San Jose Sharks Podcast – San Jose Hockey Now

Should the San Jose Sharks trade or keep Mackenzie Blackwood? 

Keegan and Sheng debate.

Sheng thanks everybody for all their well wishes on the passing of his father-in-law. (2:00)

Keegan and Sheng then chat about what’s up with the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks are playing better! Is this the team that Mike Grier envisioned? (4:30)

They waived Nikolai Knyzhov. Why? (14:35)

Logan Couture is still hurt. Sheng misses watching Couture play. (26:08)

Now, Blackwood trade speculation!

Why should the San Jose Sharks keep Blackwood? (29:45)

Is getting a first-rounder for Blackwood plausible? (36:20)

Why would Sheng consider a second-rounder for Blackwood? (44:15)

What if Blackwood’s play drops? (58:50)

Is Blackwood’s goaltending the best that the San Jose Sharks have seen in five years? 

Keegan and Sheng come to an agreement about trading Blackwood! (1:01:00)

Adin Hill revisionist history! (1:07:00)

Keegan has an interesting Blackwood comp. (1:11:00)

Next, Keegan answers some questions from his live view of the San Jose Sharks-Boston Bruins game. (1:14:40)

Just Dan (on Twitter) asked about impressions of Calen Addison? (1:16:00)

Lakshya Jain asked about how William Eklund’s game has changed over the last month? How’s his play along the boards? (1:23:25)

S Pon asked does Justin Bailey do enough to stay up with the San Jose Sharks? (1:31:09)

MattyD and Chris Lindsey asked about Fabian Zetterlund. (1:39:40)

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The theme of this week’s episode of the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is not writing off players too quickly.

First, a brief apology for Keegan's bad audio this week. He's dumb, but at least he apologizes. (0:13)

But before we get to that, Keegan and Sheng get to some of the big news surrounding the San Jose Sharks. (3:35)

We send our best wishes to Nico Sturm, who is taking a leave of absence because of a family matter. (4:30) 

We give Ryan Carpenter tons of credit for stabilizing San Jose up the middle. (5:15)

Who will the Sharks replace Sturm with at center during the upcoming road trip? We speculate about Luke Kunin or Thomas Bordeleau. (7:15)

Next, we talk about why William Eklund got benched for half a period. We touch on David Quinn’s track record with younger players, good and bad, focusing on Pavel Buchnevich. (18:40)

What does Danil Gushchin have to do to stay up with the San Jose Sharks? In Sheng’s mind, it’s not just about production. We have plenty of back-and-forth regarding the merits of Gushchin in the AHL vs. the NHL. (40:00)

What discuss Mike Hoffman’s mini-resurgence and how he's gotten back to his goal-scoring ways. (58:45)

Finally, maybe the best examples on the San Jose Sharks right now of not writing players off too quickly, we chat about what we can learn about their surprising leading goalscorers Kunin and Fabian Zetterlund. (1:05:00)

Thanks for watching, be sure to subscribe on YouTube to catch every episode!

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Craig Morgan from PHNX Sports joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast (39:10)! He joins us to take a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the 2017-2018 and the 2021-2022 Arizona Coyotes, who both started 0-10-1, just like the Sharks. The echoes between these teams and the current Sharks makes for a great conversation about the parallels between bad teams. 

But before we get to Craig, Sheng and Keegan discuss the news of a fairly good week for the Sharks. 

Why is Keegan happy and wearing a Sharks jersey this week? (1:28)

Sheng and Keegan discuss the back-to-back wins for the Sharks to break the slump (2:28)

Why does the Eklund-Hertl-Zetterlund line work so well? (5:00) Plus some notes on the play of Granlund and Hoffman (6:50), as well as Zadina (8:50).

Sheng reveals some of the ins-and-outs of the General Manager Mike Grier tongue-lashing that the Sharks received before their wins this week (9:55).

Keegan discusses why this team meeting with Mike Grier is a good sign for a young general manager and was exactly what the team needed to avoid more embarrassment (17:40).

Sheng and Keegan discuss the Calen Addison trade and why it's a good fit for the Sharks (24:25)

Sheng talks about the misstep of drafting Merkley and how Addison is filling the role he could have filled on the Sharks today (27:50)

Keegan highlights why Addison can stick in the league with 'forgivable' defense vs. Merkley who could not (29:55).

