The San Jose Sharks have played half of the season, and the team, as a whole, is in a better place at this juncture than it was last season. Even with the December losing streak and the recent losses, the team’s record is better than last season. This iteration of the Sharks is 13-26-6 (32 points) this season compared to its 10-30-3 (23 points) record on Jan. 13, 2024.
As of Jan. 12, 2025, the Sharks have scored 114 goals and have a negative-44 goal differential. That’s a huge difference from 2024, when on Jan. 13, 2024, the team had just 88 goals to its name and a negative-90 goal differential.
Of last season’s roster, only four forwards from the Jan. 2, 2024, game against the Detroit Red Wings are on the roster currently – Mikael Granlund, William Eklund, Luke Kunin, and Fabian Zetterlund. All the other players are no longer with the organization.
So, with all that information in mind, here’s a look at how the San Jose Sharks forwards are faring this season.
New addition among top performers for the Sharks
Looking at Evolving-Hockey’s goals above replacement (GAR) for the Sharks this season after 41 games, it’s a bit of a surprise to see that the top performer among all the Sharks is Alex Wennberg.

While Wennberg is only seventh on the team scoring list this season, it is his least impactful area on the ice, according to Evolving-Hockey. Wennberg’s contributions on the power play and in overtime – he has three power-play goals and two overtime goals – combined with his defensive capabilities, have made him the most impactful forward on the ice for the Sharks this season.
Behind Wennberg on the list are Eklund, Zetterlund, Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini. No real surprises in that group.
One of the biggest surprises near the bottom of the list is Mikael Granlund, who, even as the top Sharks forward in points, is one of the worst forwards in terms of goals above replacement. In October and November, Granlund appeared to be outscoring his deficiencies on defense. However, in December, he had just 6 points in 13 games which then made those deficiencies even more obvious.
That said, Granlund is also tasked with the toughest assignments on this team, often playing above his status as a second-line center. The forward takes on the toughest minutes in any given game and has more minutes on the penalty kill than any other Sharks forward as well as a majority of the defensemen. Granlund is logging heavy minutes — more than 21 minutes per game on average — and so he is taking the brunt of the pressure placed on Sharks forwards.
Impactful player without the results
Looking at Evolving-Hockey’s expected goals above replacement chart after 41 games, you can see that some of the players with better score sheet stats aren’t the same ones that are creating chances. Some of the players on the list have created chances but simply not converted on those chances.

For example, Tyler Toffoli is at the top of the list. He is creating opportunities and doing the right things offensively, particularly at even strength. That said, not all of those chances are manifesting into actual goals. His 8.2 even-strength offense expected goals above replace (EVO.GAR on the chart) is 8.4. However, when you look at the actual results in the first chart, you can see that Toffoli’s even-strength goals above replacement is only 1.4.
Least impactful forward of the bunch
Of all the forwards on this list, the one that’s the least impactful in terms of creating offense and in terms of converting that offense into goals is Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow has four points in 36 games played this season and is a minus-21. While he plays heavy minutes on the penalty kill, just over 63 minutes through 41 games, third best on the team behind Mikael Granlund (82.88 minutes) and Luke Kunin (72.1 minutes), his work at even-strength leaves something to be desired.

His expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and his expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) are both below league average. Of course, this is something that Sharks fans should have expected. If you look at Goodrow’s numbers for the 2021-2024 seasons, you can see that the forward has not been the same impactful bottom-six forward that he was earlier in his career.

And not to pile on, but Goodrow’s tool set is likely what’s causing him to offer little upside to the Sharks. Looking at the NHL Edge stats, which tracks things like skating speed, skating speed bursts and shot speed, there are just two categories that Goodrow ranks above the 50th percentile in the league. There’s his skating distance (as in how much he’s chased the puck or had the puck on the ice), which comes in at 51st percentile and there’s the shot speed, which at 85.02 mph is good for 53rd percentile among NHL forwards.
While this season, the Sharks are still stocking piling draft picks, Goodrow’s deficiencies are not detrimental to the team. However, with two more seasons after this one remaining on Goodrow’s contract, Grier might be faced with a difficult decision in the 2026-27 season.
Better position in the lineup
We also want to park a moment to talk about Luke Kunin. Last season, he was likely the most disappointing forward on the Sharks’ team. This was due, in large part, to the fact that Kunin was playing well above his skill level in the lineup. There were nights when Kunin was asked to play a top-six role and even a top-line role, and he simply was not up to the task.
This season, Kunin’s positioning in the lineup has been much more fitting for his skill set. He’s playing a third-line wing role and filled in nicely for Nico Sturm in the fourth-line center role.

As a result, Kunin’s numbers have also improved.
In virtually every category, Kunin’s stats have improved. Not only has he increased his xGF/60 but he’s also decreased his xGA/60, making him more of an asset to the team. Kunin had 16 points (10 G, 6 A) at the 41 game mark of the season. He is one goal away from last season’s total of 11 goals and well on pace to break last season’s stat of 18 points in 71 games.
Kunin is second on the team in minutes on the penalty kill and currently leads the team in hits. He’s tied for fourth in blocked shots.
At the moment, he is making an impact on the bottom six, which might be something that Grier can flip at the deadline to a playoff-bound team.
New Faces in 2024-25
As stated above, the Sharks added a lot of new players in the 2024-25 season. Some of them, have become lineup regulars, such as Wennberg, Toffoli and Goodrow. Others have found themselves in and out of the lineup at various points in the season.
Carl Grundstrom, Klim Kostin and Ty Dellandrea have rotated into and out of the lineup this season depending on injuries and game impact.
While Kostin had a very slow start, he seems to have started to do things the way the coaching staff wants, which is why he has found his way into the lineup more often than not recently. That said, he has not registered a point since Nov. 30, 2024 and his impact on the last two games that the Sharks won (Jan. 2 and Jan. 4), leaves something to be desired.

