No one questions Nikolay Goldobin’s offensive acumen. The Russian scored 44 points in 60 American Hockey League games and tallied two points in his first nine NHL contests. The defensive side of his game remains a question mark, though how much weight we should give that side of the ice given his immense offensive gifts is subject to debate.
I think it’s reasonable to say Goldobin must improve defensively to make this iteration of the San Jose Sharks. Peter DeBoer is a defensive-minded guy who wants two-way players on the ice, something you can see based on the way he deploys players at 5-on-5 and in penalty killing.