[NEWS] From Minnows to Makos

[Drury18]

San Jose, CA (CPHL Press) -- The San Jose Sharks have undergone a massive transformation since Feb 11, 2015 when Drury18 took over as GM. The team has gone from chum in the water to a potential playoff contender through a number of trades (23 to be exact) and UFA signings.

The Sharks have also seen almost a complete turnover of their AHL team bringing in a number of quality prospects which will ensure the team is competitive for years to come.

The initial lineup on Feb 11th when the new GM took over was abysmal at best. With only one competitive line (Neal-Turris-Kunitz), one quality defence pairing (Ehrhoff-Seidenberg) and two AHL quality goalies, it was obvious that a rebuild would be needed and that the rest of the 2014-15 season would be a long one focused around dealing and acquiring pieces to be competitive in 2015-16. "The playoffs were already out of reach when I came to this team" said GM Drury18. "The decision was made early that our focus would be to start this rebuild and try to acquire pieces and players that we could start putting our stamp on the team and push for the playoffs in 2015-16. We immediately jumped into trading and trying to see where our current assets could take us. Ending the year winning 7 of our final 10 games was a good sign that the team was pointed in the right direction heading into next season".

In a press conference Monday, the Sharks revealed their current 2015-16 lineup, with 4 competitive lines, 3 sets of shutdown defence and 2 goalies that will be a 1a/b combo during the season. Addressing the recent comments about the team's goaltending: "We've heard the comments from a couple teams in the East. Their comments are tabloid fodder, not sports news. We have a good team, lots of cap and a ton of strong prospects to address issues if they come up during the season. We are happy and confident going forward with this team and ready for the season to start".

The Sharks did note they are still looking for a couple of good quality AHL defencemen to add to the farm and they would then consider the team complete. "Yes, we are looking for a couple of AHL defencemen. It's one of our weaker spots in the AHL and we are hoping to correct this before the start of the CPHL season".

When asked if she had any advice for new GM's, Drury18 said: "Just keep trading and trying to better your team. Turn it into the team you want, make your mark. We had one of the weakest teams in the league only 5 months ago and after a number of trades, some of them harder decisions then others, we have created a team that I am personally a fan of and one that will give us a shot at the playoffs".

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Above: San Jose Sharks lineup on Feb 11, 2015

Below: San Jose Sharks lineup on July 27, 2015

[simmer2]

I absolutely love the content from the new GM's.

Drury, I hope for your sake I am wrong about your tending.

You've done some great things with your team in a short period of time.

And I have some AHL dmen if you are interested!

[dsavillian]

That's a pretty decent roster, goaltending aside.

Well done!

[3thirty]

Solid improvements. Get a goalie and this team could make some noise, as is it should get into the playoffs.

[Drury18]

I don't really understand the basis of all these "Get a Goalie" comments. If 80 is considered a "starter", I'm not sure why my 2 x 79 goalies are so much inferior. Looking at most teams, I'm actually quite set for goalies because I'm not going to have a backup that is in the low to mid 70's. I can on any night, play one of two goalies who are right there with the 80's of the league. Looking at the stats of the 80's goalies and the stats of my goalies, we are right there. I'm not seeing where they are so far back of what would be considered a starter.

Obviously when I lost Hiller for Scrivens that was a huge drop. But I don't think going with two 79's, especially with a stronger defensive core, is going to be that detrimental on the team. I'm not prepared to give up assets on a guess that my goalies might not be good enough. I'm going to give it 15 games before I make any goaltending decisions.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I don't really understand the basis of all these "Get a Goalie" comments. If 80 is considered a "starter", I'm not sure why my 2 x 79 goalies are so much inferior. Looking at most teams, I'm actually quite set for goalies because I'm not going to have a backup that is in the low to mid 70's. I can on any night, play one of two goalies who are right there with the 80's of the league. Looking at the stats of the 80's goalies and the stats of my goalies, we are right there. I'm not seeing where they are so far back of what would be considered a starter.

