It feels like a broken record. The San Jose Sharks are off to an 0-4-2 start, with a total of 17 straight losses spread out over two seasons. Going even wider and looking at their past four campaigns, they have become historically bad at starting seasons. While such a consistent problem can be attributed to different issues at different times, the Sharks’ main problem right now is their defense. They score an unspectacular-but-respectable 2.67 goals per game and have several exciting forwards, but allow a league-worst 4.83 goals per game and don’t have the same level of talent on defense yet.
They need to establish a defensive core, which starts with finding veterans who will lead the team into the future. Thankfully, they already have an example to follow within their own organization. Tyler Toffoli is playing that role for the forward group, and now they need to find an equivalent player on the blue line.
Toffoli Playing an Important Role for Sharks
When the Sharks signed Toffoli to a four-year contract in the 2024 offseason, the move made a lot of sense given his goal-scoring ability and veteran leadership. The Sharks were one of just two teams to score fewer than 200 goals in 2023-24, and they needed a boost on offense that they hoped he would provide. The only question was whether four years was too long of a commitment for a rebuilding team.
Less than two seasons into that deal, it’s clear the term was a great decision. He put together his third straight 30-goal campaign in 2024-25, and the Sharks scored 28 more goals than they did the prior season as Toffoli gave the forward group much-needed steadiness and consistency. He also took on a leadership role, bonding with many of the team’s young forwards and helping them navigate an often-challenging season. Over the last two seasons, numerous San Jose forwards have taken tremendous leaps, including Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and Collin Graf. Toffoli’s mentorship and leading by example on the ice is a huge part of why, and his role is only becoming more important due to the Sharks trading away several of their other veteran forwards.
The Sharks are counting on young players to turn around the fortune of the franchise, but they can’t do it on their own. They need veterans, and veterans who also make meaningful contributions to the teams and aren’t just experienced guys for the sake of being experienced. Toffoli is providing a perfect example of why acquiring skilled veterans is so important, and the front office has to look for those types of players to join their other units.
Sharks’ Defense Needs Veteran Help
At the moment, the San Jose defensive group is a mix of inconsistent veterans and young blueliners who aren’t quite ready to be top-level defensemen in the NHL. Hockey is a 200-foot game, and the Sharks’ defensive struggles are impacting the entire length of the ice from the goaltending to the offense. The front office needs to find some skaters who can serve as veteran leaders while also making Toffoli-level contributions to the defense.
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Under general manager Mike Grier, the Sharks haven’t given any defensemen a contract as long as Toffoli’s, focusing on short-term deals and trading blueliners for picks. Jake Walman looked like he might be able to play the Toffoli role, but the Sharks got a great offer from the Edmonton Oilers and chose to trade him rather than extend him. Their current best veteran defenseman is Dmitry Orlov, but he’s in the first season of just a two-year deal. And it’s not like the rest of the roster offers much continuity — Orlov is the only healthy blueliner on the NHL roster who is both older than 20 and under contract for next season.
Further complicating matters for San Jose is their current defensive logjam, which makes them more likely to get rid of defensemen than bring them in. Simply put, the Sharks have had a much clearer and better-executed plan for their forwards than their defense, and now they need to bring the blue line up to the same level. Finding the defensive answer to Toffoli is a major step in that process. The necessary moves might not even happen until next offseason, but they’re running out of time to make them.
Sharks Have to Take Defensive Strides
The Sharks obviously need to rebuild in all facets of hockey, but the defense should be their main focus right now. They are suffering through too many losses in which they simply get outscored, and that needs to change. The offense has taken strides thanks to Toffoli, but those improvements won’t matter much if the defense doesn’t catch up. A veteran presence will help, but it needs to be in the form of a skilled veteran presence. Toffoli has shown exactly why that is so important on the offensive side, but it applies to the defense in almost the same way. It could be a huge key to their entire rebuild, to the point that most of their defensive turnaround might hinge on it.
