The San Jose Sharks are 20 games into the season, and the picture is starting to come into focus in a few key places. The blue line has some real movement to it, the forward group has found a few combinations that work, and the team’s special teams are drifting in the wrong direction even as their 5-on-5 play improves.
One of the clearest upward trends has been Sam Dickinson. He’s looked better and better as the season has gone on, and while he still hasn’t seen much power play time, that opportunity feels close - whether it arrives this season or next.
Eric Pohlkamp has also settled in smoothly since arriving. He’s contributed offensively, held his own defensively, and has looked far more comfortable than most would have expected this early.
Dmitry Orlov has been a tougher watch. He’s sixth on the Sharks with 24 giveaways, but the ones he’s committed have felt more damaging than the numbers suggest.
His season has been shaky, especially in his own end, though he has still managed to keep producing points. There has been some recent improvement, and the real question now is whether that can turn into something more consistent.
On the forward side, the Sharks got a useful boost from Alex Wennberg returning to the lineup. His presence between Mason Marchment and Kiefer Sherwood changed the look of the group in a noticeable way.
Another line that caught attention was the one featuring Tyler Toffoli, Ivar Stenberg and Ty Dellandrea. That trio worked better than expected against the New York Islanders, and it will be worth watching to see if it holds up.
The Sharks are also missing Igor Chernyshov badly. When he comes back, the obvious move would be to put him right back on the top line. That would give Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith a steadier running mate and, in theory, some much-needed stability.
There’s also a prospect watch worth keeping an eye on. Joshua Ravensbergen continues to dominate at the collegiate level. He picked up his first NCAA shutout on Saturday against Boston University and pushed his save percentage to .939.
Not every young player is trending up, though. There is some concern around Keaton Verhoeff, the Sharks’ ninth overall pick from this past summer.
He has struggled to get going this season and is on pace for a major drop offensively. Through nine games, he has only two points, and both came in the same night.
At that rate, he would finish with eight points this season after posting 20 last year.
Michael Misa is showing more offense this season, and that part of his game is moving in the right direction. He looks on track for a strong sophomore year offensively. Still, because he was known as a strong two-way player at the junior level, it would be ideal to see him make similar progress defensively soon.
The defense as a whole feels better than it did last season, but it still has a ways to go. There are pieces here, yet the young players need to develop quickly if the Sharks want to win while the veteran defensemen still have value.
The team’s overall profile has shifted in another way too: the Sharks look better at 5-on-5, but their special teams have gone the other direction. That balance has to be sorted out. If they can find it, they’ll be a much tougher team to deal with.
There are a few other notes worth mentioning from around the roster and beyond. Mason Marchment was fined for his incident with Victor Eklund, and while it probably didn’t help his wallet - and probably wasn’t handled in the best possible way - it was still a step in the right direction that he stood up for Kiefer Sherwood after what was described as a very questionable hit.
Ivar Stenberg has also adjusted quickly to the North American game. He’s had his ups and downs already, but he’s starting to show how much impact he can have at the NHL level.
And then there’s the bigger picture. The Sharks have gotten back in the win column, but the next stretch will tell us more about what this team really is.
They need to start winning more consistently and more convincingly. A result like the one against the Vancouver Canucks counts the same in the standings, but that kind of escape act won’t be something they can rely on when the games matter most.
In Other News...
Sharks Added A Battle-Tested Scorer With A Remarkable NHL Path
Mason Marchments journey to 100 NHL goals is the kind of path that still stands out in a league built on pedigree and draft status. The undrafted forward spent time in the AHL and ECHL before getting his first NHL look with the Toronto Maple Leafs, then carved out a career with stops on several teams before landing in San Jose on a long-term deal.
Now Marchment has reached a milestone that only a select group of NHL players can claim, and it adds another layer to what the Sharks were buying when they brought him in. For a team looking for proven offense and a player who has had to earn everything the hard way, his latest goal is a reminder that his value goes beyond the usual box score. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Already Have A Darnell Nurse Problem They Can't Ignore
The Sharks knew they were taking on a major commitment when they brought in Darnell Nurse, absorbing his $9.25 million cap hit and the four years left on his deal in the trade that sent Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp the other way. For San Jose, the move was supposed to add a proven defenseman and some stability on the back end, but early returns have made the fit look a lot more complicated than the price tag suggested.
Nurse has struggled in his new role, with the underlying numbers and the eye test both pointing to trouble in his own zone, especially when paired with Michael Kesselring. A big part of his earlier success came in a very different setting, alongside Connor McDavid, and the drop-off since arriving in San Jose has only sharpened the questions around how the Sharks can get more out of him without letting the problems pile up further. [Read more 🡒]