2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: San Jose Sharks
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies.
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In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Timo Meier
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 79.8 | 32.1 | 39.8 | 71.9 | -7.0 | 51.1 | 8.1 | 17.1 | 312.5 | 10.3% | 19.7 | 17.3 | 55.3 | 162.7 |
Meier finished 2021-22 just one point shy of a point-per-game in the most productive season of his six-year career. Reaching both the 35-goal (35) and 40-assist (41) marks for the first time, Meier finished 42nd in league points, complimented by the 27th most goals in the NHL. Meier’s breakout can be attributed to his shot volume increase. His 13.3 SOG/60 was drastically higher than his 10.7 SOG/60 career average. As a result, he finished third in the league, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (334) and Auston Matthews (348). Expect Meier to lead the Sharks in almost all fantasy categories while providing elite shot production. He’ll look to duplicate his success from last year with 30-plus goals and 40-plus assists. His supporting cast is lacking, but his shot volume is tough to pass on in the fourth round of drafts.
Tomas Hertl
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.8 | 28.9 | 34.7 | 63.5 | -6.9 | 32.3 | 6.0 | 15.4 | 191.1 | 15.1% | 19.9 | 744.7 | 53.9 | 81.7 |
Hertl’s 2021-22 campaign aligned with his production from the previous three seasons. During that time, he averaged 33 goals and 39 assists (72 points) per 82 games but missed 33 contests. Last year he played the full 82 games and finished with 30 goals and 34 assists (64). Hertl is a consistent 30-30 threat, with upside for more while playing alongside Meier most of the time. His early ADP (158.4) is towards the end of the draft, so he’s a stable centre option to round out your roster.
Logan Couture
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.1 | 23.3 | 30.1 | 53.4 | -8.1 | 24.0 | 3.7 | 14.9 | 186.3 | 12.5% | 19.1 | 579.7 | 56.0 | 84.4 |
Like those around him, Couture enjoyed somewhat of a bounce-back year in 2021-22. Surpassing the 20-goal (23) and 30-assist (33) marks for the first time since 2018-19, Couture ranked 100th in league scoring. He was on the cusp of fantasy relevance, but his minus-11 rating did little to help his case for ownership. A similar low 50-point season should be expected as the 33-year-old’s best fantasy production may be long behind him. Still, he makes for a solid free agent plug-in or bottom-of-your roster piece due to his high-standing position on the Sharks’ lineup.
Alexander Barabanov
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.0 | 13.5 | 28.5 | 41.9 | -4.3 | 16.1 | 2.8 | 8.0 | 104.9 | 12.8% | 17.2 | 0.0 | 42.3 | 50.1 |
Barabanov was solid in his first full NHL season, scoring 10 goals with 29 assists in 70 games. His 39 points were good for fifth among all San Jose Sharks. His overall fantasy production was capped due to his lack of shots (103 SOG), something he will need to work on to improve his overall numbers. Nevertheless, he finds himself in an excellent fantasy position as he likely lines up alongside Hertl and Meier with very few threats below him on the depth chart. His KHL numbers suggest he could be a player that flirts with a 50-point season, but he’s not a goal scorer. Modest goal totals with 30-plus assists is a likely outcome for Barabanov in 2022-23. He makes for a late roster selection or free agent flier if he proves he can hold down the top-line work in his second season.
Erik Karlsson
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 69.9 | 11.2 | 32.2 | 43.4 | -14.9 | 22.7 | 2.3 | 14.6 | 159.6 | 7.0% | 24.2 | 0.0 | 80.7 | 32.9 |
Karlsson was once the consensus No.1 fantasy defenseman off draft boards. We caught a rare glimpse of prime Karlsson in 2021-22. Before his mid-season surgical procedure, he produced at a high-end pace with eight goals and 18 assists through his first 33 games. Among the league’s defensive league leaders early on, his 0.79 point-per-game paces across a full 82-game season would have landed him around the 65-point range. That’s the kind of production we saw from him in his mid-20s. Unfortunately, his return from injury saw him collect just seven points in his final 17 games. Regardless of the weak return showing down the stretch, Karlsson enjoyed his best goal production since 2016-17, as his 10 goals through 50 games had him on pace for 16.5 across an entire 82-game season. With Brent Bruns getting shipped to Carolina in the offseason, Karlsson should have PP1 all to himself. Even a tiny bump in PP production would make Karlsson a dark horse pick this season. However, the biggest concern remains his durability.
