San Jose Sharks: 5 Players Key To Stanley Cup Run

Home to one of the most lethal groups of top six forwards in the league, the San Jose Sharks boast an array of high-end offensive weapons.

After some serious roster tweaking by GM Doug Wilson this offseason, they now have a deep and balanced group of defensemen patrolling the back end. 

The Sharks are once again considered to be among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season by pundits and fans throughout the hockey world.

The perennial contenders have never brought home a Cup in franchise history and, though they came very close the last two seasons, their window is closing. 

With a prospect pool severely lacking in elite talent and a core that is steadily aging, it's now or never for the Sharks.

If they hope to finally bring Lord Stanley's Cup home to San Jose this July, they will need a strong and consistent effort from each of their players throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

They will be counting on some of their new additions and young players to take on bigger roles with the team. 

Here are five players who will be heavily relied on by the Sharks this season and must perform if the team hopes to be successful in their quest for the Stanley Cup. 

Dan Boyle

Dan Boyle is San Jose's undisputed No. 1 defenseman. He plays in all situations and is a crucial part of their power play. 

Arguably among the league's top 10 blue liners, Boyle is a respected leader in the Sharks' dressing room and is one of their fiercest competitors. 

Without Boyle's poise, skating ability and offensive prowess, San Jose's blue line would be lacking versatility and their transition game would suffer heavily as a result.

Their power play would also struggle to produce at the high rate it has been producing since he joined the fold. 

When Boyle is having a bad night it has a noticeable impact on the rest of the team.

He will need to continue playing at a high level night in and night out if the Sharks are to make a serious push for their first ever Stanley Cup. 

Brent Burns

The Sharks paid a hefty price for Brent Burns this summer.

They dealt Devin Setoguchi, top prospect Charlie Coyle and a first-round pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for the two-way rearguard. 

With the acquisition of Burns, San Jose solidified their defense core as one of the best in the NHL after icing one of the league's poorest defensive units last season. 

Burns brings what the Sharks had been in need of since the departure of Christian Ehrhoff: a quick-footed offensive defenseman who can shoot the puck and play a strong transitional game.

He provides an element of physicality, as well, which only Douglas Murray provided for San Jose last season. 

Now that they have their man, it will be paramount to the Sharks' success that Burns delivers. He will need to be the dominant defenseman we've all seen glimpses of throughout his career. 

Logan Couture

With the absence of snipers Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley, who carried the goal-scoring load for San Jose in recent years, it will be important that Logan Couture builds on the 32 goals he netted last season and continues to provide a consistent offensive presence. 

The second-year center will see increased ice time and be given loftier expectations this year as the team's second-line pivot.

He will likely be the trigger man on a line with power forward Ryane Clowe and speedy playmaker Martin Havlat. It is essential that he can routinely bury pucks in the back of the net. 

If Couture is playing well, the Sharks will have to worry much less about the often inconsistent play of their top line.

Depth and secondary scoring are critical to any playoff team and Logan Couture will be expected to provide both. 

Antti Niemi

Antti Niemi displayed solid netminding for the entirety of the regular season last year before playing very poorly for the Sharks during their playoff run. 

During San Jose's first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, Niemi cost the team at least one game due to his wildly inconsistent play.

He allowed numerous goals that should have been routine saves. 

An elite goaltender must be able to steal wins for his team on occasion, rather than costing the team victories.

The Sharks' fate may depend on Niemi's play this year. He will need to keep pucks out of his net on a nightly basis if San Jose wants to go far. 

Joe Thornton

San Jose's captain and top player, Joe Thornton is the leader of his team and, as such, is a key component to their overall success. 

He made huge strides in improving his two-way game and became a more defensively responsible player last season.

Thornton finished the year with one of the NHL's highest takeaway totals. 

Unfortunately, this harmed his offensive production and he scored at under a point-per-game pace for the first time since joining the Sharks in 2005. 

Thornton will need to return to his dominant offensive form while still playing a responsible two-way game for San Jose this year.

He is their go-to player when the going gets rough and is counted on to contribute on both ends of the ice and in special teams situations.

The Sharks' success ultimately hinges on the play of captain Joe Thornton.