Sharks mid-season report card: Some vast improvements, but making playoffs won't be easy

SAN JOSE — The Sharks have maybe surprised some people by the way they've stayed in contention for a playoff spot through the first half of the season.

Now that they've put themselves in this position, the Sharks feel they're perfectly capable of finishing the job.

Although every team right behind them in the standings has multiple games in hand, the Sharks (21-17-2) enter Wednesday as the Western Conference's second wild-card team and in fourth place in the Pacific Division. Through 40 games, they've already matched their win total from last year's truncated 56-game season, despite distancing themselves from former leading scorer Evander Kane and being the NHL's runaway leader in games played by rookies.

"It's our time to make some hay in our division and our conference because there are teams with games in hand on us," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Monday morning. "Some teams are going the wrong way and we're battling to stay where we're at, but we just got to take care of our business."

Here's a midseason report card, broken down by position.

CENTERS

Head of the class: Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture.

Keeping up: Nick Bonino.

Needs improvement: Jasper Weatherby.

Incomplete grades: Nick Merkley, Scott Reedy.

Analysis: Hertl leads all forwards in time on ice and faceoffs, and is tied for the team lead with 20 goals. He's set to earn a lot of money for many years to come, either in San Jose or elsewhere. Couture's 30 points so far is just one point shy of his total from last season and it appears he's never been more comfortable as the Sharks captain than right now.

Bonino only has seven points in 38 games but his value has come on defense as only 35 percent of his starts have come in the offensive zone. Weatherby has had an up and down rookie season with seven points in 36 games and might be hitting a wall. Do the Sharks perhaps look for a veteran depth centerman before the trade deadline if they want to make a playoff push?

The Sharks are 10th in the NHL in team faceoff percentage (51.5).

Overall grade: B+.

Wingers

Head of the class: Timo Meier, Alexander Barabanov.

Keeping up: Rudolfs Balcers, Andrew Cogliano, Jeffrey Viel.

Needs improvement: Jonathan Dahlen, Noah Gregor, Jonah Gadjovich, Kevin Labanc, Lane Pederson.

Incomplete grades: John Leonard, Jayden Halbgewachs, Adam Raska.

Analysis: Meier's been the Sharks' MVP so far with 20 goals and a team-high 45 points in 40 games, a major bounce back after he had 31 points in 54 games last season. Barabanov, on a $1 million contract, has 20 points in 32 games. Balcers missed 13 games with a lower-body injury but remains a steady and reliable middle-six forward, and Cogliano's leadership, work ethic and reliability have been welcome additions to a team that had had to play a host of rookies.

Dahlen started fast but has just two assists in his last 12 games — not enough for a player getting top-six minutes. He, Nieto and Gregor all need to add some offense if the Sharks going to average more than their current 2.78 goals per game, which ranks 22nd in the NHL. Labanc had six points in 21 games and was in the doghouse before he suffered a shoulder injury last month that required surgery. He is expected to return in March. Pederson just hasn't been noticeable enough.

The Sharks have a number of good two-way wingers, but beyond Meier and Barabanov, lack the high-end skill other playoff-contending teams have.

Overall grade: B-

Defensemen

Head of the class: Brent Burns, Mario Ferraro, Erik Karlsson.

Keeping up: Jaycob Megna, Ryan Merkley. Jake Middleton.

Needs improvement: Nicolas Meloche, Radim Simek, Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Incomplete grades: Santeri Hatakka, Artemi Kniazev.

Analysis: Burns went through a three-week offensive dry spell two months ago. But he still leads all Sharks defensemen, and was 10th among all NHL blueliners before Wednesday, with 27 points in 40 games and all of San Jose's skaters in average time on ice (25:56). Ferraro has taken on a leadership role this season and his absence was felt earlier this month when he landed in COVID protocol. No defense pair in the NHL spends more time on the ice as Ferraro and Burns.

Karlsson has 26 points in 32 games, already eclipsing his 22-point total of last season. Having better talent around him has helped, but his skating and playmaking ability have been more on display. He's also been a big help to defense partners Middleton and now Megna. Middleton filled the void after Nikolai Knyzhov's injury, averaging over 18 minutes of ice time per game and Megna has been steady since Middleton's Jan. 4 concussion.

Overall, the Sharks have allowed an average of 3.00 goals in 40 games, down from 3.50 in 56 games last season.

Simek has shown signs of the player he was prior to his major knee surgery, but it has taken a while and he's been a healthy scratch in recent games. Vlasic's ice time has been further reduced this season and he was a healthy scratch earlier this month. Not ideal for the third highest-paid defenseman on the team. He's been effective at times, but more consistency is needed.

Overall grade: B.

Goalies

Top of the class: James Reimer.

Needs improvement: Adin Hill.

Incomplete grade: Zach Sawchenko.

Analysis: Reimer was easily one of the NHL's best goalies for the first two months of the season. Yes, it's amazing what quality goaltending can do for a team. He had a downturn right after Christmas due to a lower-body injury but enters Wednesday with a 12-7-1 record and a .918 save percentage. Hill wasn't consistent through the first two months but seems to have turned a corner with his recent play. Still gives up the occasional soft goal, but even a .906 save percentage is better than what the Sharks were getting last season.

The Sharks' team save percentage (.903) and goals-against average (2.98) as of Wednesday morning ranked 18th and 19th in the NHL, respectively.

Overall grade: B-

Coaching

Boughner has been given a better team to work with this season, but the Sharks remain the NHL leader in games played by rookies (206). Boughner and his staff deserve credit for helping Meier become a more complete player, for implementing a system that's reflective of the team's personnel and for getting buy-in toward a certain identity. Players, for the most part, have been put in positions where they can succeed. This team plays hard for each other and the coaching staff deserves kudos for that. All that said, the Sharks' penalty kill has dropped off a bit and the power play remains below average. Grade: (B).