The San Jose Sharks are currently in their bye week following the NHL’s All-Star Break. The next major milestone during the season will be the Trade Deadline, which is rapidly approaching. When they get back on the ice against the Winnipeg Jets on the 14th, a few players need to step up their game moving forward into the next part of the season.
Filip Zadina
The Sharks brought Filip Zadina into the organization in an attempt to turn his career around. The former sixth-overall pick walked away from a sizable contract with the Detroit Red Wings to bet on himself and prove he’s a valuable player in the NHL. He impressed me in the preseason and played well in his first few games in real during the regular season. Now, he’s spending time on the Sharks’ fourth line and has three points in 14 games since the start of the new year.
Overall, Zadina’s season has been disappointing compared to the hype around him joining the organization. Based on what he’s shown so far, he hasn’t done enough to justify a future in San Jose. He’s shown the potential that scouts saw in his draft year is still inside of him, but he’s unable to turn it into results. Over the course of the season, he’s recorded five goals and eight assists for a total of 13 points through 46 games, which simply isn’t good enough. Either he needs to start getting on the scoresheet more regularly or change his game to adapt to a permanent bottom-six role. Otherwise, he may not get another opportunity in the NHL when his contract expires on July 1st.
Alexander Barabanov
Entering the season, many expected Alexander Barabanov to be one of, if not the most important trade chips the Sharks had at this year’s trade deadline. He’s had some injuries this season, but even when healthy, his performance hasn’t been up to the standard we’ve learned to expect from the Russian forward. It’s likely he will pick up the pace in the near future, as he’s currently playing the worst hockey of his career in terms of production. Through 31 games this season, he’s scored three goals and assisted on six.
Nine points in over 30 games isn’t terrible for a fourth-line player, but it’s not even close to meeting expectations for a top-six skilled forward. In his last 12 games, Barabanov’s only contributed two assists and hasn’t found the back of the net himself since the game against the Winnipeg Jets on January 4th. Without Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson in the organization this season, it seemed logical that Barabanov would regress a bit this season, but the fact that he’s been invisible for most of the season certainly was not expected. His value likely hasn’t been hurt too badly by his recent play, as he does have an impressive history that includes a career-high 47 points in 68 games last season, but if he doesn’t turn around soon, it could begin to suffer very quickly.
Anthony Duclair
The Sharks acquired Anthony Duclair this offseason in exchange for Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick. While Duclair has been a fine addition, he has another level that we’ve yet to see in San Jose. In 46 games, he has 17 points, and nine of those are goals. Of course, that puts him third on the team in goals, behind only Tomas Hertl and Fabian Zetterlund, but he’s currently sixth on the team regarding total points. While it’s unreasonable to expect him to contribute at his career-average level, given the current state of the Sharks lineup, having him perform at a high level would increase his trade value as we near the trade deadline.
For example, he’s played better than Mike Hoffman, who isn’t on this list, but Duclair’s success and subsequent bump in value would be far more significant than what they would get in return for Hoffman. It’s a wide-open race for ice time in the top six, and Duclair could become a first-line winger in San Jose if he’s able to get on the scoreboard consistently. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent, though, and now we’re less than a month away from the deadline, so there’s not much time for him to find that other gear.
Related: Sharks’ Player Development Showing Encouraging Signs
The Sharks have quite a few players who aren’t meeting expectations, even though there are major opportunities for them to prove themselves to the rest of the league in contract years. As the team in teal continues to rebuild, they’ll undoubtedly look to add future assets at the trade deadline this season, and if two of these players can take a step forward, it’ll lead to more potential pieces for the next generation of San Jose hockey. Zadina, in particular, can be a core player with this organization if he finds his game, but as a pending restricted free agent, there’s a chance he leaves town after a single season as well if management feels it’s for the best. Although the Sharks aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, there’s a lot to keep an eye on heading into the second half of the season.
