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Update - December 4, 2002
Let me preface this quick update by saying that
almost anyone has a more offensive mindset than Darryl
Sutter (Jacques Lemaire quickly springs to mind as one of the few
exceptions) so the hiring of Ron
Wilson can only help those who own Shark players. However, we must say
we're a little disappointed with this decision. Dean Lombardi had an
opportunity here to really move his team in a different direction by hiring
a coach like Ted
Nolan, but he chose the safe route. He chose a guy who can probably get
the Sharks into the playoffs and save Lombardi his job. Look for players
like Teemu
Selanne, Patrick
Marleau and Owen
Nolan to have a little more freedom, but Wilson is not one to open
things up too wide. If you were going to put us on the spot we'd have to say
that the hiring of Wilson could probably add 10-15% more goals to the
Sharks' total.
December 3, 2002
You've got to know that when
Darryl Sutter was fired the value of
Teemu Selanne,
Owen Nolan and every other offensive-minded Sharks player notched up a
bit. Is it realistic to assume that the firing of a coach can instantly lead
to greater offensive production? It's possible. But one thing that we need
to remember is that in the short term we:
-
Don't have any idea about the coaching styles of
Cap Raeder and
Doug Wilson (although it's a definite positive that Wilson was an
offensive d-man); and,
-
Have no idea who the new permanent coach will
be.
Let's deal with the first issue. Interim coaches
are rarely into complex systems (especially those that aren't just promoted
from an assistant's job). Simplicity is usually the rule. If that's the case
then look for Raeder and Wilson to "release the hounds". Without structure,
it will be interesting to see how the Sharks perform offensively as well as
defensively. Look for the coaches to try and let the players gravitate back
to a style where they're more comfortable. This could mean that guys like
Selanne and
Patrick Marleau will give up their facade of defensive play while guys
like
Marco Sturm,
Mike Ricci and
Vincent Damphousse still play strong at both ends of the ice. Our advice
for the short term would be to dress your Shark forwards. As for d-men and
goaltending it could get very, very scary. If the team does open it up a bit
the blueliners could find themselves facing odd man rush after odd man rush.
Evgeny Nabokov could also find himself facing considerably more shots.
So what's going to happen in the long term? At this point GM Dean Lombardi
is only saying that he wants the new coach in place very soon, but he hasn't
indicated where he's looking. A guy like
Ted Nolan would be a perfect fit and with a guy like Lombardi who's
secure enough in his abilities, he may just take a chance on the former
Sabres' coach. It would be a great opportunity for both Nolan and the team.
If that is the case look for a much more open style but one that still
requires players to at least acknowledge that they know where the defensive
end is. Other coaching possibles include former Caps coach
Ron Wilson (a much more structured coach who had run-ins with
Jaromir Jagr over his concentration on team defense), and former New
Jersey coach
Larry Robinson (who played a more offensive system with the Devils than
his predecessor
Jacques Lemaire).
Fantasy Impact: I doubt that the Sharks
could bring in any coach that would put a tighter set of reins on his
offensive players. As a result from a fantasy perspective this could be a
good move. But if you have Nabokov, I'd be very worried. |
