The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!
What does long-time NHL video coach Steve Peters think of the revamped San Jose Sharks?
Peters breaks down ideal lines, shares his dark horse Shark this coming season, and more. (45:07)
But before we get to Peters, Sheng discusses his thoughts about the Ryan Reaves trade. Why might this deal make sense from the San Jose Sharks’ perspective? (3:37)
Why did the Sharks land on free agent sniper Jeff Skinner? (25:24)
How were these moves part of GM Mike Grier’s possible grand plan for 2027-28? The Sharks are doing something different than the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers’ rebuilds. (34:16)
And now, Steve Peters! (45:07)
How does Peters see the Sharks forward lines? (51:42)
Who is Peters’s sleeper Shark this year? (55:40)
Peters thinks it could still be a challenge to find the winger to play with Smith at center. (1:04:31)
Where does Reaves fit in? (1:10:45)
Speaking up for Collin Graf. (1:13:18)
There are a lot of bottom-six guys! (1:18:04)
What about Michael Misa? Why might Penn State not be the best option for him? (1:19:33)
How would Peters put together the San Jose Sharks’ defense? (1:28:38)
How much game do Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg have left in the tank? (1:32:22)
Can Sam Dickinson stick in the San Jose Sharks’ line-up? (1:40:15)
Let’s talk goaltending! Why does Peters like the addition of Alex Nedeljkovic? (1:45:39)
Will the Sharks’ special teams get better? (1:48:03)
What does Peters think about the different neutral zone forecheck that Ryan Warsofsky instituted late last year? (1:49:54)
Does Peters think this Sharks team is better than last year’s opening night group? (1:55:20)
Finally, I ask Peters about his experience as video coach for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup.
30 Comments
Gaudette is my sleeper. The guy admitted he was rushed to the league and didn't develop appropriately. He spent a couple years in the minors, and last year his first year back in the NHL he put up 19 goals. He won the Hobey Baker, the skill is there.
Do we think Colin Graf or Bystedt are someone the Sharks could trade? Some of these young guys cant be with the Cuda forever.. ie Bords and Guschin.
I think Misa should be the 2C and Smith goes back to Celebrinis wing. I think that way you fit Bystedt as you 3C if he is ready for the role
I am not sold on Mukhamadullin, really is a "prove it" year for me to show he belongs.
I like your analogy about the spatula, but my problem with the Reaves addition is that it feels like we already added a spatula to the kitchen, and it turned out to be a complete waste of space.
Like Reaves, Goodrow was on winning teams. Like Reaves, we were told he’d bring leadership and isolation to this team, at the expense of some skill. And it’s pretty clear that none of those things came to fruition, and instead we got someone unhappy to be here, over the hill, just going through the motions.
It’s probably unfair to hold Reaves accountable for what another player does. Maybe we’re gonna keep adding these types of players until one finally clicks. Maybe the Sharks organization thinks Goodrow clicked (let’s get real, we all watched last season). But, until someone explains how it’s tangibly different, it just feels like insanity: doing the same thing over, and expecting different results.
Half way through the video now but i just had to say i really like musty with smith i really hope when musty cracks the roster he's paired with smith from what i saw from them two in the scrimmage last year i feel they have great chemistry.
Two and eight to start the season is a better start than the last two seasons (sad, but true).
Ryan Reaves does bring something unique to Sharks, and that is fighting spirit and ability to change direction of a game. Sharks have not been able to dominate in front of the net. Reaves is highly motivated to get back on track even if he is older at 38 and probably has nagging injuries. This is about team presence, connections with Barclay Goodrow in his past, and identity as a more predatory team. Reaves is a hammerhead shark type player, look at his face as it is re-shaped by all his fighting in NHL. Not sure about his concussion history but late 30's players are usually going to be banged up in the legs or the head. Reaves wants to reach 1000 games played milestone so he is greatly motivated compared to last year when he was abused by Leafs and waived. Some players really take their second chances harder and work like demons to get back to NHL speed and form. I want to understand the logic behind Mike Grier's plan to get proud veterans with long history but struggling late in their careers to compete for NHL jobs with rookies who must somehow outdo them. I suspect some of these veterans may get waived and rookies dominate the line-up, or youth majority on team rather than veteran majority. Many new faces give Sharks fans more to talk about and dream of prospects all making it big when only 1 in 10 does make the NHL at all. I think it is particularly important that Sharks make the playoffs at least next year. Sharks will be much more entertaining next year but can Mike Grier turn them into a wild card team and start getting playoff experience for Celebrini? The moral of this story is that an NHL team that finishes last 2 years in a row must have its players almost completely turned over and so give birth to a different identity.
Not much love for Graf. No love for Jack Thompson.
It'd be a huge mistake to expose Thompson to waivers. Thompson is the 2nd best RHD among the 10 d-men mentioned. Klingberg is the best, Thompson next, then Liljegren and Desharnais. On top of that, Thompson's game fits the Sharks. A player with a bit of offense, pretty smart game and makes the short passes to the pace-pushing forwards.
Ferraro has a lot of pressure this final year of his 4-yr deal. If he’s healthy, I could see the Sharks moving to reunite him with Burnzie in Colorado perhaps 🤔 he’s going to slip on the depth chart this year and his value is dropping externally a lot, after a lot of these acquisitions. If he’s injured/ailing (his ankle from the end of last year) he could train hard and get to the team after things sort out in the first month or two of this season! I’m rooting for him personally but he’s now in a new position similar to his rookie year to prove to us all that his ceiling is higher!!! There were flashes of brilliance last year and we know he’s a locker room guy… but he needs to play “unafraid” (take the governor off) and just go fast and take chances. Otherwise, he’s a serviceable top-4 guy with PK utility for a team like Colorado, or a contender. Leafs, Edmonton, Winnipeg, DAL/COL, etc.
