The Window Opens + The Climb Begins

0:00Hey, scholars, the San Jose Sharks Audio Network is on 24 hours a day. Whether you're in the office or on the co, make sure that you download the Sharks SAP Center app and hit listen anytime. You can also find us on your computer by going to sjsharks.com slash listen. If it's a game broadcast, breaking news or a player feature, the place to find it is right here. On the San Jose Sharks Audio Network. You're listening to the San Jose Sharks Morning Tie. Morning Tie. Now here's your host, Ted Rady. Well, well, well, it's the start of the 2627 season, the most highly anticipated season in the history of the San Jose Sharks, which is remarkable because the sharks aren't seen by all as true contenders. Now, I think they will contend to make the playoffs. And in my opinion, I would be relatively disappointed if they did not make the playoffs, although I am looking for improvement for the sake of improvement overall, if they increased by a certain number of points and they happen to miss out.

1:07It's still improvement, but ultimately this San Jose Sharks team with the additions of truba of nurse of Marchment of Kessel ring. Now you see Luca Canioni coming into the NHL full time. Now you see Michael Misa ready to take that next step. Same story for Igor Chernashov. Evar Stemberg looks like he is way ahead of the curve as a rookie. Will Smith seems like he is ready to take that next step in his career, a full year of key for Sherwood. Zacko Stapcheck, he showed so much improvement last year. Colin Graff, same story with him and he got a new deal out of it. And then of course, Maclin Celebrini coming off a year in which he set the franchise record for points. It feels like for the team eventually the sky is the limit, but they're not quote unquote there yet in the eyes of everyone. And yes, they could get ahead of schedule. They could make a deep run in the playoffs. All these things are possible.

2:07Same story for the other end of the spectrum. They could fall short. They could find themselves not where they want to be when all is said and done. They could find that less easy to believe because I do believe the way this team has put together the mentality that so many of these players share. They've got their eyes on bigger and greater designs. They want to make noise in this NHL season. They're not willing to be patient anymore. I mean, I think of the way that keeper Sherwood played throughout the entire second half of the season with San Jose once he got healthy. He was a difference maker the way he hit guys the way he was a terror out there on the ice. And he's likely to be on that fourth line. Mason Marchman comes in as the muscle to play up top with Will and Mac and provide some protection against the team like Florida. And yeah, that is that is something that everyone is going to be paying attention to. Florida is a team that can go out there and try and bully San Jose is San Jose by way of trouba and nurse and Marchman and Sherwood. Going to be able to push back with Kessel ring.

3:08Are they going to be able to push back with those step Chuck? Are they going to be able to push back? These are all the questions that we're waiting to have answered and we're going to find out not all of those answers in any way shape or forming game one. One of 84 gives you almost nothing. We are just going to find out if the excitement is legit because I do think they're going to put up a really, really good show against this Florida side. Everyone's going to be excited and everyone is going to walk away from SAP center tonight or from the television broadcast or from the shark's out of the net broadcast feeling very, very much validated in the reasons they were excited for the team. So let's talk about a lot of these storylines going into the season with Curtis Pichelka of Bay Area News Group who joins us this morning. He's got a big piece coming out this morning in the Mercury News and Bay Area News Group about Maclin celebrating in the sharks Curtis. What's going on, man? How are you doing? Doing well. I don't do it well. You know getting ready for another season of sharks hockey could be a very interesting season for this team.

4:12A lot of expectations for the first time in in quite a while. So yeah, it will be. It should be a interesting season for sure for sure and I'm curious you start off there because you talk about the expectations and how much hype there is how much excitement there is. This isn't a team that's expected to content like the sharks have had those teams with jumbo and patty and you know you go back to the previous era of you know a decade ago that was when the window was open for you know 10 15 years. But this is very different. Why do you think the excitement is there is it because the fan base has broadened by way of Maclin, Celebrini and Will Smith being two young stars on the rise. Or is it just because this is the return of the sharks and it coincides with these young stars after the sharks have spent since 2019 essentially you know in the basement or close to it. Right, I think yeah the visibility of you know some of the younger players on the team obviously guy like Mackle, Celebrini is you know pretty well known now around the Bay Area just from what he all accomplished.

