Inside look at San Jose Sharks

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 8-Sept. 8. Today, the San Jose Sharks.

Logan Couture said he's embracing the San Jose Sharks' fresh approach and carrying optimism with him into training camp after three straight seasons of disappointment.
"I think when an organization is so steady for so long sometimes change is needed, a shakeup is needed," the Sharks captain said. "And I hope that it brings energy and life into us as a team and an organization to get going back on the right path."
San Jose has not reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs since going to the Western Conference Final in 2019; it has been three straight seasons failing to qualify for the playoffs after missing twice in the previous 21 seasons and six times since the Sharks' NHL debut in 1991-92.
But San Jose went through some major changes this offseason by hiring Mike Grier as a first-time general manager and David Quinn as the new coach. The Sharks also traded defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Grier, hired July 5 as the first Black general manager in the NHL, replaces Doug Wilson, San Jose's GM for 19 seasons.
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Grier spent last season as a hockey operations adviser for the New York Rangers.
Quinn, hired July 26, coached the Rangers from 2018-21 and the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
"Getting a chance to talk to some of the players, obviously there's been a level of frustration over the last three years," Quinn said, "but I really believe a lot of it has to do with the Sharks have been so good for so long that it eventually catches up to you a little bit. It catches up to you when you're trading prospects, trading draft picks. But I think Mike has done a good job of rounding out the roster and I know our guys are excited for the season to start."
The Sharks traded Burns, who played 11 seasons with them, to the Hurricanes on July 13. But they also acquired center Luke Kunin in a trade with the Nashville Predators, and signed free-agent forward Oskar Lindblom, center Nico Sturm and defensemen Matt Benning and Markus Nutivaara.
Couture said San Jose will feel the loss of Burns; the 37-year-old leads all NHL defensemen with 594 points (172 goals, 422 assists) since 2011-12.
"We're going to miss 'Burnsy,' there's no way around that," Couture said. "He led the League in ice time last year (2144:02) and he's a great person in the locker room, and that is something we'll miss. But we have guys that can eat up some of those minutes and they're going to be counted on. Maybe Erik [Karlsson] plays a little bit more, more power play, and he's obviously one of the best defensemen in the world."

Karlsson might be the key to the Sharks' season.
A two-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL (2011-12, 2014-15), Karlsson is second in scoring at the position since 2011-12 behind Burns with 589 points (135 goals, 454 assists). Quinn said Karlsson is healthy and at 32 years old capable of regaining his form as a No. 1 defenseman.
Karlsson was out two months last season because of surgery to repair a muscle tear in his left forearm and has missed 79 games in his four seasons with San Jose.
"If he stays healthy he's a No. 1 'D' everywhere and anywhere," Quinn said. "He and I met and he feels as good as he's ever felt. I do think maybe in his mind he does feel there's a little bit more of a window here to be the player that he has been in his career in the NHL."
The Sharks will have to create more offense if they want to be a playoff team again. They ranked 30th in the NHL with 2.57 goals per game last season after finishing tied for 27th (2.57 goals per game) in 2019-20 and and 25th (2.61 goals per game) in 2020-21. San Jose was 22nd on the power play (19.0 percent) last season after finishing 23rd in 2019-20 (17.5 percent) and 29th in 2020-21 (14.1 percent).
Forward
Timo Meier
led the Sharks last season with 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists). Center Tomas Hertl had 64 points (30 goals, 34 assists). Couture had 56 points (23 goals, 33 assists) and Burns 54 points (10 goals, 44 assists). No other San Jose player had more than 39.
"If you look at what's happened the last few years, obviously they've been challenged from an offensive perspective," Quinn said. "I think there are different ways to score. That's certainly something we have to pay attention to and address."
The Sharks also need their goaltending to step up.
James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen will compete for the No. 1 job. San Jose had three goalies that were expected to compete for the job before trading Adin Hill to the Vegas Golden Knights for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Monday.
"To me, every guy just has to be better, five or 10 percent better," Quinn said. "If we can get that from everybody, that's where you make up the lack of offense or, in general, it's the difference of making the playoffs or not."