What Has To Go Right for Sharks To Surprise This Year?

The San Jose Sharks can’t be much worse this year, right?

They were the fourth-worst team in the NHL last season. They also had the fourth-worst Points % in franchise, their worst since 1995-96.

So odds are, they’re going to be better, if only because they’re already so close to rock bottom.

On the other hand, they just traded reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins. So it’s easy to imagine, actually, the San Jose Sharks getting worse.

Their goaltending continues to short-circuit. Zero offensive punch from the blueline. Their many veteran forwards decline.

Those are all obvious possibilities.

Less obvious, what has to go right for the Sharks get better, to rise above the depths. Can the San Jose Sharks draw inspiration from other past surprise NHL success stories?

Forwards

After a disappointing expansion campaign, not much was expected of the 2022-23 Seattle Kraken in their sophomore season. But the Kraken, paced by an NHL-leading 12 double-digit goal-scorers up front, were fourth in the league in scoring.

Read the Full Article at NBC Sports Bay Area