Stat Hockey’s San Jose Sharks 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the San Jose Sharks 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Alexander Barabanov – Logan Couture – Luke Kunin

William Eklund – Tomas Hertl – Anthony Duclair

Filip Zadina – Mikael Granlund – Fabian Zetterlund

Mike Hoffman – Nico Sturm – Kevin Labanc

S- Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Peterson

D

Mario Ferraro – Matt Benning

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Jan Rutta

Nikolai Knyzhov – Radim Simek

S- Kyle Burroughs

G

Kaapo Kahkonen

Mackenzie Blackwood

Forwards

Nobody jumps out at you from the forwards, but there is still some talent there. After the team traded away Timo Meier, they did acquire a few assets since the trade deadline including Duclair, Zadina, Granlund, Hoffman, and Zetterlund. None of these players are anything special and could either be dealt or given a larger role over the season.

Whether you call it the top line or not, Couture actually led the way in San Jose for the entire 2022-23 season. He and Barabanov have great chemistry and there’s no use in breaking that up unless the latter is traded. I don’t mind Kunin getting an even bigger role this season as well. He is still relatively young and has some offensive talent. Even if he doesn’t pop off, his physical play is an asset.

The so-called second line features the Sharks other top player, Hertl. He’s not exactly young anymore, but he’s still a top player and a guaranteed 60 point player. I think Eklund finally deserves a full time shot in the NHL, and the second line would work very well. Add in Duclair and his speed and scoring ability, and this may very well be the team’s top line all season.

The third line should feature an all new group of players. Zadina should at least be given a chance in San Jose, so the third line is the lowest the team should be willing to play him. Granlund, although not worth the $5 million AAV, can still produce. He will be a solid third line player, but no higher. As the Sharks are rebuilding, it only makes sense to give the younger players more of a chance. This is why I can see Zetterlund play on the third line. He’s done so in the past.

The fourth line will then arguably be better than most as Hoffman and Labanc man the wings. Both can still produce, but have to earn their favour to play more. Sturm is coming off of his best season and will be moved down. This will hurt his production a bit, but he will still be able to outmatch many opponents.

Defense

In no way does the defense of the Sharks look promising. Ferraro should be the number one defenseman on the team, but lacks offense. That is where Benning comes in. He’ll have to take over the role on the top power-play unit and on the top line. We’ll see if he’s up for it.

Vlasic and Rutta, although aging, can still shut opponents down. They won’t be as effective as they would have been in the past, but they’ll have to do. The Sharks seem to just be sticking it out with Vlasic at this point and the veteran will get more ice time than he’s had in over three years.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins 2023-24 Line Projections

It makes little sense for the Sharks to fill their lineup with veterans over young players, so I can only see one of Simek, Burroughs, and Jacob MacDonald getting in the lineup at once to begin the season. Instead, Knyzhov, Henry Thrun, Nikita Okhotiuk, and Nick Cicek could all see time. Either way, I think Knyzhov is the furthest along and there’s loyalty to Simek.

Goaltending

Goaltending is also going to be a problem. Kahkonen should get a good deal of starts, but Blackwood is looking to bounce back from a down season and injury. The starts should be split to begin the season, but one of the goalies might step up a bit and become the starter at times. It will be a struggle in net this season for the Sharks.