Breaking down the San Jose Sharks ahead of NHL Trade Deadline Day.
Deadline approach
The San Jose Sharks will be: Buyers
Pending free agents
Unrestricted: 8 | Restricted: 15 | See full list
[teamleaders league=”nhl” team=”sj” season”2014″]
Sharks overview
The San Jose Sharks are a team on the attack — fourth overall in the West coming out of the Olympic break and looking to get to a Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history. They’re not a long way off. This version of the Sharks is as aggressive and relentless as any before, using speed and strength to forecheck and create chances. The constant onslaught has the Sharks leading the league with 35 shots a game. The team’s focal point has shifted from the core of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to young star Logan Couture. That’s translated into a speed-first approach, designed by coach Todd McLellan but adopted by the aging (but still scoring) Thornton and Marleau.
Last season the Sharks moved 6-5, 230-pound Brent Burns from defence to forward — turning him into a pounding force on the forecheck and a key factor in the Sharks’ aggressive system. The system works. The Sharks are ninth in the NHL in goals per game and have allowed the fourth-fewest goals against.
Down the final stretch they’ll be in a position to improve their fourth-place standing — though they are unlikely to catch the Pacific-Division leading Anaheim Ducks. The bigger picture is the playoffs, where the Sharks have had an infamously unlucky history. A few tweaks and this is a team that could do some damage in the postseason.
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| Click player positions to see depth chart | ||
Areas to address
San Jose’s success is rooted in the draft. Logan Couture and defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic are both products of the Sharks’ system. Rookie forward Tomas Hertl was a Calder trophy candidate before a knee-on-knee collision with the Kings’ Dustin Brown sidelined him. But trades played a big part in changing the Sharks’ game. General manager Doug Wilson dealt away veterans Ryan Clowe, Douglas Murray and Michal Handzus for draft picks. It seemed like the Sharks were giving up on the season, but the shift helped speed up the Shark game (while adding some future pieces).
This season the Sharks are more likely to add a few spare parts to help get them through the wear and tear of a deep playoff run. They are already a bruised and battered team, and their aggressive play will inevitably result in more causalities. San Jose is strong up the middle with Thornton, Couture and Joe Pavelski, but can use some help on the wings. They are in the market for fire-sale veterans that can keep up with the team’s speed and bolster their offence.
The interesting piece in play for the Sharks is 37-year-old defenceman Dan Boyle whose $6.6-million contract expires at the end of the season. It’s unclear if Boyle will get the extension he’s looking for with the Sharks (like Thornton and Marleau just did) or if he’ll be shipped to a team in short-term need of a veteran defenceman.
Possible trade targets
Ray Whitney, Dallas Stars
Lee Stempniak, Calgary Flames
Nikolai Kulemin, Toronto Maple Leafs
