San Jose Sharks: Mikkel Boedker
In the Cup Finals of 2016, the San Jose Sharks toiled hard in search of their first triumph, but were ultimately torn apart by the Penguins' speed game. Unable to beat them, San Jose saw it fit that, as the old mantra goes, they may as well just join them, signing one of the fastest skaters in the league, Mikkel Boedker. Since making his NHL debut in 2008, Boedker has proved to be a consistent scorer and devastatingly pacey right winger for the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. But with Boedker, the Sharks get a whole lot more than just speed. They get a creative puck handler, a playmaker, and a devastating transition presence. Boedker also fits into the Sharkies' mould of versatility in their forward lines. We saw Patrick Marleau move from centre to wing in the Finals, and during the season, we had also seen wingers Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Melker Karlsson switch wings and lines. This creates a mountain of work for head coach Peter DeBoer in training camp, but at the same time, it also doesn't. Boedker will have no problems fitting into what DeBoer likes to do, which is create mismatches – again, something that the Pens built their triumph off the back of. Not just the NHL, but pro sports these days has become all about “monkey see, monkey do”. Teams will copy each other to keep up with trend to no end, which is what San Jose have done here – and they are a better team for it.
