Every sport has it's offseason, and with fewer stories, it's a perfect time for
 making lists. In the case of the NHL Network, they produced four lists of the
league's top players, by position. And if the NHL Network is putting out lists,
 you can pretty much bet San Jose Sharks fans (and others) will be outraged by
who was overlooked.How the Sharks Fared

The Sharks had none of the top 20 wingers, nor a top ten goalie. Neither of
these should come as a shock. The Top 20 Centers list also failed to include
any Sharks.

While some Sharks probably have a case to be on these three lists, none have an
 overwhelming case. Center Logan Couture is probably the closest, but I'd have
a hard time moving him ahead of all but a couple of the players on the
network's list.Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks, Nov. 28, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The
Hockey Writers)

Only one Sharks player made a top 20 list, and he was on the list for
defensemen. Brent Burns was rated as the fourth best. Alas, Burns was overrated
 (due to even strength liabilities) while his teammate, who had a better
season, was ignored. This is really the lone meaningful beef Sharks fans might
have.A Vlasic Outrage?

Sharks fans were perplexed (and a few outraged) by the exclusion of
Marc-Edouard Vlasic. It's always unsurprising to see Vlasic, a defense-oriented
 defenseman left off of what are, unfailingly, offensive-oriented
lists.Marc-Edouard Vlasic (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

There is a strong correlation between points and making the Top 20 Defensemen
list. Fifteen members of the list were also among the top 20 in total points. A
 major portion of point production of high-scoring defensemen points comes
courtesy of the power play. Last season, 18 defensemen garnered 20 or more
power play points, 13 of the 18 were on the Top 20 Defensemen list.

How critical is the power play to making this list? Very. All but two players
on the Top 20 Defensemen list also ranked in the top 30 in power play
time-on-ice (the two who didn't, Ryan Ellis and Charlie McAvoy, each missed a
large number of games). Bottom line, the list was, once again, tightly
correlated to the power play.Vlasic';s Offense

Interestingly enough, though, one could make a case for Vlasic's inclusion
based on even-strength offense. His 11 total goals tied for 21st overall among
the league's defensemen, but is 13th best among the 20 defenseman group
(including besting two of the top five - Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson). On
even strength goals, he fared even better. His 10 even strength tallies were
tied for twelfth best in the league. But among those on the Top 20 Defensemen
list, Vlasic inserts into the seventh spot (including besting three of the top
five - Karlsson, Doughty and Burns); just one goal behind the three-way tie for
 fourth place.Drew Doughty was second on the Top 20 Defenseman list, though he
produced fewer even-strength goals than Vlasic (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Vlasic's meager power play point total, three, made him too easy to overlook
(Burns was second in the league in power play minutes, Vlasic 77th). In even
strength scoring, Vlasic finished tied for 21st overall, which would be good
enough for 14th best on the Top 20 Defensemen list.Vlasic';s Reputation

Vlasic's reputation is as an elite defensive defenseman. Many are, too
casually, overlooking his offensive contributions. His snub is pretty much an
annual event. With the list so overwhelmed by power play scoring, almost every
other aspect of a defenseman';s game falls away.

There isn';t a general manager in the league who isn';t aware of Vlasic';s
excellence. If he hit free agency, he';d be pursued by every team in the
league. Which is why Sharks general manager Doug Wilson wasted no time
re-signing Vlasic to a long term deal last offseason. The Sharks had a 365 day
window to re-sign Vlasic, the deal was done on day 1, before lunch.

If there is a bigger picture to all these lists, with 70 players in total but
just one Sharks player, it is this. The Sharks, to be successful, must be a
'sum-of-all-the-parts'; team. No single player can carry them, they must
embrace being a team.

Sharks fans know the NHL Network blundered in their assessment of Vlasic. They
also know it's far better to have Vlasic on the Sharks than on the list.Zeke's
Notes

ΓÇó While we're on the subject of Vlasic, I figured it'd be a good moment to
highlight his overtime winner against Anaheim, a terrific diving score. In the
postgame interview, Vlasic aired his confidence, saying he knew he could
outskate the Ducks' defender on the play, Corey Perry.



ΓÇó While Vlasic was being overlooked for a not particularly important honor, a
 former Sharks player and current development coach appropriately nabbed a
pretty nice honor. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks record holder for almost
all team goalie records, will enter the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. He is the
 fifth member of the Sharks family to earn enshrinement (which comes officially
 in November), following George Gund (the original team owner), Doug Wilson,
Owen Nolan and Arturs Irbe.

ΓÇó Back in April 2017, I wrote an article suggesting the Sharks aggressively
pilfer the fan base of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders will be moving to Las
Vegas in the near future. Since the article, the Raiders have fired their
excellent and popular play-by-play announcer and replaced him with a big name
who is far past his prime (and he wasn';t great, even then). This week, the
team traded away their best player for high future draft picks. As the Raiders
turn their back on Oakland, the Sharks pilfering efforts (tepid as best as a I
can tell), should pick up steam.

The post A San Jose Sharks Snubbing appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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