As a result, Wilson took to overhauling the team, clearing out the bottom six forwards and bringing in high-profile goal scorer Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators.

Using the momentum from that aggressive off-season, the revamped Sharks made it past Colorado and Detroit in the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference finals for only the second time in franchise history. However, San Jose was outmatched by a superior Chicago Blackhawks squad on the Western Conference’s biggest stage, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in a mere four games.

The 2010 playoff run would have been considered a failure if the team didn’t make it into the final four, and even though San Jose was convincingly swept by Chicago, the loss wasn’t viewed as a typical Sharks playoff meltdown. The stalwart play of Blackhawks goaltender Antii Niemi stymied the Sharks potent offensive lineup; coupled with various injuries up and down the San Jose roster, and some questionable goals against allowed by Evgeni Nabokov, it appeared that San Jose was always just one big play away from getting back into the series.

And yet, Wilson still had some important decisions to make heading into the 2010-2011 season.

Decisions that he continues to work on today.

For starters, franchise icons Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov were set to be unrestricted free agents. With both having career years during 2009-10, and cap space tied up in players such as Joe Thornton, Heatley and Dan Boyle at the top end of the roster, it proved to be an arduous task to attempt to fit both of them in under the $59.4 million NHL salary cap.

Furthermore, playoff hero Joe Pavelski was a restricted free agent heading into July. With a knack for scoring big goals at the most opportune of times, as well as his leadership capabilities, Wilson realized a substantial raise over Pavelski’s $1.67 million contract the year before was in order.

Devin Setoguchi, a mercurial but extremely talented right winger, also joined Pavelski in the restricted free agent group. It left Wilson with four high impact players needing contracts, and limited cap space to achieve those goals.

Wilson acted fast with Marleau and Pavelski, signing them to four-year deals before the NHL Free Agent Frenzy hit on July 1. The deals will count for $6.9 million and $4.0 million against the cap respectively, giving San Jose a four year window to legitimately compete for a Cup. However, once the decision was made to re-sign both of these players, the writing seemed to be on the wall for long time net minder Nabokov.

That was indeed the case.

Nabokov was informed that he would not be returning in late June before Wilson left for 2010 Entry Draft. While there, Wilson traded Nabokov’s rights to Philadelphia for a conditional pick in 2011, allowing the goaltender to negotiate with a contender before hitting the free agent market.

He and Philadelphia couldn’t come to an agreement however, and with the market for goaltending tepid at best this offseason, Nabokov inked a four-year deal worth $24 million with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.

Manny Malhotra and Rob Blake also left for greener pastures during the early stages of free agency. Malhotra joined the Vancouver Canucks on a three year deal, and after a 21 season Hall of Fame career, Blake decided to hang up his skates.

With the loss of Nabokov a painful one for the San Jose faithful, thoughts immediately turned to who would man the pipes alongside prospect Thomas Greiss in the coming year. Those questions were quickly put to rest. In the early morning hours of July 1, as Wilson wasted no time in signing 30-year-old net minder Antero Niittymaki to a two-year deal worth $4 million.

The Finnish goalie’s career has been defined by inconsistency, with varying results in stints with Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. However, Wilson and his scouting team were attracted to the player who won the MVP Award in the 2006 Winter Olympics, citing his big game abilities immediately following the signing.

"Once we made the decision on Nabokov we went into researching the style of play, the type of goalies that were having success in this League," Wilson said via conference call. "Antero certainly jumped out at us for a number of reasons. He was the MVP of the playoffs when [his team] won the Calder Cup in 04-05, and we really liked his performance in the Olympics in 2006. We've liked him ever since that point."

In addition, the fact that Niittymaki represented a cap savings of $3.5 million over Nabokov cannot be ignored. Wilson acknowledged that saving money at the position was one of his priorities, and with Nabokov’s 10-year period between the pipes in San Jose resulting in eerily similar statistics compared to his backups, the decision to let him walk was the best one possible for a Sharks team ever cognizant of the salary cap.

Wilson was also able to re-sign some of his role players this off-season, inking Scott Nichol and Niclas Wallin to one-year deals.

Nichol, who led the league in faceoff winning percentage, was brought back for one year at an affordable $760,000 contract. He quickly became a fan favorite in his first season with the team due to his gritty play, never say die attitude, and furious forechecking ability.

Wallin, who was acquired at the deadline for a second round pick, generated some controversy due to the $2.5 million he will make in the coming year. The 35-year-old is a bottom pairing defenseman with non-existent offensive upside, adding to the assertion that Wilson tends to overvalue his role players on the blueline—cheaper, and more effective, options exist both in the free agent market as well as in the Sharks farm system.

In addition to these moves, Setoguchi was also brought back for a year. He's a value at $1.8 million, and will be given the opportunity to earn a long term deal this season.

