San Jose Sharks Report Cards: The Dynamic Defense

With the summer blockbuster acquisition of EK65, the San Jose Sharks carried a loaded defensive core during the 2018-2019 campaign. While superstars shined and faltered, unsung heroes emerged to round out their depth on the blueline.

Let’s take a stroll back in time to the 2018 off-season. General manager Doug Wilson and the San Jose Sharks put their chips on the table to land John Tavares.

However the all-star center  decided to return home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, having Team Teal yet again strike out via free agency. In spite of this result did not steer away the ambitions of the Sharks front office. They quickly reassembled and set their eyes on a bigger fish out on the market.

Wilson worked his magic, and reeled in all-star defensive phenom Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators, completing the biggest blockbuster splash of the summer and making the Sharks serious Stanley Cup contenders.

Adding Karlsson to their arsenal along with Brent Burns, the explosive, offensive-minded sniper, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the stay-at-home defensive specialist gave the Sharks a three-headed monster on defense to unleash on the rest of the NHL.

But looking beyond the tremendous trio, Brendan Dillon surprised the teal faithful with an uplifting and spirited campaign, taking his game up to another level in stride.

Rookie blueliner Radim Simek was a pleasant surprise, playing heavy minutes alongside Burns as the top D-line pairing for a major chunk of the regular season.

At full strength, the Sharks’ defensive pairings proved daunting and overwhelming, executing exceptionally well in all three zones of the ice and rising to the occasion when their goaltending mustered shaky outings.

Despite the boatload of speed, strength and skill, it was the injuries that derailed the Sharks as the season progressed. Karlsson’s groin issues, Simek’s knee injury and the wear and tear all season long was a burden. Nevertheless, San Jose battled and put all of their heart on the ice all the way til’ the end of the line.

With all of that being said was this defensive group the best in the past decade? Let’s put pen to paper and hand out the report cards to the Sharks blueline.

Brent Burns

Grade: A-

The braided beard, pre-game happy feet dancing, offensive dynamo put together another monster season for the San Jose Sharks

Burns exploded on offense compiling 83 points with 67 assists in 82 games, earning a nomination for the Norris Trophy alongside Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman.

The 2017 Norris Trophy winner became the first defenseman in Sharks history to 60 assists in a single season. Burns broke his own record for most points in a single season in franchise history (76 in 2016-2017) and racked up the most points among all blueliners in the entire NHL.

His drive and determination to attack the net and fire wicked shots through traffic at obscure angles poises No. 88 as a nightmare for any defender or goaltender.

Aside from his impressive offensive numbers, Burns was the consistent workhorse on the blueline. He showed up ready to the locker room every single night in the regular season and postseason.

Erik Karlsson

Grade: B

When the Sharks acquired Erik Karlsson in the summer, the buzz around SAP Center and the Silicon Valley was electric.

Karlsson’s precision and skill, skating with swagger from end to end really made the two-time Norris Trophy winner stand out.

Unfortunately, the Sharks did not get the completely healthy version of the six-time All-Star. The groin injury he sustained kept Karlsson from showing the Norris-type defenseman he could be capable of benefiting the Sharks defense for the entire duration of the season.

As the number of hits increased and his time on ice shifted near 25 minutes per game, his plethora of options and acceleration declined.

It took Karlsson 20 games to score his first goal in a teal sweater, amassing a total of three goals and 42 assists in 53 regular season games.

When the Sharks season was on the line in the postseason, he appeared to have recovered from his soreness during the first two rounds against the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.

However, the Blues immediately targeted him right out of the gate in the Western Conference Finals as he seemed to re-aggravate his groin injury. Despite the tenderness, Karlsson pushed through the playoffs, scoring two goals and the game-winner in the wild overtime sequence of Game 3.

If only Karlsson’s health was 100%, the Sharks may still have been in contention for the Stanley Cup. Instead, Karlsson’s future with the Sharks is unclear after undergoing successful surgery this week. Only time will tell whether the Sharks will extend an offer to the unrestricted free agent.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Grade: B-

One of the best shut-down defensemen in the league, Marc-Edouard Vlasic noticeably did not meet a high level of expectations out of the gate. His lackluster plus/minus rating of -6 on the team did not exactly help his case. It was the first time Vlasic possessed a negative differential since the 2007-2008 campaign.

