Sharks Broadcaster Roundtable: 2025-2026 Season Preview. Sharks Audio Network

Sharks Broadcaster Roundtable: 2025-2026 Season Preview. Sharks Audio Network

All right, it is the dawn of a new season and it is time for the Sharks broadcasting team to talk about everything that we are going to see. And Drew, I’m going to pick on you first as we look at the entirety of this season that’s before us. What do you think the number one thing that Ryan Warsovski learned from year number one as a head coach in the NHL? and how is that going to benefit him and this squad in what will be his second year and what is going to be a very important year for this Sharks team as they continue to build out of what was previously the rebuild. The first thing he learned and he saw it last year and you saw the adjustment last year was his and his coaching staff’s demeanor on the bench towards the officials towards the game. They were very vocal, too emotional, and too loud. And it got to a point where it was a distraction for the players and they weren’t as composed as they needed to be. It’s okay to have emotion, but you can’t be emotional. And you saw them adjust that last year. And I know Randy had talked to Ryan about that that they they looked at their own behavior. They looked at the way that they approached the game and they looked in the mirror first and went, “We’ve got to be better than that.” And about the second half of the year, they were very, very good and way more composed on the bench. The other thing is, and you you know the four C’s and Danny can we’ll talk about that, but the four C’s that he’s talking about, the number one C in there that I look at is compete. They they needed to up their compete level. And what does that mean? There’s, you know, such a a abstract concept when you think about it. Means you got to skate like hell away from the puck. Means you got to check like a crazy. you because puck possession leads to scoring chances and puck possession for the other team leads to their scoring chances. When you lose puck possession, you got to get it back as quickly as you can so you can go back on the attack. They forgot to check, especially in third periods when they had the lead. And we watched training camp. It was hard. It was physical. It was intense because they knew that they need to get off to a better start this year. And the one thing they did a lot of was competition drills. Competition drills. competition drills, one-on- ones. So, the two things is um behavior, their own behavior going into the games because they understood that gez it does really affect the players and how we behave. And number two is their identity has to be part of their identity has to be a big part of it has to be we’re going to be a great checking team. How did the Florida Panthers win another Stanley Cup? They check like crazy. They check you into the ground. Conor McDavid had one freaking goal in the Stanley Cup finals after being the MVP last year. One goal and it was a it was in the game where they they blew out the Panthers. You got to check in order to win in this game. And you you saw a lot of that from the young guys especially um in the preseason games. Randy, last year you captured a sentiment that many of us felt, which was that the Sharks were the most fun last place team that you could possibly watch. But I do want to get your thoughts on that now because I think we all agree they’re at a point where that can’t be the narrative for too much longer. And I know that they don’t want to get stuck in a over start to the season. We saw it go till, you know, through game nine last year and two years ago it got into double digits. And we all want them to be fun. We want to be entertained, but it’s got to be a little bit more, right? Well, I don’t want them to be as fun in the third period. Um, no team had more trouble going into third periods with a lead or tied going into the third period. The Sharks had by far, it wasn’t even close, the worst record in the NHL in closing out hockey games. So, um, I I I’m really looking for improvement in that area, and it speaks to what Drew is talking about as well. um managing the situations and if you’re trying to win a hockey game in the third period, you have to check in the third period. You can’t be uh taking chances, taking bad penalties, uh giving oddman rushes and things that we saw last year. So, uh I I’m really looking for that uh really from the onset of the season and and again to what you just said, Ted, uh a good start. And I don’t know what a good start means, but I I would think that you’d want to come out of October with points. You know, the last two October, you know, it’s been O for October pretty much. And you put yourself in such a hole early on to try and make up some ground later on. Uh everybody there there’s a a sigh because here we go again. And I think it’s just it’s just such a downer way to start the season. Now, the schedule maker didn’t exactly do them any favors. Two of their first three games are against teams that are legitimate Stanley Cup favorites in Vegas and Carolina. So, it is not going to be a picnic that first week. At least those games are at home. But uh I I’m really looking for them to settle in uh and fingers crossed everybody especially Celbrini be healthy and come