s/t to Guest Writer Mitchell Sansader.
For the last few
seasons, the San Jose Sharks have been one of the most successful teams in the
Western Conference in the NHL. They have a lot of talent on offense and
defense, but they have been unable to break through and actually win a Stanley
Cup up to this point. While there are many people expecting them to have
success this upcoming year, there are reasons to be a little bit concerned.
Everything
looked good last year when they were able to accumulate 111 points in the
regular season. However, a 1st round playoff exit definitely has people a
little bit worried about the future. They have plenty of fantasy hockey talent, but they are in the middle of a
tough stage. They are not exactly rebuilding, but they are trying to make a few
The biggest
thorn in the side for San Jose has been the Los Angeles Kings. For the last 2
seasons, the Western Conference rival has not been out of the playoffs. The
potential is definitely there for San Jose to get by Los Angeles, and it all
starts with fantasy hockey standouts Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. They
need to be better players in pressure situations in order for everything to
come together. The Pacific division is definitely not going to get any easier
anytime soon, so it will take an entire team effort to have success.
There will
certainly be some optimism surrounding the squad, but there is really no reason
to be optimistic about what they bring to the table. It is much easier to count
on other teams in the Pacific division that have had success in the playoffs
before. San Jose needs to prove themselves before they can truly move into that
elite team status.
