Schwarzesbrett » could play left or right field, and pro

(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Jose Sharks certainly are taking an interesting approach in the wake of becoming just the fourth National Hockey League franchise to waste a three-games-to-none playoff series lead. Theyre not panicking or fully investing in a rebuild, but they sure are going (with apologies to Monty Python) for something completely different. Carrying the burden of almost a decade of postseason disappointments -- capped by this ignoble bit of history -- the clubs head coach (Todd MacLellan) and general manager (Doug Wilson) remained in place, while only a few select veterans were shown the door. In another move that bucks tradition, the Sharks completely revamped their on- ice leadership structure not by selecting new players to wear the precious singular letters on their uniforms, but by stripping the captaincy from Joe Thornton, removing the alternate tag from Patrick Marleau and leaving the other A vacant after Dan Boyle signed as a free agent with the Rangers. Were starting this year with a clean slate, said McLellan to TSN of Canada back in August. Coming into training camp, everyone is starting with no equity -- from rookies through all of the veterans. Even though 15,000 strong at the clubs recent fan fest indicates a level of forgiveness, certain parts of the schedule were not publicized in advance. That meant a sit-down with Wilson and scouting director Tim Burke wasnt as well-attended as it should have been given the near certainty that paying customers should be lining up 10 deep to question the braintrust. But if the fans are so willing to return year after year despite unfulfilled expectations, what impetus does Wilson or anyone else have to enact real change? FORWARDS - Its Joe Pavelskis time to shine. The 30-year-old Wisconsin native led the Sharks with career-bests in goals (41) and points (79), and heading into his ninth NHL season, the rest of the club should be following his lead. No matter how Thornton (11G, 65A) handles the new leadership competition, he should be doing his best to promote Pavelski as the new vanguard. Tomas Hertl, the man who sent Martin Biron into retirement but whose rookie season (15G, 25 pts. in 37 games) was hampered by injury and inconsistency, needs to elevate his game to the level of hype that his between-the-legs goal created. He should be Marleaus project for the year. Lets not forget about Logan Coutures growth into a legitimate star. If he can replicate the play which netted him back-to-back 30-goal seasons in 2010-12 while healthy, hell be looked upon as a scoring panacea during inevitable struggles. Martin Havlat and Burns 22 goals disappear, but the combined forces of former Flyers yo-yo Tye McGinn, Boston University product Matt Nieto (10G, 14A) and Tommy Wingels (16G, 38 pts.) should make up the difference. Nikolay Goldobin, their 18-year-old first-round pick who impressed in camp, waits in the wings to either snag a spot on the roster out of the gate or get more seasoning with Sarnia of the OHL. Should things get rough in the stacked Pacific Division, McLellan can call upon Tyler Kennedy, Andrew Desjardins, Mike Brown, James Sheppard and Adam Burish for glass-rattling backup to give the skilled lines plenty of space. In spite of that well-rounded cadre, the Sharks made one of the most significant moves in the offseason, bringing in the multi-talented 6-foot-8 John Scott to provide that extra boost of toughness the club lacks up front. The twin Lady Byng threats of Scott and Raffi Torres -- whenever he returns from the latest setback from knee surgery -- will give the club a clean edge it needs to compete with the Kings, Ducks, and Blackhawks. DEFENSE - With Boyle (12G, 36 pts.) having gotten the hint and escaping to New York as a free agent, the Sharks defense has taken on a grittier, less slick character. Each of the expected top six are taller than six foot and excepting Jason Demers, weigh at least 205 pounds with Brent Burns -- moved back where he belongs from a stint on the forward lines -- clocking in at a healthy 230. The blueline amassed just 305 penalty minutes and ranked fifth overall in goals against (193) and goals-per-game allowed (2.35), but McLellan appears to be bidding on the same results with more of a price paid by the opposition. Therefore, it cant be long until Taylor Doherty, after four years in Worcester and a veritable behemoth at 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, gets his shot to entangle enemy forwards. Mirco Mueller, at only 19 years old, stands 6- foot-3 and weighs 205 and is the franchises most capable defensive prospect. Scott Hannan, who claims the most NHL action of the group, will have no issue throwing his weight around, while Marc-Edouard Vlasic who was a plus-31, has the puck-handling skills to be Boyles replacement offensively. GOALTENDING - Performance