Rangers provided Sharks a glimpse of future San Jose must avoid

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The San Jose Sharks left Madison Square Garden on Monday night with a win, but they may have missed a hidden lesson in their hidden victory over their New York Rangers. They got a preview at what they may look like as soon as next season.

Over the summer, the Rangers traded then-top center Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes. Stepan’s absence left a hole at the top of the lineup, and one that the Rangers are still struggling to fill. It’s forced centers Mika Zibanejad, David Desharnais, and Kevin Hayes up the lineup, leaving the Rangers with only three centers currently on the roster. 18-year-old Czech prospect Filip Chytil awaits a call-up. In the meantime,  New York’s won only two of their first ten games.

The Sharks should never be in a position where they’re carrying less than four centers, but they could have a similar hole in their lineup as soon as next season. Joe Thornton, who inched closer to tying Jarri Kurri on the all-time scoring list on Monday, is 38, coming off of a significant injury, and set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Thornton’s off to a hot start with six points in eight games, but San Jose has to know he won’t be around forever.

Like the Rangers, though, the Sharks don’t exactly have a readily apparent replacement. .

Couture, who’s off to a great start himself, is a lot like Zibanejad: He’s likely best-suited for a second-line role on a contending team.  The Sharks have a Czech center of their own, too, but Tomas Hertl is playing well on the wing, instead of the AHL. Hertl’s role on the wing has forced Chris Tierney to move up the lineup, but another move in Thornton’s absence is probably too much to ask.

The Sharks still have some time on their side to find Thornton’s successor, whether internally or externally. Hertl is just 23, after all, They don’t have much time as the Rangers, though, and we’ve seen how much good that’s done them this season.

Stepan’s de facto replacement is 24, while Thornton’s is 29. New York’s long-term option was one of the youngest players taken in June’s draft, while Hertl’s playing in his fifth NHL season. The Sharks are older in other key areas, too. Their top two blueliners, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, are both in their 30s. The Rangers’ best defensemen, Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Shattenkirk, are still in their late-20s.

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San Jose will have even less leeway replacing Thornton than New York did replacing Stepan. How the Sharks will eventually do so remains an open question, but Monday showed what can happen if they don’t have an immediate answer.

 

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