Offseason Review: San Jose Sharks

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the San Jose Sharks.

How to describe the current state of the Sharks? They definitely aren't a playoff team and haven't been for a couple years now. With top defencemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson heading into their twilight years, and even captain Logan Couture starting to go a little grey, it's unclear if this roster will be able to turn the team around and get them back to the post-season. Yet Karlsson himself has said he's not interested in going through a rebuild in San Jose. So what do they do? Other than try to right the ship and hope the offseason brings them the pieces they need for success, hopefully minus too big of a price tag. That's no easy task, and GM Doug Wilson doesn't have a ton of cap space to work with. Let's see how he did.

Free Agency:

Short answer: not great. Goaltender Martin Jones was bought out, which was necessary after the decline in his play over the last couple of years. Brought in to replace him was Adin Hill, in a trade with Arizona that cost the Sharks a 2nd-round draft pick in 2022 as well as goalie prospect Josef Korenar. Hill was then re-signed for two years. Backing him up will be James Reimer, who was also signed for two years. That's your tandem in San Jose. The hope is that Hill can blossom into a full-time starter, and he showed flashes of that ability in Arizona, but as of yet he's an unknown commodity. The Sharks also traded for RW Nick Merkley, brought in from New Jersey in exchange for Christian Jaros, and finally sent a 2024 4th-round pick to Arizona for Lane Pederson, who they signed to a two-year deal.

The Sharks then went out and got a couple of depth centremen, signing Andrew Cogliano for one year and Nick Bonino for two. Bonino will finally get the chance to play for the team that drafted him in the 6th round, way back in 2007. Dylan Gambrell and Matt Nieto were re-signed to one- and two-year deals respectively. After that, not much to see here. Rudolfs Balcers was signed to a two-year two-way deal along with Jeffrey Viel, and Joachim Blichfield was signed to a one-year two-way deal, as were Jaycob Megna, Nicholas Meloche, and Jonathan Dalen.  

Grade: C-; One can hope the goaltending tandem works out, Adin Hill certainly has the potential to blossom into a starter, but beyond that there simply isn't enough here to suggest the Sharks are any better than last year. They've added some depth down the middle, and both Cogliano and Bonino are good players, but they aren't enough to take this team from the Draft Lottery to the playoffs.

Draft:

The Sharks picked 7th overall this year, and with that pick selected Swedish forward William Eklund. Eklund was projected as high as 3rd overall by some analysts, so him falling to 7th is a stroke of luck for San Jose. Eklund is a speedy 5'10" forward, often the "glue guy" that makes his line pairings work. Never taking a shift off, Eklund does everything he can to establish the offensive zone, but has a great sense for knowing exactly how to incorporate himself into the play at any given time. He doesn't overly rely on passing or shooting but is more than capable of doing both at a high level, which makes him a threat from anywhere on the ice. He knows how to create space for himself and his teammates and reads off his surroundings to time his openings just right. He will return to Djurgardens IF of the SHL this season, where he scored 11 goals and 23 points in 40 games last year.

The Sharks didn't pick in the second round, having lost their spot to Ottawa in the continued ripple effects of the Erik Karlsson trade. Waiting until round 3, the Sharks selected Benjamin Gaudreau at 81st overall. Gaudreau is a 6'2" goalie from North Bay, Ontario currently playing for the Sarnia Sting. He uses an unusually low stance that keeps his pads close to the ice but his glove and blocker up high, which takes away a lot of options for shooters, and he isn't afraid to play at the top of his crease to cut off angles. Despite his odd stance, his reactions are quick and he's able to make small, precise adjustments to stay square to the shot. He played for Canada's U18 team at the World Juniors last winter, posting a 2.20 GAA and .919sv% in 5 games, all of which he won. He will return to Sarnia for the 2021-2022 season.

Grade: B; The pick of Eklund has the potential to be a true game-changer, something the Sharks are sorely in need of up front. However, the specter of the Karlsson trade continues to haunt San Jose, and they are still bleeding draft picks to Ottawa. It's tough to say how much that will affect the Sharks ability to get back to competitive hockey, but it certainly isn't doing them any favors.

Overall grade: C+; The Sharks moves in free agency simply aren't good enough to turn this team around. There is some potential relief coming in the form of William Eklund, but the Sharks window is closing, if it hasn't already shut completely, and nothing they've done this summer has changed that.

What do you think about San Jose's moves this offseason?

Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports