3 Players Who Need “Prove it” Years on the San Jose Sharks

With plenty of questions surrounding the roster. Which players will need to prove themselves in order for the San Jose Sharks to have success this season?

The San Jose Sharks are carrying a very talented roster heading into the 2019 – 2020 campaign. However things are going to have to break just right if Team Teal wants to get another shot at the Western Conference Finals.

After taking substantial losses via free agency with the departures of Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi, and Gus Nyquist. The Sharks are hoping that they can replace that level of production internally by giving more opportunities to their younger skaters and overall good health.

This is a huge risk by the Sharks front office but considering how the Team needed to allocate their cap space to retain certain players it’s really all they could do without risking the foundation that the core of this roster has built.

Now with the fate of the season hanging in the balance the San Jose Sharks will be leaning heavily on these specific players if they have any hope of remaining Stanley Cup relevant.

Martin Jones

The Sharks were able to survive last season despite posting the league’s worst save percentage at both full strength and at 5 on 5. While it was a team effort a lot of this blame gets placed on the shoulders of starter Martin Jones.

The 29-year-old’s had a turbulent 2018 – 2019 campaign.  Over the course of the year we saw the traditionally stable Jones struggle to string together quality starts. He got the starting nod in 62 total contests ending the season with an abysmal (-22.87) GSAA which was the 2nd worst in the entire NHL (Only behind Quick).

Over the previous 3 seasons Jones recorded a .915 SV% and compiled a 6.65 GSAA. He’s historically been an above average goalie as a San Jose Shark, so what exactly went wrong for the soft-spoken netminder last season?

There are a number of factors that contributed to Jones demise. Whether that be fatigue, new defensive structure in front of him, opponents have a better understanding of his tendencies, or all of things combined.

Regardless of what’s ailing Martin Jones the Sharks will need him to deliver next season. Especially taking into consideration the amount they’ve invested into him and lack of options for a replacement. Ultimately it will be up to Jones who is entering his 5th season as the San Jose’s starting netminder to show that he’s up to the task of being a quality NHL starter.

Erik Karlsson

Not only did the Sharks invest a significant amount of collateral into acquiring Erik Karlsson they doubled down on their sentiment by offering the Swedish skater a max contract which made him the highest paid blueliner in the NHL.

This is a gamble on San Jose’s part, taking into account EK65’s 2018 – 2019 got hindered by injuries which stopped him from suiting up every night..  The defenseman was only able to play in 53 games which was off from his average over the past 5 season (78.8). Nevertheless despite the lack availability, Karlsson’s presence had a positive effect on the Sharks production.

On an individual level the 29-year-old performed relatively well racking up 45 points. He accumulated a major chunk of that production during impressive point streak where he scored 25 points in just 14 games. Essentially when EK65 is healthy and fully engaged in the Sharks are one of the most dangerous offenses in the NHL.

Karlsson’s ability to transition the puck, contribute in the offensive zone, and high-end skate speed are all worth banking on despite last year’s groin injury. He underwent surgery almost immediately after the Sharks exit from the Western Conference Finals to repair the damage done over the course of a grueling season and appears to be 100% heading into next season.

The Sharks going will be relying heavily on Erik Karlsson in 2019 – 2020. He’s proven that he is an elite defender in the NHL, now all he has to do is stay healthy for an entire season in a Teal sweater.