Mid-Season grades: San Jose Sharks forwards

We’ve passed the halfway point of the season and have already evaluated how the Sharks’ goaltenders have done (hint: better than they had a right to on some nights) and we’ve looked at the defense in front of them and who has failed to make the grade. Now, it’s time to take a look at the forwards.

Most of the following is a personal preference based on how I’ve viewed the player’s play. There’s no real formula to the grades other than gut feeling and eye test. Of course, this is all graded on a curve. We’re looking at the player’s impact with the Sharks and how they have performed in the situations that they’ve been asked to take on. Just as we reward players for exceeding expectations, we’re not going to punish players for not living up to unreasonably high standards. That wouldn’t be fair.

Incomplete Grades

Thomas Bordeleau – Incomplete

I didn’t think that Bordeleau played horribly when he was with the Sharks at the start of the season, but I also understand management’s need to get him away from the toxic environment of losing. While the Barracuda are losing as well, I think Bordeleau wasn’t getting the guidance that he needed to help him take an extra step at the NHL level.

Bordeleau’s return to the Barracuda has given the young forward a chance to work on some aspects of his game that might have suffered with the Sharks. He will get another shot to play in the NHL later this season and it will be interesting to see what he does with that chance.

Daniil Gushchin – Incomplete

Gushchin’s two games with the Sharks this season were only meant to be that. It was a stopgap move to help some of the roster players heal up and get back into the lineup. That’s why he gets an incomplete. There were no expectations for him to live up to.

That said, Gushchin may force his way back into the Sharks’ lineup sooner than Bordeleau. The 21-year-old forward has picked up the scoring pace and now has 35 points in 37 games. He’s the Barracuda’s representative in the AHL All-Star events and is consistently one of the top prospects on Fear the Fin’s prospect power rankings.

If he continues to play as he has recently, keeping him with the Barracuda much longer will be difficult.

Jacob Peterson – Incomplete

Going into the season, I had high hopes for Peterson. I liked how he looked playing with the Sharks through the latter half of the 2022-23 season and I had hoped that he would build on that. However, Peterson has spent most of this season playing with the Barracuda, and he’s not doing much to force his way into the next call-up conversation.

Peterson has 14 points in 27 games with the Barracuda. He has one point in his last five games and he hasn’t scored a goal for the Barracuda since Nov. 25, 2023. If he’s not scoring in the AHL, the likelihood of him scoring in the NHL is limited.

Jack Studnicka – Incomplete

I haven’t seen enough of Studnicka’s play to date to have a fully formed opinion. It’s tough to join a team midseason and immediately be impactful, so I don’t consider Studnicka’s current play to be indicative of his play twenty games from now. That said, the fact that management traded for him and then sent him down to the Barracuda says something. Maybe Studnicka will learn the Sharks’ system, return to the NHL and play better. But more likely, it’s a gamble that we simply lost.

Bound for summer school

Kevin Labanc – F

I feel bad for failing Labanc, but there’s no other option now. Labanc has watched more than a dozen games from the press box at the halfway point of the season, and aside from that game we lost in Ottawa, he never seems to make a noticeable impact when he is in the lineup. So far, he’s done nothing to prove he belongs playing in the NHL or with this team.

Labanc has just 7 points in 32 games and he has just 2 goals. He’s averaging 11:46 of ice time per game, which isn’t great considering the team is paying him $4.75 million this season to watch either from the bench or the press box.

Maybe that changes at the trade deadline, depending on who gets traded away, but it’s hard to see team management choosing to play Labanc over the likes of Bordeleau or Gushchin or another young prospect after the trade deadline. After all, those players will be with the Sharks in 2024-25, and Labanc will not.

Mike Hoffman – D

Hoffman doesn’t earn an F on this list, but that’s only because he’s third on the team with goals. Hoffman’s eight goals this season have kept him from flunking out.

He’s been worse over the past few weeks. When I started writing this article, his Corsi against per 60 minutes (CA/60) was at least slightly above the line. Now, it’s below the line, indicating that teams are getting more scoring opportunities when he’s on the ice.

I wouldn’t have a problem with Hoffman being a one-dimensional goal-scorer if he did that with reckless abandon. However, he simply hasn’t scored enough and the other team’s offense is consistently overwhelming his offensive contributions.

The biggest indicator of his lack of offensive contribution is his play on the power play. It’s literally a point in the game that the Sharks have more players on the ice than the other team and Hoffman makes little to no impact in either direction. In fact, his goals for per 60 minutes (GF/60) on the power play is actually below the line and so is his expected goals per 60 minutes. If a goal scorer isn’t helping a team score goals or generate quality chances, there’s a big problem.

