2009-2010 San Jose Sharks Preview

The Sharks have become the NHL’s poster child for expansion into warm weather climates. One of the original expansion franchises from the early 1990s, the Sharks have had success on and off of the ice and routinely play in front of large and boisterous crowds in the Shark Tank. The big question now is whether the team can finally get over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Looking Back at 2008-2009

The Sharks were the best team in hockey last year, winning the President’s Trophy with a 53-18-11 record, good for 117 points. Led by dynamic centers Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, the Sharks finished 7 th in the NHL in goals and were among the favorites for the Stanley Cup entering the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Sharks flopped in the first round and were eliminated by the Ducks and embarked on an offseason of discontent.

The Offseason

The biggest rumor all summer involved the Sharks dealing either Marleau or Thornton and both were stripped of their leadership positions on the team. San Jose also underwent a massive overhaul, allowing Marcel Goc, Lukas Kaspar, Travis Moen, Kyle McLaren, Mike Grier and Brian Boucher to leave as free agents. The Sharks also bid farewell to retiring veterans Claude Lemieux and Jeremy Roenick. San Jose completed their overhaul by dealing defensemen Brad Lukowich and Christian Erhoff to Vancouver for picks and prospects, largely to alleviate salary cap concerns.

To offset their losses, the Sharks made a surprisingly small number of moves, the most notable of which was the addition of Jed Ortmeyer and Scott Nichol up front. This was a surprise considering the defensive depth chart without Lukowich and Erhoff but the Sharks were clearing salary space and are in good position entering the season.

But the biggest move of all was a September trade for mercurial superstar Dany Heatley, who was acquired for Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek. Frankly, acquiring Heatley seems a big heavy-handed because the Sharks needed defense more than anything else but there is no doubt that they’ve acquired one of the league’s best goal scorers.

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2009-2010 Outlook

There will be few teams in the league that can match the Sharks’ top end scoring talent. Their top six forwards will be Thornton, Heatley, Marleau, Devin Setoguchi, Ryan Clowe and Joe Pavelski, who combined for 180 goals and 225 assists last season! That’s a ton of scoring power and the Sharks will undoubtedly finish the season among the league’s most dangerous offenses.

The blue line is where the Sharks might have some trouble. Dan Boyle, Rob Blake and Marc-Edouard Vlasic give them a solid trio but there isn’t much depth or experience beyond. The Sharks are going to be young this season and I’ll be shocked if they don’t make a deal at some point for some blue line help.

The good news is that keeper Evgeni Nabokov is one of the best goalies in hockey and can be counted on to play a ton of games at a very high level. However, there is some concern that he’ll tire by the time the playoffs roll around and considering that his backup will likely be a rookie, this is another position that the Sharks would be wise to pick up some depth.

PREDICTION: The Sharks are the Washington Capitals of the Western Conference: They have a ton of elite scorers and they’re going to win a lot of barnburners. However, the Sharks are much stronger in goal with Nabokov and should win a ton of games again this season and they’re my pick to finish 1 st in the Pacific Division.

However, this strikes me as a team that is currently built to succeed in the regular season instead of in the playoffs with its significant lack of depth on defense and one major injury to any of their top three puts them in a serious bind. I can see the Sharks progressing through a round or two in the playoffs but they’re not going to get by Detroit or Vancouver unless they shore up the blue line.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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