Although the Sharks could head into the season with the roster as currently assembled, it’s unlikely that Wilson feels this team is as skilled as last year’s squad. As such, some changes are expected.

The blueline is an obvious weakness for the Sharks; Rob Blake was a very underappreciated defensive presence for his two years here, and will be missed. It appears as if Wilson realizes this soft spot however, evidenced by an offer sheet given to Niklas Hjalmarsson. After the sheet was matched by Chicago, Wilson stated in interviews on the radio that he was looking to add another defenseman between now and the deadline in order to replace the loss of Blake. The time line is arbitrary, but the need is not.

There’s no doubt that both Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic deserve a spot on the top pairing of most any NHL team. However, behind those two players, San Jose is awash with defensemen more fitting of a bottom-pairing role. Douglas Murray made strides as Boyle’s partner during 09-10, but his tendency to let his physicality take him out of the play and his lack of foot speed make him a less than ideal option for a high-minutes role. Jason Demers, who signed a two-year extension this summer, might have the offensive flash of a top four blueliner, but he’s too green in his own end to be relied upon heavily in high pressure defensive situations.

Kent Huskins and the aforementioned Wallin round out the Sharks’ current crop of starting defensemen, but neither player is popular with fans of the team. And although there are some young players pushing them for playing time, none is capable of immediately contributing top-four production.

As the summer toils on and the free agent pool dwindles, time is beginning to run out on the Sharks if they wish to bring in a player before training camp begins. With an obvious need for a big-minutes defenseman, and Wilson’s acknowledgement of this necessity, it’s been assumed that the blueline is what he will be looking to upgrade.

With recent reports linking the Sharks to a pair of high-profile blueliners, that move could be coming, and soon.

Doug Wilson plays his cards so close to the vest that they may as well be sewn in with high-tension cable. However, reports have surfaced that link the Sharks to both free agent Willie Mitchell and the oft-discussed Tomas Kaberle.

The players are extremely different; Mitchell is a bruising shutdown defenseman capable of logging upwards of four minutes on the shorthanded unit, while Kaberle is a sweet skating, scoring blueliner who puts a different spin on the recent "NHL Cupcake" meme. While he may be as soft as jelly doughnut in the defensive end, his skating and offensive skills are succulently sweet.

As it turns out, both players fit a need.

Mitchell would have given the Sharks the dominant physical force and solid positional play they’ve lacked since Craig Rivet was traded in 2008. While Vlasic is a great presence in terms of being able to play tough minutes against top competition, he lacks the physicality that a player like Mitchell provides.

Kaberle, on the other hand, would help the transition game and spell Boyle, whose near league leading minutes took a toll on him towards the end of the year. Kaberle would also be an immediate help to the Sharks power play unit, and would more than replace the minutes of Blake on the blueline.

Mitchell, however, recently signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, while Kaberle has been connected to the Sharks for years now, and the fact that potential trade chip Ryane Clowe is a prototypical Brian Burke player contributes to a situation that makes too much sense not to be considered.

Add in the fact that Wilson has expressed interest in puck moving defenseman during his stint as Sharks GM, and the upcoming days for Sharks fans should be an interesting ones. Kaberle’s No Trade Clause kicked back in on August 15 and he would now need to approve any deal the Maple Leafs try to make.

In an ideal world, both players would have been brought on board, giving the Sharks one of the best defensive units in the Western Conference. However, there might be too many moving pieces for that to happen.

Clowe is rumored to be the main piece in a deal for Kaberle, but Kaberle counts for just over $600,000 more than Clowe against the cap. With around $2 million remaining after the swap, Mitchell would have to be had relatively cheap (he signed for $3.5 million per year).

Furthermore, there are still some issues left with the Sharks bottom six forward group.

The loss of Manny Malhotra to Vancouver stings, but it’s tempered somewhat by the emergence of rookie Logan Couture. Couture proved his worth during the post-season, notching four goals and proving that he is capable of thriving at the NHL level. Still, the Sharks lack the veteran presence that Malhotra provided, and will miss his ability to kill penalties.

Coupled with the loss of Jed Ortmeyer, who logged 1:30 on the penalty kill unit last season, the Sharks will either rely on younger players such as Jamie McGinn and Torrey Mitchell to fill the holes shorthanded, or sign a cheap veteran player who would be able to contribute in this area.

Regardless of whether or not Wilson is able to address all of the outstanding issues with his team before October, the Sharks do boast one of the best rosters in the Western Conference. They have been perennial contenders since the NHL lockout in 2005, and will once again be a favorite to break through onto hockey’s grandest stage.

With a Western Conference Finals appearance under their belts, expectations will remain high for the club as they enter 2010-11 with loads of top end talent up and down the roster.

Whether or not they can eventually deliver however, will be yet another case of wait and see.