Will the San Jose Sharks Actually Miss the Playoffs?

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – January 28, 2020

The San Jose Sharks have had a rather incredible playoff run. The team has made the NHL postseason in 19 of the last 21 seasons. But San Jose currently sits outside a playoff spot. Do they have a shot to sneak in this year, once again?

Well, given the miracle season that the St. Louis Blues had last year – from last place in the entire league in early January to Stanley Cup champions – anything is possible in the NHL. But keep in mind, there’s a reason it’s called a “miracle season” – by definition, miracles are pretty rare.

Heading into last night’s game with the Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks had collected only 46 points in 50 games, and they sat 11 points out of a playoff spot with 32 games left. 

Impossible? No. Unlikely? Highly. To have a shot at this year’s postseason, the Sharks would have to win at least 22 of those last 32 games.

Last night, they started the post-All-Star-Game homestretch well by playing a nice game overall, beating the Ducks 4-2, with Patrick Marleau scoring twice.

But what’s been the Sharks’ problem this season?

It’s perplexing given that the team is not exactly lacking in talent, including such formidable players as forwards Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, and Kevin Labanc, and defensemen Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, with veteran contributions from the likes of Joe Thornton and Marleau.

Nonetheless, it hasn’t been happening. Again, heading into last night’s contest, the team ranked 15^thout of 18 Western Conference teams in goals scored, and dead last in goals against. That’s a painfully obvious recipe for a losing season.

Defense has been miserable, and that includes just dismal goaltending by Martin Jones. Aaron Dell has performed better in the net, though still handcuffed by a defense that falters far too often. Dell deserves to get the bulk of the starts for the rest of the season to see if he can spark something (and he played well last night vs. the Ducks).

The firing of head coach Pete DeBoer, replacing him with interim coach Bob Boughner, has failed, thus far, to provide any inspiration or energy, nor has it put an end to brain farts that have plagued Sharks play throughout the season. 

Of course, team captain Logan Couture being injured earlier this month was a big negative as well. But they weren’t exactly lighting the league on fire with Couture on the ice.

So, barring miracles, questions loom for all teams likely to miss the postseason, in particular with the NHL trade deadline approaching on February 24^th. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sharks move defensemen Brendon Dillon and/or Tim Heed, or forward Melker Karlsson, given that they’ll be unrestricted free agents after the season. 

However, things might be a bit different in San Jose compared to other teams. The case can be made that the Sharks don’t need that many changes or additions to get back in the playoff picture. Topping the list is goaltending.

It’s hard to blame this season on the moves that GM Doug Wilson has made. The players still have to play, and the coaches have to coach. Get a leader behind the bench and a strong goalie, and the Sharks just might return to their seeming default setting of making the postseason in 2020-21. 

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Ray Keating is a columnist, a novelist (his latest novel is The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^thbook in the series), an economist, a nonfiction author (among his recent works is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know), a podcaster, and an entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own.