The San Jose Sharks are circling the drain and the only hope is Radim Simek? Probably not, but the situation in San Jose is so dire that news os Simek's return brings a glimmer of hope to an otherwise dark time in Northern California.

Before a late-season injury ended his season, Simek was a bright spot in the blueline. Partnered with Brent Burns, the 27-year-old helped solidify the Sharks' defense and the team went on an incredible run, winning 29 of 41 games before he went down.

His return couldn't have been timed better.

San Jose's lost five in a row, 7 of 8 and is 4-10-1 overall. They are in the bottom half of the league 5v5 and they only show signs of regression - not progression. Over the last five games, the Sharks have been outscored 22-8 and it gets worse from there.

- Only New Jersey has a worse team save percentage than the Sharks .867.

- They are 26th in the NHL in SCF% at 47.2

- Here's a bright spot! They have a league-best PK at 89.7%! Here's the reality check - they've been shorthanded 58 times - third-most in the league.

- Eleven of SJ's 36 total goals have come from the power play. That cool, but they give it back by allowing the second-most shorthanded goals against with three.

- The 21 total 5v5 goals scored for ranks 30th - only Chicago at 20 is worse.

In its first 15 games this season, San Jose has allowed four or more goals in ten of them. Offensively, the Sharks have scored more than two goals SIX times! This team has no firepower, no defense, and no goaltending. Take warning, they haven't reached rock bottom yet. It's only going to get worse.

This club was supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender. Right now they look more like a team jockeying for draft positioning. There has to be more to this story than a team suddenly losing its ability to win hockey games. How long can this go on for? The return of Simek will help, but it won't save the season. If the losing lingers expect big changes to this roster in the near future. Doug Wilson does not sit on his hands for very long.

Thanks for reading,
Steve

Join the Discussion: » 9 Comments » Post New Comment

» Sharks offense in heating up; have they turned a corner?

» The Last Place Sharks; Should We Get Used To It?

» Evander Kane helping Sharks get back on track

» Patrick Marleau's big return masks Sharks woes

» Sharks off to worst start since 1993