San Jose Sharks season preview
The expectations are very low for the San Jose Sharks this season. This team doesn’t have much firepower after trading away Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are in full rebuild mode, so this could be a very frustrating season for the Sharks. I’d be very surprised if they don’t finish in the bottom three of the league.
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Offense
In the 2022-23 season, the Sharks finished among the bottom 10 teams in multiple offensive categories, such as goals per game (2.84) and power play conversion rate (18.4%). Over the summer, they added Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman, Filip Zadina, and Mikael Granlund to their forward group which were much-needed acquisitions, but I’m not quite sure that they make this team any scarier.
Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture can be relied upon to record at least 60 points, but the Sharks are going to struggle to score goals this season.
Defense
To no surprise, the Sharks were very weak defensively last season, finishing in the bottom 10 of the league in expected goals against per 60 (3.33), as well as goals against per game played (3.84). With that said, they did happen to finish in the top 10 for their success on the penalty kill, but the organization didn’t do much to strengthen their blue line this offseason. They added Jan Rutta, a veteran who has won a Stanley Cup, but he doesn’t move the needle all that much for this group.
The Sharks will most likely finish in the bottom 10 of the league in defensive categories yet again this season.
Goaltending
Goaltending was one of the Sharks biggest crutches in the 2022-23 campaign and it most likely will be the biggest question mark for them this season. They brought in Mackenzie Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils this offseason, and his career has been a roller coaster thus far. He appeared in 22 games last season, earning 10 wins while skating to a .893 save percentage. His partner, Kaapo Kahkonen appeared in 37 games last season for San Jose, earning just nine wins and a .883 save percentage. They will be battling for the No. 1 position, but I’m not confident that either of these two can help the Sharks compete for a playoff berth.
Player To Watch – F Anthony Duclair
After having a breakout season in the 2021-22 campaign, Duclair’s games were limited in 2022-23 due to injury. He only played in 20 games with the Florida Panthers during the regular season, but he also appeared in 20 postseason games, helping his team get to the Stanley Cup Final. He played a massive role in helping the Panthers turn their organization around, and since this is a contract year for Duclair, he’ll have the extra motivation to perform. I think Duclair will lead this team in scoring.
Outlook
The Sharks finished seventh in the division last year, but now that they have fully embraced the rebuild, I expect this team to come in last in the Pacific Division. They’re going to struggle offensively and having a mediocre goalie tandem doesn’t help. They will finish in the bottom five of the league.
