This is Sharks Territory
By Gabe Diamond
It’s just about that time of the year now, when the temperature starts getting a little colder in most hockey cities. The northerners get out of the cold and onto the ice, watching the world’s best in action. But lest we forget, the north does not own every hockeytown in the nation. There are a few teams out west that would have something to say about that.
San Jose, California, is a temperate city with a large surrounding population and a hunger for the Stanley Cup. Although Joe Thornton is able to walk the streets without constant recognition, don’t be fooled. In San Jose and the nearby areas, there are plenty of front lawns donning signs that unequivocally declare, “This is Sharks’ territory.”
But what does that mean exactly? In recent years it has signified a team that is one of the best, if not the best, in the regular season. But come playoff time, everything changes. The Sharks turn into a frightened team, devoid of leadership, that appears unable to take it to the next level. It’s almost as if the lockout came at the exact wrong time for San Jose; the year before, the Sharks were in the conference finals. Since then, they have been unable to make it past the second round. The postseason for the San Jose Sharks went as follows from the 2005-06 season to the 2008-09 campaign: lost to Edmonton in the second round (six games), lost to Detroit in the second round (six games), lost to Dallas in the second round (six games), and just to finally break the cycle, lost to Anaheim in the first round (but still six games).
Somehow, some way, the team must find a way to snap out of this funk. General Manager Doug Wilson was furious with the team after last year’s loss to Anaheim, a year when they took home the President’s Trophy for best overall record in the regular season. He promised big changes in the offseason and made it clear that no player was safe. And so the fans eagerly anticipated the imminent moves. They waited. And waited. And finally… Scott Nichol! Wait, what? That was the big move? Not that I don’t have respect for the former Nashville Predator, but most were hoping for something more than a 5’9” forward whose career high in goals is ten.
Then things did start happening, though. It took until late August, but all of a sudden defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich were gone to Vancouver in exchange for center Patrick White and D Daniel Rahimi. That trade was obviously not overly advantageous for San Jose, but it did clear up plenty of cap space. Ehrhoff and Lukowich were solid players for the Sharks, but their inability to help on offense became abundantly clear in the postseason. Ehrhoff in particular showed many of the passing errors that had brought him doubters in the past.
And then it happened. Wilson made the big move to trump all others, acquiring the Prima Donna right wing with one “n” too few in his name. German born Dany Heatley gives the Sharks the consistent top-line scoring threat that the team has lacked. Previously, various players had benefited from the on point passing of Thornton, but with Heatley they hope to have a guy who can enjoy 40+ goal scoring seasons repeatedly. The concern, of course, is that Heatley gets disgruntled with the situation in San Jose as he did with that of Atlanta and most recently Ottawa. But for now, that top line of Thornton, Heatley, and Devin Setoguchi (who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season last year with 31 goals) looks quite formidable for any opponent.
No benefit is without its cost, of course. The Sharks had to give up wingers Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek to snag Heatley. Cheechoo, who reached his peak in ’05-’06 when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 56 goals, had seen a diminished role on the team after injuries and other opportunistic forwards took him down. After his glorious ’05 campaign, he fell to 37, 23, and finally 12 goals in subsequent seasons. The bigger loss in this case was Michalek. At just 24 years old, Michalek had shown remarkable consistency, scoring 26, 24, and 23 goals in the past three seasons. Can Heatley completely offset the combined contributions of those two? That remains to be seen.
What also remains to be seen is if the Sharks can succeed beyond the regular season largely relying on the same top players. Thornton still anchors the first line; Patrick Marleau lost his spot on line one but will still see plenty of time on line two; and Evgeni Nabokov will still get showered with chants of “Nabby, Nabby” when he makes a great save.
Despite this nucleus that remains unbroken, the Sharks do appear to be a very different team. Marleau has lost his Captain’s tag (rightly so), and there have been significant changes to the roster. The Sharks will give some of their minor leaguers a shot this year, including wingers Jamie McGinn and Brad Staubitz, who showed potential in short spells with the Sharks last season. McGinn had 19 goals and 11 assists for the Worcester Sharks last year, and although Staubitz was goalless last year with Worcester, he adds another enforcer type to a Sharks lineup that looked vulnerable at points in the playoffs.
Wilson and the sharks also made it clear who was in favor with the team. San Jose resigned Ryan Clowe and Torrey Mitchell to four and three year contracts, respectfully. The versatile Clowe will most likely retain his spot on the second line, and it’s possible that Mitchell could be moved up to line two as well. The only certainties for the Sharks appear to be the first line, and reigning all-star Marleau getting the center spot on the second line. Otherwise, get in line boys. There’s something to compete for.
Expectations will be high this year. They should be. San Jose will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the regular season. But with Joe Thornton at the helm, and Patrick Marleau (who many thought would be gone this offseason) skating on that proverbial thin ice, can this team finally break through and get to the cup finals? No Sharks team has ever done that before, and if this one can’t, it might be a while until one does.
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