Sometimes simple can be better, and that’s the mindset Ryan Warsofsky wants to see more from the San Jose Sharks moving forward.

“If you want to win this league, [then] you have to [play simple],” Warsofsky said. “Dallas are a pretty good example of that. They don’t beat themselves. Washington’s even a better example of that. They’ve got every guy on the same page [about] how they want to play. If you want to win in this league, you’ve got to play a simple brand of hockey in a sense.”

Poise is often learned through experience, something that many of the San Jose Sharks’ players are still improving due to their young age. Two of the Sharks’ top leading scorers, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, are just 19 years old and 20 years old respectively. While that’s a tremendous sign for the long-term health of the organization, it does mean they still have quite a bit to learn about playing in the NHL. 

“It’s about the team, and the team [having] an understanding of what we need to do to be successful that night, and the way we need to play,” Warsofsky noted. “Like we’ve seen all year, we’re not there yet.”

After the Sharks’ 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars back in early December, 23-year-old forward Collin Graf shared his thoughts, stating, “[We need to] just simplify our game, sometimes. Obviously, things weren’t going our way last game and we weren’t generating a whole lot today, so I think it’s just trying to get pucks to the net.”

Simplifying is tied into shooting more. The “shot mentality”, as Warsofsky has called it, remains an issue over a month later.

“We’re not shooting enough,” the Sharks’ coach stated after their 7-2 loss to Vegas on Jan. 11. “It’s been our Achilles heel in a sense. We’ve got to shoot more.”

The San Jose Sharks are 29th in the NHL with 25.4 Shots Per Game, actually down from last year’s 27th-ranked 26.9.

“What I see with our group is, we know, just sometimes we can’t get there to do it consistently enough,” Warsofsky added. “We meet as a group, we meet in between periods, there’s a lot of video shown. There’s a lot of individual conversations of where we need to get to [in order] to play at a consistent level.”

Part of what Warsofsky is saying is shot mentality isn’t simply chucking shots at will toward the net, but getting into those dangerous scoring areas, too.

The aforementioned Smith also understands why the coaching staff is keen to simplify a little more. As a young player, he sometimes gives up a decent scoring chance for a riskier pass. There’s a time and place for both, especially when you’re as skilled as Smith. 

“You have to know the time and what part of the game it is, and based on that, make the play that’s given,” he said in early December. “If stuff’s not working out, simplify it. If plays are being made, then keep playing your game.”

The San Jose Sharks will learn this mental adaptability, which comes through talent and maturity and experience.

“I think our culture and the expectations of winning have come up, there’s a real belief in that dressing room right now that we can play with the best of them,” Warsofsky said. “That element of shooting more, though, [is the] next step for this team.