San Jose looks to regain health, offensive output
A franchise icon is gone. Another cornerstone forward is coming off the first serious injury of his 19-year career. And fans wonder what to make of a first-round postseason flameout last spring after San Jose reached its first Stanley Cup Finals the year before.
Just don’t suggest to general manager Doug Wilson that his Sharks are a team in transition.
“We think we have a very good hockey team. We’ve got key players in key positions,” Wilson said. “Go back two years when we went to the Stanley Cup Finals and see the contributions we got from everybody. We need those kinds of contributions from everybody again. We’re the sum of all our parts.”
And that’s the key. San Jose, which opens the 2017-18 season at home against Philadelphia on Wednesday, needs better health, better production from several key players and im-
provement in a number of areas if it is to succeed this season.
First and foremost, the Sharks have to get used to life without Patrick Marleau. The owner of 508 goals and 1,082 points in 1,493 career games with San Jose, Marleau signed a three-year, $18.75 million deal to ply his trade with Toronto.
“We know about his legacy here, but he’s not here,” Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said.
“I’ve spent a lot of years with him, and it is kind of strange,” Sharks center Joe Thornton added. “He’s going to do great up in Toronto. He’s still a friend, and we’re going to miss him. But he’s in a different uniform, and we’re in the same one.”
Thornton is a jumbo question mark himself. He spent the summer rehabbing following knee surgery in late April to repair tears to his left ACL and MCL. And though everyone marveled at him returning for the last four playoff games against Edmonton and his quick return this fall, Thornton is among a number of key players who will be expected to increase their output from last season.
The traditionally potent power play slipped to 25th in 2016-17, and the Sharks ranked only 19th in goals scored. Aside from Brent Burns’ Norris Trophy season that included a career-high 29 goals and 76 points to lead the team, San Jose has to get more from Joe Pavelski (29 goals in 81 games), Logan Couture (25 in 73) and Thornton (seven in 79).
“There’s a little chip on their shoulders for a lot of guys,” Pavelski said. “You can feel there’s a lot of energy, and guys are anxious to get another opportunity and try to redeem ourselves.”
A playoff team in 12 of the past 13 seasons, the Sharks also bid farewell to defender David Schlemko, a free-agent signee in July 2016, who was lost in the expansion draft. But the franchise didn’t sign or trade for any players and is instead looking to fill out the roster via internal competition that starts with the San Jose Barracuda, the team’s neighboring minorleague affiliate in the American Hockey League.
Young forwards hoping to make their mark include 2015 first-round pick Timo Meier, junior top scorer Kevin Labanc, ex-college standout Danny O’Regan and the responsible if not flashy Ryan Carpenter.
“I think what’s really important for young players is you have to come in and earn a job,” Wilson said. “Guys will get an opportunity to play top-line minutes based on merit.”
San Jose’s young but experienced players — Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney, Melker Karlsson, Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Sorensen — need to be more consistent. Joel Ward and Mikkel Boedker, free-agent additions in 2015 and ’16, respectively, scored only 10 goals apiece last season.
“We have some key veterans who feel healthy, rested, and they can bounce back,” said Wilson. “There’s some young guys who are pushing, too. Competition is a healthy thing.”
The team’s strength starts in goal where Martin Jones, armed with a six-year contract extension, has established himself as a standout. In a combined 130 games in two seasons with the Sharks, the 27-year-old boasts a 2.33 goalsagainst average and .915 save percentage.
The blue line is deep with shutdown pair Justin Braun and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who signed an eight-year deal. Paul Martin pairs nicely with Burns, and Dylan DeMelo replaces Schlemko and will play alongside the physical Brenden Dillon. That depth can allow promising defenders Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan to not be rushed.
“I think if we can stay healthy, we have a large group of guys who can take a step, and I expect them to take a step,” said DeBoer.