How a Change in Leadership Has Benefitted the San Jose Sharks

After the Anaheim Ducks eliminated the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs, questions were raised as to whether this team could ever succeed in the playoffs.

General Manager Doug Wilson promised that the team would be re-assessed in the offseason and that there would be changes coming.

Various Sharks fans were calling for Patrick Marleau, Evgeni Nabokov, and even the centerpiece of the franchise, Joe Thornton to be traded. They had their reasons, as the trio had histories of inconsistent playoff play and Nabokov was coming off a very poor showing against the Ducks.

I was hoping that none of these moves would be made, as I believed that the talent was there to make a playoff run, the Sharks just simply needed an attitude change once they reached the playoffs. They lacked the desperation that teams need to make it far in the playoffs.

What Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan did in the offseason is the main reason why the Sharks are awaiting the Canucks or Blackhawks in the 2010 Western Conference finals.

Wilson signed key free agents in Manny Malhotra, Scott Nichol, and Jed Ortmeyer. These players have served great roles on the third and fourth lines by adding their grit and tenacity.

Wilson then had to ship off Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich, both quality defensemen, to the Vancouver Canucks for two prospects to clear up cap room. He used that cap room to pull off the best trade in franchise history. He acquired Dany Heatley and a fifth round pick from the Ottawa Senators for a second round pick, a rapidly declining Jonathan Cheechoo and a fairly talented winger in Milan Michalek.

By landing Heatley, Wilson added a proven playoff performer and one of the purest goal scorers in the NHL to an already dominant line of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Being able to retain Marleau and also add Heatley was a fantastic move by Wilson.

Todd McLellan then stripped Patrick Marleau of the captaincy over the summer, which I believe is the main reason for the Sharks current success in these playoffs. It’s not so much Patrick Marleau’s poor leadership, because I do believe he is still one of the leaders in the locker-room. However the impact that Rob Blake and Dan Boyle have had by being the Captain and Assistant Captain has been immense. It has fundamentally changed the style of hockey the Sharks are playing in these playoffs.

Both Blake and Boyle have hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup before in their careers, so they have the experience and knowledge it takes to lead a team to the Cup. The Sharks have shown more resiliency than ever before in the playoffs, and I largely believe it is due to the attitude change that Blake and Boyle have implemented in the locker-room.

The Sharks have already faced adversity in these playoffs, with Boyle’s own goal in game three of the Avalanche series and their most recent 7-1 blowout loss against the Red Wings in game four of the semi-finals. But after these losses the Sharks showed resiliency, didn’t drop their heads and pulled out huge victories the games after.

After the Avalanche loss, the Sharks knew they had dominated the game, as Craig Anderson had turned away an amazing 51 shots. They kept confident in their system and style of play, so they were able to pull out an overtime win in game four. After that game I remember Dan Boyle saying something along the lines of, “We’re going to celebrate in that locker-room for about two minutes, but then we’ll get serious and focus. Because we still have work to do, this series is absolutely not over.”

This attitude of playing with desperation every night has changed the way the Sharks play and has made them one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs thus far.

Blake and Boyle’s leadership roles on the team are the biggest reason for the Sharks current playoff run. If the team can continue to keep playing with resiliency, which they have shown with multiple come from behind victories thus far, their run can continue.

The Sharks are one of the, if not the, most talented teams in the NHL and if they keep their style of play consistent, they may finally bring home a certain piece of hardware that their beloved fans in the Bay Area would love to have.