Tom Willander Trade RUMORS Swirl | Will Sharks GAMBLE on Canucks Prospect?

Tom Willander Trade RUMORS Swirl | Will Sharks GAMBLE on Canucks Prospect?

With Matthew Schaefer no longer a guarantee, is Tom Willer the answer for the Sharks defensive issues? You’re Locked on Sharks, your daily podcast on the San Jose Sharks, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hello, welcome to Locked On Sharks, the premier hockey podcast covering your favorite team in the Bay Area. My name is JD Young, caretaker at the reef, also the co-host of Locked On NHL. I want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen, proudly part of the Lockdown Network. We cover your team every day. And if you want to be an everydayer, all you have to do is just follow along you get podcast or you can watch on YouTube as well. And today we’re going to be trying to explore some of the trade options for the Sharks, especially with that Dallas pick. And we’re gonna be looking at Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander. Uh so we’re going to look at his kind of profile, look at uh go back to his draft status, uh where he fit with the Sharks prospect pool, why a trade would make sense for both parties, and more importantly, where does he play next season. So before we get to all that, do want to let you guys know uh today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. So uh Tom Wer, first of all, Canucks be a normal organization for once in your life. um Willer uh and the Canucks seem to be a little bit at an impass here and we’ll dive into a little bit more, but um he and them they can’t kind of come to an agreement on if he should turn pro, like sign his contract and go pro or not. Um, and when something like this happens, of course, um, everybody takes a look at it and sees maybe we should step in and take this problem off your hands. And that’s what we’re doing today’s episode is should we take this problem off your hands, Vancouver Conucks, and would it make sense for my career and the San Jose Sharks to do so? Especially now, right? um after the draft lottery, Matthew Schaefer isn’t a guarantee for the Sharks at number two, right? At number one, like if you passed on Schaefer, you would pass on Schaefer, right? And you could make the argument for Misa over Schaefer. And some people have um but at number two, that decision might be made for you if the Islanders pick Matthew Schaefer. And I think this not getting the number one pick, I think it puts pressure on Mike Greer to have to go out and find an answer at defense, specifically hopefully a right-handed answer. Yes, I know Schaefer is left-handed, but go out and try to find a long-term answer, another guy other than Sam Dickinson. So, let’s get into Tom Willer and kind of go back to his draft profile and get to know him a little bit better. So, um Tom Willer is a 6’1 190lb uh defenseman. Just turned 20 years old. Uh couple I think it was in February if I recall uh correctly. Yes. Uh February 9th he turned 20 years old. Right-handed defenseman playing for Boston University. um 39 games this year, only had two goals, 22 assists with 47 shots on goal. Uh Willer is actually from Sweden. Um before his draft uh year, played over with uh Rogal. Um mostly with the J20 team. Um we played about 39 games, had four goals, 21 assists, 25 points. Got a couple of SHL games. Well, oh, it’s going to sneeze. Saved it. Um, but he’s a, you know, kind of the, as we’re seeing more and more players kind of go from, you know, the European to kind of the NCAA route. Um, as a freshman in Boston University, played 38 games, had four goals, 21 assists with 25 points. um this season in 39 games like I said a little bit less production uh with two less goals, one assist more but one less point um has also played for uh team Sweden and the you know world juniors. Um last year in he has in the sorry the 232 24 season uh he played seven games have one goal two assists three points this season played seven games two goals three assists five points he’s also played some international tournaments with them as well um and represented team Sweden elsewhere looking at his uh profile from elite prospects uh so they had him ranked 23rd overall. He ended up going 11th in that draft. Um kind of his shades of or kind of the comps for him, Mikey Anderson and Demetri Orof. Um known for his motor, very evasive play killer. Um good skater at a they ranked him at a 6.5. Uh also good solid shooter, you know, solid physically as well. um he was the fifth best motor in that class, fifth best neutral zone defender, and fifth best shutdown defenseman. So, if you like your defenseman on the more defensive side, Tom Willander is your dude. Um you know, looking at the his kind of the some of the scouting reports from u that season, um Willer has been among the draft’s biggest risers on most ranking, including theirs elite prospects. Um, he impressed us early and his evidence in game reports was more of a case of growing admiration rather than being caught totally offguard by his skill level. Wanderers’s value stems from a combination of high-end skating and motor. He’s always engaged defensively, uses his dynamic posture and evasive footwork to guide attackers away from the middle and break up plays along the boards. When you add the fact that he’s both strong and skilled physically and relentlessly competes for every puck, he’s a nightmare to play against, even if you start or manage uh to gain advantage. Willer is a quickness to recover most of the plays. Simply put, he’s one of the most projectable defensive players in the entire draft. Uh Willer’s defensive reads are a strength, but high-end offensive instincts are currently missing from his game. he can consistently create potential openings and advantages with his feet but couldn’t often capitalize on them. Um so and then reported of move to Boston College on his draft. He ends up going to Boston University. Uh should serve him well in his regard even if Wilner doesn’t uh end up taking significant steps offensively. Um his floor is a prospect remains high becoming a complimentary number four blue liner who provides a lot of defensive value uh through his skating motor