San Jose Sharks fantasy preview for 2020-21

As part of NHL.com's 31 in 31 series, the fantasy hockey staff identifies relevant players from the San Jose Sharks. For more fantasy coverage, visit
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Brent Burns, D(NHL.com rank: 62) -- After scoring an NHL career-high 83 points (16 goals, 67 assists) in 82 games in 2018-19 to lead all defensemen, his production dipped last season (45 points in 70 games) with the San Jose Sharks missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Burns is an obvious bounce-back candidate considering his heavy shot volume (3.2 shots on goal per game last season; 3.7 per game since 2014-15) and elite pedigree at his position (three seasons with at least 75 points, most among active defensemen).
Sharks 31 IN 31: [Season preview | 3 Questions | Top prospects | Behind the Numbers]
Erik Karlsson, D(77) -- Burns is the leading scorer among NHL defensemen since 2014-15 (406 points in 480 games), but Karlsson leads the position in points per game (0.87; Burns: 0.85) over that span (minimum 75 games). Karlsson, a perennial fantasy standout with the Ottawa Senators earlier in his career, has dealt with injuries in each of his two seasons with the Sharks. If Karlsson benefits from the extended rest (San Jose hasn't played a game since Mar. 11) and remains with Burns on the first power-play unit, each defenseman can easily finish with at least 60 points and among the top five fantasy players at the position.
Evander Kane, LW(106) -- The left wing led the Sharks in goals last season (26 in 64 games) and is one of the best fantasy players at his position for multicategory coverage. Kane always has a high shot volume; his 216 SOG last season were second on the Sharks behind Burns (225) and he has 3.6 SOG per game in his NHL career. Kane had his best power-play point totals in each of the past two seasons (18 PPP last season; 11 in 2018-19) and adds hits (2.3 per game in career) and penalty minutes (122 last season).

Tomas Hertl, C/LW(110) andLogan Couture, C(118) -- The Sharks top two centers are safe fantasy picks in middle rounds of any fantasy draft. Each dealt with injury last season but had an NHL career high in points in 2018-19 (Hertl: 74 in 77 games; Couture: 70 in 81 games). If Burns and Karlsson rebound, Hertl and Couture should see collective success with them on the first power-play unit. It's also worth noting Hertl had by far his best goal total in 2018-19 (35; previous best was 22); Couture has three seasons of at least 31 goals (including an NHL career-high 34 in 2017-18).
Timo Meier, LW/RW(123) -- Like Kane, Meier is known for his strong category coverage in standard fantasy leagues. Even though Meier regressed in points per game (0.70) compared to 2018-19 (0.85; NHL career-high 66 points), he led the Sharks in scoring last season with 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in 70 games and ranked second in goals behind Kane. Meier had his worst plus/minus last season (minus-22) but led San Jose in even-strength points (40) by a wide margin (Couture was second with 28) and had strong totals in SOG (199, third on Sharks) and hits (155; second behind defenseman Brenden Dillon, 178).
Devan Dubnyk, G(181) -- Acquired from the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 5, Dubnyk is a bounce-back candidate and potential late-round steal. A proven No. 1 goalie with the Wild (177-113-28, .918 save percentage, 23 shutouts in 328 games), Dubnyk is likely to take over the starting job from Martin Jones and improve their team SV%, which ranked second-worst in the NHL last season at .895 (Detroit Red Wings, .886).
Other players to consider in later rounds or off waiver wire: Ryan Donato, C/LW; Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D; Kevin Labanc, LW/RW; Patrick Marleau, LW/RW; Radim Simek, D
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