Jack Han on How Sharks Can Win Without Karlsson, Boost Power Play

The All-Star break is over and hockey is back — but not for the San Jose Sharks. They still have another few days of vacation before hitting the ice against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 14.

So we decided to bring on our good friend and repeat guest Jack Han to talk San Jose Sharks hockey and how they can continue to win despite being without the services of Erik Karlsson.

We start off by diving into his new book Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook, which you can buy here – use the SHENG5 promo code to get $5 off — where he describes in-depth how the Sharks both try to maximize and minimize the impact of Erik Karlsson (3:40).

Does the Sharks’ focus on playing around Karlsson make them one-dimensional, make them easier to play or scout against (5:57)?

Jack then doubles down on his Jake Middleton praise (see last episode with Jack) and explains why Middleton is such a great fit for Karlsson (8:03).

Jack Han Doesn’t Think Karlsson Is Still a Top-Pairing D-Man

Jack then assesses how he thinks the Sharks can compensate offensively without Karlsson in the lineup (12:35). He also explains how the Sharks’ planning around Brent Burns has changed in recent years (15:24).

Which Shark has surprised Jack the most this season (20:36)?

Then we ask Jack about the San Jose Sharks’ 2-1-2 offensive zone forecheck – is that the best forecheck for their personnel (24:18)?

With Jack’s insight into hockey tactics, we also ask him: If he was to improve the San Jose Sharks power play, what changes would he implement and why (29:11)?

That was a spirited conversation that ended with Timo Meier getting an interesting new job on the PP.

Big thanks to Jack for indulging us with tactics talk. Make sure to shoot him a follow on Twitter, and again, check out his new book here and use SHENG5 code to get $5 off your purchase.

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