The Sharks were able to watch the team they hope to become over the ice on Friday night.
League-leading Colorado visits SAP Center, showcasing a collection of talent years in the making that made Avalanche a Stanley Cup candidate, if not the favorite.
And just as San Jose has been learning since its annual postseason contender status fell three years ago, an increase like Colorado is coming with patience and pain.
Avalanche missed the playoffs in eight of 11 seasons from 2007 to ’17. This slide followed 11 straight postseason appearances (1995-2006) that included the Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 before he embarked on his reset – not rebuilding.
The Sharks have enjoyed a similar, if not more consistent run with playoff appearances in all but two of 21 seasons from 1998 to 2019. The only thing missing, of course, is the shiny silver cup for the trophy. And now they’re also in reset mode.
“There are a lot of things that need to be done to get us to the level we want,” said Sharks defender Erik Karlsson. “We are very happy that a guy is running the team that wants to win” in owner Hasso Plattner.
Avalanche missed the playoffs for a third straight season in 2017, but spent some time patiently building around Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. These three are given by fellow JT Compher and defender Erik Johnson as the sole holdovers of Avs’ last non-playoff team.
With Wednesday’s signing by Tomas Hertl on a Max-term deal, Banks sharked at a similar core with fellow long-term signatories Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Karlsson. The key is further development and production of draftees and additions by craftsmen and free agency.
That’s the formula Colorado general manager Joe Sakic used, and the ones the Sharks are trying to implement.
“We’re trying to fill in and get some talent on this list to help,” said Assistant General Manager Joe Will. “We have a talented core, we have a young pool of prospects who, I think, have increased this season.
“Now is a chance to be patient with our choices, prospects and opportunities, and to do what’s good for us in the trading term.”
On Monday, the deadline and the Sharks had players who could attract interest, including striker Alexander Barabanov and Andrew Cogliano, defender Jacob Middleton and goalkeeper James Reimer.
“People ask if you’re a buyer or a seller. I’m saying we’re listeners,” Will said. “If it’s a big deal for the franchise for now and in the future, you have to weigh it, and that’s what we’re looking at.”
The reality is that the best players from San Jose have to lead as MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog did for Colorado.
“Boys who make a lot of money have to produce and play well. That’s just the way it goes in this league,” said Couture. “If you do not do that, then you are usually not a very successful team.”
Ross McKeon covers the Sharks for The San Francisco Chronicle. Twitter: @rossmckeon
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