out of October hopefully with 7 8 9 10 points uh they’re going to need to establish themselves early on in this season and if they don’t obviously life will go on but I’m really excited about the opportunity to do that starting with a clean slate. Dan, I want to ask you if any other player in recent me memory has had as much pressure on their shoulders that has been placed on Mlin Celibbrini where everyone knows that he has to be at the vanguard to dig this team out of where they’ve been the last few years. I know we can make comparisons to a Conor McDavid um in Edmonton, you know, Jack Eel in Buffalo initially and it obviously didn’t work out there. Is he he’s a Vegas Golden Knight now. Who is the comparison for what Mlin is currently handling? And is he us up to the task of handling it? I don’t know who exactly who to compare that to, but I I’d suspect you take a look at where Sydney Crosby was when he was drafted first overall. The Penguins were a total last place team. They they were going in a situation where they were trying to rebuild their club. And all he did, Crosby, was become one of the greatest players of this generation. That’s the pressure that’s on every first round draft pick overall. I I’d say though that the pressure on Celibbrini is probably a little greater than Owen Power or Alexi Lafrrenier in recent years and probably closer to McDavid and Crosby. Part of it is because the the performance that he had, what he showed that he was a great three zone player, that he had all of the aspects and all of the qualities of not only a franchise player, which some of those other guys could be, but a generational player. And so I I think he accepts that responsibility with uh with calmness and with enthusiasm. And I think that’s part of what’s going to help the Sharks get to where they need to be. Nick, the question I have for you is as you get to see all these players go up and down, and that’s supposed to be narrative number one for what Mike Greer is trying to do here. How much have you been able to see in the last couple of years of what Mike Greer has been able to do in terms of drafting the right players and watching those players be developed quote unquote the right way so that they can turn into those NHL pros because now this year there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Quinton Musty. We talked about Igor Chernaw. We’re going to talk about Luca Canon who we got to see a decent amount of last year. But you know the list goes on and these players are being tasked with being part of that next generation. Right now it’s Misa, it’s Dickinson, it’s Celbrini, it’s Will Smith, but there’s a lot of young talent that’s still being developed. Yeah, without the with the exception maybe of Will Smith and Mlin Celbrini, Mer has taken the longer route. I mean, Willie Meckllin went back to Sweden, then he played a full year in the American Hockey League. And I think that’s probably going to be the strategy for this crop of players. Now, you know, Misa and Dickinson, again, these really high draft picks, really talented guys who who do have the ability to jump into the NHL right away are going to be the exception. But for the rest of the group, they’re going to allow these guys to really marinate in the American Hockey League. And for the long-term success of the franchise, I think that’s vitally important. We saw last year the Barracuda got over the hump. They got into the playoffs. And you can ask guys like Colin Graph and even Yarlav Asgrov how valuable that was for their development to get into those high pressure situations because frankly nothing resembles playoff hockey except playoff hockey and guys can learn so much in that short little condensed time frame. So with all these prospects whether it’s Musty or Kenyon or Haltonin or Chernob it’s going to be a meritocracy on who gets opportunities this year as these young players. But while in the American Hockey League, they’re playing in an incredible league with incredibly talented players and they’re developing and they’re learning and they’re figuring out the little nuances of being a pro hockey player. So, one thing I give a lot of credit to Mike, even though there’s some external pressure to get these guys into an NHL lineup right away because the team is struggling on the ice performance-wise and wins and losses, he’s played the long game. So, I think that’s going to continue to happen. And as he does that, we’ll see guys step in and be able to perform and I think assimilate a little quicker because of that experience of playing in the AHL. Brody, we know that Mlin Celbrini and Will Smith set an extremely high bar one year ago for rookies. Is that quote unquote fair to what fans are now going to be expecting from a Dickinson and a Misa? It’s not. And I mean, if you think about the things happening in pairs, Jumbo and Patty, Will and Mlin, Misa and Dickinson, and like it’s not to even throw all those names in the same conversation, but the bar was set ridiculously high. How many times in a hockey season do you have a player get drafted and then debut in the NHL what, several months later? And it has happened obviously with Baddard and now with Mlin and now with Misa, even the second pick. And I know he’s not the only one from the last draft, but I think it’s