5:20Especially last year you know in the NHL and in the Olympics and you know he's got a bigger profile now than he ever has and that's kind of one of the story as you'll be so we you know been in tomorrow's mercury news that have been working on here for a couple of days just about how much of a public how much more public visible is now than in just a couple of years time and you know now the sharks kind of have their group you know we've seen so much turnover of these last. You know two three four years now it seems you've kind of got your nucleus together that's going to be together for for quite a while so I think just some excitement in that's in that knowing that you know sharks fans can go and get a jersey and not not the other guys and you know this with a name played on it's not worry about this guy getting traded or released or something like that in the next little while so just a lot of excitement about the team a lot of investment a lot of dollar spent. By ownership to to improve the team you get it to a position where it can be maybe a container for a plough spot to share that's expectation from the players right now is that this that they're ready to take that next step.

6:31It's interesting you and I are nine to five years and I see it frequently whether it's downtown whether it's you know at the shopping centers around here wherever people wear Maclin celebration so sweaters excuse me and you know they're they're out there wearing sharks gear and my dad you know he's semi retired works at a golf course he sees a lot of sharks gear and I think this is a unique instance of the sharks having that ability to go from a San Jose team to a Bay Area. So I think that's a great opportunity to get a team all of the warriors right 100% and you know the the name recognition there obviously his dad has works you know for the warriors for quite a while now and and you know so that there is that sort of you know brand appeal that I guess you a lot of a lot of people know cadal associate him with the sharks and it's having such an elite young player on the team you know creates a buzz around the Bay Area just a lot of money.

7:31You know just you know it because you know we've seen it here just recently it over the last five six years that the team was going through a lengthy lengthy rebuild people did quite weren't quite sure. You know when the team was going to be a contender again but now they've got to feel that excitement and you know you know you know what the Bay Area I mean you need to win you got to win games for people to show up and by tickets and by the merchant once they start doing that last year that you a lot of people jumped on board. Yeah for sure and they jumped on board in a hurry. What or how are you defining success for the sharks this year? Well just that you know they're the things they they've worked on or tried to address the off season that it actually takes place. You know they talked a lot about growth drink you know at the end of last season and and during camp this year about the need to cut back on the goals against how much can they do that this year.

8:31Can they be a team that can match up with some of the NHL's best teams like tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Not only from a skill perspective maybe just a team toughness perspective as well. They worked on that this summer trying to address that so you know just being able to sort of compete on a nightly basis. Have that consistency see growth from younger players obviously no Mac and wants to take the step for this year. They'll Smith Michael Misa return a shove. Sam Dickinson to some extent as well and now it's the rookie newcomer and I have our stand back to so it's those are the things I would consider success. The development of the young guys play during identity and also. You know just you know. Be a team that can be defensively responsible and and we'll see if that all that happens we'll see how far it takes. So you're not putting it a line of like make the playoffs don't make the playoffs. It's not binary for you.

9:34Well you know it is that it isn't I mean it's just we don't know where that playoff cut line is going to kind of be this year they had 86 points. Last season now is this if they if they are a 95 point team this year but they don't get in is that a failed season well I think you know from the players perspective they probably do pretty disappointed. I think from a management perspective my career is talked about this he doesn't want to put net this sort of that label on this team where it's playoffs or boss that he wants to see growth. Internal growth from from the players on the team especially the young guys and for the veterans to. So play up to their standard as well so. I think I think from just from my perspective if they don't make the playoffs yeah it would be a disappointment no doubt about it but you also. You know what what to see these other sort of benchmarks being reached as well. Let's start with Sam Dickinson because you brought it up and I think right now there's a little bit of a question mark around him in the chance that he could be a healthy scratch on night one for San Jose is this.

10:34The team trying to light a fire under him or how are you viewing it right now. I'm just doing it that they've got you know other defense and sort of had better camps like Nolan Allen I think coming into camp was maybe thought of as being a seventh of tenth defenseman you know just a steady reliable guy you can kind of plug in there. Whenever you're needed to but I think he's come in he's had a great camp. He started off I think is the as a bottom pair type defense but right now they've got him beside. Jacob Truba inside the top top four group there so they really like him and you know Sam had you know probably had not the greatest start to the camp but I think he's gotten better. As time goes on here and I think is best the best he's looked was in that last preseason game in in Las Vegas there so he's you know I mean it's just to kind of just speaks to the competition that in an internal competition that the sharks are kind of built here you look at.

