SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Sharks made a lot of people look bad last season. Those who didn't pick them for a run at the Stanley Cup (as I did) still admired the ripening of what was assumed to be the next Western Conference titan.
After six years of progress, what happened? One thing is certain: the Sharks sucked in their own zone, joining the worst in the league on defense and penalty killing. They were also easy pickings on the road. In other words, San Jose somehow degenerated from a model of skill, experience and youth to just another bad hockey team.
A painstakingly built roster was undone in one horrific year. The coaches and general manager were fired. Several veterans, including captain Owen Nolan and scoring whiz Teemu Selanne – who had taken a pay cut to stay with such a promising team – were discarded.
The sudden purge means young players like Patrick Marleau and Brad Stuart move from supporting to leading roles, whether they’re ready or not. It also means the future arrives a lot quicker than anyone in San Jose had planned. The team will be a little less patient in sizing up 21-year-olds like Brad Boyes and Christian Ehrhoff.
Aside from remaking the forward lines, San Jose must grapple with a mystery: How did they turn so porous so quickly? With respected names like McLaren, Stuart and Rathje on defense and Nabokov in goal, surely the Sharks can avoid another season-long collapse inside their blue line.
But all the respected names didn’t count for much last year. On too many nights San Jose was just plain lousy, disorganized on the attack and lacklustre on defense. Did they stop working? Lose faith in the game plan? Disintegrate in the face of expectations?
With the benefit of a fresh start and some hard lessons learned, the Sharks should at least halt the slide. If they can’t, we can only conclude that these guys – or what’s left of them – simply aren’t as good as everyone thought.
Trouble: The commitment to youth leaves the team thin on the wings, where unknowns like Goc and Dimitrakos replace celebrities like Nolan and Selanne.
On the Spot: With Nolan gone and Vincent Damphousse aging, centerman Patrick Marleau is expected to take over as Mr. Shark. A six-year NHL vet at the age of 24, he has yet to put together a full-throttle season.
The Forecast: A decent core remains, but the transition to a new generation and a return to playoff form will take at least a couple of years.
The Call: 12th in the Western Conference.
Who's in:
Forward Alex Korolyuk (returned from Europe)
Left winger Scott Parker (trade from Colorado)
Who’s Out:
John Jakopin (free agent to New York Rangers)
Right winger Teemu Selanne (free agent to Colorado)
Left winger Adam Graves (unsigned free agent)
2002-03 Regular Season Numbers:
Payroll:
$47,760,000 11th overall
(Hockey News, November 15/02. Bonuses not included.)
- Record: 28-37-9-8 for 73 points.
- At home: 17-16-5-3.
- On the road: 11-21-4-5.
- Finish: 25th overall, 14th in the Western Conference, 5th in Pacific Division.
- Goals for: 214 (2.61 per game), 15th overall.
- Goals against: 239 (2.91 per game), 26th overall.
- Goal differential: Minus-25, 21st overall.
- Power play: 18.1 percent, 9th overall.
- Penalty kill: 81 percent, 30th overall.
Goaltending:
- Evgeni Nabokov, 55-19-28-8, 2.71 GAA, .906 SV PCT, 3 SO.
- Miikka Kiprusoff, 22-5-14-0, 3.25 GAA, .879 SV PCT, 1 SO.
- Vesa Toskala, 11-4-3-1, 2.35 GAA, .927 SV PCT, 1 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Right winger Teemu Selanne, 82-28-36-64.
- Power play points: Center Vincent Damphousse, 82-15-19-34.
- Game-winning goals: Vincent Damphousse, 6.
- Ice time: Defenseman Scott Hannan, 24:15 per game.
- Plus/minus: Left winger Marco Sturm, plus-9.
