Team Preview - San Jose Sharks

09/10 stats
51-20-11 (113 points)
Regular season: Western Conference: 1st Overall: 2nd
Playoffs: 8-7-2 (Eliminated by the Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final)

  Not too many teams head into the 2010-2011 season with Stanley Cup Championship expectations as high up as the San Jose Sharks, as they head into their 20th year of existence.

  Last years’ efforts saw the Sharks as dominant as we’ve seen them over the past handful of seasons as they conquered the Western Conference in the regular season for the second year in a row, and fourth year strait with 107 points, plus. Their regular season achievements would see them all the way to the Western Conference Championship Finals against the eventual Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks. They managed to outwork the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Semi Finals in five, but would then suffer a sweep at the hands of the Blackhawks for a chance to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup. You wouldn’t expect that a sweep would account for a good, hard fought series, but it was. San Jose played the Blackhawks tough, but at the end of the day it just wasn’t enough. 

  There is a certain stigma on this organization that they just can’t seem to shake. The end of each successful regular season only begins with the looming question “is this the year San Jose finally takes it?” The answer, year after year, is no. The follow up question is “what next?” and year after year the answer is subtle changes. This off-season is a shade different as a couple of the changes are quite significant, but the team overall looks a bit softer than they did last year. The Sharks were due for an off-season shake-up, and they began from the goal crease out.

  The end of the season signaled the end of an era for two guys in particular, and some roster tweaks for the Sharks. It became apparent almost instantly that 10 year franchise Sharks’ goaltender Evgeni Nabokov would not be returning to Sane Jose, and 20 year NHL veteran defenseman Rob Blake would retire.

  The short list of players leaving through free agency is; Manny Malhotra, Jed Ortmeyer, Jody Shelley, Joe Callahan, Ryan Vesce, and Dwight Helminen. Brad Staubitz was dealt to Minnesota on the off-season for a draft pick, Rob Blake has retired, and Evgeni Nabokov has now signed in Russia.

  On top of the players making their respective exits, President and CEO of the Sharks Greg Jamison would also step down after 14 years of handling day-to-day operations. Jamison will remain with the organization and still is a member of the ownership group in Silicon Valley. It will be announced shortly who will replace him.

“I have immensely enjoyed running this franchise and wish to thank the ownership group for their support and cooperation,” said Jamison. “Our team, both on and off the ice, is set up for success moving forward, and I look forward to assisting my fellow partners in a more limited role.” 

  Despite rubbing shoulders with the (salary) cap ceiling for some time now, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has made some important deals on the off-season. He will be repeatedly questioned about his decisions until his efforts pay off with Stanley Cup success.

  After Doug Wilsons playing career ended in 93’-94’ as a member of the San Jose Sharks, the same organization would hire him in 2003 as general manager. His tenure with the Sharks has been incredibly impressive as he turned the organization completely around and into a consistent Stanley Cup challenging team and have never come anywhere close to missing the Playoffs under his reign as GM. Still, the answer the fans are looking for is a Cup, and Wilson believes he has the key pieces in place to make that happen. His choices to sign, re-sign, and negotiate deals has focused around a particular group in San Jose that seems to have the heart of the city, but not the complete faith. Wilson’s words echo his belief that this is the team that can get it done.

“We have a structure in place and that’s what we’ve been doing with all our players,” Wilson said. “We’ve been doing this for six or seven years. Contracts have to have a relationship to their teammates because ultimately what we’re trying to do is keep this group together. We’re coming into a wonderful time with this organization where we have a four-to-five year window and they wanted to be a part of it,” he continued. “This sent a strong message to their teammates and to the fans that this is where they wanted to be.”

  One of his best hires was that of head coach Todd McLellan two years ago. McLellan led the Sharks to their first Presidents Trophy in his inaugural year as a head coach after winning the Stanley Cup as the assistant coach (to Mike Babcock) of the Detroit Red Wings the year prior. The Sharks have won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (top team in the West) both years under McLellan, with a more than impressive record of 104-38-22. McLellan has benefitted from Wilson’s great structuring and had a lot of tools to work with in his two years with the Sharks, but McLellan’s success doesn’t rest entirely on Wilson’s shoulders. McLellan is a smart coach, and a proven winner. He’s motivated to bring the Cup to San Jose, and if there’s someone likely to do it on the bench for the Sharks it’s likely him.

