For all the same reasons repeating as Stanley Cup champion is such a challenge, climbing that mountain again as the runner-up is nearly as hard. Nobody was going to sleep on the San Jose Sharks this season. And they certainly didn’t get the health they received last spring, with Joe Thornton and Logan Couture playing through serious injuries in the playoffs.
In the end, they couldn’t find a way to solve Cam Talbot and the Edmonton Oilers, even while doing an effective job containing the Hart Trophy favorite Connor McDavid.
It sets up an interesting offseason for GM Doug Wilson, who has tough decisions to make for some players who have been there a long time. Here’s where he should focus:
