It took a little longer than expected, but the San Jose Sharks rounded out their roster today, re-signing forward Ryane Clowe to a one-year deal. Heading into the offseason, many casual and sophisticated observers thought Clowe was the Sharks’ most important free agent, and getting him under contract had to be a top priority.
Third-year center Joe Pavelski is a major part of San Jose’s future, and seems the most likely player to assume the captaincy when it changes hands. German center Marcel Goc chews fourth-line minutes and writes a solid blog that always keeps people wanting more. Christian Ehrhoff combines speed and toughness in an appealing package, and presents an interesting mix of offense and defense, even if that wicked shot if his can’t hit the zamboni gates. But Clowe trumps them all, simply because he delivers a number of qualities lacking in the Sharks roster.
First of all, he’s the only Sharks forward who will consistently go to the net or park his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame in front of it. Gritty forward Jody Shelley would probably play the same way, but he’s playing on the fourth line with linemates who don't have the puck possession skills to allow him time and space to hang out in the slot. Former Rocket Richard Trophy winner Jonathan Cheechoo has been known to pick up the garbage around the net, but he prefers to set up at the faceoff circle and wait for one-timers from his talented linemates. Clowe doesn’t score from any further out than 10-15 feet, giving the Sharks a much-needed presence in front of the net.
Clowe is also the only player on the roster with both the attitude and ability to thump someone’s skull now that Craig Rivet is taking up residence in Buffalo. Jody Shelley is supposed to be San Jose’s enforcer, but he’s more of a scarecrow than anything else, showing a reluctance to fight when needed and an incapability of winning win tested. Losing fights and teeth simultaneously, Shelley can’t intimidate or dominate the way Clowe can. Douglas Murray was hesitant to drop the gloves once he earned a spot among San Jose’s top six defensemen, and the only time Joe Thornton throws down is during the 82nd game on the schedule each season. Clowe is the only man on the roster who can adequately fill this role, letting his fists do the talking when words won’t do.
Signing Clowe was essential, but his re-signing raises a couple of interesting questions. The first is the length. A one-year deal seems odd, simply because you’d expect the 25-year-old Newfoundlander to be a key part of the Sharks’ roster moving forward. Milan Michalek inked a five-year deal last summer, Matt Carle was rewarded with a four-year pact early last season, and Joe Pavelski signed a two-year deal earlier this summer. Signing Clowe to a one-year deal seems strange, but could be a product of San Jose’s limited salary flexibility more than anything else.
The second figure of interest is Clowe’s salary, which is listed at $1.6 million on the NHLPA website. That leads to some questions because it puts the Sharks approximately $225K over the league’s $56.7 million salary cap. Who can the Sharks move to shed some salary before the season begins? Kyle McLaren seems to be the obvious choice since he struggled through injuries last season, appearing in only 61 games, and dumping his $2.5 million salary would give the team some cap relief. Mike Grier is another option, and despite his stellar play on the penalty kill the 33-year-old forward lost a step last year. He also struggled in the postseason, recording only one point a -2 plus/minus in 13 playoff games.
There’s no telling what the Sharks lineup will look like when the season opens two months from now, but you can expect Clowe to be there when the action begins, providing attributes of toughness, physicality and courage that have become a rarity on the San Jose roster.
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