“I definitely believe in this group.“  McLellan said after the sweep suffered by the hands of the Hawks. “But when you're in between those walls, in those bricks, you know, we believe in that group. We have that experience now. You know, we've gone through that. Maybe we can expand on it.”

  Wilson had a tough decision to make when it came to which player he would re-sign. It was clear it was either Marleau or Nabokov. Many thought neither would be back, but GM Doug Wilson was quick to make his opinion known. He has put his faith in 31 year-old Marleau, and was able to re-sign him to a four year deal. Probably more notable was the contract renewal of Joe Pavelski for the exact same (four year) term. Jason Demers was re-signed for two, and Devin Setoguchi , Scott Nichol, Niclas Wallin, Jay Leach, Derek Joslin, Steven Zalewski, and Andrew Desjardins were re-signed to one-year contracts. Free-agents Atntero Niittymaki, Cam MacIntyre, and Mike Moore were signed for two years while free-agents Jamal Mayers, Antti Niemi, Carter Hutton, T.J. Trevelyan, and Sean Sullivan were signed for one year. Newcomers’ Taylor Doherty, Marek Viedensky, Harri Sateri, Tony Lucia, and Nick Schaus were inked to entry-level contracts.

  Evgeni Nabokov will not be in net for the San Jose Sharks next year. In fact, he won’t even be in the NHL. Nabokov has signed a four-year $24 million contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.

  Nabokov spent 10 years in San Jose after being drafted late by the Sharks (219th overall) in 1994. Nabokov quickly became one of the faces of this franchise and quickly established himself as one of the best in the National Hockey League. In 563 games with the Sharks he recorded a 293-178-37 record with a 2.39 goals against average, .912 save percentage, and 50 shutouts and even scored a goal in the 2001-2002 season against the Vancouver Canucks.

  His overall Playoff numbers don’t look bad on paper. In 80 games he’s gone 40-38 with a 2.29 GAA, .913 save percentage and 7 shutouts. The 38 losses, however, have been spread out among his 9 attempts (10 appearances, but only played 1 game in 99’-00’) at Lord Stanley’s Cup and he has come up short every time. For this reason, and for his recent cap hit of $5.375 million, Doug Wilson opted out on re-signing the Russian goaltender.

"It was an interesting decision, a hard decision for me, but I'm also excited right now," Nabokov said. “I just need to move on with the rest of my life and make the decision that’s best for my family. That’s part of the business and we’ll see how the things are going to go.”
“For me personally,” he added. ” it’s been good years in San Jose. This organization has been nothing but good to me and I have no regrets.”

  Nabokov’s departure from the NHL is very sad for me and many fans alike. His unique style and dominant play have been a treat to watch over the past ten years. His move to Russia is good for him as he will be going back home and bringing his family with him. Nabokov has appeared for his country twice in the Olympics and loves Russia dearly. At 35 and having signed a 4 year contract, we will likely never see Evgeni back in the National Hockey League. His Stanley Cup dream has come to an end.

“We’ve made the decision to go in a different direction on the goaltender,” Wilson said. “Nabby has been outstanding for the organization and has been a big part of our successes. I have great respect for him as a man, as a player and as a teammate. Our team is trending up, and Nabby definitely deserves credit for that.”

  The Finnish connection in San Jose has continued after the departure of veteran Evgeni Nabokov.  The call to walk away from Nabokov was narrowed down to his drop-off in post-season production, as he allowed 12 goals in the four games against the Hawks, and cap dollars. Nabokov made nearly $6 million last year, and the suggested $4 million he could have made (according to reports) with the Sharks has been spent in goaltending in the form of two Finns; Antero Niittymaki and Antti Niemi, who collectively make that amount.

