Last summer, the San Jose Sharks signed defenseman David Schlemko to shore up their third defense pairing. The duo of Brenden Dillon and Roman Polak had been exposed in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final against the speedy Pittsburgh Penguins, and Schlemko’s skating ability was expected to provide a boost on third pairing.
That’s precisely what happened, as a noticeably-improved Dillon thrived alongside his new defense partner, and the two finished second and third among Sharks defensemen in both relative and on-ice corsi for and fenwick for percentages. For the first time in years, the Sharks had a truly reliable third defensive pairing.