3 Ways the San Jose Sharks Can Replace the Loss of Joe Pavelski
The San Jose Sharks lost their captain and leading goal scorer last season due to free agency, but still have tools needed to stay elite offensively.
Joe Pavelski decided to join the Dallas Stars during this summers free agency period. Now the San Jose Sharks have a huge void to fill up front and will be looking for answers internally as the 2019 – 2020 season approaches.
It will be nearly impossible to replace what the former captain brought to the San Jose Sharks locker room but from judging by Team Teal’s roster composition it appears that they have skaters within their organization that can replace Pavelski’s scoring output.
The former Shark put up a monster season last year tallying leading the team with 38 goals and ending the season with a total of 64 points. Per usual the Captain was integral to San Jose’s offensive success at both 5v5 and the power play. His strong shot and uncanny ability to deflect pucks past netminders is something that the team will miss when it comes to generating points next season.
Nevertheless Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks have both moved on and the franchise must find a way to supplement his high level of production. This will be a tall task to take on especially considering the team subtracted much more than they added during the draft and free agency period.
Despite not having the cap flexibility to add another big name off the free agency market the San Jose Sharks have the fire power internally to make up for the loss of the former captains production. All they’ll need is for these 3 things to happen starting with a bounce back year health wise for one of Team Teal’s catalyst.
Full Strength EK65
Erik Karlsson underwent successful surgery after this off-season to repair his injured groin that hindered him throughout a major portion of his time in the Bay Area. Erik Karlsson suited up 53 regular season games last season, compiling a total of 45 points. EK65 carried this steadfast level of hockey into the playoffs where he led all blueliners in assists with 14.
Compounding with his injury it took a bit of time to get Karlsson adjusted with his new surroundings. Heading into EK65’s homecoming to Ottawa on December 1st the Sharks were a lousy 13 – 10 – 5 and struggling to put together games of consistently good hockey.
But after losing in embarrassing fashion to the Senators things started to trend in a positive direction for Team Teal and that point forward EK65 and the San Jose Sharks took their game to another stratosphere.
From 12/02/2018 – 1/17/19 (the day following EK65’s injury) the San Jose overclocked the underlying metrics putting up numbers that made many of the anayltical minded hockey fans drool.
Much of this had to do with the play of Karlsson. During this torrent stretch of play last season the 29-year-old was able to string together a monstrous 14 game point streak accumulating a total of 25 points. It took a bit of time but this sequence of games solidified the fact the front office was right to bet on acquiring game breaking talent despite the cost.
Often individual point per game statistics understate Erik Karlsson’s overall impact on the San Jose Sharks roster. It took a bit of time to formulate chemistry between the Swedish defender and his new teammates but when it happened things were clicking at full tilt.
Over the course of this month and a a half the San Jose Sharks outpaced the entire league in GF and xGF at 5v5 ,while also ranking 2nd at all strengths in those same categories only behind the dynamic Carolina Hurricanes, per naturalstattrick.
Metrics like expected goals help illustrate that a healthy EK65 has the type of impact that can elevate teammates to despite their overall skill level. It’s not a coincidence that several Sharks put together career years in regards to goals and overall point totals last season
That means having a fully engaged healthy Karlsson for even 70 – 75 games will have the Sharks reaching their regular season ceiling and perhaps take first place in the Pacific Division.
Timo (Breakout) Time
At 22 years old the power forward in his 3rd season proved that he should be be considered as one of the league’s best play drivers. Lined up with Logan Couture for most of the 2018 – 2019 campaign, Timo Meier ended the year with 30 goals and 66 total points averaging 16:58 in ice time over the course of 78 games.
The most impressive thing about Timo’s stellar year was that he most of his damage at 5v5. At years end Meier was surrounded by some impressive company finishing near the top of just about every offensive statistical category they track.
The dynamic winger finished in the top 25 in total points, top 20 in goals scored, and top ten in total shots at 5v5 while also matching up against the opposing teams best competition.
Timo was a man wrecking crew who used his strong edges and wide frame to shield the puck from opposing defenses allowing him to trek it into the dangerous areas of the ice. Not only is he proficient at possessing the puck his powerful shot makes thing difficult for netminders. This skill set can be represented by his impressive 19.84 ixG at 5v5 finishing only behind Brendan Gallagher and John Tavares, per naturalstattrick.
Last year didn’t really come as a surprise to most who have been tracking Timo’s career progress. But now with an open spot on the Sharks historically lethal power play Meier has a chance of pushing his career to new heights. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Timo can reach point per game potential and become regarded as one of if not the best power forwards in the league.
Blame it on the Youth
Along with Timo Meier the San Jose Sharks have a lot of young talent on their roster who can help supplement the loss of their former captain. While Meier and Labanc will take on the heavier minutes and more defensive assignemnts other skaters within the organization will be called upon to help round out the bottom half of the forward group.
There are plenty of names to throw out there like California’s own Sasha Chmelevski, the leading scorer in the WHL last season Joachim Blichfeld, or even last years preseason star Ivan Chekhovich can make the leap onto the big club.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if a player already playing at the pro level in AHL can make an impact in the NHL. Names like the Barracuda’s leading scorer Alexander True, Dylan Gambrell, and Antti Suomela all can slot in and play along the elite talent on the San Jose Sharks.
One important factor (even though he hasn’t officially signed a deal) is the fact that these skaters will most likely be playing with Joe Thornton. His presence on the team gives the Sharks coaching staff an anchor on the third line who will be able to help guide these young skaters through the ups and downs of a long NHL season.
A Team Effort
In no way is this article claiming that just one of these factors will be able to off-set the substantial loss of Pavelski’s production and unique skill set that is only rivaled by few elite goal scorers. However we can’t overlook the talent that’s already on this Sharks roster and with good health, better opportunities for young skaters, and time to formulate chemistry this team still has all the keys to do something special.
His hockey sense, scoring prowess, and power-play expertise will be sorely missed but at 35-years-old it was a tough ask for the Sharks to commit to 3 years. He is still an extremely valuable piece to any hockey team, but San Jose’s front office feels that they have the necessary tools internally to overcome the departure of their former captain.
38 goals appears like a lot to reproduce without a player of Pavelski’s caliber, however one could argue that little Joe’s strong season was due to a spike in shooting percentage at 5v5 and the additions of the talent surrounding him. Most significantly bringing in EK65 and the development of players like Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, and Kevin Labanc.
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Losing a captain and a franchise icon is extremely disheartening but the Sharks have proven over time that they have the culture within their locker room to overcome the adversity on and off the ice. This years training camp will be interesting to track how the coaching staff allocates the roles and ice time that were once held by Pavelski for so many seasons in Teal.