A bad NHL team should have one objective: become a very good NHL team. In some cases, the path is short, in other cases, the path is long. The 2021-22 San Jose Sharks are not a good team. And their path to becoming a good team, well, it will take a while.<\/p>\n
The problem with the Sharks is they really aren\u2019t on a path. Yes, it will take a while to become good again, but there is no point in delaying the start of the process. General manager Doug Wilson (wishing him well in his medical leave of absence) called this season a “reset”, not a rebuild.<\/p>\n
The problem is, this team doesn\u2019t need a reset, whatever that is. It needs a rebuild.<\/p>\n
What are the obstacles on the way to the Sharks becoming a better team?<\/p>\n
There are two major ones. The first is the team\u2019s salary cap situation. The Sharks have four contracts for players, who collectively, aren\u2019t worth the money they are being paid. These contracts take up over 40% of the team\u2019s cap space. The players’ ages range from 31 to 36. While not every player is in decline, some are and more will be. These contracts do not end anytime soon, they have another 3-5 seasons after this one. This is before counting whatever happens with recently waived Evander Kane<\/a>, whose grievance might cost the Sharks<\/a> another large chunk of money and eat more cap space.<\/p>\n The second issue is the limited amount of younger talent inside the organization. The team has traded away several capable younger players while drafts haven\u2019t provided sufficient talent. In part, because the team has rarely drafted near the top and because they traded away some of their higher draft spots to acquire expensive talent including Kane and Erik Karlsson<\/a>.<\/p>\n The organization is in a hole and it will take a while to dig out. It happens and one should note, is natural in the course of most sports franchises. In the 2020 offseason, the Sharks failed to recognize the hole they were in, so they didn\u2019t make a serious attempt to dig out of it. One can rationalize that decision for the 2020 offseason. What can\u2019t be rationalized is the failure to aggressively begin digging out in the 2021 offseason.<\/p>\n And lest one think there is no way the Sharks could dig out, here’s a gentle reminder that the Minnesota Wild<\/a> bought out two players in the recent offseason, costing them $50 million in cap space. For nothing in return.<\/p>\n Every year, good teams with high hopes try to rid themselves of problematic contracts. There are likely trade partners for the Sharks. For example, the Wild were what ‘might have been’ in the summer of 2021. Every season, there are teams willing to take on a ‘later’ problem to address a ‘now’ problem. For a team involved in a reset, apparently, short-term thinking dominates. Could the Sharks have offloaded a problematic contract in a deal with the Wild? Was there even a discussion? A team looking to reset doesn’t make the phone call, a team looking to rebuild does.<\/p>\n The offseason\u2019s most meaningful moves might make the hole deeper. They bought out problematic goalie Martin Jones<\/a>, which means he\u2019ll continue to be a cap space problem for the team for five more seasons after this season instead of just two. They’ll save cap space during seasons the team isn’t going to be competitive, but take an added cap hit when they’d have a chance to be competitive. Yuck.<\/p>\n The team acquired Jones’s replacement, Adin Hill<\/a>, a third string goalie for his former team. The Sharks paid a second-round draft pick to acquire him. This is a trade a team doesn\u2019t make in a rebuild.<\/p>\n The Sharks goalie plan is off to a dubious start, as Jones has a better record and better save percentage than Hill (Hill did get the overtime win over Jones in their head-to-head match-up, despite Jones 44 saves and just two goals allowed in regulation).<\/p>\n The Sharks’ backup net minder, veteran James Reimer<\/a>, has taken over as the team\u2019s starter and kept this team in fringe contention for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n The Sharks can point to this season as a \u2018culture reset\u2019. Perhaps, but that is aiming low. Very low.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been discussion about the risks of a team tanking in order to acquire high draft picks. The \u2018against\u2019 side says tanking is not consistent with a healthy culture and therefore must be avoided. Does this argument stand up to scrutiny? Not really, because it represents a false choice. Playing young players in roles that stretch their abilities will have mixed results and a team\u2019s record is likely to reflect that. But this is not tanking, it is developing.<\/p>\n A losing team does not equate to a broken culture. The Sharks long-time rival, the Los Angeles Kings<\/a>, finished last in the division in 2008 and again in 2009. With the same key players, they hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2012 (and again in 2014). A similar pattern occurred with the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>, they finished last in their division in 2007, they hoisted a Cup of their own in 2010 (and 2013 and 2015).<\/p>\n One can reset a culture relatively easily, relatively inexpensively. The Sharks addition of Reimer, Andrew Cogliano<\/a> and Nick Bonino<\/a> is a good way to do this. Three very successful veterans loaded with good habits and leadership traits. Parting with those who don\u2019t help the desired culture is also part of the process.<\/p>\n Having a positive culture does matter. But improving the culture is not now, nor has it ever been, a significant obstacle for the Sharks.<\/p>\n Other Western Conference teams have embraced a rebuild, including the Kings, Anaheim Ducks<\/a> and most aggressively, the Arizona Coyotes<\/a>. Each team has a youth movement that dwarfs that of the Sharks. Below is a table of premium draft picks (rounds 1 and 2), recent and upcoming in 2022 (pending any transactions), for each team.<\/p>\nNot All Hope Is Lost<\/h4>\n
2021-22 San Jose Sharks Swimming in the Wrong Direction<\/h3>\n
The San Jose Sharks Culture Reset<\/h3>\n
Commitment Matters<\/h3>\n
Premium Draft Picks Comparison (Rounds 1 & 2)<\/h4>\n