  Niittymaki was the first to sign via free-agency to a two-year contract at $2 million per-season. The 30 year-old played for a much worse team last year, in the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 49 games he recorded a 21-18-5 record with a 2.87 GAA and .909 save percentage. Niittymaki heads into his 7th year pro after playing 210 career NHL games split between Philadelphia and Tampa. Antero looked great last year for the Lightning and should provide some solid and consistent play in the blue paint this coming season. The Sharks went even further with their off-season free-agent frenzy as they snatched up the Chicago-removed free-agent Finn, Antti Niemi.

"We liked our goaltending as of yesterday. We like it even more today," general manager Doug Wilson said. "When a player like this comes available and he wants to come to your team, especially on a contract that we feel fits our salary structure and you don't have to give up anything to get him you just have to make it happen."

  Now, the tandem of net minders reads a ‘tale of two Finns’ as Niemi joins up with Niittymaki for a very interesting and very different year in goal for San Jose. Niemi played a vital role in the Semi-Finals last year for the Chicago Blackhawks en route to a Stanley Cup Championship in his debut season. Little did he, or much anyone else, know just one year later he would be playing for the same team he helped knock out in the Western Conference Semi-Final in a 4-0 sweep. Niemi posted a 16-6 record in the playoffs with a 2.63 goals against average and .910 save percentage with two shutouts. He stopped 44 shots in Game 1 for a 2-1 victory, and 44 shots in Game 2 in a 3-2 overtime victory, and stopped 129 of 136 shots in that matchup. Wilson said Niemi’s performance was “etched in my mind.”

"He made some big saves in key times," Wilson said. "Our staff is very well aware of him. We took a look at a lot of footage not only in that series."

   27 year-old Niemi played just 42 games in his rookie season last year posting a 26-7-4 record with a 2.25 GAA and .912 save percentage over the 39 games after he overtook Cristobal Huet’s job as the number one in Chicago. He showed a lot of promise and maturity in that year and despite having some technical issues within his game, he is poised to stay in the NHL and not be labeled as a one-hit-wonder.

"I thought for me it would be really important to go to a really good team and also a really good organization," Niemi said. "They really wanted me there too. It wasn't too hard a decision after all."

  The Sharks plan to challenge seriously for the Stanley Cup next year, and should they win, Antti Niemi will be in quite an elite class. He will be the only goaltender in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups for two different teams. He would be only the 12th player ever to accomplish the feat, but surprising the second player all time to do it his rookie and sophomore years. His only accompaniment: Jack Marshall, who was the first do it when he won in 1901 with Winnipeg, and 1902 with Montreal. Quite a feat, indeed.


 Doug Wilson will leave it up to Coach Todd McLellan to split up the ice time between the two Finns and now third string, Thomas Greiss.  The 24 year-old German looked strong in 2009-2010 posting a 7-4-1 record with a 2.69 GAA and .912 save percentage. Greiss is the odd man out for now, but is a big part of San Jose's future. Greiss will make his way down to Worcester for the better part of the season now being the odd man out in a crowded mix of goaltenders trying to work their way up from the AHL. Greiss heads into the last year of his contract and will be a restricted free-agent at season's end.

The Sharks have seemingly thinned out on the blue-line, and despite having some great prospects coming along and joining the NHL club, they could probably use a bit more size and veteran smarts. The big loss for the Sharks on defense was that of veteran defenseman Rob Blake.

  Rob Blake announced his retirement on June 18th after 20 remarkable years in the National Hockey League.

“I was very fortunate to play 20 years in the NHL,” said Blake. “I would like to thank Doug Wilson and the San Jose Sharks for allowing me this opportunity to say thank you to the teammates and organizations that have helped make this a very memorable journey. I also want to thank my family for all of their support throughout my career.”

