One of my biggest frustrations with living in the world is how so many people cannot communicate basic things accurately, and also cannot decipher plain language directed their way. Like, a customer of my business placed an order on New Year’s Eve. We had provided a quote to provide three things, with prices for each clearly listed. The big item was about $3,500, and the other two were $750 and $200. The customer expressed shock and dismay that the total for all three things wasn’t $3,500, which is what she called up expecting to pay for our work. And so I was put in the position, as I am over and over for different reasons, of having to try to discuss the issue without saying things like “I don’t know how it’s my problem that you’re this stupid.”
Along these lines, I’ve now been presented twice by the allegedly literate journalists at San Jose Hockey Now with the information that Alex Wennberg wants to sign an extension and remain in San Jose after this year.
From a write-up of a media availability of his before the season:
On whether the pending UFA would like to stay in San Jose…
We’ll see how it goes. But so far, I’ve been here one year, and I’ve really had a great time here, great organization, everyone around here. I really enjoyed it, family as well. So we’ll see how it goes. But at the end of the day, I got brought in here to [bring] leadership, to be a guy who shows being a role model for the younger guys. I got this year left, so I’m going to give it my all. And I mean, what happens, happens. But my focus is on this year, and what I can do right now.
The headline of that piece began “Wennberg Wants to Stay in San Jose”. He very clearly did not say that and probably even took great care not to say that while having some nice words about the organization.
Now Wennberg has been named to the Swedish Olympic team and SJHN put out a write-up headlined “Wennberg Happy To Make Team Sweden, Wants To Sign Extension With Sharks”
On whether he, pending UFA, wants to return to the San Jose Sharks…
I love it here. Right now it’s a lot of things going on and all that, so all I can do is to think about hockey, and then we’re going to see what happens. I have an agent to help with that and whatever is going to happen. But I really love the place here. San Jose as a city, but the team as well, the guys. I just have good things to say, and then we’ll see what happens.
I’m sorry but what the fuck?! He was a bit more effusive in his praise of life in San Jose and the organization, but clearly made no particular affirmative comment that he wants to sign an extension and keep playing here.
I feel like Sharks fans are more prone to this sort of thing than other fanbases, but a large contingent of them have now decided that Wennberg is a critical piece of the team who must be retained or all the good vibes building go away. Just like they said about Mikael Granlund last season. Not surprisingly, they have learned nothing.
I can take or leave Wennberg. The only reason I think there is even a chance now that he is on the team until the end of the season is because the team finds itself legitimately in the playoff hunt. This was definitely not expected by the team. There is no doubt that they paid this guy, who now has 829 games played and a mere 108 goals in his career, what they paid him because they were also paying for the draft capital they would get back trading him before this season’s deadline.
But he’s just a guy. There is no reason that it has to be Alex Wennberg doing what Alex Wennberg would do next season as a 3C. There are a lot of ways to get that.
One thing that’s certain is Wennberg is not locked into wanting to stay. Either because he has his own preferences because of family or whatever, to play in a different part of the country, or maybe he’s received signals already from the team that it’s not in their plans. Whatever. Don’t write headlines saying he wants to stay when he takes care not to say that! What is wrong with you? And the world?
The Chum of Chance 