While I was getting my beauty sleep this morning (since I need all that I can get), San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson did the unthinkable and signed Blackhawk RFA Niklas Hjalmarsson to an offer sheet, a four year deal worth $3.5M per year.

For those of you completely confused by that first paragraph (how can she get even more beautiful?), here’s a bit of an explanation about the rules concerning free agency. There are two basic types of free agents: unrestricted (UFAs) and restricted (RFAs). UFAs are, with some exceptions, players older than 27. As soon as noon eastern on July 1 hits, a UFA can sign with any team they want, with their former team not getting any compensation. RFAs are players under 27 whose contracts are up but have been qualified by their team. Qualifying offers is basically where a team offers the minimum contract allowed in order to retain that player’s rights. Once they have his rights, if another team signs that player to the offer sheet (giving them a contract that they accept), the team that holds the rights has a chance to either match the offer and retain the player to the exact contract the other team gave the RFA, or let the player go and receive compensation in the form of draft picks based on the cap hit.

Here’s the situation: Chicago can either match the Sharks’ offer and retain Hjalmarsson for a $3.5M cap hit, or they can give him up and receive the Sharks’ 1st and 3rd round picks in the 2011 draft. The Blackhawks currently have $3.6M in cap space after their bonus penalties, and need to add at least 6 players to the roster. If they chose to match the Sharks’ offer, they will have to waive Cristobal Huet, and fill the roster out with near-league minimum players. They will likely lose Niemi as well, as he chose to go to arbitration and will likely be awarded more than they can give him. The Sharks, on the other other hand, already have seven defensemen signed, and will likely have to trade one if Chicago does not match.

GMs don’t offer sheet RFAs. It’s like an unspoken agreement around the league that teams leave RFAs alone, save for trying to trade for their rights and negotiate on their own. Brian Burke is possibly the most outspoken about it, stemming from when Kevin Lowe signed away Dustin Penner from his team at the time, the Anaheim Ducks. Since the inception of the offer sheet, it has only been used a few times, the last time being the aforementioned Penner signing. It has become status quo that RFAs are as good as re-signed, provided they are qualified.

Doug Wilson changed that. For a guy that is such a stickler about decorum and league rules (he refuses to discuss his thoughts about any player not on his team, save for comparisons of Kent Huskins to Rob Scuderi), he was the one that broke the status quo and signed an RFA to an offer sheet.

This was a ballsy move that took advantage of a cap-strapped team. I love it. If Chicago matches, they’re hurt even more cap-wise. If they don’t, Sharks shore up their defense with a young shut-down defenseman. It’s win-win for the Sharks, and lose-lose for the Blackhawks. This is what offer sheeting was supposed to do – make teams mind their cap space more, and allow teams to take advantage of teams who don’t.

Doug Wilson has made this the summer of revenge towards the team that swept the Sharks this playoffs. He first helped facilitate the trade of Byfuglien, Sopel, and Eager to the Thrashers to help dismantle the Blackhawks’ role players, and now he’s attempting to steal out Hjalmarsson from under the Blackhawks and making them make roster decisions much sooner than they would have otherwise (they probably would have waited until after Niemi’s arbitration hearing on July 29th). This is the ultimate response to a playoff sweep, outside of returning the favor.

But besides the kick-ass revenge factor, a Hjalmarsson signing is great on its own. He’s young – only 23, the same age as Vlasic – and already is experienced and a top 4 defenseman. He will instantly be the Sharks’ third-best defenseman, after Boyle and Vlasic. He’s not in the role of the offensive puck-moving defenseman that Wilson loves, but he’s also not the 5th/6th defenseman that the Sharks have four of already. Yeah, he sucked in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but he was a large part of the reason why he was in the Finals and the Sharks weren’t.

There’s at the most a week before we all find out whether or not Niklas Hjalmarsson is a San Jose Shark. While I’m personally hoping that Chicago doesn’t match, making the Sharks’ defense that much better instantly, there really isn’t a bad outcome in this situation.

One of the Sharks' 20th anniversary logos, also revealed this week

I’ll be following the draft both today and tomorrow, but here’s just a quick rundown of what has happened this past week.

