McKenna’s Musings: Time for the San Jose Sharks to burn it down

The Sharks aren’t very good. And it’s time for the franchise to take a deep breath, look in the mirror and realize it’s time for a fresh start.

I understand San Jose is limited in what it can do given the long-term contracts the team dished out to Brent Burns, Marc-Édouard Vlasic, and Erik Karlsson. Those were questionable deals in the first place. Great for the players, terrible for the Sharks. And with strong trade protection, they’re virtually unmovable.

It’s been tough watching San Jose play lately. I’ll admit, early in the season I thought there might have been some hope for the Sharks. At times they were in the hunt for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the team kept electing to play Adin Hill over James Reimer despite the latter being much more effective in the early going. That didn’t help. But the Sharks managed to stay competitive.

And then the bottom fell out. The Sharks have lost eight of their past 10 games. During that span, San Jose has scored a paltry 18 goals, only 11 of which were during 5-on-5 play. 

But what I find truly astonishing is that over those 10 games, the Sharks have the NHL’s best penalty kill at 96.9 percent. And they’ve scored six times on the power play. Simply put: San Jose is getting crushed at even strength. And I don’t see that trend changing without an influx of talent at the trade deadline – something that isn’t likely given the team’s status as a potential seller.

I understand there have been injuries. And the Sharks are currently without Hill and Reimer. But there simply isn’t enough depth to San Jose’s lineup. With the team’s salary-cap space being eaten up by those big-money contracts given to aging veterans, I think it’s going to be a while before the Sharks are competitive again.

Unless they sell now. Get things moving. Stockpile enough draft picks to make a dent sooner rather than later. The only problem is the Sharks don’t have many attractive assets.

Except center Tomas Hertl. He could fetch a solid return for San Jose, almost certainly a first-round draft pick plus more. But the Sharks are reportedly trying to hammer out a contract extension with the former 35-goal scorer.

Why? Hertl is 28 years old, and despite struggles of late, he is due a significant raise over the $5.625 million that the Czech forward is currently earning. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t seeking a maximum-term, eight-year contract.

I understand why the Sharks would want to keep him. He’s a dynamic offensive threat with miles left on the tires. But the next contract would presumably take him through age 36. Don’t the Sharks have enough aging talent already?

I think San Jose needs to read the room. There isn’t a quick fix for the Sharks. They can’t trade their way out of their current predicament. Improvement will only come through the draft. And trading Hertl can only help speed up the process.

The Florida Panthers were smart to send goaltender Spencer Knight to the minors.

Being a goaltender in the NHL isn’t easy. Trust me. Look at my stat line. And my NHL career began after I had already gained several years of pro-hockey experience.

Spencer Knight didn’t have that luxury. After a highly successful two-year run at Boston College, the No. 13 overall draft pick from the 2019 draft decided to turn pro. He joined the Florida Panthers toward the end of the 2020-21 regular season and went 4-0-0 to start his NHL career.

The Panthers believed in their young prospect enough to start him in two Stanley Cup Playoff games. He went 1-1 in the postseason. But the die had been cast. Knight was expected to play a big role for the Panthers this season.

And he has. Knight is 10-6-2. But the talented American netminder from Darien, Connecticut struggled at times. His save percentage dropped below .900. When the NHL’s all-star break came around in early February, the Panthers sent Knight to their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

He spent a month in the minors. Knight went 7-2 and posted two shutouts.

I think it was the best thing for him. I saw it plenty of times during my own career. A young goaltender struggles in the NHL and gets sent to the minors to regain form. But from that point forward, it’s on the player to improve. And he has to have the right mindset to do so.

Knight looked outstanding Monday night against the Sabres, when he stopped 30 of 31 shots and helped his team earn a 6-1 victory. Yes, it’s only one game. But it was exactly the return to form the Panthers were hoping for in his first game back from the minors.

People have previously asked me if sending a goaltender to the AHL will hurt their confidence. And my answer is always the same: not if the player embraces the situation. It usually means they’re going to get more ice time and be able to find a rhythm. It should actually be seen as a positive.

I think the demotion was exactly what Spencer Knight needed. A chance to carry the mail. Play consecutive games. Gain confidence. I can’t predict how the rest of this season will go for Knight. But his stint in minors was the right call by the Panthers.