Anthony Duclair – D+

I really wanted to give Duclair a higher grade but I was hoping to see a little more from the forward than the 16 points (8 G, 8 A) he currently has with the team. Duclair has not been consistent in scoring this season. He scored against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 13, but before that, there was a nine game span where he hadn’t scored.

It feels like he’s well aware that he’s not putting the puck in the net the way he should be. His plays feel forced, and at times, it looks like he’s trying to do a bit more than he should. Things have gone so poorly for Duclair that he’s been healthy scratched a few times this sesaon. While he’s back in the lineup now, it’s hard to say if that’s because of his current play or simply the fact that injuries and the lack of consistent offense from other forwards has forced management’s hand.

While it doesn’t feel as dire as the Hoffman situation, it’s not good. Duclair can easily bring his grade up if he strings together a few good games, but the trade deadline is quickly approaching and the Sharks need him to pick it up if they want to get a good return for the winger.

Alexander Barabanov – D+

Barabanov has missed nearly half the season so far with a broken finger, so he gets somewhat of a pass. However, in the 26 games he’s played, he has 8 points. That’s well off his points per game pace for the past two seasons.

Barabanov’s play had briefly picked up in early January, but he’s been up and down the lineup since then. His play hasn’t forced the coaching staff to put him back on the top line with Tomas Hertl and that’s a problem. The winger was supposed to be a good trade chip for the Sharks at the deadline, but so far, he hasn’t proven his value.

Passed, but just barely

Givani Smith – C

Smith has played more than I expected him to this season, so he definitely passes. However, his impact has been minimal, at best, and I think the addition of Justin Bailey when the forward group got thin made it easier to keep Smith out of the lineup. Both Smith and Bailey are large bodies that offer some speed and can be strong on the forecheck. However, Bailey has offered more of an offensive upside and I think that’s negated the need for Smith, injuries aside.

That said, Smith has offered up some fun moments and added grit when the Sharks have needed it, but he’s a fourth line player and was never destined to be an everyday contributor to the Sharks. He fills his role, and for that, he gets a C.

Filip Zadina – C

I don’t think that General Manager Mike Grier should regret signing Zadina, but it hasn’t exactly worked out the way the Sharks had hoped. The forward has shown flashes of brilliance and can be an impact player occasionally, but there doesn’t seem to be enough there for Zadina to develop into a 20-goal per season player. He’s on pace for 10-12 goals this season, and even when he’s been rewarded with time on Hertl’s wing, he has not consistently scored.

It’s possible that Zadina becomes a trade chip at the deadline, but don’t expect the Sharks to get too much for him. He gets a C-grade because there were such high hopes for him and he hasn’t met those expectations.

Looking good

Luke Kunin – B-

I have a soft spot in my heart for Kunin, I think, because he’s never the flashiest or most skilled player on the ice, but he always seems like he’s working hard. It’s one of the reasons why, while most of the third and fourth-line players have rotated into and out of the lineup this season, Kunin has been a stalwart on the roster. He does the little things right.

The health of the rest of the team has hurt Kunin this season. With the top six players either failing to play to their potential or getting hurt, Kunin has often been asked to play up in the lineup or slide over to center, putting him into a position he may not be skilled enough for. As a result, he’s looked out of place. That’s not really his fault.

When Kunin has consistent linemates and is playing in a third or fourth line role on the wing, he can be a very impactful player for the Sharks. He’s one of the first guys into a scrap when someone hits his teammate the wrong way and he’s not afraid to mix it up to claim his space on the ice. His role on the penalty kill also helps his value with the Sharks.

To get higher marks, I would need to see a little more in the points department from Kunin.

Nico Sturm – B-

In the faceoff circle, Sturm gets an A++. The forward is formidable and has found a way to win against some of the best centers in the league. He’s an asset to the Sharks and it’s a bummer that he had to stop midseason for surgery. It sucks and it’s good to have him back in the lineup.

He gets a B- in this exercise for the simple fact that he’s not putting the pucks into the net. You want more from a third/fourth line center than 5 points in 27 games. It’s not for lack of trying. Sturm seems a bit snakebit. He’s shooting at 6.7%.

Ryan Carpenter – B

The next two are automatic passing grades simply for the fact that they didn’t factor into the lineup to start the season. Let’s start with Ryan Carpenter, who started with the Barracuda. I’m pretty sure that when Grier signed Carpenter in the offseason, the move was designed to have an option in the event of an injury on the Sharks but mostly use him to help guide the younger players with the Barracuda. Carpenter would have made a very good leader of the young squad.

However, early season injuries forced the Sharks to call him up and then Carpenter didn’t give the Sharks the chance to send him back down. He is a steadying force at center on the fourth line and does the little things right.

Looking at Carpenter’s numbers for the season, it’s clear that while he doesn’t get a lot of minutes of ice time, the shifts he takes counts. On a team like the Sharks, where opposing goals sometimes come fast and furious, Carpenter is above average when it comes to negating goals against per sixty minutes (GA/60). He also limits scoring opportunities for the other team.

