Sharks Morning Skate 03/17/2026

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It's time for the Sharks Morning Skate

with all the latest on San Jose Sharks hockey.

Here are your hosts Dan Ruzanowski and Drew Remenda.

Welcome to Edmonton.

The road trip is finally coming to an end.

And the San Jose Sharks are hopeful

that a victory against the Edmonton Whiteers

will not only end in eight game winless streak here in this city

against this order team,

but will also give the Sharks a winning record

on what's been a challenging and very productive road trip.

Drew, I think that most Sharks fans

if this road trip started,

you said you went three and two

and the five games should take it.

Very much so.

And we knew going in this road trip.

Each team has playoff as not any aspirations,

but situations where they're either on top

or fighting to get in.

So this was going to be like the Sharks

and this was going to be a very important road trip.

It was going to maybe even define your season, so to speak.

And the Sharks have done very well, two and two.

Ugly last game.

A lot of mistakes.

They're going to have to clean those up.

And especially tonight against the Edmonton Orders.

And as you said, the Sharks have not had a lot of success

in this building,

but the Sharks are very, very, very different team now.

Then we've seen from the start of the year

to the middle of the year to where they are now.

Well, they certainly are.

And they're certainly more resilient now than they were then.

The one thing about the game here in Edmonton

that was played just the first game of the, you know,

the end of what was it, February?

Yeah.

They had a free nothing lead.

And then all of a sudden,

McDavid, Drysidle and Bouchard decided they were coming to play.

And they took over the game.

They scored a couple of extra attacker goals.

All right.

And over time, you're three on three.

Bouchard game winner or Hyman game winner.

Okay.

But the Sharks beat the Oethers the last time out at SAP Center.

And it was a great game.

I'm expecting more of the same today.

The best news we're seeing right now

as the guys were skating is it looks like that Alex Weinberg

is back in the lineup.

They really missed him in the Ottawa game.

You know, it's funny.

These kind of soft plays that they were making in their defensive zone.

It was as if that they were telegraphing them to the senators

who were totally prepared for them to do it.

The, you know, that last empty net goal

is a classic example where Kuchuk just took the puck away.

You know, and it was in the back of the net.

Yeah.

The, there's a couple of areas.

Hope hockey is losing hockey.

If you're trying to hope the puck out of your zone

or hope the puck to one of your players or hope the puck into their zone

and not executing,

you are going to be in trouble.

I was George Kingston's favorite saying.

Hope hockey is losing hockey.

The other aspect is, and as we, you and I decided we've coined a new phrase,

which is the rim to nowhere.

That's got to end.

Absolutely 100% has to end.

Hold on to it.

Now it's easy to say.

I know that.

It's easy to say when you're under pressure.

You don't want to turn the puck over your own zone.

But where would you rather turn the puck over in the corner

or out in the point or into the middle of the ice?

In the corner?

In the corner because then I've got the support there

and then we can refocus defensively.

And so that's, that's got to end.

But also the forwards have to help.

You got to come back and help out the defenseman as well.

On as far as the D goes, they've got to be able to start skating with the puck.

Move your feet when you get the opportunity.

I thought, you know, the last game here

that was what really sent the sharks in a little bit.

Everybody was feeling good about the way they were playing.

Things were good and Ryan Morosowski talked about it.

They started to really focus after that loss.

It was a really tough loss to take.

After that loss, they tried, they started focusing on the result

instead of the process.

They got out of that after the Olympic break.

Just focusing on what Ryan Morosowski likes to say.

Just go play.

Today is just go play.

But the other aspect, Danny, is what you always like to talk about.

And I love the word connected.

If they play a five-man connected game tonight,

in each zone, they're going to be okay.

Connected pressure on the forecheck.

Connected backtracking.

And getting above the play.

And connected.

All five guys working together physically in the defensive zone.

Well, you used the word process.

And this morning, the word process is taking on a different meeting

and around the national hockey league.

Because it was kind of unusual.

George Perros, the director of player safety for the NHL,

actually met with the media today.

Which is rather unusual.

Radco-Gutus hits Austin, Matthews in his out.

And why is it so funny for me to notice

that whenever it's a Toronto Maple Leaf that gets thrown out

and then there's this suspension, all of a sudden,

it elevates to a level where there has to be a news conference.

The noise, the noise.

First of all, I don't know if I've ever seen it happen

because the Department of Player Safety just throw out their ruling

and that's it.

That's our ruling.

The hit by Gutus was ridiculous.

And he deserved a suspension.

