San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, April 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(The 2014-15 NHL season is nearly upon us, and attempting to handicap the winners and losers can sometimes leave us speechless. So we decided to break down all 30 teams with the next best thing to words: Emojis!)

Last Season In Emojis

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Last Season, In Summary

The San Jose Sharks went 51-22-9 last season, finishing second in the Pacific Division. Joe Pavelski led the team with 41 goals, Joe Thornton led the team with 65 points. Brent Burns made an effective transition to forward with 22 goals. Assistant coach Larry Robinson’s defense was exemplary, particularly the play of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who earned Norris consideration with a plus-31.

They drew the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and took a 3-0 series lead, outscoring the Kings by a 17-8 margin.

The NHL was so impressed with that performance that it ended the playoffs early and handed San Jose its first-even Stanley Cup, along with a certificate stating that the Sharks were the “Super Awesomest Non-Chokers” in League history.

Or at least that’s what we heard happened.

Might have gotten some of the details wrong.

Last Season’s Definitive Highlight

Off-Season Transactions

The utter shock of blowing a 3-0 series lead against the Kings led to one of the strangest offseasons for any team in the NHL.

GM Doug Wilson trumpeted “drastic” changes for his team, calling out players that were too comfortable living in San Jose.

He later walked back both comments.

Wilson went to bat for Todd McLellan, the team’s beleaguered coach, who returns for his seventh season. McLellan’s big move was taking the captaincy from Thornton, although there’s a chance he could earn it back in the preseason.

Two big name veterans were jettisoned: Dan Boyle, who signed with the New York Rangers; and Martin Havlat, who took a buyout and signed with the Devils. Brad Stuart was shipped to the Avs.

A few big hitters were added to the lineup: John Scott, the former Sabres pugilist, signed a 1-year deal. Ditto Micheal Haley of the Islanders. They brought back Mike Brown for two years.

But other than that, no “drastic” changes in personnel. Just big talk about how the team’s leadership and culture would change.

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Thornton and Patrick Marleau are still here thanks to their contracts and no-move clauses. Jumbo is coming off a stellar season that earned him Hart consideration, although once again his playoff output was under the microscope at three points in seven games and a minus-6. Marleau had 33 goals and 37 assists, anchoring a second line with Logan Couture (23 goals in 65 games).

Story continues