and physicality while being able to move the puck um competently is definitely in the cards even without any major development leaps. If the offense does take off, watch out. So so far the offense really hasn’t taken off at Boston College or at Boston University. Uh, one thing to keep in mind, um, is who are two defenders who just gra, you know, just been playing at Boston University. Um, the Hudson defenders, right? Uh, Lane Hudson, who just finished his, uh, rookie season with Montreal, um, played freshman season Boston University. Uh now you have another Hudson uh who just finished his you know season there like so he’s never going to get the the kind of offensive juice because of uh who he plays with. That’s not kind of his role. Um looking at some of his analytics here. So um from NHL Foley um he had Willer as the 73rd NCAA defender. His scoring wasn’t great, generation wasn’t great. off puck was was solid in transition game was really good at 70.2%. Um this was a little bit earlier in the season as well kind of. So um and he played second pairing minutes right uh for for Boston University. Uh looking at uh Brock uh sorry looking at uh Byron Baders doesn’t have him being a star which is a 7% uh.7 points per game as a defenseman. um but projects uh Willer to be an NHL player at kind of about 20 points a season. So um Willer, you know, even looking at like some of his more recent scouting, like he played very well um at the uh World Championships this season as a you know 19 soon to be 20year-old, one a little bit one of the older players, but was one of the best defenseman in in the game for Sweden. like he was a a huge part of of Sweden in their run um during the World Juniors uh this season, but um you know like definitely hasn’t maybe gotten to grow his offensive game as much as you would potentially like. So if you like defensive defenseman, Wilder’s your guy, right? and it still does leave some questions of kind of where he would fit with the Sharks and especially if he’s kind of the fit or what they need um on the back end. So, we’ll discuss that more uh here in a second and then of course we’ll talk about a potential trade uh and more importantly where he would play next season. So, uh we’ll get to that here in just one second. You just realized your business need to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. You just use Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites. Indeed, sponsor jobs put your post at the top of the page and help you reach right candidates faster. If you’ve been in a spot where you need to hire like yesterday, the pressure’s on and every day without the right person is a setback. That’s exactly when Indeed sponsored jobs come in handy. They make sure your post is seen by the right candidates right now. And now you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 sponsor job credit. Just go to indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. All right, before we continue discussing Tom Wer and where he fits in with the San Jose Sharks, do of course want to thank you guys for making Locked on Sharks your first listen. If you haven’t yet, perfect time to subscribe uh as we’re getting you geared up for this off season, right? We’re going to be looking at uh draft profiles, of course, you know, got the second overall pick. Uh we’re going to be also first round pick and a very very good second round pick as well. Uh plenty of draft profiles coming up, free agents galore. We’re going to be starting to dig into more and more of those re uh coming up here soon. Uh get you guys ready for what’s a massive offseason in San Jose Sharks. So uh make sure you’re following along wherever you get podcast and of course you can watch on YouTube as well. So Tom will fit in with the San Jose Sharks if they were to acquire him, right? Um, I think right with Schaefer, if the Sharks were to and they still might have a chance to draft Schaefer, but if the Sharks were to draft Schaefer, like he quickly becomes the best defensive prospect in the pool, overtaking Sam Dickinson, right? Um, Willander and Dickinson I think are are I think I’m I’m still having Sam Dickinson as a hut of Willander and especially after the last couple seasons with with Willer who granted hasn’t been able to generate offense as at the hope that you would want to and you know is still solid seasons with 24 you know points um and in college like those are nothing to sneeze at, right? Um, granted he’s on very good teams and got to play with, you know, uh, Mlin Celebrini one of those seasons and, um, is, you know, got to play with some of the Hudson brothers, etc., etc., but um, hasn’t really kind of taken that jump offensively that you like. So, um, yes, he would be very good defensively, right? And that is if you’re in the defenses for, uh, defense is awesome like shut down plays type of player, Willer makes a lot of sense. And like Wilder does make a lot of sense for the Sharks because you just need more talented players. And I do think Tom Wer is a very talented player and there might still be some untapped offensive potential there uh with Willer just because I don’t know if he’s really ever gotten a chance at least in college to be able to do that. So, um, as for his fit, right, and what the Sharks need, we do know the Sharks need puck moving defenseman who can get the puck going the other way. And he does do that. Like that is one of his skills and one of his strengths is getting the puck moving the puck the other way. He does looking at some of the kind of analytics and and data from him, he does struggle at the retrieval part in the defensive zone, right, of like go get puck and then turn it around and start going the other way. He does struggle with that a little bit. Um, we don’t know if that’s Boston University system. We don’t know if that’s maybe it’s a little bit of both type of thing. Um, but you know, if you’re looking for a guy who’s going to run your power play and, you know, potentially score like 40, 50 points in in the NHL, I don’t think Willer is your guy for that. Is he a number one defenseman? I don’t know about that either, right? And at some point, like, yes, every team wants a number one defenseman, but not every team has a like true number one defenseman. Um, again, if you’re, you know, expecting Schaefer to not be there and, you know, looking at kind of how the rest of this defensive class goes and where the Sharks are picking, there’s not really a lot of options available for the Sharks this year to maybe solve that um, through the draft, right? And free agency, right? We we’ve kind of looked at it and we’ll we’ll start to kind of look at where the the Sharks will be, you know, potentially spending some money here, but um there’s not a lot of great options there either. So, this might be one of those things where the Sharks just aren’t going to find a potential right-handed defenseman this season. And right, we we know the Sharks, they’re going through this rebuild. We don’t expect this thing to be like completed this year, right? this rebuild is not going to like, you know, after the draft, guys, rebuild’s done. Let’s go. This is our team. Like, this this this thing is still going to take some more time. And I I do think that right-handed defenseman really kind of does feel like the last piece that they’re missing. And again, I know Schaefer is a left-handed defenseman, but uh he’s pretty good, right? He like you you feel like Schaefer is stealing potentially top pairing like number one defenseman. Willer is probably like Dickinson where there’s still potential of him being a number one defenseman and I I think Dickinson’s probably more like a number two defenseman where maybe like on a in a perfect world right you have a amazing dude like Schaeer who can do a bunch of crazy things um play you know all over the ice and Dickinson I I think is going to maybe the offense isn’t going to be quite there but I think he’s going to be a full like full on 200 00 uh or two-way defenseman, right? He’s going to play well on his own zone. Um I think he’s going to drive offense well enough for for the Sharks and um like if and you would be able to split their time pretty evenly. Can Willer come in and maybe you push Dickinson up and he’s just like a really good number two and then Will if maybe if Dickinson’s like a solidish number one, not like amazing, right? Not like Norris trophy caliber, but like a solidish number one. And then Willander is like the guy on your second line, the second parent defenseman. and you’re able to split those and maybe you partner them with the right, you know, if maybe like Luke Canyone and Tom Wer where Willer can kind of do things in his own zone and Kenyon can drive the offense a little bit more. Um maybe a pairing like that would make a lot of sense or um but I do think Wilder if you that was kind of your plan of like Dickinson’s going to be our topline defenseman and he’s going to play a bajillion minutes a night and Willer if Dickinson’s not out there Willer is going to be out there basically for the most part and between those two guys we feel like we can cover 45 to 50 minutes a game in a you know an important game right like a playoff caliber game we feel like we can did 25 minutes out both those guys um each where they’re if one of them’s out like if one yeah if basically is if Dickinson’s out there and when Dickinson comes off Willer comes out and then when comes off Dick like you could basically do that for a majority of a game I feel like you’re in a pretty good position and it maybe puts a little bit more pressure on your offense to have to your forwards to have to kind of drive offense but I do thinker is a guy that the Sharks should really be interested in because they just don’t have a lot of guys like him, right? I know Mukuma Madullan like I I don’t like Mukmulan but I I would put Muk Madan below Willander at least when it comes to potential. Um you know Kenyon is just a different cat to to Willander. like Ken Yoni is a offensive dynamo who does you know solid in his in his own zone but going to need the right partner right I I think that is a big thing with him and um you know Eric PCamp there’s questions about him like he’s done well in college but like what happens now and when you come to you know and Jack Thompson like the kind of that you know like we’ve seen Jack Thompson be able to drive offense and you know at parts and I think he’s worked on his defensive But, you know, he’s probably more like a four, five or six for a good team. So, I think Wilder would give the Sharks a solid 23 is kind of especially on the right side. So, the big question is one, why would the Conucks do this? And two, what’s a trade look like? And then number three, where would he play next season? So, we’ll get to all that here in just one second. Ever check your bank account, wonder where did all my money go between dining out, online shopping, entertainment, and for me, uh, just buying snacks for my children. It’s easy to lose track. That’s where Monarch Money comes in. Your personal CFO, giving you financial visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn’t just a budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts, investments, and spending in one place. So you can don’t just so you can stop just managing your money and start building wealth. Uh instead of juggling multiple apps, you can use Monarch to check your finances, track spending, and even plan long-term goals and managing money with your partners smoother than ever. You can track shared and personal accounts, set goals, and stay on the same page without the stress. So take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That’s monarchoney.com code locked on NHL for half off your first year. All right, before we finish up, do of course want to thank you guys for making Locked on Sharks your first listen. For your second listen, check out all new locked on NHL game night every game, every night until your Stanley Cup champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale by NHL game night on Locked on NHL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. Okay, let’s start with number one. Why would the Conucks do this, right? Uh you just spent, you know, a first round the 11th overall pick on this guy. Um, and there seems to be some riff between the Conucks organization who again, um, just be an or normal