The forwards will be lead by newcomer star Center Daniel Briere and his elite passing ability. Combined with Frolov's scoring touch and Gagne's superb 2-way play, it's hopeful the top line should put up a lot of points while holding the opposition to a minimum. Forsberg will take the reigns of the 2nd line with fellow Center turned LW, Patrice Bergeron, on one side and sim legend Slava Kozlov on his other wing. Stellar 2-way forward Mikko Koivu will lead line three with talented wingers Yashin and Murray on his wings to teach him a few new tricks.
Defense is where things get really interesting for the Sharks. Recent addition Chris Pronger will give the squad the elite presence they were after on the blueline and the supporting cast are not too shabby themselves. Not a single player on D has less than 71 strength, 70 intensity, 71 speed and 70 defense...the four categories most highly regarded for a defenseman by Sharks GM Ryan. On top of that, 3 of the 6 Dmen have 73 scoring or higher, which should translate into some deadly PP's for the Sharks. The D corps that the Sharks have put together is something of a prized possession of GM Ryan, and it is highly likely the 6 could remain Sharks for the entire season...although, it's probably just as likely there will be 6 different names manning the blueline come April knowing Ryan's love of trading!
Goaltending is not the Sharks strongest position but it certainly is no achilles heal either. Both goaltenders are proven, capable netminders and have years of experience to fall back on. Osgood will get his chance to prove he deserves the #1 roll after backing up now Hawks backup Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour last season. It's expected the CPHL and NHL version of Mr. Osgood will flourish with the new found and long awaited responsibility of being the unquestioned #1 guy and look for both to put up career numbers this season. Lalime has always been a rock in the CPHL and should make for a great 2nd choice whenever Osgood needs a little rest.
New Team, New Captains
With all but two remaining Sharks and one of them being a goaltender, it's not hard to imagine the team going with all new Captains and Assistant Captains this season.
The newest Captain of the Sharks will be none other than Peter "the Great" Forsberg with his 95 rating in leadership and 91 in experience as well as his familiarity with the Sharks brass. The only knock on him at this point is his retirement risk halfway through the season but until he's declared it for sure, he'll be leading the Sharks into battle for the forseeable future.
Assisting Forsberg in his duties will be #1 Defenseman Chris Pronger and starting Center Dan Briere.
The Future
The future is admittedly not quite as bright after sending soon-to-be superstar Center Steve Stamkos to the Ducks to address the teams weak scoring ability on the wing. However, in Frolov management feels they've added a top line winger who will be a part of the organization for a long time to come. Sharks remaining top 10 prospects are likely these guys:
Notes:
1 - All ratings are taken from Hockey's Future website
2- For the purpose of this list, anyone having not played in the CPHL is considered a prospect, regardless of NHL time played
1) Jakub Voracek RW, 19y 8.5B - Likely to see a top 6 roll in his rookie season in Colombus this year. Superior skills, 1st line potential.
2) David Perron RW, 20y 7.5A - Put up good numbers his rookie season and after watching the Blues draft video for that year, I know they think very highly of him. Should get every opportunity to be a great player. Top line potential.
3) Karri Ramo G, 22y 7.5B - Played in 22 games for the NHL Lighting last season and put up the best numbers of all their goaltenders. #1 Goalie potential.
4) Luca Sbisa D, 18y 7.5B (guess) - Played his 1st season in North America last year and was very impressive from the get-go. Top pairing potential.
5) Steve Mason G, 7.5C - Backstopped Team Canada to a World Junior Gold last season and put up very impressive #'s in the OHL going 32-7, .916% and 2.51 GAA. #1 Goalie Potential
6) Tyler Cuma D, 18y 7.5C - Said to be the complete package with a high hockey IQ and good vision. Top pairing potential.
7) Niklas Grossman D, 23y 7.0C - Played extremely sound, positional hockey in his rookie season for the NHL's Stars. Top 4 defensive dman potential.
8) Wayne Simmonds RW, 19y 7.0C - Very good size and put up impressive #'s in the OHL. Once he fills out, should be a big skilled winger. Top 6 potential.
9) Nigel Williams D, 20y 7.0C - Huge kid with a lot of talent and offensive ability. Colorado's 3rd ranked prospect. Top 4 potential.
10) Jonas Junland D, 20y 7.0C - Put up very good numbers in the Swedish Elite League last season and is a good all-round talent. Top 4 potential.
All-in-all, GM Ryan is quite pleased with his team heading into the pre-season (the same could not be said at this point last year) and may not be quite as active on the trade front this season (of course things can change in the blink of an eye if we lose a few pre-season games
). He's excited to see what his new ensemble of players can do, and eager to see the puck drop on the first game.
Good luck to all GM's and their respective teams this season! Let's gitit'on!
Sharks Season Preview AND Name Captains...HA, top that!
