San Jose Sharks: Offseason Roundup
After the most-heartbreaking postseason exit in franchise history, the San Jose Sharks arrived at the metaphorical mirror, requiring a long, hard, self-reflective look.
And then came away thinking heck, let's have another run at it.
In truth, general manager Doug Wilson was prepared to implode the perennial playoff contenders, but with his trigger finger on the detonator, a pair of no-trade agreements diffused the situation and San Jose's roster demolition was temporarily aborted.
Offseason Roundup
Two weeks after the dust from the Los Angeles Kings' three-games-to-none rally settled, Sharks' ownership awarded Wilson, and the full coaching staff - including head coach Todd McLellan - another reprieve. Majority owner Hasso Plattner stated that the club's hockey operations were kept intact after the general manager vowed to make bold roster decisions.
Unable to convince the two aforementioned players with no-trade clauses - Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau - to bite on a trade, Wilson fell short of the intrepid, but there were still casualties to be had in San Jose. They quickly cut ties with veterans Martin Havlat and Dan Boyle, issuing their second compliance buyout to the former, and trading the negotiating rights of the latter to the New York Islanders.
In a reactive decision to Boyle's departure, the Sharks decided to move Brent Burns back to the blue-line after a 22-goal, 48-point season on the wing.
As trade rumors surrounding Thornton persisted into June, a player not subject to any trade chatter - forward Logan Couture - underwent surgery to repair an injury to his hand.
Wilson then locked up goaltender Alex Stalock with a two-year, $3.2 million deal. The journeyman goaltender posted a 12-5-2 record with a 1.87 goals against average and 0.932 save percentage in 24 appearances and is expected to receive ample opportunity to steal the starter's position from incumbent Antti Niemi out of camp.
San Jose then swung a deal with Western Conference powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks on draft night, trading down to No. 27 and selecting offensive weapon Nikolay Goldobin. The Russian forward scored 38 goals and 94 points in 67 games for the Sarnia Sting last season.
As expected, the Sharks were quiet July 1, but did get a bit younger on the blue-line. Shortly after trading 34-year-old veteran Brad Stuart to the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose signed 26-year-old defenseman Taylor Fedun, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers, to a two-way deal.
The Sharks' big free-agent splash came a day later when Wilson signed the monstrous John Scott. The 6-foot-8, 270-pound heavyweight winger will police for $700,000 on a one-year deal.
The Sharks then went to work on their restricted free-agent class. They agreed to a three-year, $7.4-million extension with center Tommy Wingels and re-signed left winger James Sheppard to a one-year, $1.3-million deal before reaching a two-year, $6.8 million pact with defenseman Jason Demers.
Their most-noteworthy offseason decision came without transaction, when the club stripped Thornton of his captaincy, a role he held since 2009. San Jose will conduct an open competition in camp for the honor of wearing the C. A competition that, rather inexplicably, doesn't exclude Thornton. He can earn the letter back should he prove that he is indeed "the guy," according to McLellan.
The Sharks finally opened up the vault in late August, preventing Justin Braun from seeing the bright lights of unrestricted free agency with a five-year, $19-million extension. The 27-year-old defenseman played in all 82 games last season and showed significant strides on both ends of the rink, finding an offensive stroke while playing against the opposition's top talent.
Key Additions
F John Scott
D Taylor Fedun
Key Departures
F Martin Havlat
D Dan Boyle
D Brad Stuart
2014-15 Outlook
It's easy to be down on the Sharks following an offseason where the West's elite continued to load up on artillery, while the Sharks recycled some veterans.
However, in being forced to keep Thornton and Marleau, the Sharks maintain a strong mix of capable veterans and burgeoning stars in their top-six and a blue-line laden with manageable talent still rounding into peak form.
San Jose shouldn't be expected to requite for how it all crashed down last season, but don't expect this team to fall of the cliff - even if they are the third-best team in the state of California.