Brad Staubitz to the Minnesota Wild for a 5th round pick
I like this move. The Sharks only had four draft picks this year, and managed to get another one by giving up their “most minor penalties taken per 60 minutes in the NHL” enforcer. And not a 7th rounder, which I would have expected for an RFA enforcer – a 5th! And regarding team toughness, which does admittedly go down a bit with Staubitz’s departure, there are two prospects in the AHL who both bring size, fighting ability, and actual hockey skills to the table: Frazer McLaren and Brandon Mashinter. See ya, Staubtiz, and to paraphrase the great Humphrey Bogart: We’ll always have Tootoo.

NHL Schedule was released
If you haven’t seen my giant run-down of the schedule yet, click here.

Evgeni Nabokov will not be re-signed
I promise to have an entire post dedicated to him after the craziness of the draft and everything dies down, but for now, let me just say that while it was probably time for the Sharks to move on from the goalie that has been the stalwart in goal for the past decade, all Sharks fans will miss him. From his quirky sense of humor and die-hard competitiveness to chanting “NABBY! NABBY! NABBY!” most every game, from breaking onto the scene with a Calder Trophy to the save of the decade against Brendan Morrow in 2008, we will always remember the greatest goalie in Sharks history. I, for one, will give Nabby a standing ovation whenever the Sharks may play him. And I also hope that someday in the future, his number 20 will be raised to the rafters of HP Pavilion.

Sharks receive Brett Sterling, Mike Vernace, and a 7th round pick from the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations
This trade seems weird on the surface, but in the context of that night it makes perfect sense. The Chicago Blackhawks were dumping a bunch of contracts they didn’t want on Atlanta (including Shark killer Dustin Byfuglien), but that would have caused Atlanta to go over the contract limit. So the Sharks swooped in, acquired two expiring contracts that would only be valid for the next week or so, and got a 7th round pick for the troubles. Future considerations is a fancy way of saying nothing. So, basically, the Sharks received a 7th round pick for helping deplete the Chicago Blackhawks’ depth and get Byfuglien into the other conference. There is no downside to this.

Patrick Marleau signs for 4 years, $6.9M per
The first of two contract signings yesterday. I’d been advocating for Marleau to be re-signed ever since it became clear that he wasn’t going to be traded. He was the top center UFA out there, with 44 goals and 84 points the past season. It was expected that he’d probably re-sign with the Sharks, although that didn’t stop armchair GMs from drooling over him. His contract falls in line with other Doug Wilson deals – relatively short and the complete opposite of cap circumvention. It’s a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but he does deserve it over his past two seasons, and would be incredibly hard to replace. Shark for life, please.

Joe Pavelski signs for 4 years, $4M per
This is right around where most people pegged him at, even a little less for some, especially after his “Big Pavelski” playoffs. He was one of the ultimate steals the past two years, signed for only $1.67M, and so he deserves the doubled salary. Especially compared to Ryan Kesler – who is a very similar player in most regards and is signed for $1M more – this is a great contract for the 25 year old player, who is by all accounts still going to get better.

Once again the time has come for the NHL regular season schedule to be released. The schedule guidelines remain the same: 6 games against each divisional opponent, 4 games for each conference opponent, and 1 game for each team in the other conference. There will be three “at large” teams from the opposing conference that will be played twice.

The schedule is as follows:

The games highlighted in yellow denote back-to-backs

As has been much publicized over the past few months, the Sharks will be starting their season in Stockholm, Sweden against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a back-to-back “home and home.” The Sharks will technically start their season at home, but their first game in the Tank is also their first game back on North American soil against the Atlanta Thrashers. Their first short homestand will also include a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, before they go on the road for a Northwest division road trip.

The three Eastern Conference teams the Sharks play twice are the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and New Jersey Devils. The Sharks played both the Capitals and Sabres twice last year, and replaced the Flyers with the Devils.

As with last year, the Washington Captials have not beat the Sharks at the Tank in now 14 years. However, Ovechkin did manage to score a goal against the Sharks last year, breaking that streak. It still would be nice to see the long record at the Tank hold up. The games will be on February 8 at Washington, and February 17 at San Jose.

