Last year, the Sharks wasted a — pardon the pun — golden opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup title.
I thought they were the best team in the Western Conference last year. They had the three key features you look for in the playoffs: strong goaltending, a stout penalty kill, and excellent five-on-five scoring.
Ultimately, the Sharks fell to the opportunistic and at times downright magical Vegas Golden Knights in the second round.
Still, with the return of Joe Thornton to the lineup and the further development of the Sharks’ young and exciting core, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic that the Sharks could seriously contend for the Cup again in 2019.