San Jose Sharks Kick Off Training Camp Under Peter DeBoer
The San Jose Sharks kicked off training camp earlier today, and the biggest thing everyone looks out for is trying to decipher what the lines might look like. It’s especially intriguing this year as this will be the first look at how new head coach Peter DeBoer will set his lineup.
Well, if the first day is any indication, DeBoer seems to be inclined on keeping the dynamic duo of Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski together. As Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area points out, DeBoer has kept Pavelski and Thornton together, while adding Tomas Hertl as the other wing on San Jose’s top line to begin camp.
As we predicted about a month ago, this is how I anticipated the top line to shake out for the Sharks. It makes sense as Thornton and Pavelski have developed quite the chemistry over the past couple of seasons. Playing alongside Thornton, Pavelski has elevated himself into one of the top goalscorers across the league, netting 78 goals since 2013-14. The wild card was whether DeBoer would insert Hertl back up top after struggling during his sophomore campaign. Placing Hertl alongside Thornton, shows the staff has faith in Hertl’s bounce-back capabilities. Hertl and Thornton played well together in Hertl’s rookie season, and he has shown the necessary offensive skills to succeed at the NHL level.
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One of the biggest takeaways as well is how much confidence the San Jose Sharks have in Chris Tierney to anchor San Jose’s third line. Tierney is slated in between Matt Nieto and Tommy Wingels. While I thought Joel Ward might be opposite of Tierney instead of Wingels, this is understandable as Ward will likely be on the second line.
Pavelski and Hertl could have been options for the third line center role, but Tierney’s play down the stretch was one of the few bright spots for San Jose last season. Tierney was a playmaking presence for the Sharks, registering the best points per 60 for San Jose at 1.89 last season. He developed a nice chemistry with Nieto, whose speed should be an asset along with the toughness Wingels can provide.
This should be a solid third-line option for the Sharks, and by default, allows San Jose to load up more offensive weapons on their top line.
Finally, it should come as no surprise that Brent Burns and Paul Martin are paired together on the back end. Both DeBoer and general manager Doug Wilson have hinted at this possibility since Martin was signed during the offseason. Martin should bring a steadying presence to the sometimes manic nature of Burns’ game. Burns should still possess plenty of offensive freedom, but the veteran Martin should be able to cover for more mistakes than last year. Also, another year on defense should only make Burns more comfortable and cut down on the amount of defensive turnovers and lapses.
UPDATE (12:30 p.m.): As Group B hit the ice, here’s how some of the lines looked from the outset of training camp.
As we mentioned earlier, DeBoer chose to keep Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau together, while placing the veteran Ward on their opposite wing. This line will need to show more consistency during the 2015-16 season as Couture continued to elevate his game, while Marleau struggled for long stretches. If Marleau can get back on track with Couture continuing his ascent, this has the ability to give the Sharks a really good second line that matches up well in any situation.
Ward is a good, honest player who can bring a more physical presence this line hasn’t had in recent years. Ward is great on the forecheck and should provide more opportunities for Couture and Marleau to find the back of the net.
With regards to the other line, the only surprise is seeing Melker Karlsson not skating. Also of note, look how much more dynamic the Sharks lines could potentially be if you took these as their top four lines. Ben Smith, Raffi Torres and/or Nikolay Goldobin and Karlsson has the makings of a more legitimate NHL-line combination.
Smith showed himself well in tough situations last season, and this year he should have much better linemates to work with. The only question with Torres is keeping him healthy, and expect him to miss stretches at different points throughout the season to ensure his knee is fully healed for the stretch run.
Goldobin is somewhat of an unknown, but possesses tremendous offensive upside. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he makes the team out of camp and find himself in a more prominent role as the season progresses.
All-in-all, nothing too surprising from how DeBoer has decided to align the Sharks lines, but we will continue to see how this develops as training camp continues and the preseason begins. Overall, this appears like a much deeper San Jose Sharks team, but they still have to prove it with their performance on the ice.
As always, stay tuned to Blades of Teal for more updates as they come out from training camp as hockey is coming back.
Next: Tomas Hertl Faces Pivotal Season With Sharks