Busy time ahead for Doug Wilson: ‘I know I have to get to work’
SAN JOSE – General manager Doug Wilson was still trying to put things in perspective Thursday after the Sharks came up six wins short of capturing the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
That necessary time to reflect after the Sharks lost the Western Conference Final in six games, though, can only last so long.
His captain, Joe Pavelski, wants to stay with the team but doesn’t have a contract. His star acquisition, Erik Karlsson, said he likes the organization but doesn’t know where he’ll land. And his Hall of Fame-bound center, Joe Thornton, isn’t sure whether he wants to put his soon-to-be 40-year-old body through the rigors of another season. The next six weeks – including the start of free agency on July 1 – could wind up as one of the more transformative periods of Wilson’s tenure as the Sharks’ GM, as he figures out how to proceed with his seven pending unrestricted free agents – including Pavelski, Karlsson and Thornton – under the restraints of the NHL’S salary cap. The Sharks’ other pending UFAS are Gus Nyquist, Joonas Donskoi, Tim Heed and Micheal Haley.
“Every year you’re going to have a different team. Again, that’s a cap system,” Wilson said. “You need people coming in and taking more ice time, you need young players who learn from
the people they’re around. Change is part of that. I haven’t gotten into that mode yet.
“It’s still tough to realize we’re not playing today. Having said that, I look at the calendar, I know I have to get to work and get some decisions done.”
Wilson said he’ll sit down with coach Pete Deboer on Friday to begin the autopsy of a season that began with every expectation of competing for the Stanley Cup. Wilson said Deboer will be back for a fifth season as head coach, but that other changes in regards to assistant coaches won’t be determined until later.
“I’ve got to look in the mirror before I look at anyone else,” Wilson said. “That’s the process we’ve always followed. Are there things we can do different? Pete will do the same thing, and we’ll sit and talk about IT.”WILL
KARLSSON STAY?: The first decision, personnel-wise, may be about Karlsson, who despite an injury-filled season in San Jose, figures to command big money as arguably the top player in this summer’s list of free agents.
The NHL defenseman with the biggest cap hit next season will be the Los Angeles’ Kings Drew Doughty, who begins his eight-year, $88 million extension in the fall. Will Karlsson get that kind of money from the Sharks or another team? It’s possible.
“That’s a part of this business that you never know about,” Karlsson said Thursday. “Things have changed. I kind of wish I was signing my second deal and I was 21 and promising and hadn’t accomplished anything.