People who go off of purely analytics just fail to understand how to build a roster, if you look at the last few Stanley cup teams. Those teams are definitely not pure analytic kind of teams. The tool analogy is good and with the sharks not making the playoffs anyways. There’s no reason to freak out about someone like reaves.
Thrun was trade a few days ago why are you talking about him here?
Misa was my 2LW prior to signing Skinner. I believe Misa in NCAA is a great option if he’s eligible.. like Will Smith’s path (as a sophomore) its a big jump and if he is ok with this path, he’ll play as a younger kid against bigger men.
NCAA/college needs to allow visors too, get rid of the bird cages and fish bowls 😅
Ryan Reaves is a flour sifter. Useless and obsolete.
Sheng!!!!!!!
Personally I like the Reaves trade, it makes sense
Hey Sheng,
I think a reasonable expectation for this next season would be converting 5-10 of those 1 goal losses last season into wins. 5 would be a more likely outcome 10 would be the optimum outcome for a reasonable improvement.
Injuries are always the X factor in any NHL teams fortunes and given how tenuous our depth is at all positions we are not yet very able to shrug off key injuries. If we have similar luck like last season we could totally wind up in the basement again. We need key people to be solid and available for the whole season to compete.
As for Klingburg I think he and other key veterans like Orlov will need nights off just to keep them from getting worn down and they're battered bodies from breaking under heavy pressure. We are going to need that 7th defenseman to play semi regularly spelling many of our guys in order to avoid bangs that might cause them to be exposed to real injury when they can't react like they normally would or as they would when they were 25. In short roster management by Coach Wars is going to be at a premium this season.
Peter St. John
Clovis, CA
It would be such a massive mistake and inexcusable is Misa or Dickinson played any games in juniors next year. I’m sure the front office has a plan for both of them. Really hard to imagine for me that none of Chernyshov, Musty or Misa make the team out of camp.
Grier is always considering his long-term cap management, and I think fans who aren’t demanding high profile UFA signings understand that. Drafting Ravensbergen is a good long-term asset but it also is shrewd for future cap management. If Askarov ends up a $10M goalie, he can be the tradeable cap casualty instead of a skater if you have Ravensbergen as a cheaper option ready be a starter in 5 years.
I think Misa makes the team.
Well I think it's been the general consensus that for Misa, his talents are a much better fit at center than at wing. His game comes alive when he's allowed to cover more ice. I hope Misa does end up going the college route to bulk up for a year as I worry his body is not NHL durable or ready yet.
Fantastic episode
>Goodorw on the 3rd line
You can tell Peters doesn't watch the Sharks. Goodorw can barely handle 4th line minutes.
I would love to hear an argument about putting out a forth line that is composed of young skilled players as opposed to older slower vets that aren’t contributing points anymore. I realize it is conventional wisdom to have a grinder line with some physicality but I haven’t heard the logical proof for this other than perhaps physicality. But shouldn’t skill and point production trump checking?
Michael Knight called and he wants his theme song back.
Definitely sleeping on Graf, I see him as a key piece for the team moving forward. I like the Wennberg, Skinner, Graf line alot, which to me signals the Sharks are trying to push Misa to the NCAA. That's the way I see the Skinner signing. Otherwise you should send out Kurashev somehow.
I see the lines like this:
Kurashev – Celebrini – Toffoli
Eklund – Smith – Gaudette
Skinner – Wennberg – Graf
Fourth line constant mash up
Orlov – Muk
Ferraro – Klingberg
Dickinson/Cagnoni – Liljegren/Leddy/Desharnais
I think there will be quite a bit of line shuffling this whole season but I'm excited to see it play out
Good podcast and guest, very knowledgeable.
What a great guest. Great episode.
I am very appreciative of this episode Sheng and found the discussion over the lineup and players was very informative and enlightening.
I am fascinated with having Guadette on line 2 and the idea that he could as good a good fit with Smith and Eklund.
I thought it would be fun to have Orlov and Muk paired together as they are both Russian speakers and adding Askarov may bring an element when they are all on the ice together.
Obviously, the best pair would be what you had stated (Orlov and Klinberg), but I thought that would be fun.
I was also curious for your thoughts on having a fourth line which is a bit younger with your fourth line but without Dellandrea. Instead adding a young player like Cardwell or Chernyshov?
Not that I dislike Dellandrea but I do not understand bringing back a player that scored all of one goal in over 65 games. he was part of the issue last season for their lack of goals. I was hoping that bringing in players like Gaudette and Skinner was to be able to remove players like Dellandrea that provided zero production.
Thoughts?
Sheng, you Gotta stop cutting people off. It's absolutely obnoxious and annoying. Stop
Reaves help with defense, Skinner with offense cuz we need scoring. I'd like to see how Skinner and Celebrini match up to help score some goals. Cuz by God we need the help. With Reaves help fending off opposing defenses with Goodrow, Leddy and Orlov. We should be a defense not to be messed with!!!
Talk about an enthusiastic guest, good shit guys. All bets are off when it comes to opening night lines …gonna be interesting