SAN JOSE – Flush with salary cap space, the San Jose Sharks are eager to start building their lineup back up again after spending the past two or three seasons tearing some important parts of it away.
However, with NHL free agency beginning Monday, the Sharks’ continuing challenge is to convince the available players they covet to come to San Jose even though the team might be years away from contending for the postseason.
For the Sharks, that means sweetening deals with more money and term to get the players they want.
Such is life for any rebuilding team, even one that appears to have a bright future with some high-end prospects.
“It’s definitely, I think, part of the reality of where we are,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said last week. “It’s a franchise that I think these players now have grown up watching, and I think it’s still a franchise that players want to come play for.
“But the reality is that we are where we are as far as trying to build this thing back up, and that there might be a situation (where) a player’s looking at a team that’s in the playoff window, and looking at us, and there is a possibility that we might have to maybe pay a little bit more to get him.”
With some of their restricted free agents still needing new contracts, the Sharks, after officially signing forwards Luke Kunin ($2.75 million) and Justin Bailey ($800,000 at the NHL level) to one-year deals on Sunday, have, per PuckPedia, over $26 million in cap space.
The Sharks need to spend that money wisely — for multiple reasons.
The first is that Macklin Celebrini and his family will be watching.
While some reports have indicated that Celebrini, drafted first overall by the Sharks on Friday, will undoubtedly turn pro, there is little question that his dad, Rick Celebrini, wants to see his son have the best chance at success. That means surrounding Macklin with the right type of players to help his adjustment to pro hockey — on and off the ice.
The Sharks’ leadership group includes captain Logan Couture and fellow veterans Mikael Granlund, Kunin, and Mario Ferraro. This offseason, the Sharks also acquired forwards Barclay Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea, and Carl Grundstrom to help them become a harder team to play against after finishing last season with the worst record in the NHL at 19-54-9.
“Knowing the leaders within the Sharks organization, I know they’re thinking along the same lines,” Rick Celebrini said Friday night in Las Vegas. “I think it has to be a win-win, and what’s best for the Sharks is going to ultimately be the best for Macklin, and that’s just to make sure that it’s the right environment for him to succeed.
“At the end of the day, it’s a big jump. It’s a big jump for anybody, and as I’ve said before, the NHL is not a development league. You’re either ready, or you’re not. So it’s just getting to that point where everyone feels comfortable and confident …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
