San Jose Sharks: Five ways Mike Grier’s team can be better in 2023
It would be easy to look at the San Jose Sharks’ record right now and feel like the team is going backward, not forward.Prior to Saturday’s game with the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center, the Sharks have 29 points with a record of 11-19-7, a 12-point dropoff from last season when they held a 20-16-1 record after 37 games.
Right now, the Sharks feel like they’re making strides, even though it hasn’t shown up in the standings. They’re a much better team at scoring goals 5-on-5 and have a power play that, unlike the previous three seasons, now ranks in the top half of the NHL. Still, the Sharks entered Saturday with a team save percentage of .880, the worst in the NHL and a dropoff from the .900 team save percentage they had last season. Their goals-against average before Saturday was 28th-best at 3.59. Among the 53 goalies who have played at least 12 games this season before Saturday, Reimer and Kahkonen ranked 43rd and 52nd, respectively, in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes, per moneypuck.com.
The Sharks have options with Meier: Trade him by the March 3 deadline, give him a $10 million qualifying offer in the summer to retain his rights for next season, sign him to a long-term extension at some point during the 2023-2024 season, or deal him by the 2024 trade deadline. We’ll see what happens.