Last year’s away game with the Sabres marked only the second and final time the Sharks were shut out all season, with the first being a 1-0 shootout loss. It was notable because it was right before the Olympics, and helped American Hero Ryan Miller get back on track. The games will be on December 9 at Buffalo, and January 6 at San Jose.

The only game the Sharks played the Devils last year was a 4-3 loss, and the first game after the Olympics. However, it was a notable game because the Sharks had a 3 goal third period, just falling short of a comeback. The next three games the Sharks would set an NHL record with the most consecutive regulation comebacks after being down entering the third period. The games will be on October 27 at San Jose, and February 11 at New Jersey.

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Another year, another Hall of Famer retiring after playing with the Sharks for two years. This year it is Sharks captain Rob Blake, a 20 year NHL veteran who has won the Olympic Gold Medal, a Stanley Cup, and the Norris trophy. He is one of the highest-scoring defensemen of all time, and is legendary for his booming slapshot from the point.

Rob Blake wasn’t quite the fan favorite that Jeremy Roenick was, but he was one of the Sharks’s best shut-down defensemen in his two years here, despite him reaching 40 and his propensity for hooking and interference penalties (hence his nickname, “Captain Hook”). He was a leader for the Sharks in every sense of the word.

Here is a live blog of his press conference.

11:02 – Brodie Brazil and Dan Rusanowski introduce the press conference. Devin Setoguchi, Evengi Nabokov, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau are all here. So is Mike Ricci. Also lots of Rob’s non-Sharks friends. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I’m taking the presence of the three free agents (plus Joe) as a good sign for their re-signing prospects. But that’s just me over-analyzing.

11:03 – Greg Jamison just used the phrase “rain on our parade” to describe Blake’s effect on the Sharks throughout the years while he was with the Avalanche and Kings. Now I have that song stuck in my head.

11:04 – Blake would have been a farmer if not for a hockey player. “It would have been a great farm.”

11:05 – Blake has 10th-most goals, 3rd-most power play goals among defensemen of all time. It was such a great moment when he passed Doug Wilson on the all-time list. Sort of a full circle moment – the first Sharks captain’s place in history had been surpassed by the current Sharks captain.

11:05 – “It took us about 5 years to convince him to come here, and it was well worth the wait.” Doug Wilson showing that he always targets guys for a long time before he actually gets them.

11:06 – DW is crediting Blake’s wife for all of his success, since he achieved most accolades after he got married. “Probably should have married her earlier.”

11:08 – Awww, DW is talking about Blake’s father and their mutual respect for each other. Also, DW just offered Blake a job. Well, he offered Blake’s wife to take Blake off her hands by giving Blake a job.

11:09 – Dan R just gave me a bit of a scare – “Now, let me introduce the captain of the Sharks -” Wait, they’re introducing the new captain now?!? “-Rob Blake.” Ohhhh, phew.

11:10 – Rob Blake just said it, so it’s official. “I am announcing my retirement.” The guy barely got through that statement.

Continue reading this post…

Yesterday marked the first day of the off-season. Meaning, there’s nothing really hockey-related going on for a few weeks. Good news is, baseball is on! Apparently, they’ve already been playing for a couple of months. Who knew?

Anyways, as I dove headfirst into Giants baseball (which is something like diving head first into the shallow end of the pool: torture), I realized there was something very familiar about this ballclub. The front office, the players, the history… It seemed like I had seen this before, only on ice and in a place where a “double double” isn’t a cheeseburger. All of a sudden, I got it.

The San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Maple Leafs are the same team. Look:

• Their offenses were composed of a single, 22 year old player who was expected to carry the team on his back. Not only that, but that player is less than average on defense. This idea, while initially thought to be completely sound, failed spectacularly.
   
• Neither Bengie Molina nor Vesa Toskala can block a small, roundish object unless it was directed right at their chests, even if it was a Barry Zito fastball or a Rob Davison clearing attempt from 180 feet away (which have about the same velocity).
   
• They have the worst of two trios: Bengie of the Molina brothers, and Toskala of the Warren Strelow-trained goalies.
   
