SAN JOSE — The offseason came and went without the discovery of an obvious solution for slowing down the revolving door on Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski’s left wing.
The Sharks auditioned eight different players on the top line last season, and when training camp opened Friday, head coach Pete DeBoer went with the winger that the organization had hoped would be the solution when they acquired him at trade deadline last winter.
Jannik Hansen meets a lot of the criteria that DeBoer is looking for in that position: strong work ethic, puck hound, plays a puck possession style of game.