  Rob Blake will go down as one of the best offensive defenseman in the history of the NHL. It is a hard loss for the San Jose Sharks, but a harder loss for the NHL. Remarkably, his 20 years was split only amongst three teams; Los Angelis, Colorado, and San Jose. Blake was drafted by the Kings in 1998 in the 4th round, 70th overall, and spent his first 11 years with the Kings, and would later re-join them in 2006 for an additional two years. During his tenure with the Kings he won his only James Norris Memorial Trophy in 97’-98’. His only Stanley Cup came with the Colorado Avalanche in 2000-2001. He would go to the Olympics three times in his career, winning the gold medal in 2002, and appear in the NHL All-Star games 7 times. Blake scored 240 goals and 537 assists for 777 points in his 1,270 NHL games. His point totals place him 18th all-time for defensemen, his goal mark ranks him tenth all-time, and his 136 power play goals place him third all-time among blue-liners. His 1,270 games places him 20th all-time, and his 3,896 shots make him the fourth highest in attempts by any NHL defender. Blake is one of only 24 players in hockey history to join the “Triple Gold Club”, winning a World Championship (Canada, 1994 and 1997), Olympic Gold Medal (Canada, 2002) and the Stanley Cup (Colorado, 2001).

“What Rob Blake has accomplished over the course of his hockey career speaks for itself,” said Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson. “The standard that he helped bring into our dressing room will be felt by our organization and players for years to come.

“Rob is a prime example of what is great about the game of hockey – the best players never act like they are bigger than the game. He had the ability to lead in the dressing room not only because of his elite skill level but also because his blue-collar heartbeat allowed him to relate to and earn the respect of all of his teammates.

“Rob is not only a tremendous player but a tremendous person and we congratulate him, his wife Brandy and their family, on a remarkable career.”

  Blake, 40, spent the past two seasons in San Jose and was named team Captain on Sept. 30, 2009. In 143 games with the Sharks, he posted 75 points (17 goals, 58 assists) along with 170 penalty minutes and was a -29 rating.

  The Sharks will miss everything he brought to their team in terms of leadership and production, but all of the NHL will miss everything he brought to this great game that he so dearly loved.

  Doug Wilson made a splash when he attempted to sign restricted free-agent Niklas Hjalmarsson to an offer sheet worth $3.5 million for four years. The effort would not pay off for the Sharks as the Blackhawks matched the offer to retain the young and promising defenseman, but as many have speculated to be intentional, this did open the door for the Sharks to scoop up Niemi as the very cash-strapped Blackhawks could not afford to retain his services.

  Dan Boyle heads up this Sharks’ defense as the most experienced and proven defenseman on the roster. Boyle led all defenseman on his team, was 4th overall (on team), and 4th among all NHL defensemen in points as he notched 15 goals and 43 assists for 58 points. He led the entire team, and was 4th in the NHL in average time on ice at 26:12. He was also 2nd on his team, just one point shy, in terms of powerplay points with 29. Boyle, 34, heads into his 12th year in the NHL and is a great leader by example on the team. He is Stanley Cup winner (2004, Tampa) and aside from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau is the most likely to dawn the ‘C’ this coming season. The highlight of his season was the fact that he won the gold medal with fellow countrymen Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Danny Heatley in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Marc-Edouard Vlasic partners Boyle on the top line after a great fourth year pro, his best of his career. In 64 games “Pickles” scored 3 goals and 16 points with a team leading +21 rating. The 23 year-old Montreal native showed vast continued development and promise on the blue line for the Sharks, and with 3 years remaining on his deal he is set to be a cornerstone for a long while. Also with three years remaining on his contract, Douglas Murray (30) had an impressive year for the Sharks last year notching 4 goals and 17 points with 66 penalty minutes. Murray was 4th overall of defensemen in terms of time on ice, and will likely slide up to the priority spot on the second-pairing. Murray is a rock solid 6’3 240lbs. Swede that can deliver bone crunching hits and solid, smart play in his own zone.

  Kent Huskins and Niclas Wallin will be vying for the other spot on the second pair, both heading into contract years. In the first year of his two year contract with the Sharks, Huskins recorded a career high in points, 22, and played a real solid defensive game despite missing 47 regular season games and 6 playoff games with a broken foot. The 31 year-old late bloomer will head into his 5th year in the NHL with high hopes of a contract renewal, much-less a Cup, at the end of the season. 35 year-old 9 year veteran Niclas Wallin will be pushing him for ice time. Wallin was acquired in February in San Jose’s efforts to secure their defense ahead of the Playoffs. Wallin can move the puck and play a smart defensive game, but he also incurred injury as he missed 12 regular season games and 7 playoff games due to a lower body injury.

