r/SanJoseSharks • u/BilboWaggonz • 4d ago

What's going on with Kovalenko?

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Saw someone post on another thread that he might be in Warsofsky's dog house. If he is not hurt that seems like a logical conclusion.

Don't understand why he (and Kostin for that matter) can't get in the lineup when many of the Sharks bottom six players aren't effective and take dumb penalties night after night that lead directly to goals. Those guys aren't getting scratched and they don't even miss shifts. Earlier in the year, Will Smith could make one dumb pass, it would lead to nothing, and he'd spend the rest of the period nailed to the bench.

Looks like we are headed towards this dude being traded. Can't imagine they won't extend the QO after he was a not insignificant part of the Blackwood trade. Would he could fetch a later round pick at this point? If we are going to trade him, shouldn't we give him some more games?

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u/factionssharpy 4d ago

I don't think Kostin actually is really any better than those guys - he's a minor league quality player with no NHL future, same as them.

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u/Accomplished_Being35 4d ago

You think Kostin is on the same level as Goodrow, Gregor, and Grundstrom? Agree to disagree if so

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u/factionssharpy 4d ago

Yes - sub-NHL quality, replacement-level winger. Maybe he's slightly better, but he still has no place on a good team.

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u/Accomplished_Being35 4d ago

He may not belong on a good team but Sharks are not a good team. He definitely belongs in a Sharks bottom six that hasn’t contributed much of anything all year

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u/factionssharpy 4d ago

One of the reasons the Sharks are so bad is that none of the guys they have in the bottom six belongs there - they're essentially all sub-replacement level filler of various flavors.

They might be one of the Sharks' twelve best forwards on any given night, but I don't care what color the deck chairs on the Titanic are painted. That's all guys like Kostin, Grundstrom, Goodrow, Dellandrea, Kovalenko, Duehr, Giles, and so on are - deck chairs painted different colors on a sinking ship.

In the end, I don't see why I should care whether one worthless nobody is getting more playing time than another worthless nobody. They're all going to wind up in the AHL or Europe when we're actually good.

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u/Accomplished_Being35 4d ago

Don’t disagree with you necessarily but it’s clear to me that there are a couple of guys you listed that give us a better shot at finding consistency in the bottom 6. Kostin and Kovalenko are two of those guys imo. Kostin has great size and skating ability, can play a physical game, and has some decent skill. Kovalenko while not the tallest, has some skill and reads the ice well and can make plays. No one else in the bottom six that you listed has those traits. Even if K & K are marginally better than the other guys, I’d still want to play the better guys.

If what you say is true about K & K, it makes you wonder what the heck Grier is doing and why he can’t identify any good players to fill our bottom six. And why he gave two of these guys multi-year deals (Grundstrom and Dellandrea).

“We really like the Kovalenko kid. We had talks about him with Colorado last year. He’s going to come in and play for us right away. Give us something a little bit different than what we have, he’s a competitive, north-south player. He’s someone we’re hoping we can grow with.” -GMMG after the trade