Kevin Labanc
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.0 | 15.3 | 20.5 | 35.8 | -11.6 | 38.3 | 2.5 | 8.7 | 171.9 | 8.9% | 15.9 | 0.5 | 26.2 | 80.8 |
Labanc 2021-22 was mired by injury, and a season the 26-year-old winger would likely sooner rather forget. A five-time double-digit scorer in his career, Labanc posted a lowly three goals and three assists through 21 games. His 0.285 Points/GP was 462nd among players with at least 20 games played, representing the lowest production of his six-year career. Labanc has failed to eclipse 33 points in the last three seasons, but he enters 2022-23 with a chance to land a spot in the Sharks’ top 6, which would go a long way in helping him get back to 50-plus points.
Goalies
James Reimer
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 46.0 | 18.4 | 22.0 | 5.5 | 0.908 | 2.91 | 2.5 |
Big game James Reimer finds himself a little shark in a vast sea who will try to tread water behind a San Jose team that was bottom-10 in xGA/60 a season ago. Reimer enjoyed a solid first season with the Sharks in 2021-22, experiencing somewhat of a career rebirth after 11 NHL seasons. Playing in a career-high 48 games, Reimer’s 19 wins were his highest total since 2017-18. His .911 SV% was tied for 22nd among qualified starters, and his GAA (2.90) was 29th. Expect Reimer to fail to reach the 20-win mark for the fifth straight season and draft with caution as Kaapo Kahkonen will be fighting with him for playing time all season.
Kaapo Kahkonen
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 36.0 | 14.3 | 17.5 | 4.1 | 0.903 | 3.05 | 1.6 |
Kahkonen found himself the odd man out in Minnesota during the 2021-22 season after Marc-Andre Fleury was brought in at the trade deadline. As a result, Kahkonen was dealt to the Sharks and signed a two-year extension in the offseason. Kahkonen enjoyed statistical success in his short 11-game stint with the Sharks, posting a 2.86 GAA and .916 SV%. Kahkonen has been on the smaller side of a 60-40 split for the last two seasons but could be in a 50-50 platoon with Reimer this season. Still, the Sharks were bottom-10 in both xGF/60 and xGA/60 last season, so you’ll have to pick your matchups wisely for either Sharks’ starter.
Remaining Sharks Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Nick Bonino | C | 80.1 | 17.0 | 16.4 | 33.4 | -9.2 | 23.1 | 3.7 | 7.3 | 125.6 | 13.5% | 16.5 | 511.3 | 90.3 | 28.7 |
| Luke Kunin | RW/LW | 74.1 | 15.1 | 13.5 | 28.6 | -7.0 | 69.9 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 133.6 | 11.3% | 15.2 | 78.0 | 49.9 | 177.5 |
| Oskar Lindblom | LW | 77.5 | 13.7 | 13.4 | 27.1 | -8.2 | 19.2 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 122.4 | 11.2% | 14.2 | 9.9 | 43.9 | 78.5 |
| Noah Gregor | RW | 70.3 | 10.6 | 13.4 | 24.0 | -20.2 | 22.6 | 0.8 | 4.0 | 166.9 | 6.4% | 15 | 21.1 | 49.6 | 136.2 |
| Nico Sturm | C | 73.1 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 21.1 | -6.7 | 16.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 97.7 | 11.1% | 11.7 | 255.9 | 31.9 | 88.1 |
| Mario Ferraro | D | 73.3 | 2.7 | 18.0 | 20.7 | -7.9 | 28.1 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 77.9 | 3.5% | 23.3 | 0.0 | 148.6 | 180.1 |
| Matt Nieto | RW | 70.0 | 7.6 | 10.7 | 18.3 | -13.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 89.1 | 8.5% | 14.4 | 3.3 | 42.5 | 79.0 |
| Markus Nutivaara | D | 66.2 | 2.7 | 14.1 | 16.8 | -2.8 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 81.6 | 3.3% | 15.4 | 0.0 | 45.0 | 69.5 |
| Marc-Edouard Vlasic | D | 78.2 | 3.4 | 12.5 | 15.9 | -15.9 | 18.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 77.9 | 4.4% | 19.3 | 0.0 | 108.7 | 63.2 |
| Steven Lorentz | C/LW | 72.9 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 14.0 | -5.7 | 11.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 79.1 | 8.7% | 10.8 | 105.4 | 18.7 | 76.2 |
| Radim Simek | D | 71.7 | 3.5 | 7.7 | 11.1 | -20.9 | 26.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 66.2 | 5.2% | 18.3 | 0.0 | 103.3 | 191.3 |
| Matt Benning | D | 71.5 | 0.6 | 9.7 | 10.3 | -6.1 | 39.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 63.9 | 0.9% | 15.9 | 0.0 | 70.7 | 90.8 |