SAN JOSE -– At the beginning of the month, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer laid out what he wanted to see from one of his young defensemen in order to lock down that rotating sixth spot on the blue line.
“In order to get that benefit of the doubt you’ve got to string together eight or 10 really good games. That’s just the reality of it,” DeBoer said on Dec. 2.
Fast forward four weeks later, and Dylan DeMelo is emerging as the player that’s been able to do that. Wednesday’s game against the Flyers marked the ninth straight that the 22-year-old has been in the lineup, paired with Brenden Dillon on the team’s third defense pair.