The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ducks, Sharks looking for signs of forward progress
In the water, a raft of Ducks against a shiver of Sharks might be a lopsided matchup, but on the ice it might be a different story when the Ducks travel to San Jose to face the Sharks on Tuesday night before welcoming them for the back half of a home-and-home preseason set at Honda Center on Wednesday.
The two current rosters will become better acquainted as two of the most successful teams of the 2000s and 2010s seek to establish their footing in a decade that’s seen both finish well out of the playoff picture the past four seasons.
Last year was the first full campaign under new management for both clubs, with Pat Verbeek and Mike Grier taking over as first-time NHL general managers for the Ducks and San Jose, respectively.
Verbeek has handled the past two drafts for the Ducks and said that his staff’s work is beginning to manifest on the ice.
“Those players are now starting to arrive in pro hockey. They’re starting to
compete for jobs on a meaningful basis, and that’s exciting,” Verbeek said. “That’s exciting for our fans to be able to see that process in transition right now. It’s exciting for us. I think that we have a deep pool of talent coming.”
Grier said he was focused on improving results, culture and individual components of the Sharks’ organization rather than hitting any specific benchmarks in his second season after he set a precedent as the NHL’S first Black GM.
“It’s players getting better, us playing better as a team consistently throughout the year,” Grier said.
The Sharks added pieces, most notably winger Anthony Duclair from the Florida Panthers, but their recent history has been replete with departures rather than arrivals. After turning in historic production and play-driving on the blue line, they offloaded defenseman Erik Karlsson and his onerous contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins just weeks after he won the Norris Trophy.
Both of San Jose’s leading scorers last season on a per-game basis, Karlsson and winger Timo Meier (now of the New Jersey Devils), were traded during this calendar year. They faced a similar decision before re-signing Tomas Hertl to an eightyear extension before the 2022 trade deadline, though they then dealt away former Norris winner Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes last summer. And the Sharks might not be done dealing.
For now, Grier’s captain, 34-year-old center Logan Couture, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Verbeek said the Ducks would continue to seek leadership by committee with a similar arrangement to last season with their captaincy.
Both clubs won their first preseason matches on Sunday. The Ducks beat the Kings, 3-2, with defenseman Jackson Lacombe’s two goals swinging the game. San Jose toppled the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2, behind three points apiece from Hertl and former Ducks draftee Henry Thrun, who opted not to sign with the Ducks out of college, prompting them to trade his rights.