11:35You know the defense core and yes it looks like Sam Dickinson's got to be scratched tomorrow night. They also look at the four group to and it looks like you know title and you're just signed a two year extension you know in May. It's probably going to be scratched too is you know things have gotten deeper. You know with the four group as well so you know there's competition right now and Sam is you know developing is growing out will see. If he's going to give you consistently healthy scratch with the see what the sharks do with them does it make sense then to to send them down to the American league just to make sure he's staying fresh and can play a ton of minutes and maybe develop that way. That could be a solution here to going for but I think for now he's just use this to be guys going to be on the roster and look for his opportunity to get in once you know of the sharks running to some adversity here. With a lot of these new players on the blue line especially truba nurse Kessel ring I mean three large bodies to kind of go against what you might see with the orloff and and cags.

12:41Is this is this enough for the team to kind of have more that beef as well as a keeper sure would. An animation march meant to be able to have that pushback against teams like Florida against Vegas that they simply did not have before. Yeah I mean you would like to think so I mean especially a guy like drawn out there as you. You know his hat sort of a history of just you know battling and being that type of defenseman i think it's the jake of truba too as the reputation is being one of the harder open ice hitters especially among defense in the NHL. We're off to or off to I mean it was not about it is not he's not the tallest guy in the world but he's you know he's built like refrigerator almost so he's yeah I mean definitely what. The makers part of his part of his motivation was bringing bringing those guys in was to add a little more grits and a little more toughness and make this team a hard play against.

13:41You know from the start of the regular season here so you know we'll find out we'll find out tomorrow night I think it was a good sign if you remember in that that preseason game in Vegas that. You know I think it was Brent leiston for for the golden night soon who I think you check key for sure would like three four times in the back across trectum and then jake of truba steps right in it kind of tackles. That goes leads into the ice and kind of that situation there too so that was good to see from the sharps perspective that that kind of push back there like you talked about so. We test it right away you know obviously Florida's coming in and it should be a fun game tomorrow night just in my opinion kind of a real perfect opening for the sharp season because it's going to test them in a lot of different areas. Yeah you get to learn a lot about the team in a real hurry and they had a great win in overtime spoil Carolina's banner raising last night which was a great way to open up the season. Marchment with Maclin and will what are your thoughts on that.

14:45You know I think again I could guy like marchments can add a little you know sandpaper to that line you can you can keep up with that line. Um in terms of the seat the speed and skill perspective to but you know it can also just sort of benefit from having a guy who's just six five and 225 pounds. On that line to as long as he can keep up and and make play so I think that's that's uh that's what we've got for now how long it lasts I don't quite know I think Ryan Rysoski is said he's going to you know try to keep these lines together for a little bit just to help them develop a little bit of chemistry but. It's started from day one of camp Marchment on that line was celebrating Smith and it's going to get a good look tomorrow night to see all that all kind of gels together what do you expect in points per game for Will Smith playing on the wing of celebrating well if he stays there all year stays healthy. I wouldn't be surprised to see maybe see a closer point per game you know around 70 75 maybe maybe a little bit over 80 points I don't think that's unrealistic it's.

15:48You know a lot of those points could come on the power play and I think the sharks feel pretty good about the personally have on their power play units right now. So that could be a big help in five on five to they're looking for him to you know generate there as well too so I think that that would be a good sort of benchmark for Will is. To get into the 70 point range and and you know be a consistent reliable contributor on that line have you been surprised at how well Stenberg has looked and how well he's played like some of the tight space moves he made and I know people can say well Ted and that game against an a high you know that was a a L roster my reactions their professionals the a L it's still a pretty darn good league in Stenberg had the where with all and mindfulness to be able to move the puck in very tight spaces he and Misa had remarkable chemistry and he's also looked pretty responsible on the defensive end as well. Yeah that's kind of what.

16:48What people were thinking about him when it first got drafted you know even last year. Competing in this we just like this is a very smart player is hockey stands was off the charts and like you said kind of it could be a very good to a two way winger here for a lot of years to come so. You know the fact that he did play against you know men last year pro league has no doubt has what I helped him will help him I think adjust the NHL maybe a little bit quicker than say a guy like. Get a mechanic Toronto just because of that experience of being a being a pro and kind of knowingly what to expect here is just the guy he doesn't really seen by. Face by too much you know he's he's he's a pretty calm level head kid turns 19 today so he's he's eager to kind of get things started here and it's going to be a big test for him on that whenberg line because that's. You know at home you know when the sharks are at home here that's usually a line that gets a lot more tougher matchups against the other teams top line toe so we'll see all that that goes but I think the sharks are pretty confident that they got a really good good good player.

