This is the second post in a series looking at the depth in the organization, by position, and considering whether the Sharks should retain the player.
Now to the defensemen.
Sharks were among the worst teams defensively this past season. 2nd worst (tied with Buffalo behind Philadelphia) in goals against (3.50/game or 196 which would equate to 287 in full 82 game season). 6th worst in shots against/game (32). 18th worst in PK% (80.4%). Of the top six D, Ferraro had +/- best at -6 and Karlsson the worst at -18.
Approximate depth chart:
Brent Burns
Erik Karlsson
Mario Ferraro
Nikolai Knyzhov
Ryan Merkley
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Radim Simek
Nicolas Meloche
Christian Jaros (RFA with arbitration rights)
Brinson Pasichnuk
Artemi Kniazev
Santeri Hatakka
Jacob Middleton
Tony Sund (RFA)
Nick Cicek (AHL)
Montana Onyebuchi (AHL)
I don’t expect pending UFA Greg Pateryn to be back.
It’s easy to rank the NHLers, harder to stick in the junior-aged guys. Merkley does have the highest potential, but hard to rank.
But who is not playing up to their contract? Vlasic. And Karlsson at his salary should be contending (or a finalist) for the Norris. A very disappointing season for the two. Both have NMCs, so unless they want to move, it’s unlikely we’ll see them change their in-season address. It was reported that Karlsson is in San Jose working out this off season, so hopefully that gives him a good physical foundation and reduces the (core) injuries he’s dealt with in recent seasons. Vlasic did have one segment where he played well, but prior to that time played as he has the previous recent seasons – poorly. (MEV was separated from his wife and dogs due to COVID during the season; I don’t know how that impacted his on ice performance, but it may have been a consideration. Burns also did not have his family with him in San Jose, but was arguably the best D on the team.)
Brent Burns was the most offensively productive player on the Sharks, and Knyzhov one of the nice impacts this season. And Ferraro on his ELS has the best bang for the buck.
However, Burns, even with his cap hit, may be one of the easiest players to move. So, if the Sharks are looking for a bit more space under the flat cap or additional assets (draft picks, prospects), he may be moved. (Downside would be he is one of the most popular players on the team and has a lot of marketing and social media exposure.) But how much impact would that be to the blueline? Merkley did not have a fabulous season in the AHL, so may not be able to be counted on to replace Burns in the lineup any time soon. (But with a Jones buyout, there may not be room for San Jose to retain salary on a Burns trade.)
Jaros may return, but with arbitration rights, and the flat cap, the Sharks may choose not to QO. Wouldn’t be a great loss.
Cicek and Onyebuchi are AHL rookies so definitely need some seasoning before they’ll make an impact in the organization.
I do expect the Sharks to draft some D as the prospect blueline pipeline is pretty empty, Sund being the only unsigned D man in the organization. Perhaps 1-2 college bound guys to give projects prospects time to develop.
GM Doug Wilson has not explicitly said what he plans to do about the blueline, so it’s a waiting game as to what might happen.