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Yet again, the San Jose Sharks had a competitive year, reaching the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, though they suffered a seven-game loss to Los Angeles in the second round of the playoffs. Dawson Knox Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Sharks team that figures to be contenders again next year, but the window of opportunity is closing for the teams core. While contract extensions could get worked out this summer, as it stands right now, Sharks veterans Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle are all set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2013-2014 season. With all but Pavelski (who is most likely to get extended) in their mid-30s at that point, the coming season could be the last best shot for this group to win. "Were not a team thats going to miss the playoffs for five or seven years and go into a rebuild," GM Doug Wilson told CSN Bay Area. "We dont believe in that. We want to reset on the fly." The Sharks have pieces in place that should allow them to remain competitive as they transition from a team led by Thornton and Marleau to one led by Pavelski, Logan Couture and Brent Burns, but if they are going to win a Stanley Cup in 2014, theyre probably going to have to be aggressive in their attempts to add talent. The current core has established that it is competitive, good enough to win a few rounds in the playoffs, but if this is the final season for some of those long-tenured Sharks, will they be good enough to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- plus-minus, hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, penalty differential and faceoffs. (Stats are listed in this format: G-A-PTS, +/-, PIM, GP). Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be 70-plus, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013 regular season ratings with a 93.65. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. GM/COACH Doug Wilson/Todd McLellan Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Logan Couture 76.75 48 21 16 37 +7 $2.875M Joe Pavelski 75.08 48 6 5 11 +5 $4.0M Joe Thornton 72.15 48 7 33 40 +6 $7.0M Patrick Marleau 71.88 48 17 14 31 -2 $6.9M Brent Burns 69.37 30 9 11 20 0 $5.76M Raffi Torres 64.28 39 7 11 18 0 $2.0M Martin Havlat 64.07 40 8 10 18 +7 $5.0M Tommy Wingels 60.90 42 5 8 13 -9 $775K Adam Burish 52.86 46 1 2 3 -7 $1.85M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit T.J. Galiardi 63.52 36 5 9 14 +1 RFA $950K Scott Gomez 58.29 39 2 13 15 -10 UFA $700K Tim Kennedy 58.04 13 2 0 2 -3 UFA $675K James Sheppard 54.51 32 1 3 4 -9 RFA $825K Andrew Desjardins 53.59 42 2 1 3 -6 RFA $640K Sharks Forwards Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Rising star Logan Couture has scored 84 goals in the last three seasons, which is tied for seventh in that time. The 24-year-old has already agreed to a contract extension that will carry through 2019, so hes a cornerstone piece for the franchise. A tremendous two-way player, Joe Pavelski faded after a quick start (12 points in seven games), only to rebound in the postseason, leading the Sharks with 12 points in 11 games. Pavelski finished with his lowest points per game (0.65 ppg) and time on ice (18:55) since 2007-2008. At 33-years-old, Joe Thornton isnt as prolific a scorer as he once was, with last seasons 0.83 points per game his lowest since 1999-2000 (his 18:23 time on ice per game as his lowest since 1998-1999), but Thornton remains an elite puck possession player and has been getting more credit for his defensive play in recent seasons. Over the last five seasons, Patrick Marleau has scored 166 goals; only Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos have more. Like Thornton, Marleau is 33, his most productive days are behind him and hes going into the final year of his contract, but hes a first-rate scorer and that talent cant be ignored. Moved to forward after spending the vast majority of his career on defence, Brent Burns was suddenly a scoring star, tallying nine goals and 20 points in 24 games. That didnt carry over the postseason, but there is understandable temptation to see what a guy who goes 6-foot-5 with soft hands could do in a power forward role. The question for the Sharks is whether Burns offensive production is worth losing a top pair defenceman. One of the leagues most devastating hitters, Raffi Torres was acquired from Phoenix and impressed enough in his late-season and playoff showings to get a new three-year contract. Hes always a suspension risk, but is also capable of contributing secondary offence, with seven double-digit goal-scoring seasons. Injuries may have caught up to Martin Havlat, as the 32-year-old has only 45 points in 79 games in two seasons with the Sharks. After playing only 15:51 per game, his lowest since 2001-2002, Havlat is a prime candidate for a compliance buyout because his production doesnt warrant a $5-million salary cap hit. (edit: He would have been a prime candidate if not for surgery on his pelvic area.) Tommy Wingels is a physical checking forward, but he struggled in puck possession terms last season, suggesting that he either has to be better or may not be suited for the more than 14 minutes per game he played in 2013. While Adam Burish may be highly-regarded as a teammate, hes outrageously compensated for the quality of play he provided last season. A player that broke into the league with 214 penalty minutes in 81 games in 2007-2008, Burish had 25 penalty minutes in 46 games last season. Penalties arent a positive, but that does suggest Burishs level of aggression has gone way down. A decent checking winger, T.J. Galiardi was skating on the Sharks top line at the end of the season, which is more a reflection on the Sharks forward situation than a glowing recommendation for his offensive prowess. Galiardi has his best season as a rookie, in 2009-2010 with Colorado, and hasnt had near the ice time or production since. Out of the league for two years due to injuries sustained in an ATV accident, James Sheppard earned a spot with the Sharks after scoring 23 points in 32 AHL games last season. He didnt produce much but, after his layoff, its probably worth seeing what he can for a full season. An aggressive fourth-line forward, Andrew Desjardins has 23 points in 135 career games, so his contributions are limited, but the versatile forward is useful in a depth role. The Sharks may have an opening for a scoring forward, particularly if they find a way to unload Martin Havlats contract. A scoring winger like Brad Boyes, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Daniel Briere or Mason Raymond could come at a reasonable price. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Dan Boyle 73.67 46 7 13 20 +3 $6.667M Matt Irwin 68.16 38 6 6 12 -1 $1.0M Brad Stuart 65.65 48 0 6 6 +4 $3.6M Marc-Edouard Vlasic 64.48 48 3 4 7 +5 $4.25M Justin Braun 62.20 41 0 7 7 -5 $1.25M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Scott Hannan 63.39 33 0 1 1 -14 UFA $1.0M Jason Demers 61.82 22 1 2 3 -4 RFA $1.25M Sharks Defence Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Its possible that, at 36-years-old with 979 (regular season plus playoff) games on his resume, there might be an inclination to believe that Dan Boyle has lost a step; after all his point production (0.43 ppg) was at his lowest rate since 2001-2002 and his ice time, 22:48 per game, was his lowest since 2003-2004. However, even in a lesser role, Boyle had superb puck possession numbers and with Burns shifting up front, his offensive ability is needed on the Sharks blueline. A 25-year-old rookie, Matt Irwin stepped into the San Jose lineup and played like a seasoned pro, with strong possession metrics and a bomb from the point that helped him snipe four of his six goals on the power play. 33-year-old Brad Stuart returned to San Jose a much different defenceman than when he left as a 26-year-old, in the Joe Thornton trade, but hes a reliable top-four defenceman, even if its in a strictly defensive role at this stage of his career. From the moment he arrived in the league as a 19-year-old, Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been a steady defensive defenceman, but he also played a career-low 20:49 per game last season, his ice time declining in April, but hes a 26-year-old who has missed two games or fewer in six of his seven seasons and he takes on tough defensive assignments regularly. Justin Braun has improved steadily and played a career-high 18:48 per game in his third season and while his possession numbers werent as strong as previous years, Braun was also handling a higher level of competition. Wrist, head and ankle injuries contributed to Jason Demers playing only 22 games last season, and he wasnt terribly effective in those games. He has been a decent puck-moving defenceman in 205 career games, but could use a healthy season with good production to get back on track. While the Sharks could upgrade their defence, they could also move ahead with in-house options, giving Matt Irwin, Justin Braun and prospect Matt Tennyson more ice time. If they dont bring back Scott Hannan, then adding a veteran to provide depth would make some sense. Returning Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Antti Niemi 82.91 43 24 12 6 2.16 .924 $3.8M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 12-13 Cap Hit Thomas Greiss 69.79 6 1 4 0 2.53 .915 UFA $588K A Vezina Trophy finalist, Antti Niemi had a career-best .924 save percentage while playing more minutes (2581) than any other goaltender in 2013. In three seasons with the Sharks, Niemi has a .919 save percentage, ranking seventh among goaltenders with at least 100 games over that span. If the Sharks cant get economical backup Thomas Greiss re-signed, they will have to find a new second-team tender. If the Sharks intend to stick with an inexpensive option in that spot, Al Montoya might be the best bet, with Dan Ellis, Jason LaBarbera and Mathieu Garon likely to cost more among the backups on the market. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Tomas Hertl C Slavia Praha (CZE) 18-12-30, +5, 43 GP Matt Tennyson D Worcester (AHL) 5-22-27, -6, 60 GP Matt Nieto LW Boston University HE) 18-19-37, +5, 39 GP Chris Tierney C London (OHL) 18-39-57, +6, 68 GP Konrad Abeltshauser D Halifax (QMJHL) 7-47-54, +35, 56 GP Taylor Doherty D Worcester (AHL) 1-9-10, -2, 40 GP Freddie Hamilton C Worcester (AHL) 13-13-26, -9, 76 GP Danny ORegan C Boston University (HE) 16-22-38, +2, 39 GP Rylan Schwartz C Colorado College (WCHA) 20-33-53, +10, 41 GP Daniil Tarasov RW Worcester (AHL) 14-14-28, even, 43 GP A playmaking forward with good size, Tomas Hertl was the 17th overall pick last summer and has had a couple of strong seasons in the Czech League, scoring 55 points in 81 games as a teenager. He should get a chance to show his stuff in North America next season. A 23-year-old defenceman signed out of Western Michigan, Matt Tennyson had a strong first pro campaign, earning a four-game trial with the Sharks. The right-shot blueliner has good size, makes a good first pass and could be ready for regular NHL duty soon. Speedy winger Matt Nieto turned pro following his junior year at BU, where he had 79 points in 76 games over his last two seasons, scoring six points in 11 games for Worcester at seasons end. Given time in the AHL, the 2011 second-round pick should be ready for his chance in the NHL before long. A second-round pick last summer, Chris Tierney has made steady improvement, and scored 21 points in 21 playoff games for the Knights. He should play a prominent role in junior next season. A 6-foot-5 defenceman with offensive skills, Konrad Abeltshauser scored 74 points in 73 (regular season plus playoff) games in 2012-2013. The Sharks have some young defencemen pushing for playing time, so Abelshauser should have some time to develop in the AHL. 6-foot-8 blueliner Taylor Doherty hasnt put up big numbers in his first two pro seasons, but with that size, hes eventually going to get a chance to play in a shutdown role. A solid two-way player, Freddie Hamilton made modest point production in his first pro season, but the 21-year-old is doing a lot of things right, so once the points come in the AHL, he could get his opportunity to move up. Taken in the fifth round of the draft last summer, Danny ORegan scored nearly a point-per-game as a freshman at BU. If that production carries forward, hell be a nice asset a couple years down the road. An undrafted free agent signing out of Colorado College, Rylan Schwartz had 93 points in 76 games through his junior and senior seasons, adding four points in seven games for Worcester at the end of the year. A Russian winger who played in the USHL, Daniil Tarasov was on an AHL deal and spent some time in the ECHL last year too, but his point production as a first-year pro makes him worth watching. The Sharks have some other prospects of note including defencemen Dylan DeMelo and Sena Acolatse as well as right winger Eriah Hayes, a 6-foot-4 winger signed as a free agent after scoring 20 goals for Minnesota State-Mankato. DRAFT 20th - Curtis Lazar, Andre Burakovsky, Fredrik Gauthier. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Sharks have approximately $56.7M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 15 players. Check out my possible Sharks lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six forward, two defencemen. What I said the Sharks needed last year: One top nine forward, depth forwards, one top four defenceman. They added: Scott Gomez, Adam Burish, Brad Stuart. TRADE MARKET Martin Havlat, T.J. Galiardi, Jason Demers. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cody Ford Jersey . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. Bills Jerseys China . "Theyve been good against everybody," he said. Carlos Gomez launched a three-run homer and Matt Garza battled into the seventh inning for his first win in four starts to help the Brewers continue their mastery of the Rockies with a 7-4 victory Saturday. http://www.cheapbillsjerseysauthentic.com/ . The 28-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2013, making 10 starts and going 2-5 with 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Albers was named the Twins organizations minor league pitcher of the year for 2013.