The San Jose Sharks have been a franchise suffering from an identity crisis following their crushing defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings during the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. Rather than trying to improve the team, general manager Doug Wilson decided to embark on a rebuild that would incorporate younger players into the organization.
However, the younger players weren’t ready for full-time action and the team didn’t have the requisite depth to compete in the highly competitive Western Conference. The results spoke for themselves as San Jose missed the postseason for the first time in 11 seasons.