2023 San Jose Sharks Predictions with Futures Odds and Expert NHL Picks
Summary of last season
Well, they were better than the Anaheim Ducks. The San Jose Sharks finished with 60 points and will likely regress this season. They posted a -87-goal differential and won just eight games on their home ice. They also carried a 5-16 record in OT games. They allowed 321 goals to their opponents, which was the third highest mark in the NHL. Somehow, they did post a great PK% as they killed 82.4% of their opponents PP tries. Their PP% was not great, though, as they posted an 18.4% success rate. The top dogs in their division beat them up all year, as they went just 4-14-8 against the Pacific Division last season. Most of their success came against the Central Division, as they went 10-12-2 against them on the year.
Their season was highlighted by former star blueliner Erik Karlsson, who posted 101 points. That was 34 more points than second place on their team. Karlsson ranked 11th in the league in points and led all other blueliners by a significant margin. His 76 assists were tied for the third best in the NHL. C’s Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl were second and third on the team, posting 67 and 63 points, respectively. Timo Meier led the team in goals scored with 31. Their netminding was not good, as the group allowed a combined 3.84 GA/G and an abysmal .887 SV%.
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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the San Jose Sharks in 2023-24:
Key Additions/Losses
The Sharks made a few minor trades and acquired the likes of F Anthony Duclair from Florida, G MacKenzie Blackwood from New Jersey, and D Andrej Sustr from Anaheim. However, their offseason is highlighted by their decision to ship off franchise player Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. In return (with Montreal involved), the Sharks brought in F’s Mike Hoffman, F Mikael Granlund, D Jan Rutta, and a 2024 first-round pick.
They also lost last year’s starting netminder James Reimer (43 games) when he signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
They also signed Givani Smith, who came over from Florida. Additionally, they added blueliner Kyle Burroughs signing him to a multi-year deal.
X-Factors
The Draft Lottery- The Sharks are going to be the laughingstock of the league. They will have great odds to land the top pick in next year’s draft, but they better hope they do not fall victim to the lottery like the Ducks did a year ago. Unfortunately, the Sharks won’t be able to claim the top pick based on record alone thanks to the utilization of said lottery, but this team will amass the lowest amount of points next season.
Goalie Outlook
With Reimer out of the picture, it will be Kaapo Kahkonen that will be the starting goaltender for San Jose. In 37 games, Kahkonen went 9-20-7, allowing 3.85 GA/G and an awful .883 SV%. Blackwood will be listed as the backup, but the two will likely split time like Reimer and Kahkonen did last season.
Grade: D
Key Schedule Stretch
The 2024 offseason- next offseason will be a big one for San Jose, who likely will not want to stay out of relevance for too long. They will take the losses this season, allowing their prospects to get some time on the ice and ensure they are in the best possible position to obtain the top overall pick in next year’s draft. San Jose may ship out some more of their veterans to acquire future resources. However, with money to spend and two first round picks, the Sharks may get active and add some big pieces to try and compete in the next two or three years.
Notable Odds
*DraftKings Sportsbook
Stanley Cup Champions - +25000
Conference Winner - +13000
Division Winner - +20000
To Make the Playoffs- Yes- +1700
Prediction
This is an easy under on the team point total. These Sharks are going to be minnow’s this season. They did not reach this point total last year and are now without their best player, Karlsson. They will likely pawn off some of the return for Karlsson as well to expand on future capital. If you are a Sharks fan, I hope you like basketball because this season will be rough.
Under 66.5 Team Total Points
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