For San Jose Sharks fans, the only thing worse than never winning the Stanley Cup is the feeling that it may be years before they get another chance. In 2019, the Sharks made it to the Western Conference Final against the St. Louis Blues. Since then, each season has been a struggle for them. They have been nowhere near the playoffs, and, if anything, it seems that they are getting further and further away.
Related: Sharks Continue to Face Internal Adversity
Now that the Sharks have entered 2023, it would make sense for them to have found some sort of traction by now. That being said, they haven’t. Despite a general manager change, the addition of a new head coach, and several roster moves, the Sharks have maintained that they are going to see the playoffs soon. However, with the current state of the team, they could be entering a very long rebuild if they keep continuing to deny the truth.
Sharks Need More Talent to Get Anywhere
Right now, the Sharks have a decent amount of talent on their roster. Erik Karlsson, who is having a bounce-back season, leads the team in points. Directly behind him are Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture. However, there is a steep drop-off immediately after that. If the Sharks want to compete again, they need more talent up front.
Luckily for the Sharks, they have numerous prospects who could pan out. Most notably, William Eklund looks like the real deal, and he will undoubtedly be a large part of the future of the team. After him, Thomas Bordeleau looks like an energetic goal scorer. Ryan Merkley may be gone, but Ganbon Laroque looks like he could be capable of taking up the mantle of responsibility for offensive defensemen. Truly, the Sharks have plenty of young talent in the pipeline.
However, do they have enough? Short answer, no. The biggest issue the Sharks are going to run into is that their current core is going to age out by the time their younger players enter their prime. Not to mention the youngest player in the Sharks’ core, Meier, is likely going to be on a new team come year’s end. They are walking dangerously close to entering a never-ending cycle.
Can the Sharks Make Up for Lost Time?
If the Sharks want to avoid a situation where their best players are continuously unsupported, they are going to need to stock up on young players that could provide depth. Arguably, that has always been the Sharks’ biggest issue. Whenever their best players were on top of their game, there would be no depth to support them. If they want to avoid that issue in the future, there is no better time than the present to get ahead of it.
So, with that being said, what is the best way for the Sharks to go about a roster overhaul? Well, the answer is simple, but it seems that management has a severe allergy to the word. If they want to win again, they need to do one thing; rebuild. They need to use the assets they currently have to gather picks and young players that can fill the roster. Whether the assets they get in return become depth or the main pieces of the core, the Sharks would come out on top either way.
Related: 3 Potential Destinations for Timo Meier
Right now, it seems like the Sharks are on the right track to rebuilding with the trade talks surrounding Meier, but the question is whether or not they will stay on that track. Without a doubt, the worst thing they could possibly do is fall into the Chicago Blackhawks’ trap of constantly going back and forth on the possibility of a rebuild. If they’re able to commit to the process, they could be much better off in the long run for it.
