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Sharks sucks I'm not watching anymore games

I don't really buy the 6th for 2nd analogy. Each transaction is its own. You should judge each transaction on its own merit. Afterall, Joe Pavelski was a 7th round pick... So if you traded him for a 5th round pick in 2009 that would have been a good transaction? 7th for a 5th? If you look at what goaltenders have been traded for, in season. Blackwood for a 2nd is fair market value. Kovalenko looks to be an impact player on the Sharks, so this was a good trade. Giavani Smith and Georgiev are basically make the Cap Hit work and give the Sharks a 1a/1b to replace Blackwook for the season. The teams also swapped same round picks (in different years), which is relatively minor. So Essentially a 2nd & Kovalenko on a rebuilding team, for a goaltender who said he wasn't likely to re-sign with the Sharks.

Thrun Ceci Rutta all trade bait

I really don’t get the concept some fans have of wanting to keep veterans like Granlund on the team. It’s specifically *BECAUSE* he’s so good that we should absolutely trade him for draft picks and/or young prospects. Why do you want to win like 10 more games this year or next, by keeping our best veterans like Granlund, and still miss the playoffs this year and next year??? Rather than trade for draft capital and/or young prospects, both of which will greatly help us have a stronger team in 5-10 years when we’re trying to get to the Stanley cup finals? The Sharks have put some incredibly good teams together over the years, as we made the finals one time in our history. BUT, as good as those teams were, we were just barely not good enough to take the cup home. Imagine if we had just 2 or 3 more top shelf/top 6-line-players on those Stanley cup contending teams… -> those couple additional top line players could have been the little bit more we needed that could have won us a cup or two. It’s not just about “tanking” by trading our best veterans now for draft picks & prospects… the most important reason to do that is to add another late 1st round pick or 2 this year and in the next couple years, so that we can stack our top 2 forward lines and our top 2 defense lines with as much 1st round talent as possible… so that in 5 years when we are actually making our push to not only make the playoffs, but to contend for a championship and make the finals… we have enough talent to bring home our first ever Stanley cup! (*Although, the tanking part helps too… imagine if we were allowed to draft Eric Lindros 1st overall in the 1991 draft, instead of Pat Falloon who we got at 2nd overall… tanking for the top 1st round picks sure does help the future of the team as well 😂) Those Marleau, Thornton, Hertl, Meier, Burns, Karlsson teams were Stanley cup contenders, but they fell just short. Those teams needed just 2 or 3 more 1st round talent players to be not just contenders, but Stanley Cup *WINNERS* … I’d rather lose an extra 10 games this year & next year and trade Granlund, Ferraro, etc… to get those 2-3 extra 1st round picks the next couple years to add to our fantastic young core of Celebrini, Smith, Eklund, Musty, Dickinson, etc. It’s specifically *because* those veteran players are so good that we should trade them. They are at their highest value ever right now, some are on expiring contracts, and their age means they will not be playing on the Stanley cup contending teams with Celebrini, Smith, etc in 5-10 years. I think Granlund & Ferraro together would bring a late 1st round pick back. Imagine if we get say Martone, or Misa, or Schafer with our top 5 pick this year, and then we also get a Musty-equivalent player late in the 1st round also. I would definitely take another Musty in this upcoming draft for Granlund and Ferraro this year. That’s how you build a team that doesn’t fall short and lose to the Penguins in the finals, and you build a team that ends up beating someone like the Red Wings or Sabres for the Stanley Cup in 2030-2035.

Avalanche fan here. I think for the Avalanche, the main concerns were to get rid of Georgiev and to get Blackwood. They did not care about getting Smith, in reality, he probably can not keep up with the Avs squad and will most like be with the AHL team. Kovalenko is a good future guy, but for NOW, the Avalanche have guys that are showing more promise. But Kovalenko could be good for future. I personally am sad to see Kovi leave.

