Last season, in what was almost certainly a big ‘choke job’ by the San Jose Sharks in the playoffs, Dan Boyle was as outspoken as ever against his team. He was upset with the lack of effort from the players, with the coaching staff’s preparations and just about frustrated with everything in general when it came to the Sharks.
This year, after a sweep at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, how does Boyle feel about his team? From David Pollack:
“Last year I was critical of some of the effort, but I think guys worked really hard. I can’t be critical of the effort we gave,” said Boyle, who had the puck on his stick, skating alone when the final buzzer sounded.
“It’s a sweep on the board,” Boyle said, “and a lot of people are going to say it was a one-way series, and that’s fine. But anybody who knows anything about hockey, three of those four games could certainly have gone our way.”
The Sharks are now facing an uncertain future, after revamping their roster last season in a last-ditch effort to make a final push for the Stanley Cup. That they fell short may speak to just how much the Sharks’ core of players may need to change. With Marleau and Nabokov facing free agency, that’s certainly a possibility.