The Sharks are Developing Future NHL Captains

Despite the team's performance on the ice, there are a few players demonstrating very high levels of professionalism and leadership both on and off the ice.

The San Jose Sharks have a few players on their roster who show the leadership and mindset to be future captains in the NHL. They may or may not achieve that goal, as only 32 men can hold that honor at any given time, but at some point down the line, the three players mentioned here will undoubtedly be deserving of the honor. 

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Luke Kunin

When you ask anyone in the Sharks locker room about Luke Kunin, they’ll tell you the same thing. He’s the ultimate team player, and he’s always been that way. The 26-year-old has always been a leader, but with Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture out of the locker room for much of the season, the Sharks needed someone to step up and Kunin ran with it. Look at this past weekend for example. He’s not the type of player who’s looking to fight every night, he even said as much after the game on Sunday when asked why he turned down a scrap with Josh Brown. “I don’t want to fight every night. I think time and a place, like I said didn’t see a reason.”. Regardless he brings a high work rate to every game, it’s difficult to find a player on the roster who plays harder on a nightly basis. 

Mikael Granlund has played with Kunin in three different organizations, the Minnesota Wild, the Nashville Predators, and of course now the Sharks. When asked about Kunin the veteran forward said “He’s [an] absolute team guy. I love the guy, everybody loves him. He brings the physicality, does the right things on the ice all the time. That’s what you need and that’s the type of guy this organization needs as well.”