(Sports Network) - The past meets the future in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Perhaps the greatest quarterback in Eagles history, Donovan McNabb, will have his No. 5 jersey retired and will be inducted into the franchises Hall of Fame on the same night his old coach, Andy Reid, returns to the city he called home for 14 years. Reid, the winningest coach in Eagles history, will be on the opposite sideline of Lincoln Financial Field for the first time when he leads his 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs against his former team. The veteran coach piloted the Eagles to a 140-102-1 record, notching six NFC East division titles along with five NFC Championship Game appearances, and a Super Bowl berth before family problems kicked in and familiarity began to breed contempt. "I have great respect for Andy," his successor in Philadelphia, Chip Kelly, said Tuesday. "He was a head coach here for 14 years and if youre a coach in the NFL, anybody that coaches in one spot 14 years, you kind of look to them and say, Holy smokes. "You just walk down these hallways (at the NovaCare Complex) and look at the championships that were won here -- the division championships, conference championships, and what hes done -- hes had a huge impact on this organization. Ive got a ton of respect for him." As badly as things ended for Reid in the City of Brotherly Love, time tends to heal all wounds and he will eventually be recognized for what he was in Philly -- a great football coach. That said, enough time hasnt passed yet and while Reid will likely get a warm reception, this is the game everyone in town has circled. Call it the "Big Red Bowl." "In this business youre focused in on getting your team ready to play, and so thats where my energy is going to go," Reid said. "I havent really thought about that other part at all. I dont necessarily plan on thinking about that. I want to make sure I concentrate on the game at hand and anything else becomes a distraction and Im not going to let that happen." Reid comes in riding high after Alex Smith finished 21-of-36 for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns last Sunday, while Ryan Succop hit the deciding field goal early in the fourth quarter as Kansas City nipped Dallas, 17-16, in a Week 2 matchup from Arrowhead Stadium. "When youre trying to build something, you need to win games like this," said Smith. "These are the games you look at in November and December. You need these types of wins, not only the caliber of the win but the style of win." Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles combined for 104 yards and two scores on 12 receptions for the Chiefs, who were coming off an easy win at Jacksonville to begin their 2013 slate. Under Reid Kansas City has already equaled its win total from last season, which was a dismal 2-14 campaign under Romeo Crennel, and the team has a chance to advance to 3-0 for the first time since 2010. Kelly, wowed people during a season-opening win over Washington which featured a high-tempo offense that had everyones head spinning. The rookie head coach, though, stumbled with some game management problems in a Week 2 home loss to San Diego, failing to utilize the clock to his advantage late in the game and also admitting he didnt understand calling a timeout could have enabled him to keep QB Michael Vick on the field for a key play after the veteran was dinged up. With the Eagles trailing by a field goal and just over two minutes remaining Vick, who threw for a career-high 428 yards in the game, was slammed violently to the turf by Chargers defensive lineman Jarius Wynn. The hit came inside the San Diego 20 and forced Vick to leave for one play, a 2nd-and-10 try from the 14 with 2:09 left. "The referee said I had to come off," he said. "I was back up and standing, ready to play (but) the referee told me to come out." Backup Nick Foles came on and lofted a fade pass into the arms of DeSean Jackson, a nice outcome except it came three yards outside the field of play. No doubt groggy and behind the 8-ball on 3rd-and-10, Vick couldnt get anything done and the Eagles were forced to settle for a 32-yard Alex Henery field goal to even things. "I wont say I wasnt hurt," Vick continued. "I wasnt hurt, hurt. If I am standing up Im not hurt. Im ready to go. I think that was unfortunate for my team but the referees are doing their jobs." "I actually said we couldnt (call a timeout and get Vick back in the game)," Kelly admitted on Monday. "I didnt think we could." After the kickoff San Diego QB Philip Rivers had 1:45 to work with and that meant game, set and match against a porous Philadelphia defense which allowed 539 yards in the contest. "When you look at it in hindsight we didnt score. We kicked a field goal so it was tied. We wanted to try to score a touchdown, go up four, and then make them have to drive the entire field at that point in time," Kelly said. "So obviously when you look back at it, we probably should have ran the clock down." Jackson hauled in nine balls for 193 yards for Philadelphia while LeSean McCoy registered 114 yards receiving on five catches and ran for 53 yards on 11 carries in defeat. The Eagles lead their all-timee series with the Chiefs 4-2, including a 2-0 mark in Philadelphia. O. J. Simpson Jersey. In their only meeting at the Linc, the Eagles won 34-14 in 2009. