*Regular Season Finish: 1st in Western Conference, President’s Trophy’*Postseason Finish: Eliminated in Western Conference Quarterfinals’
| San Jose Sharks | San Jose continues to be one of the most frustrating NHL franchises to get behind, as they have, for the fourth straight season since the lockout, recorded over 99 points in the regular season, yet failed to make any real progress in the postseason. A team that lost only 18 games in regulation all season long was unceremoniously ousted in the first round of the 2009 playoffs by an Anaheim team that simply outworked the Sharks all over the ice. The prospects for 2009-10 don’t look much better, as the Sharks have rightfully drawn criticism from all avenues, most importantly their ownership and upper management. GM Doug Wilson expressed his extreme displeasure at the lack of success in the playoffs, and promised major changes in the upcoming offseason. However, there have been very few moves made, and none that could be described as making San Jose a more solid competitor. > |
One of the first moves the Sharks made was to cut veteran center Marcel Goc and youngsters Lukas Kaspar and Tomas Plihal. One of the primary concerns for the Sharks was the retention of promising forward Ryane Clowe, who broke out for 22 goals and 52 points last season. Other than that, the Sharks’ roster doesn’t look much different than it did when play ended for them in April. Veteran Mike Grier was released to free agency, and agitator Scott Nichol was signed away from Nashville, hopefully to create some character and attitude in a franchise that seems to be flush with talent but short on heart.
It does appear that Jonathan Cheechoo will be headed for greener pastures, most likely in the Eastern Conference, but nothing has been hammered out as of yet. The Sharks have also been rumored to be in the mix as one of the teams interested in acquiring disgruntled superstar Dany Heatley. However, my question is, on a team that already has plenty of scorers that can’t seem to dig deep in the playoffs, does adding a star winger who refuses to play for his current team really sound like the right move?