  Beyond those top five, Jason Demers, Jay Leach, and Derek Joslin round out the Sharks defense as of now. All three players are more than capable NHL’ers with a varied amount of experience to each one respectively. Surprisingly enough the most NHL games (played) experienced one of the bunch is 31 year-old late bloomer Jay Leach. After being drafted by the Coyotes in 1998, Leach has bounced around to Boston, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, New Jersey, and Montreal. He was waived by New Jersey in November 2009 and claimed by the Canadiens who waived him in December, allowing the Sharks to pick him up scot-free. He played 12 games in the AHL last year, and 35 (7 for Montreal) in the NHL. He signed a one-year contract with the Sharks in July at a bargain price of $500,000. Jason Demers is the most likely of the three to be on the ice through the season. The 22 year-old 7th round (186th overall) draft pick of San Jose left an impression in his rookie campaign. He tallied 4 goals and 21 points in 51 games, and followed it up with 15 post-season appearances notching a goal and four assists. Though he’s still young and learning, he is particularly effective on the powerplay where he can distribute and shoot the puck effectively from the point. The least NHL-experienced defenseman among the three is 22 year-old Derek Joslin. He appeared in 24 games for the Sharks last year scoring 3 assists, but spent most of his time in the AHL where he went 5-27-32 in 55 games while reaching a +15 rating. Both of these kids are young, big (200lbs.-plus), and smart defensively. They will both have full time roles in the NHL at some point, the later being Joslin, and it will be interesting to see what they make of their ice time this coming season as both the aging Huskins and Wallin have expiring contracts.

  The defense looks good, but the Sharks could definitely use a larger bodied defender with puck-moving ability within their top-four. It was reported Andreas Lilja has been invited to training camp just days ago, and could be exactly what the Sharks need to sure up their experience and size on the blue-line. Lilja has ties back to Detroit with head coach Todd McLellan, and will stand a great chance at cracking this lineup.

  The San Jose offense has a very different look to it through the bottom six, but the top six remain the exact same. There is logic to it, as San Jose finished 4th in the NHL in goals for with 257, 167 of which were scored by the top-six.

  Big Joe Thornton led his team in points for the fourth year strait with 20 goals and 69 assists for 89 points and he tied for second, just one point shy, in overall powerplay points with 29. He followed up his regular season with just 3 goals and 12 points in 15 playoff games. His plus/minus was the biggest drop-off in the post-season going from a +17 to a -11 rating. Every time San Jose is targeted for ridicule, Joe Thornton tends to be one of the primary talking points. Whether it’s luck or an actual degradation from regular season to post, Joe Thornton has not been able to account for ultimate success. He is a commanding presence, at 6’4 235lbs. Joe can hit, win draws, score goals, play both sides of the puck, and is an elite (if not the best) natural passer. Thornton was rumored to be on his way out after six straight years of missing the finals, and heads into a contract year. It being his last year contracted, it very well may be his last chance to redeem himself with a Cup and a hopeful contract extension. Thornton has two of the best natural goal scorers on either side of him in Patrick Marleau and Danny Heatley. Marleau, 31, signed an important (to the success of the Sharks) four-year contract extension on the off-season at $6.9 million per-year. Marleau had a phenomenal 12th season in the NHL as he led his team, and was 14th in the NHL in goals scored. He tallied 44 goals and 39 assists for 83 points, tied for the team lead in plus/minus with a +21 rating, was second best in game winners with 6, and led all Sharks forwards in time on ice. Marleau is an elite forward with exceptional puck skill and vision. It’s amazing how at only 31 years of age Marleau can (provided he stays healthy) reach the 1,000 game mark this coming season. In 953 games Marleau has 320 goals and 693 points. Danny Heatley is the other offensive mega-star on the top line. In his first year with the Sharks he recorded 39 goals and 43 assists for 82 points while leading the team in game winners with 9, and powerplay points with 30 (18 of which were goals). Heatley has one of the best shots in the NHL, and can find or make a pass from anywhere on the ice. His play is timely and effective, and as his contract runs through the duration of Marleau’s (four years) he will surely have continued success and with the team and is hopeful for the Stanley Cup that he hasn’t yet achieved. All three of these top line forwards united on the same line for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics combining for 7 goals and 14 points in the 7 game tournament, bringing the gold medal to their home country on home soil.

