What happened to San Jose Sharks?
For some teams the NHL season 2019-2020 couldn’t have ended fast enough – not that anyone would be happy with the cancellation of the season because of the corona outbreak. While the likes of Edmonton OIlers will feel hard done by their success cut short, there were plenty of underachievers among the pack as well. In the east, the contest for the playoffs was fierce when it was all stopped and battling for the playoff spots were the usual suspects, but also Toronto Maple Leafs, who NHL public betting expected take another leap in the standings after their 5th spot last season. In the west, the juggernauts and last season’s top four contenders Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators all struggled, manning the spots 6, 7 and 9. But last season’s 2nd in the west and the eventual conference finalists were nowhere to be seen.
San Jose Sharks gathered 101 points last season with Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl leading the line, and supported by some of the most balanced NHL lines with a hard-working mentality the key to success. Before the 2019-2020 season, it all looked great for the Sharks. Losing Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist and Justin Braun was easily compensated by acquisition of Norris-winner Erik Karlsson – or so it seemed. In the extremely competitive western conference, the teams have to be built to last heavy physical load and success will follow: last season’s Stanley Cup winner St. Louis Blues is a perfect example of that. What the last season’s conference finalist Sharks had and this season’s flop didn’t, was the balanced offense with three offensively capable lines and the defense built to last heavy pressure and physical play.
At the time of the season’s cancellation, San Jose Sharks were dead last in the Western Conference with lousy 63 points in 70 games, making them the third worst team in all of NHL, and nowhere near where the people who make NHL expert picks placed them before the season started. The top players, Timo Meier, Evander Kane, Burns, Karlsson and Hertl were all liabilities in the defensive end and couldn’t compensate with offensive prowess. After 70 games played, the best scorer for Sharks had a ridiculous tally of 49 points – 73. In the NHL. Of course, injuries to Hertl, Karlsson and Logan Couture affected their season heavily, but the results were still, to put short, extremely disappointing.
