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Sharks sign Dainius Zubrus to one-year deal, nice depth move

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 06:  Dainius Zubrus #8 of the New Jersey Devils and Leo Komarov #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs tangle on the boards during the second period at the Prudential Center on February 6, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Maple Leafs 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 06: Dainius Zubrus #8 of the New Jersey Devils and Leo Komarov #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs tangle on the boards during the second period at the Prudential Center on February 6, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Maple Leafs 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Dainius Zubrus is 37 years old. Speed isn’t a virtue, and his offense has stagnated. But he’s a shrewd pickup for the San Jose Sharks, who inked him to a one-year deal on Tuesday.

Zubrus had 10 points (four goals, six assists) and 42 penalty minutes in 74 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, where Pete DeBoer coached him from 2011-14.

That connection is an important one: DeBoer knows his strengths and his limitations, and it sounds like he had him cast in the right role for the Sharks.

From CSN Bay Area and Kevin Kurz:

 If anything, adding him should help prevent the Sharks’ coaching staff from dramatically shortening their bench, as they were forced to do late in several close games in the third period on the recent trip. Mike Brown, Micheal Haley and Nikolay Goldobin all saw limited minutes. Zubrus could also push some other struggling forwards like Tommy Wingels, Matt Nieto and Chris Tierney down the lineup, or out of it altogether. 

The decision to bring Zubrus into the fold was initiated by Pete DeBoer, who coached the Lithuanian native for three-and-a-half seasons in New Jersey. On Nov. 19 in Philadelphia, DeBoer said: “He’s an easy guy to play because he’s defensively reliable. He plays a big possession, heavy game. There’s a lot to like there.”

Again, as a bottom-of-the-lineup role player, this move for Zubrus could work.

Fear the Fin has a nice stats-based breakdown of his effectiveness as a possession player.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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