San Jose Sharks: Analysis of the team’s 2018-19 forwards

With the season ending in the Western Conference Final for the San Jose Sharks, it’s time to assess the forwards who made the playoff run possible.

As the future remains unclear at this point for Joe Thornton, perhaps his San Jose Sharks teammates in the locker room feel the most disappointment in falling short of expectations. With a talented roster assembled, the season turned into a bust with no appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.

The injuries and the physical endurance the Sharks faced all three rounds eventually took a toll on the team. As a result, the inevitable became clear when Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, and Erik Karlsson could not go for Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues.

Overall, plenty of standouts came from the 2018-19 season for San Jose with four players reaching the 30-goal plateau. Some players could not find consistency daily, which will likely lead to roster shakeup over the offseason.

Here are a few players who excelled — and disappointed — during the campaign and a few players missing the mark for the Sharks.

Joe Pavelski

Set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Sharks captain made his case to remain in San Jose. A few missing teeth, a concussion, and an injury that kept him out of San Jose’s final game show the grit of someone not giving up. Age is the only factor not on Pavelski’s side, but he has proven he can still play at a high level.

Pavelski finished the regular reason leading the Sharks with 38 goals — a bounce back total after struggling throughout the year before. His ability to tip pucks is insane — especially the redirection he scored in Detroit standing away from the net while tipping a Marc-Edouard Vlasic pass.

His ability to stand in front of the net is one reason teams will want his services should the Sharks let him walk. Doug Wilson let Patrick Marleau leave for Toronto but letting Pavelski go may be one mistake not to make.

Evander Kane

After signing an extension to remain in San Jose after being acquired at the trade deadline last season, Evander Kane set the goal of posting 30 goals. The gritty winger missed some time due to injuries and personal matters but accomplished the feat with an empty netter in the final game.

Kane came as advertised with his hard-nosed style of play and his willingness to put himself in the dirty areas to create scoring chances. He even managed to anger the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins when he looked over to see what the coach had drawn up during a timeout.

Not all good came from Kane as he did lead the team in penalty minutes with 153, which should be no surprise given his style. The biggest disappointment for Kane comes in the playoffs. He made an early statement by scoring in the opener against Vegas but found himself letting his emotions get the better of him through the low hockey IQ of Golden Knights winger Ryan Reaves.

For Kane, he fell short of delivering in the playoffs — a common theme throughout the years of Sharks’ playoff hockey. Kane stated the Sharks are a team he wanted to play for and be able to play in the postseason.

With six years left, Kane must find the second gear for meaningful hockey.