The cannon fodder that is the San Jose Sharks

Joe Thornton modelling the Sharks' new playoff jersey. 

The San Jose Sharks have become less of a team and more of a plot device.

Like Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones, the way the Sharks die is the only real way they affect the larger story.

This year the Sharks' playoff death taught us who the bad guys are (the Los Angeles Kings) and how you should never turn your back on them.

Most years, the Shark's playoff chances die in a comedic fashion. After fearsome and impressive regular seasons, the Sharks get eliminated in an unexpectedly quick manner.

Kinda like what happens to this guy: 

This season, for the first time, I found the Shark's elimination heartbreaking.

After allowing the Kings to become the fourth team in league history to overcome a 3-0 deficit, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have likely cemented their reputations as playoff chokers.

This year was supposed to be different. The Sharks are a talented team with lots of forward depth. Throughout the regular season, we heard about San Jose's work ethic, commitment to winning, and their great possession stats.

The result was the Shark's most humiliating defeat yet.

There is clearly a problem here, and after seeing the unfathomable sadness in Joe Thornton's eyes, I don't believe it's the Sharks' captain not caring about winning.

This gif says it all.

What do the Sharks do now?

I honestly have no idea. While the Sharks were missing one of their best defenders in Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and the Kings are a really good hockey team, there is no excuse for a team as good as the Sharks to ever lose a series after being up 3-0.

The problem is not with the talent on the Shark's roster, and given the Sharks have big money committed to Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, there is not much they can do in terms of bringing in players.

Because of their reputations for playoff failure, San Jose may find it difficult trading Thornton or Marleau, and Couture, Pavelski, Burns and Vlasic are supposed to be important pieces for years to come.

The Sharks have reaffirmed their confidence in head coach Todd McLellan and general manager Doug Wilson, so there will be no major off-ice changes.  They will likely get rid of Marty Havlat and Dan Boyle, but these seem like minor moves.

The Sharks may pursue a goalie like Ryan Miller, and while playing in front of an experienced goaltender might give the team confidence, with the money San Jose has committed, it is hard to imagine them signing a big-ticket free agent. 

The problem with the Sharks is confidence. Despite their amazing season, when the Sharks felt the Kings start to come back in the series they panicked, and they were never able to regain their form. It is hard to prescribe a cure for that.