Should've been five games, six games, seven games,

ten games, twelve games.

It's a bad hit.

Definitely should've been suspended.

I thought he'd get maybe a couple more.

Jason Domer is who worked with you last few games.

He thought it maybe should be a couple more.

Gutus is now his fifth suspension.

But I don't mind the fact that the Department of Player Safety

will have to come up with some sort of standard,

some sort of explanations, some sort of,

okay, this is why we suspended this guy for that many games

and that guy for this many games.

They may be diverse, but this is why there's a relationship there.

They should have some sort of accountability.

I think officials should have some sort of accountability.

I think the league should have some sort of accountability.

They should come out and talk to the media and to the fans

because the fans think they're being holed.

And the fans, you've got to keep them on your side.

You've got to get them the information.

The thinking or the accusation was,

well, you only gave him five games because then there's no appeal.

But if you give him six or seven games,

he has the right to appeal and you don't want to go through that,

so you give him five games.

George Parris denied that, of course,

and said there were a lot of other different things that went into

the whole process of deciding what that suspension is going to be.

All right, if you're worried about the process,

the NHLPA is involved in this.

So they represent both Austin Matthews and Gutus.

Exactly.

So that's why it is the way it is.

You're exactly right.

People forget that discipline is collectively bargained.

Everything in the National Hockey League that happens to do with the ref

with the league and the players is collectively bargained.

Both sides, as you say, the NHL Department of Player Safety

has to react.

They have to keep in the CBA agreements in mind,

but I agree with you.

That this number is when we are allowed to appeal.

Right, right now it's six.

So that's the reason for the in-person hearing and everything else.

So, you know, you might consider a change of that,

but that has to go through that whole process,

working with the ownership and the management and the players' association.

I just found it kind of humorous that we had to review all that again,

but it happened.

But you're right.

The Toronto Media.

And this one for me, in a good way,

has at least brought us to the forefront,

where a lot of us always have these questions.

At least now is out in the open.

And I'm going to run some apperos' comments on the Shark's Audio Network today,

because I think they're interesting.

Well, George is no dummy.

He's not just, like, some meathead hockey player.

I don't know what to print.

He went to Princeton for credit all of those guys, not a dummy.

So he knows what he's doing.

So, again, I got no problem with it being brought up.

I've been, I also, glad that the league decided that they would at least address it.

So let's talk about addressing the process for this game.

Obviously, Alex Nidelkovich would be back in.

Good to see Laurent Persuad get a game, made some good saves.

Unfortunately, it was in the situation with the team in front of him wasn't very good.

Exactly.

And so, I think he'll probably get another game in before too long.

But it was good to see him get back to help.

Vinny Dayharnay and Sam Dickinson continue getting good ice time.

I think they're going to be important tonight.

Here's the thing.

Edmonton is just talking about checking today.

Chris Loblock, Ryan Newsgen Hopkins.

All they're talking about is making sure they're checking,

because there's no dry-sightle.

Right.

Now, and they're all talking about set of brini.

That's all they're talking about.

I have two observations on that.

One, you better pay attention to Michael Mesa,

because he leads the team in scoring against Edmonton this year.

That's number one.

And number two, if you think the Edmonton Oilers are going to forget the way they play

and just try to play this defensive game,

you're just something is affecting your judgment.

That's a very nice way in diplomatic way to put it.

Well done.

Yeah, you're 100% right.

They're going to try to fly up and down the ice against the San Jose sharks,

especially number 97, because he's the guy that drives everything.

And he's had a ton of success in his career doing that.

But you're absolutely right.

I talked to a coach yesterday talking and asking,

talking about our team and talking about his team and everything else.

But he mentioned Michael Mesa specifically.

And went, you know, there's a lot of good players around.

He said, but at 77, he's a player.

And the one thing that you really liked about Michael Mesa

is how Michael Mesa's always around the puck.

All the time.

He's always around the puck in the defensive zone.

He's always there to support in the breakout.

Five to 10 feet throughout the neutral zone.

He's always made himself somehow available and passing away.

And at the net, near the net, he's always right at the net.

He said he really thought he was impressed with 77.

He said, can't believe the kid is as young as he is and playing that way.

That might be our Toyota key number one.

Be around the puck.

That's going to be an important thing today.

San Jose sharks against the Edmonton Oilers.

I got a James Shepherd with me for another call at 530 Pacific time.

Hope you tune in for our broadcast wherever you may be.

Thanks a lot for joining us today for the Morning Skate Show.

You've been listening to the sharks Morning Skate.

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Thanks a lot.