The San Jose Sharks spent this offseason selling off as many players as they could. After several less-than-amazing seasons, general manager Mike Grier decided that the current core needed to shift if they wanted to find success anytime soon. As a result, staples of the team, such as Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson, were sent to begin journeys on new teams. By all accounts, the 2023-24 season will likely be a rough one for the Sharks.
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One area that the Sharks have especially begun to find themselves weak in is defense. Through their series of trades over the last calendar year, the main defensive core eroded to a shadow of its former self. However, it would appear that they have little interest in fixing that issue, at least not yet. If this trend continues throughout this season, it would not be surprising to see them seriously struggle to keep the puck out of the net.
Sharks’ Current Defensive Core Leaves a Lot to Be Desired
Currently, the best defenseman the Sharks have to offer in the 2023-24 season is Matt Benning. Last season, he had 24 points in 77 games, and a plus/minus rating of minus-18. Considering this is the closest defensive performance to Karlsson’s Norris Trophiy-winning 101 points, it isn’t surprising that optimism is not particularly high for this area of the Sharks’ roster. However, there is one player who probably should have performed better that has a chance to steal the show this coming season: Mario Ferraro.
Ferraro was once seen as a potential top-four defenseman for the Sharks, but that narrative has largely fallen off as of late. For whatever reason, he has been unable to live up to the potential that he once had. He still managed to find his way into the top four, but it was more out of necessity than being earned. However, with no one in front of him to push him down the lineup, perhaps he will take this opportunity in stride and regain his lost potential this season.
Sharks Have Few Options to Fix Their Defense
While the current Sharks’ defense looks rather grim, their options to solve this issue are not very extensive. In the best-case scenario, one of their defensive prospects, such as Ganon Laroque or Shakir Mukhamadullin, who the Sharks acquired in the Meier trade, break out this season. However, that is not exactly a guarantee, especially considering they would be mostly on their own to adjust to the NHL. Their next best option would likely be to acquire a defenseman in a trade, but that carries its own host of issues as well.
There are not many defensemen whom the Sharks would easily be able to acquire in a trade, at least, none who would begin to solve their issues. The biggest defensive name in potential trade talks is Noah Hanafin, but that would be way outside of the Sharks’ league, especially in a rebuild. Their best bet would probably be to take an overpaid defenseman for extra picks, but they just got done ridding themselves of Brent Burns and Karlsson’s contracts. They would be moving backward. Regardless, they are in a tough spot for the time being.
The Sharks may not be fantastic defensively, but not many fans were expecting them to be. Struggling in a particular area should be able to allow them to focus on fixing it over the course of the next season or so. Additionally, playing worse this season allows them to have a better shot at a high draft pick. The defense may be a bit rough for the Sharks this season, but that may not be an issue that exists for much longer.
