FIVE BIG QUESTIONS
1.
Can Evgeni Nabokov (above) bounce back? He had a so-so season and a less-than-stellar playoff performance. His stats dropped from his near-Vezina Trophy numbers of 2007-08. And he was outplayed by Anaheim's Jonas Hiller in the postseason. This is a contract year for the Sharks veteran, though he rejects the idea that it provides added motivation.
2.
Will the Heatley-Thornton pairing deliver? Pairing sniper Dany Heatley with setup man Joe Thornton will need to live up to expectations. Neither scored in four exhibition games, but coach Todd McLellan wasn't worried: "These are special players and they sometimes think differently than regular players. It takes time to feel each other out and to understand where each will be on the ice. Instinctual plays will be there."
3.
Will the Sharks' second-tier scorers produce? The big guns are in place, but they need support. McLellan said last spring that too much of the playoff blame was placed on the shoulders of Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and not enough on the shortcomings of players such as Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe and Devin Setoguchi (left). That spotlight remains.
4.
Will newcomers on the blue line mesh? Dan Boyle (right), Rob Blake, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Douglas Murray are the staples. Veteran Kent Huskins had a disappointing camp and while several of the younger guys did well, no
one excelled enough to make the roster choices easy for McLellan. Also, will anyone step up to provide the 42 points lost when Christian Ehrhoff was traded?
5.
Will the team culture change? That's really what the decision to remove the "C" from Patrick Marleau's jersey was all about. Any change in the captaincy is about finding a new voice in the room. But in this case, it's also a declaration that the atmosphere needs to change, that, as McLellan frames it, will has to match skill ? especially in the playoffs when it matters the most.
1.
Can Evgeni Nabokov (above) bounce back? He had a so-so season and a less-than-stellar playoff performance. His stats dropped from his near-Vezina Trophy numbers of 2007-08. And he was outplayed by Anaheim's Jonas Hiller in the postseason. This is a contract year for the Sharks veteran, though he rejects the idea that it provides added motivation.
2.
Will the Heatley-Thornton pairing deliver? Pairing sniper Dany Heatley with setup man Joe Thornton will need to live up to expectations. Neither scored in four exhibition games, but coach Todd McLellan wasn't worried: "These are special players and they sometimes think differently than regular players. It takes time to feel each other out and to understand where each will be on the ice. Instinctual plays will be there."
3.
Will the Sharks' second-tier scorers produce? The big guns are in place, but they need support. McLellan said last spring that too much of the playoff blame was placed on the shoulders of Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and not enough on the shortcomings of players such as Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe and Devin Setoguchi (left). That spotlight remains.
4.
Will newcomers on the blue line mesh? Dan Boyle (right), Rob Blake, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Douglas Murray are the staples. Veteran Kent Huskins had a disappointing camp and while several of the younger guys did well, no
one excelled enough to make the roster choices easy for McLellan. Also, will anyone step up to provide the 42 points lost when Christian Ehrhoff was traded?
5.
Will the team culture change? That's really what the decision to remove the "C" from Patrick Marleau's jersey was all about. Any change in the captaincy is about finding a new voice in the room. But in this case, it's also a declaration that the atmosphere needs to change, that, as McLellan frames it, will has to match skill ? especially in the playoffs when it matters the most.
