- Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
David Quinn believes the San Jose Sharks’ record should have been better, especially through mid-January.
The flipside of those heartbreaking losses and close calls – the Sharks were second in the NHL with 16 overtime/shootout losses – get him excited about next year.
“We have to not forget, really focus on the first [part of the season], probably through the middle of January before we started making changes, what that looked like, when we weren’t auditioning players,” Quinn said during his exit interview today. “A play here, a play there, and we’re in a different situation. Where if you look at some of the other teams that are in the lottery around us in the standings, it didn’t look that way. So that’s why I’m optimistic. Some of those other teams don’t have Karlsson, Couture, Hertl. Vlasic, Ferraro, guys like that, that are great building blocks.”
Of course, the San Jose Sharks may not have Erik Karlsson for long, if GM Mike Grier trades the probable 2023 Norris Trophy winner, as has been rumored.