The San Jose Sharks suffered what was maybe their most disappointing Playoff performance ever this past season (and that is saying a lot considering how they have been Cup favorites every year for what seems like the past 8-10 years). This year they were one win away from knocking out the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. Blowing a 3-0 series lead is a historical achievement, a terrible one, but one nonetheless.

Since that disappointment the rumours of a change in direction have been running rampant in San Jose. More of a culture change than a rebuild. The problem is that they have been such a successful regular season franchise, and the danger with tinkering in today’s NHL is that the competitiveness of the league could mean you tinker yourself out of the Playoff picture. San Jose must take a measured approach to change, and not shake the foundation to much. They remain a competitive team, one of the best possession teams in the NHL, and with a couple tweaks should be challenging for the Cup again next season.

So what changes are coming, and what options are out there?

Move Made

The big move made was the trade of Dan Boyle. Boyle is set to become a costless agent as of July 1, and the Sharks made it clear they have no intention of resigning Boyle after trading his rights to the Islanders. Boyle is getting up there in age at 37, and is coming off a pretty decent season, but his effectiveness as a top pairing guy is dwindling. This past season he posted 36 points in 75 games, a CF% of 53.0%, a CF% Rel of-1.0%, had 52.1% of his zone starts come in the offensive zone, and was playing against weaker competition, he also had 66% of his ice time come from the power play. He is essentially becoming a power play specialist, and the Sharks have decided that they need to part ways with this player. So that was move one.

More Changes Coming

Coaching Non Change: There were rumours abound that Head Coach Todd McLellan would be making his exit, but GM Doug Wilson chose to keep his Head Coach in the fold. This is surprising and not surprising. Changing the Head Coach can be a risky proposition, especially for a team that is consistently at the top of the standings. This upcoming season will likely be make or break for McLellan.

Havlat Buyout: Martin Havlat has been a severe disappointment as a Shark. It is hard to think of a skill player who suffered as much injury problems as Havlat has in his career. He was an incredible skill player, and was deadly when off the IR. The problem is that he makes $5 million per season. He hasn’t played more than 50 games in quite some time, and despite being a good point producer, San Jose appears ready to part ways with the oft-injured Havlat. They are trying hard to find a trade partner right now, but by Friday we should see Havlat on the waiver wire for the purpose of a compliance buyout.

Thornton? Marleau? The Sharks are also apparently willing to part ways with Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau. This comes as a surprise as both players have been great Shark players, and are still very capable. This past season Marleau scored 70 points in 82 games, had a CF% of 53.1% and a CF% Rel of -0.6%. Thornton meanwhile scored 76 points in 82 games, had a CF% of 58.3%, a CF% Rel of+6.8%. The problem is that both players are under contract until 2017, each making north of $6 million per season. The culture change that San Jose is apparently looking for relates to these two guys. The Sharks are ready for the young players on their team to take control and hope that by trading one of Marleau or Thornton that they will be able to add an exceptional player, with a different mentality and attitude. It is risky to trade any of your best players, and San Jose needs to ensure they get full value should they decide to make this move, otherwise they may find themselves down the road to rebuilding.

Targets

The Sharks need a couple pieces that would have helped immensely in this past post-season. Antti Niemi was a disappointment, and the Sharks are likely in the market for an upgrade in that position. The names on the market aren’t spectacular, Ryan Miller is getting up there in age and is likely not an upgrade, Jonas Hiller is out there but he could be more costly than the Sharks like. Cam Wards name has been floated as a possible buyout in Carolina, and should that happen the Sharks may take a look at signing him to battle for the net with Niemi and Stalock.

Brent Burns is a guy that has played both forward and defense in the past couple of seasons, a natural defender, he found success with Joe Thornton offensively. He is probably better suited as a defender though. The Sharks have some holes in their top 6, especially if they decide to move a Thornton or Marleau. They will need to target someone either through trade or costless-agency, to help top up their top 6.

A big issue for San Jose is on defence. In the post season when Marc Edouard Vlasic went down to injury, the series took a considerable shift. There was nobody in the lineup capable of filling the massive hole left. This off-season there are many names floating around that could fit the bill. Dion Phaneuf, Brian Campbell and Alex Edler are all possibilities on the trade market, with Phaneuf being maybe the best fit. The Sharks need a guy that is capable of replacing the power play minutes left behind by Boyle, and Phaneuf brings the ability to play 25+ minutes per night in all three disciplines. He has a booming shot from the point and has a nasty streak that might serve San Jose well against the likes of LA and Anaheim, two teams not afraid to get dirty.

On the costless-agent market there are second tier options. Anton Stralman has seen his stock rise through these playoffs and will be highly sought after. He is not a top pairing guy, but he is a very solid top 4 option and brings a suffocating defensive minded style to his game. Matt Niskanen is another option, but Niskanen is coming off an absolutely fantastic season, and he is gonna get paid. The price tag may scare the Sharks off and have them looking elsewhere.

With the idea of trading Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau, conventional wisdom would see the Sharks targeting a return which includes a solid defender to add to their mix on the back end. The Sharks are blessed with some very good young players. Tommy Wingels, Logan Couture, and Tomas Hertl are all great players with room to grow. Injuries have seen some of the progress slowed, but it is hard to ignore the skill and abilities of these young players.

Wrap up



This player usage chart is incredible. Nearly all blue (meaning they were dominating puck possession) and all of their top 6 players were getting the strongest competition, with the worst zone starts, and winning that possession battle. Make no mistake this is a very good team. There are definite improvements that can be made, but it must be tempered with caution.

The Sharks must be careful with this off-season. They cannot afford to let a disappointment in the post-season force a bunch of knee jerk reactions that cripple this team. There are options out there in costless-agency to improve this team, however the lack of cap space is a hindrance. They are still competitors in the Western Conference, and if they tinker with what they have too much, they may find themselves down a road that pushes them even further away from their Stanley Cup dreams.

This article uses charts and information from extraskater.com and capgeek.com**