4 Big Questions for the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21

There are Four Big Questions facing the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21.

Happy Hockey Day! The 2020-21 NHL Season begins today and, as a result, we begin to close out our Season Previews by looking at the San Jose Sharks.

It has been a rough ride for the Sharks as of late who completely fell off a cliff in 2019-20, missing the postseason for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

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Despite having two elite horses on the backend in Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, San Jose just couldn’t figure it out and they ended up firing Head Coach Pete DeBoer midway through the 2019-20 season.

With Bob Boughner now behind the bench, the Sharks will be looking for improvement this season but after losing the heart and soul of the franchise in Joe Thornton in Free Agency, you question whether they have an identity or not.

And, while there is talent on this team, the roster as a whole is incredibly flawed and General Manager Doug Wilson may have to do something dramatic at the Trade Deadline if things get off to a slow start.

So, without further ado, let’s delve into the 4 Big Questions the San Jose Sharks will have to answer in the 2020-21 NHL Season…

4. How will they adapt to life without Joe Thornton?

2020 was one hell of a weird year and, on early evidence, 2021 is going to follow the exact same pattern, especially when it comes to the NHL.

That will especially be the case in San Jose with the Sharks preparing to start a season without Joe Thornton on the roster for the first time since the 2005-06 season. That’s a hell of a long time.

Instead, Thornton will be opening up the 2020-21 NHL season with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, with the veteran hoping that returning home brings him his best chance of finally winning a Stanley Cup.

Of course, seeing “Jumbo Joe” in a Maple Leafs jersey is never not going to be weird but, hey, we’ve gotten pretty used to life being weird over the last year or so.

However, how will Joe Thornton’s absence impact the San Jose Sharks?

For starters, taking that veteran leadership out of the room will hurt a team that seems to be lacking a real identity anyway, while Thornton was the very heartbeat of this franchise and he simply can’t be replaced.

Then there is his on-ice presence where, despite a regression due to father time catching up, the 41-year-old was still a valuable offensive weapon for the Sharks, recording 31 points (7 G, 24 A) in 70 regular-season games in 2019-20.

To take away 30 plus points from a team that ranked 27th in Goals For Per Game (2.57) last year is far from ideal, and someone will need to step up to replace the offense that is now gone due to Thornton’s absence.

Overall, losing Joe Thornton the man and the player could end up hurting the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21 and, as the old saying goes, you don’t know what you had until it is gone.

2. Can Erik Karlsson be peak Erik Karlsson again?

There has been no better sight in hockey in recent years than witnessing Erik Karlsson at the peak of his powers, moving the puck around the ice like it was no effort at all and letting loose with his hammer of a shot.

He was a hell of a lot of fun to watch and he was the reason the Ottawa Senators made a deep run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17. After all, Karlsson put that team on his back and produced the performance of a lifetime despite playing on one leg.

And, sadly, it has been injuries that have defined the defenseman’s career since then with Karlsson unable to remain fully healthy.

Despite those injury concerns, however, the San Jose Sharks still knew what they would be getting in the six-time All-Star, hence why they sent an absolute haul over to the Senators for Karlsson before signing him to a blockbuster eight-year, $92 million contract.

After all, Erik Karlsson on one leg is still one hell of a player.

However, injuries have limited the two-time Norris Trophy winner in San Jose so far, with the blueliner suffering a slight dip in production in 2019-20 with 40 points (6 G, 34 A) in 56 regular-season games.

Granted, Karlsson was stuck on a bad team that couldn’t score and also couldn’t keep the puck out of their own net, which didn’t help, while he did show flashes of the brilliance that we all know he is very, very capable of.

The one major positive heading into the 2020-21 NHL season, though, is the fact that Karlsson has now had perhaps the longest break of his career to fully heal and recover from any lingering injuries and ailments.

He’s been off for months and that break away from the grind has probably done him the world of good mentally too, so there is a chance that the 30-year-old will be more motivated than ever once puck drops this week.

If that’s the case then it is possible that we see the best version of Erik Karlsson for the first time in a long time, and that will only significantly boost the Sharks’ chances of making a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Whether Karlsson can play to a Norris Trophy-Caliber level is another question entirely but, if he can at least carve out some of his best hockey in a long time, then that will be a massive boost and a huge weapon for the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21.

1. Will the Sharks have enough offense in 2020-21?

While this entire roster is incredibly flawed, one of the biggest questions the San Jose Sharks will have to answer this year is whether their offense has enough to ensure they are at least competitive in the West Division.

Ranked 27th in Goals For Per Game in 2019-20, averaging just 2.57 goals a game, the Sharks were not a formidable team in the offensive zone last year and, at first glance, it doesn’t look like it will be much better this season.

After all, they lost Joe Thornton who, despite being in the back-nine of his career, still put up 31 points (7 G, 24 A) in 2019-20, while only two forwards in Evander Kane and Timo Meier recorded 20 or more goals last year.

Captain Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl both missed significant time, which didn’t help, so the Sharks will need those two players to stay healthy and put up big numbers in a bounce-back year in addition to Kane and Meier also lighting the lamp on a consistent basis.

It will then be up to the likes of Kevin Labanc, Ryan Donato, Marcus Sorensen and Dylan Gambrell to provide depth and secondary scoring for the Sharks, ensuring that all the pressure doesn’t fall on the likes of Kane, Couture and Hertl.

Plus, if defenseman Brent Burns can also have a bounce-back year after recording just 45 points (12 G, 33 A) in 2019-20, his fewest in a full season since 2011-12, then that would certainly help solve a huge problem for the Sharks. Burns hit 80 plus points just two seasons ago and if he can get back to that kind of level, or at least near it, that will only spark San Jose’s offense into life too.

With a big booming shot from the point, Burns can also be a lethal weapon on the power play and getting back to his best would ensure that the a power play unit that ranked 23rd in last year (17.5) also saw some dramatic improvement.

Overall, the San Jose Sharks will live and die by their offense in 2020-21 and, if certain big-hitters can remain healthy and get back to the levels they are capable of, then that should ensure this team strikes fear into the hearts of goaltenders throughout the West Division and it will also give them a good shot of sneaking back into the postseason.