Vlasic did sustain an awkward wrist injury in a game against Colorado shortly after the new year and missed a couple contests. He recovered and made much more of a significant impact during the second half after his sluggish start.

Vlasic notched a pair of pivotal goals in Game 6 against the Avalanche, giving the Sharks a fighting chance in the dying moments to advance to the WCFs in enemy territory.

No. 44 collected three goals and 25 points in 72 games, but his expertise came through in the defensive zone, breaking up entry passes and negating odd-man rushes with his long reach and quick reflexes.

Vlasic will continue to improve shutting down the top lines next season. Although he struggled at times, he’s one player who prides himself in giving his team a chance to win through his defensive repertoire.

Brenden Dillon

Grade: B+

Dilly, Dilly! Brenden Dillon put together the best season of his career.

He only found the back of the net once, but that one tally was the short-handed spark that kick-started the comeback against the Nashville Predators on the road, which was one of the best games of the regular season.

Dillon posted a career-high 21 assists and +19 plus/minus rating. Partnering with Karlsson was the right move. Dillon’s skating improvement was noticeable keeping up with faster players and making smarter plays. Dillon was able to lay out timely hits and feed the puck for nimble transitions out of the defensive zone.

The careless penalties are a small dent into his grade, but overall, Dillon has blossomed into a foundation that the Sharks can rely on No. 4 to support his teammates no matter the situation..

Radim Simek

Grade: B+

Simek represents the diamond in the rough on the blueline, with the nine points in 41 games not accurately describing his importance to the San Jose Sharks.

A player who quietly waited the first third of the regular season, Radim Simek became a blessing to the Sharks defense in a time of desperation.

Simek used his strengths by getting pucks out of the defensive end and neutralizing passes to prevent scoring chances, which made him a perfect fit alongside Burns. His emergence truly solidified San Jose’s top-six defenders.

The 26-year-old rookie played like bread and butter, but his season crumbled with a severe knee injury and ultimately led to San Jose’s demise of defensive consistency heading into the postseason.

There is a ton of promise with Simek. After strength conditioning and summer training, Simek’s potential is through the roof to be a prominent figure on the blue line next season.

Joakim Ryan

Grade: D+

At the beginning of the year, Joakim Ryan was the prime candidate to skate with Burns. After sloppy play and Simek’s emergence, Ryan lost his job as a starter.

Ryan’s physicality was never noticeably present and he did not have a strong shot from the point. His undersized frame made it difficult to navigate through the Western Conference.

The sophomore defender mainly filled in the gaps when the Sharks were short-handed during the second half of the season and the postseason performing adequetely for a seventh defenseman. However the Sharks will need to see tons of improvement from Ryan if he hopes to secure a spot in Team Teals everyday lineup.

Tim Heed

Grade: C

Heed was the Sharks seventh D-man, and had quite the task to fill in for Karlsson in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

In 37 games, Heed put up two goals and 13 points and made the most of his time when called upon with a hard shot and agile footwork.

Heed stepped up for Erik Karlsson when he could not skate in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Although he did not put up any points, he took advantage of the chance to compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs, setting up plays by dumping pucks deep and connecting on long breakout passes.

Heed will be the man the Sharks can trust to jump in when another defensive player falls out the lineup. Heed has shown improvement, and look to add more skill sets in the summer to become a more aggressive, versatitle defender.

In all, the Sharks defense was the bright spot at the start of the season. There were bumps and bruises that spiked concern among the veteran blueliners on the team, but steadily improved with the surprising success from unsung heroes like Dillon and Simek. Burns and Karlsson were a powerful one-two punch.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Sharks to keep their stellar defense group intact. San Jose can offer the max contract to Erik Karlsson, who really did not play at a completely healthy level for the majority of the season. If the Sharks can bring back No. 65 after his successful groin surgery, the Sharks defense will be one of the best for a long, long time, and ultimately will give the Sharks the best shot at taking home the Stanley Cup.