Overall, this was a great trade. From an asset management prospective, GMMG took a sixth round pick for a goalie he knew, worked with and cared about. Helped him turn himself into a wanted player that other teams coveted. He got (IMO) two picks (2nd and 4/5th) and two players in return. He managed to soften the blow of losing Blackwood by getting a goalie he knows to fill the void Blackwood's departure leaves behind without affecting his current plans for the rebuild (Askarov's development is the main thing here). GMMG stated "It just gives us a little, maybe a little bit more time for Asky to play down there and keep building on what he's doing down there." He got a player he has coveted since last season that can play in the NHL now. No other prospect in the AHL can fill the role that Kovalenko will right now. As he stated in Sheng's interview, GMMG made the move earlier than planned: "It's kind of still in the stages of where we are. We look back historically on returns for goalies and in season. There's only two guys that have ever gotten a second-round pick, and both of them were coming off Vezina seasons, I believe, in Fleury and Robin Lehner. It was a return we thought we couldn't pass up. "It's probably a little earlier than I would have envisioned doing it. But the return, it's a good return of two draft picks as we continue to build." He made other quotes that explains that this move was not made lightly and GMMG believes this move fits into the team's rebuild plans. GMMG stated "... I think you guys all see how far we really are away from what the championship standard is in this league, and that's what we're trying to get to. It's my job to look at the present but keep an eye on the future as well. We got to keep building it." "It's probably a little earlier than I would have envisioned doing it. But the return, it's a good return of two draft picks as we continue to build." GMMG also noted why he thought the return was so good he could not pass up: “When someone calls you with an offer you feel like you can't refuse, and it's going to help continue to build this and set you up for the future, you have to kind of take it, ...” "..., It's kind of still in the stages of where we are. We look back historically on returns for goalies and in season. There's only two guys that have ever gotten a second-round pick, and both of them were coming off Vezina seasons, I believe, in Fleury and Robin Lehner. It was a return we thought we couldn't pass up." Overall, this IMO was a great move by GMMG and fits perfectly into what the Sharks organization is trying to do in the rebuild. We were going to lose Blackwood at the end of the season anyways and GMMG knew it. What is even better is a player we all like earned his way into trying to win a cup and the Avs got what they wanted. Everyone won, but for me the most important thing is that the Sharks improved their team for the future as we all know "the future is teal."

The last part of this trade is the picks. The Sharks got two picks and gave up one. The 5th round 2027 pick is not going to impact the Sharks at all and is easily replaced. Not a lose but was needed to complete the trade and IMO affected one of the picks they managed to pick up. This leads me into the 2025 conditional 5th round pick from Colorado. The conditions are what have me happy about this swap of 5th round picks. I know, I know, I said I hope the Avs go all the way and that this means that pick in next year's draft is more like a sixth but that will not be the case if the conditions are met. Which they will if the Avs do what they and I hope they do. The conditions are: 1) The Avs go to the third round of the playoffs (Conference Finals) 2) Blackwood starts 30 games (understandable considering his injury history) 3) He has to win 25 games If they do the 5th round pick will turn into a 4th round pick. A 4th round pick, I know is not much better than 5th round pick, but it is in next year's draft and GMMG is still trying to acquire assets in picks and such to make moves. I think he can use this pick to make a move up in the draft (as he did to land Svoboda) if there is a player he likes. Then the other pick is a 2026 second round pick (the other main assets GMMG got). GMMG drafted some good prospects in round 2 in the last three drafts. For example Igor Chernyshov (2024), Kaper Halttunen (2023), and Cameron Lund (2022). Check them out. GMMG has drafted very well three drafts in a row (the only drafts he was part of) and I trust him to do so again in 2026. He has added more options for future moves which can be used to acquire players or assets to propel the Sharks in their rebuild.

(Part 4) I wanted to add this about Kovalenko. He is on an expiring ELC, so even if they have to resign him, he will be a small hit on their cap this upcoming offseason, where (IMO) they will be big gam hunting to fill in the expected open positions in their roster. They are in the 'build' part of their rebuild and IMO will adding talent to the roster with lots of cap space to do so.

