Where Can the San Jose Sharks Improve at the Trade Deadline?

The San Jose Sharks have gone through a drastic transformation over the past 12 months. These transactions have securely positioned Team Teal as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

Even with these massive roster overall General Manager Doug Wilson has signaled that he is not done adding pieces to this Team. The San Jose Sharks have rounded into form of late, but still have a few glaring issues heading into final weeks before the trade deadline.

The most conspicuous concern that’s been plaguing the San Jose Sharks for most of the season is their lackluster goaltending. They head into the All Star Break with the leagues worst SV% at 5v5 with a pathetic 89.72%.  Both Martin Jones and Aaron Dell are registering in the bottom third of the league when it comes to HDSV%. Their starter Jones who’s played in 38 games, holds the leagues worst GSAA at -16.48 at 5v5.

Putting things in perspetive the San Jose Sharks are 29 – 16 – 7 which accounts to 65 points. They have the 6th best point percentage at .625%. This team is second in goals scored, second in scoring chances for, and first in shots generated. It’s not hard to figure that if the Sharks got anything close to league average goaltending over the course of the season, this team would be head and shoulders above the other teams in the Western Conference standings.

Another thing that’s been hindering the San Jose Sharks throughout the season is their lack of depth scoring. They’ve been able to compensate thus far with their ability to add players from their AHL affiliate. But that well has started to run dry, and realistically none of their minor league talent could have the same impact as an established NHL scorer.  So it would be wise for Team Teal to go look for reinforcements outside of the organization.

The San Jose Sharks would prefer to pick up someone who can play the right side. A player like Joe Thornton would greatly benefit from having a scoring winger play along side him and Marcus Sorensen.

The shift to center by Tomas Hertl  has really changed the San Jose Sharks perspective heading into the trade deadline. They can focus more on adding players that score goals instead of driving play, but don’t be surprised if they target a 4th line C.

This year has been very strange with plenty of teams still in playoff position at this point of the season. The buyers and the sellers haven’t really fully separated themselves from one another, however their are a few teams out there who have declared that they are open for business.

Teams like Detroit, Ottawa, New Jersey, Chicago, and the Rangers have seemingly thrown in the towel and are seemingly shopping their assets . But the San Jose Sharks should be patient. The closer we get to the deadline the more the market should open up for GM Doug Wilson.

The San Jose Sharks are pretty limited when it comes to expendable resources. They do not have a first rounder in the 2019 or 2020 draft because of the EK9 and EK65 trades. They’ve got a few prospects in Juniors that could pique an opposing teams interest but most likely they will have to subtract from their active roster.

This brings us to players like Kevin Labanc, Aaron Dell, and Joakim Ryan. Players like Dell or Ryan won’t fetch much because of their limited upside. But Labanc could pique the interest of another team . He’s on an expiring RFA deal and is on pace for 47 points, which is a career high. His effective right handed wrist shot could be useful on a teams power play, and at only 23 he still has time to develop into the top 6 scorer that he was once projected to become.

Regardless of what avenue Doug Wilson takes it’s almost a guarantee that the move he makes is going to improve this already potent roster. The San Jose Sharks have already invested a heavy amount into this season, so it should come as no surprise to see them go all in at the deadline.

All statistics provided in this article were provided by corsica.hockey unless stated otherwise.