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The honeymoon for Kelly in Philadelphia lasted all of six days. He was the toast of the town after thumping Washington with his innovative offense in Week 1 but some fundamental coaching flaws, along with his undermanned defense cost his team a very winnable game against a lightly-regarded Chargers team. "Ive made mistakes," Kelly said. "I think weve all made mistakes. Thats what this game is all about. No one coaches a perfect game, no one plays a perfect game. But youve got to learn from those mistakes and hope that they dont happen again. Weve been in these situations and say, hey, weve been in this before, what did we do in that situation, didnt work out for us, so next time when we come back, we dont want to do it again." The Philadelphia team we all expected to see showed up against San Diego. The Eagles offense remained dynamic but left a number of plays on the field while the defense -- especially the pass defense -- struggled mightily against Rivers and his favorite target, Antonio Gates. The 539 yards allowed against San Diego were the most the franchise has allowed at home since Nov. 11, 1962 when Vince Lombardis Packers put up 628. Its also the first time the Philadelphia D has given up more than 500 yards at home since 1971 against the 49ers. The final line of defense for the Eagles -- safeties Patrick Chung, Nate Allen and rookie Earl Wolff -- was particularly bad and couldnt contain a receiving group which lost its biggest asset, Malcom Floyd, to a scary looking DeMeco Ryans shot to the head early in the third quarter. "Right now there arent any safeties on the street, I can tell you that," Kelly said. "So were going to play with the ones weve got." Some Philadelphia players privately groused that Rivers knew exactly what defenses they were in, casting doubts on the inventiveness of defensive coordinator Billy Davis schemes. "Theyd get up, take a look, then come back, sometimes they checked, we checked, and then they checked again," Kelly explained. "I think when youre playing a quarterback like Philip Rivers, I think basically they put the game in his hands and he was making a lot of checks at the line of scrimmage depending on the looks we were presenting. Thats what you get when youre going against someone as talented as him." Smith may not be quite as talented as Rivers but he is 21-5-1 in last 27 NFL starts so the Eagles will be facing another savvy signal caller who is going to key and diagnose rather quickly. The problem for the Chiefs, however, is they dont have the type of dynamic offensive unit that can win a shootout like San Diego did against Philly. Bowe is a solid receiver and Charles is a home run threat out of the backfield but Reid is using a more conventional approach to offense in Kansas City and that means playing it close to the vest, limiting turnovers and winning games late, a philosophy that may be untenable against the Eagles. "It means a lot, so I hope we go out there and play for our coach," Charles told ESPN. "You know what Im saying? I know he has a lot of love for his Eagles, he worked there a lot of years and he probably wishes he was still coaching there." Philadelphias 954 total yards on offense currently ranks second in the league, only 11 behind the Packers, and the team boasts the NFLs leader in receiving, Jackson, as well as rushing, McCoy. "This is a really good offensive system, and I think Chip proved that at Oregon and its based on really solid things," Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. "You get caught up in the tempo, which they do a great job of, but really the way the system is run is really good." Disrupting Vicks timing is paramount and thats where the Chiefs impressive front seven comes in. Big nose tackle Dontari Poe has 3 1/2 sacks already this season and has really elevated his game, while Kansas City features three Pro Bowl linebackers: veteran Derrick Johnson and pass rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. OVERALL ANALYSIS There is a growing concern in Philadelphia that Kelly might be the bizarro Buddy Ryan in that he only cares about offense. So far, it looks like Kellys vaunted offensive schemes are translating well but he rarely had to worry about "silly things" like the defensive side of the ball or clock management at Oregon. The learning curve is going to be much steeper than most thought in those aspects. That said, even though Reid seems rejuvenated in Kansas City, the Chiefs just dont have the firepower to win the type of game you can win against the Eagles. Meanwhile, the short week of preparation works against a defense trying to catch up to Kellys tempo. "There are great coaches in this league, and I think every coach probably tells you on these Thursday nights that it is a quick turnaround and you just have to go," Reid said. "Its something you have to do. You buckle down and make sure that you get it done. Chip (Kelly) has done a great job there, obviously, the numbers are phenomenal. It should be an exciting game." 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