Sharks enjoy being the hunted, not getting blown up

NEW YORK – Pete DeBoer has experienced it before. That feeling of accomplishment mixed with that feeling of unfinished business, all of which accompanies a second-place finish. That taste of glory, but not a big enough bit to satiate the hunger.

The coach’s San Jose Sharks lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins four months ago in the Stanley Cup Final. His previous team, the New Jersey Devils, lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final just over four years ago.

Could he take any lessons he learned from the aftermath of the latter to inform how he handles the former?

“I learned you don’t let Kovalchuk and Parise leave. That’s what I learned,” said DeBoer, wryly, of his playoff-less encore in New Jersey.

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The Sharks didn’t experience that defection of talent after their Stanley Cup Final loss. Hell, they barely lost anyone at all from that Western Conference championship team, and replaced the ones that did leave quite admirably – David Schlemko in for Roman Polak, Mikkel Boedker adding much-needed speed.

This is obviously a much different offseason experience for the Sharks as a franchise. Typically, they’re filled with questions about playoff disasters and the team’s direction and about which veteran players with no-trade protection could be coaxed to leave town. Before last season, the Sharks might have been at their lowest point: Finishing out of the playoffs for the first time since 2003, and seeing Todd McLellan, their coach of seven seasons, fired.

So this season brings a different vibe. First off, there wasn’t that concern that the locker room was going to be TNT’d by management.

“It’s hard to make a lot of changes when you make a run,” said defenseman Paul Martin.

But mostly, it’s a different vibe because the Sharks know who they are, and they know if they play to their own expectations, they have a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup. They have, essentially, proof of concept they can now invest in themselves.

“The biggest thing is that we know how good we can be. What we’re capable of, when we have everybody playing. And the kind of room that we have,” said Martin. “Two years ago, missing the playoffs, a lot of guys came in and wanted to make sure the next year was good. A lot of the guys had that fire. This year, coming off the short offseason and losing the Cup, creates even more desire to achieve that.”

DeBoer said it’s a shift from controversy before last season to confidence prior to this one.

“It’s definitely different. All in a positive way. Last year there was a lot of uncertainty. New coach. New style and systems. Me getting to know them,” he said. “The year before, there was a lot of drama. We tried to push that to the side right off the bat, and our group did a great job of dealing with that right away.

“This year, they know me. They know what our game looks like. The large majority of our team is back that finished the Stanley Cup Final three months ago.”

A team that, to a man, admitted last year was one of the most enjoyable ones they’ve had in the NHL. “We have a lot of fun here,” said Brent Burns, the human embodiment of merriment. “The coaches have done a great job making this a place we want to be. The atmosphere is great in here. Guys are excited to be back, get back in a rhythm.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Sharks without some nagging questions about the future. Burns, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Tommy Wingels all go unrestricted after this season. There are seven players on the team that are north of 30 years old. The window is wide open for this team to challenge for the Cup again this season, but who knows after that?

“We don’t worry about that,” said Burns.

Nah, they’ve got other concerns. Like the fact that the San Jose is now the hunted, a team that opponents will no longer treat like a wounded shark but rather one a ravenously hungry one – assuming the Sharks can stay hungry, rather than being hung-over like runners-up frequently are.

“The ‘X’ on the back is real. The Stanley Cup hangover, when you look at the stats, is real,” said DeBoer.

“You can’t just put your head in the sand an ignore that. We’ve gotta buck the trend.”

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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