David Quinn has a lot of work ahead of him now that he’s been tabbed to be the next San Jose Sharks head coach.
Perhaps Quinn’s most important job will be trying to maximize the talents of the numerous veteran holdovers from last season’s team that went 32-37-13.
Only two NHL teams last season scored less than the Sharks, who had just three players eclipse the 20-goal mark, not nearly enough to overcome even occasional defensive breakdowns. The Sharks also ranked 21st in goals allowed.
Still, a first-year coach can breathe new life into a roster.
Seven years ago after Pete DeBoer replaced Todd McLellan, Brent Burns went from 60 to 75 points and played more than two minutes per game. Tomas Hertl went from 31 to 46 points and evolved into a better two-way player, and a then-36-year-old Joe Thornton became the Sharks’ leading scorer with 82 points in 82 games.
That 2015-16 Sharks team went to the Stanley Cup Final after missing the playoffs the year before.
No one should expect the same turnaround this upcoming season from the Sharks, who have missed the playoffs for three consecutive years. Still, they can get a lot closer to becoming a contender if several key players return to form.
Here are five Sharks players who could benefit from the coaching change.
1. ERIK KARLSSON: It’s been said before, but the Sharks need to get more bang for their buck from Karlsson, who is entering the fourth year of his eight-year, $92 million contract. Over the last three seasons, Karlsson, as he’s battled injuries, has averaged 0.61 points per game, which ranks 21st among all defensemen who have played at least 130 games in that time.
The Sharks last season went to a more conservative forechecking system to help limit goals against. We’ll learn more about what Quinn has in mind for the Sharks as the weeks go on, but perhaps a more aggressive style can lead to increased scoring opportunities and a more dangerous Karlsson.
Karlsson’s offensive zone start percentage ranged from 51.3 to 57.6 in the last three years.
That number was above 60 percent for much of Karlsson’s time in Ottawa, so perhaps that’s a way for Quinn to get more production from the two-time Norris Trophy winner. That’s if Quinn trusts other defensemen enough to take more defensive zone starts.
Remember, Adam Fox won his Norris with Quinn as his coach.
2. MARC-EDOUARD VLASIC: Vlasic’s ice time dipped more than five minutes per game the last two seasons as he primarily became a third-pair defenseman under former coach Bob Boughner. Now Vlasic has a chance for a fresh start.
Is a return to a top-four role out of the question for Vlasic? The Sharks don’t have an obvious choice to fill out their top two defense pairs after Karlsson, Mario Ferraro and Jaycob Megna. Can either Matt Benning and Markus Nutivarra, who have never averaged more than 17-plus minutes per game, fill that void? Is there room for Nikolai Knyzhov on the 23-man roster?
Vlasic, 35, might be the best option. For years, too, he was the Sharks’ leading penalty killer. But last season he was seventh among all Sharks defensemen in shorthanded time on ice. Maybe he helps fill the void after the departure of Brent Burns.
3. KEVIN LABANC: Perhaps no Sharks player made more visits to Boughner’s doghouse than Labanc, whose ice time and per-game point production fell to career-lows last season before he had shoulder surgery in December.
Labanc’s offensive skills are undeniable, but consistency and commitment to a two-way game have been questioned. Labanc, should he remain with the team, will also have to compete just to get into the lineup after the Sharks bolstered their forward depth.
Still, while the Sharks’ forward additions are all hard-nosed, no one has the scoring pedigree of Labanc, who averaged over 25 assists a season from 2017 to 2021. Maybe there’s a role for him under Quinn.
4. RADIM SIMEK: Like Labanc, it’s no guarantee that Simek will be in the lineup any more under Quinn than he was under Boughner. Simek, either because of injury or healthy scratches, only played in three of San Jose’s 27 games as his average time on ice dropped to a career-low 13:17.
Simek has two years left on his four-year, $9 million contract. If he’s still with the Sharks by the start of the regular season, he’ll likely compete to be on the Sharks’ third defense pair with Nutivaara and Benning. When he’s at his best, though, Simek provides a physical element that a few other Sharks blueliners might not have.
5. LOGAN COUTURE: Couture had a good season in 2021-2022. To go with his usual role of matching up with the opposing team’s top centerman, Couture had 23 goals and 56 points, third most on the team, in 77 games.
But can he get to another level? With a deeper group of forwards around him, perhaps.
A few times last season, Boughner moved Timo Meier alongside Couture’s line just to help the second line generate some offense. Now with Oskar Lindblom and William Eklund possibly in top six forward roles, that should help Couture’s offensive production.
