5 San Jose Sharks Who Need to Survive Rebuild

Title-contending teams need high-scoring, threatening forwards at the top of the lineup. If Zetterlund maintains his current trajectory, he could easily fill that role for the Sharks in the playoffs one day.

William Eklund

In his first full season in the NHL, William Eklund is showing signs of the skill that made him one of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft’s top prospects. His skating and playmaking abilities have shone at various times throughout the season, and he has been crucial to the Sharks’ improved performance from their season-opening losing streak. His 37-point pace is a promising start now that he’s a full-time NHLer, and Sharks fans are understandably excited about his potential and the contributions he might be able to make if he stays on the right path.

Eklund will need to show more consistency, and he could afford to be more assertive on offense as he progresses with his career. But if he continues to develop and improve, he could easily become a star in the NHL.

Tomas Hertl

Eklund and Zetterlund are both promising players, but both are under 25. When the Sharks return to the playoffs, they’ll need some veterans to step up and contribute on the ice and serve as team leaders off the ice. That’s where Tomas Hertl comes in.

At 30 years old and in his 11th NHL season, Hertl has spent the last few years turning in offensive seasons with decent numbers, but not doing enough to truly stand out. However, his All-Star selection this season shows he still has a lot of skill. He has played with more aggression and confidence this season than in years past, recognizing that he needs to step up his play with Erik Karlsson gone and Logan Couture injured.

Hertl is as competitive as any member of the Sharks, and the team’s current struggles have undoubtedly taken a toll on him. But he continues to produce, and if the franchise continues to stick with him, he could be rewarded with an important veteran role on a winning hockey club.

Mario Ferraro

While there are a few forwards who have established their candidacies for a lengthy residency in San Jose, the Sharks’ defense corps is much less certain. At the moment, the sole blueliner who is proving worthy of staying for several years is Mario Ferraro.

A tough-minded, hard-nosed defenseman, Ferraro won’t post exceptional scoring numbers from up top (although he is trending towards a career-high in points this season). Instead, he does unsung dirty work on a nightly basis. He and Zetterlund are the only two Sharks to appear in every game this season. Ferraro has also shown a lot of improvement from last season, a year in which a constantly shifting San Jose blue line left him uncertain much of the time. This season, he has been much more consistent and at times the lone bright spot for a floundering Sharks defense.

His age of 25 and his contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season, make him an interesting potential trade candidate. But the Sharks shouldn’t go forward with zero defenders on their NHL roster who they expect to be around in the long run. Ferraro has the skill to be an important piece of a good San Jose team, and the front office can’t let a player like that get away.

Mackenzie Blackwood

The Sharks have spent several consecutive seasons searching for a goalie who can be a clear number-one starter. Mackenzie Blackwood is their best hope yet.

Blackwood’s numbers aren’t great, but they certainly don’t tell the full story. He faces the unenviable task of backstopping a defense that allows the most shots per game in the league. On a number of occasions this season, he has been just about the only reason the Sharks kept a game close or won, making fantastic high-pressure saves and fighting off onslaughts from the opposing team. A look at his game log from this season shows a handful of disappointing performances, but several spectacular stat lines as well. It’s easy to imagine him performing much better with an improved Sharks defense in front of him.

Like Zetterlund, Blackwood struggled to emerge from a logjam in New Jersey at his position, but seems to have found a more suitable home in San Jose. His name has also been thrown around in trade rumors, but under the right circumstances, he could be the netminder for some great moments in Sharks history.

Sharks’ Future Holds Reasons for Optimism

The Sharks are not very good at the moment. But with a more comprehensive view of their current state comes a more positive outlook. They have some exciting prospects, upcoming high draft picks, and lots of cap space opening up soon. Combine that with five current NHL players to build around, which can serve as a starting point, and the franchise has an increasingly clear picture of how to return to contention.