  Joe Pavelski was just as big of an off-season re-signing as Patrick Marleau as he signed a four-year contract extension worth $4 million per-year in late June. Pavelski, 26, had a great year for the Sharks despite some injury setbacks. He tallied 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in just 67 games, was third on the team in faceoff win percentage (58.1), and tied Ryan Clowe for the team lead in shoot-out goals (3). Pavelski’s biggest accomplishment was his post season production as he scored 9 goals and 8 assists for 17 points in 15 games which was team leading, and he also led the team in plus/minus with a +6 rating. Pavelski showed he didn’t lose a step after the injury he sustained to his foot in October, and bettered himself as an overall player. Pavelski also took home the silver medal for his country in the 2010 Winter Olympics where he notched 3 assists and a +2 rating. 27 year-old left winger Ryan Clowe provided scoring and checking support to Pavelski all season long on the second line. Clowe had a career high in points as he scored 19 goals and 57 points, and led his team in penalty minutes with 131. At 6’2 225lbs. Clowe has shown himself to be the perfect compliment to a skill center like Joe Pavelski over the past two years. His big body presence also pays dividends to serve a smaller sharp shooter in Devin Setoguchi. Setoguchi slumped a bit from his sophomore year where he scored 31 goals and 65 points, to his junior season where he posted 20 goals and 36 points. The 1st round draft selection of the Sharks in 2005 still did reach 20 goals last year with 4 game winners and is a young prized possession of the Sharks’ future plans. Setoguchi, 23, re-signed on the off-season to a one year $1.8 million contract and will be a restricted free-agent at the end of the year.

  The third and fourth pairings are in no way set. The loss of Manny Malhotra is as big as it gets in terms of third line presence, and the absence of bangers/grinders’ Jed Ortmeyer, Brad Staubitz, and Jody Shelley will surely be miss as well.

  Likely to center the third or top checking line will be center Scott Nichol. 35 year-old 10 year veteran Scott Nichol matched his career high in points (19) and racked up 72 penalty minutes. Nichol took the second most faceoffs on the team and was second best in percentage won on the draw. Nichol played big minutes against other teams’ skill players and was a force on the penalty kill. Nichol isn’t the biggest guy on the team but he plays much bigger than his 5’9 180lbs. frame and can deliver punishing blows to opponents at any time. Nichol signed a one-year contract extension in June and will be an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the year. 22 year-old Jamie McGinn showed a lot of promise in his sophomore season. McGinn is a prototypical all-around player in the NHL with a good scoring touch. McGinn is a great skater and can cycle the puck well and was really effective as a penalty killer. McGinn scored 10 goals for 13 points and notched 38 PIMS in 59 games. McGinn has a future in San Jose and is ready to work for it. McGinn is in a contract year and is set to become an RFA at season’s end, and Doug Wilson will surely want and need to lock him up with an extension. Free-agent forward Jamal Mayers has joined this team on the off-season signing a one-year contract worth $600,000. He was moved last year in the Phaneuf deal to Calgary from Toronto, and between the two teams accounted for 3 goals and 14 points. He notched 131 penalty minutes, and his role for the Sharks surely won’t change. Although Mayers is more likely to slide into the fourth pairing, the mention of these three players together could make for a punishing checking line.

