With a 5-3 victory over the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Kings in the books, the San Jose Sharks moved into second place in the lackluster Pacific Division. The Pacific Division has seven teams, but only the Sharks and Kings don't have more losses then they have wins. While the Sharks have been inconsistent so far this season, they would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
With that being said, the Sharks have to start worrying about teams like the Flames and Ducks that are coming out of their early season funk. The Sharks have a decision to make. Either they decide to upgrade what they have right now, or they eventually sell their veteran assets as the Flames and Ducks fly past them in the standings.
If I was the Sharks general manager, I would lean towards the buying choice. The NHL is not like the NBA or the NFL, having an extra top 10 pick does not always translate to having an extra good player. You can just as easily develop a second round player into a future star as a top 10 pick. If they fix a couple of weaknesses now, they have so many star forwards that they could compete with the Kings, Flames and Ducks for the Pacific crown.
1. Veteran Goaltender
Martin Jones has already shown us that he has the talent to be a franchise goaltender in the NHL, but he has also shown us that at age 25, he isn’t reliable enough for a team that is trying to make a deep playoff run. Therefore, you need some insurance in case Jones falters at the wrong time. A veteran goalie that could back up Jones would be desirable.
One such goaltender would be Cam Ward in Carolina. The former Conn Smythe Winner no longer appears to be the starter with the team he won the Stanley Cup with back in 2006. The team brought in the younger Eddie Lack to eventually replace Ward, and with the team rebuilding, Ward and his contract are a liability for the Hurricanes future plans.
2. Top four Defender
While the top line of Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are impressive, they are being asked to do too much. Both play over 23 MPG, and will be counted on more down the stretch. While Justin Braun has proven himself to be a legitimate second pair defenseman, Paul Martin is a bottom line defender on a good team. Grabbing a legitimate second line defenseman to go along with Braun would do wonders for the 21st ranked defense.
Fortunately for the Sharks, there appears to be one on the market. According to My NHL Trade Rumors, the Blues find Carl Gunnarsson expendable because of the depth they already have on the blue line. Gunnarsson is having a good season though, with a 12 +/- and could really help a below average Sharks defense.
3. Second Line Wingers
The team’s relative success without Logan Couture shows the depth they have at the center position. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture are all natural centers. However, who on their top two lines are natural wingers except for the defensive minded Joel Ward? Swapping a center for a winger could help the chemistry and improve the offense even more.
One such winger they could go after is Andrew Ladd. The Jets still haven’t managed to re sign Ladd, and could be desperate to get something back for the coveted two way winger. Radim Vrbata is a proven 30 goal scorer, but has been a disaster this season on Vancouver’s second line.
The Sharks have more depth offensively, and putting Vrbata on a line of more talented players should allow his numbers to climb back to normal. The grand prize for the Sharks would be if they could get younger and more talented with Jordan Eberle. The talented 25 year old is sick of Edmonton’s losing ways, and with the right supporting cast could explode on the Shark’s top line.