Prediction for San Jose: Pain

OK, here is another rumor-mongering post for everyone.

The Sharks are always the trendy pick in the playoffs. Once they got Joe Thornton, everybody figured they'd break through and make the finals even though Big Joe was not thought of as a solid playoff performer while wearing black and gold.

Now, after dropping the epic sixth game against the Dallas Stars, the Sharks are probably going to be voted Most Likely To Blow The Whole Thing Up This Off-Season.

The change is probably going to be at the top with coach Ron Wilson. Wilson, described as an abrasive sort, is allegedly one of those guys who rules the roost with negativity. As a "for instance" according to Fox Sports, one of his tactics he has been famous for is writing players' names on white boards and telling the rest of the team that these are the guys letting us all down and for playing head games with his captain, Patrick Marleau. More on him in a minute.

The general manager is of course, Doug Wilson, NHL legend and snappy dresser. I'm always struck by Wilson every year at the draft when you see rumpled people (likely, scouts) running around from table to table and chatting up everyone from officials with other teams to the kids that wear the sweaters of each team on the draft floor. And yet, every time it comes to San Jose, there is Doug Wilson, kinda tanned and sometimes chewing gum, but always looking like he is in total control. Years ago, during the "Mad Mike eating popcorn" era, I remember saying that as funny as Milbury was, he was totally hamming it up for the cameras and trying to be the center of attention. Doug Wilson seems to be the total opposite. He knew the cameras were on him but he didn't seem to care one bit. That's the guy I want running the draft table--the one in control.

So, anyway, the coach in San Jose is kind of a jerk to the players and allegedly also didn't talk to captain Marleau for long stretches over the past few years. Hard to figure that one out since you'd think the coach and captain should be on the same page--or at least reading the same book--to get the pulse of the players in the room and whatnot. The captain has to be the guy the players look to do communicate with the coach and he has to be able to represent the coaching staff while dealing with the players. In San Jose, not so much.

Now, Marleau has been questioned for his leadership in the local media and even on NBC this spring. After years of abusive head games, he is probably desperate to get out. Could he be moved for, let's say, the fifth overall pick in this June's draft? Is that a trade the Isles would be ready to make?

Marleau signed a two-year extension in August of last year. This means that he is working on a one-year deal. Unless the Sharks decide to can the coach who has been a PITA for the last few years, I bet he would be willing to leave in a heartbeat. He has something to prove.

This past season, in 78 games, Marleau totally underachieved to the tune of 19 goals and 48 points--not to mention the disarming -19 on a pretty decent defensive squad. Think he needs a change of scenery?

Marleau had scored 32 and 34 goals in the two prior seasons. He's scored over 80 points before. The guy is a player who can help a team like, oh, I don't know, the Islanders, who had a little bit of trouble scoring last season. Did you notice?

And here is the best part for a guy like Patrick Marleau: if he comes into the Islanders, he doesn't have to shoulder the load of being the captain! We already have a fine captain in Billy Guerin! And Marleau has already played with Guerin, albeit briefly, when Guerin was picked up by San Jose for the stretch run two seasons ago.

Now, yeah, I will totally admit that I am just spitballing here but that is all you can do when the Islanders have been out golfing for almost a month now. And still, if you think about it, the deal makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. Both teams have a viable reason for at least entertaining this kind of move. San Jose needs to re-load and the Islanders need to put pucks in the net and continue to show the fans that they are serious about turning this whole thing around.

Do I want to move the #5 overall pick for a guy like Patrick Marleau? Well, I am not so sure. If he is the kind of guy who lacks fire like (and I am SO not branding him here) Alexei Yashin did, then probably not. Yashin never seemed comfortable in his role being The Guy or in doing what was expected of him. Sure, he preformed well at times, but those times seemed to be too few and too far between. Before something like this could even be considered, any team trading for a guy like Marleau has to suss out whether Marleau is a damaged player or if he is the kind of guy who is going to rebound in a new setting with different pressures. The Islanders have proven to be a much more nurturing family environment for many players. Perhaps a guy like Marleau who is simply tired of being ragged on can flourish under a coach like Ted Nolan and an organization like the Islanders who are going to be much more positive than the shit storm he faced every day playing for a guy like Ron Wilson who couldn't push his buttons.

And again, this is just conjecture. Something to think about on a slow day.