Now that we’re at the Olympic Break, it’s a good time to take a look at the Sharks’ season so far and grade each individual player’s performance to this point. Since there are many players to grade, I will split my grades across 3 articles: Forwards, Defensemen, and Goaltenders, along with my grade for the Sharks and their season. 

For this exercise, I will only be grading players currently on the Sharks 23 man roster or on IR. So players like Igor Chernyshov or Nick Leddy won’t be graded in this exercise. Yesterday I covered the forwards, today I will be grading the defenseman.

Dimitri Orlov – Grade B+

Orlov has been the Sharks’ most reliable defenseman this season, and while that isn’t saying too much looking at the unit as a whole, he has been exactly what the Sharks were hoping for when they signed him. His 23 points in 55 games lead the Sharks’ blueliners, and his 21:23 minutes of ice time put him first on the Sharks in ice time. Orlov can move the puck while holding his own defensively, and while he isn’t a world beater at either, it’s something this Sharks’ backend desperately needed.

Mario Ferraro – Grade B

Ferraro has been the Sharks’ 2nd-most consistent player on the backend this season, behind Orlov, and he has provided the same thing he has for 7 seasons with the Sharks. He puts his body on the line every night, blocking shots and killing penalties, and while he has his limitations, he is a good player for the Sharks. His time with the organization may be coming near and end; however, his status as a pending UFA makes him a potential trade option at the deadline, and he may not be in the Sharks longterm plans beyond this season. 

John Klingberg – Grade C

John Klingberg’s season has been chaotic for the Sharks. While he has been solid offensively, scoring 10 goals and 20 points, providing some offense on the power play from time to time, and helping move the puck out of the zone. His lack of consistency makes it hard to know what you’ll get from him game to game. He is prone to egregious errors with the puck on and off his stick, and is one of the Sharks’ worst defenseman at his worst. At his best, however, he can be a good piece for this blueline. Given all his struggles with injuries, it’s good to see him still playing in the league, but he needs to be more consistent down the stretch for the Sharks to stay in the lineup.

Timothy Liljegren – Grade C+

Liljegren has been a top-4 piece on this Sharks team for the most part this season and has done ok relative to his competition. He has 11 points in 42 games, playing 20 minutes a night, and is far from the worst defender on the team. Still, Liljegren isn’t much more than a replaceable level player at the NHL level and would be better served as a number 6 defenseman than in your top 4 on a nightly basis.

Vincent Desharnais – Grade B

Desharnais has been a solid pickup for the Sharks. While he is a number 6 defender on probably the weakest blueline in the NHL, he plays to his role and is an asset to the Sharks on the penalty kill and clearing out traffic in front of the net, something the Sharks can struggle with as a unit on the backend. Among the Sharks’ pending UFAs on the backend, I see a Desharnais extension as the most likely. 

Sam Dickinson – Grade B

Dickinson has held his own at the NHL level, and while he has not lit it up offensively, he hasn’t been put in situations to show off his offense that much. Through 45 games, he has 9 points, averaging 15:49 minutes per game, with no power-play time. Dickinson probably is not ready for that responsibility on a consistent basis, but he has improved in recent weeks, scoring 4 points over his last 10 games while steadily improving as a puck-mover and defender. It will be interesting to see if Dickinson can grab a top-4 spot next season or if he is assigned to the Cuda when he is eligible, to run the show as the number 1 D in the minors.

Shakir Mukhamadullin – Grade C-

It’s been a rough season for Mukhamadullin; injuries have kept him in and out of the lineup, and he has struggled to get much of a run because of that. The 24-year old has 7 points in 26 games and has seen his ice-time dip by about 2 minutes from his rookie season. While he still has potential, he’s nearing the point where it needs to start to materialize. His inability to stay healthy, combined with his inconsistency on the ice, is starting to become a trend two years running, and he may be falling out of favor in the organization.