30 teams in 30 days: San Jose Sharks
Finished: 1st in the western conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Anaheim
Leading scorers: Joe Thornton 86, Patrick Marleau 71, Devin Setoguchi 65, Joe Pavelski 59
Who did they add?: Scott Nichol
Who did they lose?: Travis Moen, Brian Boucher, Jeremy Roenick
Overview: Playoff disappointment, two words heard very often when talk of the Sharks arises, was once again brought up last season. Cruising to a first overall finish in the west, the Sharks looked like a team that would cruise through the playoffs and finally capture that elusive conference finals (no, not a typo). Loaded with talent and with the luxury of a roster that could literally do it all, they clashed with the Ducks, and lost 4-2. When I say ‘do it all’, i wasn’t really referring to choke in the playoffs, but i guess that could be included in the description. With a forward group led by Joe Thornton, one of, if not the most dominant players in the league and followed up by the likes of Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and rising stars Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski, the Sharks looked poised to score a lot and often during the playoffs as they did during the season, but that was not to happen. With the departures of Mike Grier and Jeremy Roenick, look for the Sharks offense to be filled with even more scoring youth, they should be formidable. The defense is led by Dan Boyle and Rob Blake. Blake surprised a lot of people by putting up 45 points last season, and was also solid in his own end. Following them up is Brad Lukowich, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Christian Ehrhoff and Douglas Murray. San Jose has one of the best, most well-rounded group of defensemen in the NHL and if they stay healthy, should be a tough group to score against, while also putting up numbers of their own. The goaltending is led by yet another star, Evgeni Nabokov, and is backed up by young tender Tomas Greiss. Last season, when Nabokov faltered, Brian Boucher was there to backstop the Sharks and put up stellar number. It is unclear if Greiss can back up Nabokov at the same level, and if Nabby isn’t stellar, the Sharks could be in trouble. The Sharks have been pegged as cup contenders for the past 3 years, but each of those years has ended in an early, disappointing and ultimately anti-climactic exit. I think i will go out on a limb and say that the Sharks can win the Cup this year. I hope I am not disappointed once more.
Winners or losers?: Losers. The Sharks have not yet added a proven playoff performer, who could possibly aid with their playoff woes, but will hopefully be on the hunt during the regular season. They are also in on the Heatley sweepstakes, which would be a good fit for the Sharks, but let’s hope he doesn’t dismantle a very tight locker room.
