San Jose Sharks: Who Should Start in Goal This Season?

How do you solve a problem like the San Jose Sharks’ problematic goaltending?

Throughout the entirety of the National Hockey League, strong goaltending tandems seem to be shaping the way. In a year in which more games could be played in a short amount of time, having two capable netminders may be the deciding factor for a team’s success. However, out in San Jose, the goaltending position is a bit fragile.

Whether it be 6th-year Shark Martin Jones, who has posted back-to-back seasons with a save percentage under .900, or recently acquired 34-year old Devan Dubnyk, who lost his starting job with the Minnesota Wild in 2019-20, there is a major question mark when discussing which one of these netminders deserves to start in goal when the season begins.

Let’s take a look at both candidates, delve into the underlying stats, crunch the numbers and then present a final verdict…

Martin Jones

In his first NHL season back with the Los Angeles Kings in 2013, Martin Jones took the league by storm. In 18 starts, he posted a 12-6 record, with a .934 SV% and an astonishing 1.81 GAA.

Although the sample size was rather small, it seemed like the then 24-year old had a bright future ahead of him. With franchise netminder Jonathan Quick the mainstay in net until he hangs up the skates, Jones was never going to get his chance at being the go-to guy. He knew it and the team knew it.

After the 2014-15 season, in which Jones put up strong numbers yet again with a .924 SV% and a 2.24 GAA with a 4-5-2 record, he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks, as this team was in need of a starting netminder following the departure of fan-favorite Antti Niemi.

In his first year, the 2015-16 season, Jones seemed to be the answer as his team finished the season third in the Pacific Division, before going on a magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, they met up against a hot Pittsburgh Penguins team, destined to pick up their first of what would be consecutive championships, as they beat Jones and the Sharks in six games to clinch Sidney Crosby‘s second Stanley Cup ring.

But Jones was electric that whole postseason, posting a .923 SV% with a 2.16 GAA and a 14-10-0 record.

Since that long run, we have watched Jones’ numbers decrease incrementally during the regular season. While his play was in fact good enough to get the team into the postseason in three consecutive years after that run to the Stanley Cup Final, his Playoff numbers started to drop off dramatically as well.

The last two regular seasons for the Vancouver native have been a nightmare, averaging a save percentage of .896, with an inflated goals-against average of 2.97.

On some nights he shows how dominant he can be in the crease. But, on other nights, the majority of nights no less, he was notably less than impressive.

Despite his struggles, the team was ever so close to getting back to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2018-19 season, losing to the eventual winners, the St Louis Blues four games to two in the Western Conference Finals. Jones was very weak in net, seeing his regular season struggles carry over with a .898 SV% and a 3.02 GAA.

This past season, the Sharks finished 29th in the league, making Jone’s struggles that more noticeable, with the fallen star posting a woeful 17-21-2 record with a .896 Save Percentage and a 3.00 Goals Against Average. The team had lost captain Joe Pavelski and it looked like the ship was sinking.

With Jones playing to the lowest of levels there was little relief, as his backup Aaron Dell was no better over the last two years. With Dell gone, the team had the option of signing a multitude of backup netminders in free agency, yet decided to acquire a starting netminder instead.

I believe GM Doug Wilson did this in an effort to push Jones to be better or suffer the consequences of being demoted to a backup role.