Felix’s Hockey Takes: State of the San Jose Sharks Franchise

Failure to Adapt

There’s an old familiar adage that says, “old habits die hard”, and it perfectly describes the San Jose Sharks organization to a tee. I talked about Jumbo’s and Patty’s impact on this organization. There is no doubt that those two are the most beloved players in Sharks’ history, besides Nabby. Fans love ‘em. Doug Wilson loves ‘em. After all, what’s not to love about ‘em? They’re both amazing players. They’re both classy individuals. They both love the game of hockey. 

However, there comes a time when you have to say goodbye, and sometimes goodbyes are hard. I, like many other fans, have been very guilty of wanting to see Thornton and Marleau in a teal sweater year after year. We have been incredibly blessed to have watched those two players perform, especially Thornton breaking all-time record after all-time record. Of course, Jumbo will undoubtedly be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he does retire. That time for both of them may be coming sooner or later. 

I know there are a few fans out there who have been clamoring for the Sharks to move on from Thornton and Marleau for a few years now, especially Thornton. They may very well have been right, but it’s sentimentality that’s kept them playing with this team, and for Patty, this is his home. Wilson doesn’t want to let them go. The thing is if you hold onto something or someone for too long, especially in sports biz, it’s going to backfire on you. That’s one example of the Sharks’ being unwilling to adapt to the NHL.

Pavelski

Now let’s go back to the Pavelski situation. For the longest time, the Sharks have always had a system built around Pavs’ seemingly almost innate talent of tipping pucks on net. You would see Burns or another defenseman funnel pucks to the net, and Pavelski would tip it home in the slot area because that’s what he did best. That was his bread and butter.

To this day, the Sharks still look like they’re trying to find a replacement for the former Captain because they’re still relying on those point shots, trying to find either a stick to tip it home or someone to clean up the rebounds in front. What happens when those point shots get blocked? Well, more times than not, it results in a turnover and a clear if they’re on the power play, or even a shorthanded chance against if the opposing team’s PK unit is aggressive enough. Furthermore, at times when the opposing goalie has given up a juicy rebound in front, there are no teal/white sweaters to be found to clean up those rebounds!

Now, let’s talk about those zone entries. For whatever reason, and this goes back to what I was saying about the players needing to simplify and execute, there are times when the Sharks can never get a clean zone entry, much less get the puck going through the neutral zone. 

Currently, Erik Karlsson is the defenseman quarterbacking both the first and second power play units. Again, we know his skills offensively. We also know that he loves to zip those really long hard passes through the neutral zone up to the forwards to feed the rush. We also know that this is a guy who has the skating ability and loves to try and razzle-dazzle his way through the other team’s defense. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and you have to simplify.

Bottom line is when you’re not adapting to the other team’s D, you’re basically opening yourselves up to be read like a picture book. This team has become way too predictable. As another saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting it to work. Again, this current coaching staff has done a better job than DeBoer’s did at adjusting and changing things up. Now, it’s up to the players to break those old habits of what they’re used to and simplify their game. I’ve always said the old cliches. Play a full 60. Don’t let off the gas pedal. Work hard to to get puck possession. As both Jamie Baker and Bret Hedican would always say, don’t try to do too much. It’s far time for this team to start adapting to other teams.

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