4 Burning Questions Heading Into the San Jose Sharks Regular Season
The San Jose Sharks have four important questions to ask themselves as they prepare for the 2019-2020 season a month and a half away.
For the past decade, the San Jose Sharks remain fastened in a constant loop.
There is a pattern forming every year where we as Sharks fans start the year having high expectations but eventually slowly get dragged through the same painful sequence of events. Start the year strong, end up finishing in the top three of the division, and then eventually come across a hot team or a string of injuries in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Survive a round, or two, or three, but ultimately the San Jose Sharks fall short of their season-long quest, and must start all over again, refueling the fire with trades and minimal high round picks as the calendar pages go by.
It’s time for a change in this ever-growing pattern, and it begins by answering these four crucial questions after general manager Doug Wilson and San Jose’s front office tackled the tough test of reshaping their roster in the off-season.
1. Who will be the new leader in the locker room?
With long-time Sharks captain Joe Pavelski testing free agency and finding a new home in the Lone Star State, San Jose is in need of a new leader to guide this relatively young team to the Cup.
The obvious choice is Logan Couture, who has worn an “A” for the previous four seasons and has earned the trust throughout the entire organization.
The 30-year-old center is a battle-tested sniper, an elite playoff competitor, and, most importantly, a vocal leader among his teammates on the ice.
He clearly demonstrated all three of those essential characteristics in last year’s postseason, especially in Game 7 of the first round when Couture and his power-play partners stepped up and rallied for their fallen captain Pavelski in the dying moments of the third period.
Couture has delivered in the clutch time after time, and his goal-scoring abilities and love for the team should grant No. 39 as the 13th captain in franchise history.
However, there are other possible options who could suit the role too.
Although he is a unrestricted free agent and his plans to play another season are up in the air, Joe Thornton would become the captain without question.
Thornton was the captain twice, in the 2005-2006 season when he first came over to the Bay and from 2010-2014. Entering what would be his 22nd season in the NHL, Jumbo Joe would make an admirable decision to take on captaincy once again in his likely retirement tour.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic also could take the responsibility as the current longest-tenured Shark on the roster. Vlasic has been a staple all 13 years on the San Jose blue line, and deserves a shot at becoming the next Sharks captain.
In the end, head coach Peter DeBoer and his staff have an interesting choice to make for who will dawn the “C”.
2. Will Martin Jones regain his form?
When Martin Jones joined San Jose during the 2015-2016 campaign, he carried the Sharks to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final with a career-best 37 wins, six shutouts and a 2.27 goals against average.
For the last three seasons in teal, Jones’ GAA has steadily climbed while his quality of goaltending appears to knocked down a few notches.
Entering his seventh season in the NHL, the 29-year-old netminder needs to prove he can return to his dominant self that delivered eye-popping saves and impeccable defense in low-scoring games.
The Sharks have relied heavily on goaltending in the past with a trusty defense. Despite this the Sharks have developed quite a robust offense lately and their goalie tandem has slacked with the given upgraded production.
With that being said, it’s important that Jones, as well as his backup, rises up and matches the team’s offensive strength.
Jones has plenty of room to improve, and with another five seasons secured in his pocket as a Shark, it’s time for Jones to start trending in the right direction.
3. Can Erik Karlsson stay healthy this season?
The Sharks did not get completely healthy Erik Karlsson last season with a groin injury, which hindered his ability to smoothly skate and find the back of the net.
Karlsson registered three goals and 45 points in 53 regular season games before finding a rhythm in the postseason with two goals and 16 points.
Yet, the nagging injuries derailed his durability in the moments that mattered most, and kept the two-time Norris Trophy winner from competing at his best in his first year as a Shark after the blockbuster trade a summer ago.
Now, after successful groin surgery and an 8-year, $92 million contract extension, Karlsson is due to unleash his full potential and be a dangerous threat every time he takes the ice.
He, along with Brent Burns, make an unstoppable top-two blue line pairing in the league, and wield powerful shots and fancy tricks up their sleeves on both special teams and at even-strength.
Karlsson is an offensive force on the ice. Aside from his stellar defensive and offensive capabilities, the main test will be if he can stay in tip-top shape through a 82-game campaign.
The six-time All-Star has played the full length of the regular season three times in his 10-year career with the last as an Ottawa Senator during the 2015-2016 season.
So, can Karlsson be consistently healthy while maintaining a high compete level on the ice?
The answer points to yes. All he has to do is just prove it.
4. Which young Sharks will rise to fill important holes?
Many key pieces of last year’s playoff run shipped out of the Tank. Players like Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist and Joonas Donskoi all sought bigger contracts in free agency, leaving the door open for younger Sharks to rise up from the depths.
Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier took advantage of those opportunities last year, collecting career-high totals across the board and solidifying top-six roles for the seasons to come.
Who’s next in line to turn in a breakout season? Well, Kevin Labanc deserves to get consideration as the right candidate after signing a very team-friendly deal this off-season.
Playing in all 82 games in his third season with the Sharks, Labanc racked up a career-high 17 goals, 39 assists and 56 points. Most importantly, he became a sneaky sniper on the wing for the top-line power-play unit where he tallied 20 points on the man-advantage.
Labanc could see a spot in the top-six this season after settling nicely along Marcus Sorensen and Joe Thornton on the third line. Labanc can swiftly skate and score, but finds room for improvement in his defensive and neutral zone transitions.
Nevertheless, the Sharks have more options than Labanc. In fact, the team could summon a few promising prospects from the Barracuda.
The likes of Ivan Chekhovich, Sasha Chmelevski, and Joachim Blichfeld have circulated in rumors for potential jumps to the NHL to round out San Jose’s forward depth.
On defense, Radim Simek took control of a splendid small sample of games after his December call-up last season, playing important top-heavy minutes partnered with Brent Burns. Unfortunately we saw Simek go down with a season-ending injury late in the Sharks’ schedule, but the 26-year-old Czech defender is ready to go for training camp next month.
After years of having a very thin group of defensive prospects it seems that San Jose finally has a few skaters capable of making the leap into the NHL. The most ready being Jacob Middleton and potentially Mario Ferraro after some time down the Barracuda. We also can’t forget blueliners like 2018 1st round pick Ryan Merkley who’s still perfecting his game in Juniors, but will likely be a huge part of Team Teal’s future.
Hot. 3 Wildcard Candidates for the Sharks Captaincy. light
The Sharks’ draft picks and players scouted from other professional leagues have panned out well over the last few seasons, but this year Team Teal will relying on this core group of skaters more than ever.