it’s incredibly hard to live up to what Mack and Will did last year. And Mlin from basically start to finish. I know the injury at the beginning of the year kind of set him back a little bit. Um certainly finished strong. Will Smith maybe started one way and finished a different way. I just think Ted as you look at this team overall, what’s important is not to measure maybe wins and losses this year because they’re adding new players and because they’re reliant so they’re very reliant on so many players under 22. It’s identity, right? It’s like what is the identity of the Sharks right now? What do they want it to be? How can they get it from where it’s at right now to where they ultimately want it? And I think that, you know, wins and losses are a part of that. as Randy mentioned, those those third period um you know, results, those those those final 20s are going to be part of their identity, but it’s it’s not that they they don’t have it yet because they can’t have it yet. They haven’t figured out who they are. And that goes to the the point of all the young players. So, as they mature, yes, they’re going to get better, but this Sharks team is going to have a calling card, and I really can’t wait to see how exactly that that shakes out. Dad, can I can I jump in on the on the stuff about Mlin and Will? One of my favorite sayings is comparison is the killer of joy. Last year is last year. It’s done. It’s over with. So this year, and I this is why I like what Ryan Warski has been able to do is to try to reset this team and going, okay, we have new guys, new players in my career, of course, being the huge part of that. But for me, guys, is that last year’s over, period. And now we we start we start to look at what they’re doing right here, right now. If anything’s for the San Jose Sharks and San Jose Sharks fans in the moment is what’s important right here, right now. Be where your feet are. Brody, I’m going to throw it back to you because I know Bay Area sports fans will walk up to you and ask a number of broad questions. What is your answer when they say, “What should I expect from the Sharks this year?” Probably the same thing you expected from the early 2010s Golden State Warriors. You see some things emerging. Oh, who’s this Steph Curry guy? Well, he might he might be something someday. And then a couple years later, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are are are drafted and added to the franchise. And then you start to really see the pieces come together. Um, look, things things are a little bit predictable, I think, for the Sharks in that we know with this trajectory and with this group and so long as, you know, the right moves are made and and the the course that’s been set, as long as that’s stuck to, that this is going to ultimately end up really well for the franchise. It’s not a matter of if, though, it’s only a matter of when. And I think that patience is the part, you know, you didn’t really know what the Warriors like, well, what was Curry going to turn into? And then all of a sudden, a couple years later, they’re in the playoffs. They they have that first round against Denver. It’s I know this is not a basketball video, but it takes a couple extra years more than you thought, but once they they finally got there, there was no turning back. And I think that’s just a sports thing. It takes a while. So, I think it’s the it’s just the win. It’s not even the if anymore. And I think that Warriors pre pre-dynasty analogy is where we’re at. No pressure, by the way. And and hopefully it pans out similar, but that’s where we’re at right now. Nick, of all the young talent that’s going to be on the Barracuda roster this year, who are you maybe going to be looking at to take the biggest jump or who are you going to be looking at with the most curious eye? Well, Quinton Musty, I think, opened a lot of eyes during training camp because he became kind of a forgotten prospect. There’s so many names. I was talking to Joe Will about this a couple of days ago. You can go a guy like Musty or, you know, even Halton and or Matias Havlin as a player who took a while to come over who was a pretty high pick. Even Cam Lund, it feels like he almost got forgotten about a little bit. But I think for Musty, his offensive capabilities are off the charts. It’s the other parts of his game playing away from the puck. He played in a little bit of a kind of a runand gun style and junior and we see that a lot. These guys put up these goddy numbers and then they come to the pro game and they’ve got to figure out all these other details to be a successful player. But I think just from where he was drafted, uh, joining the organization, Musty’s near the top of the list. And Chernos is another guy. Drew did the game with me the the preseason game on Sunday with the Barracuda and I saw him the night before too in the prior preseason game and any concerns about his foot speed. Now it’s the AHL it’s different. It’s preseason but any any concerns about just his pace of play? Um I think those were erased in my mind because he’s got the size certainly to play the skill the I think the offensive smarts but can he he have a tempo and a pace that can make him successful in the NHL? It’s to be determined, but I think it’s certainly in his arsenal. So, those are two