in the crease has never been tabbed as a legitimate reason San Jose has continually come up short in the spring. If anything, Antti Niemi -- maligned despite his role in the Blackhawks 2010 Cup victory -- has played better year after year than his heady rookie campaign suggested. Theres no reason to suspect Niemi, now heading into his seventh NHL campaign and fifth as the San Jose starter, wont put up numbers similar to his 39 wins, 2.39 GAA and four shutouts over 64 games. Hes never failed to win less than 30 in any full season since arriving in the Bay Area. Barring injury or incompetence, 27-year-old Alex Stalock (12-5-2, 1.87 GAA, 2 ShO) will get the nod for the second straight season to be Niemis backup. Should either Niemi or Stalock falter, theres two-year college starter Troy Grosenick -- who helped Union College reach the Frozen Four in 2012 -- waiting in the wings. Grosenick, 25, finished 18-14-0 with a 2.62 GAA in 35 appearances for Worcester of the American Hockey League in his first professional season. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Internally, the Sharks may believe this year is the one where all debts are forgiven. But after wave upon wave of disappointments trail in their wake, in order to fully embrace the present and ensure a better future, deeper cuts should have been made both on and off the ice. Theres enough talent and stability in San Jose to ensure a run at a division title and be competitive in the West. However, players like Pavelski, Couture, and Vlasic have to be capable of succeeding with increased responsibility and leadership to make it all work. And unless Wilson, McLellan, Thornton, et al. have undergone the kind of soul searching which leads to effective change in their acts, it will be one more April and May of shattered playoff dreams. Adidas NMD Te Koop .What they got was a bevy of players chipping in to pick up the slack.Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets used a balanced scoring effort to outlast the Mavericks for a 99-94 victory. Adidas Ultra Boost Kopen . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/falcon-sneakers.html . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3pm. Rick Ralph hosts the Official Jets Pre-game Show at 5pm. Adidas NMD R2 Dames . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Adidas NMD Sale Dames . For the Bombers it has been a combination of things coming together at the most inappropriate moments in time. Quarterback, injuries, Canadian talent or depth and leadership are all issues. Trust me when I say being a Bomber is no fun right now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does. While Buck Pierce will be getting another shot, I think Max Hall does deserve another opportunity. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Keeping active in the trade market, the Oakland Athletics acquired right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Seth Smith. It marked the second swap of the day for the two-time defending AL West champion As and third in two days. Gregerson will join a bullpen with new closer Jim Johnson, acquired from Baltimore on Monday night. Dealing Smith became a viable option when general manager Billy Beane acquired Craig Gentry from division rival Texas earlier Tuesday. Gregerson went 6-8 with a 2.71 ERA and four saves in 73 relief outings for the Padres in 2013. Smith batted .253 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 117 games in his second season with the As. The Padres have plenty of outfielders, including Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Will Venable, Chris Denorfia and Alexi Amarista, who had been primarily an infielder. Quentin and Maybin missed significant time with injuries last season. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said Smith could play left or right field, and probably will end up wiith 400 to 500 plate appearances.dddddddddddd Smith will allow the Padres to match up better against right-handers and have a more viable bat in the lineup when Quentin needs days off due to his balky knees. "Obviously he did a great job this past year and hit lefties better than he ever has, which is a good thing," Byrnes said of Smith. "We liked our offence for a year, kind of from All-Star break to All-Star break. Injuries last year, toward the end of the year we werent scoring runs. The reality is, were coming off a year where we asked Venable and Denorfia to do more than they ever have. We asked Amarista to play a lot in the outfield. We extended Quentin and Maybin. "I dont think weve overdone it by acquiring Smith, but we just want to make sure that if there is an injury or two, that we dont have such a dropoff, that were still showing up every night, especially against right-handed pitching, and able to score runs," Byrnes added. Byrnes said the Padres might be looking to add a reliever or two, or could move some starters to the bullpen. ' ' '