• Brian Sabean and Brian Burke both have a penchant for gritty gamers. “Truculence” is Burke’s catch phrase, and if Sabean knew what that word meant he’d probably use it too.
   
• The Giants haven’t won the World Series since they left New York. The Maple Leafs haven’t won since the the leage expanded from 6 teams. Both teams haven’t won since before Chris Chelios could read (granted, growing up all he had were cave paintings, but still).
   
• Wayne Gretzky’s high stick and the Game 6 game ball both have the innate ability to send their respective fanbases into a blind rage with a passing mention.
   
• Good enough to miss out on a top pick (well, when it matters), but bad enough to miss that thing where you play longer than usual for that shiny thing.
   
• Lee Stempniak was traded to the Coyotes and started scoring at almost a goal per game pace. Fred Lewis was traded to the Blue Jays and is now on pace to set the record for most doubles. Similar comparisons can be made with Alexei Ponikarovsky and Kevin Frandsen.
   
• John Ferguson Jr and Brian Sabean have about the same mental capacity. Incidentally, so does a baboon, although I might be selling the baboon short.
   
• Both Bruce Bochy’s and Ron Wilson’s heads are huge. Although, Wilson’s is figeratively, while Bochy’s is freak-of-nature big.
   
• Both teams almost entirely consist of players that would be great complimentary players on a contending team. See: Kaberle, Tomas and Rowand, Aaron.
   
• The Maple Leafs make money for a pension fund. Giants give money to old players for their own pension funds.
   
• Brian Wilson’s nickname is “the Cardiac Kid.” Jonas Gustavsson needed heart surgery.
   
• Both teams have had long, heated rivalries with teams whose hometown fans have been known to riot after an inconsequential playoff win.
   
• The entire fate of the franchises rest on the shoulders of Buster Posey and Nazem Kadri. No pressure, guys.
   
• Aaron Rowand is a gritty defensive specialist that has a penchant for running into walls. Dion Phaneuf is a gritty defenseman that has a penchant for running into people.
   
• If it weren’t for Chicago teams, everybody would be focusing on their drought instead… Err, nevermind.
   

There was a mighty curse on the Blackhawks this year. No, not the one that they got from being from the same city as the Cubs, and not the much-hyped “Hossa Curse” (Marian Hossa has been to the Cup Finals three times in three years on three different teams… and only now has a Cup to show for it). It was the Curse of the Sharks – the 16 year long streak where any team matched up with the Sharks was doomed to fall short of the Cup.

Twelve times the Sharks had made the playoffs, and twelve times they or their opponents did not lift the Stanley Cup. It started with their miracle run of 1994, where they upset the Cup-favorite Wings in 7 games only to face the Maple Leafs (no, really!) and fall in 7 games (once again, really!). They then fell to the Vancouver Canucks in 5 games in the Western Conference Finals, and thus, a curse was born.

The teams that have fallen victim, in order: Toronto Maple Leafs (94), Detroit Red Wings (95), Dallas Stars (98), Colorado Avalanche (99), Dallas Stars (00), St. Louis Blues (01), Colorado Avalanche (02), Calgary Flames(04), Edmonton Oilers (06), Detroit Red Wings (07), Dallas Stars (08), and Anaheim Ducks (09). And yes, Sharks fans do not like the Dallas Stars or the Detroit Red Wings. We do, however, take solace in the fact that once they beat us, they won’t win the Cup. Or did.

What does this mean? Well, it means that the 6 or so hours I put into researching and writing this initial explanation of the Curse, and this examination of whether any other team had something similar happen to their opponents (SPOILER! it hasn’t) was all for naught. It could also, potentially, mean that the San Jose Sharks themselves will get over that darned playoff hump and finally bring a championship back to the Bay Area. We need one. I mean, when teams like the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders have had the most recent post-season success after the Sharks, you know that it’s bad.

So, congrats to Chicago for flipping off all the curses and jinxes in the world, planning parades and painting Cup murals and acquiring Hossa, and winning the Cup. I may kind of hate your team, but the Cup is quite an accomplishment. Just, why oh why did Patrick freaking Kane have to score the overtime winner? Are you trying to kill me?