San Jose, the best team in the NHL this season, is on the brink of elimination. Not to put down the Ducks, because they are a great team with a lot of strengths, but San Jose should not be going out in the first round.
A first round exit would mean a lot of change in San Jose. First, you'd have to think Joe Thornton could be on his way out. This guy has not done a thing in the playoffs. Patrick Marleau has shown this year that the Sharks are his team, and I think a first round exit could very well mean the exit of Joe Thornton.
Cheechoo is another player who badly needs a change. This kid has shown that he can be a great NHLer, but his sub-30 point season means he likely will be with a new team in the fall. The Sharks will have trouble dumping his salary, but someone will take him I'm sure.
What about Nabokov? I'm sure he'll get Vezina consideration this year, but he has been nothing short of awful in these playoffs. Could a change of scenary be in his future as well?
And of coarse the big question: who will be making these changes? Doug Wilson has been the GM of San Jose for awhile now, and while he has led the team to great regular season success, he has always fallen short in the playoffs. It's not a stretch to believe a first round loss to the Ducks would mean the firing of Wilson.
While the Sharks are not out of it yet, it appears like it's only a matter of time. While it's going to be an interesting summer for a lot of NHL teams, the Sharks should be near the top of that list.