Finally, Sheng and Keegan discuss the Sharks entry drafts from 2015-2020, including Adam Raska who was traded in the Addison trade (33:00).

Alright, time for Craig Morgan (39:10)!

First we talk about the 2017-18 Coyotes, who, like the Sharks, also started 0-10-1 and were looking to avoid that record-breaking 12th loss (41:18).

What did people think of that Coyotes team to start season? (42:25)

What does Craig think the low points of that losing streak was? (43:45)

How did Rick Tocchet and the Coyotes manage their way out and end the season 29-31-11? (46:46) Also, how did they buy-in to his system? (50:10)

Who were the leaders of the locker room at that time? (51:50)

What was current Shark Anthony Duclair's role on that 2017-2018 Coyotes team? (54:50)

How did Clayton Keller handle all the losing in that season as a young player and how did that shape his future career? (57:20)

Moving on to the 2021-2022 Arizona Coyotes, what does Craig remember about that season? (1:02:50)

How did Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny coach that team to a respectable-ish record by season's end? (1:05:30)

How good goaltending can really save a sinking ship, and how that relates to the Sharks and Blackwood. (1:07:30)

The Coyotes lost the draft lottery in 2022 but found themselves the real gem of the draft in Logan Cooley (1:10:10), and why Sharks fans shouldn't pin all their hopes on just one player.

The Coyotes also took on some project players, Shayne Gostisbehere among them, how did he fare that season? (1:12:52)

Craig wonders just what the expectations were for Sharks head coach David Quinn this season. (1:15:40)

Back to the Coyotes, what was the defense like during the 2021-2022 with recent draft pick JJ Moser joining? (1:18:40)

How important was finding a goaltender, Karel Vejmelka, during this rough time for the Coyotes? (1:22:07)

Keegan and Craig talk about how Vejmelka built up his image on the backs of excellent high-danger save percentage. (1:25:20)

Craig goes into detail about Matias Maccelli and how he should have won the Calder over Stuart Skinner last year (1:27:00)
 
Sheng asks Craig about Coyotes scout Teal Fowler, and tries to get the Sharks to hire him based on his Sharks-esque name. (1:29:40)

Craig talks about the final positives and negatives related to the 2021-2022 Coyotes, including getting out of Glendale. (1:32:28)

Craig clears up just where the Coyotes are at in terms of a new arena deal. (1:35:40)

Finally the three talk about why the Coyotes are more competitive and dug themselves out of a deep hole just two years ago (1:38:55)

Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe on Youtube.

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“Job security” is the buzz phrase in this subscriber’s mailbag edition of the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast.

From Sheng Peng to John McCarthy to David Quinn to Mike Grier to Jonathan Becher to Hasso Plattner to the literal concept of the Sharks in San Jose, everybody’s job security is questioned.

Alaskan_ice started us off nice though, wondering if Sheng or Keegan have ever "geeked out" during an interview? (6:20)

Gary To asked if Tomas Hertl is slowing down. (13:00)

Embrace_the_rebuild asked where Sheng and Keegan would bet the San Jose Sharks would finish, over/under 34.5 Points? (17:30) Also, do the Sharks have any attractive Trade Deadline pieces? 

Lizbeth DeSelm checked in on the severity of Logan Couture's injury (26:50) and just how good is Macklin Celebrini? 

Chris Boucher-Lam wondered if the end is nigh for Marc-Edouard Vlasic and if the San Jose Sharks should buy him out this summer. (34:15)

Bring Back Celebrini! asked who’s worth bringing back from this current Sharks squad and what type of UFAs should they target this summer. (38:50)

Just Steve inquired as to what the Sharks’ scouting presence in Russia is. (49:10)

Alex Genadinik wondered about Mike Grier’s job security (51:00). Also, if the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top-10 2024 first-round pick doesn’t convey, does that mean the Pens’ 2025 first-rounder is unprotected?

matthias893 asked if there are any young, affordable NHL-caliber offensive defensemen available for the Sharks? (59:00)

Anthony Morris inquired about Jonathan Becher’s job security. (1:01:45)

Zeke followed up about Quinn and McCarthy’s job security? (1:07:20)

Supreme_dream wondered how the Sharks D prospects were coming along?  (1:18:40)

Teddy asked if any Barracuda prospects look ready for the NHL? (1:34:00)

Jon Swenson wondered who we thought was the best goaltender not in the NHL?