17:59You know make contributions to this team right away. Now it should be very very exciting to see what happens next. Brass graph I'm curious last year is preseason was not good in fact Nadell Cavicch got the opening night starts. He didn't look good until the month of November it all came to a head with that October 28th start against L.A. Where he was giving us the one word answers in the post game and you can almost see the steam coming out of his ears he was not a happy camper and then he had an incredible November but was never able to really recapture that form. He's spoken about some of those offseason changes focused on recovery said he gained 5 10 pounds new coach over in Russia. Do you think he's poised to turn into the consistent top tier goalie the sharks hope T could become when they invested those Tomas hurdle. You know assets into him. I think he's poised to take us 10 forward I don't know if he's going to kind of end up being sort of the clear cut number one guy this season or not.

18:59You know over an 84 game season you probably need the pro sharks probably need Alex Delkovich to play a 30 to 35 games anyway so. But the start certainly hope that he can sort of develop into. You know a no more of a number one reliable type player. You know in his second full NHL season last year you mentioned the great November he had but you know sort of towards the end of last season he didn't quite know where you're going to get. From your last law of ask or off and maybe it's something that a little bit have to do with the schedule. And then you know the travel just sort of you know getting used to sort of that and show kind of lifestyle after spending you know the last three years basically in the American where you play. You know two three times a week at most and have the other times to sort of train and practice and develop so. It's a big year for for your slug to sort of take that step forward and. I'll be a step you'll take I'm not I'm not quite sure but he seems poised to maybe have a little bit better year for sure.

20:00How much do you think he and the Delkovich will also be aided by the fact that it seems like there'll be a better team defense in front of them whether we're talking about the blue line or specifically or the team last year they were terrible boxing guys out. They were constantly they themselves screening their goalie or the goalies were getting screens. You know I feel like if that goes up that's like a third of a goal improvement on each of those guys numbers. We'll have an easier time making saves I just last year sometimes I'll be watching and I'd be like why aren't you like you can put your butt into him and move him you don't have to let him camp in front of the goalie right no exact yeah that net front that's a huge reason to. Why they bring in guys like nurse and true book and you know castle rings you know six five six six himself kind of thing so that's yeah I mean that you know puck management last year I mean some of the giveaways last season or just even a few years really it just kind of been you know pretty egregious and sometimes you know really costs in the team points in each game kind of things so I think you know they've taken some steps here to become a more defensive team and the focus is sort of just spend less time in your end have some defense

21:16and you can make a first pass out of the wrong zone to to start a rush the other way kind of thing that's going to be critically important for this defense court to do and I think that's due and you know I think they got you know the personnel to at least make strides in that area this year so you don't get him in their own zone you know kind of like they had been and maybe the last two or three years here what's the storyline with the team that people aren't really talking about but they're curious to see. Well you know part of it's the start of the to the start of the season it's going to be pretty critical for the sharks to get off to a good start in the least kind of remain you know in the mix here not to fall to fall behind me last year they started two six and two kind of had to call their way back you know behind that you know to remember tremendous months that the last year of how November last year so for me it's going to be you know dealing with the early part of the schedule you know the year first 12 games are on the road a lot of playoff teams and that mix too so that's going to be important for this team and I think to just the you know finding some secondary scoring to like last year with the stats said that when Macletoe Breene had a point where the sharks record is really good.

22:32When he didn't have a point it was awful so that's going to be important for the sharks to find some secondary scoring when Macletoe Breene maybe has an off night and isn't quite producing at the level that you know people are are you students used to seeing for them so two things to kind of watch out there for me it's just to get some secondary scoring and and you know proving you could be a team that comes out of the gate playing well. The sharks have not had a captain the last couple years because Logan mature has been out and you know he until he announced that he was stepping away albeit not retiring specifically it's just kind of been out there and a lot of people thought oh maybe it'll be when burger to fully and I think obviously celebrate the way that he played last year and what he did it became very very clear that he would be the captain but I'm curious there's his captain see it all help Ryan Warsaw ski in the terms of the game. The team structure is now very clear in terms of the coach to the captain and the assistance and you know they're the alternates excuse me and how it kind of helps build that foundation of what the team leadership is.

