NHL Preview - San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks

2015-16 season: 46-30-6, 98 points Lost in Stanley Cup Finals against Pittsburgh	Head Coach: Peter DeBoer (2015)
3rd Place Pacific Division	General Manager: Doug Wilson (2003)
6th Place Western Conference	AHL Affiliate: San Jose Barracudas ECHL Affiliate: Allen Americans
Cap Space: $995,836

Players Lost in the Offseason

POS.	Player	New Team	Contract
LW	Dainus Zubrus	Retired
RW	Jeremy Morin	Tampa Bay Lightning	1 year, $575,000
D	Roman Polak	Toronto Maple Leafs	1 year, $2,250,000
D	Matt Tennyson	Carolina Hurricanes	1 year, $675,000
G	James Reimer	Florida Panthers	5 years, $17,000,000

Incoming Free Agents

POS.	Player	Old Team	Contract
LW	Mikkel Boedker	Colorado Avalanche	4 years, $16,000,000
D	David Schlemko	New Jersey Devils	4 years, $8,400,000

2016 Draft Picks

RD	Pick No.	POS.	Name	Junior/College/Club Team
2	60	C	Dylan Gambrell	Denver Pioneers (NCHC)
4	111	C	Noah Gregor	Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
5	150	C	Manuel Wiederer	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
6	180	D	Mark Shoemaker	North Bay Battalion (OHL)
7	210	W	Joachim Blichfield	Malmo Redhawks (SHL)

Top Three Prospects

POS	Name	Draft Info	Current Team
G	Mantas Arnalis	Signed from Sweden	AHL
C	Timo Meier	2015 1st RD (9)	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
LW	Nikolay Goldobin	2014 1st RD (27)	NHL

Projected Lineup

Forwards

POS	Name	Age	Nationality	Free Agent Year
LW	Tomas Hertl	22	Czech Republic	2018 (RFA)
C	(C) Joe Pavelski	32	USA	2019
RW	(A) Joe Thornton	37	Canada	2017
LW	Patrick Marleau	37	Canada	2017
C	(A) Logan Couture	27	Canada	2019
RW	Joonas Donskoi	24	Finland	2017 (RFA)
LW	Mikkel Boedker	26	Denmark	2020
C	Chris Tierney	22	Canada	2017 (RFA)
RW	Joel Ward	35	Canada	2018
LW	Matt Nieto	23	USA	2017 (RFA)
C	Tommy Wingels	28	USA	2017
RW	Melker Karlsson	26	Sweden	2017 (RFA)

Defensemen

POS	Name	Age	Nationality	Free Agent Year
D	Paul Martin	35	USA	2019
D	Brent Burns	31	Canada	2017
D	Marc-Edouard Vlasic	29	Canada	2018
D	Justin Braun	29	USA	2020
D	Brendon Dillon	25	Canada	2020 (RFA)
D	David Schlemko	29	Canada	2020

Goalies

POS	Name	Age	Nationality	Free Agent Year
G	Martin Jones	26	Canada	2020
G	Aaron Dell	27	Canada	2018

Extra Skaters

POS	Name	Age	Nationality	Free Agent Year
LW	Nikolay Goldobin	21	Russia	2018 (RFA)
LW	Barclay Goodrow	23	Canada	2017 (RFA)
D	Mirco Mueller	21	Switzerland	2017 (RFA)

Season Outlook

• Last year the Sharks were finally able to overcome the playoff letdowns that have come to identify this group of players.  They made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals where they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.  It was interesting that out of all the teams the Sharks have had with this core that started back in the mid-2000's, last year's team was definitely not the most talented one.  They had Martin Jones in net, who hadn't been a starter in the NHL prior to last season, yet had an excellent season.  They also had a wide variety of players leading their team; they had a host of veterans and some young forwards, didn't have any high-end goalscorers, yet had a roster full of intelligent, consistent players.  They dealt with a host of injuries, specifically to Logan Couture, who was held to just 52 games, but came back for the playoffs, where he was arguably the Sharks' best forward.  Veteran forward Joe Thornton seems to just never age; at 36 last season, he was still a point-per-game player and thrived once again for Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.  On defense, Brent Burns led a very solid unit last year and Burns received a lot of Norris Trophy love for his ability to be one of the game's best two-way defensemen.  This was perfect timing for Burns to take the next step step in his development as he will need a new contract after this season and will be paid somewhere in the range of Drew Doughty's contract.  A main catalyst for the Sharks' success was head coach Peter DeBoer, who came over from New Jersey.  DeBoer has some sort of magic when it comes to his first year coaching a new team.  His first year in New Jersey, he led them to the Stanley Cup Finals, and didn't make the playoffs again as their coach.  Prior to that he coach Florida, where he led the Panthers to a winning record his first season, and then had losing records the rest of his tenure.  Sharks' fans have to be hoping this doesn't happen in San Jose.  

CAT.	Goals For	Goals Against	PP %	PK%	PDO	Corsi For	Corsi Against	Corsi For %	oZS%	dZS%
Stat	241	210	22.55	80.51	100.4	4595	4404	51.1	51.0	49.0
Sharks’ Rank	4th	11th	3rd	22nd	12th	13th	10th	11th	15th	15th

PDO= Even Strength Shooting Percentage + Even Strength Save Percentage

Corsi For= Shots + Blocks + Misses while in possession of puck

Crosi Against= Shots + Blocks + Misses while not in possession of puck

Corsi For %= Corsi For/(Corsi For+Corsi Against) -> Above 50% means that team controls play

oZS% = Offensive Zone Start Percentage

dZS% = Defensive Zone Start Percentage

• While I don't think that the Sharks are on the verge of a decline like the Blackhawks or Kings could be, I don't think San Jose will have the same success this year that they had last season.  I actually think that they overachieved last year, largely because of their lack of a true goalscorer and that they are an older team.  Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are both 37 and nearing the ends of their careers, Paul Martin is 35, Burns is 31, Joe Pavelski is already 32, and even Logan Couture is 27, and it feels like he just entered the league.  The Sharks signed "veteran" Mikkel Boedker over the summer and, at 26, he'll be one of the Sharks' younger players.  It's hard to imagine this team being able to keep up the level of success they have had when their roster is made up of mostly older players and they don't have a top level farm system.  During this season, the Sharks will have to work on an extension for Burns, whose contract expires after this season.  The Sharks cannot afford to be without their number one defenseman and will need to be flexible in what they're willing to pay him.  He is one of the best defensemen in the league and deserves to be paid as such.  They'll also need to plan ahead financially, as Marc-Edouard Vlasic needs a new contract after next year, and six of their young forwards need contracts in the next two years and are integral parts of the team's future.  They also need to make decisions on Marleau and Thornton, both of whom have expiring contracts this season and have been two of the most important players in the franchise's history.  They would probably be smart to bring back Thornton, who is still skilled and can play at an elite level. Marleau, on the other hand, has lost a step in recent years and struggles in some of the defensive aspects of the game. However, he is one of the game's more consistent scorers, netting 25 goals again last season, and for a team that has struggled to find top-tier goalscorers, this type of production is a necessity.  I think that they'll make the playoffs again this season, but I don't know if they'll make a deep Stanley Cup run like they did last year.

Breakout Candidate

• C Chris Tierney - Last year was the 22 year old's first full season in the league and he put up 20 points.  The previous year he actually put up more points than last season and he did so in less games.  In his AHL and minor career, Tierney has shown that he can be a highly productive player and I think he can prove this in the NHL.

Regression Candidate

• RW Joel Ward - Ward will turn 36 this December and at some point he has to start showing his age.  Last year he scored 21 goals and put up 43 points, which hasn't been above his career averages, but I think that he could experience a regression in production this season.

Bounceback Candidate

• C Logan Couture - Couture didn't have a down year last season, but was injured and missed nearly half the season.  I think Couture will have a healthy year this season and will get back to his career averages.

*All statistics and information come from: rosterresource.com, thehockeywriters.com,

hockeydb.com, hockey-reference.com, and generalfanager.com