ST. PAUL, Minn. — Every year a segment of the Sharks fan base chooses a player to villainize on social media. John Scott played the bad-guy role during his time in San Jose, Micheal Haley served as public enemy No. 1 a couple years ago and Dylan DeMelo took a lot of heat last year from fans eager to see Tim Heed in the lineup.
Now, without an easy target, the choir of online critics is going after Melker Karlsson, a player who happens to be the embodiment of the Sharks identity under Pete DeBoer. The coach and his players are befuddled.