How Will Sharks Defense Cover for Potential Loss of Karlsson?

What will the San Jose Sharks’ defense look like next season if they trade Erik Karlsson? It probably is going to be very ugly, at least offensively.

Karlsson, of course, put up an NHL-leading 101 points, becoming the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to eclipse the century mark.

What was striking was how much of the San Jose Sharks’ blueline offense Karlsson dominated. Underscoring that, the Sharks were one of just two teams, along with the Montreal Canadiens, that didn’t have at least two 25-point or more blueliners on their roster at any point during the season.

Matt Benning was the Sharks’ second-most prolific defenseman with 24 points.

So the San Jose Sharks are going to miss Karlsson offensively – and maybe even a little defensively.

Let’s review Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Matt Benning, Mario Ferraro, Radim Simek, Jacob MacDonald, Henry Thrun, and Nikolai Knyzhov’s seasons, through the vantage point of SPORTLOGiQ’s micro-stats.

Erik Karlsson

There are the Karlsson numbers that everybody knows: 101 points and 74 at even strength. Both of which are 25 more than the runner-up defensemen.

And there are the dominating Karlsson numbers that you might not know.

Read the Full Article at NBC Sports Bay Area