2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
C Joe Pavelski (37 G, 33 A, 70 P)
RW Logan Couture (27 G, 40 A, 67 P)
C Joe Thornton (16 G, 49 A, 65 P)
LAST SEASON
The San Jose Sharks had a rather disappointing 2014-15 season, compared to past ones. They're usually known as a playoff team, but despite having a decent record of 40-33-9, they lost out in the tough Pacific Division and unfortunately failed to qualify for a playoff spot. Their underperformance was enough to earn them the 9th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. This season would end the NHL's second longest playoff streak at 10 years, and despite player shifts including moving forward Brent Burns to defense, it wasn't enough to earn the Sharks a spot in the playoffs.
Trades made during the season included swapping young defensemen with the Dallas Stars in mid November, sending Jason Demers along with a third round pick to the Stars in exchange for Brendon Dillon. They brought back former goaltender Evgeni Nabokov for two days before announcing his retirement from the NHL, and also made several depth moves including trading James Sheppard to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 4th round pick, sending Freddie Hamilton to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Karl Stollery, acquiring Ben Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Andrew Desjardins, and finally trading Tyler Kennedy to the New York Islanders in exchange for a 3rd round pick.
They ended up finishing 5th in the Pacific Division, and after the season finished, it became evident that with aging superstars, GM Doug Wilson had to make a decision on whether to rebuild with the Sharks or keep pushing for a playoff spot.
OFFSEASON
IN
Joonas Donskoi
Patrick McNally
Martin Jones
Paul Martin
John McCarthy
Mark Cundari
Joel Ward
Frazer McLaren
OUT
Sean Kuraly
Antti Niemi
Scott Hannan
Matt Irwin
John Scott
Travis Oleksuk
Taylor Fedun
Rylan Schwartz
Taylor Doherty
Eriah Hayes
Daniil Tarasov
The Sharks began their offseason with a coaching change, mutually agreeing with longtime head coach Todd McLellan to part ways, and bringing in former New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer. At the NHL Draft, they were met with something they weren't used to, which was an early first round pick. They used their first round pick at 9th overall to select winger Timo Meier from the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. Heading into free agency, GM Doug Wilson showed that he wasn't ready to rebuild his team by bringing in veteran defenseman Paul Martin along with forward Joel Ward. Other than that, they were pretty quiet with their signings, besides bringing back former enforcer Frazer McLaren.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The Sharks added to their offense the following season, and did not lose anybody key via free agency or trades. Joel Ward will look to make an impact wherever he plays in the upcoming season, while the rest of the Sharks offense will be led by veterans Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski. Tomas Hertl will look to rebound in his third NHL season, while prospect Nikolay Goldobin will push for a spot in the lineup on opening night.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The Sharks lost a few pieces to their defensive core, but they also added a couple of worthy players to replace those lost. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns will lead the charge defensively for the Sharks, while newly acquired veteran Paul Martin will also look to make an impact. Look for prospect Mirco Mueller to work hard at training camp to solidify himself a spot on the opening night roster.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
With longtime goaltender Antti Niemi out of the picture, newly acquired Martin Jones will look to get most of the starts for the Sharks in between the pipes, with Alex Stalock backing him up. If either were to get injured, Troy Grosenick will be waiting for the call to replace them.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Joe Pavelski - Joe Thornton - Logan Couture
Patrick Marleau - Tomas Hertl - Joel Ward
Matthew Nieto - Chris Tierney - Melker Karlsson
Raffi Torrey - Ben Smith - Tommy Wingels
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun
Paul Martin - Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon - Matt Tennyson
Martin Jones
Alex Stalock
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