organization like right, if your Twitter, if you found out an NHL Twitter account gets hacked, um, why is it the Canucks the first team that you thought of that was going to get, why was it the Conucks who gets their account hacked? So, um, but the Conucks cannot go a week without drama. Um there seems to be some disagreement on how much bonuses that willer should earn etc etc. Um if he I guess there was caught discussion about burning off a year of his ELC which is a very common practice right um for top level player you know top level NCAA uh players to you know sign or sign after their season is over. um join the NHL right away, right? And then but unfortunately, right, you burn a year off that contract. Um players want to do this because they want to get to their payday faster, right? They want to earn that new contract faster and it’s just kind of part of the business, especially with these topend players. Um but the Canucks and him didn’t do either of those things. a he doesn’t really know where he’s going to play, right? Um so, you know, it’s it does sound like it’s a lot about kind of bonuses is is I guess the main rift of it and um uh friend of the show Cam Robinson, you know, kind of wrote a really nice article about this on uh Elite Prospects. Definitely worth um all that, you know, kind of give him the click, go read it, etc., etc. But um I do think for him and for the Canucks it may like it just may not be a situation like this. It’s just not a great way to start a relationship, right, of like haggling over whatever you know his his bonuses could potentially be and stuff like that. So um what does a trade look if you’re my career, right? Um, you have a guy who is the 11th overall pick, maybe hasn’t put up the offense, right? Like you can point to that like, hey, the offense, you know, not really kind of what you would expect for him. And, you know, it this pick 100% starts with the Dallas pick, right? Um, and then I I think you look at a potential young NHL, AHL type of player. who that is. That’s a great question. Um do you you know like do you look at somebody who is maybe in need of a fresh start like a Bordo or Guushian but teams aren’t going to really want like Bordo and Guushian I think are kind of what they are right now. Um, do you like trade away a Colin Graph who I think is an NHL player right now, but um, you’ve found Colin Graph like you’re you’re trading what you feel like is a not a sure thing, but you kind of know what Colin Graph is and Colin Graph is an NHL player for someone like Tom Willer who like we don’t know what Willander is going to be like um, up and coming like as he be turns pro and stuff. though. Um I do think like you’re probably looking at a solid prospect and the pick for like that Dallas pick as a a starting spot and um I don’t know like I’m not trading Musty or or Sherneshave or Halt like I don’t know about guys like that because again those guys are so pro and do the Conucks want something like that like this team wants to win right those guys aren’t helping this team win this season. Maybe Tom Willer is helping this team win this season, maybe not. Uh, from the sound of it, probably not. Um, so you’re probably starting with something like that. If the Sharks do pull off the trade, I’m first thing I’m doing is I’m signing him into a DLC like you you can come play like um you know, we we’ll see you on the Barracuda next season basically cuz um you look at like the Barracuda and their defense there. you know, it doesn’t look like PC camp’s going to play. Uh maybe they get, you know, Axel Landin who does it does sound like he is his time over in the over in Sweden is done. Um like he’s out of his contract with with HV71. I would expect there’s going to be an announcement on Landine at some point for him to sign his ELC. Um, but like yeah, you have Jack Thompson who might be a tweener type of player again, right? He spent half a season with the Sharks, half a season with the Barracuda. Um, Luca Kenone, like you can probably count his days that are left on the Barracuda. Um, they’re going to need some more help over there. And I do think, again, I do think this Barracuda team is going to be pretty solid again next year. Like I would try to like I would let him play the next season over with a Barracuda and just, you know, let him get used to playing professional hockey because um yes, you’d want to see some more offense, but I just don’t know at Boston University if he’s going to have a chance to do that as long as there is a Hudson kid uh wearing wearing that sweater right now. So, um that’s what I think. I do like you we’re gonna be kind of going through all these defensive options and kind of power rank where we would put him. And I do think Willer compared to some of the other ones probably a little bit less expensive. uh because there is still a lot of like what’s he going to be and how what’s his ab like what’s his ceiling and how likely is he going to hit that ceiling you know especially if you compare it to like Simon Neich or Brad Clark and some of these other guys where there are question marks about their future I do thinker I do think he’s the least expensive let’s just put it that way to acquire but I also think he maybe doesn’t do exactly what you’re looking for, especially if you’re looking for a potential offensive pushing defenseman. And I do think the Sharks need offensive pushing defenseman. So, um, but definitely a person I’d be very interested in quiring if I was my career in the San Jose Sharks again. But I do think for Greer, uh, looking around and keeping your options open right now, not the worst thing in the world. So, we’ll be back tomorrow uh as we continue our looking at the uh different draft classes. We’ll be looking at the 2021 uh Shark draft class with uh William Ecklan. So, we’ll spend some time talking about Ekkan. Uh look at how the rest of that draft class is shaping up right now. So, make sure you’re following along wherever you get podcast and of course you can watch on YouTube as well. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Lockdown Sharks. Follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky Fryhole. Till tomorrow. Bye friends.

