The San Jose Sharks have reached a crossroads in the franchise’s history. After a disappointing finish a year ago, San Jose remained fairly quiet in the offseason. The Sharks are stuck between what’s left of the veteran core that helped lead them to a Stanley Cup Final two years ago and the emergence its next generation of leaders. San Jose still has enough talent to contend for a playoff spot in 2017-18 but they will be in tough to get back to the Stanley Cup Final in an improved Western Conference.
How They Finished Last Season
The Sharks registered 46 wins and 99 points to finish third in the Pacific division behind the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers last season. However, San Jose hit a wall when they lost to Edmonton in six games in the opening round of the playoffs. The Sharks were held to four goals combined in their four losses to the Oilers as they struggled to create offense again a much younger and faster opponent. That playoff loss signified a changing of the guard in the Pacific with San Jose taking a small step back on the list of Stanley Cup contenders within the division.
What Changed In The Offseason
The Sharks remained fairly quiet in the offseason with the exception of signing free agent center Joe Thornton to a one-year deal. San Jose had an offer in place for Patrick Marleau, who opted to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs instead. Rather than looking to replace Marleau in free agency, the Sharks remained committed to giving opportunities to some of the younger players on their roster including Tomas Hert, Joonas Donskoi, Kevin Lebanc and Timo Meier. San Jose signed Radek Simek, Brandon Bollig and backup netminder Antoine Bibeau for added depth.
Most Valuable Fantasy Hockey Asset
While Joe Pavelski remains an elite goal scorer and Martin Jones is an excellent fantasy option in net, Brent Burns remains the premier fantasy option on the Sharks roster. The veteran rearguard led San Jose with 29 goals and 76 points, which are ridiculous numbers for an NHL defenseman. Burns also led San Jose with 320 shots on goal and 25 powerplay points, which are absolutely ridiculous numbers. Burns will have every opportunity to deliver similar production this season but could have a difficult time matching last year’s incredible numbers. Even if he doesn’t record 76 points, Burns should remain an elite fantasy option for years to come.
Rising Star
The San Jose Sharks have needed to employ a youth movement for years and they’ve managed to seamlessly do it. We saw more of that last year in the postseason when the Edmonton Oilers focused most of their defensive prowess on the Sharks top two lines. While they were able to slow them down, the Sharks back end of the lineup actually provided a challenge. That includes Timo Meier, who looks like he’ll be one of the team’s rising stars.
Meier is a Swiss-born player who was taken ninth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He thrived in the juniors, averaging 0.7 points per game over two seasons. That’s impressive. He added another 14 tallies in 33 AHL games last season.
Meier is going to be a useful weapon for this team because he’s very versatile. He can play all three forward spots and he is decent on defense too. With Patrick Marleau leaving town, Meier should see more burn with the top six forwards on the team.
Regular Season Win Total Outlook
One year after recording 46 wins, expectations have been tempered for the Sharks. The NHL futures regular season win total line for San Jose has been set at 43.5, which is 2.5 fewer wins than they finished with last season. There is no doubt that the Sharks are a team in transition but they still have enough talent to contend for a top-three spot in the Pacific division. While they likely won’t improve on the 46 wins they registered last year, 44 or 45 wins isn’t unreasonable for a San Jose side that will be looking to prove its doubters wrong after last year’s disappointing finish.
Pick: Over 43.5 Wins
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