Defenseman’s return to health key to season.
A quick scan of the defensemen who finished in the top four in Norris Trophy voting last season reveals two commonalities — they all had at least 50 points and they were all either 29 or 30 years old.
Nashville’s Roman Josi, who turned 30 in June, won the award after he finished second among all NHL defensemen in scoring with 65 points. Washington’s John Carlson, who just turned 31 on Monday, finished second after he led all defensemen with 75 points.
Neither is some fresh-legged babe in the woods who took the league by storm. They’ve both been in the NHL a long time and they play big, important minutes in crucial situations for their teams, and pile up points.
The San Jose Sharks have their own defenseman who fits that exact description. And now Erik Karlsson, at 30, is healthy again.
For the first time since he joined the Sharks, Karlsson appears to be completely ready for the start of a season. His last game was almost 11 months ago, plenty of time to get his body and his mind right for the upcoming 56-game season.
“I’m in a good spot body-wise right now,” Karlsson said Tuesday, adding that after so many months off, “you didn’t really know what to expect when you were put alongside your teammates and you’re trying to go full speed again. But I think the two weeks that have transpired here (in training camp), it feels good. Feels like I’m in a good spot, physically and mentally.”
The biggest questions about Karlsson since he joined the Sharks in September 2018 have been about his health. At his introductory press conference at a downtown San Jose hotel, Karlsson was asked if the ankle surgery he had the year before would at all affect his play going forward.
There was the groin injury that partly derailed the Sharks’ hopes for a Stanley Cup in 2019. There was the subsequent groin surgery shortly after the Sharks’ playoff run ended that hampered Karlsson’s ability to train in the summer — and get off to a fast start last season.
Karlsson had 10 points in his first 14 games last season but never looked totally at ease. The Sharks got off to a 4-9-1 start and rallied in November to get to 1512-1, but the wheels fell off before Christmas with nine losses in 10 games, sealing their fate as a nonplayoff team.
“We all know that we’re a better hockey team than we showed last year,” Karlsson said. “That’s not something that any of us really want to happen again. As a group, it feels like everybody is in a good place, both mentally and physically, to be excited to start the season.”
It’s no secret that fairly or unfairly, some Sharks fans blamed the contract that Karlsson signed with the team on June 17, 2019 — $92 million over eight years — for costing the team the chance to resign Joe Pavelski, their former captain.
Two weeks later, Pavelski signed a three-year, $21 million contract with Dallas and helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Finals in September. The Sharks, meanwhile, watched the playoffs on television.
Karlsson heard those complaints as well, but maybe that can be put to bed this season.
The best way to do that would be for Karlsson to start strong and lead the Sharks to a playoff spot. It’s not all on his shoulders, of course, as Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and the goaltenders all have to do their part, too.
But even in a down year when they finished 28th out of 31 teams in average goals per game, the Sharks were still 16-12-4 in games last season when Karlsson had at least one point. He finished with 40 points in 56 games.
What can he do over the course of a full season if he stays healthy?
Let’s be honest, not much is expected from the Sharks in 2021.
So if they’re in contention, people will ask why. Chances are Karlsson would have had something to do with the Sharks’ success. Karlsson and Burns could also benefit from Bob Boughner’s new system, which gives them more latitude in terms of making plays in the offensive zone.
Boughner has liked what he’s seen from Karlsson this preseason.
“I think he’s got more jump, I think he looks quicker. You can tell that he’s healthy,” Boughner said. “His attitude’s always good. He loves the game. he approaches every day like it’s a fresh day. He’s got smile on his face, he looks happy.
“There’s some times during the scrimmages where he’s just taken over the complete scrimmage himself, and he’s one of the guys who has ability to do that. I’m anticipating he’s going to have a good start. He’s looked good since day one and he’s in a good place mentally.”
SHARKS TO START SEASON WITHOUT KEY DEFENSEMAN >> Defenseman Radim Simek will not be ready to play tonight, when the Sharks open their season against the Arizona Coyotes.
Boughner said Wednesday that Simek is still experiencing pain in his surgically repaired right knee and that he’ll likely have to miss Saturday’s game with the Coyotes as well. After Saturday, the Sharks travel to face the St. Louis Blues on Monday and Wednesday.
Simek complained of knee discomfort on Jan. 5, halfway through training camp.
ROOKIE UNAVAILABLE DUE TO COVID-19 PROTOCOL >> The NHL announced, in accordance with the League’s COVID Protocols, that forward Maxim Letunov was unavailable to practice Wednesday. For the rest of the season, the NHL will make public the names of players who are unavailable to practice, travel or play due to COVID-19 protocols. Teams are not allowed to comment on an individuals case.
Letunov is the only Sharks player on the list, which contains more than 20 names.