SAN JOSE – Doug Wilson’s primary goal in the days and weeks leading up to the NHL trade deadline wasn’t any different from his fellow general managers of clubs that consider themselves Stanley Cup contenders. He wanted to add some needed pieces to a group that has put itself in a position to make a deep playoff run.
He was able to do that. Roman Polak, Nick Spaling and James Reimer are established NHL players that add the kind of depth that has been lacking for several years. The Sharks are a better team than they were two weeks ago, and deeper than they have been since making back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals in 2010 and 2011.