Fin Coe asked about the difference between dealing with Bob Boughner and Quinn? (1:42:10)

Amy asked if Grier and Quinn are in danger of losing their jobs right now. (1:45:30)

Jodv wondered when Sheng would get on Threads. (1:46:30)

Jamnjon asked how high would you pick a defenseman in the 2024 Draft? (1:51:00)

SummoningSalt had this gem of a question: “In 1984, Wayne Gretzky injured his shoulder. In his time gone from the team, the Oilers went into a tailspin, losing 5 straight while being outscored 33-9. This included brutal beatings of 9-2 and 11-0.

“Is it possible that Logan Couture is Wayne Gretzky and the Sharks are the 1983-1984 Edmonton Oilers?” (1:55:00)

Brownagedon requested a detailed analysis of William Eklund’s season. (1:56:20)

Kristian wondered if a perfect storm is brewing to blow the Sharks out of San Jose, indirectly questioning Sheng’s job security. (2:08:00)

Christopher MacDonald asked if the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks will get any better, or if this is it. (2:13:45)

SJShorky wondered if Hasso Plattner would sell the team. (2:18:00)

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Keegan and Sheng look for the bright spots on the 0-8-1 San Jose Sharks.

But before that, they talk about Joe Thornton officially retiring from the NHL (1:52). Sheng takes a guess when the San Jose Sharks will retire Jumbo’s jersey. David Quinn also said something interesting in regards to Thornton joining the Sharks front office (4:15).

Next, we talk about everything wrong with the 0-8-1 Sharks (6:55).

Sheng talks about why it’s the right call for the San Jose Sharks to send Thomas Bordeleau (8:55) down to the AHL.

Keegan shares his thoughts about why Jacob Peterson (16:00) got sent down. 

He also thinks, however, that the Barracuda style of play may not be great for Bordeleau (16:50).

Sheng and Keegan dive into the Luke Kunin debate (21:30). 

Next, they talk about the unpolished Filip Zadina (24:30).

What’s up with Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, and Alexander Barabanov (26:00)?

How about the San Jose Sharks defense so far (27:25)? The goaltending (32:20)?

Keegan and Sheng then go back up front to talk about Mikael Granlund (33:20) and Fabian Zetterlund (37:15).

Is this the worst San Jose Sharks team ever (40:40)?

Keegan talks about what he’s focusing on with this Sharks squad (47:00).

Finally, Keegan shares his thoughts about Will Smith so far (52:15).

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Scott Hannan joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast – and it’s a family reunion!

Really!

But before we find out, between Keegan and Sheng, who’s related to Hannan (1:17:24), let’s talk about some of the big San Jose Sharks news.

What’s going on with Kevin Labanc (1:25)? What was up with the Frank Seravalli report that he was going to be waived?

Radim Simek was actually waived (20:25).

Mikael Granlund and Logan Couture are still on the mend (25:35).

And why Tomas Hertl and David Quinn were right to be upset that the San Jose Sharks allowed Filip Forsberg to escape punishment after Forsberg body slammed Mackenzie Blackwood (30:15).

Keegan and Sheng also review how the San Jose Sharks forwards (44:43), defensemen (1:01:13), and goalies (1:15:20) have looked through their 0-4-1 start.

And now, Scott Hannan (1:17:24)!

So who on the show is related to Hannan (1:18:00)?

Why did Hannan think the Sharks weren’t interested in him in the 1997 Draft (1:19:25)? He gives details about how Tim Burke grilled him in his pre-Draft interview. Who did he think would pick him?

Hannan shares who bought a katana sword (and brought it home on the plane) when the San Jose Sharks started the season in Japan in 1998 (1:24:30).

Hannan talks about his breakout 2003-04 campaign, when he shut down Peter Forsberg in the playoffs and hung up on Wayne Gretzky when the Great One tried to call him to tell him about his selection to Team Canada’s 2004 World Cup-winning squad (1:32:40).

