Feb. 9, 2011RATTO ARCHIVESHARKS PAGESHARKS VIDEORay Ratto
CSNBayArea.com
Can it truly be that the Sharks have finally let reality sink below helmet level and into their heads? Or this is just one more of those We lost six straight so lets win eight of nine just to show we can do this whenever we want?
Of such philosophical questions the Sharks season. They didnt like being dead any more, so they shifted the way they play to become a more three-zone, less stylish team that takes goal prevention more seriously.
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And they went from 11th in the West to fourth, with a chance to take the division lead Wednesday night with a win at Columbus and a Dallas loss at home against Phoenix.
RELATED: NHL standings
But should we take this seriously, especially with the trade deadline less than three weeks away? And how serious is serious?
Thats a lot of questions for a team that has done nothing but avoid answers all season long. But answering them requires a bit of thought, so well probably turn this over to Brodie Brazil at some point.
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In the meantime, yes. They have figured out who they are, and how they have to play to win. Now it comes down to whether they want to do that all the time, even when it doesnt work. We have resisted thinking they are a mind-over-matter team, but now that they have shown that it matters, the rest of it is in their minds.
But we are entering slaughterhouse time, when teams have to decide whether they are or are not, and what kind of trade wares to put in the window. Wednesday morning alone, the Leafs moved defenseman Francois Beauchemin back to Anaheim for forward Joffrey Lupul, thus beginning the deadline rush 19 days ahead of time.
NEWS: Leafs send Beauchemin to Ducks
The Sharks, in this area, are fairly stuck. They have five no-move deals (Thornton, Heatley, Marleau, Boyle, Wallin), and they have 77 cents of cap room. Their most marketable player who doesnt blow a hole in the team that cant be repaired is probably Devin Setoguchi, but its hard to fathom what that gets them without understanding how desperate the rest of the league is, or how many other pieces theyd have to give up to make the numbers fit.
They need another defenseman the way Green Bay needs a coat, and we have known this since Rob Blake called it a day. Thus, Darren Dreger of TSN rumo-reported that Setoguchi could be gettable but would have to fetch a young defenseman like Pittsburghs Alex Goligoski in return, a deal that sounds like one Sharks GM Doug Wilson would have to take somewhat seriously.
RELATED: Devin Setoguchi statssplitsgame logs
The real problem for the moment, though, is that there are still too many teams in play. Look at the Western Conference standings -- the point totals for teams three through 14 are 65, 64, 63, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56 and 56. And no, it doesnt matter whos got what. The order will change by Saturday.
In the East, there are a few more sellers -- the Islanders, who need a goalie, Ottawa, which has everything out on the lawn, Toronto, Florida and maybe New Jersey, which is only now starting to play like it cares. Add Edmonton, which is just looking to dump salary for more young talent, and you get a pretty restrictive market for bargains.
Thus, Wilson will have to match strength vs. strength rather than poach from distressed GMs with knucklehead owners, his usual M.O. A Setoguchi-Goligoski-plus-parts-on-each-side deal, for example, would put him against Ray Shero, a contemporary and equally smart cookie with a equally playoff-quality team and an equally-full building.
RELATED: Alex Goligoski statssplitsgame logs
In short, while Wilson loves working the phones like a fill-in bartender, he may end up without the piece that changes table wine into gift wine. He may have to get the commitment from his current employees for the rest of the season, which means more heavy lifting and less cruising. It is, after all, the only way they get anything done this year.
Whether they like it or not.
Ray Ratto is a columnist for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.