(TheFourthPeriod.com) -- The San Jose Sharks had high expectations coming in to the 2006-07 season.

With Joe Thornton in the fold at the start of training camp, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo geared up and ready to go, an excellent pair of goaltenders, and a plethora of young talent waiting to propel the club into Stanley Cup contention, the Sharks ended the campaign with 51 wins and 107 points, the best regular-season finish in franchise history.

Unfortunately, during the league's second-season, the Hockey Gods dealt the Sharks some poor cards. After easily beating the Nashville Predators in five-games in the first-round of the playoffs, San Jose was eliminated in the second-round, falling to the Detroit Red Wings in six games.

While a lot of questions remain unanswered, the Sharks had one heck of a season and have much to look forward to.

Other than the team's obvious superstars, San Jose's younger players (such as Milan Michalek, Matt Carle, Ryan Clowe, Steve Bernier, Christian Ehrhoff and Joe Pavelski) truly emerged as important figures on the roster.

"They've got a first-class organization there," said veteran Bill Guerin, whom the Sharks acquired on the day of trade deadline from the St. Louis Blues. "It's a heck of a young team. They're not just good now, but they'll be good for a long period of time. It was a lot of fun for me to go there and be involved in the playoffs."

Led by arguably the best one-two center combination in the entire league (Thornton and Marleau), the Sharks ranked sixth in the NHL in goals-for, averaging 3.12 per-game, and held the second-best powerplay (22.4%) behind only the Montreal Canadiens (22.8%).

Thornton, 27, had another fantastic season, registering 22 goals and 92 assists for 114 points, while captain Marleau collected 32 goals and 46 helpers for a total of 78 points.

"They're one of the best 1-2 centers in the league," Guerin said. "It's a luxury to have those two guys up the middle for you.

"They bring a lot of skills, size and speed to the table. I think everyone in the hockey world knows what they do. Even behind the scenes, they really run the team and they keep things positive when things aren't looking to great. They're really responsible for the way the locker room is."

Looking ahead to next season, the Sharks need to address a few key issues prior to July 1.

First, the team has to make a decision as to whether or not it will release head coach Ron Wilson of his duties.

Earlier this week, Sharks GM Doug Wilson (no relation) met with the media for the first time since being eliminated from the playoffs and would not discuss the fate of his coach. Ron Wilson and with assistant coaches Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler were signed to multi-year extensions in the middle of last season.

"We're all disappointed with the way the end of the season turned out," Guerin said. "Going forward, the future is still so bright for the Sharks. The quicker we can pick ourselves up and get back at it, the better we'll be."

The Sharks also have three key players due for new contracts. Guerin and defensemen Scott Hannan and Craig Rivet are all set to become unrestricted free agents July 1 and will be highly coveted should they hit the open market.

The initial belief is that Hannan and Guerin will test the waters, while the Sharks and Rivet are expected to come to terms on a new deal before the floodgates open. Hannan, 28, is one of the best stay-at-home defenseman available this summer and could double the $2.204 million salary he made this past season.

Guerin, however, appears interested in returning to San Jose and challenging for the Cup.

"I really enjoyed San Jose. I'd absolutely consider going back there," said the four-time All-Star. "I think right now teams kind of take a little time and see where they're at. They look at what went wrong, see what contracts they have and who fits in. (The Sharks) have some decisions they need to make. I think for the player, at this time of year, it's more of just a waiting game."

The Sharks also plan on trading one of their two goaltenders this summer, something Doug Wilson confirmed earlier this week.

Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov split the duties during the regular-season, but Nabokov played in all 11 playoff games for San Jose. According to various sources, the Sharks will look to deal Toskala, but aren't against entertaining offers for Nabokov.

The 30-year-old Toskala made $1.375 million this year. In his last two seasons, the native of Tampere, Finland, has compiled a 49-17-5 record. Nabokov, meanwhile, makes $5 million, has a poorer record (41-35-11 in the past two years) and would be harder to move.

Top 06-07 Performers | Off-Season Needs | Time to step up | Free Agents | Top Prospects

TOP 2000-07 PERFORMERS

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OFF-SEASON NEEDS

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TIME TO STEP UP

	Mark Bell The Sharks acquired Bell from Chicago with the belief that he would mesh well on a line with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned and Bell only managed to pot in 11 goals and 10 assists. In order for the Sharks to take their game to the next level, they'll need Bell to up his game.
	Steve Bernier As solid a season as the Sharks had, it's hard to blame a sophomore for scoring 31 points. Nevertheless, Bernier has the making of a great power forward in the NHL and next season would be a great time for him to break out of his shell.
	Marcel Goc Granted, he's only 23, but the 20th overall selection in 2001 will be counted on to provide greater offense next season. Goc is a very quick and offensive-minded hockey player who needs to demonstrate he can put the puck in the net at the NHL level.

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KEY FREE AGENTS

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TOP PROSPECTS