players that I’m really looking at is who can fill the wings. You’ve got the Mises, you’ve got the the Celebrinis. Who’s going to be the future on on the wing for those guys? Um, and those are two names that I certainly look at uh and and are pretty excited about to see in the AHL this year. Randy, when you look at the 30,000 foot view of where San Jose is entering this year, what’s your greatest hope and what’s your greatest concern? Well, I think I kind of touched on my concern already and that’s uh the start of the season and I I just hope they can uh be healthy. Uh I think if Mlin celebrating he’s healthy lost last October, we’re looking at a different record in October. Y uh that’s that’s a reasonable assumption that maybe there’s two or three more wins than there were. Um, my greatest hope is that they take a stride and for, you know, I if the same questions get asked of me and Drew and all the rest in this group, you know, are the Sharks going to be good this year? Are the Sharks going to make the playoffs this year? Well, of course, every player and everybody on the coaching staff starts the season with the hope of making the playoffs. That’s goes 32 teams deep into the NHL. For me, uh, that would be amazing. It would also be uh you know close to the 94 team that I think it was 58 point improvement Drew that your coaching staff had that year and it and it set an NHL record. It probably wouldn’t take 58 extra points this year to make the playoffs but it would probably take 54 or 55. So that’s a big ask. Um if if this season uh ends and the Sharks are in the 70 point area, I would be happy with that. that would represent a stride forward. Uh and it would be uh you know true progress toward becoming eventually a team that’s going to make make the playoffs 95 98 100 points whatever that’s going to take whenever that eventually happens. But uh it would be a huge ask this year. It’d be great if it happened. Don’t get me wrong. I hope it happens. But for me, uh, my hope is that they they have early success, come together, get some of that identity that Brody touched on and and carry it to some more victories this year and give us even more hope for next year. Dan, what happens if Mlin Celbrini doesn’t start out as hot as he looked at the end of last year? How much question mongering then starts to happen among the fan base in the NHL overall landscape? because I know that you asked a number of the veteran players about adjusting to the NHL because now the NHL has adjusted to you. Everyone saw Mlin and Will last year. Now they’re going to have a better idea of how to defend and or stop them when they’re out there on the ice. Well, that gets back to what Randy talked about earlier when he said, “The start of the season is no picnic.” And as our old broadcast colleague Pete Stemcowski used to say, put away your picnic baskets and pick up your lunch pales. It’s time to get to work. And I think I think that’s what Mlin has as an attitude every single day. But as is the case with all players, Will Smith being another another player like that, when they see you one full season, then you got to come up with some new tricks. And uh these guys have found ways to do that at every level they’ve been at. And I think that that’s the part that that gets back to what we call Ryan Warsovsky’s 4C program. First, you got to have players that care. That’s the first C. The second one is you have to have players that compete. Uh the third one is you have to have players that connect. I think that’s one of the most important ones. And then the fourth one, which is sort of the last piece, is consistency. The fact that you can do it every single day. I think that’s the big goal for the season. That’s what we expect. And and if if the things start out slowly for some of these guys, which I don’t think necessarily will happen, you’ll have to start to focus on some of the things that they’re doing when they’re not putting the puck into the net because most people uh you know base that on how many numbers they have in terms of goals and assists. But I look at it as, you know, what’s he doing when when he doesn’t have the puck? It’s one of the things that you have to do when you want to p, you know, you want to preserve a lead in the third period is you have to be very good defensively. So that means you have to see those improvements in the team working together in the preseason. And I know it’s only preseason. We saw that against Vegas in the third period when the Golden Knights tried to push back and the Sharks did a really good job. So uh that’s part of it, but to me the connectivity of the team is is is where it’s going to all work. And I think that that when things don’t go well for for Mlin and Will and they they’re going to be periods where they don’t, you have to depend on on on all of those other C’s to get what the coaching staff calls C4 and that is an explosive team. I tell you what, if you if if the Utah game showed you anything with Min Celery and that assist he got on the power play to Will, he he take gets the puck in the neutral zone and basically goes, I’ll do this myself. gets it into the zone, makes and then they move the puck around. He gets that makes that play in that pass to Will and phenomenal. But then late in the game, empty net and I think Tanv’s got the puck and Mlin lays down to try to block the shot with his face. There’s everybody’s What are you doing, Ben? But that’s that’s Mlin. I don’t have any worries that Mlin is going to be thrown off by the by this the the secondyear jinx or whatever the hell people want to call it. He’s just he’s just too damn good and too damn competitive. No. And and I think Will Smith too is going to is going to be just Will’s thinking on a different level. He’s thinking on a different level. 