SELANNE

Last spring, the Sharks blew a 3-2 playoff series lead to the Avs. They re-signed coach Darryl Sutter and free agent Teemu Selanne, who took less money to stay. Right wing Selanne, center Patrick Marleau and left wing Marco Sturm forged a nifty second line, fitting nicely between Owen Nolan's first unit and Mike Ricci's strong third. The D: deep and nasty. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov, 27, is in his prime. The Sharks are ready to take the final step.

	The Big Question
	Q: Legit Cup contenders? Or guppies in shark's clothing? Well, I think so. In fact, I think they will win the Stanley Cup this season. They learned a painful-but necessary-lesson last spring, blowing a 3-2 series lead to the mighty Avalanche. They dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 Game 7 decision in Denver. In the past, Cup winners like the Red Wings, Devils and Stars suffered before they celebrated. This year, we can put the Sharks on that list. Management did a nice job by re-signing coach Darryl Sutter and sniper Teemu Selanne, who took less money for a chance at winning a Cup. Now, they must step up and sign goalie Evgeni Nabokov and defenseman Brad Stuart. In time, they'll get those deals done. Then, the Sharks can focus on one goal: the Cup. -- E.J. Hradek
	Good: It's now or never for Patrick Marleau. Touted as a future star when he arrived in 1997, Marleau has topped 50 points just once in five NHL seasons. But with a strong finish to last season, five goals in five games, and either Owen Nolan or Teemu Selanne on his wing, a 60-point season is within reach. Bad: Evgeni Nabokov won the job in San Jose when projected starter Steve Shields was out of the lineup. He'd be wise not to give Miikka Kiprusoff a similar opportunity. A protracted contract squabble could make San Jose a two-goalie team when he does sign. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Niko Dimitrakos, RW A mid-round pick in the '99 draft, Dimitrakos has excellent hands and just average size. He had a strong college career at Maine, where he led the Black Bears in scoring as a senior.
	Minors Outlook
	Cleveland Barons Roy Sommer is considered to be one of the best coaches in the minors, but was under-supplied by the parent Sharks last season. And, ouch, top scorer Mike Craig has departed for Europe. Unless San Jose can replace that offense, there could mean even more empty seats at Gund Arena. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards The Sharks have a beautifully balanced attack. Last season, they were the only team on the circuit to have six players with 20 or more goals. And, if Mike Ricci could have found one more goal, they would have had seven. Really, though, the key to the whole thing might be 23-year-old second-line center Patrick Marleau, who seemed to come of age in the playoffs. If he can blossom into the power forward/offensive star everyone expects him to become (think a hair below 1997 draft classmate Joe Thornton), teams won't be able to concentrate their checking efforts against top pivot, Vincent Damphousse. By the way, Damphousse turns 35 in December. Like most teams, the Sharks could use a slight upgrade on the left side. They really don't have a true No. 1 left wing. That said, Marco Sturm, Scott Thornton and Adam Graves are dependable players who provide occational punch. On the right side, the Sharks have more bite with snipers Owen Nolan and Teemu Selanne and two-way Niklas Sundstrom. Rookie RW Jonathan Cheechoo, the 28th overall pick in the 1999 draft, has a chance to earn a spot in this high-end group. Western Conference Position Ranking: T1st Defensemen This young and tough group will miss the veteran leadership of recently retired Gary Suter. Still, young studs like Brad Stuart (still unsigned) and underrated Scott Hannan are getting better every day. Young vets Mike Rathje and Marcus Ragnarsson are a steady pair, while nasty Bryan Marchment and oversized soph Jeff Jillson will deliver a painful message to opposing forwards. Western Conference Position Ranking: T2nd Goalie Evgeni Nabokov (still unsigned) is about as fundamentally sound a goaltender as there is in the league. Despite being on the short-end of a 1-0 score in Game 7 vs. Colorado, Nabokov can only benefit from the head-to-head competition with the great Patrick Roy. Behind Nabokov, the Sharks have a pair of eager young stoppers, No. 2 man Miikka Kiprusoff and AHL starter Vesa Toskala, waiting their turn. Western Conference Position Ranking: 4th

Rankings: 3rd Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 44-27-8-3, 99 points Rank: T4th overall T2nd West 1st Pacific Playoffs: Lost to COL in West semis Home: 25-11-3-2 Road: 19-16-5-1 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 248/3.02 (4th) Home: 131/3.20 (4th) Road: 117/2.85 (5th) POWER PLAY Overall: 16.0/59-369 (13th) Home: 17.9/35-195 (7th) Road: 13.8/24-174 (16th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 199/2.43 (9th) Home: 89/2.17 (7th) Road: 110/2.68 (12th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 85.8/54-381 (10th) Home: 87.1/22-170 (6th) Road: 84.8/32-211 (10th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Teemu Selanne (29) Scott Thornton (26) Owen Nolan (23) ASSISTS Nolan (43) Vincent Damphousse (38) Mike Ricci (34) POINTS Nolan (66) Damphousse (58) Selanne (54) Ricci (53) PENALTY MINUTES Bryan Marchment (178) Thornton (116) Nolan (93) PLUS/MINUS Marco Sturm (+23) Mike Rathje (+23) Marchment (+22) Matt Bradley (+22) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Evgeni Nabokov (2.29) SAVE PERCENTAGE Nabokov (.918) * - no longer with team