Sharks fall short once again; changes coming?

After two straight seasons in the Western Conference Finals, the Sharks have again fallen short of the Stanley Cup this year. The Sharks were eliminated on April 21 in the first round of the playoffs against the St. Louis Blues in just five games.

Following a sub-par regular season finish resulting in the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs and an early playoff exit, the team has questions to answer as it looks towards its future.



What do the Sharks do with team leaders Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Ryane Clowe? Does the team keep the core of this team together that has failed year after year or do they shake it up?



Will the people in charge of these decisions be brought back? It was announced today that general manager Doug Wilson will return but what about coach Todd McLellan?

Coach Todd McLellan is amongst the tough decisions
the Sharks must make this offseason on whom to retain.

The Sharks have good young talent on this roster particularly in centers Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, but it is evident that this team is missing a piece or two, heck maybe even more.

The Sharks need to deliver soon, their current eight-year streak of getting to the playoffs (not the Stanley Cup) and teasing as they fall short of delivering their passionate, raucous fans a championship is getting old.

This team needs to get younger, faster, more physical, and needs to have that will and killer instinct to win when they reach the playoffs.

Whomever the Sharks decide to bring back from coaches to players, they need to look at next season as a complete failure and should feel like their jobs are in serious jeopardy if they fail once again to deliver a Stanley Cup to San Jose.