Following one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the San Jose Sharks will enter 2024-25 with some optimism. They have a handful of exciting young players and also signed or traded for several veterans to upgrade the roster. However, despite the changes, the team has a lot of work to do.
Related: Sharks’ Trade for Ceci Shows Their Defense Is Still a Work in Progress
Given the number of statistical categories where they finished at or near the bottom last season, they have a lot of room for improvement. These three categories will be essential in determining how high the team ascends this season. All were areas of difficulty last season and will be crucial to gaining ground in the standings.
Sharks’ Goal Differential
Thanks in large part to a brutal start to the season, San Jose’s differential in 2023-24 was last in the league by miles, dozens of goals worse than the team next to them. That will happen if a team narrowly avoids finishing last in goals scored and finishes last in goals allowed by a comfortable margin.
At the bare minimum, the Sharks should be within the same range as the rest of the lower-end teams. Narrowing this gap — if not avoiding another last-place finish — will require work at both ends of the ice, but the offense might be asked to carry the bulk of the work. The forwards, from rookies Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith to established youngsters William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund to veterans Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli, make up the most talented group on the roster and should be able to score more, even if the defense flounders and falls back into one of their worst habits from last season.
Sharks’ High-Danger Scoring Chances Against
Even when the Sharks weren’t allowing goals last season, they were giving up opportunities. They conceded 751 high-danger scoring chances to their opponents, the most in the NHL. For long stretches, they played on their heels, forced their goalies into tough situations, and had no choice but to focus on defense, which made their offense worse. Any stops they could get typically turned out to be temporary, as they’d allow another high-danger chance soon enough, and these led to goals more often than not. Improving in this area would be a good sign for the defense, but it would also have an impact on the team’s overall success.
How realistic is it for the Sharks to improve in this category? The defense likely won’t be getting the same infusion of talent that the forwards are, but a couple of blueline prospects should see NHL time this season. They’ll need to work as a cohesive unit rather than relying on individual players the way the forwards might be able to at times. They will need a full effort from every single defenseman, and if they can avoid finishing last in this metric, they’ll be headed in the right direction.
Sharks’ Penalty Kill Percentage
The Sharks’ shorthanded struggles last season were one of their only failings that was truly surprising. After their 2022-23 penalty kill was excellent and finished eighth in the NHL, they expected more of the same the following season, especially with many key players returning. Instead, they declined by roughly seven percentage points and finished 28th. The lone positive was that it could have been worse — they were dead last at one point and managed to avoid that fate thanks to the unit improving by season’s end.
Both penalty-killing seasons were overseen by the same assistant coach, Ryan Warsofsky, who now serves as the head man. A regression as dramatic as the one the Sharks experienced doesn’t instill confidence, but perhaps Warsofsky will be able to tinker with the group as he sees fit now that he runs the bench.
Several Sharks will likely play key roles on the penalty kill this season. Nico Sturm missed 19 games last season but is a no-brainer for the top unit in 2024-25. Luke Kunin has proven capable of filling a similar role, and as a player who could use a bounce-back season, his defense will be an important part of that. New acquisitions can help here, too, most notably Barclay Goodrow, who has carved out a lengthy career largely thanks to his penalty-killing abilities.
For the Sharks to look more competent this season, their penalty kill will need to look more like the one from two seasons ago. The end of last season was promising, but they’ll need to stay locked in to avoid a regression.
Sharks Will Still Struggle But Hope For Improvement
The Sharks likely won’t be good this season, but that could be a blessing in some ways. They won’t be dealing with any significant expectations and can focus on improving, if just marginally. They don’t need to lead the league or even necessarily reach the middle of the pack in any of the three stats discussed here. If they can start to show gains in these areas, it will mean potential for better results in future seasons.