Alexander Ovechkin called Hannan the league’s "toughest defenseman to play against" – also, who was tough for Hannan to handle (1:37:40)?

How did the rule changes in 2005-06 affect Hannan’s career (1:40:45)?

How good was Marc-Edouard Vlasic as a teenage rookie in 2006-07 (1:44:20)?

Jason Demers had a great Hannan story (1:45:35).

Which was the best Sharks team that Hannan was a part of, the one that he thought should have won the Cup (1:50:50)?

Hannan talks about his increased role on “Sharks Pregame Live” and “Sharks Postgame Live” (1:56:30).

He chats about Demers joining the broadcast (2:02:58).

Finally, we get into some interesting discussion about the current San Jose Sharks defense (2:05:30).

We talk about the polarizing Mario Ferraro. What analytics miss about defensive defenseman? What Hannan looks for from defensemen that isn’t tracked.

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On the eve of the San Jose Sharks’ season opener, Keegan and Sheng drop 5 bold predictions (each) for the 2023-24 season.

But before we get to the fun, we touch on the big news as Sharks training camp comes to a close.

We discuss the opening night lines (2:00), Kaapo Kahkonen earning the nod as opening night starter (7:48), Logan Couture’s setback (10:07), and the NHL’s ban of Pride tape (17:11).

Sheng distinguishes the difference between the specialty warm-up jersey and Pride tape bans. 

And now, five, some bold, San Jose Sharks predictions! Keep in mind, these are all pure or educated guesses.

Sheng predicts the San Jose Sharks will finish with over 70 points (39:18).

On the other hand, Keegan counters that the Sharks will be the worst team in the NHL (41:00).

Sheng believes Filip Zadina will score over 20 goals (43:58).

Meanwhile, Keegan thinks Anthony Duclair will be the team’s leading goal-scorer, at least up to the Trade Deadline (48:00).

Sheng is guessing -- a pure guess -- that Couture won’t play until December (52:00).

Keegan replies with some optimism: He says Kaapo Kahkonen will top a .905 Save % this season (55:00).

Sheng joins in looking at the sunny side of things, he likes Mikael Granlund with over 50 points this year (58:17).

Here’s a spicy hot take: Keegan says Alexander Barabanov will lead the San Jose Sharks in points (1:01:22).

Sheng believes Henry Thrun will stick the whole season with the Sharks (1:02:57).

Keegan is seeing William Eklund putting up over 40 points (1:05:23).

Finally, some bonus predictions (1:09:50)! Sheng thinks Mario Ferraro will repair his reputation this season -- while Keegan predicts Ty Emberson will establish himself as an everyday NHL’er.

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Ryan Miller, the winningest American goaltender ever and the newest addition to the San Jose Sharks goaltending staff, joins the podcast this week!

But before we get to Miller (39:57), Sheng and Keegan discuss all the recent moves and cuts from the Sharks roster, as well as the players who have surprised during training camp.

Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Peterson, and Ryan Carpenter were put on waivers, and we discuss how this sets the table for the opening night lineup (1:20).

We discuss how this means that Thomas Bordeleau (seemingly) is making the team with Couture being injured, and what that means for his development (2:00).

We talk the futures of Carpenter (4:15), Lindblom (8:32), and Peterson (9:46).

We recap who is left for the Sharks forwards on opening night (14:55) before heading into the defense (19:40) and predict who the Sharks keep to start the season (23:35). 

We talk about Thrun's future if he starts on the Barracuda instead of the Sharks, and why this might be the case to start the year. (24:30)

Sheng and Keegan discuss a few players that have surprised this training camp: Granlund (30:50), Hoffman (32:35), Zadina (33:20), Bordeleau (34:50), Emberson (35:46), and Blackwood/Kahkonen (36:52). 

And now the Miller interview (39:57)!

Ryan Miller talks about his childhood, growing up for a few years, playing hockey, in Santa Clara (40:30) and how this actually began his journey as a goaltender. Ryan talks about how his dad was his coach and didn't want him to play goalie originally (41:45), but Ryan convinced him that goalie was the right decision. 

