There has been so much hype around the San Jose Sharks and their young core. The team has upcoming stars such as Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, bringing a legion of frisky 20-year-old girls along for the ride. Boy, you gotta love #hockeytwt and its endless barrage of Tumblr fantasies.
I'm sure those 20-year-old chicks with rich parents from Oxnard can name one Shark from the early 2000s.
But in all seriousness, the Sharks have some... interesting moves. First, they signed 32-year-old defenseman Jacob Trouba to a four-year deal worth $8.25 million AAV, adding a no-trade clause for the first two seasons. Then, they acquired Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers, taking on his full $9.25 million cap hit for four years.
Sounds like 23-year-old Sophia from Simi Valley might be rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks in five seasons. Perhaps her loaded parents can give her a Connor Bedard jersey to go with the Celebrini jersey she just got this year, so she can dream about Bedard in Heated Rivalry. Gotta love the young adults that don't understand the game, eh?
Anyways, the top dogs in the Pacific Division can't help but laugh at the Sharks making questionable moves. Sure, they draft extremely well and get solid young prospects to develop. But the blue line acquisitions just... hold San Jose back. Like, is this something that a Pleasanton bellhop wants to see on his roster? Sorry, Josh, but it looks like you might have trouble getting past Vegas just a little longer.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights (and the Edmonton Oilers) can't help but laugh at the San Jose Sharks' latest moves
First, the Oilers were extremely smart in moving off the Nurse contract and not owing the defenseman a single cent. Getting a guy with a full no-movement clause off your books and having a division rival eat the contract is a masterclass move. Hats off to Edmonton for doing that and thinking about the team's long-term viability.
Not only that, but they got Shakir Mukhamadullin on their roster, adding a 24-year-old project to the blue line. That alone should open up the Oilers' Stanley Cup winner a bit. But enough about Edmonton since we're talking about the Golden Knights.
Throughout the Stanley Cup Final, Golden Knights fans heard endless trolling from Sharks fans about their showing in the championship round (hello, Sharks on NBCSN). Now? You're watching an emerging team anchor themselves to two aging defensemen, leaving a massive weakness on their team.
That's not even mentioning the looming contract extensions for players like Celebrini and Smith. You must pay these players to keep them around, along with other youngsters like Michael Misa. Suddenly, there's added pressure to perform at the very top, leaving the Sharks to pace around the room frantically. Boy, that couldn't be Kelly McCrimmon.
Heck, you can add the Anaheim Ducks to this conversation. Funny enough, the Philadelphia Flyers just gave an offer sheet to Leo Carlsson for five years and $18 million. Imagine the Ducks' front office seeing this and wondering what to do next.
Bye-bye, Mason McTavish, and good luck getting Carlsson back. You guys also lost a chunk of your blue line core and are leaving your goaltending exposed to a ton of shots. Boy, it looks like the Golden Knights and the Oilers will be sticking around the Pacific Division mountaintop just a little longer. Ironically, that hurts San Jose because Celebrini's price tag might be bumped up to the $20 million AAV mark.
People who have bashed the Vegas Golden Knights for their current style don't understand that the current Pacific Division landscape is weakened. They don't realize that it's the other teams that are making life harder for themselves, especially with letting certain players walk and adding bloated contracts. But hey, I guess it's good to be the king, eh?
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