SAN JOSE SHARKS

2005-06 Recap

Record: 44-27-11, 99 pts (2nd Pacific Division, 5th Western Conference)

Playoffs:

1st rd def NSH 4 games to 1
2nd rd lost to EDM 4 games to 2

Goals For: 266 (7th overall)
Goals Against: 242 (9th overall)

Power Play: 18.2% (T-11th)
Penalty Killing: 80.7% (23rd)


2006-07 Preview

Key Additions: LW/C Mark Bell (trade from Chi), C Curtis Brown (UFA, Chi), RW Mike Grier (UFA, Buf), D Mathieu Biron (UFA, Was

Key Losses: D Tom Preissing (trade to Chi then Ott), LW Nils Ekman (trade to Pit), C Alyn McAuley (UFA, LA), LW Scott Thornton (UFA, LA)

RFA left to sign: none


Offense: Mark Bell is pegged to join Thornton and Cheechoo, in what could be a skilled, dominantly physical line. The second line of Patrick Marleau, Steve Bernier and Milan Michalek isn’t anything to be sneezed at. Grier and Brown join super-pest Ville Niemenen to from a crash line that will provide energy and the odd goal.

Defense: The late season addition of Hobey Baker award winner Matt Carle and Josh Georges added a mobile, offensive element to the stalwart defensive presence of Kyle McLaren and Scott Hannan. Add in Christian Erhoff, Doug Murray and Rob Davison and you have one of the top defensive units in the league. Carle’s emergence allowed San Jose to deal Tom Preissing for Mark Bell.

Goaltending: Two goalies, one crease. If Toskala and Nabakov can coexist, the best tandem in the league could be in the Sharks’ presence. If one of them is traded, Nolan Schaeffer showed in a call-up last season that he is ready for the NHL. Crowded crease could cause problems.

THE BIG QUESTION: Is there a better 1-2 tandem in the middle than Thornton and Marleau? Not right now, as Marleau is vastly under-rated and Thornton is the reigning scoring champ. Not since Sakic and Forsberg and Yzerman and Fedorov has a team been so stacked down the middle. Most teams would kill to have one of these players as their number on pivot.

Synopsis: The Sharks will be very good. They have improved from the team that lost in the playoffs, but so have some other teams, most notably the Ducks in their own division. They will be tooth and nail for the division title, and come April will be one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup.