The San Jose Sharks had the NHL's fewest wins last season but still have some big contracts affecting their rebuild, writes Adam Proteau. What are their biggest needs?

THN.com’s “off-season outlook” series continues with this file. We’ve been breaking down, in alphabetical order, each NHL team’s recent season, in addition to its strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2023-24 season. In this column, we’re focusing on the San Jose Sharks.

2022-23 Grade: D

Biggest Positive Heading Into the Off-Season

No NHL team had fewer wins than the Sharks in 2022-23, and their record could’ve been the very worst in the league had they not posted 16 overtime or shootout losses. San Jose’s season can’t get an ‘F,’ as they knew going into the year that the playoffs were a fantasy and that they were still in the early stages of a full-on rebuild. But make no mistake – there is still much work to be done for the Sharks to even dream about playing post-season hockey.

On the bright side, Sharks GM Mike Grier has veterans who other teams covet – at least if they can absorb the pricey contracts those vets are saddled with. 

Captain and top center Logan Couture is signed through 2026-27 at a salary cap hit of $8 million, and you have to wonder if he truly wants to stick around through the rebuild. Blueliner and reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson has drawn significant interest, but his $11.5-million cap hit through 2026-27 makes the market for him extremely limited. And winger Kevin Labanc, who is in the final season of his contract that pays him $4.725 million, could be an attractive pickup at or near the trade deadline.

The Sharks do have some prospects of note – particularly, center Will Smith, who the team selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft – but they’re not exactly teeming with elite young talent as much as a rebuilding team should. Grier has to make his veterans into long-term assets, and until he does, San Jose will be at or near the basement of the Pacific Division and the NHL itself.

Biggest Need Heading Into the Off-Season

With Smith on board, the Sharks are better down the middle, but at every position, depth is a huge concern. 

Grier has added some veteran know-how on the wing this off-season, acquiring Anthony Duclair from Florida and signing UFA and former Red Wing Filip Zadina to play on the second and third lines. But there remains the need for quality depth up front, and that won’t be easy for Grier to address.

The Sharks’ depth on ‘D’ is also wafer-thin, with Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic having a combined age of 69 years old. Size is also a problem on the blueline: three of their top six D-men are six-foot or shorter. They need more bulk and snarl if they’ll be tougher to play against.

Finally, in goal, San Jose looks to be going with returning starter Kaapo Kahkonen and UFA signing Mackenzie Blackwood. Not exactly the most fearsome netminding tandem, to be sure. Kahkonen is in the final year of his contract, and if he does play well, the 26-year-old Finn could be dealt to a contender.

As you can see, the Sharks need help in all areas, and for the most part, they’ll need to be patient with their youngsters and develop internally rather than take gambles on young talent other teams are willing to give up on. It’s a bleak picture in the short term, but Grier is well-aware of the crater he’s trying to climb out from, and he’s got the patience and the buy-in from ownership to take the long road to success.

Bottom Line for San Jose This Off-Season

San Jose was the second-worst team in the Pacific Division this past season, but the team that finished last – the Anaheim Ducks – could well leapfrog the Sharks. A franchise that once was one of the most reliable playoff teams in the game now has gone four straight seasons without a playoff appearance, and the 2023-24 campaign will almost assuredly be the fifth consecutive year outside of the post-season.

Better days are ahead for the Sharks, but the question is how far ahead those better days really are. And unfortunately for San Jose fans, the answer to that question is “a long, long time from now.” Their place in the competitive cycle is at its nadir, and there will be no quick fixes to drag them out of the NHL’s basement.