20 Thoughts After 20 Games

The San Jose Sharks have now played their first 20 games of the season, so let's dive into 20 thoughts from the first 20 games.

1. Sam Dickinson has looked much better as the season has progressed. While he hasn't gotten significant power play time yet, that seems like it should come in the near future, whether that's this season or next.

2. Speaking of defensemen, Eric Pohlkamp has seemingly fit like a glove since joining the Sharks. He's been effective offensively and hasn't looked out of place at all defensively. He hasn't been perfect by any means, but he's off to as good of a start as you could've asked for.

3. While Dmitry Orlov is actually sixth on the Sharks in giveaways with 24, it feels like his have been much more impactful than those above him in that leaderboard. He's struggled mightily this season, especially on the defensive end, but he does keep finding a way to put points on the board. He's been improving as of late, now we just need to see if he can do so consistently.

4. Goaltending has been overall solid for the Sharks, but there have been some games where they've given up some easy goals. Yaroslav Askarov in particular has been a bit streaky to start the season, but the Sharks are certainly hoping to see more consistency from him in that regard.

5. I don't think we've seen the last of Filip Bystedt this season. While it took him a long time to get an opportunity at the NHL level, he looked solid despite failing to record a point.

6. Speaking of players without a point, Adam Gaudette is often used as the Sharks' more offensive option on the fourth line, but he hasn't contributed that to this point in the season. He's been fine overall, but unless he gets the offense going, it seems likely that Ryan Warsofsky will stick with Ty Dellandrea, Zack Ostapchuk, and Barclay Goodrow instead.

7. Dellandrea being paired with Ivar Stenberg and Tyler Toffoli was surprisingly effective against the New York Islanders. It's not the first combination anyone would think of, but it's worked so far. It'll be interesting to see if they're able to keep it up moving forward. 

8. Getting Alex Wennberg back in the lineup did quite a bit for the team, as they looked much different with him slotting in between Mason Marchment and Kiefer Sherwood. 

9. One player the Sharks are currently missing desperately though is Igor Chernyshov. Once he returns, it would make since to put him back on the top line immediately, which should give Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith some stability with potentially a long-term linemate. 

10. Taking a detour to the prospect side of things, Joshua Ravensbergen is continuing to be dominant at the collegiate level. He recorded his first NCAA shutout on Saturday over Boston University, improving his save percentage to a .939.

11. In terms of trade rumors, I'm sure we'll see the Sharks linked to Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov at some point in the near future, but logically it wouldn't make sense to me. The Sharks have enough young star power up front, they just need the right complementary pieces to get things going. If they're going to add a star, it needs to be on the blue line.

12. Speaking of which, the Sharks continue to be linked to Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, but it doesn't seem like there's been much progress in that regard. He's been skating in Nashville, but there's still nothing pointing toward him signing or getting traded imminently. 

13. There's certainly some concern regarding the Sharks' ninth overall pick from this past summer, as Keaton Verhoeff has yet to get things going this season. Known for his two way style of play, he's on pace to regress mightily on the offensive side of things. Recording just two points, all of which came in one night, through his first nine games, he's on pace to have just eight points this season compared to 20 last season.

14. While Mason Marchment's wallet may not have liked the fine for his incident with Victor Eklund, and it's safe to say, he probably didn't handle it the best possible way, but it was certainly a step in the right direction to see him do what he felt necessary to stand up for Kiefer Sherwood after a very questionable hit.

15. We've seen quite a bit of growth from Michael Misa on the offensive side of the puck this season. He's on pace to have an impressive sophomore season in that regard. With that being said, considering he was known as a strong two-way player at the junior level, it would be ideal to see him take similar strides defensively in the near future.

16. In regards to the defense as a whole, this year's blue line feels like a substantial improvement over last season's, but it still needs quite a bit of work. There are some solid pieces in place, but the young players need to grow quickly if the Sharks are going to win while the veteran defensemen are still valuable assets.

17. The Sharks are looking much better in 5-on-5 play, but now their special teams have been struggling more and more. It seems they've swung too far in the opposite direction, but if they can find the right balance between 5-on-5 and special teams, they'll be hard to stop.

18. More of a personal opinion here, but I wasn't a huge fan of the Hometown Remix jerseys when they were first unveiled. After seeing them a few times though, I think I'm on board with them.

19. Ivar Stenberg has been very quick to adapt to the North American style of play. He'll have his ups-and-downs throughout the season, as he already has, but he's starting to show just how impactful he can be in the NHL.

20. There's still a lot of the season left, but the next few games will really say a lot about this team. They have a win again, they've overcome that hurdle, but now they need to be able to do it consistently and convincingly. Wins like the one that the Sharks got over the Vancouver Canucks may count the same on the scoreboard, but come playoff time, you're not going to be able to steal wins like that.