One year ago today my first Sharks HockeyBuzz post went live. Thanks for reading along over the past season! Today will be the positive why they will win, the negative why they won’t will come in another post.

By no means are the San Jose Sharks a favorite to hoist Lord Stanley’s prize at the end of the 2015-2016 NHL playoffs – nor are they even a favorite to make the dance – but they shouldn’t be completely ruled out if things go as planned.

Here are five “If’s” that will be why the San Jose Sharks could be the last team standing in the NHL this year.

1. If Martin Jones pans out.

You need a good goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. If you don’t get good goaltending then you aren’t even going to make the playoffs, but without a competent tender in the post-season you don’t have a chance in hell. Jones doesn’t have to be as great as Carey Price, but he does need to hold his own. If Martin Jones is the goaltender that the Sharks management believes he is then this team is going to surprise people.

2. If Patrick Marleau Finds His Game

Marleau had a down year last year from a goal standpoint, and he was not great with the possession game. If he can rebound and find the back of the net, the Sharks will be much more of a threat to opposing teams. Nineteen goals for one of the top-60 goal scorers in NHL history is unacceptable. There’s good reason to believe he will come back with a higher total just by looking at how terrible his luck was last season. Marleau shot 8.2%, by far the worst of his career. He’s been hovering between 11-12% the last three seasons prior to 2014-2015. If Marleau can be a threat in the top-six the Sharks will move another step closer to the playoffs and being a Cup contender.

3. If Paul Martin-Brent Burns Pairing Works

Everyone knows that Vlasic and Braun are a good pairing, but if Martin and Burns can be another good pairing the San Jose Sharks will have one of the best top-four groups in the league. I’m not saying they are the best, but they’ll be up there – much, much better than they were last year. Burns is an offensive dynamo from the back-end and he’s progressed in his return to the blueline, but Paul Martin as his partner could be the Sharks ticket to excellence in their own end. Martin is a calming veteran presence that doesn’t crack under pressure and makes minimal mistakes. Having Martin keeps the rest of the Sharks blueline in a more desirable role which, in turn, makes their blueline deeper.

4. If Logan Couture’s Line Can Actually Play A Shutdown Role

Last year Couture’s line was ugly as a shutdown group. They just didn’t get the job done, and that needs to change if the San Jose Sharks want to have any success. Couture may, or may not, have a leadership role under Peter DeBoer. If he wants to prove he’s worth that title then he needs to command a group of players that are going to play a good possession game in addition to adding to the scoresheet. Having two very good possession lines is a key for having prolonged success through the season and beyond. I’m a big critic of Couture’s play, not including his point totals, and I’ll continue to be until he turns his play around – but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he can. Couture is talented, but for the Sharks to win, and win in the playoffs, he needs to be better from an all-around point of view, and make his linemates better.

5. If The Bottom Six Can Be Rolled Out Effectively

Last year the San Jose Sharks bottom-six would make even the strongest of stomachs want to hurl. That was led by the constant need to dress John Scott and a lack of depth. The addition of Joel Ward, and subtraction of John Scott, makes a turnaround for the bottom six much more possible. A worry, though, is the signing of Frazer McLaren and how much ice-time he could potentially see. Good teams roll four lines. San Jose couldn’t do that last year, but this year there is potential for them to have four lines that can actually play hockey and not be a hindrance to success while they’re on the ice.


If the Sharks get these five things going for them this year, they're going to be dangerous and should surprise all of the nay-sayers. As long as the rest of the team continues on their normal trend, these five factors could make the Sharks a cup contender by April, instead of a borderline playoff joke.

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