San Jose Sharks: Andrew Desjardins, 4th Line Stud
Today we look at San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins; a depth player who impresses not with points and flair, but physicality and hockey IQ.
2013-2014 Season Review
Andrew Desjardins ended the season last year playing in 81 games, and accumulating 17 total points. Those numbers may not look very good for a forward, but he was never known for his scoring prowess. Desjardins was a great 4th line center because he was physical, he was smart and he was great at faceoffs.
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I’ve made a strong case against goons in the NHL. They just do not belong in the game. However, fighting and hitting is still a part of hockey, and it’s nice to have players that can step up and throw a hit or throw a punch when things aren’t going your way. Desjardins is the exact type of player you want for that, because he actually has hockey talent unlike John Scott and Mike Brown. Desjardins is the perfect type of physical player to want. That brings us to his hockey IQ. He is so smart with the puck. He’s a 4th line center, which means most if not all of his shifts will end up starting in the defensive zone. The main focus of a defensive zone faceoff is to win the draw and to get the puck cleanly out of the zone to set up an offensive opportunity. Andrew Desjardins was 55% from the faceoff circle last year and had a positive turnover ratio last season with more takeaways than giveaways.
2014-2015 Prediction
I’m not going to sit here and predict a breakout point year for Andrew Desjardins. Odds are, it’s not going to happen. Desjardins will never be the kind of player to light up the scoring sheet every night with a bunch of points like Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau; but hockey is a team game, and depth players are important. Desjardins will be the same smart, physical forward as he was last year and will still be great from the faceoff circle. Every team in the NHL loves to have center depth and Andrew Desjardins is a great 4th line center for the San Jose Sharks. Desjardins, in my eyes, will be the 2nd best bottom 6 forward the Sharks have next season, behind only Tommy Wingels.