Although he didn’t finish the season with particularly impressive offensive numbers and struggled down the stretch, Dainius Zubrus was a massive upgrade over players Pete DeBoer had played on the Sharks’ fourth line prior to his November signing. Mike Brown and Micheal Haley were tough guys who chased the puck, and Barclay Goodrow couldn’t translate his AHL success into a long-term stint in the NHL. Zubrus represented one thing above all else in the bottom six: stability.
Zubrus finished the season with a Corsi For percentage just under 50%, and a Fenwick percentage just above. Just playing even with his opposition was an asset for the Sharks this season, and represented a massive improvement over the players the Sharks had deployed on their third and fourth lines the previous season (no disrespect to All-Star game MVP John Scott).