(Part 1) The second player they got in this trade Nikolai Kovalenko was a great pickup for where the Sharks are in their rebuild and how he can fit into not just the Sharks this season but also within the prospects they are developing. Let me explain why. Let us look at the player himself. He is five foot ten inches at 192 pounds at 25 years old. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. So, to make it to the NHL, is really really good. But I am sure everyone would say, but it took until he was 25? Well, I will digress to a GMMG quote of "every player develops differently." This means we need to know what it took for Kovalenko to get to North America. I specifically mention this because of his playing history. Nikolai Kovalenko played in the KHL for the last six seasons. Before he played in the MHL. For those that do not respect the KHL, IMO they are one of the four top PROFESSIONAL leagues in the world. The leagues are laid out in Russia just like they are in North America. Here are the equivalents. The KHL = the NHL, the MHL = the AHL, the VHL = the CHL. Following his career he developed in the Russian leagues the same way a prospect would in North America. The KHL is a league that players do not go to develop, the teams want to win. Development is a second consideration and most players are grown men. This is part of the reason we should be excited about this player (Barabanov anyone?). Kovalenko's numbers in his last two seasons were: 2022-2023: 42 games played, 35 points (11 goals and 24 assists), was a +5 2023-2024: 56 games played, 54 points (21 goals and 33 assists), was a +10 So, I know what you are thinking. Why did his numbers dip? Because he was shipped to North America and played games (4) in AHL for the Avs. Like all players from outside the North American hockey leagues Nikolai Kovalenko's game is based on a larger rink. He has never played on a small rink. This is why both Halttunen and Chernyshov signed their ELCs and immediately were sent to the minors of North America (specifically the OHL). He only played four games on a smaller North American ice rink and was moved to the NHL for a stacked Colorado forward group. This is quiet the achievement. Not something done very often. So his numbers in the NHL are not great when looking at them only. He has 18 points (4 goals and 4 assists) in 28 games, but the fact that he is playing in the NHL straight (essentially) from the KHL shows how well his game has translated. Why? Multiple reasons, but one main one to me is the style of game he plays. One podcaster last night said he did not think this was a Grier kind of player as he is not six foot two/three or taller. I beg to differ. IMO this is exactly the type of player GMMG looks to build his team's culture and on ice identity with.

Ok, I think the third player mentioned was Alexander Georgiev. This is not a goalie that is equal to Blackwood but the Sharks needed him as a return in this trade. As GMMG mentioned in his interview with Sheng, the Sharks WILL NOT veer from their plans of development with Askarov. This tells me he new goalie is on the Sharks unless he plays so bad they have to sit him. Askarov will be with the Cuda until sometime later in the season. Unless there is an injury, so his role remains the same and his target date that the Sharks have for him taking over the net next season remains on schedule. This is great news for the Cuda and all the prospects developing there as they will remain a juggernaut and continue winning. It is what many fans wanted. Put those young prospects in a wining environment so they can play meaningful games in the spring. It also helps with the development of Romanov. He is not ready to be the 1A goalie of the Cuda yet, but he is getting there. He seems to be forgotten by lot of fans, but IMO, he is destined to be the 1B goalie for the Sharks (primarily the backup for Askarov in the future). As to Georgiev's play. If you go to Elite Prospects you can see his numbers have fallen over the last two seasons with the Avs which is not a good sign when he is on such a good team. However, there are two things to keep in mind. One, he is under immense pressure to perform as the Avs are contenders and two, he has averaged over 60 games in each of those two seasons. In todays NHL that is a ton of games as many teams go with the 1A and 1B approach to their goaltending. It is not an excuse, it is a possible reason for his numbers falling as they are. Keep in mind he is 28, so he should be in the prime of his career. Because of his age and for some other reasons it is ok to expect he can rebound from his bad play. Goalies play an immense mental game and do tend to go into themselves too much and can get caught in a rut they can not get themselves out of. In his case I think that having a fresh start on a team with no pressure to win will allow him to find his game again. Also, do not forget that the Sharks convinced Speer to stay as part of the goalie development team. Blackwood loves him and credits him and Nabby for him getting his game back. They very well could do the same for Georgiev. Another thing to keep in mind is his contract. It expires (just like Blackwood's) at the end of this season and like Blackwood, he will be a UFA. Also, the Avs retained 14% of his salary. So, if he cannot find his game they can move on from him at the end of the season. Say he does find his game? This is where the salary retention comes into effect. Moving a goalie for whatever you can get for them has a lot to do with fitting them within the cap space the team that is trading for them has to work with. Remember, the Sharks do not have a retention slot to work with so having his salary under 3 million will allow the Sharks to move him easier and also will increase their return on the trade. This was a VERY wise move by GMMG. Lastly, do not discount that GMMG knew Georgiev from his time with the Rangers. And do not forget this played a major role with his decision to acquire both Vanecek and Blackwood. So, GMMG knows more about this goalie and his abilities than you at first think. I think he believes that his staff can help Georgiev regain his confidence, and like with Blackwood, rebuild his career. It would just sweeten what I think was a fantastic deal.

Loved the show (as always) and would like to share my thoughts on this trade. I will go in the order of your presentation. Firstly, Givani Smith. I agree he filled more of an enforcer role in the games he played and IMO did not hurt the Sharks as far as his play on the ice. On the other hand he was not scoring at all either with some of this being a result of always playing on the fourth line. In the end, Warso plays what he feels are his 12 best forward combinations. I think combinations is an important word when a coach fills out his lines for a game. Givani just did not make the cut on a much improved Sharks forward group. Also, Kostin can fill the enforcer role and therefore the need for Givani to is nullified. And Kostin is just a better player and can fill in (when needed a middle six role which Givani Smith could not). I like him both as a person and as a player, but as the Sharks roster continues to improve over the coming seasons players like Givani will be moved out. As they should if the rebuild continues to be successful. His cap hit was negligible and I do not think he would have ever been any kind of roadblock for younger players (as we have seen they lined up Guschin and Cardwell on multiple games). I think he was great for the community and will be missed. All the best luck and I hope he plays a good amount of minutes within the Avs organization and has a chance to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

They need to make these an annual thing. I don’t know who had more fun, the fans or the players? Several, including Pavs, had a permanent smile plastered on their faces. Raffi Torres said the gave helped with the mental challenges of retirement & echoed my call for making them a more frequent thing.

I had a seat on the glass that was also next to where they came out for warmups. I think I got at least 10 glove taps on the way out.

Thank you for this 🙏🏻

Good stuff!

Could anyone tell me at what part does his friend/teamate tell the story of Joe and the homeless mother???

I remember always trading him to the Leafs from the Bruins in NHL 99 when I was a kid lol

He became a rabbi? Cool!

Those stands are so empty, sad...

Thank you so much Joe, what you did for the great game of hockey is unmatched!! Us here in Canada absolutely love you!!!! A hockey legend forever, and a Canadian legend forever!!

Weird how the NHL didn't upload the ceremony. Me being Canadian, this means so much to me. Thank you for uploading

Patty and Joe, good ol’ Canadian boys eh I miss that era of hockey. Not too long ago in Calgary we finally sent Iggy and Kipper’s jerseys to the rafters. Patty and Joe were worthy adversaries in the Chel, and invaluable teammates on Team Canada!

Nabby at 27:43 and then 28:25 the highway robbery just like on Brad Richards. Unreal even in his old age

That Nabby save was reminiscent of the 3OT game in Dallas, he's still a legend

Boston was right,to not have this day,San Jose was fooled to get this player that delivered nothing for hockey.....

Joe is the most humble hockey player and watching him thank everyone and so attentive to details per player is amazing. Shows so much class and his speech was so entertaining. The emotions are so rare and he puts his heart on his sleeves and he is undoubtedly one of the best passers and teammates of all time.

Thank you for uploading this. So great to watch Joe get his praise. Makes me really miss this era of Sharks hockey. It was such a great core and were honored to be fans of such a great team.

What a legend 🙏 what a player 🙏

Thank you for filming this!

Get nabbys up there now

I'm fkn crying. Joe made San Jose. And he's a beaut.

I was in a penthouse to the left of you. I keep hearing a guy yelling now I know who it was lol

Just caught your link on Reddit. Thank you for this. Liked and subscribed. 💙🤘🏻

Great ceremony. Great speaches!

Finally!! Been waiting for this!! So proud of our Canadian greats to have his jersey lifted to the rafters. One of the best passers and teammates. Bruins screwed up big time trading him. Congrats Jumbo Joe Thornton

Where was J.R. Superstar? I didn't see him at the jersey retirement.

I remember watching one of Thortons' first games with Boston. He dropped the gloves, he was 18, baby faced but still big and tough. He was a real beauty.

Thank you!!! Absolutely legendary.

it half hurts seeing all these guys but I must say the strangest thing is that all of these guys played this century makes me feel kind of old

#1 pick,and now a legend,give me a break.....He was kicked out of Boston and did nothing In San Jose,and Isa hero....No wonder we do not have a cup....

Great shot of the action..noice seats and great to see all the alum 🙏🏼🙏🏼 was hoping someone had some footage and get the whole game..ur a legend 🫡🙏🏼👌🏼🔥🔥🔥🦈🏒

Also no Arturs Irbe? He was for sure an iconic goaltender for the Sharks, far more than Stalock. He gave them a fighting chance early on. Antti Niemi should have been there as well.

At least the Sharks won a game! It's hard to lose when you are playing against yourself.

Awesome thank u so much for posting! 🏒💪🦈

I found it interesting they were all suited up in the 2017 Adidas jerseys.

Thanks so much from Reno my man. So many trips to San Jose specifically for Sharks games over the years. Wish we could have been there chanting for tacos with y'all.

Nice to Joe Thornton back in a sharks jersey

Great Video man!

And the energy brought by guys like Clowe (have a holly jolly fistfight) or Murray.

I miss those guys. Reminds me of the time we were annual contenders and, as a European viewer, get up around 4AM to watch the playoffs and trying to stay quiet when they scored, for those that were still sleeping :D