The 7 Steps Doug Wilson Has Made To Regain My Trust
The Sharks, after putting together outstanding regular seasons behind Ron Wilson and Todd McLellan, have gained the reputation of playoff chokers. Always good in the regular season, horrible in the playoffs. While that narrative put Sharks fans in a sour mood, it became a reality in 2014 when they were up on the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs 3-0, only to fail four straight times.
Following that embarrassing debacle, general manager Doug Wilson stepped up into the spotlight, admitted his disappointment and told his fan base that he wants more leadership in the locker room and for a rebuild with a younger generation of players. While that sounded good on paper, Wilson's head-scratching moves in the offseason only made things worse. After a horrible calendar year of Sharks hockey, Wilson has another chance to press the reset button.
The offseason has begun and Wilson has earned back most of my trust. Here is what he did:
1. Not re-signing John Scott
Look, I'm happy Scott had his career year with San Jose, but the guy had to go. Four points and 87 penalty minutes in 38 games is what scrubs do. Thank you Wilson, thank you for ridding us from his atrocious skating ability and bad penalties.
2. Not re-signing Scott Hannan
This was another test for Wilson. He loves to award veterans, whether they are scratched or starting. Hannan, a first round draft pick for San Jose in 1997 has been with the organization for 11 years and was a great Shark. However, he is 36 years old and should consider retiring with how poorly he played last year. Good move.
3. Drafting Jeremy Roy
The NHL Draft is a new experience to some Sharks fans as they usually have a late first round pick or no first round pick at all. San Jose spent little time focusing on prospects in year's past. Now with a depleted farm system, the draft has become vital. Wilson traded up to pick No. 31 and stole a future top defenseman in Jeremy Roy. Look out for him to be the next Dan Boyle in a few years.
4. Buying out Adam Burish
Paying someone not to show up to work is a pretty bold move, no matter who you are. It was long overdue, but Wilson finally cut the chord on the scrappy (emphasis on the "crappy") center. They were paying too much for such minimal production.
5. Not giving in to Antti Neimi
Neimi was a top-tier net minder for the Sharks over the last few years, but with his numbers declining and his age getting up there (31), Wilson needed to look elsewhere. Free agents were no upgrade and back-ups Alex Stalock and Troy Grosenick didn't convince management they were ready to handle the starting spot. This brings me to...
6. Trading for the expendable Martin Jones
Jones was traded to Boston from LA before the draft last week. He wouldn't be a starter with the Bruins, so he was relatively cheap for the Sharks. A prospect and a first round pick from next year's draft landed the Sharks a 25-year-old goalie who has an outstanding AHL career as well as a very impressive NHL career thus far. He will fight for the top spot with San Jose, but he should be good for San Jose for a long time.
7. Bringing back the old sweaters
This is petty, but the Sharks have yet to have a "throwback" night at the Tank. Fans love this stuff - fan giveaways, modernized uniforms from the past, nostalgia - it's everything Sharks fans want to remember after the torrid season last year. This year is their 25th anniversary season and new "Heritage Jerseys" are coming a few nights next season. The design hasn't been released yet, but boy, am I excited. Good timing, Wilson.