In this episode, we explore the potential impact of Tom Willander on the San Jose Sharks’ defensive lineup. As the Sharks seek to strengthen their defense, Willander, a promising prospect from the Vancouver Canucks, stands out with his exceptional skating ability and defensive skills. We’ll examine his background and what makes him a standout candidate for the Sharks’ future.

The Sharks’ current defensive roster faces challenges, and integrating a talent like Willander could be a game-changer. We’ll analyze how his skills compare to other prospects, such as Sam Dickinson, and discuss possible trade scenarios that could bring Willander to San Jose. This episode provides a comprehensive look at the Sharks’ draft strategy and how they might leverage their assets to secure this promising player.

Transitioning to professional hockey is no small feat, and we’ll also consider how a stint with the Barracuda might aid Willander’s development. Join us as we delve into the strategic decisions facing the Sharks and the exciting possibilities that acquiring Willander could bring to the team’s future. This episode promises to offer valuable insights into the Sharks’ plans and the potential transformation of their defensive lineup.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-sharks/

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Check out the podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

IndeedNow, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to Indeed.com/LOCKEDON right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.

UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free to connect with top talent and grow your business today!

Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Wonderful PistachiosGet snackin’ and get crackin’ with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more!

GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuelToday’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.

UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more—experts ready to help you take your business to the next level.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#NHL #Sharks #SanJoseSharks