AGRI Biz

In the third piece of my series, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," assessing the San Jose Sharks offseason, we examine the ugly or non-moves of the summer. (See the following links to read about the team's good and bad decisions in free agency.) The thing that makes these decisions ugly is the business of the NHL: It is not so much that they were bad moves as they ...

From Thursday through Saturday of last week, the San Jose Sharks took major steps toward shaping their future. First of all, there was the NHL Draft; for a look at that, see Shark-Infested Blogger . But there was significant free-agent news, as well. (For a look at play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn's insights on that topic, see my interview with him.) Unrestricted free agents Patrick Marleau, ...

We all knew it was coming, but it is still a sad day for San Jose Sharks fans. Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks officially said they would not be bringing back Evgeni Nabokov. Next season will be the goalie's first in another NHL uniform. Sure, there might be a few out there who blame Nabby for the team's playoff failures. It is only natural: Nabokov has been the guy in net for ...

This was a follow-up question I asked Randy Hahn after talking about young players on the Sharks who we should look for contributions from in 2010-11. To see that question, read the companion piece on Shark-Infested Blogger.   MJ Kasprzak: You mentioned McGinn, and I was following the stats for blocked shots and things. I know, while I’m watching a game, I’m too emotionally invested in it—I don’t always ...

This is the follow-up question on the lack of objectivity in the organisation; for part one, see my companion piece on Shark-Infested Blogger. As always, my contributions to the interview are in italics, and Mr. Hahn's responses in regular type. There also was some defensiveness throughout the organisation about the play of Joe Thornton in the first round, talking about contributing in ways that don’t show up on ...

The Sharks have 20 players whose contracts expire, including some minor leaguers with NHL experience and a dozen who played significant roles for San Jose this season. Many will earn more than the contracts they had, so it will be nearly impossible to re-sign all of them. Do you think Doug Wilson will take this opportunity to change the makeup of the team, or consider will he consider this season ...

The youngest captain in the league, Jonathan Toews, showed the San Jose Sharks leadership their team lacked by performing at his best in virtually every game this postseason. He has scored a point in 13 straight games after getting an assist Sunday afternoon. It did not have to be like this. The Sharks out-performed the Blackhawks in most statistics, but were out-scored 13-7. There is a pattern of the Sharks being out-played ...

Anyone watching the NHL Western Conference Finals so far has seen the same thing. The Chicago Blackhawks just look better than the San Jose Sharks. It would be naive to think that tweaking line or defensive combinations, or inserting role players who have been scratched in place of the current line-up, would change that fact. San Jose will have to make changes in their strategy , and their ...

It has not been a good series for the San Jose Sharks. In both games, the supposedly more physical team was bullied in their supposedly inhospitable home—voted the toughest building to play in on the road, where they were 5-1 through two rounds of the playoffs—by rude guests,  who scored twice as often as their hosts. Perhaps the most difficult thing is this year's team is not ...