Blades of Teal
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San Jose Sharks Report Cards: The Dynamic Defense

By Michael Gutnick

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 31: An overhead view of the San Jose Sharks bench as they face the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on March 31, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 31: An overhead view of the San Jose Sharks bench as they face the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on March 31, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Radim Simek and the San Jose Sharks celebrate their win versus the St. Louis Blues
SAN JOSE, CA – MARCH 09: The San Jose Sharks celebrate their overtime win against the St Louis Blues at SAP Center on March 9, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

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