Ryan also talks about how he and his brother were actually some of the early petitioners for getting an NHL team in San Jose (42:38), heading door-to-door with pamphlets in the Bay Area.

Ryan talks about his playing time with Buffalo, his time with Mike Grier as a player (43:25), as well as the rebuilding years in Buffalo when he first came into the league, and how it's similar to what's happening in San Jose (44:25). 

We ask Ryan who he thinks is the best American goaltender not named Ryan Miller (48:22)? Ryan talks about what is interesting about goalie development and what drew him to the job (49:35).
 
Ryan talks about why he joined the Sharks specifically, and Grier's influence on that (52:25). 

We ask Ryan what he thinks Grier meant when he called Ryan 'analytical' regarding the goaltending position (54:25). 

What does Ryan think are the undervalued and overvalued aspects of scouting goaltending? (56:27)

What would Ryan's style be if he were playing in today's NHL? (57:40)

Finally, we ask Ryan what his scope regarding his scouting and development is going to be (1:00:05) and any impressions from training camp (1:00:58). 

Lastly Ryan talks about the Steadfast Foundation (1:01:30) (more info at steadfastfoundation.org), an organization dedicated to providing recreational opportunities for children with disabilities in Buffalo. 

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What will the San Jose Sharks’ opening night roster look like?

Keegan and Sheng take an early swing at it, just one week into training camp. 

Keep in mind that these are our projections as of Sept. 28 – a lot can change from now until opening night on Oct. 12.

We start off with the locks at forward for the San Jose Sharks (1:30), and Sheng touches on what’s surprised him about Filip Zadina (2:38) so far.

Then we discuss six forwards on the bubble, Thomas Bordeleau (9:11), Oskar Lindblom (13:35), Ryan Carpenter (19:45), Jacob Peterson (22:00), Givani Smith (28:40), and William Eklund (32:32).

Next, we touch on the locks among defensemen (39:06).

There are a lot of blueliners – we counted seven – on the bubble, Henry Thrun (40:20), Jacob MacDonald (45:50), Radim Simek (47:50), Nikolai Knyzhov (50:28), Leon Gawanke (56:05), Nikita Okhotiuk (59:05) and Shakir Mukhamadullin (1:02:00).

Then, a note on the goalies.

Who’s on our 23-man opening roster (1:14:21)? Who’s getting waived? Sheng and Keegan share their joint list.

What will the San Jose Sharks’ opening night roster look like if Logan Couture is unavailable? We forgot to get to it on the podcast, but Sheng has Carpenter in for Couture, while Keegan has Bordeleau replacing the captain.

Finally, we discuss training camp impressions of Danil Gushchin (1:27:50), Ozzy Wiesblatt (1:30:13), Tristen Robins (1:32:30), Nick Cicek, Gannon Laroque, Georgi Romanov, and Eetu Makiniemi.

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Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it’s a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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What were our impressions of how San Jose Sharks prospects performed at the Rookie Faceoff?

Keegan and Sheng started from the net out, touching on Georgi Romanov, Magnus Chrona, and Mason Beaupit’s performances (2:00).

They agree that Shakir Mukhamadullin was the San Jose Sharks’ top prospect in this tourney (5:45). But Sheng thinks Mukhamadullin will have to clean this up before he makes the jump.

They also share their thoughts about Gannon Laroque (12:00), Artem Guryev (17:30), Jake Furlong (23:12), Henry Thrun (25:45), and Luca Cagnoni (26:35).

Finally, they talk about the San Jose Sharks prospects up front.

What was impressive about Quentin Musty (27:45)? Next, they touch on Ethan Cardwell (33:25).

Why does Sheng say of Kasper Halttunen, “There is a lot to work with, but there is a lot to work on” (35:10)?

How did Tristen Robins fare (41:10)? Did we see the best and worst of Thomas Bordeleau at the Rookie Faceoff (43:20)? We also talked about William Eklund (49:20).

Keegan says he was disappointed by Danil Gushchin’s tournament (52:55).

We wrap up with thoughts about Brandon Coe (57:48), Ozzy Wiesblatt (1:02:20), and Bradley Marek (1:07:05).

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Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it’s a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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