100%. I mean, the reason why that puck gets in in part is not just because of what Mlin did, but it’s because of what the way Will anticipated where to go and where to be. And then he has just a a beautiful finish. Yeah. I I don’t think we’re too worried about these guys, but I’m just saying that there are going to be times when, you know, they’re not putting the puck in the net, something’s not going right, and you got to focus on all of the amazing things they do when they don’t have it. Drew, I was going to ask you with Misa and Dickinson, what are you going to be looking spec specifically, not even comparing them to what we saw last year with Mack and Will, but what are the check marks in their games that you need to see? They got to think the game is um fast. They got to think quick. They got to do everything quicker than they’ve done it. Now, I thought Misa and and Sam did a great job um during the the preseason. I would have liked to see see Misa be able to get some reward for his smart. He’s got smarts around the net. You watch where he goes. Like he he supports the puck really well around the net and he’s got great hands. Sam is he acted like he’s this is his third year in the league. He doesn’t he’s totally unflapable. He’s very very um aggressive with his skating. He’s um he’s a guy who’s got great size. When I look at when I look at both of them, I’m just thinking, okay, guys, the game is going to pick up from picks up from junior, picks up from preseason, now you’re in the NHL. Can you think the game Well, like we talked about with Will. Can your brain match your game basically is what you’re going to have to. And vice versa. So they they’re they’re going to have to get up to speed, but overall when you look at their their abilities, I I’m not concerned. I I’m I’m looking forward to watching both those guys really show us why they were high picks, show us why they were so successful in junior and be able to transfer that. I mean, Michael Misa had 134 points. 134. Sam in the in the Memorial Cup, Sam was a wrecking ball. He he was so forceful and so dominant in those games. It was was incredible. So, I’m pretty excited about watching both of them. I think they’re we’re going to be just as enthralled with those two as we were with Mlin and Will. But Drew, do you not think that when it comes to Dickinson in particular that we have to take a realistic view of the position? He’s 19 years old. He’s essentially skipped minor pro at this point, at least to start this season. He can’t go to the He can’t go to the Barracuda. So, he’s going to be with the Sharks or he’s going to go back to junior. It doesn’t look like he’s going to go back to junior. Uh, and if you look at at at NHL defenseman, the the age of maturity when when when veteran NHL defenseman come into their own as solid everyday defenseman, it’s usually at the age of around 23 24 most guys. There’s outliers. There’s ex exceptions to that. and Sam Dickinson may in fact be one of those exceptions. That will play itself out. But it’s a it’s a position I would think, especially as the Sharks look at him to be a cornerstone for years going forward. I would assume that they want to be really careful with this player and make sure that he doesn’t get too much too soon and overwhelmed to the point where it stunts his development. Would would you would you agree? Yeah, absolutely. I think they’ll probably they’ll probably work with him like they worked with Will Smith last year. I think they’ll they’ll be very guarded. They’ve got a good nucleus of veteran defenseman. I thought Shakir had a really good training camp and a really good uh um preseason games, but I think they’ll work with with Sam like they did with Will. I think there’ll probably be some development days in there. I think he’ll watch some games on backtobacks. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays or if he plays. So, I’m I’m with you. He’s not going to be I don’t think he’s going to be, you know, winning the the Calder. I think they’re going to bring him along slowly and in the second half of the season depending on how the wins and losses are then maybe we’ll see him more like we did will and we’ll cut the gameish like that. Nully with the roster competition that existed on the Sharks in this training camp which Ryan Warowski said was maybe there to this type of an extent for the first time in years. Does that embolden guys on the Barracuda to know that they can kind of fight their way? That that competition will bleed down to that roster to where they can fight their way and earn their chance much in the same vein of what we saw. It might be too easy of a comparison, but with Colin Graph a year ago, I think it’s already starting to show. And a guy who I think kind of came out of nowhere was Pavo Regenda. Worovski at one