• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Resources
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
Home
San Jose Sharks

Missing: Sharks Offense

By Rick Emrith February 27th, 2013

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
Martin Havlat Sharks

Havlat is one of the many Sharks forwards struggling this season(Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE)

Anytime you mention the San Jose Sharks this past month you hear people ask what happened to them. Even casual NHL fans know about the Sharks struggles, that’s when you know it’s getting bad. The Sharks powerplay has crashed and burned so bad that it has almost become as laughable as a Ron Wilson led penalty kill (See Maple Leafs 2008-2012). The Sharks have won just two games all month and have played themselves  down to 7th in the West.

While many are quick to press the panic button it is important not to overreact and overhaul the whole team. San Jose is in need of a few tweaks that could get them back on track and into the 2013 NHL playoffs.

One of the biggest question marks heading into the season was would San Jose be let down by their goaltending. Antti Niemi has gone 8-4-3 with a save % of .930 and a GAA of 1.95, and instead it is the offense letting the team down.

The Sharks are really struggling to score outside of Thornton and Marleau. Martin Havlat has been surprisingly healthy playing in all of the team’s 18 games but you wouldn’t have noticed by his pedestrian play in February. Trading Havlat will be a tough sell and getting back a top 6 forward will be even tougher.

Ryan O’Reilly has been a name thrown around in trade discussions but San Jose will be better off keeping their draft picks and trying to trade roster players for other options around the league. The best bet for the Sharks would be to try and move Handzus and Havlat when/if the opportunity arises.

Firing McLellan would be a mistake especially in a lockout shortened NHL season. McLellan knows the guys in the room and he is the only one who can get them back on track in such a shortened season.

Thornton has a 3 game point streak which may not seem like much but given the Sharks offensive woes it is pretty impressive. Jumbo Joe has been doing all he can to spark the team including getting into a few scraps.

The number of struggling Sharks forwards are basically the teams 2, 3 and 4th line, but these 4 players either need to improve their performance or be shipped out.

Player Name Games Played Goals Assists Points +/- ATOI:
Martin Havlat 18 3 3 6 0 16:26
Ryane Clowe 16 0 6 6 -1 16:24
Michael Handzus 18 1 1 2 -7 15:11
Scott Gomez 12 0 2 2 -3 13:36

*ATOI: Average time on ice

While not much was expected from Gomez he has played 13:30 a night and been given some looks on the powerplay to no avail. Ryane Clowe, eligible to return after Thursdays game has had a real rough start to his contract year. Given Clowe’s style of play he could receive a much needed spark being placed on a line with Thornton in Marleau’s spot.

Michael Handzus could benefit a team looking to add a 3-4th line big centre and make a run for the playoffs. The Sharks should shop him for a puck moving defenseman like Joe Corvo or Ryan Whitney to help spark their once lively powerplay.

San Jose has the skill and has the coaching to at the very least make the playoffs this year. Joe Thornton has been doing everything he can to steer the team back in the right direction and it is time that everyone else starts pulling their weight.

  • Tags
  • Joe Thornton
  • Martin Havlat
  • Michal Handzus
  • Patrick Marleau
  • Ron Wilson
  • Scott Gomez
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facebook Comments

Our Hockey Podcast
hockey podcast
Bruce’s Picks
Rangers' Future Is Bright Between the Pipes

Rangers' Future Is Bright Between the Pipes

1153
2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

1535
Recent Posts
Feb 16th 2:16 AM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Trade Cam Talbot to Flyers for Stolarz

Feb 15th 4:20 PM
Other Leagues

Roster Shuffles, but Providence Bruins Remain Strong

Feb 15th 4:01 PM
NHL Rumors

THW Podcast – Ep. 11 – The NHL Trade Deadline

Feb 15th 1:20 PM
Carolina Hurricanes

Ferland Fatigue Fading Among Hurricanes Fans

Feb 15th 1:05 PM
College Hockey

Northeastern: What’s Next for the Beanpot Champs?

Feb 15th 1:03 PM
Edmonton Oilers

NHL Rumors: Oilers, Flames, Ducks, More

Feb 15th 10:45 AM
Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Future for Stolarz?

Feb 15th 9:20 AM
Hockey History

Top-10 Finns of the 1980s

Feb 15th 9:05 AM
Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames’ 50-Goal Scorers

Feb 15th 5:55 AM
Los Angeles Kings

Canucks Rally to Beat Kings in Shootout

Stay in Touch
Contact Us

Via our Newsletters
RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Our Partners
HFBoards

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

Join over 18 000 Subscribers of our free bi-weekly Newsletter.

© The Hockey Writers 2018. All rights reserved.
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • Search THW
  • NHL Rumors
  • The Goalie Page
  • Atlantic Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Metropolitan Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Dallas Stars
    • Minnesota Wild
    • Nashville Predators
    • St Louis Blues
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • Pacific Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Vegas Golden Knights
    • Vancouver Canucks
  • Selections From Our Archives
  • Podcast
  • Prospects
  • NHL Salary Cap Information
  • Join Our Team