Sharks ready for another deep postseason run

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is taking a look at where each team stands. Today, the San Jose Sharks.
Coming off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season, the San Jose Sharks didn't make many roster changes, and who could blame them? San Jose is deep up front; has a solid defense; and has one of the surprise players from last season, goaltender Martin Jones.
The Sharks did make two offseason moves, signing free agent forward Mikkel Boedker to a four-year, $16 million contract to help improve the offense, and defenseman David Schlemko to a four-year, $8.4 million contract to shore up the defense.

San Jose, which lost the Cup Final in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins, went 46-30-6 to finish third in the Pacific Division. The Sharks finished five points behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks and could close that gap this season. One key will be playing better at home; San Jose had a League-high 28 road wins but was 18-20-3 at SAP Center.
With much of the team intact, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Sharks make another deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here is what the Sharks look like today:
KEY ARRIVALS: Mikkel Boedker, F: The 26-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes before being acquired by the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline. Boedker tied an NHL career high with 51 points (17 goals, 34 assists) in 80 games last season and should be a top-six forward. ... David Schlemko, D: The 29-year-old set NHL career highs in goals (six), assists (13), points (19), power-play points (12) and game-winning goals (three) playing in a career high 67 games for the New Jersey Devils last season.

KEY DEPARTURES: James Reimer, G: After being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 27, Reimer went 6-2-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage and three shutouts in eight games, giving Jones some much needed rest late in the season. Reimer, who signed a five-year contract with the Florida Panthers, played 29:05 in one playoff game. ... Roman Polak, D: The veteran was acquired from the Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline and the signed with Toronto on July 2. He had one goal and 16 points in 79 games with Toronto and San Jose and was scoreless in 24 playoff games with the Sharks. ... Nick Spaling, F: Another player acquired from Toronto, Spaling had two goals and four assists in 23 games for San Jose last season and was an important contributor on faceoffs and shorthanded. He is an unrestricted free agent. ... Dainius Zubrus, F: The 38-year-old was the oldest player on the roster last season. He had three goals and four assists in 50 games and often was a healthy scratch but played well when given the opportunity. He is an unrestricted free agent.
ON THE CUSP: Nikolay Goldobin, F: The No. 27 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Goldobin, 20, was recalled after center Logan Couture was injured and had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Sharks. Goldobin had 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists) in 60 games for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League and could be one of the first call-ups again this season. ... Timo Meier, F: The No. 9 pick in the 2015 draft, Meier had 87 points (34 goals, 53 assists) in 52 games with Halifax and Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He helped Rouyn-Noranda win the QMJHL championship with 23 points in 18 playoff games. The 19-year-old likely will play in the AHL this season but could force San Jose's hand in training camp. … Ryan Carpenter, F: He has spent the past three seasons in the AHL but could be in line for some time in the NHL after he led the Barracuda with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 66 games. ... Joakim Ryan, D: The 23-year-old led Barracuda defensemen in scoring with 28 points (two goals, 26 assists) and was plus-11 in 66 games.

WHAT THEY STILL NEED: A backup goalie. After Reimer signed with Florida, the likely in-house candidate is Aaron Dell, who signed a two-year contract on July 1. Dell, 27, was 17-16-6 with a 2.42 GAA, a .922 save percentage and four shutouts in 40 games with the Barracuda last season, but has no NHL experience. Troy Grosenick, 26, was 11-10-4 with a 3.16 GAA and .894 save percentage in 28 games with the Barracuda. He made his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014-15, making 45 saves in a 2-0 shutout, but has played two games for the Sharks in his career, and San Jose likely will add a proven backup before this season.
PETE JENSEN'S FANTASY FOCUS: Moving to the Sharks instantly gives Boedker more talent around him than he has ever had in his NHL career. He should finally score 20 goals for the first time if he plays with Couture and Joonas Donskoi at even strength and on the second power-play unit. Boedker is minus-47 in 463 NHL games, but that could improve and strengthen his multicategory fantasy profile. He also could jump from about 150 shots on goal to the 180-200 range with such gifted playmakers on his side. If Boedker replaces veteran Patrick Marleau on the first power-play unit, his ceiling would be even higher. For all these reasons, Boedker is well worth a pick in the final rounds of standard fantasy drafts.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Tomas Hertl - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski
Mikkel Boedker - Logan Couture - Joonas Donskoi
Patrick Marleau - Chris Tierney - Joel Ward
Melker Karlsson - Tommy Wingels - Matt Nieto
Paul Martin - Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon - David Schlemko
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell