They were this close.

	2001-02 by the numbers
	Record: 44-27-8-3, 99 points (T4th overall, T2nd West, 1st Pacific) Goals for: 248/3.02 (4th overall) Goals against: 199/2.43 (9th overall) Differential: 49 (2nd overall) 20-goal scorers: Teemu Selanne (29), Scott Thornton (26), Owen Nolan (23), Patrick Marleau (21), Marco Sturm (21), Vincent Damphousse (20) 50-point scorers: Nolan (66), Damphousse (59), Selanne (54), Ricci (53)

Put your thumb and your index finger about a quarter-inch apart, and that's how close the San Jose Sharks came to beating the Colorado Avalanche for a spot in last year's Western Conference finals. In that quarter-inch, you can pack a blown 3-2 series lead, two one-goal losses, and a wide-open net missed by a superstar that had long before fallen out of Sharks fans' good graces.

Teemu Selanne griped for the better part of the season about head coach Darryl Sutter's coaching style and the shortness of his ice time. After a particularly bad loss to the Rangers in January, and with Selanne on a 10-game scoreless streak, Sutter reportedly told Selanne: "I don't care if you get into your Porsche and drive back down to Anaheim right now." Selanne retorted, "It's still in Finland." They were using their outside voices, reporters overheard the exchange, and the whole thing blew up.

As the season wound down, Selanne found a groove skating with center Patrick Marleau and winger Marco Sturm, and his production skyrocketed (5-5-10 in the last 10 games of the season, 5-3-8 in 12 postseason games). He and Sutter were again buddy-buddy, but fans griped that the $9.5 million sniper (the Sharks were only paying $6 million -- the Ducks paid the other $3M) just wasn't worth it.

Selanne missed a wide-open net early in Game 7 against the Avalanche, the Sharks lost a heartbreaker of a series they absolutely had the talent to win, GM Dean Lombardi looked forward to a summer riddled with tough signing business and arbitration hearings, and Teemu began to shop the free-agent market.

Fans cried, "Good riddance." But not the coach.

"He can live with me if he stays here," Sutter said. "I'll drive him to work."

Looking to next season

On July 5, Sutter got his wish. Selanne shocked everyone and bucked the overpaid-superstar-skips-town-to-become-even-more-overpaid system by re-signing with the Sharks. He even took a $3 million paycut. The Sharks had already exercised their options on Marleau (21-23-44) and Sturm (21-20-41), leaving the line intact.

Last season, the Sharks boasted the best third line in the league with center Mike Ricci, right winger Niklas Sundstrom and left winger Scott Thornton. Ricci was fourth on the team in points with 53 (just one behind Selanne's 54). Collectively, they totaled 54 goals and 80 assists for 134 points, all the while maintaining their amazingly aggressive forecheck and in-your-face attitude as the Sharks' checking line. They're all back, and they will continue to take the pressure off of high-scoring first-liners Owen Nolan (23-43-66) and Vincent Damphousse (20-38-58).

With the departure of left winger Stephane Matteau for Florida via free agency, a spot opens in the roster. If 22-year-old Jonathan Cheechoo can show his knack for scoring and develop a bit defensively, he'll likely have a job come October.

All-star defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson, who signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract just moments before his arbitration hearing was set to begin, is the anchor on the Sharks' blue line. Last season, veteran Gary Suter (6-27-33) and slick-skating kid Brad Stuart (6-23-29) were the Sharks' leading offensive defensemen, and Stuart has just begun to step up into the play. It still remains to be seen whether or not the 38-year-old Suter will return to the Sharks lineup or call it a day and retire.

If he does return, the Sharks will likely carry seven defensemen and occasionally rest Suter to get 22-year-old Jeff Jillson, a budding power-play specialist who has shown remarkable poise for his age, into the lineup. Jillson also adds some size -- he's 6-3, 220 pounds. But the longer Suter delays his decision, the more likely he will decide to retire, unless longtime buddy Tony Granato, now coaching in Colorado, can talk Suter into a transfer.

The Sharks' solid defense is rounded out by big man Mike Rathje (6-5, 235 pounds), who hits everyone and then hits them again, Bryan Marchment, who plays his defensive role far better than his bad reputation for cheap hits would imply, and youngster Scott Hannan, who proved he can play with a little bit of edge by successfully getting under the skin of Avs superstar Peter Forsberg in the conference semifinals.

Calder Trophy winner Evgeni Nabokov, the winningest goalie in Sharks history, decided against arbitration on July 15. Nabokov went 37-24-5 last season with seven shutouts, a .918 save percentage, and a division title, but he made only $575,000. Arbitration would have stifled Nabokov's bargaining ability, but if the Sharks can't negotiate a deal, a holdout is a possibility. Backup Miikka Kiprusoff is capable of holding down the fort, but he's no Evgeni.

The Sharks have steadily improved, and even bettered their regular-season point total, over the past six years. They have flirted with major success only to be thwarted in the playoffs. After next season, Selanne could be gone. Sutter, who received a one-year contract extension, could be gone, too. It's crunch time, and the Sharks know it.

Watch out. They're this close.