As expected, the San Jose Sharks have been out of the Western Conference playoff race from the get-go.
The team opened the year with an almost unbelievably bad start, going winless through their first 11 games of the season. While the Sharks have managed to recover a little bit since then, they remain one of the worst teams in the NHL nearing the midway point of the season.
However, looking ahead to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, each team needs a representative. So we're guaranteed to see at least one player from San Jose at the event, despite how bad the Sharks have been.
Below, we take a look at the most likely representatives from the team.
Tomas Hertl is the clear frontrunner
In a season with so many lows, Tomas Hertl has been one of the Sharks' only consistent performers. Even while other top forwards were going forever without producing early in the year, Hertl has remained key to San Jose's fleeting offense. While the likes of Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman and Filip Zadina were all added in the offseason to help with San Jose's scoring, none have made a major impact. Then Alexander Barabanov, one of the Sharks' better returning forwards, missed time with a broken finger, and he has just five points in 17 games.
Hertl is also taking on even more of a role than normal with Logan Couture out. Prior to this year, Hertl never reached an average of 20 minutes of ice time per game in a season. This year, however, he's dangerously close to averaging more than 21 minutes per game.
So far this year, Hertl has managed 13 goals and 28 points in 36 games, leading the Sharks in both categories. Of the team's 75 goals, Hertl has registered a point on close to 40 percent of them.
The center has attended one NHL All-Star Game in his career, replacing an injured Logan Couture in 2020. Hertl then missed the event in 2022, with Timo Meier being selected instead, before Erik Karlsson attended last year. But with both players having since moved on, Hertl doesn't have much competition remaining.
Looking around the rest of the roster, it's difficult to make the case for anyone other than Hertl to attend (more on this in a bit). With a rebuilding team, any newfound excitement surrounding the roster comes from ushering in some young talent. However, none of the likes of William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund or others have a claim over Hertl. Even just by definition alone, Hertl may legitimately be the team's one true ‘All-Star' at this point.
Mikael Granlund is a surprise possibility
Again, Hertl is the pretty clear choice. However, Mikael Granlund's resurgence since joining the Sharks has at least generated a bit of buzz.
Granlund's game has declined in recent years, with his production taking a plunge after being dealt from the Minnesota Wild to the Nashville Predators in 2019. Then last season, he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a highly criticized deadline deal. After posting just five points in 21 games with the Penguins, he was sent to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. Granlund's inclusion in the deal was almost certainly simply the result of Pittsburgh needing to shed salary.
Granlund is the one surprise fit amongst a crop of the Sharks' disappointing offseason additions. The forward did miss most of October with an injury and only managed a single point in his first six games with the team. However, Granlund caught fire in mid-November and has since managed 23 points over his last 22 games. To this point, his points per game average has actually been slightly higher than Hertl's this season.
While Hertl still seems like the likely bet, Granlund is maybe the only other forward who can contend at all. Hertl is nearing 30 points, with Granlund nearing 25 points. No other player on the team is even overly close to the 20-point mark.
It may have been unthinkable that Granlund would contend for a spot at the All-Star Game coming into the year, but if Hertl were to be unavailable, Granlund may be the next most likely pick.
Sharks lack other quality options
Few options remain after Hertl and Granlund. That said, each team needs a representative, and there will be both defensemen and goalies at the event as well. It's always possible the Sharks will have a player fill out one of these positions if other teams have top forwards deserving of being their team's representative. But looking at the Sharks' defense group and goaltending, it's a pretty tough sell.
Offensive defensemen are typically prioritized in All-Star Game selections, and no Sharks defenseman has even reached double-digit points. With Erik Karlsson gone, there won't be a dynamic, offensive defenseman joining the All-Star Game from the Sharks. It's not like San Jose has a high-end, shutdown defender who screams ‘All-Star' material either. Mario Ferraro has established himself as the team's clear top blue liner, but that still seems like a stretch.
In goal, it's a similar case. Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen have still made for a better tandem than probably expected, but that's not saying much. While the Pacific Divison features other teams facing goaltending concerns, there are other options in net.
Ultimately, Tomas Hertl remains the clear top option for San Jose, but a choice out of left field is always possible.
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