Fantasy Sharks

With his recent play at the does-anyone-watch-this? Spengler Cup over in Davos, Switzerland, veteran goalie Curtis Joseph is suddenly resurfacing in rumors about a few NHL teams being interested in his services. Joseph wanted to use the Spengler Cup as a springboard back to the NHL, and it may just work.

According to reports from TSN, 40 year old goaltender Curtis Joseph will likely make his decision this weekend on where he'd like to be when he rejoins the NHL.

It's come down to two teams: Calgary and San Jose. Both these franchises have strong starting goalies, yet lack quality backups, so they're very interested in acquiring the veteran.

Why Calgary? Well, can you name Calgary's backup netminder without having to look it up? Exactly. However, as The Bleacher Report duly points out, Joseph and Calgary coach Mike Keenan don't have the best history together. Is Joseph willing to put behind the past for a backup job? Has enough time passed?

As for San Jose? Well, Evgeni Nabokov has started EVERY SINGLE GAME this season so far, and it's obvious the Sharks are afraid to play anyone else. At least a veteran like Joseph would have the confidence of coach Ron Wilson.

Now, I noted last September, Curtis Joseph is and was well past his expiry date.

Last season, CuJo had a rotten 89.3SV%, well below the league average (90.5%), and has gotten steadily worse each season. Only six goalies with 30+ games played last season has worse numbers than CuJo, and the old dog is not going to get any better. Why bring him in as an expensive backup when you can get a willing, and younger, backup for the league minimum?

His 89.3SV% would put him right in the same spot in the rankings (near the basement), which makes you wonder why a team would even bother signing him as a backup in the first place. Oh, you'll wonder, that is, until you look at those anonymous backup goalies the Sharks and Flames have been playing, and realize that, sadly, CuJo is an upgrade.

Looks like this old dog may have one last trick. It certainly won't make the Sharks and Flames much better to sign the guy, but it'll at least give them a chance to rest their #1 goaltenders more than once every three months.

Poolies all over the continent must be scratching their heads about what to do with one 27-year old Jonathan Cheechoo, the spunky winger who piled up an amazing 56 goals just two seasons ago.

Once again, Cheechoo is off to an incredibly slow start, with just three points in his first eight games, and ZERO in the first five. Fans and fantasy league owners of Jon's must be wondering just WHO is the real Cheechoo?

SEASON  GP  G A PTS SOG SH%
03-04  81 28 19 47 175 16.0
05-06  82 56 37 93 317 17.7
06-07  76 37 32 69 250 14.8
07-08   8  2  1  3  22 9.1 

Obviously, Cheechoo's amazing 56-goal performance, like Brady Anderson's 50-home run performance over a decade ago, was a one-year fluke where the stars in the sky aligned right and everything went right for the Sharks sniper.

So, what to make of Cheechoo? Just how much can we expect from somebody with his production curve?

1. Cheechoo's shooting percentage is abnormally low. He's still getting almost three shots per game, suggesting that he's still generating scoring chances. You can expect the goals to start going in soon enough. Somebody with a past history of burying the biscuit wont' stay dry for long.

2. Cheechoo is still playing on the same line with one Joe Thornton (after a brief demotion). Getting passes from one of the league's premier playmakers ensures Cheechoo will continue to get prime scoring opportunities.

The NHL's free agency frenzy began today, and the biggest news pertains to a fellow who wasn't even a free agent this summer: Joe Thornton.

The Sharks, ever eager to lock down their MVP-caliber centerman, didn't waste any time wheelbarrowing in a whack of dough over to Joe's house. The terms are $7.2mil a season for 3 seasons.

"Joe Thornton is among the top group of elite players in the National Hockey League," said GM Doug Wilson in a statement.

"In addition to his play on the ice, Joe leads by example and has as much love for the game as anyone I have seen. Making sure Joe remained in San Jose was a top priority and he will be an integral part of our franchise as we march towards our goal of competing for the Stanley Cup next year and for years to come."

Just $7.2mil for the guy who has lead the NHL in scoring over the past two seasons combined? Hearing about the likes of Scott Gomez getting similar offers leaves me wondering how the Sharks managed Thornton to accept a potential 'discount'. Yeah, the $ figure is astounding, but certainly lower than I figured one of the very best could get on the open market.

Just how good is this trade looking for the Sharks, by the way?

To refresh your memory, Thornton was acquired by San Jose, from Boston, in exchange for LW Marco Sturm, D Brad Stuart and RW Wayne Primeau.

Stuart? After 100 mediocre games (in which he went -32), he was dealt to the Calgary Flames for pennies on the dollar.

Sturm? 87 points in 127 games for Boston. He's been pretty solid for the Bruins, but he's no Joe Thornton.

Primeau? An easily replaceable 4th line slug.

Some good news for Wings fans as Tomas Holmstrom, who has missed the first three games of the Sharks/Wings series, is expected to be back in the lineup for Game Four.

Holmstrom, like so many NHLers, suffered an eye injury due to his utter refusal to wear a VISOR. Yes, Holmstrom could have lost vision in one eye thanks to the lack of protection in that region of his body.

Holmstrom has been out since April 22, when Calgary's Craig Conroy hit him with his stick in Detroit's series-winning victory over the Flames. The left wing had 30 goals and 22 assists during the regular season, but missed the first three games against the Sharks.

Holmstrom lost vision in the eye on the night of the incident, and his sight remained cloudy for a few days while team doctors evaluated him. He wasn't allowed to skate or work out because the doctors feared the increased blood flow could cause further damage.

"Of course I was scared," said Holmstrom, who had just one assist in six games against Calgary. "They didn't know how badly injured the eye was. They didn't want to get the blood going and hurt the eye."

Although Holmstrom had just one lone assist in the series against Calgary, his big Swedish booty causes major problems for opposing goaltenders and defenders alike.

The Wings are just 1-for-10 on the Power Play against the Sharks, and don't have anyone else nearly as effective as Holmstrom at creating havoc.

Bertuzzi? He's now a finesse forward, apparently ... Evgeni Nabokov can expect some blocked vision in the hours to come.

When the San Jose Sharks sent St. Louis a first-round draft pick (in 2007) and forwards Ville Nieminen and Jay Barriball in exchange for Bill Guerin, they wanted a veteran goal-scorer who would push them over the edge.

What did they get? A loafer that has ZERO goals, two measly assists, and a team worst -3 in 8 playoff games.

Not exactly a great return on their investment, eh?

Oh, but he's such a great leaderman, or such nonsense:

"He brought a lot of leadership to this room," McLaren said. "He's made guys better in the locker room. There's so much we can learn from him as a person. He brings the intensity and he's been here before. I think he's our only guy here that's been here before, that's gone all the way."

Is leadership important? Yes. Is leadership worth a first round pick? Not when it comes with poor production and even worse defensive play.

If Guerin was such a leader, he might try leading by example and actually doing something productive.

As it is right now, Guerin is simply a luxury piece of furniture that just looks pretty and doesn't provide much in the way of function ... kinda like Paris Hilton.