point said during training camp he wasn’t all that familiar with him yet he was one of the best players during training camp. I gives I think that gives you an idea just the internal competition, the competitiveness, but also how hard it is to make the Sharks right now because there is a lot of depth. Now, there’s depth with a team that hasn’t won a lot the last couple of years, but that just means there’s young players joining the fold. There’s limited opportunities and I think that that’s going to bleed down to the HL. I just I I I really believe it will. And it’s going to allow for guys to see who can separate themselves with the Barracuda. So, when those call-ups start to happen, because they will happen soon. Injuries are just part of the game performance. who’s going to be ready, who has been the guy who’s performed and is ready to hear their name called. So, I hope it continues to carry into the regular season because already in about four or five days with the Barracuda during training camp and two preseason games, we’ve seen it come into effect. We’ve seen practices a little bit more intense, a little bit more high tempo. Drew saw it last night. Uh, this is a team that’s pressuring the puck a lot more, much like what Ryan Worovski has talked about with how he wants the Sharks to play. They have definitely changed their philosophy. You know, I was talking to a couple of members of the organization and they really want the Barracuda to take on that same identity. That’s something they try to do every year and personnel will impact it, but they want the team to be a pressuring team that’s relentless and is going to give you a night every time you play them. So, um I think that’s going to only improve players and I think when guys do get called up, they’ll be ready and, you know, it’ll be easier to assimilate themselves into an NHL lineup because they’ve been doing it with the AHL club. Brody, we saw this franchise take to William Ecklund very quickly and they wanted to take to Thomas Bordalow very quickly as well. It just didn’t pan out the same way, but Ekkan became a fan favorite. Then we had with Mlin, they became fan favorites. Is there any difference now? Not even in terms of overkill, but is it almost that much harder for Misa and Dickinson to kind of be the next two that fans are going to glom on to because they’re not at the tail end, but fans have already been glomming on to these very high talented young players that have been, you know, infused into the system for the last few seasons. I mean, it just helps. I think the Sharks know who maybe the centerpiece is. If that’s Mlin Cabbraney, great. You need that cast of characters, the Sharks of yester year throughout the 2010s. Yeah, it was Jumbo and Patty, but think about all the other pivotal players from the Dan Boilles to the Ryan Clos to the Logan Coutur to the Rob Blakes for a short period of time. The list goes on and on and I know I’m forgetting a few, but I I think it’s great in that you don’t need a team to look for maybe kind of the backbone. You’ve started to piece together those players. And I also want to point this out, too. Randy brought up something great in our media day chat, which I think may have just gone live recently on the Shark social media channels. It doesn’t work out for every single prospect every single time. You hope it does. You have every intention that it does, but I think that’s the nature of us watching a lot of different sports over a lot of different years. Sometimes somebody’s highly touted and they just don’t pan out maybe the way you thought. Conversely, there are others who don’t have that those same accolades coming in and all of a sudden they surprise you. I think it’s all going to balance out, work out for the Sharks. To your point, Ted, about expecting too much or trying to predict exactly how this goes or trying to predict who the core is. That’s kind of the beauty of all of this. Again, I go back to the it’s not an if thing, it’s only a matter of when. It’s also kind of a matter of who. Now, you don’t necessarily again know who the names and positions and roles are going to be, but you can generally start to piece together that it’s all going to work out because some things are going to surprise you in maybe an unfortunate way, some things are going to surprise you in a great way. So, I I just I like I like the vibe. I like the kids. I mean, again, you have so many players under the age of 22. I think patience is a huge part of this. And to what Randy and Drew were just talking about as well, you know, a Sam Dickinson, it’s a harder job for him to crack. It’s a harder role for him to crack. And it’s not just because there’s fewer defenseman on the ice at all times, like in terms of logistics. That’s a harder position to play, I think, in the NHL. Different responsibilities. You get exposed a lot more. So, uh, it’s not when you look forward to to the guys that are next, it’s not fair to automatically assume things, but it’s okay to have good feelings about them. Dan and Randy, I want to throw this at both of you. Logan Cur’s playing career came to an end last year, right before the end of the regular season. In the off season, Mark Edwardic was bought out. They were the last ties to the previous generation and everything that was