23:42Yeah for sure and the look at you know some of the best sharks teams the best teams the sharks have had at recent years and was a real is a room that really got a police itself like it you didn't need the coach hanging over you to say this that. You know say this that the other is really a player driven run room and leadership so i think that's sort of the the the thought this year sort of the hope that the you know the sharks can handle things you know internally without having so much so much you know. You know having the coach sort of say it you know day at day out that the players can kind of deliver that message and police their own kind of situation internally so so yeah and I think you know having this you know be having the 20 year old captain he's definitely going to be a hell. I eat it by you know having some little veterans around a nurse you know when Berg good row and she's afraid of lost guys and it's a nurse good row to fully and yeah okay.

24:50Yeah okay apologies yeah so apologies to tell her to actually watch this but anyway so so yeah just having those guys who've been around for quite a while helped him is first year as a captain I think the sharks have made the right picks there and and now it's just a matter of sort of seeing how things have all over the course of the year. Is there any limit to what celebrity can do. Well you know what I was we're talking to Ray Ferrero on an ESPN conference called not too long ago and you said you can actually have a better year with maybe less points yeah. You know you can actually be in a situation where maybe he doesn't have to carry that load all by himself quite like he did last year but still actually have a better season and maybe lead the shark to some some some wins to a lot of it. You know maybe not from the production standpoint otherwise certainly there's certainly no reason maybe to think why you can't get more than 115 points this year but he said one of the things he needs to work on or prove is just taking care better care of the pocket you led the.

26:02The sharks with you know with five on five turnovers last year giveaways or when you want to frame it and he said that's definitely that something that's he got to work on this year just taking care no better care of the pocket and no not feeding other teams offense you know maybe. At times like you did last year kind of things that's a big that's going to be a big thing for him is just cutting back on those turnovers while also you know creating the kind of offense that the sharks kind of need for them so it's going to be. It's going to be interesting year for for for Matt but I think we're all eager to see kind of how he helped the forms in year three because all eyes are on him. It's wild just how much the dynamic has changed for this team because we really haven't gotten into Michael Misa we haven't talked about Alex Wenberg Tyler to fully calling graph all key pieces of this team. But there's just that's the thing is there are pieces now I mean calling graph as long as tenured member of this team now which I mean my career did the rebuild Curtis I mean he tore it down to the studs it's a completely different team.

27:08I mean that's that's the wild thing about this is that the sharks got through to the other side and even though they haven't made the playoffs yet but if you were to compare this to how long it took Buffalo per se or what's currently going on in Detroit. I mean my career invited the pain in a way that few teams really have a man that closest comparison I have is what the Astros did there and you know like 2011 2012 before they became diagnostic and garbage cans included but you know they they invited the pain not every team will do a rebuild and still invite the pain the same way that the sharks or like I said the Astros did I guess you can kind of put the cubs in that category right right. Yeah I mean back when the sharks were going to their GM search you know a few years ago there basically Mike Mike you got the job because he laid it all out there saying you know this team needs to really rebuild and not just dip its toe into water.

28:08So I think it's a good thing to spend more years or in that mushy metal that if you want to win a Stanley Cup and bring one bring a Stanley Cup to San Jose for the first time you really have to have sort of a long term plan and that was you know trading some of the most high profile players for picks and prospects you know they're just going you know getting to a situation where you're you're okay with you know maybe having 10,000 people in the building on a night. So a lot of credit goes to the sharks front office the owner also partner in my opinion for serving and allowing right to sort of you know fulfill his vision for this team and take the steps necessary to build a long term winner here in San Jose that compete for Stanley Cup because you know for a couple of years after the sharks last made the playoffs and kind of you seem like you're spinning their wheels and I think that it's going to be a good thing to do. I think you might be like you're spinning their wheels and I think that the direction where they finally got a direction where when Mike came in he's sort of built this thing up piece by piece and and you know I think the sharks fans hope that it pays off this season with the with the playoffs appearance the door certainly seems to be open right now.

29:25Curtis I will let you go but I appreciate your time and your work as always and I will see you soon all right. You got it. That's Curtis Michelle and we are out of time remember 6 30 pregame 7 o'clock go time the sharks host the Panthers game one tonight on the sharks audio network for the San Jose sharks I'm Ted Raimi signing off. You've been listening to the San Jose sharks morning tide brought to you by course light on the sharks audio network. I'm ice cup sure would back in here's me so to the right stinger shot star. I want to one time or by stinger and bring in vision by me so and by his other line make sure what. Stinger puts the shark in front six nothing with an absolutely spectacular finish. you