The San Jose Sharks have not looked great to begin the 2023-24 NHL season. In fact, they've looked like one of the absolute worst teams in the history of the game. Even after winning their first two games of the year, things look bleak for San Jose moving forward.
To be fair, the Sharks weren't expected to contend this season. Many expected them to be well outside contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And yet, San Jose's start to the year is still incredibly disappointing in a variety of areas.
As a result, it's hard to find any positives regarding this team. Everywhere you look, it feels as if there's one negative thing after another up and down the lineup. However, there has to be a silver lining somewhere.
So, let's try and find that silver lining. Here is the most pleasant surprise and the biggest disappointment for the San Jose Sharks early in the 2023-24 NHL season.
San Jose's start
The Sharks, as mentioned, got off to one of the worst starts in NHL history. San Jose opened the season against the Vegas Golden Knights in a losing effort. Losing would become an all-encompassing theme for the Sharks early on. In fact, they went on to lose their first 11 games of the season.
Things hit rock bottom for this team on November 2. San Jose took on the Vancouver Canucks that night in front of their home fans. And the Sharks did not put up much of a fight. They lost 10-1 to the Canucks. And unfortunately, that wasn't the end of their misery.
San Jose took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 4, once again in front of their home fans. And, once again, the team didn't have much fight in them. San Jose once again gave up 10 goals as they lost 10-2.
After that, the Sharks did pick up their first two wins of the season. However, San Jose has lost their last two games to the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. As of now, they sit 2-12-1.
Fabian Zetterlund is a surprise
When discussing a team like this, it is hard to pick out one pleasantly surprising aspect. So for this one, I decided to go with a player who has impressed me when I've watched the Sharks. San Jose has not scored much this year, but Fabian Zetterlund has scored more than any Sharks player in 2023-24.
Zetterlund has four goals so far this year and is second on the team in points with six. Obviously, these aren't eye-catching totals. But the 24-year-old Swede did struggle after coming over from the New Jersey Devils in the Timo Meier trade. In 20 games as a Shark, Zetterlund had just three assists.
Zetterlund's career high in goals was six, which he set with the Devils last season. Through 15 games, he already has four. It's a promising sign for a player who didn't get off to the best start to his San Jose career after the trade. If this team can right the ship a bit, maybe Zetterlund can reach the 15-20 goal mark this year.
We need to talk about Marc-Edouard Vlasic
I could point to a lot of disappointing aspects of the Sharks, but one stands out above the rest. Veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic has played horrifically this year. Vlasic is on the back end of his career. He certainly isn't the player who emerged as a reliable shutdown defenseman in the late-2000s and early 2010s.
However, this is disappointing even when you take the expected decline into account. Vlasic's play has been nothing short of a nightmare. Missed assignments, bad decisions, turnovers, you name it. The Sharks veteran is way more of a detriment than he is an asset to this team.
The 36-year-old Quebec native is signed through 2026 at $7 million per year. There is no easy way for San Jose to get out of this contract unless Vlasic miraculously turns back the clock. Unfortunately, that feels unlikely at this point. And for a player who was once among the league's best shutdown defensemen, it is certainly hard to watch.
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