SAN JOSE – The Sharks didn't make any blockbuster moves last summer, content to make another run in 2016-17 with largely the same group that came within two wins of capturing the Stanley Cup.
They still acquired a notable player, though, when Mikkel Boedker was signed on July 1 to add an element that the Sharks knew they needed more of moving forward – speed. Boedker was expected to make the team faster, after the Sharks were exposed for not having enough of that against Pittsburgh in the NHL's final round, as well as play in a top six role.
At the time, it was hailed as a slick, under-the-radar move that wasn't going to change the dynamic of the club but could help push it over the top.
When Boedker was a healthy scratch in games three and four of the first round against Edmonton, the evidence became clear, though, that this was a decision that fell flat on its face.
Frankly, Boedker – who is signed for three more years with a $4 million salary cap hit – brings back visions of Sharks bust Marty Havlat. You know the skill is there, but the desire to use it on a nightly basis while showing any semblance of a battle level is lacking.
Should the Sharks give Boedker another chance next season, or should they do everything in their power to try and move him? That's a question that will likely be debated in the front office over the next several weeks.
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On get-away day on Monday, indications were that the Sharks were planning on sticking with the 27-year-old, who finished with 26 points in the regular season (10g, 16a) and added one goal and one assist in four games in the playoffs.
"He has the things we're looking for: his career scoring average, his speed, [penalty killing] ability," general manager Doug Wilson said. "Did he meet the expectations that he had for himself [or] that we had for him? No. Can we get that out of him? Pete [DeBoer] believes we can."
DeBoer has known Boedker since he played for him in 2007-08 in Kitchener (OHL). Despite scratching him in the playoffs, DeBoer said he saw "huge improvement" in Boedker throughout the course of the season after the forward spent nearly all of his NHL career in Arizona.
"There was an adjustment. He's played 6-7 years a certain way in the NHL," DeBoer said. "We've asked him to play differently here, and there was an adjustment."
Boedker still believes that he can be a fit in San Jose.
"I think it will be and it can be," he said. "It's learning period, but you've also got to look in the mirror yourself and see what you can change and what assets you need to bring. I've learned a lot, and I'm ready to do that."
The list of Sharks depth forwads that had frustrating seasons hardly begins and ends with Boedker, though.
Veteran Joel Ward's production dipped from 43 points last season to 29 in 2016-17, although that probably isn't too surprising considering he's 36. Tomas Hertl is proving to be a streaky player, too, although his season was interrupted by another a knee injury.
The bigger disappointment came from players like Chris Tierney and Joonas Donskoi, who both made big impressions in the 2016 playoffs but struggled to produce consistent offense this year. Both were mentioned by name by DeBoer on Monday.
There are some promising youngsters in the pipeline like Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc and Marcus Sorensen, but it's still too early to project any of them as can't-miss scorers at the NHL level.
"I think we've got a large group of guys that I like, but need to step up," DeBoer said. "Is Sorensen [like] Donskoi next year, where he takes a step back, or [does he take a] step forward? We've got a lot of guys that there's a lot of potential there – Chris Tierney.
"There's a lot of those guys, but they need to have big summers and take a step, and show that they're not just one season or one month players."