Looking at Kostin’s Hockey Stat Cards game impact, you can see that the forward was one of the least impactful during the team’s 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. While he had a better showing on the Jan. 2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, much of that had to do with the simple fact that he was on the ice when the team was scoring. With Collin Graf looking like he belongs on a line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and Nico Sturm just recently returning to the lineup, Kostin could once again find himself watching from the press box a lot more.
Meantime, Dellandrea and Grundstrom are already the odd men out. Grundstrom went nearly two weeks without playing a game and Dellandrea just a little less than that.

Looking at Evolving-Hockey’s regularized-adjusted plus-minus (RAPM) chart comparing the two players at even strength (prior to Jan. 9, 2024) , it would appear that Grundstrom has the edge in terms of game impact. His xGF/60 and xGA/60 are both above league average, whereas Dellandrea’s are not.
That said, Dellandrea comes with significant upsides to Grundstrom. For one thing, Dellandrea averages 11:48 minutes per game, some of that on the penalty kill, while Grundstrom averages just 9:00 per game with no time on the penalty kill. What’s more, Dellandrea is capable of taking faceoffs and winning them, while Grundstrom has taken fewer than ten faceoffs this season.
Rookie impact on the Sharks this season
We’ll look at three rookies in this category since Collin Graf, Danil Gushchin and Ethan Cardwell have not played enough games in the NHL in 2024-25 to warrant a good look.
We’ve expounded on Macklin Celebrini a lot in one way or another this season; he has, so far, surpassed expectations. Celebrini’s hockey IQ is impressive to watch, he skates like … well an 18-year-old with boundless energy, and his defensive skill was not something I was expecting at the start of the season and is a welcome surprise.

What’s just as interesting is how Celebrini compares to the rest of the NHL. Looking at the NHL Edge Stats, Celebrini stacks up well with the rest of the forwards in the league. He’s in the 89th percentile in shots on goal. Celebrini usually sticks to wrist shots, but his top shot speed is in the 80th percentile of the league. He’s also in the 83rd percentile in goals. That’s among all forwards in the league.
Meantime, Will Smith seems to be finding his footing with the Sharks after a slow start. The forward has seen spurts of success on the scoresheet, with points coming in bunches, but more than that, the eye test of his game is better. In the start of the season, he looked like he was often well behind the play, unsteady and unsure of the plays that he was making. This often led to mistakes and turnovers.
While Smith is still having these issues and likely will as he adjusts throughout the season, his development is not dissimilar to most rookies as they join the NHL. Smith, at the age of 19, simply looks like he is developing slower because he’s being compared to an 18-year-old on the ice night in and night out.
Finally, new addition Nikolai Kovalenko came in on fire. The young forward had five points in his first four games with the Sharks, including a three assist game on Dec. 12, 2024. Since then, Kovalenko has cooled off and is no longer playing on a line with Macklin Celebrini. That said, his impact on the Sharks’ offense is a positive one.

Looking at Kovalenko’s RAPM chart — which shows his games with the Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche — you can see that he still has a positive impact in all offensive and defensive categories. At this juncture, it looks like Kovalenko can be a bottom-six forward alternative with offensive pop who can move up the lineup in the event of injury.
Growth in the NHL
Finally, we’ll take a look at Eklund and Zetterlund, two Sharks forwards who are trying to find their way in the NHL.
Starting out with Eklund, he looks like he’s on pace for another career season. As of Jan. 13, 2025, the forward has 31 points in 40 games, according to Elite Prospects, it puts the 22-year-old’s projected points at 59 in 77 games. That would be 14 points better than his 45 points in 80 games last season.
What’s more, Eklund has become more defensively sound this season. While the Sharks are much better offensively and more impactful defensively, he’s jumped from a minus-45 last season to a plus-1 so far this season.

A look at Evolving-Hockey’s RAPM charts shows that Eklund has performed better at even-strength overall and his expected goals against this season is also better than last season.
Eklund has also been tasked with more time on the penalty kill this season. So far, he has played nearly 61 minutes short-handed. Last season, he totaled 68 minutes short-handed.
Unlike Eklund, Zetterlund is not on pace for a career season. His 28 points in 45 games is close to the pace that he had last season with 44 points in 82 games. That said, there are reasons to be happy with what Zetterlund has brought to the table this season.
Health is a big factor. Last season, Zetterlund played all 82 games. So far, knock on wood, he has played all 45 games the Sharks have played.
Like Eklund, Zetterlund has had greater success on defense and offense. He is a plus-7 this season compared to his minus-34 last season. He’s also producing more at even-strength instead of relying on his power play prowess. Last season, more than 36% of Zetterlund’s points came on the power play. This season, taking up a spot on the second power-play unit, approximately 18% of Zetterlund’s points have come on the power play. His ice time has also decreased from last season. He’s averaging 1:12 minutes fewer per game while still producing at the same pace as he was last season.
Conclusion
In total, there are a lot of positive storylines coming out of this season compared to last. The Sharks forwards, as a whole, are more productive and efficient. The additions of Celebrini, Wennberg and Toffoli have given the Sharks a more dynamic offense. Players like Kunin have slotted into their proper roles, while younger players like Smith and Kovalenko are starting to find their place in the league.
The success and growth of Eklund and Zetterlund are promising for the Sharks, who look to compete in the next two to three seasons.
Grier has done a good job of overhauling the forwards to prepare the Sharks to be competitive in the coming seasons. Allowing the younger players to develop their games at the highest level will bode well for the team as soon as the 2025-26 season when San Jose will look to play “meaningful” hockey in March and April.