Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

Once again, San Jose is dominating the regular season, and they finally could be the real deal.

Haven't we seen this play before?

You know, the one where the San Jose Sharks dominate the regular season only to have the wheels come off in the playoffs?

I am certain there are many of Sharks fans out there who admire the team's great start to the 2009-10 season, but are wondering if they are being tricked again. Obviously we won't know the answer to that one until May... or June.

Call it a hunch, but I am inclined to think this team is the real deal. A Stanley Cup champion in the making? I'm not prepared to go that far at this point, but the Sharks are quickly making a believer out of me.

When San Jose tanked in last year's playoffs, bowing out in six games in the first round after winning the President's Trophy, it would have been easy for general manager Doug Wilson to blow the team up. The core of the group, after all, had proven itself unable to play winning hockey at the most critical time of the year and many were questioning the key individuals on the team, in particular centre Joe Thornton whose playoff disappearing act has become a yearly occurrence. To be fare, Thornton did lead the Sharks in playoff scoring last season with a goal and five points in six games, so the first round defeat wasn't entirely his fault.

Wilson, in fact, didn't think about dismantling the team. In fact, when he brought his group together prior to sending the players on their way for the summer, he made sure every player - from first-liners to fourth-liners - took their share of the heat. Sure the spotlight falls on the likes of Thornton and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, but players such as Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Clowe among others are equally important when it comes to the team's success or failure.

"The beauty of this team is it is the sum of its parts," Wilson tells sportsnet.ca. "They line up every day and say, 'What can we do to be better today?' It is the growth of the team. One thing will never change here and that is the high expectations we have."

The biggest change with this team, obviously, is the addition of winger Dany Heatley. I don't think I was going out on a limb when I suggested before the season started Heatley would win the Rocket Richard Trophy this year by leading the NHL in goals and right now he's on pace to score a career-high 53 goals. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if he scores more than that.

What is interesting, however, is how Wilson perceived the addition of this great gunner who wanted out of Ottawa.

"What do you think Dany Heatley's plus-minus was the three previous seasons before last year?" Wilson asks.

Uh, dunno.

"Plus-100! You don't get to be plus-100 by playing just in the offensive zone."

Actually Heatley was plus-93 in that span, but we get the point. And it's a big reason why the Sharks, who just happen to have the best penalty-killing unit in the NHL, lean on Heatley when they are a man short.

Wilson also notes the addition of the likes of grinders such as Scott Nichol, Manny Malholtra and Jed Ortmeyer.

"There will be nights when our top players will be neutralized for one reason or another and that's when our third- and fourth-liners have to bring something to the table," Wilson says.

Another big change was taking the 'C' away from Patrick Marleau, who served as team captain since the 2005-06 season. It was suggested by many stripping him of the captaincy was the first step to his ultimately being traded away. Wilson insists that is the furthest thing from the truth.

"Patty Marleau has a no-trade clause and I have never asked a player to waive such a clause," Wilson says. "I brought him into the office and he said, 'If you think this is best for the team, then I'm fine with it.' That is the kind of guy Patty Marleau is. What people don't seem to acknowledge is he was having an amazing season last year until he got hurt with two weeks left and was unable to write the final chapter. He played the playoffs wearing a brace on his leg."

Marleau, who is in his 12th year in the NHL despite being just 30, is fifth in league scoring with 17 goals and 31 points in 28 games.

If is a more serious group of Sharks you are seeing this season, then you need to know the players all came back a month early to begin training for the challenge that lie ahead of them.

"The guys were anxious to start work," Wilson says. "All we tell the players is if they leave everything on the ice, then we can live with the results. We weren't convinced they left everything on the ice. With all due respect to Anaheim (which beat out the Sharks last season), they won the Cup a few years ago and very nearly knocked off Detroit, but we feel we could have played better."

Based on what we have seen from the Sharks thus far, that won't be the case this season.