He and his linemates are not scoring at a torrid pace, but that’s not what they’re there for. The key for Carpenter is that he’s not allowing the other team to score and he’s helping to push the momentum in the other direction.

Justin Bailey – B+

Bailey is another player who receives a passing grade simply because he didn’t even factor into the lineup at the start of the season. Credit to the 28-year-old for forcing the Sharks to sign him to a contract and then call him up to the NHL. Bailey plays the game fast and he’s experienced enough to not get down on himself when he’s not scoring. He’s consistent in his effort on the ice and, like Carpenter, worries about keeping the puck out of the net before he worries about scoring.

Bailey may be the Sharks’ feel-good story of 2023-24, and don’t be surprised if he’s the Bill Masterson nominee for the Sharks.

William Eklund – B+

When I started writing this, I was giving Eklund an A-minus. However, the kid has hit a slump and while that’s to be expected, it knocked his grade down. Eklund has hit a slump that many rookies run into as the pace of a season and the sheer difficulty of playing in the NHL takes its toll.

But that’s okay. This season was about helping Eklund take another step in his development and it’s clear that he’s done that. This was always going to be his first full season in the NHL, no matter how he performed. What we’ve seen from Eklund’s game is growth. He is making smarter plays and he’s learning from his linemates. He’s learned how to talk to the media and how to handle a loss, something he probably hasn’t done a lot of.

Most of all, he’s starting to get a swagger that serves skilled players like him well in the NHL. We’ve watched Eklund mix it up with opponents through the latter part of the season. He’s not afraid to give something back. He’ll go to the dirty areas if that’s what it takes to score, and he won’t let the other players push him around. Then, he’ll smile. A grin that tells you he knows what he’s doing and he’s proud of it.

Eklund has not been the breakout star that fans optimistically hoped for this season, myself included, but this has been a massive step forward in his development, and he will be a better NHL player for it.

Head of the class

We don’t give out A-pluses unless a player does something out of this world. We’re talking about a Hart Trophy-type season. However, there are three players on the Sharks that I think deserve an A or A-minus for the semester.

Fabian Zetterlund – A-

Maybe it’s the low expectations that I had coming out of the 2022-23 season or perhaps it’s that Zetterlund has stepped up to the challenge posed to him by the coaches at the start of the season, but the young forward is starting to prove that he has a future in the NHL.

Zetterlund struggled at the start of the season. Head Coach David Quinn said on more than one occasion that he wanted more from the young winger. There were worries from some fans that Zetterlund would not get the fair shot he deserved. However, as the season wore on, instead of wilting, Zetterlund stepped up to the challenge. As a result, he has 20 in 46 games and is second on the team with 13 goals.

He has found some chemistry with Mikael Granlund and has made some excellent defensive plays in the course of his growth this season. Zetterlund uses his size to push players off the puck and he’s not afraid to mix it up on the forecheck. He has taken a step forward in his development and if all goes well, he could be a nice replacement for what the Sharks had in Timo Meier.

Mikael Granlund – A-

Granlund received a lot of criticism for his play during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff run last season. The forward was supposed to add scoring depth but never seemed to deliver. It made me cautious about his role with the Sharks this season and I definitely had my doubts. After all, you’re playing third-line center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, you should be able to score more.

When Granlund has been healthy this season, he has been one of the Sharks’ best players on the ice. He makes smart plays and gives his linemates an opportunity to score. He creates chances and he’s been good on days when the Sharks have not. Granlund has 29 points in 38 games this season and had that stretch in December where it looked like he was one of the league’s best players. As expected, he’s cooled off since then, but he’s proven that he’s still a reliable player on offense, and that should help the Sharks if he’s healthy by the trade deadline and the team chooses to trade him.

Tomas Hertl – A

The only player getting an A on this list is Hertl and for good reason. This has not been a great season for the Sharks, but Hertl, more often than not, has had to face the media in the wake of a loss. Without Logan Couture in the mix to help alleviate some of the pressure of leading the team through a losing season, Hertl has had to step up. And he has.

We’ve seen growth in Hertl as a leader and mentor throughout the season. He has always been skilled and he has always been a hard worker, but he has figured out how to balance that “fun must be always” mentality with that sternness that Couture always seemed to bring to the ice.

I don’t kid myself and think that this was an overnight change, but it is a change that was forced to happen with Couture’s absence this season. Hertl was challenged to stretch himself out of his comfort zone and he has performed the task admirably.

He is, as expected, the Sharks’ top performer on the ice and will represent San Jose at the All-Star game. He has 32 points in 45 games, which puts him close to his points pace for last season, though not near his personal best. That said, his growth off the ice earns him the only A on this report card.