Getty Tomas Hertl remains the subject of trade rumors as the San Jose Sharks starts the season.
The San Jose Sharks are ready to just play hockey amid a myriad of off-ice distraction.
In 2021-22, most Sharks games will be televised in local markets on NBC Sports California, while some games will be nationally televised on NHL Network (usually out of market only, but those will also be on NBC Sports California), TNT or ESPN.
Additionally, every out-of-market game (and some nationally broadcast games) will also stream on ESPN+, which replaces NHL.tv this season.
Whether you live in the Sharks market or somewhere else in the United States, here’s a full rundown of the different ways you can watch every Sharks game live online without cable in 2021-22:
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If You’re in the Sharks Market
Note: A couple Sharks games this season will stream exclusively on ESPN+ nationally with no blackout for in-market viewers. The following options are for how to watch all other in-market games:
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports California (local markets), ESPN, NHL Network and 100-plus other live TV channels (no TNT) on FuboTV. NBC Sports California and ESPN are included in the “Starter” package, while NHL Network can be added with either the “Extra” or “Sports Plus” add-on.
The base channel package and any add-ons can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Sharks games live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most games on-demand within three days of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN and TNT are included in all of them, NBC Sports California (local markets) are in “Choice” and up, and NHL Network is in “Ultimate” and up.
This is the only streaming service with all of NBC Sports California, ESPN, TNT and NHL Network:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Sharks games live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports California (local markets), ESPN, TNT and 65+ other TV channels (no NHL Network) via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Sharks games live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
If You’re out of the Sharks Market
ESPN+
You can watch every out-of-market, non-nationally televised NHL game (over 1,000 games total) on ESPN+, which replaces NHL.tv this season and is a must-have for any NHL fan in the United States:
ESPN+, which also includes about 75 exclusive national NHL games, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary in existence and additional original content (both video and written), costs $6.99 for a month or $69.99 for a year (or about seven cents per NHL game if you want to look at it that way).
If you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three streaming services would cost a total $20.97 per month, so you’re saving about 33 percent:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch every out-of-market Sharks game live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Sharks 2021-22 Season Preview
San Jose gets its season started without one of its biggest stars while another inches toward the trading block.
Sharks leading scorer and left wing Evander Kane remains out during the NHL’s investigation of his off-ice conduct. Head coach Bob Boughner has his team focused on starting an 82-game season instead.
“We’ve sort of kept that as a small thing that we can’t think about right now, and we didn’t want any distractions,” Boughner said according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. “We had so much work to do and everything was so fresh. That part of it took care of itself.”
“We’re sitting here today, and no one knows anything, more or less, what’s going to happen. I think the guys are in a good spot, though. They’ve done their job, they’ve worked hard, had a good camp and let the rest take care of itself.”
Part of that crew includes center Tomas Hertl, who could end up with another team this season because of becoming a free agent after the season. The key for the Sharks to keep him is win.
“I wonder if San Jose will want to re-sign me and if I’ll want to stay there,” Hertl informed MF DNES in the Czech Republic via NHL.com’s Brian Witt. “I don’t want to have it in my head, I don’t want to be influenced by anything like that. I will start the season and let’s see how it works out. If I change teams, I’ll be looking at places where there is a chance to win. The other thing is if those teams would want me. It’s complicated, but who knows? Maybe San Jose has a plan and I don’t fit into it for them.”
Hertl had the second-highest point total last season for the Sharks at 43. Third-leading scorer Logan Couture returns after a 31-point season.
San Jose added Nick Bonino, who had 26 points for Minnesota last season. The veteran center signed with the Sharks as a free agent in the offseason. The Sharks also signed center Andrew Cogliano, who had 11 points for the Dallas Stars last season.
Goaltending also got a boost from free agency with Adin Hill and James Reimer signing. Hill went 9-9-0 with a .913 save percentage and 2.74 goals allowed average for Arizona. Reimer went 15-5-0 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average.