great that those guys played for and the incredible heights they took this franchise to. But this is different. This is new. This is a clean slate. And whoever wants to jump on it first, just how much does that change a little bit of the narrative? And maybe there weren’t ghosts in the locker room previously, but maybe that was always just the feeling of this is now officially whoever’s team it is now. You know, we don’t have a C yet, but this is an entirely new group. Well, first of all, Barkley Goodro is going to be pissed off at you because he scored the uh he scored the game. He’s part of that old I know he went away for a while, but we we still have we still have one left. He interestingly uh and Dan can correct me if I’m wrong, is the only player on the roster now that has appeared in a playoff game for the Sharks, I think. Correct. And uh that tells you something about the turnover, but I think you make a good point. Uh you know, and and Barkley there there was that gap of time when he went off and I think he won a cup or two um and came back. But uh it it is a very different feel. Uh you know, Brody just referenced uh you know, the kids at my and Drew’s age. They’re all the kids. There’s just the dads are kids for crying out loud. the dad’s a coach even the coach is a kid. But uh but you know I think it you make a good point. It it feels fresh. It feels new. It it’s a dynamic that really you have to go back to the very beginnings of the franchise. And Drew and Danny were both there back then in the early 90s when it all started and and and came together in a big way in that 9394 season when Danny there were so many new players that all came in at once. Uh and and it almost feels a little bit like that. And boy, wouldn’t it be great if if we had an outcome this year like we had that year. Boy, it’d be incredible if that happened and we can only hope. But I would say that all of this is sort of weaving together into a narrative. First of all, you know, Mark Edward Vlicer coming to an end. He played for this team when he was 19. And now we’ve got Sam Dickinson trying to do the same thing. I I think we’re in better shape than we were back in 9394 simply because of the job that Mike Greer has done to get all of these talented players together. But also uh the other factor in that they brought in guys that don’t have the scar tissue. They’re they’re new. It’s exciting. They’re veterans. They want to help. You got a guy like Tyler Tofoley also who has the experience of winning a Stanley Cup and also being part of teams that are that are trying to build. And so this is really exciting for everybody to to to see all of this come together. And to what Brody was saying earlier, we know they’re not all going to make it. and and part of the the process that they’re going through right now is to maximize the abilities that they have. I think the internal competition with the Barracuda, for instance, right now is going to really help the big club. We’ve got internal competition with the San Jose Sharks, too. So, throughout the organization, there’s that extra feel of trying to be better each and every day. That’s going to not only result in the team being better, but also Mike Ger having more options with the roster because they’re producing players that have value perhaps to other teams. So, um, it’s really exciting right now to be part of this organization and to see exactly where they’re going. And and as I said, I’ I’d put this club right now where they are ahead of 9394 in terms of of having a sort of an outcome that that’s more predictable. I would I would say only one thing about the 9394 team where they we had the advantage then coaching especially assistant coaches. Oh yeah. Awesome. We were the video the video coaching on that team was just incredible. It was ahead, way ahead of its time. Way ahead of its time. They got and they and they had to use Betamax back then. Somebody’s going to watch this and say, “What’s Betamax?” That’s what’s going A lot of people are like, “Go with Betamax. What are those two old men talking about again?” All right, we’ve got a couple minutes left. I need a quick bold prediction from each of you. Drew, bold prediction. 90 points. Brody, bold prediction. Everybody’s going to love Asky. In a full season, he’s probably going to play he’s gonna have 50 starts. No, I need a bold prediction for two teams. Uh 35 plus goals for Cabbrini. Uh and for the Barracuda, uh it’s a good question. Let’s just get back into the playoffs. Get beyond the second round. Dan, bold prediction. My bold predictions are at least 80 points for this team, 34 wins. They’re going to do much better than people think. I say that Will Smith scores 30 goals this year. And I also say that the Barracuda are challenging for first place in their division. Randy, bold prediction. Mlin Celibbrini will be even better than he was last year. He will flirt with 100 points. He’ll end up with 89. Nice. That’s a strong one, gentlemen. Love it. It’s finally here. We get a new season of hockey to talk about. Can’t wait to see y’all at the tank. Okay. Hey, boys. Thanks. See you.

Dan Rusanowsky, Randy Hahn, Drew Remenda, Nick Nollenberger, and Brodie Brazil all joined me to discuss the new season in San Jose!

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