San Jose's scoring woes at the start of the season have been evident. 0-6-2 off the first eight games and winless at almost Halloween strongly indicate struggling. There have been concerns all over the place. We knew the defense left a lot to be desired, and having the fourth-worst goals-against per game at this point does not dispel that notion. San Jose's issues at the back were expected. What needs to be addressed is the silence from the offensive weapons.
San Jose's offense is ticking at under two goals per game. With the young, exciting talent this roster is supposed to have, that needs to be better. Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli have been carrying the offense through the first eight games. Granlund has nine points, while Toffoli has seven from the first set. William Eklund has five points, Zetterlund has three, and Wennberg has two. Celebrini has two on debut, but no other Shark forward has multiple points.
Mike Grier invested money into this offense in the summer by picking up Toffoli and Wennberg. That, combined with the young talents, was supposed to give this Sharks roster a shred of offensive threat. Without Celebrini, the Sharks have not done that. This isn't acceptable from a roster that possesses the names this Sharks offense does. I'm unsure if it's a chemistry or system issue.
It's not the players. The Sharks' powerplay is joint 11th in the league, which is very respectable considering the Sharks' position in the NHL standings. So, the talent is there. Granlund, Eklund, and Toffoli all play on that top powerplay unit, but it doesn't click at even strength. Smith has struggled, and Celebrini is injured. With this talent, the offense can't be the issue. If you're going to lose games 4-3 in a scorefest, okay. The defense isn't great yet; that's understandable. However, the scoring woes are a major sign of the issue.