San Jose Sharks: Is Tim Heed a viable option as a sixth defenseman?

San Jose Sharks defenseman Tim Heed is set to take on a much larger role this upcoming season, but is he really a viable option as a sixth defenseman?

The San Jose Sharks were undoubtedly anticipated to undergo some massive changes on their roster this summer. But even after re-signing star defenseman Erik Karlsson to a massive eight-year, $92 million contract, their blueline still saw some overhaul.

Re-upping Karlsson meant that the Sharks were forced to create some cap space which facilitated a few moves with their defensemen.

The first came when the team traded away longtime veteran Justin Braun to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a pair of draft picks. Then came the departure of the younger Joakim Ryan in free agency opening up a starting spot in the third defensive pairing.

While the likes of Karlsson, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Brenden Dillon, and Radim Simek are pretty much locked into the top five defensemen roles, the sixth defenseman slot isn’t nearly as established.

However, the expected frontrunner for this job is 28-year-old Tim Heed.

Heed was signed by the Sharks out of Sweden back in 2016 and has now played two full seasons essentially serving as the team’s seventh defenseman. But Karlsson’s injury last season allowed him to step into the starting lineup and earn more playing time than ever before.

In total, Heed played in 37 games last season posting a plus-minus of +9 while scoring 13 points — 11 of which were assists. Those aren’t awful numbers for the limited playing time he had and there’s reason to think that he’d play even better over a full season.

In his only full season with the San Jose Barracuda down in the AHL, Heed totaled 56 points in 55 games while adding another 10 points in 15 playoff contests. His skill set is one that could also fit right in with what the Sharks are looking for.

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Much like many of the other defensemen on the Sharks roster, Heed is offensive-minded. The right-hander is a savvy puck-handler with the ability to move the puck in transition through all three zones.

Heed is a natural skater who could use some improvement when it comes to his overall defensive IQ, but he would still be a great option as a third right-handed defenseman spelling Karlsson and Burns when they aren’t on the ice.

But while Heed is the obvious favorite for the job, he could have some competition.

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The Sharks signed traveled veteran enforcer Dalton Prout to a one-year deal this offseason and the former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman should provide competition for Heed.

If the Sharks decide that they’d rather pair a physical defender up with their core group of defensemen, then they might opt to go with Prout instead.

Still, Prout has all the makings of a seventh defenseman and could be more of an option to play based on the matchup as opposed to a full-time role given his limited offensive upside.

Then there’s the promising, young duo of Jacob Middleton and Ryan Merkley who continue to develop. Middleton is obviously further along in his development but it’s unclear if the Sharks are ready to give either a full-time role.