2014 NHL Offseason Rankings: Pacific Division
7. San Jose Sharks
Mar 24, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks center
Tommy Wingels(57) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 2-1 in the shootout. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks are truly in an awkward phase at the moment. Their current core has been together for quite some time but has yet to deliver a Stanley Cup, or even a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Are the Sharks a piece or two away from making a run at the Cup or are they at the start of a rebuilding project?
The problem with answering that question is the fact that the former is true, but management didn’t do anything about it.
Rumors swirled around captain Joe Thornton but he is staying, proving San Jose isn’t ready to give up just yet. However, the team failed to improve in any aspect of the game. The defense has been thinned with the departures of Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart. Nothing was added offensively to support Thornton, Logan Couture, and Patrick Marleau.
The only major move was bringing back Tommy Wingels. That’s not necessarily a poor move, but if you’re in the Cup-winning business, more needed to be done and the Sharks failed to do so.