Obviously when I lost Hiller for Scrivens that was a huge drop. But I don't think going with two 79's, especially with a stronger defensive core, is going to be that detrimental on the team. I'm not prepared to give up assets on a guess that my goalies might not be good enough. I'm going to give it 15 games before I make any goaltending decisions.

I like that you have a strategy and are going to test it out. You have a plan and are sticking to it...have to respect that even if I disagree with the approach.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I don't really understand the basis of all these "Get a Goalie" comments.

If 80 is considered a "starter", I'm not sure why my 2 x 79 goalies are so much inferior. Looking at most teams, I'm actually quite set for goalies because I'm not going to have a backup that is in the low to mid 70's. I can on any night, play one of two goalies who are right there with the 80's of the league. Looking at the stats of the 80's goalies and the stats of my goalies, we are right there. I'm not seeing where they are so far back of what would be considered a starter.

.

A premium goalie within the SIM will stop the dreaded losing streaks.

A goalie under 80 is like a 1B type of goalie in the NHL.

Which can be inconsistent.

However, you never know... Sim may love one the goalies...

[flambers]

Team looks really good, great job!!

[Drury18]

Jeff Zatkoff in the SIM liked to take down the Pens. And really, that's a big part of why I want to see what they can do in the SIM. We can speculate what will happen on paper, but until the team plays in the SIM, hard to know 100%. That's why I want to see them play first and see what I'm dealing with. That SIM is the wildcard in everything.

Plus, no goalie made available is one that I felt was a long term solution. Bandage fixes of older guys with kids breathing down their necks for starting spots. Pretty much what I have with Howard who I paid a big price to watch him drop from a 81 to 79. I'm still a little bitter about that. I don't think the value of giving up assets for a one year rental is realty there for what I would like to do, especially as I have a core I am happy with. None of those deals felt right to me and the team.

[Swayze11]

I still think Howard can bounce back.

In terms of goalies, OVR doesn't really matter. I know Dallas had Bernier the entire year and he was a sub 80 goalie and he was in the top 3 all year. Sure, he had great defense but you can still do it.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

I still think Howard can bounce back.

In terms of goalies, OVR doesn't really matter. I know Dallas had Bernier the entire year and he was a sub 80 goalie and he was in the top 3 all year. Sure, he had great defense but you can still do it.

When you look at the teams who made the Cup finals last year, one had a goalie with 84 ov and the other had a goalie with 85 ov.

A team can win with a 1B goalie, but they would need strong numbers up front.

[Swayze11]

Originally Posted by flambers

When you look at the teams who made the Cup finals last year, one had a goalie with 84 ov and the other had a goalie with 85 ov.

A team can win with a 1B goalie, but they would need strong numbers up front.

They also had:

Subban - Markov
Burns - Stuart
Tyutin - Cowen

Karlsson - McDonough
Doughty - Souray
Volchenchov - Butler

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

They also had:

Subban (75) - Markov (74)
Burns (70) - Stuart (65)
Tyutin 67) - Cowen (65)

Karlsson (76) - McDonough (73)
Doughty (77) - Souray (64)
Volchenchov (65) - Butler (63)

True, added the ratings from last season

[dsavillian]

I think there's a stigma around having a bottom 10 starting goalie (ratings wise) in the CPHL.

It may or may not be correct, but the consistently successful teams usually* have one elite/above average goalie.

*Dallas is the exception from last year, I may also be an exception since I ran Holtby over Rinne most of the year

[TurdFerguson]

Bernier (79) was a top 3 goalie in stats and wins for the past 2 seasons. Both seasons Dallas was in excess of 100 pts. While i did not make the finals either year, it was not on bernie; last year he was the top playoff goalie (stats wise) at the end of the conference finals - we lost 1-0 in game 7.

While i tend to agree that there is 'something' about an elite goalie in the playoffs, i don't think you need a high-end guy to be successful, especially when those guys are coming with a 9M price tag... More importantly, you need to be able to win not playing your starter 70 games. Hell, I won a lot of games with Lehner last year and was a 73, I think.

[dsavillian]

Also, just tell the haters to eff off

you have a plan, and that plan seems well thought out and executed.

that's the most important part