The San Jose Sharks have gotten off to back-to-back miserable starts, taking 11 games to find a win in 2023-24 before losing nine consecutive games to start this season. But since a 7-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on October 26, the squad has been surprisingly decent. Over their last 13 games, the Sharks are 6-4-3; that’s certainly not a last place pace in the Western Conference.
Although San Jose remains in 8th place in the Pacific Division with an overall record of 6-11-5, they’re out of the basement in league standings at 29th — for now. They’ve still lost five of six games and are not looking anywhere near a playoff team come next spring. Still, over a disappointing first quarter of the campaign, there have been a couple of reasons for optimism.
Mikael Granlund is getting better and better for Sharks
The most encouraging thing about the start in San Jose has been the play of Mikael Granlund. For the second straight year, he’s put the team on his back. It’s not surprising that the 32-year-old is leading the way; he did manage 60 points in 69 regular-season games last season.
But the Finnish forward has taken his play to another level in 2024-25, managing nine goals and 24 points in 22 games. That’s eight points ahead of second-place William Eklund. Granlund has been all over the ice, averaging over 21 minutes of time on ice and looking noticeable nearly every shift. It’s unfortunate that his timeline with the team probably won’t line up with its rebuild, as this roster still looks like it has a couple of years before playoff contention.
Granlund is the most important player on this team, and he’ll be a UFA when the season expires. It’ll be interesting to see if Mike Grier tries to extend the veteran, or instead trades him. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if he chose the latter, as Granlund will likely get a massive return if he is dealt. And he probably wants to be playing for a contender as his career begins to wind down.
Both Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund have also been more than solid offensively for the Sharks, while Macklin Celebrini is beginning to earn the trust of his head coach. The rookie phenom has four goals and seven points in 10 games, and played a remarkable 23:48 in a 3-2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.
But the most surprising thing about the 2024-25 Sharks has been the play of Jake Walman, who spent two full seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before being dealt to California in June.
Jake Walman has been a terrific surprise on a lowly Sharks team
Walman has quickly established himself as the best player on San Jose’s blue line, despite missing some time. On a team that is full of minuses, the 28-year-old is plus-two. He’s also fifth on the squad in scoring with 12 goals in his first 17 games as a Shark.
The Toronto, Ontario native has been moved between the top two powerplay units after Timothy Liljegren was acquired by the Leafs, and he’s averaging more minutes than any other player on the team at 22:40. A former 82nd overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft, Walman showed some flashes last year. He chipped in 21 points in 63 games with the Red Wings, career highs for the defenseman.
But it looks like he’s breaking out in 2024-25, playing at a per-game pace that would shatter his career numbers across the board. Walman has another year remaining on his contract at $3.4 million AAV, and he could be a prime trade candidate ahead of the deadline. Grier may choose to re-sign Walman instead, and he’s been the biggest surprise on the roster through 22 games.
Walman has turned out to be an excellent add for the Sharks’ front office. But the same cannot be said about the decision to bring veteran Barclay Goodrow back into the fold.
Barclay Goodrow is disappointingly a complete non-factor
Goodrow was originally an undrafted player, and the Sharks took a chance on him ahead of the 2014-15 campaign. He was never much of an offensive contributor; his career-high of 33 points in 79 games came with the New York Rangers in 2021-22. He spent the last three seasons in the Big Apple, playing an effective bottom-six role on a great Rangers team.
He was especially good in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Blueshirts, scoring six goals and eight points in 16 games. Although New York was eliminated by the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, Goodrow was a difference maker. But despite that performance, he was waived by the team in the offseason and subsequently claimed by San Jose.
This season has not at all been kind to the 31-year-old. He’s managed a paltry two goals and zero assists over 22 games, adding a minus-10 rating. The Sharks didn’t need him to carry the offense, but they were at least hope his strong playoff would translate to the regular-season. That just hasn’t been the case early on; Goodrow has been a huge disappointment in his second stint in California.
Is this roster bound for another last place finish?
Although Walman has been better than expected and Goodrow has been worse, neither player is shaping up to be much of a difference-maker on a lowly Sharks squad. This team is coming along, but there is still a long, long way to go before San Jose will be competitive for a postseason slot.
Despite that, there is a bright future ahead for the Sharks, and the young core of Celebrini, Eklund and Zetterlund will likely anchor this club for years to come. Liljegren has also turned out to be a savvy add, and he could be a fixture long-term as well.
The question is: can the Sharks stay out of the basement after finishing 32nd last year? They’re currently just two points up on the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, and one on the Montreal Canadiens. It’ll be interesting to see if the roster can rise above, or if they’re doomed for another dead last finish come April.
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