Sharks’ fatal flaw that must be fixed in 2024-25 season
The San Jose Sharks used their fatal flaw to their advantage in 2023-24, locking down the first-overall pick thanks to some abysmal defense and goaltending. The Sharks addressed the goaltending situation for 2024-25 and beyond by acquiring Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators, but an injury delayed his debut. San Jose may be content with another year in the league’s basement, but they don’t want to throw their young players to the wolves without help.
San Jose will benefit from a top-five pick, as it’s nearly impossible to see this roster finishing much higher than second or third last. However, they don’t want the season to go too south with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith trying to develop at the NHL level. The Sharks finished with 19 wins and 47 points last season, putting them five points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for last place.
The Sharks and Blackhawks were far and away the worst teams in the league. San Jose was 12 points clear of the Anaheim Ducks, who finished third last. It’d be good for the Sharks to see some improvement this season, and their poor 2023-24 gives them room to improve and still get one of the top-three picks in the draft.
San Jose hopes to get back into playoff contention like they were for most of the 2010s. Players like Askarov, Celebrini, Smith, and Sam Dickinson are a good start.
Yaroslav Askarov didn’t want to play in the AHL
© Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Askarov had a clear request when he asked for a trade from the Predators. He felt he had outgrown the AHL, and didn’t want to sit behind Juuse Saros for the next eight years. Askarov wanted to go to a situation where he could at least have a spot in the NHL’s tandem. Joining the Sharks offered him a chance to take the full-time starting role, but a training camp injury forced him to the sidelines. The Sharks weren’t comfortable giving him the role without some playing time in the preseason, so they sent him to the minors to start the year.
Askarov played in just one game for the San Jose Barracuda. He had a 22-save shutout in a 5-0 victory over the Ontario Reign. It isn’t a big surprise that he is showing success at the AHL level, as he has done that over the past two seasons. He appeared in most of the games for the Milwaukee Admirals over the past two seasons, tallying a .912 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average in 93 games.
Defense and goaltending are the Sharks’ fatal flaws, and Askarov could make a huge difference when he returns. Askarov is ready to take a starting role in the NHL, and his age aligns with the rest of San Jose’s young core. It’s too early to say that Askarov will be the difference-maker in the Sharks becoming Stanley Cup contenders in a few years. However, if he succeeds, the Sharks will be much closer to that goal than they have been in a long time.
The Sharks’ current goaltenders are a disaster
It isn’t a massive surprise that Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood aren’t working out for the Sharks. The pairing isn’t together for the first time, as they were together with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils were a playoff team in 2022-23 and had the roster to do it again, but their lack of emphasis on the goaltending position caused them to fall out in 2023-24. Vanecek was a massive reason that happened last season, as the Devils had already gotten rid of Blackwood after a poor 2022-23 campaign.
The pair needed Akira Schmid to come in and pick up the pieces in 2022-23, an unproven rookie who is now struggling with the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL. Simply put, Vanecek and Blackwood aren’t an NHL-level goaltending tandem. They’ve played in three games each this season, and their numbers are below the league average. Vanecek has a 3.15 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage, while Blackwood has a 4.88 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage.
San Jose’s goal this season is to finish near the bottom of the standings and land one more can’t-miss prospect. In a perfect world, they’d get the No. 1 draft pick and take James Hagens, solidifying their offensive depth for a long time. However, their defensive prospect pool is thin, so they may prefer to take a blueliner in this year’s draft. Matthew Schaefer looks like a promising prospect who could go behind Hagens at No. 2. The best-case scenario would be another last-place finish for the Sharks, setting them up for one of the top two picks.
The post Sharks’ fatal flaw that must be fixed in 2024-25 season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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