The San Jose Sharks are making a smart decision by choosing to challenge Joe Thornton and quite frankly the rest of the team by stripping away the letters on the sweaters.

When the Sharks suffered a historic collapse in this years Playoffs (going up 3-0 on LA, only to lose four straight) it was quite clear that this team, which has perpetually underwhelmed in the Playoffs was due for some changes. What that meant was unknown and there had been rumors of shipping out one of or both of Thornton and Marleau to shake up the core of the Shark team.

However it was a symbolic change as opposed to a physical change that took place when it was announced the Sharks would be stripping their "leader" and going into camp with no Captain; opting to give the leadership opportunity to all members of the Sharks.

This move is smart for a variety of reasons:

1. Trading Joe Thornton and/or Patrick Marleau would have been from a position of weakness and would've set the Sharks back as a team. As it is they are entering into a grey area in terms of their opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. Perpetual Regular Season Champions who have become the easy pick as the team to underwhelm in the Playoffs. Why does it happen year after year? Is it the players on the team, the goaltending, the coaches, the GMs inability to make quality moves at the deadline or was it the lack of leadership coming from the "leaders" of this team to help push them over the cliff of success? It is likely they still don't know, but by doing this move the Sharks are avoiding a hair trigger response and giving the team as a whole the opportunity to circle the wagons and come back stronger. The window is still open a crack and the opportunity is there for San Jose, this was a smart move to not dismantle that, but you get the sense that one more disappointment is one disappointment too many.

2. By taking the 'C' away from Thornton it does make it easier to trade him as the season progresses. If Thornton responds negatively to this so-called demotion then the Sharks will no longer be trading away their Captain, and that is just good P.R.

3. The Challenge has been thrown and it is sink or swim for all involved. The chance at Stanley is like a rollercoaster; it comes and it goes in the blink of an eye (just ask Vancouver) and by throwing this challenge on the players the Sharks are challenging everyone in that dressing room to be better. It is incumbent upon the players themselves to find success and this is McLellans way of saying that the leadership needs some fresh faces and needs to be earned, so earn it. Kind of how you have to earn the Stanley Cup.

4. Teams before the Sharks have made similar moves with success. The Anaheim Ducks stripped Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger in back-to-back seasons, the New Jersey Devils stripped Patrick Elias and way back in the day even Joe Sakic (one of the greatest Captains of all time) was stripped of the captaincy by the Quebec Nordiques and don't forget that San Jose stripped Patrick Marleau of his Captaincy just a couple years ago. The point is that this type of thing happens, it doesn't mean the world is ending; it simply gives a fresh start to the former Captain and the rest of the team.

Wrap Up

This was a strategic move by a Head Coach that understands the volatility of the situation he is in. The window is closing for all involved in San Jose and this will either be the move which sets the team on the path to success, or the move which sets the team on the path to full scale change, either way it will have an impact in San Jose.