San Jose Sharks, David Quinn need changes on porous defense

New San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek had a career year last season for the New Jersey Devils. He started 52 games, won 33 and finished with a .911 save percentage, among the best in the NHL for goalies with a similar workload.

What happened with the Devils this season isn’t Vanecek’s favorite topic, however.

” This is a difficult question. They changed (their) defense a little. It’s a hard question to answer,” said Vanecek, whom the Sharks acquired on March 8 for Kaapo Kahkonen. “I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about New Jersey anymore. I’m in San Jose right now.

Vanecek, who had an .890 save percentage in 32 games this season behind the Devils defense, likely won’t play for the Sharks until the fall as he rehabs a lower-body injury he suffered in February.

However, whenever Vanecek is healthy, he will be part of a Sharks team that will have to address massive defensive issues of its own.

Prior to Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, the Sharks had allowed a league-high 197 goals in 5-on-5 play and were the only team in the NHL to allow more than four goals per game in total.

Last season, the Sharks allowed 220 goals in 5-on-5 play, the third-worst mark in the NHL.

This doesn’t necessarily just apply to goalkeepers. The Sharks, according to moneypuck.com, have also allowed 192 high-danger shots this season, more than any other team, and their goaltending has been better this season than last year.

Before the Vanecek trade, San Jose’s team save percentage was .891, with Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood having solid underlying numbers. Last year, the team’s save percentage was .881, worst in the NHL.

The Sharks want to take a step forward and have a better season next year, and that will likely have to start with defense.

“Our biggest issue is really puck management in a lot of ways,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “We’re having trouble finishing pieces, which can really get you in trouble. These are two areas, puck management and finishing plays, that can improve on our end and make us a better defensive team.

The Sharks are coming off a three-game homestand in which they were outscored 12-5 in 5-on-5 play. Yet before the wheels fell off, they were tied or leading in two of the three games preceding the third period.

For the season, and before Saturday, the Sharks were just 14-12-6 when leading or tied after two periods. It’s about puck management – ​​and game management.

“They don’t fight,” defenseman Jan Rutta said when asked what the Sharks can learn from recent opponents like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars.

“That’s been the case a few times this year, either when we played a good game or when we were leading, and a lot of times we just find a way to fight back. These teams make you earn every win and every puck, and I think that’s something we can definitely take away from them.

Additionally, do the Sharks have the right personnel to make big improvements on the defensive end?

Having center Logan Couture (groin) and defenseman Matt Benning (hip surgery) return healthy next season should help, although Couture’s ability to return to 100% and stay there is a bit of a concern. ‘question.

A better bilateral mentality from the forward group wouldn’t hurt either.

On the blue line, Rutta, Benning, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mario Ferraro and Kyle Burroughs are all under contract for next season. Henry Thrun, Calen Addison and Ty Emberson are set to become restricted free agents.

There’s always turnover from year to year on any team, but how much will there be on the Sharks as general manager Mike Grier continues to reshape the roster? How many will there be when thinking about the team’s defense?