With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the San Jose Sharks, a team reeling after they blew a three-games-to-none first-round lead over the eventual Cup winners from Los Angeles. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Doug Wilson Head Coach: Todd McLellan 2013-14: 51-22-9 (2nd in Pacific) Playoffs: Lost in conference quarter-finals Goals For: 239 (6th) Goals Against: 193 (5th) Powerplay: 17.2% (20th) Penalty Kill: 84.9% (6th) That Was Then: The Sharksa€? 2013-14 regular season was a roaring success. Rookie Tomas Hertl got the party started on Oct. 8, scoring four goals in his third NHL game, capping the night off with one of the goals of the year. That win came as part of a six-game winning streak to start the year. The Sharks rolled through October, finishing the month 10-1-2. The regular season rolled on in similar fashion. The Sharksa€? only real spot of trouble came in December when they lost six of eight between the 5th and the 19th. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau provided their usual strong play, both reaching 70 points or more. Joe Pavelski was a revelation, scoring a career-high 41 goals. That mark was good for third in the league. The Sharks made the playoff s for their 10th consecutive season, topping 100 points for the seventh time over that span. Though unable to chase down the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks enjoyed a strong finish, buoyed by the aforementioned trio as well as Logan Couture. Then came the playoffs and a creepy, familiar feeling. The Sharks roared out to a 3-0 series lead over their state rivals from Los Angeles but were unable to finish them off. Out-gunned 6-3 in Game 4, the Sharks let the Kings get off the mat. Jonathan Quick shut the door from there, allowing just two total goals over the final three games. The Sharks became just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead. One storyline that emerged from the collapse was a lack of faith in goaltender Antti Niemi. The former Cup-winner was pulled in Games 4 and 5, leading the Sharks to start back-up Alex Stalock in Game 6. The team went back to Niemi in Game 7 but by that point momentum was clearly with the Kings. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.50 2.05 8.5% .928 56.1% .775 21-41 2.86 2.76 7.4% .919 54.0% .643 42-62 2.33 2.19 6.3% .917 54.8% .619 63-82 3.00 2.35 7.8% .925 54.3% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Sensational start to the year; dominant in all aspects. Games 21-41: A 5-1 shootout record, and strong possession, inflated the record of otherwise mediocre play. Games 42-62: Solid possession kept Sharks winning during low-scoring stretch. Games 63-82: Percentages bounced back and Sharks finished the regular season strong. Key Additions: LW Tye McGinn, LW John Scott Key Subtractions: D Dan Boyle, RW Martin Havlat, LW John McCarthy, D Brad Stuart This Is Now: The Sharks need more than regular season success. Since acquiring Thornton from Boston, the Sharks have won four division titles, made the playoffs every year and have won at least one series in six of their nine trips. Thornton himself has posted 740 points in 675 career games with the Sharks and a€“ believe it or not a€“ ranks 20th amongst active NHLers in playoff points-per-game over that span, ahead of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Corey Perry and Justin Williams. Yet, he finds himself stripped of his captaincy entering this season. Another long-time Sharks vet is gone entirely, as Dan Boyle joined the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. The teama€?s focus may be shifting towards Pavelski and Couture and away from Marleau and Thornton, who have endured all of the playoff disappointments suffered since the 2005-06. However, the two remain not only parts of the team, but integral cogs in its offence. The team has enjoyed a lot of regular season success under the current regime, but how much time is left on the clock in San Jose for the likes of Thornton, Marleau, GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Tomas Hertl Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau Logan Couture Tommy Wingels Matt Nieto James Sheppard Tyler Kennedy Tye McGinn Andrew Desjardins Mike Brown John Scott Adam Burish Freddie Hamilton Barclay Goodrow Chris Tierney Raffi Torres Defence Left Right Marc-Edouard Vlasic Brent Burns Matt Irwin Justin Braun Scott Hannan Jason Demers Mirco Mueller Taylor Fedun Konrad Abeltshauser Dylan DeMelo Goaltenders Antti Niemi Alex Stalock Troy Grosenick Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Like a fine Swiss watch, there is a precision to Mircoa€?s game. Positioning is sound but it is predicated on the understanding of how to best position yourself to take advantage in the game. Defensively, he becomes very difficult to break down. He recognizes opportunities to transition and with a strong skating base, very good awareness and vision along with pin point passing, he is able to alleviate pressure quickly and allow his team to move forward and attack. He has a subtlety to his competitiveness in that he moves opponents off their marks in a manner that looks like he is a€?body glide.a€? His game shows signs of being able to expand which would move him from category of very solid player to top two defenseman. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Brent Burns Given how effective Burns has been as a forward with the Sharks, its fair to be skeptical of his move back to defence, but hes been productive in the past while playing on the blue line. Last season brought a career-high 48 points for Burns, playing on Joe Thorntons wing, but hes had 46 and 43-point seasons playing defence for the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks lost their primary puck-mover from defence, Dan Boyle, to free agency, so there ought to be ample opportunity for Burns to play big minutes and find the score sheet enough along the way. Benardrick McKinney Jersey . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games. Whitney Mercilus Jersey . They never thought it would take some blood, too. Kevin Love grabbed his 4,000th career rebound as part of a 19-point, 13-board effort to lead the Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 112-97 on Tuesday night. http://www.officialhoustontexansfootball.com/authentic-ka_imi-fairbairn-jersey-womens . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Jordan Akins Jersey . Both sides came closest to scoring in the first half, when Roma had a goal from Mattia Destro waved off for offside and Inters Rodrigo Palacio headed high. "A draw was a fair result. Neither squad had many chances," Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic said. Greg Mancz Jersey . - Andrew McCutchen went 4 for 5 and finished a home run short of a cycle, and Jordy Mercer drove in a career-high four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Royals ace James Shields is open to staying in Kansas City beyond this season. That news should make the thousands of fans, already flying high over the teams strong finish a year ago, feel even better as they turned out for their annual FanFest on Friday. The Royals exercised their $13.5 million option on Shieldss contract shortly after going 86-76 last season, their best finish since 1989. The durable right-hander was a big reason behind the success, going 13-9 with a 3.15 ERA in an American League-leading 228.2 innings. Shields told a small group of reporters at Bartle Hall that he was willing to discuss an extension, but he said those talks with general manager Dayton Moore have not taken place. "Id definitely be open-minded to it," Shields said. "A player in my position, where I have one more year left before free agency, I mean, Im definitely open to it. I like Kansas City. I like the organization and I like the direction were going." If Shields went to the open market, its unlikely that the Royals would be a player in the chase. There were reports this off-season that he would seek a contract similar to that of former Royals star Zack Greinke, who signed a $147 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers last season. "Thats absolutely not true at all," Shields said. "I have no clue where he got that from, to be honest with you. Ive had no discussions with Dayton at all. "If Dayton wants to talk about it, Im more than willing to sit and talk about it. But during the season, my main focus is trying to win games and get some wins for this team." Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Surprise, Ariz., for the start of spring training on Feb. 14. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 20. Most of the Royals key pieces return from last season, when they conntended into September for the first time in a decade.dddddddddddd Their two biggest holes were filled by trading reliever Will Smith to Milwaukee for right field Norichika Aoki and signing Omar Infante to solidify second base. "I didnt think our defence could get any better," Shields said, "but theyre definitely filling some holes that we had. And theyre great additions to our lineup." Then theres the starting rotation, where Ervin Santana has become a free agent. While the right-hander has yet to sign elsewhere, the Royals appeared to move on when they signed left-hander Jason Vargas to a contract early in the off-season. Along with Jeremy Guthrie, the first three spots in the rotation are set. That leaves two up for grabs among a handful of candidates, including starters-turned-relievers Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar, veteran Bruce Chen, left-hander Danny Duffy and flame-thrower Yordano Ventura. "Ive just been working hard, resting my arm," said Ventura, who had a 3.52 ERA in three late-season starts in Kansas City. "Ive just been getting ready because I want to get out there and make the team." That doesnt figure to be an easy task given the glut of competition. "Its a competitive game anyway," Davis said. "Why not do it from within a little bit?" Davis said that he spent the off-season in the weight room, and pronounced himself more ready for this season than any previous year. He also said that hes already been throwing some bullpen sessions, giving him a head start on reporting for spring training. "Im definitely going in to start," said Davis, who began last season in the rotation but was demoted to the bullpen when he proved ineffective. "Hopefully I get that opportunity." 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