team.

Even though he doesn't wear the 'C' anymore, I still think Marleau is the emotional leader of this team, and I think that's the one guy they keep. And although none of the playoff collapses could really be blamed on him, I think you let Nabby go and either a. give Greiss the reigns, or b. try to get a Marty Turco. We all know Jumbo Joe doesn't appear to be shaking the playoff curse anytime soon. But realistically you'd have to think that not many teams would pull the trigger on a trade for him. So I think he's back for another season. As is Heatley.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Trade Joe Thornton to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle, Mikhail Grabovski, and a first round pick.

Trade Dany Heatley to Florida for Stephen Weiss, Michal Frolik, and a second round pick.

Trade Dan Boyle to Dallas for Matt Niskanen, Fabian Bruunstrom, Toby Petersen, and a second round pick.

Sign Patrick Marleau to a deal worth $6.5m-$7m per year for 3-5 years.

Sign Jose Theodore, Martin Biron, or Marty Turco to a deal worth $1.5m-$2m.

Let Nabokov walk, trade his negotiating rights before July 1st if possible.

In other words:

F: Thornton, Heatley for Weiss, Grabovski, Frolik, Bruunstrom, Petersen

D: Boyle for Kaberle, Niskanen

G: Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco

No, the top line is not the ridiculous line it was. But it allows the Sharks to roll three solid scoring lines with skilled personnel. Kaberle for Boyle is a fair swap, with $2m off the books. Niskanen comes in as a bonus providing solid play to the D. No, Theodore, Biron, and Turco are not Nabokov. But here's the kicker; Nabokov is slightly better than those guys. Making the changes I stated is more of a positive than swapping out Nabokov for Theodore/Biron/Turco would be a negative. Plus in my dealings I've dropped $4m-$5m off the Sharks' cap hit and picked up a couple of picks. Figure the Sharks then add one more solid defenseman like Kubina to the group, or maybe a forward like Frolov.

Could get scary.

Would Brian Burke really take Joe Thornton?Plus Grabovski is under contract.Burke will be looking for a little more in return than Joe Thornton for Tomas Kaberle.

[titanium2 867]

Ask Mike Ricci to come back from retirement.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Ask Mike Ricci to come back from retirement.

Re-acqire Owen Nolan and Scott Hannan

Actually Thornton for Kaberle, and a 2011 1st rounder would be pretty fair (dunno if Grabovski will be needed to sweeten the deal, but then again he's nothing special).

I could see Thornton/Kessel lighting the lamp often.

Yeah but i'm thinking Burke will go after a guy that actually uses his size.a power forward like Ryan Malone for Toronto's top 6.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

True.

Then there's that Kadri kid, plus quite a few others that were signed via free agency that came outta the US College system.

Will be interesting as to what the Leafs will have for the start of the 2010/2011 season.

Yeah Burke has some decisions to make.Fredrik Sjostrom,Rickard Wallin,Wayne Primeau,and Garnet Exelby are pending free agents.He's gonna make the team meaner,that's for sure,I can see him throwing a deal at league minimum for Brad May's last hurrah.

[eva unit zero 271]

Would Brian Burke really take Joe Thornton?Plus Grabovski is under contract.Burke will be looking for a little more in return than Joe Thornton for Tomas Kaberle.

San Jose would have to offer more than Thornton for Kaberle?

Burke wants to dump Kaberle. Thornton is a big, strong center (Burkie drools!) who is highly talented. The WORST deal San Jose gets there is Thornton for Kaberle straight up. But offering the kind of top-line center Burke wants for a top-pairing defenseman he wants rid of? That means extra parts headed to San Jose.