Dear Dougie....

Last nights loss to the Kings was a heartbreaker. This was the chance for the boys to reign supreme in the Pacific and instead they laid an egg against a mediocre team with a has-been goalie who stood on his head. Disturbing. Change should be afoot for this team that seems lost right now.

If the Sharks lose tonight, could Ron Wilson be gone on Monday? Very possible.

If the Sharks lose tonight, could a major roster shake up been in the works? Very possible. It's hard to put much stock into Eklund's rumors, but his lead today of Toronto trading two veteran players to a team out West for a young forward and a young defensemen smells of San Jose being that other team. He also mentioned a player waiving a NTC. Ron Wilson's obsession with a #1 defensemen has been well documented. Could this be McCabe for say Joe Pavelski and Christian Ehrhoff? Just a musing...With Kaspar/Mithcell/Setoguchi around and Bernier finally showing up to play - do we need Pavelski, who will be due for a raise as a RFA next year? We have Couture waiting in the wings as well. Ehrhoff, who is also due for a raise, is looking clueless lately and perhaps he should be moved while the value is still high. Signing Ozo to me means a defensemen is on the move. You don't need Carle, Ehrhoff and Ozo - three duplicate guys who play a little soft and like to jump into the play.

But of course, the Sharks will win tonight - continuing their Jekyll and Hyde ways, and all changes could be off.

Dear Dougie: We Need D

There's a certain blueliner that's fallen out of favor in a certain hockey town. The biggest hockey town in North America. No not that one. One that still sells out every night. This particular town lives and breathes hockey year round. Every misstep, every player's comment is under a microscope. A great player is getting booed for one stupid mistake, the kind of mistake that happens once in a career. And it happened to him. Not in the Stanley Cup Finals, not in April when they're fighting for a postseason spot. In the first two weeks of the season.

You've figured it out by now: Brian McCabe.

Doug, we need Brian McCabe. He scores goals. He plays special teams. He's been under 100 penalty minutes only once in the past 10 years. He's a big mean son of a bitch.

What do we give up? Carle, Vlasic, and Rivet are untouchable in my opinion, because we'd just go back to where we started. Joe is too much.

Everyone else is on the table. Yes, everyone. Marleau straight up? For three more years of McCabe? Bet your ass. Bernier and Pavelski. Goc and Ehrhoff. Make it happen. The Gooch is waiting in the wings. Kaspar can play this year. Jesus Christ, activate Tomas Plihal if you have to.

Make it happen.

Dear Dougie...What about Hossa?

"Dear Dougie" will be a post where Mike or I will have a trade suggestion to share with Doug Wilson, aka Dougie. Feel free to agree, blast or add to the trade suggestion. These are only musing, thoughts of players that might look good on the Sharks.

I am making my pitch for the Sharks to consider getting Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta is terrible and a fire sale is coming soon. There is no future in Georgia and they have to start rebuilding with young players. With Hossa as a UFA at the end of the season, he is sure to bolt the South for greener pastures. After looking at cap room and young assets, I find three potential playoff teams that I think could make a pitch for Hossa's services via trade. Pittsburgh could dangle Jordan Staal. Washington could offer Backstrom or Semin for the chance to pair Hossa with Alexander O. And then, there's our Sharks. We have one of the deepest young cores in the NHL and a logjam of players at the forward/center position. With Devon Setoguchi waiting in the wings, could Cheechoo be the chip that gets Hossa in Teal and White? We have all read how much Atlanta loves Steve Bernier, atleast according to Eklund. Could a package of Cheechoo and Bernier make it happen? I like Cheech, don't get me wrong. I just think Setoguchi is waiting in the wings and they are similar players. If you can replace Cheech with the Gooch and Bernier with Hossa - isn't this a major upgrade to this team that occasionally struggles to put the puck in the net?

Just a thought.....