NHL
The San Jose Sharks Are the Powerhouse of the Pacific
San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson was tired of seeing his team fail in the playoffs. What did he do? First, he traded for Evander Kane. The Sharks made it to the second round but faced the golden run of the Golden Knights. The Knights slayed the Shark and moved on. This offseason Wilson had some more moves to make.
It was thought San Jose was the second most appealing team to John Tavares, however, he signed in Toronto. Then it looked like the Sharks could land Ilya Kovalchuk, but he chose Los Angeles. There was not much San Jose could do at this point but re-stir the Erik Karlsson pot.
Let me tell you, the San Jose Sharks won this trade by a long shot. By acquiring Karlsson, the Sharks now have one of the most dangerous bluelines in all of the NHL. Will Erik Karlsson help the team?
Have the Sharks Gotten Better?
By adding Erik Karlsson and resigning Evander Kane, San Jose has gotten better than they were last year. This is a year where San Jose can prove that they are another powerful team coming out of the West. With the roster they have, the Sharks are ready for a deep dive into the Playoffs.
Additions
After missing out on John Tavares and Ilya Kovalchuk, San Jose struck a deal with Ottawa to acquire Erik Karlsson. The whole situation in Ottawa never got better and lead to the trade. You can take a look at the trade details here.
Erik Karlsson played in 71 games last year as a Senator and scored 9 goals while adding 53 assists. Karlsson was the captain in Ottawa but it is uncertain as of right now that he will stay long term in San Jose. Let’s not forget what Erik Karlsson can do in the playoffs. In the 2017 playoffs, Karlsson led Ottawa to a double overtime game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. The game was decided by a single shot but a lucky bounce and it could have been the Senators in the Stanley Cup Final.
Subtractions
Chris Tierney and Dylan DeMelo were both parts of the Erik Karlsson deal. Tierney was the middle line forward who added his line’s playmaking abilities. Playing in all 82 games, Tierney tallied 23 assists in 40 points. Dylan DeMelo was the defenseman sent to Ottawa to replace Karlsson. DeMelo played in 63 games during the 2017-18 season and had 20 assists.
The San Jose Sharks traded Mikkel Boedker to Ottawa for Mike Hoffman, then traded Hoffman to Florida. Boedker totaled 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games. San Jose did not resign Joel Ward. In 52 games, Ward only had 12 points. Jannik Hansen had 14 points in 46 games and was also not resigned.
Paul Martin was also bought out of his contract.
Where the San Jose Sharks Stand
The San Jose Sharks happen to be a case where they got better but their Net Gain did not. The Net Gain is -61. This looks terrible but really it is not. It does not take into account the resigning of Evander Kane. Plus Imagine what Karlsson can do on a line with Brent Burns. Karlsson should have more than 53 assists next year.
GM Doug Wilson has done everything right to assemble a winning team that can win for the next several years. According to San Jose’s CapFriendly page, six of their nine core players are signed for longer than three years. The three skaters that are not signed longer than three years are Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson (Each signed one year).
San Jose is most likely the powerhouse of the Pacific and will stay that way for many years. I say the Sharks will finish first in the Pacific Division.
Social Media
Follow Jared on Twitter: @jared_pettus_00
Photo Credit
Photo Courtesy of Wall Papers Cave
