Sharks Season Preview: San Jose can't keep dwelling on the past
Last season, the San Jose Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002-03. Their disappointing 2014-15 campaign came on the heels of a historic first-round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings the year prior, which saw the Sharks blow a 3-0 series lead.
Though it's hard to determine whether such a catastrophic collapse was still on the Sharks' minds last season, they clearly weren't the same team. The club scored 15 fewer goals and allowed 33 more.
The team's core remains nearly intact from last season, but are joined with additions Joel Ward and Paul Martin, and will see goaltender Martin Jones take over the No. 1 job.
Ward and Martin should represent upgrades, while Jones remains a question mark.
The club's still bolstered with lots of talent: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Brent Burns, and Logan Couture make up a strong core.
However, it is a core that is quickly aging and sooner or later tough decisions might need to be made about how long the club can enter a season with the same collection of faces and show no results.
The team shook things up behind the bench this offseason, however, saying goodbye to Todd McLellan and hello to Peter DeBoer.
The ex-Devils bench boss brings a fresh voice following McLellan's seven-year tenure. DeBoer has a history of improving a team's record during his first season. With the Sharks narrowly missing the cut for the 2014-15 postseason, a slight improvement might be all the team needs to bounce back.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Pavelski | Joe Thornton | Melker Karlsson |
| Patrick Marleau | Logan Couture | Tomas Hertl |
| Matt Nieto | Chris Tierney | Joel Ward |
| Raffi Torres | Ben Smith | Tommy Wingels |
| Barclay Goodrow | ||
| Mike Brown |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Marc-Edouard Vlasic | Brent Burns |
| Paul Martin | Justin Braun |
| Brenden Dillon | Mirco Mueller |
| Matt Tennyson |
| G |
|---|
| Martin Jones |
| Alex Stalock |
X-Factor
After five seasons, the Sharks decided to part ways with goaltender Antti Niemi, trading his rights to the Dallas Stars. In his place, the team acquired the unproven Jones.
The 25-year-old joins the Sharks after spending two seasons as Jonathan Quick's backup with the Kings, where he put up fantastic numbers - amassing a 16-11-2 record in 34 games with a .923 save percentage, a 1.99 goals-against average, and seven shutouts.
Although he's proven he can be among the league's top goalies, he's entering new territory as a starter. The Sharks don't have much depth in goal, so if the team has any hope of returning to the postseason, they'll need Jones to prove he can perform well with a full workload.
Player to Watch
Tomas Hertl showed flashes of brilliance during his first season in 2013-14. It's hard to forget his four-goal performance against the New York Rangers, including that between-the-legs goal.
With 15 goals and 25 points in his first 37 games in the NHL, he looked poised to capture the Calder Trophy before an injury derailed his rookie campaign. In 2014-15, Hertl felt the wrath of the sophomore slump, finishing with just 13 goals and 31 points in 82 games.
Hertl is still chock-full of talent and only 21 years old, however. He possesses speed and a great shot, and could slot up as high as the second line alongside Couture and Marleau.
Under a new coaching staff, with a team hoping to have a big bounce-back season, Hertl could rediscover some of the magic that made him such an exciting rookie.