Oskar Lindblom 2023 player review: Confidence is lacking

Oskar Lindblom is the kind of guy you want to root for, and so General Manager Mike Grier’s signing of the forward in the offseason was a gamble you could understand. After all, it was less than five years ago that Lindblom was considered a potential top six forward for the Philadelphia Flyers.

A cancer diagnosis (Ewing’s sarcoma) skewed his trajectory dramatically and now Lindblom, who is in remission, is looking to find his way back into top NHL form. The trouble is, since his return on April 18, 2021, the forward has had trouble becoming the player he once was.

Lindblom had a tough 2021-22 season with the Philadelphia Flyers. As a result, the team bought out the final year of his contract at the end of the season in 2022. GM Grier took a shot and signed Lindblom to a two-year deal on July 13, 2022.

In a news release announcing Lindblom’s signing, Grier called Lindblom “a proven forward who can provide offensive upside in the middle of our lineup.”

Lindblom’s 2022-23 production

Unfortunately, Lindblom’s performance this season was not up to “middle six” standards.

In 73 games, the forward managed just 15 points and never reached that 10 goal plateau you want out of a third or fourth liner.

Lindblom’s RAPM

The Sharks were a bad team last season. After all, San Jose finished fourth to last in the league standings. However, Lindblom’s Evolving-Hockey RAPM (the plus/minus stat adjusted for things out of his control, such as zone starts, opponents, etc.) shows he was a contributing factor.

There was no place on the ice that Lindblom excelled at even strength this season. His Corsi For per 60 minutes (CF/60) shows that when Lindblom was on the ice, San Jose’s goaltender was doing a lot more work than the opponent’s netminder.

In other words, he spent much of his ice time in his own defensive zone.

Confidence is key for Lindblom

Lindblom himself will tell you that he lacks confidence. Aside from the physical toll a fight with cancer can have on a person, there is a mental side to things that lasts much longer.

While the forward says his strength is back, his confidence is taking a little longer to arrive.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve been trying to find this year, but it’s been tough,” said Lindblom in his exit interview in April. “I mean, it’s been tough for everyone. So [I will] go back in the summer and work on small things in my game and come back next year and be prepared and have that positive thoughts in my head and trying to play great hockey.

“I’ve been through a lot last couple of years,” Lindblom continued. “But I mean, I feel great, and I feel like we have a great group here too. So we just need to find our mojo a little bit and play better hockey next year.”

What’s more, Lindblom is self-aware enough to understand that confidence can be just as important to your game as your skills.

“Confidence part is huge in this sport. So it’s tough when you go a whole year and you’re trying to find what you’re doing wrong and try to get back on track but [it] takes a little toll on you,” Lindblom said. “I mean, we all humans, so it’s not easy to go out there every night and you’re always thinking, ‘Okay, next game is gonna be better. Next game’s gonna be better.’ But you really have to have a longer stretch where you actually can produce and help teal win. So that’s my goal for next year. I mean, I know what I can do in this league and I just need to get back to that.”

Lindblom’s future with the Sharks

Lindblom is signed through this upcoming season. He has a cap hit of $2.5 million AAV. While I’m not a fan of the price tag, I also can’t fault Grier for trying.

There’s only one more year to see if Lindblom can find his way with the Sharks. If it works out, Grier is rewarded for taking a shot. If it doesn’t, both sides can walk away knowing they tried.

For Lindblom, the key will be whether or not his mental game can catch up to where he thinks his body is. He says he’s healthy enough to play at the highest level, but saying that and believing that are two different things.

If he has a good training camp, it could translate into a good season for the 27-year-old, which would be a huge asset to the Sharks’ middle six depth. Lindblom’s maturity and self-awareness are promising and I would not be surprised to see him double his offensive output next season.

Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out the player reviews for the San Jose Sharks. We realize there were a lot of guys rotating into and out of the lineup and some of the key depth players were traded. As a result, Fear the Fin plans to focus on the players that are 1) still with the Sharks and 2) played 20 or more games for San Jose this season.