The San Jose Sharks’ All-Star Game representative will be announced in less than 24 hours, and although there’s one name which comes to mind immediately – Tomas Hertl – he’s one of a few players who would be deserving of heading to Toronto next month.
Tomas Hertl
Let’s talk about Hertl first since he is the obvious choice for the Sharks’ representative. He’s been one of the top-scoring forwards for San Jose for quite a while now. If Logan Couture had been healthy, it would likely be a race between the two for the Sharks’ scoring title; however, Hertl has run away with that honor so far this season. He currently sits with 13 goals, 15 assists, and a total of 28 points through 37 games. Although this isn’t factored into the All-Star voting process, he’s also had to step up his leadership role this season, given the departure of Erik Karlsson and Couture’s injury.
For most people who know almost nothing about the Sharks, Hertl is the one player currently in the lineup they’ll almost certainly recognize. He’s one of the faces of the franchise, and although the team as a whole is struggling, he has been a bright spot so far this season. He’s a fan favorite in the Bay Area, he’s a recognizable player around the NHL and as a result, he seems like a perfect All-Star candidate for the Sharks.
Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund had a tremendous start to December which led to him being named the NHLPA’s Player of the Week between the first and seventh of the month. He’s been an impressive player to watch, and despite underperforming at the time he was receiving heavy praise from David Quinn early in the season, it’s clear now why. Quinn called him one of the three best players on the team when he was out with an injury in October. Compared to Hertl, Granlund currently has played six fewer games but has 25 points in those 31 games. Only four of them have been goals though, as the most impressive part of his game, his playmaking ability, has been used to create scoring chances for others.
From a purely statistical standpoint, an argument could be made that Granlund deserves to be representing the Sharks more than Hertl. However, past precedent has shown that a player’s reputation seems to have a lot of influence on the NHL’s decision-making for the All-Star Game. As a result, he will likely get passed over this time, however, he would certainly be deserving of the accolade.
Mario Ferraro
Mario Ferraro doesn’t have a pretty game, he’s not a major offensive threat, and as a defensive-minded defenseman, he’s not a prototypical All-Star. With that being said, he’s the Sharks’ best defenseman and it would be insulting to him to leave him out of this conversation. Following the Karlsson trade in the summer, there was a lot of uncertainty on the blue line entering the 2023-24 season. Quinn needed someone to step up and eat a lot of minutes, and Ferraro was the one who did so. There was some fear he may miss some time following a collision with Nathan MacKinnon on New Year’s Eve, but he returned to the lineup immediately for Tuesday’s (Jan. 2) game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Related: San Jose Sharks Fall to Red Wings 5-3, Extend Losing Streak to 9
The Sharks have struggled for a majority of this season, which is fairly obvious given the fact that they lost their first 12 games and are currently on a nine-game losing streak. Every team in the NHL gets an All-Star representative which certainly helped the Sharks under these circumstances. Either way though, despite the disappointing team play, a few individuals have certainly stood out this season. Whether it’s Hertl, Granlund, or Ferraro, the Sharks will have a deserving candidate heading to Toronto to represent them next month.
