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Afternoon Line
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 02:07 PM ET
Comments (6)
They could give the C to Joe Thornton or Dan Boyle or Joe Pavelski on a permanent or rotating basis (bet on them taking the latter route), but simply stripping it from Marleau is a meaningless gesture. Nothing really changes.
-Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated. More on the Sharks, plus Canucks and Bertuzzi/Wings talk too.
added 3:17pm, from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,
We’re not sure what to think about Todd Bertuzzi this summer.
Our natural inclination is to say we wouldn’t want him on our team. Bertuzzi’s body of work, now at age 34, just has not lived up to his overall deficiencies as a player. He still takes way too many minor penalties, and tends to be a minus-player who doesn’t bring a lot of intangibles to the table.
But if Red Wings GM Ken Holland likes him enough to bring him back to Detroit for next season - as he did Tuesday with a one-year deal - maybe we should be rethinking our opinion of Big Bert. There aren’t any smarter management groups in the NHL than what they have in Detroit.
more and numerous NHL topics discussed as Mark returns from his vacation.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Muir must not have watched any of the Sharks’ playoff games. Dan Boyle was the only Sharks who gave 110% every shift. He should be the next Sharks’ captain.
Marleau is a good player, but should never have been made Captain in the first place.
Posted by Rachel from San Jose on 08/18/09 at 02:39 PM ET
But if Red Wings GM Ken Holland likes him enough to bring him back to Detroit for next season - as he did Tuesday with a one-year deal - maybe we should be rethinking our opinion of Big Bert.
Why is it so hard for people to see? This isn’t likely about Holland having a magic touch that will turn Bert into the player he once was. It’s more about it being a very low risk signing.
Lots of guys that come to the Wings find comfort because there’s lots of continuity, the ownership supports the players and treats them like family, and the locker room is filled with respect and talent. It’s a perfect environment for people to revitalize or jump-start their careers.
With that said, it’s not that Holland just knows Bertuzzi will follow that same path, it’s more that if Bertuzzi DOESN’T follow that path, it’s a cheap, one year deal, so Ilitch and company will have no qualms about cutting him loose (even mid-season) if he’s very underwhelming.
They have nothing to lose here. Either Bert is an effective player for them, or he isn’t, and they replace him with Eaves/Abdelkader and are in the same position they would’v'e been without him from the start, no harm done.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 08/18/09 at 03:28 PM ET
Mr tough decisions and changes are coming Doug Wilson is currently checking with Scotty Bowman and a few other teams to determine who they think should be the next Sharks captain. Since Wilson himself had to have a guy from Detroit tell him what to do with his team in the off-season, is it any surprise that no Sharks captain has been named? This is an organization that has no leadership at the top, so why should anyone expect the players to have any leadership.
The GM of the Sharks cannot even make tough decisions on his own, without consulting with another teams personal so why should anyone believe that Wilson would do anything different this time.
Posted by Fire Doug Wilson on 08/18/09 at 05:23 PM ET
It’s more about it being a very low risk signing.
That’s kind of a ridiculous statement.
With the amount of cap space the Wings have, ANYONE they sign would be a low-risk signing. Add to that the fact that Holland basically said they were done signing until training camp and you can’t pretend that there wasn’t a solid reason, at least in Holland’s mind, to make this deal. There are a number of other deals he could have made, there are a decent amount of decent-or-with-potential players they could have picked up. They could have (and maybe did) make a pitch for Prospal, Grier or Tanguay. The could have gone for Manny Malhotra and his 35 points instead of the apparent nightmare that is Todd Bertuzzi. Malhotra’s agent said that they put feelers out to the Wings but there was no reply from Holland. Hell, if they had given someone else 500K and given Patrick Eaves the remaining $1.5M then THAT would have been a low risk signing too!
Again, there is a handful of free agents who they could’ve given $1.5M and ALL of them would be low risk signings, so how about we stop pretending this is simply Holland panicking as he’s scraping the bottom of the barrel? Maybe give the best GM in pro sports a LITTLE tiny bit of credit? I think he maybe has earned us at least giving him the benefit of the doubt until Bertuzzi and Williams at least don the jersey ONCE.
Posted by Garth on 08/18/09 at 07:45 PM ET
Doesn’t really matter who gets the ‘C’ in San Jose. Nobody on that team is capable of leadership. And I don’t even think the fans understand what the letter on the jersey means, anyway.
Posted by Hippy Dave from Portland by way of Detroit on 08/18/09 at 09:45 PM ET
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The Bertuzzi signing also all but guarantees that prospect Justin Abdelkader and Patrick Eaves will start the season in Grand Rapids.
Why does Patrick Eaves have anything to do with this signing?
Holland has said they’re planning on going with 13 forwards. Signing Bertuzzi and placing Abdelkader in GR gives us…13 forwards.
Posted by Garth on 08/18/09 at 02:28 PM ET