Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what might have been.
This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky.
San Jose Sharks:
How They Finished: 48-25-9 105 points
1st in Pacific Division, 2nd in Western Conference.
What Went Wrong:
It seems like we ask this question every spring.
The Sharks have a great regular season and we all think this is the year they finally breakthrough only to watch them trip and fall over their stick in the playoffs.
In all fairness they did make the Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row and this time they won a game in the series so some progress is being made.
That being said the one thing the Sharks do better than any other team in the NHL is find a way to underachieve in the playoffs.
It's hard to pinpoint why this team keeps failing. They have three great lines that can score, a steady group of defenseman and they finally have a goaltender that has proven he can win in the playoffs.
It wasn't until I heard an interview with with NHL Hall of Famer Denis Potvin that I realized what the Sharks problem was.
They're mentally weak.
That's what Potvin said in the interview and after watching this series he couldn't be more right.
In Game 2 the Sharks took 10 penalties, three of which lead to Power Play goals for Vancouver & 3 game misconducts.
In Game 3 Jamie McGinn received a 5 minute major for boarding which resulted into two power play goals for Vancouver & almost cost the Sharks the game.
In Game 4 Vancouver scored three power play goals within a two minute span and all three of the power play goals came with two Sharks in the penalty box.
Mental breakdowns & dumb penalties are the main reason why San Jose is no longer playing. You may be able to get away with that early on in the playoffs but it will catch up with you eventually.
Where Do They Go From Here:
That is a tough question to answer if you are a Sharks fan.
They changed coaches three years ago. Turns out that wasn't the problem.
They changed goaltenders this year. That didn't help although in all fairness Antti Niemi is an upgrade over Evgeni Nabokov.
The next step is to change the core of the team but I don't see that happening.
The big three of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley & Patrick Marleau are locked up together for the next three years and all three have a no trade or no movement clause.
Joe Pavelski & Ryan Clowe each have three & two years respectfully left on their contracts. While they could be moved I don't see the Sharks trading either one.
Devon Setoguchi is a restricted free agent while Logan Couture still has a year left on his deal before he becomes a RFA.
The only forwards who are unrestricted are Ben Eager, Scott Nichol, Jamal Mayers & Kyle Wellwood. All nice players but none of which I would go out of my way to re-sign.
Things are a little thinner on the blue line as Ian White, Niclas Wallin & Kent Huskins all are free agents. Dan Boyle, Marc Vlasic, Douglas Murray, & Jason Demars should all be back with the Sharks next season. The only defenseman I would make an effort to bring back is White.
In goal Niemi is signed for the next four years. He wasn't as great as he was with Chicago last season but he was solid & should keep San Jose as one of the elite teams in the West.
The projected cap space for San Jose next season is 7.5 million so they should be able to tweak the roster to some extent but with their core players locked in for the next few years the Sharks may have no choice but to stay the course.
That plan hasn't worked yet but the talent is there for it to happen. All the Sharks have to do is play smart & become mentally strong.
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