  The better idea through the bottom two lines is to spread out the aforementioned tough guys in order to play alongside San Jose’s depth skill players. Torrey Mitchell’s NHL career has been plagued with injury. After missing the entire 2008-2009 season, he would miss 19 games last year with a knee injury. Mitchell scored 2 goals and 11 points in 56 games for the Sharks last season and showed some amount of promise in his potential to get better. Mitchell is a speedy center that scored heaps of points as a kid, but one more injury filled season could see him out sooner than later. He especially will be feeling the pressure as 21 year-old 2007 9th overall draft pick Logan Couture has come along swimmingly. After scoring 287 points in 232 games in the OHL for Ottawa, he embarrassed the AHL goaltending with a 20 goals and 33 assists in just 42 games last year. He was called up to the Sharks March 18th, and in his first 25 NHL games he scored 5 goals, 4 assists, with a +4 rating. He furthered his rookie achievements by scoring 4 goals in the Playoffs, one of which was a game winner. Logan plays both ends of the ice superbly, and his offensive touch is obvious by looking at his numbers. He has top-six potential, and is likely to actually center the third line this year as he out-paced Torrey Mitchell and even Patrick Marleau in faceoff win percentage. Young and upcoming prospect forwards Frazer McLaren, Benn Ferriero, and John McCarthy all head into contract years. McLaren is the most likely to get the 12th spot on the roster after he appeared in 23 games in his rookie campaign. The 6’5 250lbs. Winnipeg native has a great outlook on becoming a sturdy power forward in the NHL. He is a forechecking enforcer that really only needs to work on his skating ability to become a main stay on the club. Benn Ferriero’s a much smaller player in stature, but plays huge and is a very tenacious player that is ever willing to take punishment in front of the net to open up scoring chances for his linemates. Ferriero and McLaren definitely have a future with this club, the question is how ready they are for significant raises in ice time. Benn played 24 games last year for the Sharks posting 2 goals for 5 points. T.J. Trevelyan, John McCarthy Andrew Desjardins, Steven Zalewski, and Cam MacIntyre stand much less of a chance at breaking this roster, but will be the first call-ups in case of serious injury.

  I personally don’t see where the Sharks have improved their team. The Sharks have done a great job building through the draft and brining up young and promising players like Jason Demers, Jamie McGinn, Derek Joslin, and Torrey Mitchell. Where they could fall is in these young players experience level and ability to win. The onus is on the Sharks’ top-six, still, the same top-six that failed them in the post season last year. The significant difference on the roster in terms of post-season is the ex-factor of their new and potentially improved goaltending tandem of Niittymaki and Niemi.

  What could complete this roster? Two things, actually; A top-four defenseman with a combination of size and puck moving ability such as Andreas Lilja, and a veteran and proven presence on the third line. The guy that sticks out in my mind like a neon yellow day-glow jacket in a jungle somewhere is veteran Owen Nolan. Nolan unbelievably still is without a contract for this coming season. Nolan spent 8 of his 18 years in San Jose and was loved by everyone. Owen plays a fierce game and still is very productive on the ice. He scored 16 goals and 33 assists last year for the Minnesota Wild, and 25 goals for 45 points the year before. San Jose has just over $1.6 million free on the cap, and at 38 I don’t see Nolan commanding the better of it. Honestly, if you’re going to sign Jamal Mayers when you have tough guys in your system already, why the hell wouldn’t you offer a contract to bring Nolan back for a Cup run? If it does happen, it will make for one of the great stories in the National Hockey League and be an outright pleasure to watch every night.

  San Jose can leave the roster just as it is and still challenge seriously for the Cup. They should, by all means, be finishing among the top overall in the NHL and will surely push deep into the Playoffs, but all that has been said for many years before. The verdict is out on the Sharks ability to win the Cup, which is the only thing coming into question is San Jose. If they can’t, don’t run out and buy a Joe Thornton jersey any time soon.

- Kendall Grubbs

Transactions to Date:
In
Atntero Niittymaki
Jamal Mayers
Antti Niemi
Mike Moore
Carter Hutton
T.J. Trevelyan
Cam MacIntyre
Sean Sullivan
Taylor Doherty
Marek Viedensky
Harri Sateri
Tony Lucia
Nick Schaus

Out
Rob Blake
Evgeni Nabokov
Manny Malhotra
Jed Ortmeyer
Brad Staubitz
Jody Shelley
Joe Callahan
Ryan Vesce
Dwight Helminen